Homemade

There's something about homemade Chex-Mix that easily surpasses the store bought brand. The sweet and salty mix of the brown sugar and Rice Chex cereal explodes in your mouth and the occasional peanut keeps it interesting. It seems that every bite is different and the natural freshness makes it have a satisfying crunch. It is so easily made, only taking about 15 minutes, and it can act as a snack for the entire week. This store bought Chex-Mix is just way to salty and quickly becomes overbearing in its flavors. After a few bites you need a big glass of water because you feel your lips starting to crack. At the end of the day it is not worth the convenience to buy it from the store, it's better to just make at home.

The Starosta Bowl

Each year for Thanksgiving, we have traveled to Falmouth, Massachusetts to be with my grandparents and cousins. Usually almost everyone (with one or two exceptions) is able to make it annually for the dinner and football game. Most families that do Thanksgiving football play by two-hand touch rules  naturally, but when the Starosta family started playing in 1993 (this year being the 25th anniversary), we decided to be a little extra. Shirts developed into full on jerseys, and there became a silver bowl with engraved names and dates in order to remember the "MVP" of the game each time. Although some years have been more popular in terms of attendance, there has always been enough for two teams to enjoy some friendly competition. The morning after Thanksgiving we always gather at my grandparents, and then walk down the road together to a field to play, and then come back and eat sandwiches from the same shop every year. It's a very basic tradition, but it brings the family together in the last couple hours that we're with each other, and has been one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving break for a long time.

School Spirit

When things such as Halloween or Quidditch happen I am reminded of a constant hypocrisy that exists within the Hanover High School staff. So often I hear complaints from staff about the lack of school spirit from the students, yet I see many staff members completely ignoring their own complaints. During Quidditch, only one staff member who was not required to be there showed up just to watch simply because he had never seen it before. He had a blast and even volunteered to be a snitch. During Halloween, a time which is often seen as an opportunity to show school spirit, yet about one out of every ten staff members have maybe attempted to dress up. Some departments go hard and have a theme which is fantastic, but even within that, there are teachers who ignore that and wear normal clothes. I love going hard for spirit days, but often feel that it’s not taken seriously when staff members completely ignore the event. I think in order to make the school more unified there should be more commitment from those who want it.

November 1st

It's finally November 1st of my senior year. It's a date that holds a lot of power in many high school kid's lives. For those that are only applying to schools by November 1st, this date provides both a deadline and a cutoff. Once you submit your college applications there is nothing more you can do for the college process. Sure, you have to keep your grades up until the end of the semester, but for the most part, your stresses are lifted. You feel as if this 100-pound weight has been lifted off your chest. For some, this is only the beginning with more application being due November 10 or 15, or some not even due until January 1st. This date is the beginning of the end for college applications. It is a date that causes some of the biggest stresses, but tomorrow is still November 2nd.