In a world once lit by the sun, many of our kids stay indoors where their world is lit by computer and television screens. If kids aren’t willing to go outside and get the necessary exercise they need themselves, then we need to find a way to force them to do it for their own good, and the good of the community as a whole.

Walk down the street on any given day and you can easily see that our society is full of enthusiastic eaters. Previously stated in this publication, the logo of America has practically become the Golden Arches of McDonalds. We are the stereotype of fat.

Our kids, and even sometimes our adults, do nothing but sit behind screens all day. They live their TV lit lives, and rather than being outside getting active and meeting friends, they sit inside eating potato chips meeting “friends” online that they will more than likely never actually meet.

It’s sad really. Their good health, well being, and social lives are disintegrating with every click of the clock.

Kids, especially teenagers, are extremely lazy these days. Too many of them, the concept of just sitting on the couch watching “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” sounds much more appetizing than the concept of running around outside getting sweaty. That’s simply just too much work. Many kids wont join a sport of their own free will, even if they know it would be good for them.

Why? Who knows, but we shouldn’t let it happen.

Lets look at some facts. Our generation is expected to be the first generation not to outlive their parents due to our unhealthy tendencies. The United States alone spends $3000 per second on treating obesity-related conditions. These are massive issues that cannot go ignored.

This is not to say that all kids that don’t play a sport are unhealthy or obese, but a large percentage of obese children do not play a sport when it would be beneficial for them. There’s no reason not to be willing to play a sport. Even if you’r e not very good, it doesn’t really matter, there are plenty of other kids in the same situation.

Maybe you’re not a varsity athlete, but that’s why there’s JV sports. Even if it’s not on a highly competitive level you can still have a lot of fun! But you will only get out of it what you put into it. You will make new friends and ultimately just feel better about yourself.

Como Park student Jesus Caballero comments on his experience after joining a sport, “I was probably the worst athlete you could think of. I was too fat and lazy to even walk. But now, after joining a sport and working hard at it, I would consider myself one of the best athletes in school. Now I’m only too fat and lazy to do my homework. God I love McDonald’s!”

You too can have a positive experience like baby Jesus did. You can change your life for the better. And you can do it while having fun too! “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Never played a sport before? Well guess what, “the core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences.”

For more information regarding modern problems of obesity compared with modern problems of world hunger check out my other article at http://www.comocrier.org/news/2010/03/15/obesity-vs-world-hunger/

The Como Park regular environmental class is in charge of recycling at the school. But once some random student comes into your classroom where does he go? Where does that blue bin go? Where does that piece of paper you no longer deemed important enough to be kept in your backpack go?

Mr. Lucas’s 7/8 hour environmental class makes their rounds every Thursday doing a job many take for granted. The class begins this job by leaving the class en mass and roaming towards the lunch room stairs to grab what some may view as a metal frame with wooden slats on top, a handle, and four wheels on the bottom. This is also known as a cart. With this apparatus they patrol the halls moving from room to room gathering rather oddly shaped blue containment units, a.k.a. recycling bins.

These containers are usually filled to the brim with white tree by-products with lines of graphite scrawled on them in some form of written language of which nation none can be certain.

The workers then stack these receptacles one on top of the other until the transportation device can hold no more. They then roll these units to a large brownish green shaped metal contraption with a moveable barrier to separate the contents from the open air for some strange purpose of which can not be decrypted. Once the strange blue containers have been emptied of their “waste” they are then returned from whence they came, and the process is repeated by other small wandering bands of adolescents until all odd shaped blue bins across the school have been emptied of their prior contaminants.
A slight variation to this process is the involvement of a metal box connected to a pulley system seemingly located within a wall which (as I have been told) enables the transportation of not only objects but people as well to another flat piece of flooring tile at an elevated or subterranean level from their own. This enables them to gather more pressed tree bits to deposit in the shack sized hunk of metal existing behind the building through which over one thousand living persons receive their primary form of education. Once that all has been said and accomplished, the often-mistaken-for-a-unit-of-transportation object with the four circular shaped rubber coated items attached to the bottom is placed back at its resting place until the next being decides upon interacting with it. Once their duties are accomplished the herd migrates back to their normal location for that time of day, to clean their five fingered appendages and rid them of unwanted bacteria obtained through handling unclean materials. The day then continues on as normal for these individuals as if they had never tampered with dead chunks of massacred trees. That in essence is how Como Park handles their recyclables.

