Positive News
-Originally printed in the Sun Journal newspaper
Sunday November 2nd, 2008
By: Maegan Dupre

There is currently a lot of negative attention being focused on schools, and as a Lisbon High School junior I know first hand that this is not the case. It bothers me when something is published in a newspaper about a school because it is usually showing the school unfavorably. A great many positive things are being done in the schools as well.

For example, in Lisbon the students of Mr. Mitchell’s English 11 Honors class are posting their work for a national audience. Their project, Letters to the Next President, is run through the National Writing Project and allows students from all over the United States to post their letters addressed to the presidential candidates alongside the work of other young people. This is quite the opportunity for such a small group of students.

Students at Lisbon High School are also engaged in eight to ten different independent studies each year. The enrolled students are highly self-driven and foused as they do the majority of their learning away from a teacher. Students take the diverse independent studies to fit their needs and wants as a student, usually straying from the course book.

A wide variety of community service is also done by Lisbon students. This can include picking apples, food drives, and the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program. As a student involved in all of the forementioned activities, I wish the comminuty knew what oppertunities high school students get outside of the strict learning environment.

Before the Black 
-By: Maegan Dupre

Black Friday this year, may not be the black that the majority of the people in the retail industry are hoping for. With inflation at an all time high, more and more stores are being forced to shut their doors against bankrupcy. It isn’t just the small stores anymore, large chain stores, such as Linen and Things, are filing for bankrupcy. This, if anything, is a big sign of the hard times that the people of America are facing with the holiday season upon us.
Usually the biggest rush of customers is around the holiday season. However, retailers are being forced to remain cautiously optimistic as they get ready to open their doors the day after Thanksgiving in a last attempt to gain profit for the year 2008. Even though money is tight this year and fewer days are falling between Christmas and Thanksgiving, people always like to have gifts under the tree.
In order for the consumer to try and save some money, they plan to shop online. This will save gas money, and of course time as people will be able to shop in the comfort of their own home.

After the Black
-By: Maegan Dupre

As November 26th came to a close, retailers were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. As the infamous black Friday loomed nearer retailers were preparing themselves for a let down, however, as the numbers rolled in from the weekend the economic horizon gained some light.
Numbers were up across the board in regards to the weekend’s spending madness, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) survey. The number of shoppers that took to the stores and the internet was up from the 147 million in 2007 to a staggering 172 million this year. Shoppers also spent more money in 2008, spending on average 372 dollars bringing the estimated amount of money spent to 41 billion dollars.
By far, the most popular product over the weekend was the Nintendo Wii selling over 3,170 consoles. The Wii’s sales beat out even the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, who were the big competitions this year. Rounding out the rest of the top ten list were Ugg boots, LCD TVs, digital cameras, laptops, and Blu-Ray disc players.
ABC News, however, reports a mediocre weekend, stating that while sales started out strong the deals that retailers had to offer to bring the customers to their stores had an overall negative effect.

Seniors Serve the Community
By Megan Samson

    Wednesday morning, October 15, Lisbon High School seniors were not in class, or even in the school. They were picking, sorting, and packing food for the Good Shepherd food bank. The students were divided into two groups based on preference and an aim to keep them equal size. One group went to Benoit Orchard to pick apples to bring to the food bank, while the other group worked at the food bank itself.
    The apple pickers were provided with both paper and plastic bags, in case of leaks, and sent out to fill them three-quarters of the way with various types of apples. The class paid for about two-thirds of the apples and the orchard donated the rest. "I thought it was a good idea," said, Brian Craig, one of the seniors, "and a good cause to help people in need." Although the aim and focus was to help others, the students made sure to enjoy the experience, sometimes by chucking the apples at each other.
    The group working at the food bank was given the task of sorting food. There were boxes for cereal, animal food, and baking goods. Once the boxes were full, the students then had to stack them. The students seemed to like the trip, "even though it was work," according to Nick Jones, another of the seniors. "It was different than I thought," commented Kayla Carr, a third student. She had expected to interact and serve the people directly, although she said, "It was fun to interact with classmates."
    Despite the crowded bus ride and getting slightly lost on the way the trip was a success. The students had fun and helped the community, before returning to their studies and the pressures of senior year.

