IM NOT LION

Volume 2, Issue 3

LET ME BE HONEST

December 2015

Grain of salt
By Amber Conn
Criticism is an evaluative or corrective exercise
that can occur in any aspect
of human life.
Without careful attention to wording and tone,
criticism can all too easily
become destructive and result in undesirable outcomes,
sometimes even the opposite
of those intended.
Several factors can
make criticism destructive.
First, attributing the cause of
poor performance to stable,
uncontrollable factors of the
recipients can cause a person
to simply give up and withdraw from the task(s) instead
of improving their efforts.
Criticism may also
become destructive when the
content of the feedback is not
specific. People who provide
non-specific criticism are
seen as lacking in ability and
expertise. Destructive criticism has been linked to individual and interpersonal outcomes, such as increased

negative emotions experienced by both the source and

recipient, decreased confidence in ones ability to perform, or even increased
blame and distrust in the
source of the criticism, as
stated by Geddes & Baron.

In the journalistic
world, it is important to take
constructive criticism in a way
that can be used to ones
advantage. When dealing with
criticism, it is an important life
skill to learn how to view criticism in a positive way. At
some point in every ones life,
all will face criticism for actions or beliefs, perhaps in a
positive way. Sometimes it
can even be difficult to accept, but that just depends on
the individual and in what
fashion one might happen to
choose as a mode of reaction.
In other words, criticism is an

unavoidable reality of the real

world and without careful
thought regarding how to
effectively deliver criticism,
this exchange may become
detrimental.

Editorial Staff
Editor in Chief:

Jasmine Bolden
News Editor:
Amber Conn
Staff Journalists:
Dajsha Robinson
Jaya Bailey

Jasmine Bankston
Poetri Camp
Eric Dillard
Shanelle Griffith
Alexis Lynn
Melissa McCoppin

Yulissa Miranda
Ryan Tallant
Rockel Taylor

Pursuit of happiness
By Alexis Lynn
Many students only pay attention to
what happens in the city or state. Many
dont realize what goes on in other countries, much less other continents.
Pope Francis plunged Sunday, November 29, 2015, into the conflict-ridden
Central African Republic and urged the
countrys Christian and Muslim factions to
lay down their weapons and to instead
arm themselves with peace and forgiveness. Schoolgirls dressed in the yellow and white of the Holy Sea Flag and
women wearing traditional African fabric
dresses and cheering crowds lined his
motorcade route as children sang him

songs of welcome and held up handmade signs reading, Peace, Love,

and Unity.
My wish for you, and for all Central
Africans is peace, Francis said. He then
led them in a chant: We are all brothers.
We are all brothers.
Throughout the early months of 2014,
mobs attacked Muslims in the streets.
Today, the capital that once had a general
population of 122,000 now has only
around 15,000.
Perhaps we should start paying attention more because the world is getting
smaller.

More than muscle

By Shanelle Griffith
Mr.Warfield, the funny, kind,
goofy-like teacher, has lots of things to let
Meadowdale know about him.
Mr.Warfield teaches exercise
science, which is a career-tech program
designed for juniors and seniors. It helps
them become a personal trainer.
He expressed that he believes it
is his con to help kids and see a way
out. He also said, What they do from the
age of 18-25 will benefit them so much
that youll be crying now and laughing
later!
Warfield went to Chaminade
Julienne, graduating in 2009. He was an
average B-C student with a sense of humor. After attending high school, he received a football scholarship for
Georgetown, Kentucky.
His goal was to make the NFL.
He suffered a terrible injury and lost his
scholarship, transferring to Wright State
to finish his three remaining years. Mr.
Warfield received two degrees in Organizational Leadership and Kinesiology.

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His next goal is to get another

Masters at Wright State.
Mr.Warfield has a fianc that he
fell in love with from Chaminade; he also
has one sister.
He enjoys fishing for fun, as in
throwing fish back in the water after
catching them. Warfield is an X-box I fan,
with the games he plays, which are 2k16
and Call of Duty. He loves working out;
his gym is actually his office.
Other than being a teacher, hes
a coach for the Ponitz Linebackers. Hes
also a personal trainer.
He loves teaching at Meadowdale. Its never been a dull day at
Meadowdale, says Mr. Warfield. He likes
interacting with the students, even if they

arent in his class. He loves the students

at MHS. His goal is to help kids succeed
and become better at something everyday.

