As the second block dismissal bell rings, students run to be first in line for lunch, avoiding being the laggards who are stuck with minimal food choices. Routinely, they grab a milk carton, a tray and have a variety of food choices ranging from pizza to fries to choose from. Salad is barely considered an option.

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A documentary called The Race to Nowhere has been on a tour around the country, using schools as theaters to audiences of mostly parents. It captures the stress of the most students through interviews and footage of students from third grade to a college level, with the primary focus onContinue Reading

Spray tans and four year-olds do not usually go together. However, in the world of toddler pageants, they are nearly inseparable.

Toddlers and Tiaras, TLC’s show about the competitive toddler pageants, highlights the risky side of these baby beauty contests. By exposing young girls to judges of their perceived beauty, toddler pageants inspire a dangerous psychology in the mini-queens: a need to be perfect.

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Marijuana: The word and plant have been used amongst high schoolers for decades and are, in some cases, some of the hotter points of conversation.

Synthetic marijuana: This man-made drug is new to our generation. We know little about it, and it remains a mystery even amongst its users.

Use of synthetic marijuana, frequently known as K2, is on the rise. It has been used as a back-up for the real thing or sometimes when a user has been on probation or in drug rehabilitation. In some cases the user is just looking for a change of pace in their high.

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The following is an edited transcript of an interview between Rank & File and substance abuse counselor Patrick Lawton.

Rank & File: There’s been a recent spike in the trend of teenagers and young adults smoking synthetic marijuanas, including the substance known as K2. Are you aware of this at Marshall or around the county?

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By the end of March, the majority of freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have solidified their schedules for the 2011-2012 school year.And, as they meet with their guidance counselors to finalize their schedules, they have the opportunity to consider several new classes that will be offered in the upcoming school year: Sports Medicine, Creative Writing, Leadership Training and Avid.

Sports Medicine, which will be taught by athletic trainer Esther Horner, will focus on medical professions, anatomy and physiology of skeletal and muscular systems, types of injuries and injury prevention.

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DECA was named a preferred chapter at DECA States, held March 4 through the March 6 in Norfolk. Twenty-eight students qualified to go to nationals, which will be held in Orlando, Fla. April 30 through May 4.

Additionally, Marshall is currently tied with Chantilly in the most first place DECA wins.

One of the DECA advisors, Jennifer Hendrickson, was recognized as one of several Outstanding DECA advisors, she said.

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Auditions for Amnesty International’s second annual Jamnesty event took place last Wednesday. Jamnesty will be held in May, but no date has been publicized yet.

The event is the club’s main fundraiser of the year and the money raised will be used to pay for postage for the club’s letter writing campaigns.

“It [will be] a night of music and human rights awareness,” club sponsor and social studies teacher Andrew Freeman said.

Jamnesty will feature a concert with student and teacher acts.

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