Congratulations Seniors you’ve done it! You Graduated! High school is over! Wait… I’ve just received breaking news; the Seniors still have another Quarter! They in fact, are not done with high school at all.

Around this time of year high school Seniors begin to feel the effects of a terrible and nearly fatal disease. This epidemic is known as Senioritis. Senioritis causes high school Seniors to feel the need to stop participating or in fact stop caring about school at all.

All Seniors feel the pain, but it is the strong who can fight the urge and continue to actually do their work and get good grades! The weak suffer.

The truth is Senior year is when you should be working the hardest. This is because the day you begin your college classes in the fall, your work ethic is expected to be at max potential. If all you’ve been doing throughout your high school Senior year is slacking and skipping homework, then when you have to suddenly read eighty-five text book pages in two nights you will have no idea what to do; panic; and ultimately fail.

“For the hundredth time, Senioristis is not a real disease!” explains Dr. John Doe when asked of the problems associated with the epidemic. We are convinced that even though Dr. Doe denies it, this problem has a serious potential to someday become a “real” disease only to be cured by trial and error.

“Senioritis make me hurt inside…” whimpers Como Park Senior Jesus Caballero when informed of his disease.

College is right around the corner students, so don’t lose it now. Stay on top of your game and keep those grades up! Only ONE more quarter, it’s not that hard to just do your homework and stay awake during class but it is very very important, especially with the AP Tests nearing.

Photo taken by Sam Daggy. edited by Shannon Hark

            For girls, this is a very stressful and highly talked about subject during the beginning of the fourth quarter. From dress colors to hairstyles, prom is the talk of the school. Guys on the other hand have two worries, how they will pay for their 50 dollar tickets and who they will ask, or be asked by.

            Dresses are going fast, but if you haven’t purchased yours yet, Macy’s and Glitz still have a variety to choose from. For the guys, tuxedos at Men’s Warehouse and Savvi Formal Wear are good places to look.

            Grab a date or decide on going as a group and plan on being blown away by the Grecian themed prom the junior class is putting on. Hopefully, the weather will be nice, and the night filled with memories for everyone.

With the state tournament only hours away J Frasl isn’t even the least bit scared. In fact, he’s actually pretty excited. On a scale of One to Ten as far as nervousness goes, One being not nervous at all and Ten being as nervous as you’ve ever been, J says he’s at a One and says he’s looking forward to being around other good wrestlers. As far as predictions on placement he says, “I’m looking to take it one match at a time”. His preparations have changed a little and he’s focusing more on the little things and perfecting the things he’s already good at. His eating habits have also changed a little with the induction of more generous helpings of Power Bars.

As a team this year wasn’t the greatest, “we didn’t do as well as we planned, but their’s a lot of promise and potential for next year” J said. Reflecting on the season J also said, “It’s sad to see wrestling come to an end. All the good times and things I’ll never forget.” As far as wrestling in college, J says he’s leaning more towards football. For those of you looking to watch J wrestle he’ll be wrestling at about 4:45 near the end of the first session today at the Xcel Energy Center.

This new exhibit allows Como Zoo to separate the two habitats when housing a family group as the male bear must be isolated from the female and cubs. All land space in the habitat will be covered with soil and gravel so the bears have a soft, natural surface to walk on. Two designated stations for the public to watch operant animal training sessions between zookeepers and polar bears. And a 3,260 square foot state-of-the-art holding building to provide large indoor bedrooms, daylight, pools and a cub den.

This new exhibit will definitely liven interest in the only free zoo in the state and will probably lead to both sides of midway parkway being clogged to the brim this summer. As more information is let out look to the crier for your polar bear updates.