4

MANE EVENT

FEATURES

As you should all know, every senior in Lyons

High School is required to successfully complete the

Benchmark project in order to graduate. I chose to

do my Benchmark on the advantages of college. I

chose this topic because I plan on attending college

next year, and I was interested in what benefits I would

enjoy as a college graduate. It was surprising to me

how many advantages there really are to attending

college. My research showed me that college gradu­

ates enjoy many benefits, other than financial pros­

perity, that high school graduates do not. I now firmly

believe that going to college after high school greatly

increases a person’s chance of being successful in

life because as a college graduate, they’ll be better

off financially, they will have more job opportunities

and they will have other increased benefits.

The lifetime earnings of college graduates are

almost two times greater compared to high school

graduates. Through a comparison of college expenses

and earning power, I proved that college is worth

the expense in the long run. College is also beneficial

because of the increased job opportunities that col­

lege graduates have. College graduates have more

job opportunities than high school graduates because

they are more skilled. Employers are more eager to

higher people who have extended knowledge of the

skills needed to perform the job. A college education

also provides more personal benefits. These personal

benefits include factors, such as health, moral virtue,

and even the improved life for the offspring of col­

lege graduates.

When I first began my Benchmark project, I

thought that it was a stupid requirement that would

just create more work for me. However, as I worked

on the Benchmark, I discovered that I actually en­

joyed researching the topic and was genuinely inter­

ested in the information I was finding. I now believe

that the Benchmark project is a worth­while assign­

ment that really taught me a lot. My advice to stu­

dents who will have to do the Benchmark in future

years is to choose a topic that is personal to them or

that they find very interesting. I believe that this makes

a huge difference in whether the student will enjoy

the Benchmark or dread it.

College,

Is It A Good Choice?

Kristyn Hipp, Senior

Everyday at least 60,000 babies are born

throughout the United States; more than 45,000 are

born to teenage mothers. For the most part, teenage

pregnancies are always viewed as negative, but there

are always two sides to every issue.

There are teen mothers who do decide to

keep their babies and stay in school and finish. A lot

of teen mothers are successful in life, and they work

hard to get what they have, none of which is recog­

nized. Teen mothers are always more than likely

looked down upon or viewed as a disgrace. All people

make mistakes in life, and no one is perfect. But there

is hope in everyone, and if you strive for the best,

then you can be successful. Just because you endure

teenage pregnancy during your high school years,

doesn’t mean your life is over.

My message to all teenage mothers is to al­

ways keep a positive mind and don’t ever let anyone

categorize you or put you down. You do not have to

let the image society has on you restrain you in any

way. My name is my Mary Clack; I’m seventeen years

old and currently a senior at Lyons Junior/ Senior

High School. I had my first son at age fourteen and

my second son at age sixteen. I’m not ashamed of

my kids or of myself. There were times I didn’t think

I would have made it this far, but I did. It took a lot

of hard work, determination, and self­discipline. Yeah,

I survived the small town gossip and never let it get

the best of me. My struggles only made me a better

person and stronger. I will be graduating in June of

2006, and shortly after I will be attending college to

be a forensic nurse.

Never dwell in the past, and always live life

to the fullest and make the best of every situation

whether it’s good or bad. The most important thing

to remember is when life gets rough, never give up

because in the end it will be a great reward.

Success and the

Teenage Mom

Mary Clack, Senior

The ability to walk through a world of ani­

mation, feeling, hearing, and interacting with objects

that you think are real, now, that is Virtual Reality.

Virtual Reality is one of those features that isn’t nec­

essary but only helpful in the greatest ways. An analy­

sis of Virtual Reality reveals three fields of use: mili­

tary, medical, and construction and/or engineering.

There are three different forms of VR.

Virtual Reality isn’t just a helmet, fake guns

and sensors. VR is 3­D graphics. Immersion is the

first type of VR. Immersion is immersing or entering

a world both real and imaginary. Desktop VR is what

you use in CAD classes, constructing buildings and

bridges using computer. Third person is your aver­

age flight simulator. You have control over an object

but are viewing it from a third person view. The Mili­

tary can use VR in many different ways.

