I’ll start with the most expensive gift at $150, a pacific rink hockey backpack. 

These backpacks are admired by all hockey players because of their perfect design to carry your skates, gloves, helmet, and any other clothes or items you choose to bring with you. This backpack is the perfect travel bag for adventures out to play some pond hockey, or just going to the outdoor rink. As one would say, the price is worth it.

2. Lizard skin stick grip

Next is a very affordable stocking stuffer, called the Lizard Skin. It’s a better substitute for your usual hockey tape; instead this one lasts 10 times and long and has 10 times the grip. This product is 10 dollars and comes in many patterns and colors. 

3. Light up puck

The Lit Puck is a super cool invention to keep the hockey player out of the house until the cows come home. Instead of hockey fun being over at dark, this light up puck allows you to see the puck and play the game from dusk to dawn (if you can handle the cold). This product starts around $19.99.

4. Sauce kit

The hockey sauce kit is a portable, all year around and fun product. It’s two small individual nets that you set apart from each other very similar to bean bag toss, except you’re trying to shoot a puck into the net. This product can also be used for accuracy training in your shooting. This product starts around $30-40.

5. Stanley cup glass

This legendary trophy could be the next cup for your favorite drink (like root beer). You can use it for the next championship or just to show off to your friends. This product is a hockey collectable, and would surely impress a hockey player or hockey fanatic. This product goes for $30

Influenza is a contagious virus that gets spread around fast. The flu is caused by the influenza virus. It can sometimes cause very severe illnesses, can cause a person to be hospitalized, and can even cause death. Babies, older people, and people with severe health conditions are at high risks. Each year millions of people get sick with this flu. 

People can sometimes not tell the difference between the flu or a cold. A cold comes in slowly and is less severe. Colds often just cause headaches, fevers, and a runny nose. Influenza is way more severe then a typical cold. 

The flu can cause other illnesses such as: bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, and pneumonia. Many people with the flu recover on their own without any medications, but if anybody is diagnosed with the flu they need to stay home and not go around anybody else.

There is no doubt that at one point or another you have most likely felt stressed about something, or maybe even someone, making your life a little more difficult. Unfortunately, it can be incredibly overwhelming but there are ways to help you work around it.

So, here are a couple of minor things that you could do to help yourself out, especially during the school year. 

One day at a time. It is extremely important to only take one day at a time to avoid stressing yourself out and getting overwhelmed about something that can not be changed. Saying a week is seven days is harder to process rather than just taking on the day when it comes.

Stay calm and breathe. I think everyone can understand when everything gets so piled up that sometimes you just need to stop and breathe. The thing is, being stressed has no benefits whatsoever. It is not pleasant to do anything when you feel overwhelmed, so the best way you can help yourself out is just by remaining as relaxed as you can. This doesn’t mean you should be lounging around on your couch, but instead just trying to figure out a way around whatever is working you up and finding an achievable solution. 

Do something that makes you happy. It might help if you can take your mind off whatever is making you stressed. You could start by doing something that you enjoy or surround yourself with people you know make you happy. This way you can find better things to influence your mind set and spend less time focusing on the negative stuff going on in your life. 

Organize your life. School can be a very stressful and fatiguing time of the year, not to mention what goes on outside of school in your personal life. The worst part is trying to remember everything you need to do in a day, such as your schedule, homework, and extracurricular activities. It may not be this way for everyone, but it can’t hurt to try writing stuff down. Whether you would prefer to write in a planner or journal is a personal opinion and should be based on what you can keep up with and enjoy doing the most. 

By Charlotte Lane

Whether you are buying a gift for your brother, mom, sister, best friend, dad, or cousins, gift giving can always be a little challenging. 

Here are a few things that I think are great gifts for whoever during the holidays. 

When you were little getting socks for Christmas almost felt like a punishment at the time, but honesty if you find the right ones socks can be a great present to receive. This is a great gift for anyone in your family or could even be great for a Secret Santa gift. 

2. Tickets to a game/concert 

You really can’t go wrong with this gift! If you know of any artist or team they like, look to see if any venues are holding shows or if a game is coming up. Getting two would be a hit because then they could bring along a friend. 

3. Bite Beauty products 

I don’t know if it’s just me but I love a good chapstick, and Bite Beauty has that. This is a great trendy yet realistic gift anyone will use over and over. 

4. Slip pillowcase and Slip scrunchie. 

Another great gift that will get amazing use out of, these silk items are reasonably priced and will wow anyone you give them too.

5. Priceless moments 

Always remember that the holiday aren’t only about presents, sometimes the best gift you can give someone is quality time together!

I hope these gift ideas help some creative juices get flowing in your brain so you can hopefully find the perfect (or almost perfect) gift for anyone. 

Enjoy the holidays and happy gift giving!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner if you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving here are a few ideas.

1. Make a plan– Get a paper and pencil out. Figure out the following things: How many people are attending? What are people allergic to? What am I going to prepare? 
2. Create a menu– When making your menu don’t choose over complicated dishes that take many days to prepare, choose dishes that are simple and easy to make. 
3. Accept help from family members and friends- Don’t refuse help. If someone offers to bring a beverage or a dessert, let them. Or if they want to help prepare the meal or help set the table, accept the help.
4. Buy your groceries ahead of time– Make a list of all the things you will need, and go to the grocery store ahead of time, so you don’t go in the store at the last minute having a meltdown. 
5. Set the table the night before– Don’t fuss with the table on the day of Thanksgiving. Sent it the night before, so you have time to prepare any last minute things.
6. Keep food warm– Use the oven if necessary so you can keep dishes warm, just don’t burn the food. 
7. Have fun– Thanksgiving is all about being with family. Being with family provides the opportunity for family members to spend a day engaging with one another, it’s also about being thankful for what you have. 

