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By Saloni Patolia, Hidden Valley High School

Director John Madden gives an interesting twist on William Shakespeare in his 1998 film “Shakespeare in Love.”

In the movie, Joseph Fiennes plays the titular William Shakespeare, the world-famous playwright who penned greats such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet.”

The movie is not a new point of view on one of Shakespeare’s plays, but is rather a twist on the life of young Shakespeare and his inspiration for his famous play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

In the movie, young Shakespeare is a struggling poet, playwright and actor. He has an all too familiar case of writer’s block and can’t seem to write anything worth reading.

But when he meets Viola de Lessep, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, the two begin a love affair and Shakespeare finds inspiration for the immortal “Romeo and Juliet.”

The film captured a realistic love story and I strongly recommend it to Shakespeare lovers and first-time Shakespeare fans alike. The movie, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, captures love, comedy and tragedy, and ties them all together to make a wonderful film.

By Jessica Wiegandt, Lord Botetourt High School

Small sounds of dings and rings are audible from smart phones and tablets may be due to a game called Ruzzle.

Ruzzle is a new application available for handheld devices that allows users to connect with their contacts, Facebook friends or random opponents to play the word game.

Ruzzle was created by MAG Interactive in March of 2012. The game seems to have since skyrocketed into popularity, and I’ve noticed  students at Lord Botetourt High School have become avid players.

The app consists of a board of letters, each contained within a small box. The player drags their finger around the screen to create words out of the letters. It’s like a jumbled up version of Boggle.

The player is on a two-minute time limit to get as many points as possible to beat the opposing player. (The longer the words, the better, and some letters can even earn a player extra points.)

The app is a game for iPhone and Android owners who are players seeking a new word game to play.

By Julia Rogan, Patrick Henry High School

Patrick Henry has a school Art Show coming up.

Every year before the end of school, the art teachers display at least one piece of art from every student that takes an art class, even if that student lacks any artistic ability. There are paintings, sketches, drawings, ceramics and photographs.

The pieces are displayed in the art wing of the school. Teachers also take their students down to view the pieces of art. The students get to have their name displayed with their art.

It is really amazing to see the talent some of the students have.

The Art teachers also bring back some of the old pieces of art, and it is sometimes nice to see them come back from the previous year.

It is a great time to display creativity because everyone is stressed with Final Exams coming up.

The show is even open to the public on May 7 from 6-8 p.m. Go check it out and see the art the students created.

By Alex Moore, Lord Botetourt High School

At some point in the past ten times I have turned on the radio, “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore featuring Wanz has played.

Most of the time, creepily enough, it’s the very first song.

I don’t listen the radio very often. Mainly because it seems like the same 20 songs play over and over again.

There may be a song I’m fond of, but after I hear it so many times in a short amount of time, it gets extremely old. And I cannot seem to understand why nobody else finds this as annoying as I do.

If the song is on constantly, why do people want to hear it even more by requesting it?

But back to “Thrift Shop.”  Thrift shopping seems to be the “cool” thing to do now. And I wonder if it’s because the song has been number one in the charts multiple times.

Just as most hits do, I believe it will simmer down and gradually stop being played as much. Radio stations are notorious for playing the top music all the time. But as of now, “Thrift Shop” is extremely popular and is showing no signs of making its way down the charts.

By Scott Bledsoe, Hidden Valley High School

Each day it draws closer; the day of reckoning: April 1.

This is the day where most colleges seem to release their admissions decisions to millions of high school seniors across the nation.

I think it’s humorous that millions of stressed out, anxiety ridden teenagers will find out their future paths on April Fool’s Day.

I’ve thought about it often: Wouldn’t it be cruel if a college sent a letter that started out with a “Congratulations on your acceptance to..” and ended with “April Fools, you were actually rejected.”

Of course that would never happen; at least I don’t think it would. But it’s still funny to think about.

The waiting is tortuous and there are some things that will clue a student into their decision before they know for sure. This may not make sense, but there is truth to it.

If a college sends a decision by e-mail, the subject line will most likely have a distinctively positive word choice, hinting at what’s to come when the email is opened.

And everyone knows about the package size: small and thin means a denial or wait-list; big and fat, an acceptance!

But some friends of mine have received acceptance letters in regular-sized, thin envelopes.

Who knows? The college admissions process seems to be full of mixed signals, emotional strife and (hopefully) happiness in the end…hopefully.

