December , 2013 Volume 89, Issue 3SignalThe

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DON’T FORGET! Senior photos are due

December 20th.

We are the age of the influenced. At TJ, there are teenagers everywhere trying to keep up with the latest, most popular trends and with pop culture be-coming more relevant, it is only just the beginning. Everyone wants to fit in and it seems like the only solution is to copy what is seen on T.V. and heard in music. Take beats by Dre for example. People would rather pay $300 for the name, instead of just buying another good brand all because their favorite musicians and athletes do, too. Teenagers watch the influential com-mercials and then make

Influential ageBy Derrick Johnson

Reporter

influenced decisions. It is a continuous cycle that happens with other popu-lar products too. Senior Marc Gwennap believes pop culture is the reason high schoolers change their personalities so often.

“People are affect-ed by the way celebrities act, because they look up to that person and want to be like that,” said Gwen-nap. He thinks that people like Miley Cyrus, and their actions, contribute a lot to the decisions teenag-

ers make. Marketing experts are not the only ones that influence teenagers. Peer pressure is a big reason why teens change some of their more important decisions. Guid-ance Counselor Kathleen

Rice sees the effects on the students and feels it should change. “Students can be really judgemental, so kids feel like they need to look or act a certain way,” said Rice. “When you talk to them one on one they are nice but when they are in a classroom they act like they are putting on a show.” When high school-ers experience their teen-age years, they are trying to decide who they want to become in life. Want-ing to fit in is very under-standable. With lack of con-fidence and the struggles that come with growing up, the question is whether you choose to be your-self or change because of today’s society.

An advertisement used for beats by Dre.

Failure to fail, apa-thy towards attendance, complacency with the effi-cacy of the brutalist; these are the reasons responsible for classrooms remaining at a lacking capacity. “I skip because class is boring,” said freshman Ismael Cama-cho. “I'm not worried about failing. Even when I go, I don't do classwork. I just pass tests and yeah that’s just getting a D, but it's passing, so I don't care.” Camacho is just one of an estimated 7 mil-lion kids across America with at least 18 days of unexcused absences ac-cording to getschooled.com; the initiative that our school

has chosen to go with on improving attendance. Truancy, in most districts, is a decision teen-agers make that does not go without consequences, it can result in direct failure. Camacho’s case is not a rare one within the halls of TJ. Many Jackets whom ‘skip’ class miss all of the practices and lecture time, but are still able to

come in and make up the mandatory performances. There is a modern business proverb that goes: What is given in modera-tion will be taken in excess. Students, such as Camacho, still have the potential to graduate if they continue this behavior. Such behavior needs to be changed by intrinsic moti-vation.

By Trystan BrockExpressionist

Missing: class

Junior John “Skip” Class; have you seen him?

Seniors at TJ are starting to plan for the future. Whether it is start-ing to apply for colleges, choosing a major, or looking at possible different living environments. Some seniors are already looking for a place of their own or have already moved out. Getting prepared for life outside home takes many serious steps that people may, or may not take into consideration. Seniors Matt Brophy and Nathan Kesselberg took “moving out” to a new level. Before college these two high school students made a decision to move in together, on their own. They, for some reason, wanted to pay their own rent, buy their own food, and they take care of themselves without any help from a parent or guard-

ian. “I didn’t think it would be a good idea,” said Brophy. “I just thought it would be really fun to live with my friend, and have a lot more freedom.” The bright side about moving out before college is that if a plan fails, you can always go back to your parents. A lot of things can go wrong when renting an apartment with a friend. “We argued a lot about money and we just spent way too much time together,” said Brophy. The pros and cons of living on your own can range from small to dras-tic. The freedom is endless while the money is limited. Brophy states that he would still prefer to live with his parents while attending high school. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea for students

Growing up too fast

By Isabella MooreReporter

Check out the rest of this article on: cbjacketjournalism.com

OPINION

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Setting up a filter1. Open your school e-mail

2. Click Gear icon

3. Go to Settings

4. Click on the Filters tab

5. Create a new filter

6. Fill in desired box; usually “From”

7. Enter email address or domain name that you wish to excommu-nicate.

8. There is no need to fill in any other boxes other than “From” if you only wish to Delete unwanted e-mail.

9. Create filter with this search

10. There is an option to “Delete it”; check this box and create filter

“Persons of TJ, you will doubtlessly be aston-ished to be receiving a let-ter from a person unknown to you, who is about to ask a favor from you.” Nobody ever wants it, nobody ever asks for it, and no one ever eats it; SPAM. The term SPAM,