Volume 2, Issue 3

Morgan Veggie Patties

By Eric Dillard
Hamburgers are the most popular food in this generation and everyone should be able to enjoy a nice burger, even the vegetarian.
So, without avail, for the vegetarians among us, voila...the Food Guru presents Bobby Flays Morgan Veggie Patties, certain to
delight the insatiable palate of the vegetarian!
Im sure a vegetarian would enjoy them because even though theyre not juicy beef burgers, they are designed with a vegetarian
in mind.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 1-ounce olive oil and all raw vegetables, except beans. Saute until translucent.
Remove and cool.
Add veggies to beans and mix thoroughly. Add all dry ingredients along with the egg. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and form
into 4 patties, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS:

2 ounces olive oil

3 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons diced black olives
2 tablespoons diced red bell peppers
1 teaspoon diced jalapeno
1 1/2 tablespoons diced garlic
1 tablespoon diced artichoke
4 ounces black beans, drained
4 ounces chickpeas, drained
4 ounces white beans, drained
6 ounces rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Im not Lion

Page 3

Chinatown
By Eric Dillard
Every American has their own
food ways and lifestyles or food cultures
that their family enjoys. Chinese people
have an interesting background when it
comes to their food culture.
According to Travel China Guide,
the Chinese respect each other before
they eat. The aged, teachers, and guests
are given careful consideration when
preparing meals and while taking good
care of children.
Before Chinese people eat, they
first show respect to their elders; when
guests come over the family is not allowed to start eating until the host says,
Please enjoy yourself. Otherwise, this
would be considered disrespectful.
When a hosts places dishes on
the table, they will put the main dish in
the center with the rest of the dish supporting all around it. Everyone will share
the meal from the main dish in the center.

China is the hometown of chopsticks. They were introduced to many

other countries in the world such as Vietnam, as well as North and South Korea. Chopsticks are considered to be
lucky gifts for marriage and other important ceremonies.
Celebrating the birthday is an
important moment in one's life. When one
is young, usually he will eat noodles before his birthday, because the long noodles indicate longevity in China. Birthday
cakes are eaten on the actual day. Peaches in many forms will be added symbolizing the longevity and immortality, as well
as delightful couplets and candles.
On the wedding day, it is also
customary to serve dates, peanuts, longan (Asian fruit) and chestnuts together,
a wish that the couple will soon have a
baby in accord with the Chinese proclamation.

To most Chinese people, returning home after long absences or departure from home are both significant, and
there are dining customs associated with
this. The return home is greeted with noodles and a departure or farewell is offered
with dumplings. This is especially popular
in northeast China.
Americans may have their own
dining customs and lifestyles, but the
Chinese do, without hesitation, have quite
a varied history and culture surrounding
food and dining.

Meadowdales gentleman
By Jasmine Bankston
Today we interviewed the class
historian, Richard Wilson.
A historian basically just writes
down all the information pertaining to the
senior class meetings. They discuss issues such as school dances, fundraisers,
senior pictures, and picnics.
He enjoys being the historian
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because he doesnt have to talk as much.

He is 17 years old and his birthday is May 21. When he grows up he
would like to be a graphic designer because in his free time he likes to draw. He
would like to attend the University of Dayton or Wright State University.
Richard has always been an
honor roll student so in five years he sees
himself being very successful.

Richard Wilson (top middle row) with fellow senior

officers in a very serious meeting.

Volume 2, Issue 3

Black pepper-pomegranate molasses glazed turkey

By Eric Dillard
Thanksgiving has passed and
Christmas is just around the corner. My
grandma made this at my request and
there were no regrets and no leftovers!
Here is a great variation on the
traditional turkey recipe from Guy Fieri:
Black Pepper-Pomegranate Molasses
Glazed Turkey. The juices of the turkey,
oh yummyits nice and seasoned very
well. The taste will leave your mouth watering. You have to try it!
Ingredients

Turkey Glaze:

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups pomegranate molasses

3/4 cup prepared horseradish,

drained
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground

black pepper

Im not Lion

Turkey:

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (about 15 pounds) fresh turkey

