I don’t know that much about staying organized, and I hope that by writing this article I can be a little more organized.

Since school has already started, I think that by starting this new quarter, we should at least start with a clean and organized slate. Some of these tips are my personal favorite things to do.

Staying organized helps in many different ways, not just physically staying organized but also mentally. I think that by staying physically organized, you can have better hygiene and start new habits. Those habits can help you in your learning abilities and in being a better thinker – not making any bad decisions. So, basically, staying physically organized can also help you stay mentally organized, and vise versa.

One of the things that I’ll say that really has helped me, is having a planner. Even though it looks really lame to have a planner, and writing in it after class is over, it’s not, because when you write stuff down, you remember it more. So in my case, all I have to do when I get home is to get my planner out and read through all of my assignments that I had throughout the day.  I can then do them either right at that moment, or I could go do something and come back, like taking short breaks. It helps me because I can’t concentrate on doing one thing for a long period of time; I don’t know why.

Another thing that keeps me organized more, is having color coded things. For example, the first two classes that I have, the notebooks are black and white. I have the rest of the notebooks in different colors to keep me organized in my book bag. I didn’t think that color coding would help me be organized, but now I have the habit of putting my notebooks where they belong in my book bag without thinking about it twice.

Something I haven’t tried, but I’ve heard about is that it is helpful to work on only one thing at a time, and to have only one project/assignment out at a time. When I say I haven’t tried this it is because I have to get everything out of my book bag and see everything that I have to do or else I will get lazy and not do it. Because of this, I keep everything out and put it back in all at the end.

I hope that these tips have helped you in any way possible, have a great quarter and good grades!

You have probably heard all kinds of talk about beauty standards and how they affect a lot of people all over the world. Many people have had trouble with body image and self-esteem but some don’t. The truth is, 7 in 10 girls believe that they do not measure up in some way to beauty standards.

When I use the term “beauty standards,” everybody has a different definition, opinion, and views. Because of this, I made a survey to see exactly what are the beauty standards here at Highland Park, who students think runs the beauty standards, and if these standards are fair. This is what some people said:

How Confident Are You?

Many people said they are confident or extremely confident. Actually 15 out of  20 people responded like that. It surprised me because along with these answers the other 5 that said they are either not confident or extremely not-confident. Given these results, I tried to make a connection to the responses, and I couldn’t really seem to find one except that 4 out of the 5 that said not confident to extremely not-confident are managing a mental illness.

What Are beauty Standards In Your Mind?

I found this section of the survey very interesting. Mostly because in both sections of the confidence levels most felt very strongly about what it means to them. Here is what some people said:

• A set of rules to oppress people.
• Dressing or looking like other people
• Wearing makeup
• Showing more skin
• Big Eyes
• Slim figure
• Things people say that make them believe they are beautiful or not beautiful

So, as you can see, there are many different opinions and views on what beauty standards are. Because these responses were in both sections and had no connection to mental illnesses, like in the question “How Confident Are You?” it leads me to believe that beauty standards are just there in our minds. Maybe we don’t think about them all day every day but they are there and we are very aware as adolescents as to what beauty standards are.

Do You Think These Standards Are Fair?

A lot of people circled “no” saying that the standards are not fair. 14 out of 20 people said that the beauty standards are not fair. And on the flip side there were also those that said that the standards are indeed fair. So, if you could choose. What would you choose. Fair or Unfair? Real or unreal?

So every single person is different. Everybody has their own views on so many different things and this one topic in particular shows this. Because this can sometimes be a strong or hard topic to talk about for people, it shows that, yes, people have their own opinions and we have to respect them. Beauty standards affect the world as a whole, and it’s up to you to change it or keep it. Could you imagine a world without judgment or misunderstanding?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly known as seasonal depression used to be identified as a disorder primarily seen in people in their 20’s. However, it is becoming very relevant among teenagers. SAD affects around 10 million people annually, and that number is growing. It specifically targets people who live in the north or places with four seasons, like Minnesota. For those who may not know, SAD is a type of depression that changes your mood during the same time every year. It also tends to correlate with the changing of seasons.

