by Hannah Stokes ‘11 In recent years, the Pledge of Allegiance has unfortunately been turned into a political sore spot by a small minority of people who personally take offense to the tradition and its meaning. As a result, this once honored and respected tradition has now become some sort of albatross to America’s youth. A tradition that should … Read More
by Arjun Singh ‘12 The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America. It was then used later in 1892, by James Upham, a marketer for a magazine, to promote sales of flags and magazines to students and schools while promoting the idea of American … Read More
While it may not seem particularly evident at Sherwood, bullying does occur in various forms throughout the school. Recently, numerous instances of bullying have been highlighted in the media, begging the question of how bullying can be stopped entirely at Sherwood. Sherwood offers various “support groups” for students. Stand Proud (the school’s gay-straight alliance) provides students with a tolerant environment … Read More
by Ellen Kirkness ‘12 In an interview published last week, Pope Benedict XVI recognized the sense in male prostitutes using condoms. This turned many heads because it seemed he was defying all teachings of the Catholic religion regarding sex and contraception. Under Catholic doctine, one is instructed to remain chaste outside of marriage and use no method of birth control … Read More
by Allie Sivak ‘11 As we approach the busiest travel season of the year, some complain that the increased security at airports is far too intrusive. According to the Transport Security Association, “pat-downs are used to resolve alarms at the checkpoint, including those triggered by metal detectors.” Such hands-on precautions are aimed at preventing terrorist attacks. Travelers complain that security … Read More
by Ryan Coulter ‘12 On October 27, the one event that teens hoped and prayed would never happen occurred: the shutdown of LimeWire, which had previously provided people with free music. The thing is, LimeWire should have been shut down years before, for it had revealed itself to be a damper on the music business as a whole. Now, people may argue … Read More
by Ellen Kirkness ’12 Step one: place hands under vent. Step two: press button. Step three: wipe hands on pants. Although not included in instruction manuals for the typical hand-dryer, this third step is surely necessary to complete the task which the appliance almost always fails to perform: drying your hands. The installment of hand-dryers is a phenomenon which has … Read More
by Holland McCabe ‘11 The greatest threat this country faces today comes not from Muslims, North Korea, environmental catastrophe, President Obama or Sarah Palin. The greatest threat the United States of America faces today is the last several generations of Americans, who have either forgotten or never learned what it means to be American. Many people claim to be “American,” … Read More
by Isabel Paterson ‘12 Watching television during the past few years, it seems almost every channel is littered with environmental advertisements. Messages such as, “Going green is easy,” “If you save energy, you are saving our earth,” “Every person counts, make a difference in our environment,” are engraved into our brains. Not saying this is a completely bad thing; in … Read More
by Diana McDermott ‘13 “…The Boy Scouts of America does not accept homosexuals as members or as leaders, whether in volunteer or professional capacities,” states the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), in their Position Statement on Homosexuality released in June 1991. In a society in which television programs like “Glee” and “Modern Family” are so highly rated, it is surprising … Read More