Advice for Seniors by Krishna Hunt

The Herm News Feed

A SENIOR RUNS THIS

FEED AND SHE GOT

SENIORITIS….

The Panthianette

Inside this issue

May 2013 Volume 3, Issue 5

As the school year winds down, students are eagerly awaiting

the moment when they can throw their cares to the wind and

soak up some summer sun. And that’s cool, I feel you. While it’s

fine and dandy to take that one good exhale at the end of two

long semesters, we should be mindful not to forsake the good

habits that we’ve fostered since September. Even if we do away

with them, it’s crucial that all students, and especially our sen-

iors, not yield to a wave of mindlessness for the coming months.

This is the Panthianette’s list of important things not to forget

over the summer (or in life).

1. School’s not over quite yet. Or rather, learning’s not over yet,

and I don’t say that just because you’re likely to be reading this

in May. Most of us will be continuing our education come next

fall, be it in the next grade level or in some form of higher edu-

cation. Many have summer assignments to complete as well. En-

joy the break from the classroom environment, but don’t forget

to reel yourself in around August and mentally situate yourself

for more schooldays; you’ll be thankful later on.

2. Stay active in mind, body…. That includes mentally and phys-

ically. Keep your brain exercised with daily practice problems

and even brain-game apps as to avoid the infamous mind lag in

the beginning of next school year, especially if you’re planning

to take course continuations (i.e., language courses, tech classes,

arts, etc.). Of course, mental fitness is dependent on physical fit-

ness. If you’re one of those people whose school-year exercise

schedule is whenever you have gym class, then you need to get

on the (Swiss) ball. There are myriad of fun, summer-friendly

activities to indulge in, including swimming, hiking with friends,

and biking. And since you won’t be able to indulge in the top-

notch school-provided cuisine, healthy eating habits can’t hurt

either. The veggies are your friends, even if they’re not deep

fried.

The Panthianette

Avoiding Freshman 15,

pg. 3

Memories of the Class of

2013 pg. 3

Senior Quotes pg. 5

Am I Right? pg. 8

Senior Spotlight, page 6!

The Electronic Newspaper of HERMITAGE HIGH SCHOOL in Henrico, Virginia

Continued on pg. 2

Page 2

The Panthianette Vol.3 Issue 5 May 2013

3. …and community. This one goes out to you, various community service

group members and those wanting to earn the service diploma seal. Just because

your sponsors are no longer hounding you in the halls for points doesn’t mean

you have to give up on the cause. Even though you’re on break, the organiza-

tions you contribute to need the help all year long. Community service is a re-

warding endeavor not only for those you’re helping, but for yourself as well.

The skills you gain from your services are lifelong, and the friendships you gain

may be, too. Plus, you can still log those summer hours! Don’t forget to do your

part in your community.

4. Improvement is a never-ending process. That means that you aren’t perfect.

That’s okay. None of us are. But don’t give up on making yourself better. Too

often we mistake the beginning of the (school) year as the time to make major

life/habit changes, usually falling short on those aspirations after a few weeks or

months. Don’t wait; the change starts now. Whether it be studying habits, eating

habits, or an attitude issue, take the time to work on it for yourself, little by lit-

tle. Small but steady steps are better than rocky leaps, and summertime can be

the best time to set the pace.

5. Take it day by day. When the summer begins, don’t start counting down until

the end. Make the most of your time in whichever ways you see fit. Go to inter-

esting places (and sometimes the most fascinating sights are right around the

corner). Eat good food. Chat with a friend. Go outside and breathe deeply. Play

a game. Help someone. Be thankful. Enjoy even the little things, and take noth-

ing for granted. Every day has something new to offer, every experience is a

precious one.

Much love and congratulations to the seniors! Have an awesome rest of the

year, everybody.