For the majority of patients, SAD begins in the early fall and lasts through the spring. Possible reasons for this include the reduction of daylight time, snow/cold weather causing people to stay in their houses more, school, less exercise, and the holidays. Symptoms of Fall/Winter SAD include lack of energy and motivation, crying spells, oversleeping, fatigue, overeating, anxiety, depression, and weight gain.

While fall/winter is the most common time period for SAD, the spring/summer time period does affect around 10% of people with the disorder. Possible reasons for this include the length of the daytime, the lack of scheduling/routine that summer provides for people, specifically teens who are at home, the heat triggering stress or trapping you inside your house with the AC on, and body insecurities brought out through peeling off the layers worn all winter and trading them in for minimal summer clothing. Spring/summer SAD symptoms include weight loss, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, decrease in appetite, anxiety, and depression.

SAD is something that goes away, but always creeps back. It is a disorder that people live with and at times have to struggle through. However, there are ways to succeed and persevere with SAD in order to live life the way you want to. Tips for people dealing with SAD vary, the key is trying out different strategies and using resources to find what is best for you. Planning ahead is an important factor to beating you SAD whether it be in the spring/summer or fall/winter time period.

You know when you will have to endure your SAD symptoms, so think about your weaknesses and previous failures, or worries, during this time in the past, and come up with ways to help lessen these challenges. Talk to someone. This could be a teacher, counselor, therapist, friend, coworker or family member. Confiding in others can provide emotional support and offer you an outside perspective on your situation.

Getting active is another tool. Exercise helps your confidence, health, and hormones that control your emotions. Another way to control the imbalance of your hormones are anti-depressants for those who aren’t opposed to the medication route.

Individually, you may explore and find stress relievers, specifically, hobbies that could help you cope with your SAD. Don’t overlook any positive strategy. Everyone is different and something that may work for someone won’t work for the next. This is a trial and error process.

If you have been diagnosed with, or may have SAD, or know someone who needs help with issues relating to depression, there are free resources provided to help you in order to take steps toward improving your life.

Highland Senior High Schoolers can talk to teachers, the nurse, their counselor, or the therapist in the clinic.

Outside of school resources include:

For Minnesota funded 24/7 confidential crisis counselors go to http://txt4life.org or text LIFE to 61222

For the 24/7 national depression/suicide prevention hotline call 1-800-273-8255

How To Take Good Notes

Today we are going to share with you a few things that will help you take better notes.

One thing that really helps with remembering the content of what you’re reading is writing a summary. This sounds like extra work but it really helps you understand the material you are taking notes on. When writing a summary start with the main idea; this should be the focus of  what you are writing about. Summaries should only be a couple of sentences so that when reviewing you don’t have to read all your notes. Lastly, in regard to summaries, we suggest writing them for confusing or longer notes, this will help to ensure your comprehension.

Another thing that really helps is to organize your notes is using colors and distinguishing marks. You don’t have to use many colors – maybe one or two at the least. We suggest underlining main ideas or important facts, this will help you study when reviewing your notes. When taking notes you can use colors to distinguish one section from another so it’s easier to look back on. A further method you can use is circling or marking areas that you need to work on to remind yourself what topics to study before a test.

When you take notes, being organized and concise are main focuses. It’s important to have key ideas, so when you go back to study you’re not confused as to what type of questions you’ll be trying to answer on a quiz or homework. Use different symbols (like * or -) to show the difference between headings and points made. You don’t always have to use color, so when you don’t have it, make sure to box and underline to help create borders between sections. Writing in cursive helps a lot because it’s faster than printing, so you’re given more time to make sure your notes give you the information you need.

Overall, notes are very important in our everyday school lives, so taking good ones are key to a successful education. There are many ways to do notes, these are just three ideas to help guide you into improving your own.

As a student grows closer and closer to their senior year of high school, they will have the responsibility of thinking about their future – what they think needs to happen and what would their personal benefit be in doing so? There are some students who think college is absolutely the next step for them after graduating high school, but every student does.