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter,

softened
4 cups homemade chicken stock or
low-sodium canned broth
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk together pomegranate molasses, horseradish, mustard, salt,
and coarsely ground black pepper. Set aside and let sit at room
temperature for at least 30
minutes before using to allow
the flavors to meld.
Remove the neck, heart and gizzard
from inside of the turkey. Rinse
the bird inside and out with cold

water and pat dry. Rub the entire surface of the bird with the
butter and season well
(including the cavity) with salt
and pepper. Truss the turkey
and place breast-up on a rack in
a large roasting pan. Roast for
about 45 minutes, until slightly
golden brown. Reduce the heat
to 350 degrees F and continue
roasting, basting with some of
the chicken stock every 15
minutes, for about 1 hour, 15
minutes longer. (An instant-read
thermometer inserted in the
thigh should register 160 degrees F.)
During the last 15 minutes of roasting, stop basting with the chicken stock and brush the entire
turkey with 1 cup of the pomegranate glaze. Remove the turkey from the oven, brush with
the remaining glaze, loosely tent
and let rest 15 minutes before
slicing.

Page 5

Gentle giant
By Melissa McCoppin
The Great Pyrenees was first
recognized by the AKC. Its known to be
very patient, calm, and smart. Its strongwilled, yet very affectionate and has quite
the history.
The Great Pyrenees dog-bear is
the unmistakable impression of pure elegance and unrivaled beauty combined
with great overall size and majesty. They
possess a keen intelligence and a kindly,
while regal, expression. When it comes to
their appearance, they are beyond gorgeous with a large, shaggy white coat.
Their eyes are almond-shaped, dark
brown, and give the dog a thoughtful expression. The coat is either all white or
white with yellow, reddish brown, tan or
gray.

These dogs absolutely adore

unconditional love! Anyone who has seen
this extraordinary white ball of fluff becomes infatuated with them. What's not
to like? They have a strong build, a beautiful, thick coat, and display elegance and
beauty. One look and one can see the
intelligence and steady nature that many
seek in a good family dog.
Beside all of these riveting
traits, the Great Pyrenees dog does have
quite the history. The sheep-guarding
Great Pyrenees originated in the Pyrenees
Mountains, which form a natural border
between France and Spain. He's known
by different names: Great Pyrenees in the
United States and Canada, the Pyrenean
Mountain Dog in the United Kingdom and

most of Europe. His ancestry is believed

to date back ten to eleven thousand years
to dogs who originated in Asia Minor. His
ancestors are thought to have come to
the Pyrenees Mountains sometime
around 3000 B.C. There the breed was
developed to create a dog who would aid
shepherds. Little did they know, the dog
would come to be adored by thousands!

Bear, Mrs. Godbeys Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog.

Words from Dej

I was kinda at home thinking about my
years in high school, from freshman til
senior year.
One thing I learned, youre not gonna
walk out with the same people you
walked in with. I walked into high school
with so many friends, and at this moment
I see myself walking out with three. Now
that number could change; its only December. But let me tell yall this: dont feel
any loss by losing friends; they come and
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go, and all your real friends will stick

around until graduation day.
LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS; they know
whats real and whats not before you do.
This time in life is a transition; people are
finding themselves and evolving. This
causes people to go separate ways. Let
them come to you. Focus on yourself and
learning who you are. Its a fun time in
life; live it and be happy.
Dej
Volume 2, Issue 3

Ms. Doolittle does alot

pens to be Harrison Ford and her favorite
movie is Raiders of the Lost Ark.

By Ryan Tallant
The mysterious teacher we
know as Ms. Black turns out to be very
interesting and not so mysterious after
all.

She loves Italian food. Her favorite

restaurant is Mamma Leonies, which is
located in New York.

There were a couple things she

said she would like to be recognized for
such as growing up on a farm and the fact
that shes a Christian. She is divorced and
has a lovely daughter named Alex.
She enjoys playing with her two dogs
and her three cats, which she mentioned
were all rescues. She also enjoys reading,
playing around on her computer, and
watching movies. Her favorite actor hap-

She had many jobs before becoming a

teacher, but being a teacher was actually
her dream job.
The one thing in the world she would
change would be intolerance, which is not
accepting people for who they are. Her
words were, Not everyone should be
alike. Everyone has unique gifts and
should be accepted for those.

