The Nifty Fifties: Thirty years after the original prom in the United States, the 1950s were a time of Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly, poodle skirts, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, when they slow danced under the disco ball to Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” and went home with their virginity intact. (So they say …)

John Schuster, the security guard, was one of those prom goers during the age of conservatism and conformity. “We had a lot of fun and took the day after off and went up north,” he said. “I would keep my prom exactly the same because we had a live band, Woody Herman, instead of that stuff like today.”

Harding’s 1958 junior and senior prom was held at the Saint Paul hotel. Music that night was provided live, by Dick Kast and his orchestra. The theme of the night was ‘Twilight Time’ as students partied from nighttime to daylight. The number of students attending that night was more than usual, approximately one-hundred and seventy seven.

The Swingin’ Sixties, also known as the Flower Generation, was when One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was actually popular, British Invasion meant The Beatles and not One Direction,  a gallon of gas was thirty-one cents, and when flower children ruled.

The Flower children of Harding are Mr. Hennessy and Ms. Rueber, who danced the night away at each of their proms, to the hot song choices of the sixties: the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry, Baby” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles.

The attire for the decade was conservative, just like the fifties. “I had to make my own dress, which wasn’t strapless because no strapless dresses were allowed, but we had elbow high white gloves,” said Ms. Rueber.  Even though Ms. Rueber made her dress, women’s dresses were often bought at Sears and Montgomery Wards.

Mr. Hennessey would keep his prom in his decade, but he would change his date. “If I could do it over again, I would choose Angelina Jolie… well, my wife first, just to play it safe.”

Despite the tradition now, there wasn’t a grand march in the sixties and no after parties either.

The Sexy Seventies: The seventies was a time of disco, lava lamps, bell bottoms, and Led Zeppelin. The buzzy and free-flowing teeny-boppers slow danced to Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now.” This decade was more rebellious than the conservative decades before them, so it isn’t a surprise that Ms. Preller, the librarian, had her prom in this era.

This decade brought out traditions that weren’t present in the past, even though the transportation was pretty similar. “My high school boyfriend took me to the prom in his father’s car. The thing that made it memorable though was going to a bonfire afterwards and not just going home,” Ms. Preller said.

The R ad Eighties: When E.T. phoned home, MTV killed the radio star, and Michael Jackson moonwalked himself a Grammy, Ms. Belina went to her senior prom.

Prom was a time of huge bangs, coke-bottle curls, and poofy fluorescent dresses.  Ms. Belina, Harding’s Art teacher, explained in an email her Eighties prom experience. “It was at the Plaza in St.Paul, cool venue,” Ms. Belina said. “The music was classic 1980s hits: Madonna, David Bowie, Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, Phil Collins, Beastie Boys, etc.”

The Naughty Nineties:  Featured the release of the world wide web, Nintendo, and Bill Clinton. It was a time of neon colors and Boyz II Men—they danced until “The End of the Road.” The dresses got shorter, the cummerbunds got flashier, and the teenagers got wilder.

Ms. Monroe, reading teacher at Harding, wore a mermaid-style dress along with black sequins and a taffeta purple bottom. Prom was a big deal for her because “there was nothing else to do at this time, but plan for prom.”

Mr. Bures, another reading teacher, went a more traditional route with his outfit wearing a black tux and white vest underneath. If Mr. Bures could do it all over again, he would go with his wife… “Well, actually Beyonce or Mila Kunis,” he said.

“We know how to rock the house since we did it all with big hair and big bangs. We were too legit to quit,” Ms. Monroe said.

Mr. Bures and Ms. Monroe agreed that a nineties prom is the best one to attend.

Generation X: The 2000s were the years when people could get away with listening to The Backstreet Boys and Jay-Z. Girls wore shorter, less conservative dresses compared to the generations before, and everyone had more fun.

Mr. Grill, former Harding student turned science teacher, attended Harding’s prom in 2001 through 2003. He wore a less conservative black tux with pink and aqua vest. He says that prom was one of the best memories to stick with him even though he would change one thing: his date. “Eighteen-year-old me would go with my high school girlfriend, Ramona Flores,” he said. “But now I would go with Keira Knightley; just don’t tell my girlfriend.”

Ms. Maldonado went to prom at the turn of the century when boy-bands reached their peak. She wore a blue dress during her senior year while arriving in a car.

Mr. Grill and Ms. Maldonado thought their prom didn’t compare to past proms. Mr. Grill preferred to attend prom in the 90s for the music and clothing style while Ms. Maldonado added, “I thought ours was kind of lame both years.”

