Embedded Files
Review of Cinderella Boy: What makes a story interesting?
Review of Cinderella Boy: What makes a story interesting?
By Sophomore Kierstin Conner
Cinderella Boy is a comedic webcomic that can be found on webtoon, which is an app full of entertaining comics to read. It was made by a creator that goes by the name “Punko”, who has done most of this comic on her own. Her friends [insert friends names] help her to come up with jokes and other ideas for episodes and such. If it wasn’t for them, Cinderella Boy would most likely not be a thing.
Cinderella Boy is about a man named Chase Hollow. His Cousin, Deacon, brought him to a library one day to study. Chase, who hates reading, got incredibly bored there and decided to search through a couple books on the shelf. He then found a book that said ‘read me’ on it, so he got curious and opened the book to find a key and tore paper. The paper held instructions on how to use the key, and a name for it. The key was labeled ‘Hero’.
When Chase got home, he followed the instructions on the paper he found, which told him to tap the key on a book. The book developed a keyhole, and in the split of a second, Chase was in a fairytale. However, it turns out that the label he saw below the key was unfinished, as it meant to say ‘Heroine’.
Chase continued to use this key because of a substance it produced called Narotonin. The paper Chase found stated that this substance, if enough of it was gathered, could grant anyone a happy ending. He then went on to call this his summer job, and that he did all summer with no trouble. That was until someone who Chase called Buddy came along.
Buddy appeared one day in a book that Chase entered, and threatened him to give the key back or face the consequences. Chase refused, and now Buddy shows up in every book he enters to cause trouble. His main goal was to sabotage Chase in any way to get the key back. However, his intentions are not all evil. He has a reason for doing this as well.
As the comic continues, Chase and Buddy grow closer in a way, which leads them to become frenemies. Not quite enemies, but not quite friends either. It becomes very complicated since Buddy is still dedicated to getting the key back from Chase. It was not said why he wanted it back so bad until the end, when he was revealed to be a key himself. However, he wasn’t always one. He was turned into a key by, who we can assume, is Ex Libris.
Ex Libris is the group or person that owns the keys, and it is also something that Buddy is a part of. Buddy has been trying to get all the keys back in order to turn himself back into a human via the wish or Ex Libris themselves. Chase however, wants to use the wish to heal his mother who is currently suffering from ovarian cancer; a terminal disease.
This information is all from memory, meaning that this story had a strong impact. Not all stories are this way, so what makes this one so appealing? Well, it mostly comes to storytelling, humor, and surprise factors. The same concept of a story can be both good and bad depending on how it is executed. If a story has bad writing, it is more likely to leave a weak impact while good writing leaves more of a mark on the reader.
Good humor in a story depends on both the author and the reader. When the author of a story makes jokes in their writing, it is up to the reader to pick up on it. Depending on the reader’s sense of humor, they may or may not chuckle. It depends on how the author & reader view humor. A story could be bad to one person because of the jokes, but it could also be the best story to someone else because their sense of humor matches with the author.
Surprise factors play an important role in storytelling. By putting in a shocking twist or reveal, readers will be put on a hook, which keeps them entertained and captivated in the story. Surprises keep readers guessing, which sometimes leads to them rereading the story in order to understand it more. No story is actually a good or bad one, it all depends on how it is told. If Harry Potter was written like a fan fiction, it would most likely not be nearly as popular as it is today.
Cabaret Review
Cabaret Review
By Freshman Josie Baroski
How do you feel about artistic expressions of real world history and conflict? Cabaret is a Broadway musical set in Germany during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. It was written by Joe Masteroff in 1966. It provides a telling story about the rise of Nazism in Germany.
On my recent trip to New York I had the opportunity to see this show. Not knowing even a sliver of what Cabaret was about before seeing it allowed me to enjoy the story thoroughly as it unfolded before my eyes.
Essentially, Cabaret depicts a care-free lifestyle of people at a club in Berlin, the Kit Kat Club. It conveys the club as a place where people can come to leave their worries behind and enjoy the beauties of life. Over time the show conveys conflict developing and how eventually even The Kit Kat Club can’t erase the horrors going on outside of its doors.
In the case of Cabaret, these horrors are the rise of anti-semitism and Nazisim in Berlin, Germany. At the conclusion of the show, everyone, even the staff at The Kit Kat Club have lost their spirit and are left questioning what happened to their country.
Seeing this loss of innocence and joy really opened my eyes. It was telling because, even as the audience watching the show, I didn’t really notice what was happening until it was right in my face.
This show speaks volumes about dictatorship and how it can sneak up on you, even if you are paying attention. Adolf Hitler wasn’t necessarily secretive about his plans for Germany yet, he was still able to get so many people on board with his plans utilizing fear tactics as he went along.