Lovely lions
By Melissa McCoppin
Lions are known for being the
kings of the jungle, forest, and savanna.
Their pride is evident, and they act as if
they are superior to other animals. Lions
are a symbol of courage and bravery.
Lions are very graceful and elegant animals, who are very quick-witted.
The Swahili word for lion, Simba, also
means "king," "strong," and "aggressive."
The word lion has a similar meaning in

our vocabulary. For example, calling

someone lionhearted means they are
courageous and brave. If you lionize
someone, you treat that person with great
interest or importance.
The Lion King was a great
example of a movie that included lions as
some of the main characters. Their traits
were depicted beautifully and you could
really see the personality that flowed from
the lions. It was what one would imagine
a lion to be like if they could talk and express emotions as a human would.

Lions in all their fluffy glory are

one of the many captivating animals that
are roaming around our planet. Their lives
are so simple yet mysterious and perilous.
How do they do it? Well never know, but
one thing we do know is that they are
simply divine creatures with a strong
mindset.

Magnificent monarchs
By Melissa McCoppin
Monarch butterfly populations
have declined by ninety percent over the
past twenty years, according to conservationists at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Monarchs are widely known for
their migration, which spans from 2,000 to
3,000 miles. Getting to their destination
comes with tons of dangers and obstacles,
including harsh weather and hungry predaIm not Lion

tors. Monarchs may look delicate, but when

it comes to migrating, they dont fool
around!
The marathon migration has become even more perilous in recent years as
deforestation, agricultural expansion, illegal
logging, and increased development have
taken a toll on the availability of milkweed,
the only plant capable of sustaining monarch larvae.
Monarch butterflies make use of

different habitats in the warm months as

opposed to the cold months. In the spring,
summer and early fall, they can be discovered wherever there are milkweeds. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweeds and
they're always searching for them in meadows, fields and parks.
A Monarch butterfly goes through
four stages during one life cycle, and
through four generations in one year, its a
little confusing but thats the life of a Monarch for you.
Page 7

MUSIC, ETC.
Headed for success
By Rockel Taylor
Jacob Whiteside isnt exactly
famous yet, but hes on his way.
He was born November 11,
1997. Jacob is a pop singer and released
his first EP entitled 3 AM, on July 8, 2014.
The next big thing could be
Jacob. He may be only 18, but hes a singer/songwriter certainly knows a thing or
two about love just listen to his music.
Jacob is performing in concerts and hes
on Disney Channel. For more information
go to DisneyChanneljacobwhiteside.

What is Poetry?
Poetry is the rhythmical creation of
beauty in words.

By Poetri Camp
What is Poetry? Poetry to me is an emotional vibe fulfilled with thought and passion. Here are a few poets that express
what poetry is to them.
Poetry is a language at its most
distilled and most powerful.
-Rita Dove

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow

to dance.
-Carl Sandburg

-Edgar Allen Poe

Poetry is what gets lost in translation.

-Robert Frost

Oh, Poetry oh, poetry

By Poetri Camp
Poetry artistically renders words to
conjure passionate emotion. It may be
used to argue, describe, narrate, or define.

key to escape from pain, or loss that

theyve endured in their past. Then you
have those who love the talk about the
happiness in the life.

Some may use it to express raw

emotion or their underlying feelings towards one another. Some may use it as a
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Volume 2, Issue 3

MUSIC, ETC.
Who is Robert Frost?
By Poetri Camp

ton).

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published
in England before his work made its way
to America.
Frost was born in San Francisco, California. Robert Frost first engaged
in writing when he returned to America
the year of 1915. He bought a farm in
Franconia, New Hampshire. Shortly afterwards Frost launched a career of writing,
teachings, and lecturing.
His first two poetry volumes
were published in London in 1913 ( A
Boys Will) and in 1914(North of Bos-

Robert Frost attended Dartmouth College and Harvard University

(1897-1899.)
Roberts most prized award was
the Pulitzer Award for Poetry (1943,
1937, 1931, 1924.)
Robert Frost past away January
29, 1963, and leaves behind six children:
four girls and two boys. He can be remembered by his quotes: The best way out is
always through, In three words I can
sum up everything Ive learned about life;
it goes on, and Love is an irresistible
desire to be irresistibly desired.

