See you later alligators! :P

i refuse to say goodbye.

i refuse to forget.

i refuse to let go.

What i’ve learned in the past week and a half would be too much to put into words. Because it is words that i learned. Words that when tied to memories make for heartwarming emotions. The people that i met made the experience worthwhile so much that without them i would have been overcome with too much home sickness. Without them, the Xposure workshop wouldnt have been the same.

Storm Chasers by: Jackie Rodriguez

By: Jackie Rodriguez

Glencliff High School, Nashville, Tenn.

 

While society stands still and hides from severe weather, a group of Western Kentucky University students and their teacher leave their fear at the doorstep to chase deadly storms.

“We have two different ways of looking at the sky,” said Josh Durkee, who teaches field methods in weather analysis and forecasting.

One way is with radar while the other is looking up with your own eyes. Both methods are effective in spotting a storm for them to chase.

From a young age, students Lee Campbell, Olivia Payne and Lindsay Rice, who are all part of the group, knew that they wanted to pursue meteorology as a career. But it wasn’t until college that they had an opportunity to become storm chasers.

With the help of Durkee, these students began pursuing actual storms.

In their first ever storm chase, the students’ feelings ranged from excitement to fear, but the fear wasn’t of getting injured.

“I was scared that I wasn’t going to see the storm,” said Campbell, who was in his first year in Durkee’s class when the chase occurred.

Lindsay Rice, from Delmont, Pa., said she didn’t know what to expect since it was also her first year in the class.

“It was more exciting than scary,” she said.

The amateur crew had a chance to chase storms over a 14-day period in May. During that time, they were actively chasing storms for about 10 days and encountered a highly destructive tornado in Joplin, Mo., that killed at least 153 people.

“We chased the deadliest tornado (on record),” Durkee said.

Storm chasers search for different characteristics. Some like to identify the structure in the storm. Others are more interested in specific details that help to verify the daily forecast.

“Everyone has a different angle,” Durkee said.

Society tends to believe that storm chasing is extremely dangerous, but Durkee and his students would beg to differ. According to them, storm chasing has taught them to always think ahead and know how to handle risky situations.

“It is dangerous in the sense that you are placing yourself in a volatile situation,” he said.

“But we have a better handle on it than anyone else would,” Rice added.

Storm chasing can be a dangerous or exciting career to have, or maybe both. It really depends on your point of view.

“There’s always new storms to look at,” said Campbell, who’s from Paducah.  “Every morning is different.”

Profile

Kamilah Champion, Bosse High School Evansville, IND.

Kamilah Champion

 

Kamilah Champion is willing to put in the time and effort to succeed.

“Nothing comes easy,” she said. “The things you work for are worth the wait. In the end, it pays off.”

Champion, an 18-year-old graduate of Bosse High School in Evansville, Ind., will begin her college career at Western Kentucky University in the fall. And if things work according to plan, her payoff will be a career in broadcast journalism.

So far, her road to college has been marked by positive experiences from her family, her friends and her faith. She wears a black wristband that reads “I am second,” a reference to her place behind God. And she surrounds herself with the people who are important in her life.

“I love being around the people that care the most about me, regardless if it’s family or friends, just the people that genuinely mean the most to me,” she said.

One family member who stands out is Bertha Purcell, Champion’s grandma and a woman whose fight with cancer proved to be inspirational.

“I look up to my grandma a lot,” Champion said. “She had cancer. I was younger, but I think that was a lot to see.”

Purcell died in 2008, but she lives on in Champion’s memory as a woman who took on the cancer without complaint, a person who had a purpose for her life.

“I believe you have to have heart in everything you do,” she said. “You have to have heart, and you have to have passion.”

Champion said she looks forward to having a family of her own one day, and she plans on helping her children have the things they need to thrive. But she plans on helping other children, too.

“One thing I always say is ‘I want to change the world,’” she said, adding that she would like to be able to help children in need of comfort and attention.

Like many teenagers, Champion lives with an eye toward her future – a future of family and career – but she said she values the present by trying to “live life in the moment.” And she appreciates a past that has included a strong family structure.

“Everything I have went through has made me who I am,” she said. “If you change one thing, you change everything. Every failure, every success, it all fell into place for a reason.”

