Alden's Yearbook

It is at this time of the year that the students at Alden High School recieve their yearbooks. Every year the yearbook staff tries to out-do last years book and we really think we did it this year. We truely believe that this is our best book. We worked for endless hours on this book and changed so many things. To see how far we have some, just compare this year's book to last year's book. But let me know what you think. Any improvements for next year? Is there something you absolutly love and want us to keep? Let me know if you have any ideas and maybe you will see them in next years book!!!

No Citizenship--No License!!!

Illegal Immigrants SHOULD NOT be given license!

A very controversial issue in America right now is immigration. Most immigrants come into America from Mexico, but many also come from any other country. Immigrants come from all countries and some come legally; however, the majority of immigrants come to America illegally, without proper documentation, and now governors and state leaders want to sell licenses to them for more income.

This is not the best, or smartest way, to generate income. It is understandable that leaders do not want to increase taxes, but giving licenses to illegal immigrants is not the answer! When an illegal immigrant is given a license, they now have access to many things. Having a drivers license allows you to buy a gun, alcohol, tobacco--anything that simply requires photo i.d. The terrorists in 9/11 had drivers licenses. This allowed them to buy the guns, buy the plane ticket, open a bank account and rent a house. With out a license, they would not have been able to do this and maybe 9/11 would not have happened or at least not as destructive.

Am I saying that all illegal immigrants are terrorists? No, but they all cause harm to the economy of the United States. Illegal Immigrants do not have proper documentation like a social security number, birth certificate, etc. This means that if they do get a job, they will be paid under the table--the government does not know about it and receives no money in the form of taxes. In turn, they now don't have health insurance and rely on welfare, which was created by the government and funded by all tax paying Americans. The only way welfare recieves money is through the taxes that our hard working parents, and even us, pay. If someone doesn't pay taxes and is not physically or mentally disabled, they should not reap the benefits of taxes. Why should we have to work to support them as well as ourselves?

Eagle Award vs. Gold Award

Everyone knows what the Boy Scouts Eagle Scout award is, but why don't they know what the Girl Scout Gold Award is? If you go through the process, step-by-step, the Girl Scout award is actually harder! Why is it that the boys get all the recognition while the girls do all the work?

For the Boy Scout Eagle Scout some of the requirements are quite simple. One requirement is to be an active member of your troop and be a Life Member, having earned 21 badges (over the entire course of his Boy Scout Career). Another requirement is to live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law, basically saying, "Be a good citizen. Do the right thing." A Boy Scout must also have a position of responsibility in their troop for six months. Finally, when the scout begins his project, he has to plan it out. This involves some critical thinking but they are allowed to receive help from other scouts and it can be a collaboration--many scouts working together. At the end, everything must be documented: hours, who was helping, what they did, etc. Common projects around Alden and Marilla have included building birdhouses, clothing drives, book drives and planting flowers. To some, this may be a daunting task but it can be done, the scout has until he is 18 to complete it.

For the Girl Scout Gold Award, some of the requirements are the same, however most are not. Before the scout even begins her project she must have: 40 career hours, having a job is not good enough, there must be a variety of jobs; 30 leadership hours, from at least 2 different leadership positions; three interest projects relating to the Girl Scout Promise and Law, which involve more career hours, leadership and community service; and one Studio 2B book, helping the Senior Girl Scout figure out what she might want to do her project on. She must also complete her 4B's Challenge which involves the scout to talk to community officials to see what problems are present in her town. This is all BEFORE she even thinks about what her project may be, she will have done at least 80 hours of work and none of it counts toward the project! Now it is time to think about your project and propose to the Girl Scout Council what the project, of at least 65 hours, will be. The scout must keep in mind that she is on her own, no other scout is allowed to help her--she must take complete responsibility for this project. Once her project is proposed, she must go in front of a Board of Review and get approval for her project; this board can and will say no to the project because it does not educate, is not worthwhile, does not benefit someone besides Girl Scouts, or because it can not be continued. Once the scout gets approval, she must then complete her project, all 65 hours before her 18 birthday and write up final documentation on her project.

It's obvious to me that the Girl Scout Award is harder. It is longer, has more requirements, and the girl can not recieve help for her project. Why no one knows agout it, I don't know. Leave me a post and let me know what you think? Why does everyone know about the Boy Scout award but no one knows about the Girl Scout award?

Getting In is No Longer Easy

We can thank our parents for this one. The baby boomers, our parents, now have kids who are graduating from high school and we are all trying to get into a good college. However, the more kids that apply to college, the fewer kids who will actually get in. Colleges now have more power to deny applicants; this means that even if you are a great student and you took the hardest classes available to you and did everything possible to dress up your application, you still may not get into that Ivy League or Division I school. With more people than ever applying to college and with the need for high education at its peak, getting into college is no longer as easy as pie. Instead, it can be a hard and demanding process.

American companies send all of their factories overseas, where the labor is cheap. Very few companies have factories in America and considering the population of America, there are very few jobs available to those who do not go to college unless you want to have a public service job or flip burgers your entire life, which is totally acceptable--it's up to you. Most all jobs require or ask for a Bachelor's or Master's degree--degrees which must be attained at a college. Also, if you wish to get a job that you can keep for the rest of your life and one in which you can not be replaced by a computer, you have to go to college. Just think about all of the factory jobs that have already been taken over by computers. How much longer until all jobs are taken over by computers?

Most everyone needs to get into college for their dream job. Whether you want to be a doctor, astronaut or mechanic--a college degree is a good idea. Just be prepared to be declined from your dream school. In order to prepare for this, it may be a good idea to apply to a variety of schools, private and school funded. You may also want to apply to schools in a varitey of divisions. Even if you have always dreamed of an Ivy League or Division I and you are number one in your school, also apply to a Division II or III--just in case. Remember, sports and other extra cirrucular activities may not be your saving grace anymore. Be prepared for anything. Comment and let everyone know if you know of a way to improve your chances of getting into the school of your dreams.