Simon says
By Yulissa Miranda-G.
Reading is special to a person.
One can read to learn new
things or just read for pleasure. There are
many types of genres of books to catch
ones attention (fiction, non-fiction, action, romance, etc.).
In my opinion, I enjoy reading
romance and fiction books. The genres
capture my attention and keep me occupied. There is a series of particular interest that made the New York Times best
Sellers List by Simone Elkeles (Perfect
Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, and
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles). The
genre of these books was teen romance/
young adult. Perfect Chemistry was read
and reviewed worldwide, but most popular in North Korea.
The three books are about a
Mexican family of three brothers who
must triumph over the gangs, the mystery
of their murdered father, and star-crossed
lovers. Since everything is crazy about the
Fuentes brothers, is it possible for them
to be happy just so they can protect
them? Every brother has a different per-

Im not Lion

sonality and story, so people might like

one book better than the other two. For
me personally, I could say that the first
book was my favorite one.
I guess I could say I like the first
one because of Alex Fuentes and Brittany
Ellis because they both have a second
side to them. Alex shows a bad side to
him that makes people not want to mess
with him, at least thats what everyone
thinks. Alex actually struggles with the
murder of his father and will do anything
to prevent his younger siblings from getting involved with gangs, alcohol, and
drugs. You could say hes the supporter of
the family. Now when it comes to Brittany
Ellis, she is this perfect girl with no flaws,
or so it seems. Her home is the root of her
struggles. She has a sister with a disability, and her parents want to send her
away. However, Brittany doesnt want that
because her sister is the only one in her
life that gives her strength to maintain
that perfect image of hers. She cant
stand putting up a facade to anyone.
These are a few of the reasons why the
first novel of these great novels is my
favorite.

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SPORTS
Ball is life
By Jaya Bailey
Alexis Lynn, sophomore at Meadowdale High School, realized her favorite
sport is basketball at the age of eight.
Ball is life: it came naturally to her,
she said. She loves the contact, the feeling of scoring, and its just a fun game to
her. The quote that she goes by in her
head during basketball is, Hard work
beats talent when talent doesnt work
hard.
One of her accomplishments was in
2014 when she got MVP in an AAU Tournament. With her new basketball team,

Meadowdale Lady Lions, shes already

happy. Every time shes with the team its
all laughs and no worries. Outside of practice and games, they hang out and go to
football games together. To her the team
bonds together well already, they connect well, and they all have one goal:
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD.

Huge advantage
By Jaya Bailey
Tara Yesomi Wenegieme, a senior at our school, was born January 1,
2000, in Lagos, Nigeria. She came to
Dayton, Ohio, in 2010, and attended
Meadowdale High School. She plays multiple sports but the one sport thats
stands out the most is basketball.
Tara often gets asked about her
height. Shes six feet and three inches
tall. She likes her height because its an

advantage for her on the court. Tara has

been playing basketball ever since her
freshman year. She feels that the
Meadowdale girls basketball team has a
good chance at winning City. They need to
develop more chemistry and work harder
as a team.
One of Taras favorite quotes is,
When you want to quit, think how many
people wanted to see you fail and think of
why you did it in the first place; work like
theres no tomorrow.

When she graduates from high

school she wants to attend either Wright
State University, or University of Kentucky
to become a dentist.
Taras favorite person in the
world is her mother, because shes been
there for her since day one and she never
doubted or given up on her.

Southern bound
By Jaya Bailey
Michela Finley, a senior at Meadowdale, has been playing for the girls basketball team for four years. She was introduced to the sport by her mother and
loved basketball right away.
She didnt stop playing basketball because she enjoys the competition
and playing the game. Basketball brings
her high and lows, but she gets excited
Page 10

inside when her teammates play together,

work hard, and lead each other to a victory.
This year is Michelas senior
year; all her close friends are playing, and
its their senior year as well. So, she feels
itll be a great season. Even though her
teammates have the tendency to work
her last nerve, she loves her teammates.
Shes not sure what college she wants to
attend yet, but she wants to go some-

where down south because she always

enjoyed when she went, plus its a nice
change of scenery.

Volume 2, Issue 3

SPORTS
In his fathers footsteps
By Alexis Lynn
There are many great athletes at
Meadowdale, but Gary Lynn Smith III
stands out. He deserves Athlete of the
Month.
Like most, Gary plays more than
one sport. He plays football, basketball,
and runs track. Although he plays all
those sports, he still continues to maintain good grades and has a 3.2 GPA.
He feels that he deserves Athlete of the Month because he works very
hard at what he does. He works hard in
school and in every sport that he plays.

