winter clothing

Dressing warm for winter is very important for your well being. If you don't dress appropriately for winter weather you could got frost bit or hypothermia. Ashley King a junior at Sparta high school stated, "You should dress warm for winter to keep warm and so you don't get sick." Kelsey Thurston echoed King's statement.

King also stated that, "If you don't dress warm for winter you could get sick." Thurston also agreed with that and said they would be cold.

King stated, " I don't think the students dress appropriately for winter weather." Thurston said, "not everybody dresses appropriately for winter, I see people wearing skirts and that's not winter clothing."

Melissa Moore a nurse stated that, " People could get hypothermia if they don't dress appropriately for winter." She also stated that, "You could die from it depending on the severity of hypothermia.

"You get frostbite when your outside your body gets cold and the blood don't get to your fingers because more blood is circulated to your organs to keep them warm." stated Mrs. Moore.

Mrs. Moore said, "getting frost bite could be as bad as losing a finger, toe, hand, and your nose could even get frost bite if your not careful."

Moore also stated that, "There is no estimated time it takes for you to get frost bite, it depends on what you are wearing and how long you are outside and if you are wet you can get it faster within seconds depending on how cold it is outside."

Scholarship Advice For Seniors

Natasha Mason

Deadlines are approaching for seniors interested in applying for scholarships. If how to apply for scholarships is still questionable, there are a few things students should know. First off, students can start looking for scholarships at anytime, doesn't matter what grade. The Sparta High School website has information on this, and the guidance department is the place to go if there are still unanswered questions.

Once a senior, students should really start looking at state and national scholarships. Scholarship opportunities can be found on the school's website, along with the common application, which applies to 99% of local scholarships.

Any other things to consider? According to Anne Fimreite, guidance counselor, there are plenty of other factors to consider."Each college has different requirements and different application deadlines, so students should stay on top of those," Fimreite stated. "Many local scholarships need letters of recommendation, so start thinking about who to ask that could speak to your college potential."

Fimreite also encourages students to look into scholarship opportunities at work or their parents work.

Still want more information? On January 13th there will be a presentation called "Scholarships 101." This will be held during Grad Groups and will be about general scholarship information. Another presentation will be held January 27th, also during Grad Groups, and will be about local scholarships.

If students have any other questions concerning scholarships, Femreite encourages them to come and talk to her.

Student Illness

Kristin Piotrowski

Student absences due to illness at Sparta High School this year have been many and often. Many students have been absent due to all types of illnesses such as influenza, most types of cold, streptococcal pharyngitis also commonly known as strep throat, and H1N1. Although many students are actually sick there have been quite a few trying to play sick as well. "A few, I can't tell yet." Emily Merow, Sparta High's temporary receptionist, quoted on students trying to excuse themselves. Merow also said, "I get about twenty phone calls on average in the morning from parents calling in their children."

The students that are gone for a full week have a lot to catch up on, and usually when they are gone for that amount of time they have homework collected for them. "Two weeks ago there were a lot of kids out with H1N1, I believe on average there were 100 students out for the whole week." Merow stated. A student who misses and is in a math usually have a difficult time because they miss the notes and examples and the assignment. Ed Flasch, math teacher, stated, "My classes have not been hit that hard by the sickness." Flasch also talked about what its like when a student is gone, "It is a little extra work to go back and look at the assignments but I put a lot of it on them too, to get the notes from another student."

A student should stay home when they are sick because it is important for them to get well and to keep any other students from getting sick. "Even if it is more work to be gone and you really are sick then you should stay home." Flasch said. To avoid missing school and being sick there are many things that you can do without coming to school in a mask. Washing your hands can be the most helpful. You should wash your hands when ever you sneeze, cough, touch anything that many other people touch, and of course when ever you use the rest room. Washing your hands is not always an option, so you can use hand sanitizer. Other things you can do to prevent getting sick are keeping your immune system high by eating heathy foods, and avoid touching your face as often as possible. To learn more about preventing the flu you can visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm.