So You want a JOB?

With the holiday season coming up, who's thinking about jobs? I know I am. A lot of places are willing to hire seasonal, so get to applying. Before you do though, look at these tips I found from this website: http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/interviews/a/jobinterviewtip.htm

Practice

Practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your successes is a great way to promote your candidacy.

Prepare

Prepare a response so you are ready for the question "What do you know about our company. Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.

Get Ready

Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.

Be On Time

Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Stay Calm

During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

Show What You Know

Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for.

Follow Up

Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note.

You can also go to the site and it has several other links for further information. Good luck and happy holidays!

Where's the Halloween spirit?

Remember running through the streets on Halloween night when you were a kid? The excitement as October began and you started to consider what you were going to dress up as at the end of the month. The rush you got as you rang the doorbell and uttered some of the sweetest words in the world:
"Trick or Treat."



What ever happened to this memory? Is it packed away in the box with all of your costumes and fake blood? It seems as if we've outgrown what was one of our favorite holidays.


As the years go by, less houses decorate, less people dress up, and less parents taking their children out for their first trick or treating. More and more houses are refusing to answer their doors every year. But Why?



With so many children and adults getting out of the Halloween spirit, it's going to take all of us that still eagerly await this event to keep it alive. Those of us that don't just plan parties and social events to boost our social status and popularity must work to keep the real fun of this holiday.



For me, the fun of Halloween is not just getting the candy, or the parties, or even the traditional jack-o-lantern. The fun on Halloween is dressing up as something you aren't, and could possibly never be.


And you have to admit, even as a teenager or adult it's fun to be someone or something that you've never been before. But fewer and fewer people are taking part in this activity anymore. And as the tradition begins to die, so does the memory. As well as the hope of it ever making a comeback.

So everyone that still holds their childhood Halloween memories near and dear, and still continues to relive them with a stick of eyeliner and white face paint should keep this memory alive. Don't let this holiday collect dust on a shelf. Don't let Halloween die.

Adrianna Owens: Instincts

Have you ever gotten one of those what-the-heck-is-that-chick-wearing stares? Well, if you haven't then I'm here to tell you, it's not so fun. In fact, anyone staring at you is never really fun.

But, walking around campus, I received a couple of those stares, and yes, even a few laughs. I turned hesitantly, as I heard the various whispers and chuckles. As I looked around with a nervous expression, my friend noticed and said, "take off that hat and maybe people wouldn't say anything."

Even though I heard the humor in her voice, it still hurt. But, it was true. Because, I was sporting a unicorn hat. Yes, a knit unicorn hat, with a fluff of rainbow hair and everything.

But I couldn’t get past the fact that I was being targeted. And my mind couldn't keep the reoccurring questions away. They just kept coming. All I could think was... why?

Why were people so caught up in what I had on my head?
Why did it matter to them?
Why?

I left my questions rhetorical, because I was unsure of the answers. Now, I have come to a conclusion.

They're human. It's just instinct. People like to stare.

They like to see different things, things that they don't see everyday. They might not like these unordinary items, nor consider making them a part of their life. But, there will be more "unicorn hats" in their future. And I will be in possession of uniqueness all of my life. With that being said, this isn’t the last time I will be laughed at or whispered about.

It's nothing I should have been ashamed of, or mad at. It was a time for me to show the real me. The me that isn't afraid of what people think. The me that is willing to put on the unicorn, and walk around, knowing that people will act on their instincts. The me that doesn't care.

Alyssa Marie: Growing Pains

High school.Freshman year = "WHOA THAT'S NEW". Sophomore year = "THIS IS STRESSING ME OUT". Junior year = *IN THE PROCESS OF FALLING APART* . Why is it in the process of falling apart? Talk about two AP's, a school newspaper to write for, endless piles of homework and books to read, SATS prep, afterschool responsiblities, driver's ed, and possibly a job in a few months? What. Am. I. Doing. Urgh. I wish I could go back to the days when a golden star sticker made me feel proud of myself. I wish I could back to the days when people expected less out of you. The days when you didn't expect a gold star on your drawing but got one anyways.