Out of all the sports he plays, he

says basketball is his favorite. He started
playing basketball in the sixth grade. He
practices basketball six days a week. His
dad inspired him to play. His dad played
when he was younger, but got hurt in a
car crash and stopped playing. Gary says
he loves playing and is making-up for his
dad.

Born to ball
By Alexis Lynn
Basketball season has began.
Nottia Ward is the Lady Lions point guard.
Nottia says she is so excited for
the basketball season that words cant
even explain.
Nottia started playing basketball
when she was in the seventh grade. She
said that her brother was the inspiration
behind her decision to play. Her main
Im not Lion

support system is her family. She also

relies heavily on friends such as Precious
Brown and Jaya Baily.
Last year their record was 18-4 and
she averaged 18 points a game.
The girls first game was Saturday, November 28, 2015, at 1:00 pm. They are
all looking forward to a great season.

Page 11

OPINIONS
Apple vs. Android
By Rockel Taylor
As a family who has owned nothing but iPhones, we currently switched to
Androids.
iPhones are expensive; if it
drops it might break. iPhones are unique.
65% of people believe iPhones are better
and 35% believe Androids are the way to
go.

Even if its new. Androids have Gmail

so you can set your phone up with it, just in
case you might have the same problem. They
are less expensive to get fixed. But, some do
cost more than iPhones, depending on which
Android or iPhone you get.
All said and done, iPhones and
Androids are both quality and both have their
pros and cons.

iPhones have IOS to back up

your iPhone if it gets lost or broken. Or,
some people say, just get a new one so all
your things such as pictures, music, and
contacts will be back on your phone,

Top 10
By Shanelle Griffith
Lately in the music world theres been songs that Meadowdale students show many interests in. A brief survey was given to the students to determine their top 10 current songs.
Meadowdales Top 10
Tori Lanez Say it
Drake Future Jumpman
Lil Durk Dej Loaf My Beyonc
Drake- Hotline
J.Cole No Role Model
Post Malone- White Iverson
Weeknd The Hills
Chris Brown Liquor
Aleesia Cara Here
Jaquees Come Thru
According to Billboard charts, they have a slightly different opinion than Meadowdales top 10 songs:
Drake Hotline Bling
Fetty Wap- 679
Aleesia Cara- Here
The Weeknd- Cant feel my face
Drake Future Jumpman
Silento- Watch me
Fetty Wap Trap Queen
Ilovememphis- Hit the Quan
Travis Scott Antidote
The Weeknd The Hills

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Volume 2, Issue 3

OPINIONS
Crooked smile
By Jasmine Bolden
Love yourself, girl, or nobody will
Oh, you a woman? I don't know how you deal
With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels
I feel for you
Killing yourself to find a man that'll kill for you
You wake up, put makeup on
Stare in the mirror but its clear that you can't face what's wrong
No need to fix what God already put his paint brush on
Your roommate yelling, "Why you gotta take so long?"
What it's like to have a crooked smile (J.Cole)
Self-concept is an idea of the self which is constructed from ones personal background, beliefs, and the responses of others.
Loving yourself is of the upmost importance. One cannot expect someone else to love them when they cannot love themselves. Of course, no one is perfect; no one was made to be.

God , whomever or whatever one believes in, made no mistakes when creating us. Those features that we think are mistakes are the same ones that make us unique. Everybody is going to have their personal opinion on how they look, but at the end of the
day, all that matters is the opinion one holds of themselves. As long as one thinks highly of themselves, regardless of what anyone
thinks or says, doesnt matter.