For information visit: https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving

There are lots of things you can do to make sure school goes smoothly. You have to develop good habits that are helpful to your body and mind. If you continue to work hard and stay healthy you’ll be great! Making good decisions and preserving a healthy lifestyle is always good.

Now, the first thing you can do is drink lots of water. You have to have at least 64oz. Which is crazy, but it’s really good for you. Water is a great way to drain your body of unhealthy bacteria and keep your body ready for action. 

Eating healthy is pretty obvious. Avoid fatty foods and junk food because they don’t help your body. You should try to plan your meal instead of just throwing something together. 

Skipping a meal doesn’t help either. Don’t skip breakfast!! Breakfast is a great way to start your day. It boosts your metabolism and helps you not overeat during the rest of the day. Make something quick like a cereal bar or just a bowl of delicious cereal. 

Studying? Finishing homework? Make sure to take breaks! Work for as long as you can and once you feel antsy just walk around a little, do some lunges or stretch. Don’t go for another glass of coffee, move around. 

Is 11 o’clock too late? No, one more hour is fine. Not!! You need to sleep. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night is something to aim for. We all know math takes more than 10 minutes to finish most nights but you should try to go for it. Sleeping for a reasonable amount of time is 100% necessary. It puts you in a better mood 

Working on assignments at a decent hour is important too. You should strive to do it all once you get home, or while you’re eating a snack, or in free time in any of your classes. Just make sure your grades reflect your best work while keeping you in a good and healthy space. 

If you stay on a good schedule, and have a positive attitude, you will surely make it through high school happily. Stay positive!

A positive mindset isn’t something you can easily achieve in one day or overnight. It’s also not something that will stay constant. Every person has their ups and downs. With a better mindset, however, you’re bound to have more ups than downs. Or, you’ll be able to switch your downs to ups.

Always thinking positive can be hard sometimes. It’s something you sort of have to memorize in your brain. You train it to think happy when something bad in your life is happening. For example, when I’m stressed with school work I try not to get angry or frustrated because that won’t help me. Instead I think of ways to manage my time and I set goals for myself to finish the work. 

There is so much you can do to help grow your brain into a positive mindset. Starting your day off right is key. How you make up and spend your time in the morning could affect your whole mood for the day. Some good morning tips can be eating a good breakfast, getting in a light workout, meditation, or music you enjoy. Some people have their alarm set to songs they love so that the first thing they hear makes them happy.

In the morning it’s also nice to just takes a few minutes and meditate. You can sit and think about your daily goals and remind yourself how you’ll approach things and your day. 

There are a lot of things you can do during the day too. You can try to focus on the things that make/are making you happy. Do your best to not let little situations or things make you upset. Anything could switch up your mood. It’s always best to try to see the bright side of things or see them from a different perspective. During the day, it’s also a good goal to remember to smile, say “hi” to people, give compliments, and overall be nice.  

During the night, before you go to bed, is a great time to recap on your day. A good idea is to keep a journal of your thoughts, where you can share everything you’re feeling. Some ideas to help recap on your day is to share three new things you appreciate in your life everyday. You can also share three things that made you happy everyday, and explain one of your favorite moments of that day. Doing this can help you focus on the good things that happened instead of the bad. 

Everyone has their own ways of looking at things. People can have different ways of staying positive. These were just some tips and ideas on how you can go about your day. Doing this for one day may make you feel better for a short time. But doing things like this constantly will make you feel better for a long term.            

I’ll start this off with assuming most of you have ridden in a car before, but once you start to take your first steps into high school you’ll most likely find yourself riding in a car with a teenager.

Well, to save you from these haunted and terrorizing thoughts, I will write about some of the reasons why you should get your permit/license as soon as possible.This can also possibly be used as a motive, or something, to show your parents.

Firstly, having your license will help you with transport to school. Having your license and being able to drive yourself around will make it a lot easier on not just you, but also your parents trying to figure out a ride situation. This impacts greatly on families who have parents that go to work early and aren’t around to give kids rides to school, kids that don’t have a bus, kids that live far away, and kids with siblings.

Another great reason to get your license early is transport to after school sports, and activities. When your parent or guardian is not around to give you a ride to one of these after school priorities, it can become so much more complicated trying to find another last minute ride or carpool. With your license, you are able to get yourself to these places regardless if your parent is home or not.

Even though there are many more great reasons to get your license early such as getting to your job, having a car for emergencies, and showing manifestation of good citizenship, having your license is a great way for a teenager to symbolize independence and coming of age.

I hope these reasons help you find motivation to go get your license or permit, or also maybe help your convince your parents to let you.

Until my next article, I’ll leave you with this one.

October 31st is right around the corner. Lots of people have their decorations up and costumes ready.

Pass out treats. If you are the kind of person that finds pleasure in making others happy, this could be pretty fun for you. Not only can you stay inside during the cold October night, but you will be able to see all the little kids that come “trick-or-treating” by your house in their cute, and sometimes creepy, costumes.

Do the tricking. If there is anytime to scare someone, no doubt it should be on Halloween. There are always questionable decorations, weird setups, and a variety of costumes, and kids walking around looking for candy, all while it’s pitch black outside, so use this all against them to give them what they have been asking for all night. 

Watch scary movies. There is no shame for anybody on Halloween who choose to shut off all the lights in their house, make some popcorn, and watch a scary movie. If anything, this holiday is the best time to do it. There are countless numbers of Halloween-themed movies that could fill up your schedule for about the next year.