4April 2010Hi Times Issue 7 Vol. 101

Cassy SwansonEditor in Chief

Spring Time is in the Spring break: Plenty to do

Photo by Laura Rosenbaum

The beach is a popular place to go, even if the water is too cold.

The snow has finally melted away, and the days of warm weather and sunshine are here again. And for those students begging for a chance to take time to relax, spring break has at long last arrived. With spring break also comes the opportunity to have fun, and while it may not seem like it, there is plenty to do here at home around La Porte. “You just have to look for them (things to do),” said sophomore Rebecca Spevak. Michigan City offers shopping opportunities, including Mar-quette and Lighthouse Malls, but students can also go to the UP Mall in South Bend to sat-isfy their shopping desires. Mishawaka and South Bend offer many venues, with Pota-watomi Zoo and plenty of other places to shop and have fun. For football fans, spring break might be the opportunity to check out the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend. “(I’m going to) malls and mu-seums,” said junior Stephanie

Spiggle. Michigan City also has attrac-tions such as Cascade Mountain where people can miniature golf, ride go-carts or play games, Kera-sotes theatre for movie-goers, Washington Park Zoo and Mt. Baldy where students can have fun at the beach even though the water won’t be warm enough for swimming. For those people who don’t mind a drive, they should con-sider heading to Indianapolis or Shipshewana during the break. Chicago also presents a chance to have fun, and a roundtrip is

less than $15 on South Shore. People who are lucky enough to be traveling to warmer places will have no problem keeping themselves entertained over the week of vacation. “Me and a couple of my friends plan on going to Florida,” said junior Garth Collins. Students need to keep an open mind when trying to find activi-ties for over spring break, and be sure to just have fun before com-ing back to school. Spiggle said, “I just want to relax and take a break from school.”

Family. Food. Dyed Eggs. To-getherness. When it comes to these words, one holiday alone comes to mind: Easter, and Eas-ter is quickly approaching, on Sunday, April 4. For many families, this holi-day is celebrated in a more traditional way. Families get together, decorate Easter eggs and admire the chocolate and Easter baskets filled with fake grass and candy. But certain families tend to break away from this tradition-al style and celebrate this holi-day their own unique way. Math teacher Mr. Olson said, “I have a Cadbury egg eating contest with my kids. I always win. I [also] have an uncle who goes rabbit hunting.” “When my children were small, I would hide their bas-kets in some unlikely spot, like the oven or the dishwash-er,” said English teacher Mrs. Hunter. Mrs. Werner's children use to find eggs with candy in them when they were younger, each child having their own egg col-or to avoid competition among each other. When her children got older, the contents of the eggs changed from candy to cash. Students also share a few unique traditions. “We take the yolks out of eggs and then fill them with con-fetti,” said senior Drew Gesse. “Then we smash them on people’s heads. It’s pretty fun. They’re called confetti eggs.”

Monica Mullins, a senior, commented that a unique Eas-ter tradition takes place at her church when her pastor throws candy off of the garage's roof to the youth after the church's morning service. Senior Amanda Antrim reads the Easter story every year. Sophomore Nathan Moore said, “Some people make cook-ies and have their kids sleep in front of the oven, just as the guards were in front of Jesus' tomb.” Then with most holidays, great food is always a must. “One of my favorite Easter foods was my Grandma Lilly's lamb cake,” said Hunter. “She used an old lamb mold and Dromedary pound cake mix, covering the cake with white frosting and coconut. The ears and nose wanted to fall off, so Grandma stuck toothpicks in strategic locations to keep ev-erything in one piece. We had to watch out for the toothpicks if we were "lucky" enough to get the lamb's head to eat.” Hunter also enjoys her father's Easter tacos and Swedish meat-balls. As far as Easter candy, she always favored Fannie Mae's Easter eggs. Mr. Gangwer and his family enjoy eating corned beef, boiled potatoes, and cabbage. “I have friends that eat boiled eggs with raw horseradish,” said social studies teacher Mr. Thomas Junior Emily Metheny said, “I love baked, runny macaroni and cheese with ham chunks. As the vegetable, it would be lima beans cooked by my grandma."

Mrs. Rosenbaum’s Twinkie CakeTwinkie Frosting:

5 T. Flour1 c. milk

½ c. Crisco½ c. margarine/butter

1 c. sugar½ t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1. Boil flour and milk while stirring constantly until it is thick. 2. Let cool.3. Beat shortening, margarine or butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until the ingredients are fluffy.4. Add cooled flour mixture and beat until it’s like whipped cream.

Cake:Make a super moist yellow cake and follow the box’s direc-tions.

