Confessions

Hello, my name is Karen Wolcott and I am a shopaholic.

I, like most of my peers, make minimum wage. That $7.25 an hour doesn’t get me very far, so I’ve been counting down the days for the post Christmas sales. Words like sale, clearance, and 50% off are all music to my ears. The $70 heels at ALDO are now $38.49, with an additional 30% off clearance merchandise. I was so excited to go to Crossgates with my friend, until the snow fell last night.

My wonderfully unreliable Hyundai Elantra (complete with cracked windshield and loose fan belt) won’t even make it down my driveway. Not that it even matters, my Mom is terrified of letting me drive when there’s even a dusting outside.

This horrible turn of events brings me and my wallet to a new low. I’m suffering from withdrawal.  My only refuge seems to be an old copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic. The gift cards sitting on my night stand seem to be reminding me of what I’m missing out on.

Thankfully, I’ve discovered a Christmas miracle. Online shopping and free shipping.

Alyssa Bernal

by Cassandra Goldman

Justin Bieber, make way for Alyssa Bernal, a newly discovered teen singer from Texas. Bernal was founded by producer Pharrell Williams on YouTube and recently released a new album featuring her hit “Cali, Cali, Cali.”

Bernal taught herself how to play guitar and started writing her own songs. To some, Bernal seems to be a pop version of pronounced country singer Taylor Swift because she writes openly about her feelings and love life.

Her most well-known song, “Cali, Cali, Cali” is about a young Texas girl who visits California and falls in love with a boy there. When the girl returns to Texas she misses him and recalls when they first met on the beach. She later receives a love letter from the boy and talks about how she yearns to return to him. The song has a very catchy tune that will have listeners humming along even after it ends.

Her album also includes songs “Hold Me Tight”, a duet with pop artist Jason Wade, and “Easy.” Both songs talk about falling in love and being in a relationship. Bernal’s voice and style is unique and relatable. People who listen to her music will not only get to know Bernal, but also have glimpse into an average teenager’s heart and mind.

Shenendehowa girls basketball gets big win over Colonie

by Aaron Crowell

The Shenendehowa Girls basketball team moved to 4-0 on Dec. 17 in impressive fashion, 58-35, over rival Colonie.

Even with the win, Weber said that she was “nervous” going into the game as she scored eight points in the first half.

Allie Setter, a senior at Shen, got the first points of the game on her way to 15 first half points.

Weber had a steal halfway through the third quarter and made a lay-up for a 5-0 personal run that forced a Colonie timeout  before Shen went on to a 46-23 lead at the end of the third quarter. Maggie Smith made a big steal, with about two minutes left, and dumped it off to Weber who hit a three.  Right before the end of the critical third quarter, Weber made a huge steal before driving the court for a lay-up.

Shenendehowa head coach Ken Strube said that it was big for his team to have played so many crucial Suburban Council games before Christmas. Shen has played and beaten Shaker, Burnt Hills and Ballston Spa also. He also pointed out that the team was successful because they are getting production from the bench.  This is not a surprise to him, but it is a surprise that it came out this early into the season.

Setter, one of the Captains for Shen, said that the defense made the win possible.  She said that everyone was nervous before the game including both herself and Weber.

Weber said that Strube talked to her during halftime telling her to “step up.”

She did by scoring 15 points in the second half.  Weber finished with 23 points and Setter scored 19 points.

Shen’s next game is Dec. 21 and it is against the defending New York State Champion, Averill Park.

Facebook in school

by Kadijah Singleton

The education of high school students seems to be interfered by one of the most popular online  social networking services in the nation.

Various incidents occur within the halls of  everyday high school, either with positive or negative outcomes. However, the first initiative is to get down to the source of the problem.  It is often questioned whether or not social networking has any type of affect on disapproving behavior within  high school students.

Upcoming snowboard season

by Jay Cobb

With winter creeping up, it is inevitable that skiers and snowboarders are getting stoked to get out and ride. Living in upstate New York, there are a limited amount of good places to go snowboarding. With surrounding areas like Vermont and New Hampshire who get a considerable more amount of snow, living here is not such a bad thing after all.

Whether you love to chill in the terrain park or just cruise around with your buddies all day, snowboarding is a good way to get away from everything and just have some care-free fun.

Can you make the team?

by Megan Lounsbury and Kate Bailie

Most people think of sports teams as one team and one unit. When taking a close look at some teams, this “unity” does not always show.

When you walk through high school, what do you see? Many would say they see multiple groups of people only with their inner-circle of friends. This kind of group is classified as cliques. These cliques do not only form in school but also carry themselves on to extracurricular activities such as varsity school sports.

Everybody’s doing it

by Amanda Walkowicz and Kristen Anderson

Students let a simple yes or no affect their reputations in high school. Peer pressure can range from drug and alcohol abuse, to acts as simple as copying a friend’s homework. These decisions can be helpful or harmful depending on the situation and the people involved.

Weber leads Shen to second win of season

Emily Weber as she dribbles down court.

by Juliana McDermott

Shenendehowa girls basketball is off to a fast start this season winning their first home game against Burnt Hills – Ballston Lake.

Emily Weber led the way with 13 of Shen’s 44 points. Shen’s tough defense held Burnt Hills to only a 26 point game.

Coach Ken Strube was able to get all of his players on the court at some point in game.

Junior, Mary Kate Cusack was the second leading scorer with 9 points.

Captains, Megan Rodgers and Allie Setter had a combined 15 points.

Shen’s Freshman and JV teams also won their games. All three teams remain undefeated at 2-0.

Shen’s next home game will be on Friday, December 17th against a tough Colonie team.

East vs. West

by Ghulsoom Rasoully

Shenendehowa High School is a high school known for its separation of buildings between the freshmen and the sophomores, juniors, and seniors. High School West is a building that consists of all freshmen. Some would say that High School West is a great way to start high school as a freshman, but others might disagree.

A recent idea was proposed about allowing the seniors of High School East “take over” the High School West building. However, many staff and students in Shenendehowa High School East were very opinionated about the proposal and disagreed with the idea.

“High School West was Koda Junior High but it transitioned in the late 1900s-2000,” said Mr. Heckman, class assistant principal of High School East. Heckman also explained some advantages and disadvantages of High School West. A disadvantage would include the freshmen having to transition twice and not having an influence of their upper classmen. Mr. Heckman was also a current teacher at High School West and he described it as a “more-contained” building compared to High School East where it’s “more at a faster pace and crowded.”

Display cases

by Tara Hurley

Throughout Shen High School East there is a multitude of glass display cases that showcase students’ academic and athletic achievements. These display cases were created by the department chairs at the Shen High School. Laura Tarlo, a business teacher at Shen, said, “Many of the display cases, like art and business, are underutilized.”

Academic display cases are lined with black paper, leaving a dark presence that should be filled with students brightly colored art work or marketing campaigns. Tarlo said, “It is up to the teachers’ discretion of what goes inside, and what does go inside only stays there for a few weeks.”

On the other hand, the Senate display case, run by Senate administrator Larry Silverman, tends to always be filled with the faces of the students during after school activities; like the dodge ball or handball tournaments. Connor Teneyk said, “It shows school pride, and you also get to see the winners of the games if you were not able to attend.”

Many people say the cases are useless, but others argue it’s a good way to show school spirit. Whatever it is, the display cases are here to stay, and they will be showing hundreds of students’ work and events for years to come.