Generation of Twerk Teams: where proper grammar is no longer a concern, when showing up to school with a hickey isn’t a shame, but dropping your iPhone is the end of the world– this is generation now!

You can expect to hear Katy Perry, Rihanna, Drake, Chris Brown, and Bruno Mars at this year’s prom. You’ll see girls wearing strapless dresses that will probably fall off a dozen of times by the end of the night, and guys with scuffed up nikes instead of your dad’s church shoes. “I’ll be wearing a purple gown that is tight at the top with diamond rhinestones and a loose bottom,” said Crystal Hang for Harding’s 2013 A Knight in Paris themed dance.

Even though we live in this generation, some of us don’t want to go to prom in this decade. “ I want to go to prom in the nineties because they just do it better,” Steven Lee said.

As decades pass, fashion and music may change, but the meaning of prom still stays the same. Prom is a social event where you and your friends can celebrate together as the last hoorah before high school is long behind you. “ Prom is a fabulous fun event. It doesn’t matter what decade you go in, just as long as you go with the attitude that you are going to have fun,” Ms. Rueber wisely added.

There’s different trends all around the world; people have different tastes on what they like to wear, but this one is ridiculous. There’s nothing cool or attractive with a guy who wears his pants all the way down to his knees, be a man and wear your pants right.

The Harding administrators should give tickets for sagging; it might take a lot of paper due to all the students that do this, but there should be a punishment for not having respect for others. “We do give tickets for sagging if it’s really showing, I don’t like to see anyone’s dirty undies, honestly,” said Dean Keenan, an assistant principal at Harding.

Just like girls shouldn’t be showing too much, guys shouldn’t either. It’s different if you’re outside of school, that’s your decision, but while you are in a learning environment receiving your education that you do not pay for,  the least you can do is look decent. Anne Mills, a Junior at Harding said “I make sure I’m not showing anything inappropriate because I’m going to school property, and I think guys should do the same, and it will also help them to walk faster in the hallways!”

Students complain about teachers judging them for their looks. Maybe if you put your pants where they should be you will gain more respect. Try it. It will also help you to walk better and faster, and you will probably get to class on time, that way you will avoid two tickets, one for sagging and another one for being tardy.

Following these easy tasks will help you on your path to becoming a more respectable student and making Harding a better place to be, since most of the students complain about Harding being a ghetto school. So if you don’t want to be part of a “ghetto” school, you should start by wearing your pants right instead of walking like an idiot.

    An addiction to video games is, in my opinion, very risky. It is mentally and physically risky. When one becomes addicted, their mind goes on a vacation; they no longer concentrate on anything except getting to the next level. The addiction may also lead to a significant weight gain (depending on the game). If the game doesn’t require much movement, I can assure you, you will become physically unfit.

    Sophomore Mai Wang Lee plays around 30 minutes of video games per day, but she said that she has “brothers who play for a real long time.”

    Mai Wang said that people who are addicted to video games should lay off the games. “People don’t do their homework [because of video game addiction], and they fail their classes,” she said. “Since games came along, people stay inside and don’t go outside.”

    In other words, Mai Wang believes that people should start getting more active; people should go outside and have some fun-in-the-sun.

    Although video games may at some times seem like a waste of time, playing video games is necessary for some people to relax. Harding Junior Hannah Potts agrees. “[It’s] a way to escape reality if [and when] it sucks at times,” she said.

    Hannah doesn’t usually play video games on school nights, but she does let loose on weekends by playing “maybe four hours.”

    Hannah thinks that it’s fine to play video games, “as long as it doesn’t interfere with your academic studies, grades, and family life,” she said.

    I agree with both Mai Wang and Hannah. Video gaming is an activity that does relax someone after a stressful day, but people really shouldn’t center their whole lives around a television and a controller.

    There is a fine line between video gaming for relaxation, and being addicted to video games. Playing video games for relaxation is a harmless activity, but being addicted to video games is not something one should be proud of, especially when the video game is gory with shooting for enjoyment.

    Contrary to popular belief, I think some video games are desensitizing. Games like Call of Duty and Black Ops send the wrong ideas to students. They make the human mind immune to feeling remorse when it comes to shooting. Even though this may be a controversial issue, I think there needs to be strict restrictions regarding these shooting games.

    Instead of spending all day in front of the television, video gamers should expand their interests; they should go outside and play a sport, or read a book, or go for a walk. There are numerous things people could spend their day doing, so video gamers should get up and do something once in awhile.