Cabaret, in an artistic way, sends a message to pay attention to what is going on around you. You can’t run away from what’s happening around you by attempting to escape it for, not even the hottest club in Berlin could distract people from the tragedies going on around them in the end.
How Do We Maintain New Year's Resolutions?
How Do We Maintain New Year's Resolutions?
By Brayden Summerlin
As we close the chapter on 2024, we welcome what’s to come in 2025. By reflecting on what happened in this past year, we can make new goals and resolutions to improve not just our physical features but also our mental and social. However, how do we maintain these resolutions we set for the coming year? It’s easier said than done. First, how do we know what to set as our resolution? Like how we plan for upcoming events, we can use a planner or journal to wisely manage our time and focus on our essential goals. Freshman Isaac Covey said, “I would tell people to fully plan out their resolutions.” Brainstorming a big change in your life is an intimidating task to do, so a planner aids in that objective. Additionally, make sure to prioritize the prominent goals rather than the irrelevant or less important ones. For example, focusing on getting a better diet that you stick to brings a significant impact on your life versus when you tackle a diet, learn a new language, and save money simultaneously that don’t all get completed, it brings you right back down to square one. After writing down your resolutions and classifying what is important, be sure to make them personal. Furthermore, ensure they are curated around your life. Finally, the act of starting the New Year’s resolution can begin. To maintain it, try to eliminate bad habits such as procrastination, lying, or anything that severely interferes. Freshman Max Hoffman said, “Keep an open mind about possible distractions and follow through as best as you can.” Over the year, keep a tracker readily available to update how consistent and committed you have been to your resolutions. Moreover, to have a steady motivation, get support. Ask a trusted friend or loved one to workout with you to keep you accountable if you resolve to, say, get more exercise. Having a solid support system just makes the resolution more attainable and you’ll feel more inclined to complete it. A resolution requires a lot of determination and commitment. Sophomore Grace Wilkins said, “The advice I would give to people is to work hard towards your goals.” Mistakes will happen and that’s not a bad thing. It is, however, if you give up on what you want to achieve. Sometimes, we think a resolution can never be completed and instead, we stop before we even really start. Try to keep your mindset aligned with 3 fundamental values (perseverance, accountability, and compassion) so that you can increase your likelihood of actually achieving what you set out at the beginning of January. Perseverance is a key trait to embody while striving towards your goal. It isn’t always easy to be persistent, but with practice and proactiveness will come perseverance. Even when there is big setbacks to overcome, what matters most is your effort to persevere through it. Accountability is another value to act on since it keeps you honest and will show the growth you’ve made over the year. Partners aid in that field of accountability since all the weight doesn’t feel like it’s on your shoulders. Be sure when maintaining that New Year’s resolution of yours to be accountable since it will show your success and how many large achievements you’ve accomplished. Finally, there is compassion. Now, compassion may not seem relevant while maintaining your resolution, but actually, it is. In this case, it is important to give yourself some self-compassion. Why? It reduces anxiety and even enhances your perception of yourself to be more confident and comfortable. Having self-compassion changes the whole trajectory of how you’ll end the year. Hopefully, the result is better than when you started. Now, all of these points may seem overwhelming but they need to be acknowledged and represented so much that we stick to what we set for ourselves this month. Over the year, take these pointers lightly as you try to maintain your New Year’s Resolution. Make 2025 your year for growth, renewal, and improvement.
The eHall Pass: Good Or Bad?
The eHall Pass: Good Or Bad?
By Kierstin Conner
The eHall pass is a system that was recently introduced into this school, and functions as a way to keep track of student activity outside of where they are supposed to be. It was put in place to ensure that the privileges they are provided are not abused. In which, it has been doing a fair job. So, what’s the point? The eHall pass was introduced to school districts by the company that created it. It was expressed by teachers and staff that this program was needed, as explained by our assistant principal: Mr. Tantillo. Although there are some downsides to this new system, there are benefits. By utilizing this new system, there will likely be less traffic in the hallways and bathrooms during class time. This does not mean there will be NO traffic whatsoever, but it does decrease the amount of students leaving at a time. This could be a benefit to people sitting in the hallway who just want to get work done without noisiness; or others who just want to go to the bathroom and leave without overhearing somebody else’s business.