Ultimately, Champion said she is counting on her past and her present to determine her future. And, of course, her family name has a role to play, too.

“Our family quote is ‘There’s nothing a Champion can’t do.’ That’s what I live by.”

Jackie Rodriguez Profile

Jackie Rodriguez

 

By JENNIFER OTTERSBACH, South Oldham High School, Crestwood

Jackie Rodriguez, 17, an upcoming senior at Glencliff High School in Nashville, Tenn., is all about finding her “voice,” and she loves giving back.

When Rodriquez was in seventh grade, she joined an organization called International Outreach Team Program. ITOP is a community service organization designed to reach minorities. Rodriguez, who is Mexican-American, said the program was a “source of motivation” for them.

“A lot of us didn’t like it, but I did,” she said.

Through ITOP, Rodriguez has taken part in many service projects, such as volunteering at a Ronald McDonald House, cleaning up after an Easter egg hunt at the National Zoo, reading to children, and more. She also is a part of the National Honor Society and Beta Club at her school.

“Knowing that I can contribute to my community and give back is rewarding to me,” she said.

Rodriguez sees giving back as a part of her future as well. She enjoys writing and photography and is thinking about pursuing a career in photojournalism.

“I want to be a journalist that travels the world and goes to dangerous places,” she said.

Rodriguez said she is big on owning up to her mistakes, being independent, and taking responsibility. She calls it finding her voice.

“Not only the obvious voice,” she said, “but a path.”

Family is also important to Rodriguez, who comes from a family of five that includes her dad, Blas, mom, Griselda, and two older sisters, Izamar and Grecia.     Because her family is from Mexico, Rodriguez and her family often visit Mexico in the summer. Last summer she celebrated her quinceañera, her 15^th birthday celebration, there with her family.

Rodriguez said she and her sisters made the trip alone, and they enjoyed it. They got to prove how responsible they were.

“We got to have fun and make mistakes,” she said. “But that’s what being young is about. You’re only going to be young once.”

Since family is so important to Rodriguez, she hopes she can give back to them later in her life.

“Whenever I start working – put some money aside for my parents. I want to buy them a big house where they don’t have to worry about anything,” she said. “I want my dad to retire because he’s been working since he was 12.”

Rodriguez said she admires her father because he has done so much for her family. She would love to take him to all of his favorite places in the world that he’s never gotten a chance to visit.

“Really for my dad, I want to send them on a trip,” Rodriguez said. “All the really important places of the world like Jerusalem, Rome – historical places – because he’s really big on history and I’d like to do that for him.”

Beverly Fishback Profile

Beverly Fishback

By DIAMOND STEWART       Grady High School, Atlanta

This headband-wearing, 16-year-old tends to get involved in a school activity after someone tells her she would be good at it.

Beverly Fishback, a senior at Bowling Green High School, was not really into journalism but her teacher had been trying to get her to attend the Xposure Journalism Workshop for two years. Finally, she decided to apply after she joined her high school newspaper staff.

“I read (about) it on a poster at school and through my (journalism) teacher,” Fishback said.

“I thought that I was decent at writing and other people can see me being a journalist,” Fishback said, explaining that she wants to inspire others and get into something new and different.

In her off time from writing, she is like a typical teenager but with a twist. Fishback said she likes to listen to music; hang out with family and friends; do scrapbooking; play with her cat, Sasha; and just have lot of fun.

In addition to the newspaper, she is active in the French Club, Beta Club, and student government. She is president of the Future Educators of America.

“It is exciting to lead people and guide them,” Fishback said.

When she attends college she plans on having a major in psychology and a minor or another major in journalism. Fishback said she is particularly interested in studying the psychology of addiction and how it affects people’s lives.

Fishback said she is looking forward to college.

“I can’t wait to live in a dorm room and meet different varieties of people. It’s just a different environment. “

She has had her driver’s license for about four months and she owns a Mercedes.  “Overwhelmed. I thought my first car would be crappy,” Fishback said.

Using three words to describe herself, Fishback said, “ I am beautiful, confident and stylish.”

“I don’t let others lead me into one image of who I am supposed to be,” Fishback said about her self-image. “I am just being me.”

She said her confidence comes from her desire to be a leader.