Advice for Seniors Continued

Seniors volunteering at Kim Villamera’s special educa-

tion carnival day

Page 3

The Panthianette Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2013

1. Drink more water; 8 glasses recommended a day.

2. Don’t eat late at night: avoid eating after 9 pm.

3. Stock your dorm room with healthy snacks.

4. Avoid vending machines—most are filled with junk. By stashing

healthy snacks in your backpack, you can resist the urge to buy un-

healthy ones.

5. Drink in moderation: One beer has 150 empty calories (meaning

calories with no nutritional value).

6. Eat smaller meals more frequently rather than infrequent large

meals.

7. Exercise! Walk or ride your bike to class, go to the gym, or join

an athletics team or exercise club.

8. Try to get enough sleep; lack of sleep boosts hunger and slows

metabolism.

9. Reduce stress or at least stress-eating.

10. Don’t eat out of the bag—serve yourself a measurable portion.

11. Don’t skip meals.

12. Give yourself time to eat—it takes food a while to settle. Eat slow-

ly so you don’t overeat.

13. Avoid second and third servings.

14. Look at all meal options—vegetarian meals are often healthier.

15. Don’t reward yourself with junk food.

By Camille Karabaich

“Life Expec-tancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegeta-bles smelled as good as bacon” -Doug Larson

Tips To Avoid Gaining the “Freshman 15”

Page 4

The Panthianette Vol.3 Issue 5 May 2013

Memories of The Class of 2013 By Carly Shaia

Senior Quotes By Carly Shaia

Page 5

The Panthianette Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2013

Amber Layne: I cannot wait for more freedom and VCU will give me as much as I need. Ryan Thompson: I’m going to VCU for an undergraduate degree in biology. Kristina Lynch: My favorite memory of senior year has been Flapjack Friday; it was so much fun and wearing flannel too. Niko Johnson: The best part of this year was football season and playing on ESPN. Jontae Noel: My favorite memory would be the talent show. Also I plan on going to GMU to study psychology. Alexis Stevens: My favorite memory from senior year was probably the pep rally when the teachers did their flash mob dance. Sarah Patterson: I’m so excited to get outta here! Eric Robertson: I am excited to never have summer work again. Renee Ritchie: I want to save the world. Sam Schultz: Can you get back to me on that? Courtney Burrows: I am going to University of Mary Washington. Kim Villamera: I’m going to JMU and I’m majoring in international business. Colleen Howarth: I’m going to VCU and I just want to help people in some way. I can’t wait to be an “adult”…whatever that means. Danielle Haden: I’m going to GMU and I plan on double-majoring in business and marketing. Mariah Campbell: I’m going to Howard University (THE REAL HU), and I’m majoring in political science with a pre-law concentration. Sandy Van Ma: I may be going to Virginia Tech and becoming a Hokie, but I’ll always be a Hermitage Panther at heart. Courtney Holmes: I don’t know what I’m doing yet and I have no clue what I want to major in and that’s fine with me right now. Annie Bradford: I’m going to JMU and I’ll double major in Spanish and environmental science. Carly Shaia: I’m heading off to become a Lancer at Longwood and I’ll be majoring in communications.

Every year, new waves of seniors go off to college, leaving countless club posi-

tions open to the eager juniors. As the graduates of 2013 depart, they will have left

behind their mark on the clubs they ran and the following are interviews with two

such seniors who had an impressive role in Hermitage activities.

Club Name:

Triangle II: Zoe Siepert

National Honors Society: Renee Ritchie

As a freshman, what was your first impression of the club you now lead?

Triangle II: I applied and was accepted at the beginning of the second semester of

my freshman year. I thought the club was a group of friendly girls who love to

help people!

National Honors Society: I thought that it was the most important club at Her-

mitage – I knew I wanted to be in it! Since it’s only for juniors and seniors, I

thought it was far away, but it really wasn’t.

Did you hold another position before President? If so, what was it…

Triangle II: I was secretary before I became president!

National Honors Society: I was previously Historian of Triangle II.