Im not Lion

Page 13

OPINIONS
Man in coffee shop
By Dajsha Robinson
Its amazing the things you can
cook up in your head, isnt it? When
youre talking to a man in a coffee shop? I
work at Tim Hortons; if you dont know
already, its a cafe and bake shop. I was
thinking really hard about a new article to
write, having a bad day of writers block,
really, because I was already primarily
focused on a different article that I was
working on, but I needed some excitement in my life with my writing, no more
of sticking to the darn rules the school
places on us.
ISIS. We all know and have
heard of this new group of terrorists out
to kill... No, not kill, demolish the Christian
faith, or thats how I see it at least. Basically, convert or die. Three years ago the
Islamic State, also know as ISIS, didnt
exist, but now controls parts of Syria and
Iraq. Crazy, right? How something so
small can turn into the worlds greatest
fear? Starting on social media, ISIS started showing off its path to power. The real
question is, how did we get here? How is
it that we have civilian children and adults
taking action that our Commander in
Chief should be taking? How is it that we
are right back to sleeping in fear at night?
Being at the highest alert since 9/11?
Our support, our guidance, our leader is
not guiding, leading, or supporting. We
underestimated a force thats shaking the
world.
Now, I will admit, our President
has done many things to bring our country
back, and bring back some of the values
it was built on.. but all of that can be
wiped from his list of well doings with the
decisions hes making now. We see ourselves as the great and mighty United
States of America, but are we who we
portray ourselves to be? Our image as a
country comes from the man in charge.
Think about that. All the wrong decisions
at all the wrong times, all the wrong answers to questions, all the wrong steps. I
know I should keep my article as unbiased as possible, but I disagree with every choice the President is making; I dont
see a right side to this at all.
Im not Lion

You diffuse a situation by destroying it at the core when it first presents itself. When you have the first sign
of a cold, you take medicine, right? You
contain it so it doesn't spread to your
family, who spreads it to the general population. When ISIS first presented themselves, Obamas first instinct should have
been to treat them as if they just made a
public announcement to bomb the White
House. He shouldve bombed any and
every ISIS related headquarters in Syria or
Iraq, instead of letting this blow up into a
worldwide problem. I never agreed with
Bush, in any of his political views, but one
thing I do commend that man on, was
keeping his country safe, not allowing
anyone to harm it; even with 9/11 he
took immediate action. The last thing he
was going to do was let thousands of
American bodies drop on American soil
without doing anything. I believe Obama
should have the same fire in his heart to
prevent anything from happening on
American soil.
The attacks in Paris are another
thing. Paris is one of our oldest allies.
With that being said, we should be their
go to in their time of need, but were we?
No, because now, all of a sudden, the
United States doesnt want to stick their
nose in something, when really its already far too late. We shouldve aided
France when they needed us, because I
believe in my heart, they wouldve done it
for us, especially considering the fact that
we have been in alliance with these people for so long. As I am saying this, my
heart truly goes out to Paris and everything they have endured and been
through that weekend.
10,000 refugees are coming to
the United states during this time. Do we
all remember where everything ISIS related is located? In Syria. Obama wants to
open his arms and open our country up to
10,000 refugees. Now, Im far from an
insensitive person. I would flee from a
country like that as well, but out of those
10,000 refugees, how many of those
people are pretenders? 1? 10? 100? We
dont know. Its not as if hes opening up
Washington D.C. Oh no, hes opening up

other states! He wants to bring them into

the country, but keep them as far as possible from him and his home and his family, giving those few posers the chance to
destroy ours. Now, I could be wrong, all
the way wrong, or I could be right, all the
way right. Right now the smartest move is
to hold off letting anyone into our country.
Weve let this world power title go to our
heads, like were untouchable. Weve
been shown once that we are indeed
touchable, but in that event, we also
showed that once touched, we dont
touch back, we kill. We will not let anyone
come into our country and disrupt our
peace without paying the price. The death
of Osama Bin Laden supports this clearly.
That shouldve also taught us to never
underestimate the smallest force, because a smaller force can only get stronger, but a stronger force can fall harder.
Now that its been brought to
our attention, all we can do now is hope
for the best and hope that our President
can see past his mistakes. Playing humble looks easy when we look at Barack do
it every day, when really his ego is partial
to why we didn't take the problem out
before it became so large.
Its amazing how much a man in
a coffee shop can inspire you. Thank you,
man in the coffee shop, who ordered a
large hot chocolate with whipped topping,
for taking the time out of your night to talk
to me. Without you, I wouldnt have the
courage to write this, and also thank you,
my regular, for also encouraging me to
push my article movement too. I hope you
come back soon for work to catch up.
The girl from the coffee shop.

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Student and teacher of month

Junior, Amber Conn, is Decembers Student of the

Month.

Decembers Teacher of the Month is Mr. Grisgby, seated with Aliyah Shafeek.

Find us online at www.imnotlion.com

Im not Lion

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