Winter looks...whatever.

 Chloe LeMunyan

Staff Writer

 Hey gals! Winter’s here and we all know that’s when we pop out the Uggs and sweat pants and “don’t care” anymore with how we look. Time to put the curling irons and straighteners away, because I’m going to teach you the perfect way to be effortless with your winter looks.

        When getting dressed for school in the winter, the first thing to be wary about is timing. The faster you get ready, the more time you have to sleep in, and the better your winter look will turnout. Give yourself about 10-12 minutes from the time you wake up to get out the door.

Personally, I shower at night and fall asleep with soaking wet hair. It’s good for your pillows and even better for the messy, chic hair that you wake up to. Plus, it adds more time to your beauty sleep so you can swing not wearing full on makeup. If your hair is STILL wet when you wake up, don’t worry about it. Just comb your hair with your fingers and your good. If it’s dry, run the brush through it until there aren’t any knots. If your hair is curly, skip the brush and if your hair is extremely knotty power hour that brush. (Pretend your hairbrush is like your car rugs when your hitting them against the ground to get the dirt out, similar motions). Brushing your hair should take less than one minute, regardless.

Definitely skip eye make-up, just shove some concealer under your eyes so they aren’t too alarming to the public and if you must, add a little bit of mascara. Of course if you have any obvious zits, cover those up, but most of the time you can let those slide. I add moisturizer so my face doesn’t get chapped from the weather.

NEVER forget deodorant. You can skip perfume, if you prefer, but that is a very quick process so I advise to do it. Keep hand moisturizer in your car and apply on your way out of car into school, I use mango scented.

The outfit is the best part to pick out. Normally whatever you fell asleep in works. If you’re a nightgown girl, like myself, you normally have to change into school appropriate pajamas unless your nightgown resembles a dress. Then you can pair it with black tights and some combat boots, and it looks like you put effort into your outfit. There’s nothing quite like effortlessly making an outfit look like there was effort involved. Shoes really do not matter… whatever you can get on the fastest. Skip the sneakers, unless all your other shoes are missing, and probably go with a clog or faded-pink Ugg slippers, a slip on shoe. If you can handle it, skip the winter jacket-it’s more to carry and you really only need it for the walk into school. Ask yourself: is it worth it?

Brush your teeth right before you leave and keep gum in your car. Remember ladies, your car is your safety net to anything you forget. Once you try this winter look routine, you will start noticing you begin to forget very important things. Once you forget those very import things, remind yourself to stock your car with those items (hair-ties, floss, gum, pretzels); therefore, you will not forget them next time!

Have fun trying this stress-free morning routine and remember, if you are confident, you are beautiful.  

100 Years of Holiday Gifts

Bailey Jaronski

Since 1913 to 2013 childrens lists to Santa have advanced from simple, everyday things, like oranges to machine made, glamorous toys. Based on research using previous Dear Santa letters from a century ago in historical newspaper questions, a family history website called MyHeritage gathered the information of the top ten Christmas gifts from 1913 and compared them towards the gifts asked for in 2013. Back then, it’s interesting to see how children asked for basic items like food and clothing compared to fancy, high tech toys.

Top 10 Gifts in 1913  

1. Candy
2. Nuts
3. Rocking Horse
4. Doll
5. Mitten/gloves
6. Toy Train
7. Oranges
8. Books
9. Handkerchiefs
10. Skates

Top 10 Gifts in 2013:

1. Furby Boom
2. Teksta Robotic Puppy
3. LeapPad Ultra
4. Flying Fairy
5. Bugs Hug Elmo
6. Barbie Dream House
7. Giggly Monkey
8. Nerf Gun
9. Ninja Turtles
10. Lego

The History of Santa Claus

Josh Searle
Staff Writer

    You can’t think of Christmas without thinking about the big man in red. His name is now known throughout the globe as Santa Claus, and behind this fictitious gift-giving saint lies a very complex and intriguing history. I mean, come on, the tale of a fat man who lives to fly around the globe giving gifts to every good child in every nation on earth with the assistance of magical reindeer on the 24th of December has to have a pretty interesting background story. This global icon for Christmas cheer is derived from a multitude of sources that even have their own origin stories themselves. We’re going to go as far back as we can to answer the question of what led to the legend of the good-doing sleigh-riding cookie-eating Santa Claus.