What about your experience as an ordinary member made you want to run

for an officer position?

Triangle II: I ran for president of this club right after being accepted, so it came up

quickly! I felt compelled to run because I really like and care about everyone in

the club.

National Honors Society: I knew freshman year I wanted to run the club! And

watching one of my best friends, Mindy Bertram, run the club furthered my

wanting to be president!

Senior Spotlights By Meaghan Green

Page 6

The Panthianette Vol.3 Issue 5 May 2013

“The reward

is helping

my commu-

nity with my

favorite

people.”

-Zoe Siepert

“It’s nation-

ally recog-

nized and

respectable.

The mem-

bers really

care.”

-Renee

Ritchie

Zoe Siepert

What about the club do you think differentiates it from others at

Hermitage?

Triangle II: I think Triangle II is such a unique club because we are

all best friends. We are all very close and we truly share a common

bond of wanting to help our community!

National Honors Society: One aspect of NHS that differentiates it

from the other clubs at Hermitage is that it’s nationally recognized

and respected. The members really care.

What is one challenge and one reward to being the President?

Triangle II: One challenge is running and organizing everything. It is very hard to make sure everything goes

smoothly and sometimes I mess up! But the reward is the feeling I get helping my community with my favor-

ite people.

National Honors Society: One challenge is having to plan the events and meetings (which is just time consum-

ing.) One reward is knowing that I’m doing my best to contribute to the school.

What is one thing you have contributed to the club that was not necessarily there before you came?

Triangle II: We helped at St. Baldrick’s and walked at the Light Night Walk and we had never done that be-

fore.

National Honors Society: Along with help from Mrs. Chewning, we got bulletin boards and changed the entire

point card system.

If you could go back, would you run for President again?

Triangle II: Yes, I would not change a thing about my Triangle II experience. They were the best years of my

life! Peace, love, Triangle II!

National Honors Society: 100% yes! I love NHS!

Senior Spotlights Continued

Page 7

The Panthianette Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2013

Renee Ritchie, Self-Portrait

Hermitage High School

8301 Hungary Spring Rd.

Henrico, VA 23228

Phone: (804) 756-3000

Fax: (804) 672-1501

Upcoming Events and Reminders

May 11– Prom May 16—Humanities Senior Art Show

May 29– Senior Picnic June 9— Baccalaureate June 12—Graduation

Vol. 3 Issue 5 May 2013 Organization

The Panthianette A Panther Prowler Publication...

Don’t see anything that interests you? Want your story to get covered? Have pictures you want to share? You can email us at ThePanthianette@gmail.com or like us on Facebook! Newspaper meetings are held most Fridays in room 139 during PT. New members are always welcome. Panthianette Staff: Kayla Buckner, Krishna Hunt, Daesha Jackson, Taylor Jenkins, Faith Kunkel, Sara Schmieder, Meaghan Thompson, Bethany Waslik, Sara Worthy. Editor in Chief: Carly Shaia. Faculty Sponsor: Valerie Miller.

Am I Right? By Sarah Worthy

What is happening with fashion these days? First

off there’s the fedora epidemic. Fedoras are

awful and all should be burned. The only person

who can pull off a fedora is Justin Timberlake,

but he can pull off anything. So if you’re not Justin

Timberlake and you wear a fedora every day,

you need to calm down. Maybe try wearing a base-

ball cap or something. Another questionable

fad is when girls wear shorts with Ugg boots. Are

you warm or are you cold? Either way you

need to choose one. Even stores seem to be going

through some rough times. Practically all prom

dresses these days are terrible and look like a kin-

dergartener decided to glue on random chunks

of fabric and glitter. I refuse to look like a craft pro-

ject. Am I Right?

Ode To The Class of 2013 By Faith Kunkel

Sooo ready to be out

Eager to move on to new, exciting things

Not able to focus

Is getting bored of this assignment

Oh no I have to write more?

R…