In Miss Laura Torres’ American Government class there was debate on this topic, as as they also discussed the seven roles of the president, which are Head of State, Chief Executive, Chief Legislator, Chief Diplomat, Commander and Chief, Party Leader, and Economic Planner.

“We have been talking in class about presidents, and what their roles are, and with the 2012 election coming up, I felt like it was a good time to discuss what the president is actually responsible for,” explained Ms. Torres. “We are reviewing our president now so we can have a good idea of what we want from our next president!”

Half of the students took the side that Barack Obama was indeed a good president. When Senior Samantha Whittall to explain her reasons for thinking this way, she said, “Well, he had Osama bin Laden killed, our troops are finally coming home, and he has passed a lot of bills while in office.”

Some of the bills Whittall is inferring is the “Cash For Clunkers Act,” a three billion dollar federal program that was set up to encourage Americans to trade in their old cars “clunkers” for cash to go buy a newer and more fuel efficient car. The other bill passed under Barack Obama’ administration was the “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, a.k.a “The Hire Act”. The “Hire Act” gives businesses tax breaks and incentives to businesses to hire unemployed individuals.

The other half of the students took the side that Barack Obama was a bad president. They debated that over the past three years, America’s debt has skyrocketed a shocking and somewhat terrifying four trillion dollars!

Along with a ridiculous amount of debt, the students argued, we’ve also had the highest unemployment rate since The Great Depression. By the end of the year, the government believes that the unemployment rate will reach a stunning 9.1% of Americans not having a job. That means that by 2012, nearly twenty seven million Americans will be unemployed. Senior, David Brown commented, “America is not happy with where Obama is taking us and people are letting their voices be heard.”

The debate ended with this notion: whether some like him or not, Barack Obama is our president. And as Christians, we are called by God to listen to our leaders.

The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” 

Technology is crazy nowadays.  Witht the invention of a new program called the Teensurance System, parents can now track their kids when they are out in their car.  So, when you are going over the designated set speed, going out of the boundaries, staying out past your curfew, or drive to a wrong location…your parents will know. What’s more, if you make a wrong move, your parents will receive a text alert, voicemail, or email right away. They can even watch the car travel online. They can see where you are at all times, even when you’re miles away.

Creepy? Overprotective? A little too much? Maybe, but it is a resource that some parents are using to ensure their kids are safe. The device is available through certain auto insurance companies, and aside from the safety issues, it can be programmed to also unlock car doors, call for roadside assistance and by the end of this year, it will be able to shut off the car ignition. Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney with the Teensurance System says, “Our intent is to increase parent’s peace of mind while enabling teens to gain more freedom.”

While the intent might be great, there are some parents that applaud it, while others look down on it.

“I do not plan to use any type of tracking device for my car as it pertains to my daughters’ driving,” explained Mr. Michael Ellis, CCA’s Middle School Guidance Counselor.  “I feel it is important to develop TRUST with your children well before they begin to drive.  It gives me a greater peace of mind that my daughter, Kayla, is making choices based on her love for God and her desire to respect her parents. Not on whether or not I am monitoring what she is doing and where she is going.”

Something to think about. Is the tracking device for you? Should your parents be using it? Send us your comments at MessengerEditor@ccaeagles.org.

This is a common fear to parents of student drivers who text while on the road. Teens love to text and most are excited about driving as well, but is doing both dangerous enough to get your license taken away?  Some teens seem to think it is okay to text while stopped at a red light, but is it? A Sophomore explained,” I think it’s a bad idea to text while driving even if you are not moving. You need to be in control of your vehicle at all times.”  If you text while the vehicle is in drive you are at risk of getting a ticket. In Kentucky, Ohio, and California, it is illegal to send a text message while driving.

People are getting fined for this crime, but what do student drivers think the worse consequence for this is? A CCA junior commented, “I think you can get points on your permit or get tickets when you have a license, maybe even get your license taken away.” Drivers hope that isn’t the case, but if the crime is repeated enough times, perhaps it’s fair to say that the police should punish those drivers accordingly for their careless behavior. Either way it seems students are aware of the danger but decide to take a risk anyway as CCA sophomore Lesley Asewicz explains, “I think texting is very dangerous while driving but most of us still do it.” So whether students decide to take the risk of getting a fine, or worse, or obeying the law is a choice they need to make.