Despite all this though, the program can still be used as an invasion of privacy. However, this program is being used only for security purposes in case students are caught abusing their bathroom breaks just to leave the classroom or skip class. Mr. Tantillo has addressed this by explaining how “in terms of people worrying about invasion of privacy, we don’t ever look at the information unless there’s a need to” (Tantillo). Besides the many benefits the eHall pass has, there are some downsides to it that quite a few of the students at ECHS have noticed, For example, Having to take out your chromebook every time there is a need to use the bathroom or talk to a teacher. It is a much longer process to sign back into your chromebook and then fill out the pass rather than just raising your hand and leaving. These inconveniences are the main reasons many students do not like the eHall pass. Even a couple teachers have struggled with using the eHall pass, mainly because it is new. No-one has gotten used to using this program yet, which is likely the reason people are having so much trouble navigating it. Overall, the eHall pass has been a struggle among many because of our inexperience in using it. This new program is a learning opportunity for many who use it, despite many students thinking it of an inconvenience. Despite the disadvantages, the pass has been helpful in more ways than one.
Where To After TikTok?
Where To After TikTok?
By Zoria Roberts
On January 19th the TikTok servers went down across the United States. Then, not even a full 24 hours later, it went back up. Many of my friends were excited, myself included, having watched both events happen in real time. That creates a question: why did it come back so quickly? According to Forbes “President Donald Trump ordered the federal government on Monday not to enforce the law banning TikTok nationwide for 75 days, giving China-based owner ByteDance more time to sell a stake in the platform or reach a deal with Trump—after a whirlwind period in which the ultra-popular social media platform took itself offline for U.S.” Meaning that users of the app still have about two months before it is forced offline for good. After the giving 75 days, where will everyone go? Asking the question “If there was no TikTok, what social media app would you use?" I got a variety of responses. Most people I had asked said they would move to an app called RedNote. RedNote is a Chinese social media platform that acts and functions mainly as the Chinese version of TikTok. Others said that they would choose other large platforms like Instagram or YouTube. All these apps could be a sustainable way to replace TikTok when it comes to an end. Many people enjoy content in the form of short videos, which all these apps I listed have.
The True Meaning of Thanksgiving
The True Meaning of Thanksgiving
By Kierstin Conner and Jordyn Semidey-durbino
What do you do for Thanksgiving? There are a lot of different Thanksgiving traditions. Some families go and watch the Macy's Day Parade while others might break the wishbone. But what is Thanksgiving really about?
Thanksgiving started in Autumn of 1621 when the pilgrims got invited to eat dinner with the Wampanoag Tribe. This was a peace offering for the pilgrims. They got together over dinner and brought peace over their tribes. This was the first Thanksgiving ever. On October 3rd, 1789, George Washington made it official. He made a proclamation that Thanksgiving Day would be on November 26. This was the start to many appreciation contributions for many years to come.
In the present, Thanksgiving is about everything we are thankful for. It is a day dedicated to what makes us happy, and what we appreciate the most. Often, Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by the events of Christmas. Even in October, Halloween often gets overviewed because of Christmas. However, Thanksgiving gets forgotten the most. This year, we should contribute more to this holiday by showing that we still remember the events of 1789.
I announce this to say that Thanksgiving is a day to get together with your family and friends. To come together over a big dinner, and talk about anything.
As well as expressing our thankfulness for everything we have including this amazing yet often forgotten holiday.
The Nightmare Before Christmas:Halloween or Christmas Movie?
The Nightmare Before Christmas:Halloween or Christmas Movie?
By: Josie Baroski
Think of a movie fit for family movie night throughout the “ber” months.
If you're like me, many horror movies as well as Christmas movies come to mind. But one movie mixes two holidays, by turning them into separate realms. Do you know what this movie is?
If you guessed The Nightmare Before Christmas, then you are correct! In this movie, the main character Jack Skellington leaves his “realm of Halloween” and discovers an opposite place called “ChristmasTown”. In the movie he attempts to combine these two different places. However, the diverse ideals of the realms cause conflict in doing this. The movie is child friendly, and you will always laugh while you watch it.
So since the movie is combining two different holidays, which category of holiday movie does it fall under? Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie, or a Christmas movie?
The short answer is that this question is up to interpretation. Of course, there are no rules on when one can watch a movie.
Personally, I believe that it is a Halloween movie. This is because of the style that the movie is shot in. In my opinion, any Tim Burton movie will always look like a Halloween movie due to the style he uses. While Christmas is mentioned in The Nightmare Before Christmas, it is not the overwhelming theme of the movie.
I asked my Freshmen science class their opinion on this.
My science class did not agree with me.They were almost all in agreement that it was a Christmas movie. 10 votes for Christmas, 2 for Halloween and 2 thought it was a mix.
“It is mostly a Christmas movie because Jack mostly talks about Christmas over Halloween.” says Bella Freer.”