You’ve got SPAMBy Kelsi Thurman

Editor-In-Chief

for junkmail, is a nod to a Monty Python skit. As a student, get-ting SPAM e-mails all the time can be really distract-ing, but TJ is trying to prevent these problems. “It is not possible for the Chromes to get a virus,” said John Stile, District Supervisor of Technology. “What usu-ally corrupts the browser are extensions. Some have

adverse effects on your machine.” Extensions on the Google Chrome allow additional functions with third party websites or services. Though it is good that Chromes cannot receive a virus, students need to be aware that there are harmful websites on the internet. “One of the big-gest things you can do is be careful what you’re signing up for,” Stile said. “Watch out for the free game sites or free down-load websites.” It is important for teachers and students to know that there is a way to stop spam or possible threats from harming your computer. “Inside Google, if you get spam from a web-site, you can set up a filter that automatically puts it in the trash. You’ll never see it,” said Stile.

Photo by Kelsi Thurman.

Morning workout announcements:

Monday through Thursday in the TJAC at 6:15; working on agilities and weight lifting. If you are in a weight training class for PE, Puev and Ligget are creating a separate lifting sched-ule during class. Coaches, ad-ministrators, and staff are trying to make TJ the best it can be.

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~Thomas Jefferson.

Healthy lifestylesBy Hannah-Grace Northam

Reporter

Teenagers eat healthy. At least, that is what parents want to be-lieve. According to students here at TJ, this is not what they see on a daily basis. It is easy for teenag-ers to eat unhealthy food because it is cheap to buy. Students do not really care what they eat, as long as they like it. Teenagers would rather eat what they want instead of what they should be eating. “Yes, I get snacks,” said senior Zach Hodt-walker. “Are they healthy? No. I want a snack and I want something good and quick.” “There are some healthy choices out there, but when you can buy a couple boxes of mac and cheese for $0.50 each or going to Taco Bell and getting the Grande Meal for around $10 and feed a family of four that's kind of hard to beat,” said math teacher Mrs. Storey. “Plus these don't take very much

time and families are busy.”Most people think that the vending machines should be off during lunch be-cause it’s lunchtime, not “get yourself some empty calories-time.” Yet, other students think that the vending machines should be on during lunch because by the time a student gets their food, they have little time to eat, and feel that at least

they can bring a snack with them. Along with the gold coin award taking time out of lunch, students end up throwing away their lunch before time runs out. “School lunch is not very healthy at all,” Hodt-walker said. Students have an equal amount of dis-agreement on whether they think the school lunches are healthy or not. Some stu-dents do not think that the

lunch is healthy because school does not have much of a variety of foods and considers french fries as a vegetable. Although, school does serve healthy food, it is just up to the student themselves to choose whether or not they want it. “I don’t think that teens eat healthy. A lot of them are overweight because their parents don’t care what they eat,” sopho-more Josh Colburn said.

Some of the blame for teenagers not eating healthy can be put on the parents. If parents do not care, then it’s no surprise that teenagers themselves do not care. “I think that the parents care, they just don’t have the knowledge to help their children develop healthy lifestyles,” said Mrs. Storey. “These par-ents do not necessarily live a healthy lifestyle them-selves.” You and your par-ents can go to www.choos-emyplate.gov to get ideas on how to have a colorful plate.

ChooseMyPlate.gov is the country’s source for healthy eating.

Heart healthy foods.

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Clearly the wrong choiceBy Alejandro Vieyra

Reporter

No privacy. No peace of mind. No clear backpacks. Clear or a mesh backpack is listed as a sup-ply you need at TJ for all grade levels. Not a lot of students wear these bags at TJ, and teachers rarely enforce this “rule.” This guideline has not been enforced in sev-eral years. This rule was made

to make sure students do not misbehave by having something they are not sup-pose to in their bag, such as weapons or drugs. School Administra-tive Manager Dan Merriam, stated this rule would only be enforced again if it was needed, if students became less trustworthy. Sophomore Brandi Bothwell feels that these backpacks would be unfair and unnecessary. “It would make me upset because it would be

an invasion of my privacy,” said Bothwell. Sophomore Erika Woodruff stated teachers should have certain reasons for enforcing students to wear these bags, and should be the student’s choice to wear them. Clear backpacks are not an issue right now, but if students start becom-ing untrustworthy TJ could start enforcing this rule again. Sophmore Morgan

Wooton’s see-through mesh backpack.