    We start in northern Europe, where the winters are long, cold, dark, and depressing, the coldest, darkest, and most depressing day in winter being on the winter solstice. During the solstice (which lies on either  the 21st or the 22nd of December for the northern hemisphere), northern Europe receives only a few weak hours of sunlight, if any at all for some towns. So, to lighten the mood during this time of year, these sun-deprived citizens created magical characters that would visit them to bring presents and celebration. These beings ranged from elves to Gods to even goats, but two in particular pertain to the history of Santa Claus: St. Nick from the Netherlands and Father Christmas from England. In the tradition, St. Nicholas (or “Sinterklaas” in dutch) is a stern character who brings presents to children in early December. He dresses like a bishop in red and white, carries a staff, and rides a white horse through different towns, for whom children are encouraged to leave out a carrot for. Sound familiar at all? England’s Father Christmas, on the other hand, is a large, jolly pagan dressed in green with a holly wreath upon his head. Traditionally, he is less concerned with children and gifts and is more heavily associated with food, wine, and celebration. He is most famously known as the second of three spirits to terrorize Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ novel “A Christmas Carol.” When Europeans from the many different areas of Europe all settled relatively close together when the North American colonies were established, St. Nick, Father Christmas, and all of the other characters started to mix together, explaining why America’s modern “Santa Claus” (America’s take on the dutch “Sinterklaas”) has so many alternative names: St. Nick, Father Christmas, and Kris Kringle (originating from Germany), just to name a few. In the old world, each of these names were for separate characters, but in the new world, they evolved into one overtime, which can be seen in older stories.     

    One of the first instances of America’s gift-giving saint within American literature was the poem “A Night Before Christmas,” which came out in New York in 1823. This poem established that Santa landed on roofs, slid down chimneys, and filled stockings with toys. However, the Santa in the poem is an elf, much like those from Nordic countries. In the poem, Santa is small and drives a miniature sleigh with equally miniature reindeer, which made the fact that he slides down chimneys make more sense. Also, the word “Santa” isn’t even used in the poem, as the original title was “A Visit from St. Nick.” As the 1800s continued, the fat, human-like immortal Santa became the standard among American authors, and it was in America where Santa gained both his elvish work force and a wife. By the early 1900s, Santa had developed into his current iconic style. Also, contrary to popular belief, Coca-Cola didn’t change Santa’s colors to fit their corporate scheme, but but instead his conveniently red and white colors were used in 1931 advertisements to help sell more soda in the off season of winter. Although Coke didn’t create him, their image of Santa in their advertisements probably became the one true image people thought of when thinking of Santa. They even helped this image of Santa spread throughout the world, spreading this idea of Santa to cultures that had no traditions of gift giving during Christmas time. This American Santa in turn helped to change his magical European brethren to become more like him, with the exception of the Netherlands, which still firmly holds the idea of St. Nick as a separate character.

    The last main detail about Santa that is up for debate (at least between countries) is where the jolly gift-giver and his workshop resides. In the late 1800’s, his home was the Magnetic North Pole, centered under the Aurora Borealis. Although this would be the most agreed upon location, magnetic north has since moved off of the polar ice sheet and into the ocean. Obviously, it would be a little difficult to run a busy toy factory underwater, so different countries now argue over where Santa lives. Canada claims that Santa lives somewhere in Nunavut, has given him his own postcode (which is H0H 0H0), and has even given him official Canadian citizenship. Here in the States, we claim that the north pole Santa resides in doesn’t refer to the magnetic north pole but rather to the town of North Pole, Alaska. Denmark claims that Santa lives in their former colony of Greenland, and Greenland unsurprisingly agrees. The nordic countries quarrel over where his exact location is, but Finland trumps above all others with their claim that Santa and his workshop reside in Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle. Finland has actual evidence of the claim as well, for you can go visit the workshop and see all of the elves, toys, and reindeer with your own eyes, making the claim pretty strong. No matter where or what Santa’s origin is, though, he still manages to deliver all of those presents in one night, even when he stops for a cookie break at each house.

Welcoming Ms. Cron to the High School

Jackie Gouris

Staff Writer

You may have noticed that the second entrance to the library has been transformed into a classroom. “Many students come in here thinking they can get to the library, thats how I meet a lot of people!” Ms. Cron, the new special education teacher says. She works out of the new classroom and has also helped create the coffee shop Hope and Sole.

 Ms. Cron previously taught in Boston, and moved to Bucks County after she got married. She grew up in Connecticut and went to a small public high school similar to New Hope. Ms. Cron started doing volunteer work when she was 16, and that is when she knew that she wanted to do similar work as her job. She completed her graduate degree in Boston and began teaching at Pennsbury High School. This will be her sixth year of teaching.

 Ms. Cron says that one of her main goals is “to build a strong transition learning center and a strong, inclusive learning environment.” She is very excited about the coffee shop, because she says it is a great experience and learning opportunity for her students. Ms. Cron says she looks forward to the continued support from her students and colleagues. She would like to say to students:  “Don’t be shy, I’m always looking for student volunteers. A lot of students come here by accident, because this used to be a door to the library. Dont be afraid to stop by and learn about the program, and if you want any volunteer opportunities come and see me.”