1. To add Easter flair to the cake, use two round pans to bake.2. Frost the top, sides, and between the layers.3. Add Easter grass around the edge of the cake and scatter Jelly beans in the grass.

Heather MeadSchool News Editor

Easter traditions take place in LP

Originating from as late as the 1500’s, the childhood rhyme “April Showers Bring May Flowers” was taught to children around spring-time. In 1557, a man by the name of Thomas Tusser compiled a col-lection of poems called “A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry,” which included “Sweet April Showers Do Bring May Flowers.” The heavy showers of April bring the blossoming flowers of May. “April showers bring May flowers” isn’t only a rhyme, but a reminder of the spring cycle and the Earth’s renewal. Once the rain falls and temperature changes, wildlife emerges and flowers blossom. “I believe April showers bring May flowers. As a matter of fact, I know they do because my mom has a sweet garden and everything starts to bloom after it rains,” said sophomore Jenny Szymkowski. During the winter months, many get depressed; thinking of the spring weather is uplifting. “I’m so sick of the drabby winter weather. I would like to see the flowers bloom and the smell of spring arise in the air,” said senior Brandi Marganti. The month of May is the best time to start planting gardens. It’s not to hot but not entirely too cold. “I usually start planting flowers around this time. This year, my friend and I are going to till this field in my back yard and plant sun-

flowers. I can’t wait,” said senior Maddie Perkins.

Emily JorgensonStaff Writer

Do April showers really bring the May flowers?

Sky ShorttStaff Writer

The Easter Bunny wins by a hare There is a lot of knowledge that has been lost over the years, including the true meaning of most major holi-days. “Most of Amer-ican society has been corrupted by the material-istic aspect of a holiday because they are blinded by the traditions that have skewed the way we cel-ebrate a holiday and why,” said sophomore Nate Passafume. If one were to be asked what the true meaning of Easter was, the most common response would be the Easter bunny or decorating eggs. But little do most people know, this is far from the true meaning of Easter. “Easter is about having fun with your family and having Easter egg hunts. It’s also about Jesus and learn-ing and believing in Him,” said freshman Syndee Cooper. According to the Christian belief, Easter is a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Three days after the day of His crucifixion, known as Good Friday, Jesus rose from the grave. This mi-raculous act is why Easter Sunday is celebrated in the first place. So where did the idea of the Easter bunny come out of all this? The meaning goes back Anglo-Saxon history where Easter was originally a pagan holiday. This celebra-tion was in honor of the goddess Eastre. She was the goddess of fertility and springtime. Her earthly symbol was the rabbit and these pagans worshiped the rabbit as Eastre's earthly incarnation. Even though the origin of the bunny has been revealed, it still doesn't lessen the fact that an unreal character has overtaken the true Easter symbol, Jesus. Just like every other holiday, Easter has become over-commercialized with the focus on material items. Some tend to disagree. “I believe Easter is under commercialized. I want it to be as big as Christmas. Easter is just as impor-tant because Jesus resurrected. Kids need to learn about the history of Easter just like they know about Christmas,” said Cooper. This is why churches across the world have started to refer to it as Resurrection Day to avoid any confu-sion with the modern understanding of Easter.

Photo by Cassy Swanson

Has the Easter bunny ruined the true meaning of the Easter holiday?

As spring sets in, so do runny noses, itchy eyes and coughing. The flowers are blooming and pollen comes right along with it. The trees, flowers, grasses and weeds all partake in releasing tiny grains that trigger the immune sys-tem response. When this happens, Histamines, a chemical released in the body cause people to have a runny nose or itchy eyes. “I don’t have allergies myself, but my aunt has to deal with headaches; she just tries to stay away from animals and plants to relieve the symptoms,” said senior Spencer Moore. More symptoms or allergies include watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and dark circles under the eyes. Allergies can be identified by visiting the doctor and receiving an allergy test with a professional aller-gist. There, someone can get skin tests and a RAST (RadioAllergoSorbent test) which detects the anti-body levels when the blood is in contact with a specific allergen. It’s always smart to detect allergies as soon as possible so that those horrible allergy symptoms can be prevented. “My sister kind of has allergies and it makes it hard for us to be outside when the pollen irritates her; we usually just give her Benadryl to weaken the effect,” said senior Emily Sprik. Some helpful ways to relieve symptoms from allergies include antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays and eye drops for itchy eyes. Nasal irrigation is also an excellent way to clear the sinuses and get rid of spring allergies. “My dad has a reaction to pollen and we always have to keep the house clean every day; nasal spray seems to help him through the day though,” said junior Sam Stanton. For those who prefer not to use antibiotics and antihistamines to clear allergy side effects, and some natural cures exist. Natural ways to help fight through the allergy season include using papaya, Echina-cea, ginger, the Reishi mushroom, Thyme, or wild oregano. Vitamin C is also a very effective in helping to fight allergy reactions. All these remedies and helpful tips can be found at webmd.com.