Sometimes, there will be students who have a different mindset about what to do once they have graduated high school. People might not think to go to college because they don’t know what they’re career choice is, even in their senior year of high school.

In any case, there are many different reasons as to why a student does not go on the same path that others follow for the successful future that they have thought about ever since being in high school. Some common reasons that students don’t go to college:

• Taking a year-off of school: Maybe there are some students who still want to go to college, but just not immediately following their high school graduation. They might consider just taking a year or less off to just relax and do whatever they chose, because they want to get everything such as maturity, a job, or their personal life in order before they go into something even bigger than high school.

• Struggling to meet the tuition: Some students, even though they’re grades and GPA are good and strong, can’t go to college because of the cost of tuition, either for a private college or public university. The price for some colleges may change each year but as an estimate, a high school graduate who would like to attend college may be looking at tuition costs up to $12,00 a year (in state).

• Knowing they want to do something else: There will be students who just don’t want to go to college in general, reason or no reason. One important thing to keep in mind is that it isn’t just people who may have bad grades, or such, that don’t go to college. In some cases, there will be a grade A student who has another option in their life to still expand in their field of interest without experiencing the college life. Sometimes, there will be something else that comes along close to graduation that you might have an interest in, and that you could learn a lot from, even though you are not learning from a college classroom.

Don’t feel sorry for the students who don’t follow the path to college, they still have options available to them. Here are some options as to what students not attending college could look into and be intrigued by:

• Try to help out your community in any way possible. Anything that could better promote your strong and independent place of peace and respect for others that support one another when they need it most.

• If college is not the place you decide to go, look for an apprenticeship or an internship than can help teach you more about your career choice (if you have decided). The better knowledge you have about your interest, the more you can expand on it and show what you know by presenting your knowledge and skill to the world in any way possible.

Community College is an alternate college path, with its cost and resources differing from a traditional four year university. Many juniors and seniors weigh their options carefully, with a community college path being one of them. The questions for prospective students include: What are the differences between universities and community colleges? What benefits would you receive, and what aspects of the system may not correlate with your goals? Is community college a reasonable option for you? The pros and cons below may help some decipher these questions.

Pros

Community College is a less expensive option for college, or the beginning of your college path. With tuition at private universities rising 3-5% annually, the difference between community college and universities is almost 50%. 529 money is often accepted through community colleges as well. This is not the case for public and private schools.

Many people also find community college beneficial for getting their general credits done at a lower price before transferring to a public or private university.

Community colleges are also located in populated areas, in state, providing an easy location to get to, and possibly the opportunity to stay at home through college, instead of paying for a dorm.

Another pro is the class variety in times and topics. There is a selection of general education classes as well as individual career programs where you take a mix of general courses along with courses directed towards your career path. Timing of the classes is very flexible as well, with day classes and evening classes available.

These two factors produce smaller class sizes which helps students get a deeper level of learning with easier access to help from their professors. The flexibility has also been found ideal for things like holding steady jobs, teen moms, sports, etc.

Cons

As you may know, community college is a less expensive option. While it can be used as a tool to save money and help make a steady plan for your future financially, it can also be a place for less motivated students. Some worry these individuals could be a distraction in classes.

Another concern for people is the fact that most community colleges only offer two year Associate Degrees. While credits can transfer to four year schools, not all do, and it is something that needs to be looked into prior to attending community college if you plan on going for higher degrees.

Another thing some have found difficult is the transition from community college to a university due to the increase in intensity of the workload after the first two years at community courses. Some people are willing to modify and piece together a plan with various colleges, but for others it leads to be too messy and stressful.

Lastly, for those who are looking for the “college experience” on campus with things such as activities and clubs, community college may not fit the description of that because they primarily focus/provide the education aspect of college life.

Either path you choose to take, you will be getting college degree, helping you secure more job opportunities in the future. If you know what you want to major in, research programs at community colleges and universities. Compare curriculum and costs. If you aren’t sure what you want do for your future occupation, community college may be a good way to get your general courses done while thinking about your future plans.