Paw Prints Newsblog

by Mel Reed

A couple of weeks ago, tutoring was far from where it should have been: in every classroom. It’s still not quite there yet, but at least we have some progress. We now have tutoring for AP and college prep classes. Give yourself a pat on the back if you badgered the district enough. So we have tutoring but is there enough? Not even close to enough. Tutoring is supposed to take place only in the library to make it more “available” and “school wide.” Well, that’s nice, except that how many people will be in tutoring? There is no way to tell. The library may become extremely filled, and tutoring would have to be moved anyway– why not just allow it to be in classrooms in the first place? Suppose several teachers need a projector at once? There is only one in the library.

The district has only given the school a limited amount of money in order to support tutoring, maybe only a couple of hours a month to tutor over 100 students per teacher. Not to mention that tutoring can only take place if there are at least ten students per session. It is highly unlikely that ten students will show up to a tutoring session every time. High school is the optimal time to attain your first job. A first job, often times, can be just as important as school activities in teaching you leadership and teamwork used everyday throughout one’s life.

by Lauren Brown

As the world continues to become more technologically advanced, it’s no wonder that social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are becoming more popular. Although they have a mandatory age of 13, researchers have found that younger kids are faking their ages in order to have access to these sites. But is this really good for children? Some scientists worry that pre-adolescent use of the sites, which some therapists have linked to Internet addiction among adults, could be damaging to children’s relationships and brains. But many other experts say there’s not any solid research to back that up and that most children seem to use social-media sites in moderation and in positive ways. Adults are concerned that with all this online talk, face-to-face interaction skills will suffer. In surveys, though, it was found that the people they talk to online are the ones they socialize with in person. Many believe that because children today have spent their whole lives on computers, their brains are better adapted than those of adults to integrate online activities with their offline lives. Many parents worry that younger users of social sites could be targets for online predators. While there are some concerns that kids aren’t mature enough to make good decisions about their privacy, most are savvy enough by their early teens to know what, and who, to avoid. Younger children, though, may need more parental supervision. There is no way to know for sure if the long term effects of social networking sights will be bad or good because there is no control group to compare to. It’s extremely difficult to find a group of children that do not use the computer.

by Haley Neal

Ever want to live in the house of a famous person? Well, now is your chance-if you happen to have $15 million lying around somewhere.
The recession is obviously starting to effect everyone, even those living lives of luxury and lavishness. Stars are now beginning to trade in their 32-room homes for something a little more inexpensive, and some are even selling at half the price they bought it! Two stars in particular, Eddie Murphy and Nicolas Cage, are now slashing prices! Murphy’s 32-room home in Englewood, NJ, is reported as being dropped from $30 million to $15; Cage’s homes are available starting at around $3 million and are each up for auction. So millionaires: Here’s your chance to acquire another mansion, castle, or personal playground!

by Aubrey Walford

Friday night, West Hills had a very exciting homecoming game. Not only were the king and queen revealed, our football team played their hearts out. Going into overtime, the Wolf Pack beat El Cajon 40 to 38. This was our first homecoming win in five years.

After the game, the homecoming court (Shana Ahmadian, Oscar Andrad, Kaitlin Canty, Kyle Buerger, Kelly Christerson, Endhyr Meza, Callie Davis, Danny Eisenbarth, Julie Hattaway, David Azhocar, Julia Osuna, and Alan Parks) lined up impatiently to hear who was going to be the queen and king. Their parents walked them onto the field; the girls held hands nervously– then finally ASB gave them permission to open their houses where the crowns would be. Kelly Christerson and Endhyr Meza were announced the 2009 Homecoming Queen and King.

by Lauren Brown

Ever dreamed of a place where chocolate was never ending, like the factory in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Well, your wait will soon be over! In Beijing, China, a brand new chocolate theme park is set to open next year on China’s Olympic Greens. Chocolate is not as popular in China as it is in Western countries, but the sweet treat is increasingly popular with the nation’s younger generation. Among the sweet spots will be five pavilions and two outdoor sites with giant, delicious replicas of China’s famed terra cotta warriors, the Great Wall and world-renowned paintings scattered about the space. About 10,000 to 20,000 patrons are projected to visit the park daily. The general manager of the company that will run the park told local newspapers that chocolate makers from across Europe have lined up to participate in the project. But what happens if a heat wave comes through? Won’t all the chocolate melt? I guess time will tell how the kinks will be worked out, and I’m sure chocoholics everywhere are anxious to find out.

by Emmanuel Cisneros

Hey Wii fans. The queen of England may have one up on you. Well, besides being a leader of a country and all. Recently, the queen was offered a gold-finished Nintendo Wii console dubbed “The Royal Wii.”
The blinged up Wii wasn’t given away for no reason. It was a mark for the new branch of Wil games called BIG Family Games, the perfect game for all the family to play together from publisher THQ Inc.
Though it isn’t confirmed whether she actually took it, it has been noted that the queen is very taken with the Wii product.
Apparently, the 81-year-old monarch got hooked after her grandson got one for Christmas. A royal source stated that she’s a natural at Wii Bowing.  “William was in fits of laughter.  He was enormously impressed at having such a cool grandmother.”
Her Royal Highness is known for trying to keep up with technological advancements.  As well as setting up her own email account, she got her first cell phone in 2001, as well as an iPod in 2005.

courtesy of techrader.com

by Emmanuel Cisneros

Have you ever seen the look of hunger on your family’s faces and have not had the ability to do anything about it? I feel pretty confident in saying that no, you haven’t. It’s this fact that people often overlook when the conversation turns to illegal immigration.

Here’s the deal. Most of the people who enter our county illegally aren’t here to break the rules and take our resources. They’re here because they can’t survive in their own country, and they can’t wait in the insanely long process of getting a green card. Unfortunately, it comes down to either do this illegally or starve.

Here’s a basic run-down on the country of Mexico. It’s corrupt. The government works for itself rather than its people. Homeless shelters? Ha. Those don’t exist there. The children are forced to wander the streets and steal food. Have you ever been to Mexico? Those children selling “Chicle?” Can you stare that child in the face, that child who has never even enjoyed an ounce of luxury, who knows hunger better than happiness, pain more than excitement, and sadness more than joy– can you stare in his or her face and say you don’t deserve the satisfaction of a full meal because you were unlucky enough to be born here in this country? You deserve to stay here and starve.

That hunger in that child’s face? Can you imagine if that was your own child? What would you do? Would you wait four or five years to even get the chance to stay here? Or would you do anything in your power to help your child?

by Katie Behan

Hey! Summer’s almost here! What are you going to do with this massive amount of time? Well, here are some suggestions:
1: Volunteer! It will look great on a college application and/or job application!
2: This is going to sound cliché, but get a job!  There are options available, but my advice would be to start now. There are job listings all over the Internet! Like Craigslist and jobing.com!
3: Concerts! Well, this one may be a little “duh!” but hey– check out all San Diego has to offer.
4: Ves a la playa! Or, in English, go to the beach! It is the epitomy of summer activities– it’s fun and a great way to keep cool.
5: Go to your local mall and just veg. You don’t always have to have somthing to do when you go to the mall. Sometimes just walking around and enjoying the free air conditioning is nice.
6: Try someting new! Go some place you’ve never gone before, and if you’re a junior, start thinking about college and visit some college campuses you may like to attend.
7: If you can drive, take a road trip up the coast to another state.  Basically, you have a lot of time on your hands, so make the best of it!