“I lead myself and don’t follow others,” she said.

And her style comes from her willingness to try new things while staying simple and comfortable. That’s why she likes headbands.

“I don’t like trends,” Fishback said. “I don’t like that mix-match style, shoes and sandals. I like to be comfortable.”

Limited Edition Page 4

By Victoria R. Ballengee
North Hardin High School

On Dec. 12, 2012, someone will eat an unknown nuclear fruit to start the anticipated zombie apocalypse.
The year 2012 is believed to be a new age, but it is also believed to be the year where billions of people die and start the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
The rapture, super volcano, alien invasions, nuclear war and asteroids have been predicted as possible calamities that may happen on that day – or during that year.
The truth is that they are all just wild guesses.
No matter how thoroughly someone’s theory has been explained, there is absolutely no scientific evidence. It’s almost saying that dinosaurs will randomly roam the earth once again.
Will the world end in 2012? No. Will there be disasters that lead to deaths? Yes.
There are some major happenings that will occur in 2012 that people are either avoiding or over exaggerating the facts.
The Mayan calendar is ending on Dec. 12, 2012, nothing more and nothing less.
Pole shifting is already an approved fact that it is going to happen in 2012, slowly but surely. Since the ice is breaking and melting because of global warming, the pole will migrate near Greenland which may cause future disasters such as floods and tsunamis.
The galactic alignment is happening in this moment, and will be together in one line sometime in 2012. When it does align, it’s the sign of the new age.
An asteroid that has a given name of 433 Eros is going to pass earth, but it’s not likely to have any impact on earth.
There will be a presidential election on Nov. 6 that could dramatically change the government in the United States.
But, there is nothing that is endangering humanity.
Well, maybe there is, but we never know when it’s going to happen. It will happen when we least suspect it, but before then, live your life until it’s over.
A Dec 21, 2012 cataclysm is not going to happen.
Case closed.

New Generation

By Charley Nold
duPont Manual High School
As a member of one of the first generations to grow up in an integrated society, I’m stumped that older generations spend any time at all fighting over race.
Integrated classrooms, civil rights laws and a growing number of minorities have caused my generation – for now a nameless generation – to know diversity as typical, not unusual.
Now, Arizona’s recent legislative decisions to try and cut down on illegal immigration have fostered a rival sentiment. This, in turn, has created protestors, angered bloggers and inspired t-shirt designers.
It is astonishing to me that we still live a world where racially-charged sentiments make such an impact. The course of action taken by Arizona is anti-progressive to the last 50 years of race relations in the United States.
Arizona’s brash policy to eliminate birth-right citizenship has pushed people to extreme positions.
“They’re only going to create more problems for themselves,” said Paul Wozniak, head of the sociology department at Western Kentucky University.
He said he agreed that the legislation was a step backward from the political, social and economic equality being sought in recent years in the United States.
Wozniak said demographic changes have always brought about other changes, which was the case with Arizona.
“Maybe that’s the big challenge of your generation,” Wozniak said. “To be more accepting.”
It will be hard not to be accepting of others, because there is no way to avoid diversity, especially now that we “kids” have grown up in a world where diversity is something we’re supposed to strive for.
“The whole country has become more diverse,” Wozniak said.
He said he recognized that growing population shifts of minorities were occurring around the world, but more so in the United States. And even locally.
“Groups of minorities have been increasing since I came to Bowling Green,” Wozniak said. “If you look around Bowling Green High School, you’ll see a diverse population of many people and many languages.”
As a generation we need to continue to accommodate diversity, and show the generations before us that tolerance is important to progress.
The free-minded teens and young adults of the nameless generation won’t be able to stop inequality; however, they can set the bar high as the first generation to grow up in a world where acceptance is the expectation, not the exception