   “The crowds give me confidence that I thought I didn’t have and makes me feel more motivated to win for my school and give them a good rep,” said Marcus Evans, a junior at Harding.

    “Having people cheer for me would help me succeed more because I would know that at least someone has faith in my skills as an athlete and show me that I have to try harder to win,” he said.

   Showing up to your school sport games is to show support, but there are more ways than one to do so.

    “A way to help out your school sport teams is acknowledging their achievements rather than ignoring their achievements,” said Kevin Hang, captain of the Harding tennis team. “It makes the players feel good about themselves.”

    Kaylie Steele, a softball player at Harding, believes it’s helpful to give feedback to players so that they can see their progress. According to Kaylie, players themselves could help eachother out by “holding each other accountable for mistakes and absences at practice.”

    Hang encouraged students to show support to their school sport teams, “It shows that you care about your school and the sports they’re playing,” he said.

My best friend and I are going to prom, we went prom shopping together and I bought a really cute dress. She didn’t buy a dress that day but a week later she bought the SAME EXACT dress as me. I don’t want us to go wearing the same dress, what should I do?

Sincerely,

Copy Cat’s Best Friend

Dear Copy Cat’s Best Friend,

Seriously, you still consider that person a BEST friend? That’s more of a two-faced “friend”  than anything. I’ll tell you what you shouldn’t do: you shouldn’t let her wear that dress if you have your heart set on it. Confront her about it, and see what lame excuse she comes up with. Well, if that doesn’t work out, go buy a new dress that knocks the old one out of the park, simply out do her. Another solution is wearing the dress, but altering it to you, so everyone can think you’re the queen of the ball… and your friend is just the peasant that she is.

You may be often imitated, but you’ll never be duplicated, so work what your momma gave ya (in that dress),

Spice <3

Dear Copy Cat’s Best Friend,

I agree mostly with Spice on this one. A good friend would never do that to you. Be open and honest with her. Tell her how it bothers you that you guys are going in the same dress, and maybe she’ll return it. You never know unless you talk to her about it. If that doesn’t work, go buy a cuter dress and just return the other one. You should only do that if you absolutely have no other choice. You bought the dress first, why should you have to return it?

Good luck on everything! Remember, be open and honest with her.

Sugar (:

    Who would ever think you might find love at Harding High School? School is where you become educated, not search for love, but in some cases love has no location or boundary.

    If it weren’t for the hallways at Harding High School, Anthony Williams and Gabrielle Brown-Torres (Gabby) wouldn’t have met.

    Just after 1st hour on Sept. 7, Anthony spotted Gabby. “I was walking with my friend when I noticed her talking about bubbles,” he said.

    Anthony was a proper guy and was very polite when he introduced himself to Gabby. She didn’t expect him to have the courage to speak to her.

    Gabby’s reaction when she first met Anthony was amusing. “I thought he was lame, a nerd type of guy, but he was cute though,” she said “He’s not like other people, he doesn’t expect things, if you know what I mean.”

    “She’s funny and weird like me,” Anthony said. “We don’t care who’s around, we always act the same.”

    After making him wait for six months, Gabby finally made it official, and they have been dating for two months and still counting.

    Harding brought together not only Anthony and Gabby but also many other couples. Bruce Thao and Pangying Lee are another couple who met at Harding.“You know where all the Asians play football in the ditch, that’s where I first saw her,” said Bruce.

     They knew each other through friends but didn’t really talk to each other until Facebook brought them closer. They began talking on Oct. 31 and their relationship progressed from there.

     Pangying liked the fact that Bruce was easy to talk to and had a nice personality. His looks were just a bonus. “He is a funny guy with a nice personality and he is really easy to talk to,” said Pangying.

    “I like everything about her, her smile, her eyes, her hugs and her kisses,” said Bruce.

    Bruce and Pangying have now been dating for four months and they seem very much in love.

    Many other couples have met at Harding high school whose relationships are still powerful, but not all of them were successful. But as for these couples, their relationships are still going on very strong.

   Azalea’s latest single, “Work,” is the story of her struggle at the age of sixteen to make it in America as an illegal immigrant. She raps in the bridge, “No money, no family, Sixteen in the middle of Miami.” She tells listeners she succeeded all due to her hard work as she chants, “work, work, work” repeatedly throughout the song.

  Azalea also references Louboutins multiple times throughout the song because of the significant meaning it has to her. When Azalea received her first pair of Louboutins from the man himself, she felt like she really made it in America on her own, as a model and as an artist.

