BY Kaylah Kislan
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

Weeks ago, the Talent Show was cancelled before it was even advertised. This week, I write to inform you that the show is back on- well sort of. Through collaboration with our high school’s Choir Director, Mr. George Wilson, Student Council advisor, Ms. Cheryl Kruzckowski has found a way to keep the Talent Show hanging on a thread. As with any collaboration, there was compromise. So if you’re looking to attend the Talent Show, or participate, you should know a few things beforehand.

Firstly, the majority of this show will be organized by the school’s Choir Department. Under new management, the show’s theme is subject to change. Previously, the idea of the show was to get as many different acts as possible, all school appropriate of course. This time around, the show will feature mostly singing acts and a few school approved dancing acts, seeing as though the entire choir class is required to participate. If you aren’t in Choir here at Start, and you wish to be in the talent show you’ll have to audition with the Choir Director. Mr. Wilson said “My students already know, an audition doesn’t guarantee a spot in the show.” While his statement was pretty clear, there’s no telling what he constitutes as talent.

Don’t let this deter you from trying out though. Rumor has it, Ms. Kruzckowski is still looking to award prizes. Standing behind her previous statements, she said “We need to get spirit back in this school. It’s never been as bad as this.” She went on to describe a talent show that took place here two years ago that was a modest success, complete with spoken word and impressions. It is clear she hopes for this talent show to trump the last, which can only happen if we have the much needed participation from the students.

With the show back on the road, you would think there would be advertisements, however, this is somewhat of an insiders only show. The Choir Director has decided against advertising to the entire school in order to avoid wasting time reviewing foolish acts, so any prospective students wishing to audition must see Mr. Wilson in order for the chance to audition. This show can only spread by word of mouth. You read it here first, go out and audition!

BY Austin Hill
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

Applying to any elite college is a risky decision. It offers the glorious potential of a top-notch education and all of the perks it constitutes, as well as the option of beating you down until you question every life decision you have ever made. For any ambitious student, it is important to prepare yourself psychologically for either outcome and any that may lie in between. You must know that no college decision defines you, and sometimes it is just luck that makes the difference between an acceptance and a rejection at any top-20 school. As someone who fell short in their attempts for prestige, I would like to give some tips I wish I would have received to raise my batting average from a meager .250.

1. Start early. This really can’t be stressed enough, mostly because it will save you a ton of it. Early Action and Early Decision are a great way of finding out where you stand in an applicant pool, and they will relieve you from having to rush applications for the New Year’s deadlines. It is also a pleasure to be somewhat knowledgeable about your future before April.

2. Get involved. Test scores and grades mean nothing to top colleges, as they are only a means to get into the door. Find a unique hobby that differentiates yourself from the thousands of other applicants and excel at it. Even though you are only 17 years old, colleges expect you to have a passion, and having a unique one will set you apart.

3. Don’t worry about your essays being perfect. Avoid using overly flowery language, and most importantly, do not just answer the prompts, especially with supplemental essays. It might sound contradictory, but consider each college separately and use the prompts that each college provides, in addition to the personal statement, to craft a story, rather than a hodgepodge of answered questions. Read each application you submit to ensure that it represents your entire life story, not by every event that has ever happened to you, but by your values and personality.

With that said there are many factors that will contribute to your decisions that are out of your control, such as an admissions director’s mood at the time of your application’s reading. With that said, just lower your expectations.

BY Austin Hill
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

Jewish is confusingly described as both a religion and a race. You can be born Jewish, and not believe in Judaistic principles, or you can follow Judaism without being born by a Jewish mother. Or can you?

When the argument is made that Jewish is not a race, one often brings up the fact that they are the descendants from Israel, therefore they share common characteristics and therefore qualify as a race. But sharing a common origin is irrelevant in regards to racial status, as a race is defined as “a group of people who share similar and distinct physical characteristics.” One might then bring up the argument that “all Jews look alike,” however this suggestion is both inaccurate and demeaning. There are no discrete characteristics that people who claim to be Jewish possess that non-jews do not.