Limited Edition Page 1

Growth and Construction Article
By Kelsey Randhawa

Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell has big plans for the school’s future and it’s resulted in a major construction boom on the Bowling Green campus.
In five years he hopes to have created the second largest university in Kentucky with 25,000 students and a world-class honors college.
Through a number of multi-million-dollar construction projects that include the renovation of old buildings and creation of new ones, Ransdell and his staff are working to make his dream a reality.
Ransdell launched a campus renovation campaign in 1998 and several buildings have been completed or dedicated since January.
Most recently, Van Meter Hall, Snell Hall, College High Hall, Paul Orberson Baseball Clubhouse, the Chandler Memorial Chapel and an addition to the Preston Health and Activities Center were finished or dedicated.
Before Ransdell retires in 2022, he plans to have every academic building renovated or replaced as well as the residence halls and student life facilities.
It’s part of his plan to make Western “a leading university with international reach” and to create a pleasant environment for students to learn.
A nice atmosphere “creates inspiration,” which is fundamental to success, Ransdell said.
“I want people to come to campus like it’s a park and enjoy it. The students have the best classrooms and labs, but I also want them to be in a place that inspires them.”
The renovations are just one way Ransdell hopes to elevate the university to a new level. He also plans to raise admission standards, double international enrollment and get 20 percent of undergraduates studying abroad in the next five years.
“We’re different than other universities,” he said. “We are controlling our own destiny as a university and focusing on determining what we are capable of achieving and achieving it.”
Ransdell also wants to make Western a research powerhouse, so much of the campus that houses the Ogden College of Science and Engineering has been renovated. Snell Hall, which houses research labs and classrooms on that campus, was dedicated in February.
On the opposite end of campus, construction of a new College of Education building began in fall 2006. That structure will be completed this winter.
Western also hopes to construct an Honors College building within the next five to six years, Ransdell said.
John Osborne, vice president of campus services and facilities, said the renovation of the science campus, replacement of the Gordon Ford College of Business and the renovation of the Downing University Center are three high-priority future projects.
One of the detracting features of campus that Ransdell hopes to remedy with the construction is the lack of architectural cohesiveness.
“I don’t know what they were smoking in the ‘60s, but the architects ran amok,” Ransdell said.
To address this concern, Ransdell said that the new buildings are built to be aesthetically pleasing, with the classic Georgian brick-and-stone style, and to be consistent on the outside while having a state-of-the art interior.
“It’s beautiful and modern, especially the architecture,” said Joshua Nichol-Caddy, a 25-year-old graduate from the University of Missouri who was visiting WKU for the Dow Jones News Fund online workshop.
To improve the campus even more, several construction projects are taking place during the summer.
Bryan Russell, the director of the Planning, Design, & Construction Department, said the primary focus of construction over the summer is on smaller projects as opposed to the larger projects, which occur year-round as funding becomes available.
The replacement of the roof of the Downing University Center, more commonly known as DUC, is one such project that has cost $850,000.
And the rest of the changes haven’t been cheap either. To date, about $500 million has been spent in a dozen years on construction and tuition has tripled.
In such a challenging economic climate, Ransdell’s choices have been met with some criticism.
Dirichi Njoku, a 21-year-old junior, said most of the construction is good because it is necessary, but some of the construction that is solely geared toward making the campus look better should not be done.
Ransdell is not overly concerned with critics, though.
“I’m convinced that students are good consumers; they’ll recognize quality and buy it,” he said.
Nineteen-year-old sophomore Melissa Hurd agreed with him. She said that even though the renovation requires money, it makes the school more attractive, up-to-date and technologically advanced, so the benefits outweigh the costs.
Jacob Glover, a 22-year-old in a master’s program at WKU, also thinks that the construction is positive and has made Western the best campus in Kentucky.
“It gives students a sense of pride,” Glover said.
Ransdell noted that all of the monetary onus hasn’t been placed on the students. State allocations are used to construct many of the buildings, and many of the others are funded with auxiliary resources, such as private businesses or donors.
He views each construction project as an investment geared toward making the campus more unique and pleasant and strives to find “the right balance of price and quality.”
“We want to nurture what makes us distinct as we change for the better,” Ransdell said.
One of the unique features of the campus that is continuously evolving is the art on campus. Statues have been added around the campus to beautify it.
Also, Randsell has removed many thoroughfare streets and pushed parking lots to the periphery. As a result, the campus is more enclosed, which some students appreciate.
“You can walk anywhere, you meet people because everything is near, and it has a family atmosphere,” said Hurd, adding she loved the beauty and cleanliness of the campus.
Nichol-Caddy said he was quite impressed by the appearance of the campus.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations because it’s not the flagship campus (like the University of Kentucky),” he said. But the campus was actually “beautiful and modern.”
The graduate student said he especially liked the “beautiful views” from the top of the hill and the green space.
“I like how they maximize their geographical gifts,” Nichol-Caddy said.