However, Caydence Tarman brings up the point that Jack is trying to incorporate Christmas INTO Halloween, not renovating Halloween into another Christmas.
As you can see, this is a controversial topic. But, don’t let that stop you from watching it whenever you feel the need!
A Hot-Topic: Banned Books
A Hot-Topic: Banned Books
By: Josie Baroski
Throughout history, there have been horrors of all shapes and sizes. People are capable of horrible things. Throughout your schooling, think about how you learned history.You didn’t go back in time to learn about vast empires and Wars, instead you read about them in books. Books are an essential part of learning. They equip us with knowledge, language, and ideas. “Books are the plane, the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey.”-Anna Quindlen
However, recently opinions have arisen that certain books that discuss certain issues should be banned. Banned from schools, libraries and stores.This means that children will no longer have books accessible to them about serious issues in history such as The Holocaust and segregation. I bet you’re thinking, “but these are really heavy issues to teach innocent youth.” And I agree with you! But, these things that these books talk about happened. They are real events. Awful, but real. Everyone needs to be educated of their history so they can be sure to not repeat it. “Those who cannot recall the past are bound to repeat it.”- George Santayana. Children are entitled to know their past.
In one of my favorite books ( which is on the banned books list) Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury tells us a tale of a dystopian society with no books. If you've ever read this book, you know how awful a society like this sounds. You get your house burned down if you have books inside! It’s really scary to me that this issue was addressed in a book and now there’s people who want to ban this informative literature.
I think we as a society should work hard to prevent the banning of literature. Knowledge is power.The more you know about your history the less likely you are to repeat it. It is important to be educated about what has happened all across time. Not all history is sunny, but it is important.
The Drastic Impact on Volunteering
The Drastic Impact on Volunteering
By Emelia Malpass
October 4th, 2024, was the first school wide service project the school collaborated on. Until recently, we used to individually volunteer at more local positions. Like bakeries, shelters, or any community based organization. This service project came out of the blue, I don’t think many of us expected it, since it was such a random time for one to be conducted. Being able to volunteer has taught me to be more selfless, and more humble in being able to understand less fortunate positions, and people. How one action is able to change a less fortunate person’s life. Whether it’s physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.
In society, being able to volunteer is one of the most wonderful things one can experience. While the chore of volunteering itself can be tedious, it’s also a wonderful feeling to know that something was accomplished, maybe a life was saved, or someone was reassured with something even as small as a written card. Students were assigned positions on where to work. There were four distinct services. “Hugs For Soldiers”, “Cards For Veterans”, “Oak Island Beach Cleanup”, and “Brunswick Family Assistance”. When I was assigned to volunteer, ultimately I got put with “Hugs For Soldiers”. What this was, is basically me and a whole bunch of other kids stayed within the school just writing cards. They didn’t have to be a certain format, they just had to be genuinely written as the cards were being sent off. Personally, I found this experience very tedious. While I know the end result was soldiers receiving cards that could reassure them that they’re doing so much for our country, the volunteering itself was quite lonely. I wasn't with my friends or something I would prefer doing. However, one thing I always reassure myself when I am facing tedium, is that anything that is meant to have tedium, is anything that is worthwhile doing.
What I mean by this, is that if I spent a lifetime doing things I purely enjoyed and weren’t anything but easy, what is worth learning about? Since my volunteer work was rather tedious and not ideal, I learned that it is still worth doing because the aftermath is knowing I could’ve possibly made a soldier very content with themselves. In what they are doing, and what they’ve accomplished for our nation.
What is characterized by volunteer work, is the action of one or more people doing service for the community, without being paid or rewarded for it. It is completely voluntary, and never forced. Volunteer work, to me, is just as important as working for wages. Except, I feel volunteering is more diligent than working for something in return. I can live without volunteer work but I cannot live without wage. So I feel it is rather a selfless action to volunteer at all given it sacrifices time, energy, without any sort of wage.
Volunteer work can be just about anything, Even as small as writing cards, which is what I did. Volunteer work is being able to keep the recipient in the back of your mind without expecting anything in return. Which is what this school sets up their students for, is being more humble, being kindred souls. Even if someone doesn’t volunteer out of kindness, it is still an amazing skill to have, personally speaking. And there are a lot of people that need all the help that is willing to be given to them. Volunteer work can also help one to enrich and improve their social cues and overall social engagement. Volunteer work has tremendously been able to aid my anxiety, personally. And I am sure it has been able to help many other people’s anxieties too, as it is a distraction for a good cause in society.
Overall, while I found my first service project of this year tedious, I do recognize that it was for a good cause and that’s the most important part.