Winter sports preview

As the first trimes-ter of the year is coming to an end, all fall sports seasons’ are over. Kids are already getting prepared for winter sports here at TJ. These sports in-clude boys and girls bas-ketball, boys swimming, bowling, and wrestling. Former athletes are hoping for an even better turnout this year. Most of them have strongly en-couraged new athletes and incoming freshman to get involved to help out TJ’s sports teams. Starting this season of winter sports, a new coach has been introduced. Diane Storey is the bowl-ing coach for the 2013-2014 bowling season. Several kids are ex-cited to have a new coach so that conditions of the team might change. “Most of the time,

we scored really well, but there was some meets that we could have done better,” said Walker. She said the boys team was very close, but the girls team was “split in half.” A lot of new kids have gone out for the bowl-ing team this year. 26 students from last year’s team have come back. The wrestling team was very happy with last

years turnout. They won several meets, including becoming state champs, despite their many injuries. They are hoping to win even more, and with higher scores, along with keeping their title this year. Head coach Augus-ta Manz, is really excited about this year. “We have a lot of dedicated wrestlers and several more have joined this season. I have high hopes for this season, and

By Morgan WootonReporter

hopefully we make it back to state with even more wrestlers this year,” said Manz. Two state quali-fiers from last year have returned, and the wrestling program is looking to build on a solid 12-13 campaign. The wrestling team has a new event this year, located at the MAC. It’s the “Wres-tling Brawl” on December 13th, and 14th. There will be 28 teams there to com-pete.

The girls basketball team has also gained a lot of new players, and are ex-cited about this season after all the hard work shown in the off-season open gyms. The girls that lettered last year have returned this year, and are bringing their “A-game.” Next to football, boys basketball sells the most tickets for kids com-ing to support their fellow Jackets. The boys varsity team lost a lot of players last year due to graduation, but still have a really great senior class this year. “A lot of dedication and hard work has came from our off season work-outs” says sophomore Der-rick Johnson. “I think we’ll have a positive turn out and this season should be really great” added Johnson. The “Basketball Shootout” will be December 19-21, at the MAC. This holds 15 games over a three-day span. All practices for winter sports started in No-vember. Come to the games and support your Yellow Jackets!

Staying connected after high school

High school memories can last forever in a student’s heart, but TJ graduates have differ-ent opinions about staying connected with their high school lives. When a young adult graduates from high school a new world pres-ents itself. Teachers and parents expect students to leave, go to college, or live on their own so they can start a new life. Though

some people stay connected with high school, others do not find it important. Graduates Mckenna Durham and Dominic Wil-son have different perspec-tives. “Personally I find it to be a reminder of the things I could have done better.” said Durham. She stated that even though dur-ing her four years at TJ she took more difficult classes, she could have pushed her-self even harder. Durham’s shows her connections by working

hard in community organi-zations and coaching youth athletes. Dominic Wilson has different thoughts about his connections with TJ. “It hasn’t really affected me much. I kind of just adjust and do what I have to do.” said Wilson. He has only visited the school a few times since his

graduation. Whether it is impor-tant for them to visit or not, it is always rewarding to help out the community. “I believe in clean-ing up your own backyard. My high school is a part of the community, I plan to live in for some time at the moment.” said Durham.

By Megan CarrollReporter

Each person varies on how they stay connected with their past times, spe-cifically in high school. Even after graduat-ing from high school, mak-ing unforgettable memories with the peers from your classes, can make a differ-ence.

Junior Alexis Alcaraz; girls basketball.

Sophomore Colton Clingenpeel; wrestling.

Sophomore Samuel Puentes; bowling

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The Signal is a school-sponsored publication of Thomas Jefferson High School 2501 W. Broadway Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501. The Signal’s office is located in room C128. The Signal is printed by OH-K FASTPRINT in Omaha, NE. The Signal is a school-sponsored-publication and therefore recognizes its responsibility to stay within the boundaries that the school administrator sets. The Signal will therefore inform its readers using a high standard of morals and ethics. The Signal encourages readers to respond in the form of letters to the editor, which can be sent to room C128. The Signal’s editorial staff reserves the right to edit the letters for grammatical errors and to remove any profanity. The editors also reserve the right to exclude letters that are false in their statements or accusa-tions. The Signal will not accept advertisements that promote activities illegal to minors. Advertising rates are available upon request.