Israel RamirezStaff Writer

Allergies return in Spring-time weather

Hi Times Issue 7 Vol. 101April 20105

SPEAKWhat are you looking forward to about Spring?

Interviews and pictures by Sky Shortt, Jordan Bello and Brittany Belkiewitz

“I look forward to summer in the spring.”

- Josh HojnackiJunior

“Finishing my car. It’s be-tween white, red, and

yellow.”- Justin Miller

“Sitting on my lawn chair looking at the clouds.”

- Kayla PollockSophomore

Air Again at LPHS

Spring break is a time to hang out with friends and family and relax. There is no stress about school work or getting things done on time for one whole week. Sophomore Elizabeth Poreba said, “I love spring break because it is one whole week to do whatever you want and hang out with your friends every day.” There are a lot of things to do to be safe during spring break. People need to be smart and know what the laws are. Such as the legal drinking age in Indiana is 21. Laws tend to be broken when people act careless. People need to be responsible for themselves and have respect for others. Teenagers think of spring break as a time to party and be irresponsible. Now it comes down to being safe and staying out of trouble.

“I know a lot of people that have done some stupid things during their spring break. I think that teenagers need to think about what the consequences are before they act irresponsible.” said junior Haley Hines One tip is to not talk to strangers and stay with friends or in groups. People need to know their surroundings and what to do in case of an emergency. Another tip is to not go anywhere where there is alcohol. There is al-ways a chance for a party to get busted and even if a person hasn’t been drinking, they will still get in major trouble. Teenagers just need to be careful and make the right choices before they are stuck with consequences for the rest of their lives. Junior Kyle Upp said, “Teenagers need to make the right choices to stay out of trouble. You can still have fun without doing something reckless and irresponsible.”

Alex SaliwanchikStaff Writer

Safety tips for spring break

Color your own Easter holiday fun!

Artwork by Mrs. Krentz

Spring is in full swing, so now it's time to get out and get in shape. “It’s important to maintain your fitness so you have a healthy heart and a healthy body weight,” said freshman Geraldine Pat-tengale. The cold winter months usually reduce physical activity, so don't push yourself too hard at first. This is to prevent any injuries that occur because of muscles that have become tight. As you gradually increase your exercise, try to stay on a regular program and keep a record of each session. This can be used as a reference or a motivational tool. Exercising with friends can also encourage you to stay on track with your workout schedule. Friends can also help the task of running a long distance not seem so daunting by being supportive along the way. The best things in life are always free, so to save money for that new spring wardrobe, just go for a run around your neighborhood. To strengthen both your legs and abs, bicycle crunchers are always a great idea. Another exercise is holding yourself up on only your forearms and toes, also called the plank. To get full effect of these exercises, do them continuously for a minute. “I enjoy jump roping and sit-ups. These are great spring exercises,” said freshman Abby Kwiecien. A trip to the gym and the gas you waste going there isn't always worth it. Most of all, remember to have fun.

Sky ShorttStaff Writer

Students put a “spring” in their step

Photo by Jordan Bello

Bicycles are a good way to work out.

There are many places to volunteer over spring break. Junior Alexa Lazo said, “I have a lot of softball games over break, but I know volunteering looks good on college applications, so I’ll definitely try to.” Animal Control, located on 2855 W. St. Rd. 2, will accept one or two volunteers per day as long as they are dif-ferent times. Each person can stay two to three hours daily. Kids under 16 must be accompanied by a parent. Volunteer applications are available at the shelter. Jane Bernard, Animal Control’s director, said that there are no job requirements, just as long as the volunteers enjoy animals. Countryside Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is located on 1700 “I” Street. Volunteers would be asked to help with the activities department. There is no age limit, and only eight volunteers are allowed during Spring Break. There will be five to ten different activities that deal with games, exercise, and entertainment for the resi-dents. Volunteers will be asked to organize activities or assist tenants to and from their rooms. Anyone interested in volunteering should call 362-6234 and ask for the activities department. La Porte Hospital will also be accepting volunteers. There is a minimum work time of three hours per week. Volunteers will have the option of either working directly with patients or at the front desk and helping with de-liveries. Employees must be 14 or older. Applications are available online or in the hospital. After volunteers are hired an orientation will follow.

Senior Ashley Jones said, “I really like helping people, so volunteering at the hospital would be perfect for me.”

Kate RosenbaumStaff Writer

Donate time to a good cause

“I’m looking forward to my birthday and eating Dairy

Queen cake!”- Taylor Baucom

Junior