Vote Yes 2 PCHS and give Paris some color

by Kayla Foushee

Say yes to the new PCHS! That’s what all the talk’s about! I want a new locker room! I want a new band room! Ooh how about a new gym! Everyone is talking about the new and improved PCHS.

Take a walk through the halls Paris Cooperative High School. It’s bleak and old, broken down but still up. It’s like watching a movie in black in white. Our school had no hope until Illinois State offered to pay up to 65% of a new school building for Paris Cooperative High School! Thus the color movies were invented.

This proposal from Illinois State is like a new flat screen TV while our old high school was the boxy dinosaur. It’s hard to imagine an amazing high tech, contemporary high school in Paris. But with the help of our town passing the vote it’s a dream that can become a reality.

This amazing opportunity we’ve been given is a once in a life time thing! Our high school is 102 years old. “I would vote yes because it’s a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of!” Said Tisha Brinkley. It would cost $10 to $12 million dollars to keep our school in running order just for the next few years. All those repairs eventually start to add up. Don’t you think it’s time for a new school?

According to yes2pchs.com, the only difficult part is the vote. In order for the state of Illinois to supply 65% of the money, the yes 2 pchs has to get more than 50% vote yes from district 4 and district 95. If the necessary votes are not received the money will go to build a school in a different community.

Citizens of Paris, Illinois! This is your call to action! When this vote comes around on April 5th vote yes! Don’t make your children be the only kids to watch life in black and white!

Dear John: Review of a Romance Novel

by Valerie Lau

Nicholas Sparks, the internationally-bestselling Christian-romance author that wrote many of the books you see in movies, is the author of the highly popular book, Dear John.

Dear John begins with telling the background of John Tyree, a rebel that joins the army because he thinks that’s what is best for him. On his leave, John travels back to his hometown Wilmington, North Carolina, to see his Dad. There he meets Savannah Curtis. After only 2 weeks of being with her, he falls into a kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for him while he finishes his tour of duty. They promise to marry each other when John finishes the army. 9/11 changes everything. John feels it’s his duty to his country to continue serving and he signs up for 2 more years. This takes a hard toll on their relationship. Can they survive? Read the book to find out.

Dear John is one of my favorite books. It’s completely well written and really easy to read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes romance or war stories.

Texting: A Dilemma During School

by Valerie Lau

Most people wonder why kids text during class. They ask, why can’t they just keep their phones off? For some people they can. Some people don’t text during class because they think it’s wrong, but some people do for their own reasons. I asked two different people if they think texting is a good or a bad thing.

When asked if she thought texting during class was okay, freshman Renna Throneburg, said, “Yes, because you might need your phone for emergencies.” This reason has been a debate for many years. Some parents do think it’s okay for students to have their phones on during class because their parents may need to get a hold of them for various reasons such as, family emergencies, doctor’s appointments, etc. Some people disagree with this though because they think kids won’t use their phones for just that reason. They want phones off during class because they think they’ll use them to text friends or cheat on tests, homework, or quizzes.

Some teachers even think that having phones on during class is okay because then students can use them to look up things on the internet.

Britan Abernathy agrees with the people who think students should have their phones off during class. She says, “No, students shouldn’t have their phones on because it’s distracting and students don’t learn as well.” I agree with her statement. Students can easily be distracted with cell phones. They can be focused on answering texts so much that they fall behind.

So is texting during class okay? Mrs. Keys says, “Texting is okay as long as it’s your parents and I know about it.” Do you thinks it’s okay? It’s really up to you to decide.