The fact of the matter is that Jewish is not a race, yet it is. That is because race is a social construct and has no biological significance whatsoever. Modern research has shown that there is no distinction between the DNA of different racial groups; In fact, there is more variance between people of the same race than between those of other races. In the scientific sense, race does not exist.

However, socially, it does exist, thus making race extremely subjective as it is open to interpretation. The Jewish group is one that defines itself, and that is a person whose mother is Jewish. But this definition is only as valid as the source defining itself. One must assume then that this self-identification that Judaism is attempting is valid. But how is this arbitrary identification any more valid than say, someone identifying everyone with a cleft chin as an “attack helicopter.”

The subjectivity of race and the complexity of humans allows anyone to identify themselves as a part of any group. With no concrete categories we can easily put ourselves in, even

Jewish is confusingly described as both a religious and racial alignments. You can be born Jewish, and not believe in Judaistic principles, and you can follow Judaism without being born by a Jewish mother. Or can you?

When the argument is made that Jewish is not a race, one often brings up the fact that they are the descendents from Israel, therefore they share common characteristics and therefore qualify as a race. But sharing a common origin is irrelevant in regards to racial status, as a race is defined as “a group of people who share similar and distinct physical characteristics.” One might then bring up the argument that “all Jews look alike,” however this suggestion is both inaccurate and demeaning. There are no discrete characteristics that people who claim to be Jewish possess that non-jews don’t.

The fact of the matter is that Jewish is not a race, yet it is. That is because race is a social construct and has no biological significance whatsoever. Modern research has shown that there is no distinction between the DNA of different racial groups; In fact, there is more variance between people of the same race than between those of other races. In the scientific sense, race does not exist.

However, socially, it does exist, thus making race extremely subjective as it is open to interpretation. The Jewish group is one that defines itself, and that is a person whose mother is Jewish. But this definition is only as valid as the source defining itself. One must assume then that this self-identification that Judaism is attempting is valid. But how is this arbitrary identification any more valid than say, someone identifying everyone with a cleft chin as an “attack helicopter?”

The subjectivity of race and the complexity of humans allows anyone to identify themselves as a part of any group. With no concrete categories we can easily put ourselves in, even if you don’t believe in an interventionist God, do not understand Jesus as the son of God, and don’t accept the immaculate conception, the resurrection, or any literal interpretation of Jesus’ miracles, you can still call yourself a Catholic. The point I am trying to make is, one isn’t born Jewish, or even half-jewish, instead, they choose to be.

BY Kaylah Kislan
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

We’ve got spirit- or so we thought. This year, was a year of disappointment for many Spartans looking forward to school activities. From Powder Puff being cancelled, to pep rallies void of pep, to no one Coming Home, to the annual bonfire fizzling out before it could be started, our school spirit has been at an all-time low, and it’s time we pull it together, for the sake of our school, and for the sake of those who will come after us.

For many, school activities never seemed appealing. They never enjoyed school dances, or pointless pep rallies. There will always be that selective few who will not participate. However, there is hope for those of us who simply lost spirit because those around us did. Now is the time to lace up our hiking boots and blaze the trail of spirit.

Student Council and Youth to Youth are planning a Spring Talent Show to be held at the end of April- possibly mid-May. The show, Rising Spartans, will take place in the YMCA auditorium and will be open for every student to audition, volunteer for setup crew, or simply watch. Along with students, this show will call for the support from several faculty members to be judges. It has been confirmed that our school’s newspaper advisor/ yearbook advisor all in one, Mary Mandley will fill one of three judge seats. Ms. Cheryl Kruczkowski, Student Council advisor says this show is “A fundraiser, a way to promote school spirit, and also a way for the community to view the talent of Start students.”

This talent show isn’t going to organize itself. If each student poured just an ounce of spirit into this show for just two hours, we could make it the turning point in our school’s crippling spirit. Let’s prevent this from getting cancelled like the rest of the school activities.

Updates will soon follow this article profiling the acts, students, and the judges. Time to see whether we’ve still got S-P-I-R-I-T.