Amazon Reaching New Heights

Dylan Selbst

Opinions Editor

As early as 2015, you may look in the sky and observe what looks like a fleet of mechanical birds, however what you actually will see is Amazon’s newest innovation in the realm of online buying. These drones are unmanned flying helicopter-like robots designed to deliver packages to customers directly from warehouses. They are part of a program called Amazon Prime Air and are far from science fiction.

 Currently, Amazon has real, functional prototypes and expects many of these drones to be in use over the next few years. These drones take packages directly from where they are in stock and are programed with GPS technology to fly to the doorstep of nearby Amazon customers in less than 30 minutes.

 This concept could be a great way to bypass ground shipping and would allow customers to quickly and easily receive packages. However, the technology must first be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Currently, it is illegal for private corporations such as Amazon to operate and deliver packages with unmanned drones, but the FAA is expected to allow it by 2015.

 Some major complications with this concept include vandalism to the product while it is in flight and the practicality of drone usage over long distances. While there are still many obstacles in the way of this concept becoming a reality, Amazon is very optimistic.

 If all goes according to Amazon’s plan, their lines of unmanned drones will be released by mid-2015, and we will be telling our grandchildren about the times when mail was delivered in cars.

Photo Courtesy of Amazon

Welcome Mr.Nord

Tommy Lupo

Staff Writer

 

 

Welcome Mr. Nord to the New Hope Solebury High School faculty! This year has introduced many new faces to the staff, and one of its newest faces is Mr.Nord. Mr.Nord teaches English, but is also eligible to teach Social Studies.

 Last year, Mr.Nord taught English at Klinger Middle School in Centennial School District. Before that, he had taught Social Studies to students from Philadelphia, and taught 11th grade honors Modern United States History for students teaching placement at Pennsbury High School. Mr.Nord’s lifelong goal is to get his own short story published, and he is also a huge film buff. He enjoys Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Carol Reed’s The Third Man, and quite possibly his favorite may be Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.

 Mr. Nord made the switch from long and impersonal halls of a large school district to the intimate and close halls of New Hope. His view on this was “New Hope is a smaller school district, which enables me to get to know more of the students and staff.”  This is great to know as a fellow student, because it means there would be more time of interaction with the teacher helping the student(s). Mr. Nord looks for certain qualities in a student, and some of these traits consist of students respecting each others work, working hard, and believing in themselves.

 One thing that Mr.Nord does not like coming from a student, is when somebody tells him that they are just not a good writer.  “I would like students to have a positive attitude.  All students are capable of becoming good writers when they believe they can do it and they are willing to work at it.” Everybody needs somebody else to help them reach a goal, and the person who helped Mr.Nord along the way was his wife Michelle. “She has always supported my dream to become a teacher.  Everyone needs a positive, encouraging person in their life and I truly believe I could not have made it without her.”

 Mr.Nord dreamed of becoming a teacher his whole life, his career goal has always been to become a teacher or an author.”I am teaching English right now, so it all worked out.” Lastly, when Mr.Nord was asked what inspired him to become a teacher, he replied “I have always wanted to share my enthusiasm for literature and history in a classroom setting.”  

No Shave November

Christian Oliveira

Staff Writer   

With the arrival of November also comes one of the most anticipated holidays for many males (and females) at NHS, No Shave November. November is truly the height of beard and facial hair growing season and both seasoned facial hair growing veterans and rookies will look to participate with one goal in mind, to grow an awesome beard. When asked about what the experience of No Shave November was like, rookie facial hair grower Matt Steele said, “It’s a great experience, even if I can’t grow out the full beard. The whole experience is just fun and I look forward to it every year.”

 The fun of not shaving is not limited to males and facial hair though. At NHS many females are also participating in this holiday. When female No Shave enthusiast Chloe LeMunyan was asked about the female participation in the holiday she replied, “I think that equality matters and women need to step it up to hang with the men. One day I hope I can get to the point where I too, can grow out a beard for No Shave November. I think this ability will come with age. In the meantime though, I have seen many men who drop out of No Shave November after the first two weeks, this shows lack of commitment and enthusiasm.” For both males and females perseverance is key in order to achieve success and the ultimate goal of growing out as much hair in a month as possible.

 Along with being a fun holiday and an opportunity to showcase body hair, No Shave November also teaches life lessons to all those who participate. When asked what the importance of staying dedicated was, long-time No Shave November veteran Frank Covino said, “Hard work and perseverance pays off always. No Shave November teaches life lessons to all those who participate. Quitting is never the answer and each year I look forward to November because of the opportunity to improve myself.” Frank accredits many of the life lessons that he has learned to be directly related to No Shave November.

 Whether you’re growing out your leg hair, a lengthy beard, or are simply experimenting with peach fuzz for the first time, No Shave November is truly a holiday that embraces everyone of all genders. What was first believed to be a male only celebration has changed drastically as females have stepped up their game in recent years, truly proving that you don’t need to be able to grow out facial hair in order to not shave.