By Adam Pennavaria

W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival

Glasgow High School

For a week in June, Audubon Mill Park in Henderson is filled with the smell of barbeque, the sound of blues, and the sight of countless beads of sweat glistening on the foreheads of attendees; the W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival has begun.
The concept of the festival originated in Memphis, based simply on the cooking of barbeque, festival promotions chairwoman Christi Dixon recalled. The meat was cooked and judged, but not sold to the public. This changed when the cooking contest migrated out of Memphis and into Henderson, blending perfectly with the local music scene, which was primarily blues.
“The music finds us,” music chairman Dorin Luck said.
Through the use of websites like Youtube and his connections to booking agents from around the country, Luck receives emails and phone calls from prospective festival participants. Once Luck has developed a sizeable list of musical act, the concert board meets to decide which bands will be invited to play. The decision is based on the quality of live material that the bands produce.
“There’s a lot of good stuff out there,” Luck explained.
Activities associated with the festival began on Thursday, June 10, with a children’s arts camp and umbrella workshop. Friday featured the W.C. Handy Open Tennis Tournament.
The celebration began officially on Saturday with four musical acts – Bob Minnette & the Dixieland Society, Blues 4 U, Velveeta Jones, and Albert Castiglia – performing on stage.
The first day is also known as the “Taste of Henderson Barbeque,” during which vendors sell a variety of food along the streets beside the park. The scent of grilled meat and refreshing beverages filled the air, married with the tunes of blues twisting through the trees. Another incentive for visitors is that the festival is free, with all funding coming from individuals in the community and family-owned businesses from in and around Henderson.
Board members of the Henderson Music Preservation Society Inc. manage the logistics of the festival. The members include Dixon, who has taken on a variety of positions and has taken part in the Blues Fest for 18 of its 20 years; Bruce Farmer, who has been chairman of the Taste of Henderson for 20 years; and Luck, who has been music chairman for 19 years. The majority of board members have been a part of the organization for the majority of the festival’s history.
The festival features an array of events each day. For instance, the first night is the official barbeque night; Thursday night is Zydeco night, which features such acts as Doug MacLeod, Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble and Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band.
Friday night features special “street food” from the Henderson area; and Saturday is the grand finale: the Java Blues Jam, featuring MacLeod, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Otis Taylor, Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Shemekia Copeland, and Joe Louis Walker.
Primarily a family-friendly event, the W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival is an ode to the blues legend who once called Henderson his home. It gives locals and visitors from all over a chance to sit back in lawn chairs and take in music from more than 20 bands.
After all, the blues can be happy, too.

W.C. Handy Sidebar

Born in 1873, in Florence, Ala., William Christopher Handy took coronet lessons in a local barber shop at a young age. When he was about 20, Handy began traveling the country, trying to make a living playing music. His jobs included everything from teaching music at A&M College in Huntsville, Ala., to playing onstage with Mahara’s Minstrels. During Handy’s time with the Minstrels, he acquired a plethora of musical knowledge and earned the nickname “Fess,” commonly short for “professor.”
In 1892, Handy and the quartet he formed for the Chicago World’s Fair got stranded in St. Louis, for lack of funds. When he couldn’t find a job, Handy left for Evansville, Ind. It was near Evansville, across the Ohio River in Henderson, that Handy met his wife, Elizabeth Price, at a barbeque cookout.
Before long, Handy and Price were married, and living happily in Henderson. Ten years passed before Handy decided that it was time to move on and continue his musical career. It was after his time in Henderson that Handy became known for composing blues and spiritual music. And although he did not write any songs while he lived in Henderson, Handy credited his time in the Kentucky town with providing plenty of inspiration for his music.
To this day, he is still celebrated and known as “Father of the Blues,” a title that has lasted through the ages, earning him a place in the South’s richly textured music history.
– Information from bluesnet.org and handyblues.org

