Rivalry at it's Highest Point

The Tigers have been looking forward to this game day all year. It’s not about getting into the playoff’s or raising our stats; It’s about Tiger Pride. The Tiger varsity football players have prepared and trained for this game. They are going to put everything they have into tonight’s game, maybe even a little more. Since we are 7-0 it’s pretty much a given that we have to win this game in order to have the undefeated season Coach Marino has been talking about for so long. 

“ This week’s going to be even more of a big-game atmosphere.” says Coach Marino as he talks about the hyped up game.” 

Our chances of winning are uncertain, however we have certain aspects that are pointing us in the direction to have the confidence of a winning team. We have the home-field advantage so more support and fans will be coming out to watch our boys play. We also do not know the feeling of losing and we for sure do not want to know what it feels like quite yet this season. 

“ This game is something we have been anticipating all year long, we actually have a chance and I’m excited to see Palmetto win!” - Kelli Bennett, junior

This game is clearly the biggest game of the season for Palmetto High School. We can say there is no pressure just to reassure the players to focus on the game and do their very best, however we all know how important this game really is. 

Texting > Talking ???

  Texting is the new talking. It is the way teens and young adults communicate. Older people think it is ridiculous and that the world of technology is taking away todays kids social skills. However, what people do not realize is how convenient texting is. If you are in a classroom and need to talk to your parents about what is going on after school, just simply sending them a text is so much simpler than calling them. It's often a more convenience for the people on the receiving end of the conversation, because so much now people are in situations where it is rude to answer their phone and talk, however simply glancing at their phone and typing a few keys does not cause any distractions or considered rude. I love texting, but at times I see how it is taking over the communication world which is not necessarily a bad thing if it means more convenience.

Friends in High School

 In high school, there is a very important social aspect that makes getting through the day a little easier: friends. Depending on the friends you have basically says a lot about you, no matter how much someone disagrees at that statement. Who your friends are, or what group you are in determines your reputation, how you are perceived to act, and expected to do. However, so many people get wrapped up in silly little dramas that affect their friendships and who their friend groups are. People these days do not realize how important friendships really are, and how much they help you throughout life. People lose friends in all kinds of ways, over drama like boyfriends and girlfriends, and hearing that people talk about them behind their back. Yes, I admit there are always going to be those people in life that you are better off without, but so many people including myself over analyze things by being ignorant and making a huge deal out of nothing instead of looking past the little things. 

 We need friends in happy times and sad times because “True friends will be there for you through the good times and the bad” even though that quote is way over used, it is ridiculously true. Your friends are often way more accepting of you than even you are of yourself, yet they make us realize when we are at fault when we fail to realize it ourselves. Friends are one of the few people we can tell our darkest secrets to, and trust just as much as we trust family members. I am so thankful for the friends I have, they keep me on the right track and help make me a better person, my friends have  made me realize that the bottom line is: Bestfriends are priceless, and you need to do what you can to keep them. 

30 years too long

  Kenneth Young was just a teenager that was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and made some dumb decisions. He was been paying for those decisions as an in-mate in a Hillsborough County jail for the past 30 years for a series of armed robberies, and recently appealed for parole and was denied. Even though this situation is very uncommon, we as teens need to realize that the decisions we make now can effect our future. Things like the grades we get, the people we hangout with, and the sports we play can determine who we are and what we are going to end up like later in life.

Driving to Your Death: Urban Myths

 Some people think it's true, and some people think it is completely unrealistic to think that something as simple as flashing your headlights at a driver who appears not to have their lights on would lead to gang violience and killing. However, according to urban myths there are a couple of instances where you can get trapped into danger while thinking you are helping someone out.

 The "lights out" legend began in California, and it appears to be a gang initiation. Alot of people think this is a myth becuase this type of story began to appear after the hit movie "Urban Legend" came out in 1993. "Lights Out" is when a group of said to the gang members pile in a car and drive down highways, roads, and side streeets with their headlights off and the first car to flash their lights in order to help them out is followed intil the car reaches their destination and when the people in the car get out, they are killed.

 Another said-to-be legend is the infant carseat on the side of the road. This is a newer legend, and reports of this only began in 2010. This is a legend in which a carseat is found on the side of the road; usually a busy highway. A empty carseat is a very sketchy thing so of course people are going to stop and check it out to make sure everything is okay. Inside the carseat there is usually a adress of specific place that points the people in the direction of a missing child or infant. When the people go to this place they are killed.

"Humans are Friends, Not Food."

On Setember 24, 2011 a local 21-year old islander was bitten by a shark not to far off of Anna Maria while he was spearfishing with some friends. The bite was not life threatening however, it was pretty bad. The bite which appears to be of a bull shark ripped the back of Charles Wickersham's right thigh off; so far that it reached the bone. Shortly after being bit, Wickersham was rushed to The Rod n' Reel Peir where paremedics waited for him, and after arriving they flew him on an emergency flight to Bayfront Medical Center in which he immediatly went into surgery to save his leg. A shark attack on Anna Maria is extremely rare, which is making local residents now think twice before jumping in the water whever they may please. Shark attacks are not something that we should constantly live in fear of, however we need to be aware that by going into the ocean we are going into the sharks territory and environment; and they are going to act as they normally would, which is feed themselves.

Dresses in Diapers

  It's all about winning, says most of the toddler moms off of TLC's toddlers and tiarras. Winning includes getting the sparkling crowns, the satan sashes, the top titles, and of course the cash. After three years, the viewers and skeptics of this tv show are finally starting to realize that these moms go too far to get their child to win. Things like fake tans, fill-in teeth, extensions, and paddings to fill there daughters out more are just some of the extremes the mothers and sometimes fathers purchase and use to dress up their daughters in order for them to win. The show often seems like the mothers are living through their daughters, whether the daughters like it or not. This is often the case with alot of children, many parents involve their child in sports or activities becuase it is what they "never got to do," and this show is clearly making the point and successfully proving this to viewers.