  “Work” starts off with a sweet piano intro, then picks up with synth-driven beats that you can’t help but move to. The song is an anthem with its highly addictive melody that listeners won’t be able to get out of their heads for days. Although the song is great, Azalea’s strongest moments come through when she raps over the piano. Azalea’s vocals really sell the song.

  “Work” is a real hit that is already on track to becoming a global phenomenon as it has already charted on multiple music charts worldwid,e and the music video has had 5 million and counting views on VEVO. “Work” is off her debut album titled “The New Classic,” which is out later this year.

    Claws are sharpened, running shoes are on; the continue of long nights searching with friends, boyfriend, and mothers for the perfect dress. But what is the perfect dress? Who’s buying what kind? What matches you? What doesn’t?

    Society portrays prom to be a girl’s dream, a night to be a princess, and princesses wear the prettiest of dresses. High-low dresses, heart shaped, strapless, and princess ball gowns are the new trends this prom season.

    These dresses have been sought out with a variety of colors and dress lengths, but the worst possible scenario is for another girl to wear the same dress. “I would try to avoid that girl as much as possible,” said Julia Lee, a junior.

    On YouTube, a video portrayed a similar scenario, showing the Do’s and Don’ts of the same dress showing up at a party. The girls, not knowing each other, came to the party with the same black mini dress but each person was wearing the dress differently. So, who cares right?

    “What if she’s wearing it better than me? It’s embarrassing,” said Cathy, from the video. She tried to hide and avoid the girl as much as possible just like Lee, but Wong Fu Production also portrayed a different side to the story.

    “I can just act as if we were friends and play it cool,” said Cathy, and she tried to take the situation in a positive way.

    This situation could go both ways; you could hide for the rest of the night and keep an eye on her, or act friendly and make a joke out of it. Either way the night is supposed to be magical, a special night with your friends.

Prom can be a very stressful time for your average senior. Many people say senior prom is the highlight of high school. That being said, you wouldn’t want to mess up, right? There are two things you should do and two things you shouldn’t do for prom, and they’re right here.

Dos

    Though you don’t want to cake on your makeup, it’s important that you bring some extra, because it will not last the night. While everyone’s on the dance floor, sneak away and reapply it in the bathroom; it’ll save you from the embarrassment of makeup on your teeth.

    The best way to keep your prom date happy is to dance with them at least once during the night. There’s nothing more awkward than two dunderheads standing around. “If my prom date didn’t dance with me, I’d be pretty upset,” said Helena Abdi, a senior.

Don’ts

        Many people think that prom has to be super extravagant and over-the-top, but sometimes, less is more. Ladies: Do not go overboard with your prom makeup. It’s really unnecessary and you just might end up looking like Krusty the Clown. “I laugh at her and then I feel a little bad because she probably thinks its cute, but it’s not. Then I laugh more, ” said  Marlisa Eschrick, a Harding senior.

    Prom is a time for fun, but that does not mean you can lose your mind. Be responsible. If there is drama at prom, walk away from the fight! Being escorted out by a cop isn’t exactly the best way to end the night. “The best way to ruin prom is to fight. If you’re gonna ruin it for yourself, don’t come and ruin it for everyone else,” said Helena.

    “My biggest concern as a senior is trying to pass all my classes to graduate, and preparing for my fashion club’s first annual fashion show. With one month left, I still have to finish my senior portfolio, but I believe I can achieve all this in one month,” said Zong Gao Lee, a senior at Harding.

    There are many ways to keep up the grades any year. “Whenever I feel like I’m falling behind or need help, I always visit the College Career Center or the Tutorial Learning Center,” said Gho Chia Lee, a senior at Harding. “For seniors especially, the best place to be is in the CCC because during your senior year, that’s where most of your resources can be found. There are many things happening at once for a senior who has plans for after high school, whether they’re going to attend college or work for the next couple of years. They also have to complete their Senior Portfolio by the end of April or early May.”

    “Senior year flew by fast and it’s a lot of pressure to keep going on strong. My recommendation for underclassmen is don’t PROCRASTINATE and don’t fall behind,” said Gho Chia. “It’s best to get what you can get done during your earlier years of high school rather than cramming everything last minute, especially during your senior year. Which includes fees, books, and failed classes.”

    This year seniors are procrastinating big time. Not many seniors come to school, because they are just done with school. They start to slack off more and more throughout the year and eventually they stop coming to school. They start to fall behind in class and they have a hard time catching up on homework. The best way to avoid this kind of senior stress is to just stay on top of your priorities and get things done as soon as possible.