Jobs for College Graduates Becoming Scarce

By Franey Miller

duPont Manual High School

Amber Peoples of Morganfield, Ky is “petrified” about graduating college and trying to find good work.
“One of my friends didn’t get a job after graduating for 2 years. I really don’t want that to happen to me. I have no plan for unemployment if I don’t get a job. If worse comes to worse I’ll try to get a job on campus. But I would really like to work in the PR field and maybe move to Chicago.
As the economy continues to crash, more jobs are being lost and people graduating from college are worrying that they too will be unemployed.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for the United States in 1999 was 4.2 percent. Just a decade later in 2009, the rate has raised to 9.3 percent.  These statistics show that the unemployment rate has risen drastically.
Peoples is a 23-year-old Western Kentucky student majoring in Public Relations. Her dream was to “get a degree and become successful”. She didn’t know what she really wanted to do with her life until last year, she “really put her foot in the door” with finding PR.
“When I found out what I really wanted to do with my life, I started putting my portfolio together and trying to find internships. I quit one internship because the people I interned for didn’t let me do anything.”
Four out of ten journalism and mass communications graduates have been unable to find full time jobs, according to a new survey from the University of Georgia, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. In 2008, based on responses from about 2,500 college graduates, only 60.4 percent of the bachelor degree recipients had found full-time employment in the journalism field about a half a year after graduation. In 2007, 70.2 percent had jobs.
“When I graduated in December I was a little nervous,” said Chris Garner, who works for WBKO news station in Bowling Green, Ky.
“But I had connections so luckily I got a journalism job very quickly. It helps to get your name out there and have internships too.”
David Hosey said getting a job in the journalism and broadcast field was definitely easier 10 years ago. As another employee of WBKO, Hosey remembers when he started that his station had three or four more employees working.
“People started moving out of our stations to get better-broadcast jobs. Our director moved away from WBKO to Atlanta,” he said.
Bob Adams, director of student publications at Western Kentucky University said another way to reassure yourself that you will get a job sooner is getting internships and prior work. Adams worked two internships in the summer at the newspaper in his hometown.
“It’s very important to have internships under your belt before you go applying for a job. If I had to pick between someone with zero and two internships I would pick the guy with two. More experience is better,” said Adams.
He also said that opposed to actual jobs an internship is not hard as to find.

Some working journalists say it was much easier to find jobs when they graduated.
“It was a different time back when I graduated college. I feel sorry for young people today coming out of school and trying to find a job because the economy is so bad,” said Toni Mitchell, who’s been working as a journalist for 14 years.
“Right after I got out of college I had a job- in fact I had two jobs. Now it is much harder to find work for everyone.”
If college students need help finding a job, they can just contact the Career Services Center at Western Kentucky University. One of the programs they have to help students find job is the FOCUS Career Program. FOCUS is a career guidance tool that is self-paced, and it can assist you in making important career-related decisions.
The Career Services Center also holds job fairs as an incentive for students to come out and find work.
If a student needs help with finding a job, or another employment related issue, then they can contact the Career Services Center at (270)745-3095.