Transitioning From Middle School To Early College High School
Transitioning From Middle School To Early College High School
By: Josie Baroski
Transitioning from middle school to high school is hard for most people. High schools are usually bigger than middle schools. They also expect more from students than middle schools do. Early College High School is no different. It is a transition that can be difficult for many students.
For me, the transition from middle school to a Firebird was awakening. At my middle school I was a straight A student and grades came easy to me. I had very little homework.Here my workload is a lot heavier. I have to work much harder for the grade I get. At ECHS teachers expect you to be in control of your education. They give you what you need to be successful, but you have to put in the work to reach that goal.
Overall I like ECHS better than middle school. It is a lot of work, but everything I do feels relevant to my education. I like the independence I get here as well. No one is babysitting me anymore. I like being trusted to do the right thing.
Freshman Seminar is a class that all freshmen at ECHS must take. It teaches us skills for success such as organization, note-taking tactics, study skills and all sorts of other things to help us adjust.
I spoke with my Freshman Seminar teacher, Mrs. Bedell, about what she saw students struggle with most transitioning from middle school. She said that Freshmen have the hardest time adjusting to the workload that is put upon them once they start highschool. She also said that the rigorous curriculum of ECHS is a struggle for new freshmen students. Mrs. Bedell said that overall she sees vast improvement from starting freshmen to end-of-year almost sophomores. “Students take away more than they realize from this class.” Mrs. Bedell states.
Next I interviewed two sophomores Claire Powers and Ava Robins to see if they thought that freshmen seminar was effective. They said that it was. “You learn good speaking skills and it helps you adjust to the rigor and size of your workload at ECHS.” I asked them if they thought only one year of Freshmen Seminar was enough, or if they thought sophomore seminar would be a good thing.They said that this would not be necessary because by your second year you have already acclimated.
Lastly, I interviewed two freshmen to see their thoughts on transitioning from ECHS to middle school. “Highschool is definitely harder than middle school because of an increase of work and expectations,” said Caydence Tarman. She said that the hardest part of the transition was the amount of stress put on you at ECHS.We also spoke about lanyards. She understands why we need to wear them, but thinks the choice of red is a fashion crime. I agree with Caydence's statement.
Andrew Williams’s answers somewhat differed to Caydence’s views. He believes middle school was harder than ECHS so far. However, he thinks this is because of the middle school he went to, and that helped him have a smooth transition into ECHS. Even so, he agrees that the amount of work needed to be successful is the most difficult part about ECHS.
So everyone agrees that the transition is somewhat difficult. However, once we all get settled in and complete the Freshmen Seminar course, I think we will be A-O-K.
From High Schoolers to Conservationists
From High Schoolers to Conservationists
By: Gabriel Hughes and Josie Baroski
The waves washed along the shore, as high school students from Brunswick County Early College High School picked up trash as a community service project. On October 4th, our high school had its first community service day of the school year. These community service days were considered “normal” in years’ prior, as they would happen every other Friday. However, these community service days are now more of a rare occurrence. Even though they are rare, these days still provide us a chance to give back to our community in many ways. This can help encourage people to give back on their own, not just as a school function, and provide a fun way to socialize and show community engagement.
Here at ECHS, we find giving back to our community very important. This is partly because we receive two years of college education for free, saving families up to $30,000 in academic fees. We want to show how grateful we are for this wonderful opportunity. We show our gratitude by performing acts of service for our community during school hours on some school days.
Students can choose from among various organizations for community service. The organization that Gabriel and I chose for our project was beach cleanup. We went to Oak Island Beach and met with a member of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and a board member of the Oak Island Beach Preservation Society. They spoke to us about how to pick up trash and what kinds of trash to pick up and not to pick up. We then spent some time going up and down the beach picking up any trash we came across, putting our feet in the ocean, and potentially (but hopefully not) ruining people’s trip to the beach due to the noise that we brought with us.
As a member of and an access parent for the Oak Island Beach Preservation Society, I (Gabriel) have realized the importance of stewardship on the beach. Without the work of access parents and picking up trash, Oak Island Beach would be laden with debris. To relate this service project to one of our five R’s, conservation is a very relevant topic of today’s news. We all need to be aware of what we are throwing away and where our trash is going. The picturesque, natural setting of the beach is not the place for trash. Trash onshore or that washes into the ocean is harmful to the environment and sea life. We all need to do our part to protect the environment and all living creatures.
Overall this project was an opportunity to have fun as well as be helpful, which is a healthy balance to have in life. If we all give back, we will all receive, not necessarily tangible items, but peace of mind that we are doing the right thing. We all need to do our part to make the world great! This may just be one service project, but it can turn into so much more! So, let’s all give back in any way that we can!
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