Marijuana leaf illustration by Alexis Holland, William Byrd High School

By Mitchell Alexander, Northside High School

In November, Colorado and Washington made history when they became the first states in the nation to pass referendums legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

Since then, Oregon has introduced a similar bill, and a poll released on Feb. 26 shows a majority of Californians would also be in favor of legalizing recreational use of the drug.

Now is the time to consider the future voters. Teens in the greater Roanoke area and nationwide will be casting ballots by the end of the decade.

We wondered: How do these teens feel about marijuana?

Through 100 anonymous surveys distributed evenly to students attending Patrick Henry High School, Hidden Valley High School, Lord Botetourt High School and North Cross School, we collected a pool of data to represent their opinions.

A majority of students said they agree with the referendum. Close to half have tried marijuana at least once, and a majority of those who had not tried it said they would more likely to if the substance was legal.

By Scott Bledsoe, Julia Rogan and Jessica Wiegandt

We asked teens in the valley about their favorite bands.  Here are some of their responses.

Emma Leonard, sophomore, Lord Botetourt High School

What’s your favorite band?

“I’m a big fan of One Direction. On a scale of 1-10, I’m about an eight and a half.”

Why do you like them?

“I really like their music, plus they’re really attractive, so that helps.”

What would you do if you met them?

“If Niall Horan showed up at my front door, I’d probably pass out or start crying. Or I’d shut the door in his face and open it right back up in total shock.”

Luis Vallesteros, senior, Hidden Valley High School

What’s your favorite band?

Alice in Chains

Why do you like them?

“I really enjoy the genre of music that they sing which is grunge. It heavily influences the music I make.”

What would you do if you met them?

“I would go on a ferris wheel with them for hours and chat about how amazing they are.”

Read more »

By McKinley Saunders, Lord Botetourt High School

Sometimes, being warm triumphs over being trendy. And with the weather being as cold as it has been lately, it’s hard to worry about style.

I have found though that being in style and staying warm at the same time can be easily accomplished with a good foundation of some cute (and warm) winter go-to items.

Here is an example of the perfect winter outfit that will keep you warm and toasty from head-to-toe.

Top: Layering on the top is the key to staying warm, and it’s a great way to add color to the outfit. When it’s especially cold outside, I like to wear a soft, solid color long sleeve shirt and layer it with a bright scarf, a thick sweater and a slouchy knit hat. This will be a very relaxed look. If I want a more polished look, I will wear a printed long sleeve top with a blazer and a pea coat. If you keep the outfit in the same color scheme and mix prints with color, this will make the outfit pop.

Middle: Keep the pant selection very basic in color, and keep it comfortable. A dark wash jean will make the outfit look more polished and will pull the outfit together. Light wash jeans or leggings are also an option, but will make the outfit look more relaxed and comfy.

Bottom: A pair of thick knee high socks paired with knee high boots necessities for keeping toes toasty.

By Julia Rogan, Patrick Henry High School

The lights dimmed as the curtain lifted. The Patrick Henry Talent show was about to begin. It was time to see the talents of my fellow students.

This year, the announcers were seniors Grace Black, Jacob Otterman and the unforgettable comedian Austin Lowman. The show took place in early December, during school hours.

The talent ranged from dancing to singing to instrument-playing. Some made me sad, and some made me laugh until I cried.

My favorite act was junior Isaac Anderson’s version of a song from Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Lion King,” “The Circle of Life.” Anderson dressed up as Lion and had a pride rock set up on stage. The audience erupted in laughter as he bent down to allow audience members shake his  “paw.”

I always have a great time at the talent show, especially when new talent comes in each year. It gives students a sense of who they are. I think some students may have a good chance of making a living in show business if they keep working on their talents.

By Mitchell Alexander, Northside High School

It boggles me that regardless of the weather, there will always be guys that wear shorts every day.

Now, I’m no fashion expert, but I do know one thing: wearing khaki shorts when it’s 17 degrees outside is not the best idea.

I’m left wondering, “Do they ever get cold? Is there a risk of frostbite? Why didn’t their mothers force them to put on some pants?”

Plus, pants aren’t that hard to find. Find some jeans or khakis, but for their core body temperature (and my sanity), I wish they would cover their legs up until old man Winter isn’t quite so harsh.

Now let’s talk about shoes. I would be rich if I had a dollar for every guy walking around school with long Nike socks and a pair of sandals.

That might have looked fresh at the beginning of seventh grade, but it’s no longer a good look.

Before you leave the house next time, use some common sense.