Health

By: Erica Reeves

Eating right and exercising for some people can be a real battle.
Throw in the hectic pace of a college student and staying healthy becomes an even bigger challenge.
Many college students are finding living healthy through diet and exercise is difficult, especially with their on-the-go lifestyle. But experts say it’s not impossible.
In a recent USA Today article, researchers found 60 percent of college students eat too much artery-clogging saturated fat, a leading cause of health-related issues.
Todd Misener, assistant director of the health and fitness lab at Western Kentucky University, isn’t surprised.
“Healthy foods are always there, it’s just that students don’t want to look for them,” he said.
It’s not just what students are eating that is a major factor affecting their health, but the amount.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, college cafeterias, buffets, and easy access to food 24 hours a day, make it tempting to over eat and not make healthier food choices.
According to the CDC, 35 percent of students were overweight or obese. And nearly half of all students reported they were trying to lose weight.
“The fact that our campus has an all you- can- eat cafeteria, many students tend to do just that.” Misener said of eating too much.
Jennifer Hohn, a 24- year- old math professor, at WKU, knows how hard it can be to eat healthy while in college.
“It’s tempting, but I usually think of how I’ll feel afterwards.” Hohn said, gliding along on a treadmill at the Preston Center, a fitness facility at WKU.
Students find that when they do take the time to work out, it makes a difference in their mental health.
“When I exercise, I have more energy and I feel better,” said Brittany Rexing, a 20-year-old junior.
Among students trying to lose weight, the report shows 54% of females and 41 percent of males used both exercise and diet for weight control.
“It’s not just girls, but guys too want to get in shape,” said Heather Nett, a 22-year-old senior. “But it’s never easy.”
The CDC advises students to be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Include activities that raise their breathing and heart rates and that strengthen muscles. Some activities promoting better health for students include biking, walking to class and avoiding elevators.
“Some students aren’t taking advantage of their campus,” said Misener. “They should choose active routes. Bike the campus, avoid the shuttle, walk to class, and take the stairs,” said Misener
Nett said it’s not always that simple.
“I definitely think that when it comes to making it around campus, students may try to find the quickest way there, especially when it’s really hot outside,” she said.
Misener said a combination of lack of sleep and stress can also lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.
According to the CDC, insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and depression.
“Sleep definitely plays a major part, because if I’m sleepy, I really don’t think that I’ll want to exercise,” said Rexing.
Friends can also have a major influence on health, said health officials.
“Having a circle of friends who have healthy habits, influences you to have healthy habits,” said Misener.
Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School and James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego found social networks were linked to health.
Using data from the Framingham Heart Study, a large prospective study that follows most of the residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, they were able to look at obesity trends in a network of 12,067 people over the course of thirty years.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found that “obesity appears to spread through social ties,” suggesting that the condition, which afflicts over 30 percent of the U.S. population, moves “in a manner not unlike an infectious disease.”
Rexing agrees the right social networks can be beneficial to staying healthy.
“Having friends does help because it lets you know that you’re not alone and you have someone to talk to,” she said.

Check out our social media sites

We have several social media sites that we use to provide a home for our videos, pictures and daily updates.

Facebook

On Facebook, we have photos, videos status updates and more.

Twitter

On twitter we have status updates

Youtube

On YouTube, we have videos posted from our current and previous years.

Qik

Qik is home to cellphone video recorded during the workshop of the students and by the students.

Tumblr

Tumblr is another site to monitor. You will mainly see behind the scenes photos, videos, quotes and blog postings.

Follow the workshop on Twitter

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Now that it is over, won’t be a whole lot of activity until we get closer to the time next Summer.

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Gary

“THIS IS LUNCH RIGHT???..RIGHT???”

UHHHH this camp….i mean WORKSHOP (cause we did work not camping right?) was so hillarious. Like that’s the best way to describe it. If you look at the group at the beginning, compared to how it was towards the end, the change is so monolithic. Everyone kept laughing at my slow moments!!!! lol it made me laugh though. and ill never forget the meals at the DUC (Disgusting and Unbelievably Crappy). I was forced to eat so much pizza….lol. 

Elexis Fletcher – lol i somehow became this girls little brother. shes sounds like napolean dynamite.

Michael Danahy –  my roommate. lol it seems just like yesterday him and byron came in and started talking. I’ll also never forget his phone going off at like 3 a.m. every morning so he could go running.

Byron Turner – BYRON! hahah I always cracked jokes on him, and then he would come back twice as hard sometime later when I didn’t expect it. Byron was also a good help to me. 

Kalie Gipson- Shes a laker fan (#$%* KOBE), but i still think shes cool. I always discussed NBA and music with her. Good times lol.

Ashanti’ Banks- Ashanti was crazy. LOL She always made me laugh.

Chante’ Bean- LOUD!!! oh my goodness, where does all the noise come out from her??? lol she was hillarious.

Mattie Russell – OMG MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE. MATTIE RUSSEL??? SHE IS BEAUTIFUL! AND SHE CAN TAKE SOME MEAN PICTURES. LIKE AWESOME PICTURES. HOWEVER, I THINK THE LENS SHOULD BE IN >FRONT< OF HER NOT >BEHIND< HER. CUS SHE’S SERIOUSLY A MODEL! OH YEAH AND SHES REALLY NICE. LOL OK ENOUGH….

Chelsea Stevens- Chelsie was a really nice girl, it was funny when she would make start arguing with Alexis sometimes.

Sarah Mustian- She chokes and trips on air…………….no joke.