In the past the military has used VR for train­

ing soldiers for combat. Computer games have a lot

to do with training soldiers and recruiting new sol­

diers as well. Many of you know the games

Day of

Defeat, Call of Duty, Counter Strike

, etc. Such

games give a sense of what the military might be like

in combat scenery. VR can be used to fly unmanned

aircrafts as well. The advantage of unmanned aircrafts

is to limit casualties. Unmanned aircrafts are prima­

rily used for spying. Artificial Reality, another name

for Virtual Reality, can be used in the medical field as

well.

Surgeons using VR have the ability to do sur­

gery on a patient half way across the world. The

surgeons use a mechanism that holds the medical tools

appropriate for the procedure. The movement of their

hands sends signals through satellites and computers

in order to move the robotic arms at the site of the

operation. This technology is expensive. Also ex­

pensive is the use of VR in the construction industry.

A prototype can be expensive if you design it

and throw it away. Computers give you the ability to

design your prototype in 3­D form, so you can view

it and change it. VR gives designers the ability to

look at the outside as well as the inside. Programs

usually simulate week spots in your design, so you

can tell what you want improved.

An analysis of Virtual Reality reveals three

fields of use: military, medical, and construction and/

or engineering. Virtual Reality is more than just fun; it

is a tool. Now go take a walk through a virtual world

and see how many ways it helps the society.

The Benefits of

Virtual Reality

Shawn De Wolf, Senior

Virtual Reality , Cont’d

Have you ever wondered if you could en­

hance your vocabulary or learning skills? Many

people have trouble with vocabulary or with gram­

mar. But why would individuals need to enhance their

skills during or after school?

If you have a job that you have to write in,

then you may want to have an enhanced your read­

ing comprehension. According to Butler, author of

Towards

A Reading­Writing Classroom, an increase

in comprehension will allow readers to learn how to

write better. This could help the journalists or other

office writers to write with an appropriate grammar

and vocabulary. But has there ever been an increase

in income through reading?

One day, Brian Tracy, a leading authority on

the development of human potential and personal

effectiveness, was talking to a college student who

wanted to increase his income but without having to

enhance his reading. Brian Tracy knew that reading

was an easy way to enhance income. Brian said to

the young man,

“You need to learn to read and

read well…otherwise you’ll end up staying in a

low­income job.”

The young man would take the

advice of Brian Tracy and try to enhance his reading.

Within a few years the young man went from a waiter

at a local diner to a highly paid biomedical technician

with company benefits and a company car. This

young man went from earning $22,000 per year to

$50,000 per year within a seven­year period. Read­

ing and dedication was the key to success for this

man. Does starting to read in school have a big affect

on your life?

Many individuals may find that it is helpful to

start reading in school. There are many types of read­

ers in the world. A proficient reader has the ability to

understand what they read and determine if the in­

formation they read is usable (Butler 12). This means

that the readers can pick out parts of the book that

they read and are able to form strong arguments or

details that can prove the point of the writer. But there

are some who have trouble trying to keep up with

their reading level.

According to Boyles, a journalist for

WebMD, an award­winning website, “75% of kids

leaving 3

rd

grade below reading level struggle their

whole lives.” Since reading is important for jobs,

these individuals may end up having trouble getting

into high­income jobs.

Reading is a big part of life and students

should read as much as possible. Reading will help

them achieve in school and in the work place.

Reading Advantages

School and Workplace

Craig Elliott, Senior

Animals

...continued

1. Can you afford the animal? ­ Most pets cost quite

a bit, including spaying/neutering, food, vet, etc. Most

pets live for at least ten years.

2. Are you ready for the responsibility? ­ Pets take

up quite a bit of the owner’s time. Pets must be ex­

ercised, fed, trained, etc. Who will watch it while

you’re on vacation?

3. Are you buying the pet for the right reasons? ­ It

was cute, pet now baby later test, teach a child re­

sponsibility are some reasons people buy pets.

Before you go out and purchase yourself an

animal, please be sure to thoughtfully consider these

three questions. This will ensure that you are doing

the right thing before you go and ruin an innocent

animal’s life.

Don’t forget, animals are human too!