AP for Me, Yes, It’s AP4ALL
By Megan Samson

    Students have been limited in their choice of Advanced Placement courses by what their high school offers, but AP4ALL is trying to fix that in Maine. AP4ALL is a program in which Maine high school students can take AP courses not offered by their high schools online, using a system called moodle. Students complete the same work they would if the course were taken in a classroom, but the work is sent electronically to the teacher and in class discussions are replaced with forums. This program also gives students freedom as to whether they do their work, before, during, or after school.
    The courses are offered by low income schools, those where forty percent or more of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and taught by teachers from the schools who are trained to teach the AP classes. A few of the teachers teach as adjuncts because their schools don’t qualify. A five-hundred dollar tuition is paid to the school for each student taking the class from another school, but AP4ALL, which is funded by a federal grant, pays the tuition and cost of books and supplies for students from low-income schools.
    This is the second year AP4ALL has been offering online classes to Maine high students and many are getting involved. The program has expanded from offering six courses last year, to eleven this year. There are 120 students taking the courses from twenty-five different schools.
    Applications for teachers are available online and those for students will be after a list of course offerings for next year comes out in late December or early January. Student applications are due by June first and counselors register the students.. The only requirements are that the students are prepared for the course and have an AP4ALL mentor at the school. More information can be found at www.ap4all.org.

AP4ALL, Well, Maybe Not All
By Megan Samson

    AP4ALL is a great opportunity for high school students to be able to take AP classes not offered by their local high schools, but it is not for everyone, as the name might suggest. Along with the rigor of an advanced placement class, students are faced with the additional challenges of an online course.
    AP4ALL students must be able to work and learn relatively independently, since much of their learning will likely be done through reading a textbook and possibly through watching videos on the computer. If students require a lot of explanation to understand what a textbook is saying or can’t learn simply be reading, AP4ALL is probably not for them.
    Students also have to be very motivated and driven. Since students don’t have a regularly scheduled class and teacher they regularly see, although many students have a period in the school day set aside for the course, they have to be able to manage their own time and get their work done. Students have to remember to regularly check and post to the AP4ALL site. If students are not able to motivate themselves and keep track of due dates without constant reminding, AP4ALL is probably not for them.
    Despite the many advantages and opportunities available through AP4ALL, there are also many challenges that should be considered before students undertake the class. AP4ALL is great, but not truly best for all.

Political Pains (Op Ed)
By Megan Samson

    As October ends, most Americans have long tired of political campaigns, comercials full of insults and criticisms, along with promises that likely won’t be kept, signs littering the roadside, taking away the natural beauty, and phone calls interupting their lives asking for votes and opinions.
    The design of political campaigns are the source of much of the frustration. The campaigns take too long. At the beginning of the campaign, people are interested in hearing the candidates and finding out what they stand for, but after hearing and seeing the campaign for months, it is hard to maintain the enthusiasm. It’s also difficult to find out what the candidates stand for when the majority of ads are focused on why the opponent isn’t as qualified or good for the job, rather than the issues. When they do talk about the issues, it ends up being a bunch of promisess that likely won’t be kept. The phone calls urging support and polls tend to irritate people simply by sheer number, if nothing else, further decreasing interest and support of politics.
    Political campaigns would have much more support if these problems were fixed. Politicians shouldn’t be allowed to campaign before a certain date, probably in July or August. Ads should focus on the issues and policies, not on opponent’s failures. Promises need to be backed up with specific plans of how the achieve them, which are made known to the voters. Essentially, the campains need to be regeared to be more concise and focused.

Blood suckers: The American Red Cross Blood Drives
By: Maegan Dupre

In America, every two seconds someone will require blood. This staggering demand for blood is met by the American Red Cross who supply 3,000 hospitals all over the United States meaning that over four-million patients and donors are involved in this life-saving act. With the need for blood currently up in Maine, donations are wanted to keep up with the essential 300 units of blood each to keep up with demand.

Just one pint or unit of blood can save up to three lives. Donating only takes a small portion out of one’s day, but is a very rewarding act. At Lisbon High School, there are two blood drives that occur, one is in the fall and the other is in the spring of each school year. The October, 2008, blood drive generated 40 pints of blood from the students and walk in donors. This is slightly below the average collection of 40-80 pints of blood per drive. The total was theorized at such a low quantity because athletes who had games scheduled for the following weekend could not donate. When asked her opinion about the blood drive, senior Leah Brooks said, "Most kids wouldn’t donate blood if [the Red Cross] didn’t come to the school." Having donated herself, Leah was happy with the operation overall.

A wide variety of people were at the blood drive, from staff to students, walk-ins and appointments, as well as community donors, first time donors, and returning donors. Facing the risk of fainting, bruising, and being sick after, these willing donors lined up for the good cause. They sat through in depth histories to make sure that their blood was not going to be contaminated in any way. This prevents a variety of diseases being transmitted through the transfusions. Blood that is donated could be used for medical research and is always double and tripple checked. Restrictions to donating blood can include having AIDS or HIV, being under 110 pounds, or having visited Europe during the Mad Cow scare.

Those interested in donating blood should not worry. The majority of people are able to donate blood, and encounter very few (if any) complications. If there is not a blood drive, donators can contact the Red Cross directly to set up an appointment to give blood by calling 1-800-GIVE LIFE or by visiting the centers located in Portland and Bangor.