I'm pretty sure many students out there can relate to what I'm saying. You go from everything is easy-peasy, to everything feels like it's falling apart. When I say falling apart I don't mean in the sense that it's ruining your life..(well maybe), but in the sense that you "feel" that things around are crumbling down on you because suddenly everyone is depending on you to achieve something. As if you're no longer that little kid that had it easy. You're now this grown up human being trying to juggle everything in their life. With all these responsibilities, it's like you dont feel like a teenager anymore because everyone expects you to act like a grown up. They want you to leave behind your childish ways and grow up. They wont settle for less because they expect you can do better. Whether or not we want to, there's always going to be that one thing that's going to remind you to grow up: yourself. You let yourself do whatever people tell you to do because you not only want to please them but also yourself. YOU want to give yourself a gold star sticker. YOU want to feel good about yourself. It's not the outer forces, but its the inner forces challenging you. No one can stress you out but yourself. No one can tell you to grow up, but yourself.

FaithHarris: Eating Disorders

For the first issue of the Stagg Line, I took on the topic of eating disorders. Not a light topic at all, but since it was focusing on a program, I found it rather intriguing. As you can imagine, though, i had a lot to say. There just wasn't enough room in my spot for everything I had to throw at ya!
I did a lot of research on these disorders, and though I didn't really use many stats in my actual article, I really want to share them with you guys. I managed to narrow it down, so here are some interesting findings:

anad.org (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)
*50% of those with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression
*only 1 in 10 men or women with disorders seek specialized help
*Men are less likely to seek help because of the perception that it is a "womans disease"

ehow.com
How To cope with a disorder:
1. Recognize the problem
2.Seek help
3. Stick to the treatment
4. Create a supportive enviornment

There's many more interesting sites, so do your own research sometime!
If you know anyone with an eating disorder, Alexandra Caspero is eager to meet students.
Go to Healthy Start and make an appointment for yourself or a friend.

Fanatical Faith: JUST DANCE[=

So for Stagg Line's next issue, I have taken on the task of co-writing! Me and the fantabulous Xe Xiong are writing an entertainment story on the dance showcase. The showcase isn't until May 5th and 6th, but you won't believe the info we have for you! We've got the rehearsals, backstage work, and the behind the scenes stuff you don't ever see. It was amazing to see how much of them talked about teamwork, so we made that our angle for the story. It's great that they can take something so fun and light and make it so passionate and intriguing. I really love to dance myself, and will hopefully be in the advanced level class next year. Be sure to go to the showcase and be sure to grab the Stagg Line's next issue on April 15th.

That Religious Guy: A Belated Goodbye

..... Today is definitely a day of mourning. Last Monday, our generation lost another one of its barely blooming individuals, Jera Machuca, a person taken before her time. As a journalist, she helped make The Stagg Line a great publication. As a student, she donated her time to various extracurricular activities. As a friend, she was always there with a kind word. It's never an easy reality to overcome when someone disappears forever, gone through the thin line between life and death, between this world and the next. But as time passes, wounds heal and circumstances change. We all must continue the race of existence and must inevitably lose some companions along the way.

..... Now I'm not going to compose an eloquent elucidation about the mysteries of life and why people die. Though I'm a devout Roman Catholic, I am as clueless as the most ardent atheist. I know not what lies beyond, what is waiting on the other side. As a religious person, I may have an inkling, but I certainly do not have all the answers.

..... I must admit that Jera and I were never close friends, a fact that can sadly never change. We were merely acquaintances both on staff and in our casual lives. Yet, the most vivid memory I have of her is something mundane, something personal. I simply remember a time when we were both in charge of cleaning the counter tops in the journalism room. We made small talk and we helped each other out. Of course, this memory may not seem so great to anyone else, but it's something that will stay with me. I will always remember that Jera was always open to others and was always eager to assist in any way.

..... Today at 5 pm, Jera's friends and family will be praying the rosary at Frisbee-Warren & Carroll Mortuary. It didn't hit me until today that she was really gone, spirited away from this earth. Hopefully I'll be able to attend the rosary and pray for Jera's soul and for the consolation of her family. Maybe then I can make my belated goodbye complete, my overdue farewell to a friend I hardly knew. But I'm careful not to use the phrase "final goodbye" because as long as someone's memory remains with you, they live on. It's a cliche that should comfort all of us when we come face to face with our own mortality. Ultimately, Jera will continue to be in my prayers for years to come.


May God bless her and her family,
- Jeremy Dela Cruz