/rantBy Trystan Brock

Expressionist

“This. This is the truest form of selling yourself out; think-ing that your entire worth sums up to the amount one contains in the bank.”

Keep going to school, you will make more money that way. Now go to college, you will make more money that way. No, don’t choose that major, you will make more money this way. No, do not prac-tice that hobby, you will make more money if you spend your time this way. Throughout our lives, the concept of money is reinforced. Although this .3 millimeter width piece of stationary contains no inherent value, it has the majority of the earth’s population groveling for more. If, on the off chance you are one of the minus-cule that don’t care about

money, well, don’t worry, you will grow out of it. More important things will take hold of you; money. It’s naive to dream, to not desire for a larger cash

flow. It is noble to choose that $80,000 a year instead of happiness. We, as humans, are much more than a stack of bank notes. Our intrinsic value outweighs that of any gold or platinum. Society demoralizes those who are in the process of attempt-

ing greatness, yet praises to the highest end, those who have already achieved it. You either are a slacker that dropped out of college to work in his par-

ents garage on some mind-less project, or a successful billionaire who was brave enough to try and create his own destiny. The only dif-ference between these two, is not how they started, not the level of their passion, not the hours spent dream-ing; but how many green

rectangles of paper they obtained along the way. What is truly val-iant, what should truly be praised, is not how much you can sell the hours of your life for. Sitting in an office for $25 an hour, waiting for that Christmas bonus, so that they can have one week of true life a

year. The characteristic that needs to be valued beyond any other… Well, that’s just it. There isn’t one sin-gle characteristic. Each and every person knows what that characteristic is within themselves. However when we look upon others, we

need a quick way to assess successfulness in others. For this answer, we looked towards credit cards, to-wards the square footage in someones home or loft, we look towards the amount someone is wearing. We need a new way to assess another person’s value, society needs to reevaluate it’s standards for measuring, a way that isn’t socioeconomic status. Look upon their smile, look at how they carry themselves, the people they surround themselves with, their contentment with their own lives. If you aren’t build-ing your own dream, you are helping build someone else’s. Society needs to nur-ture children to create their own dreams, not just dream them. We teach children to dream when they are young, but when they grow up, we teach them how to fall into the cogs of society. There is such an immense double standard when it comes to self success.

Ender’s Game: movie reviewBy Brooklyn Holder

Copy Editor

Ender’s Game is an American science fiction action film based on the novel written by Orson Scott Card. Ender’s Game takes place in the future of Earth and space. The prominent stars are Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford), Valentine Wiggin (Abigail Breslin), Peter Wiggin (Jimmy Pinchak), Alai (Suraj Partha), Bean (Aramis Knight), and Petra Arkanian (Hailee Stein-feld). Ender Wiggin was lifting the weight of the world on his shoulders with

being the third child and the last one to go through battle school. Valentine Wiggin was dismissed from battle school for being too pas-sionate and Peter Wiggin was kicked out for result-ing in violence too quickly. But Ender, was perfect. The commander before him, Mazer Rackham, was stra-tegic and brilliant and had already saved the world once. Out of fear of another attack, the world was looking to replace this commander with someone alike. With his strategies and knowledge, Colonel Graff believed that person to be Ender Wiggin. Wig-

gin was sent through a series of tests and training. The world was counting on him to save Earth from the next alien bug invasion. One aspect of film-making that worked out great for the movie was costume design. The uni-forms for the schools and battle rooms were futuristic yet not robotic. Their normal bed clothes consisted of white laid back pants and a matching white t-shirt. The uniforms they wear on a daily basis looked like military suits from WWII, minus the hats. The battle suits looked like a tight jump suit with helmets that had a clear plastic face

protectant. Their uniforms also held laser guns, that when hit an opponent’s suit would freeze the limbs. Ev-ery aspect of the costume design was spot-on and flawless. Another aspect of filmmaking was set design. Nowadays, it is hard to find a great movie where the special effects do not look natural or real. Well, that was not the case in Ender’s Game. The set design was a large battle school in space in which looked similar to a satellite. The rooms were secured by walls of steel but the battle rooms were made of glass and metal lining. Everything looked

so accurate as you looked towards Earth in zero grav-ity. Overall, Ender’s Game was a great movie. Many aspects of the film were genuine and authentic. The casting was done so well and it made the movie even better. I would recom-mend this film to those who like the sighting of space, science fiction, action, and real special effects. I give a hand to all of the cast and crew. "In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him," Ender Wig-gin.

OPINION