So, while you’re on the road, keep in mind that the next time you have a text maybe you should wait until you reach your destination before looking at it. There are 14 states that make it illegal to send a text message while driving, and although Florida isn’t one of them, state legislatures are working hard to ban this popular practice.

Here’s what some people are saying about texting while driving…

“It’s dangerous because you can die, we should make this not only a student issue but and all around issue, but no one should do this because its very difficult to steer and type at the same time.”–Vice Principle, Jason Rachels

“No one should be texting while driving especially students because they haven’t been driving as long as adults; it makes them less alert, can cause frustration, and its unnecessary.” –CCA guidance Counselor, Joseph Bryan

“Yes I think texting while driving is dangerous and it’s insane to do it yourself, every human being alive should avoid it.”–Tami Pettingal

“You shouldn’t text or have phones in the car when you start to drive especially.”–Krista Vargas

“That can be deadly; it distracts focus from the road.”–Sandra Sorrentino

“As a fireman paramedic, my suggestion to student drivers would be not to text or be on the phone due to impaired judgment to defensive driving and as a beginner driver, you need to learn to be a defensive driver. And it’s just bad! ”
– Fireman Paramedic Peter Santamarina

He Said…

“Yes We Can.” It was a phrase plastered on every other bumper, headlined in mainstream Media across the world, and, more often than expected, shouted from rooftops. The Obama administration gave a hope of liberty and freedom to the American people through change, but seven months after the inauguration, students across the country are wondering if too much change, too soon, will lead to too big and too bold ideas. Given the students’ public opinion on the president’s recent education agenda, which rallies to add time to school classes, to stay open late and to possibly decrease summer vacation time, President Obama has a tough call ahead.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a very impressive sounding $787 billion stimulus package that a divided Congress approved last February. Of which, $90.9 billion are going toward education reforms and the official lengthening of the school day and year, creating a schoolboy’s worst fear: a short summer.

I highly doubt that the new president is trying to eradicate the childhood staple of joy that is summer, and his motivation is seemingly pure. “Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,” the president said earlier this year for the Associated Press. “Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.”

It is a fact that the United States has lost its competitive edge in comparison to the mathematical and scientific Asian countries across the seas, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to restore America to its intellectual prestige. What does worry me is that from the 40 republican senators, three signed in the proposal, and out of the 178 republican representatives in the House, none voted to pass the bill.

I enjoy the checks and balances of partisan platforms, and this donkey stampede that rushed the bill into law creates some questions. The White House website and Obama’s personal website both go into detail about the need to focus on early childhood education, improve K-12 schooling, and expand access to higher learning, but neither throw out anything more than dollar signs. The expansion of Pell Grant scholarships, rewards for teachers instead of punishment through a reformed No Child Left Behind, and creating a program for early education for children up to five years old (aptly named the Zero to Five program), all cost money, but will giving a proverbial $100 here and there address the root of the problem? College tuition has risen 40% over the last five years, and Pell Grants won’t stop the pattern.

Education does need reformation, and the government is in a position to begin, but what standard are we trying to meet? There are so many numbers, questions, and doubts surrounding the new federal approach, and before there is a general consensus on the bill, there needs to be a more accurate answer to the opposition.

Instead of “Yes, We Can,” I think come next summer, most students would like to hear three other words: “School is out!”

She Said…

Etched on the surface of each and every American is a unique signature of liberty that serves as proof to their independent identity—allowing them to choose what they want to do and how they want to do it. Every American can strive to become who they want to be without any restrictions or limitations that could forge this individuality. This identity, so unique and unlike any other country’s, cannot therefore be even slightly compared to that of any other people’s.

With news of President Obama’s desire to lengthen students’ school day and curtail their summer vacation in order to keep up with the leading students of other world powers, one must examine the reasons for our new president’s beefed-up education motivation. While it is true that students in many other countries score substantially higher on math and science examinations, these same students are also spending about 25-30% more time in the classroom. Researchers see that adding a simple ten minutes to the school day will significantly help this problem in our own schools, rather than adding more days to the school year. And why not make this simple adjustment, when the current American school day is based off an agrarian work day that was designed for students to get released from school early to work in the fields?

While many applaud Obama for his new plan, the feasibility of such a measure coming to pass could prove unlikely. High school history teacher, Steve Mayo, comments, “I commend him for understanding the ties between school and national standards and how it links to the economy. As far as a longer day, it’s going to be tough to execute but if it happens, you would see a difference in performance.”

Student efficiency and effectiveness would indeed improve, but one must also consider the other strengths that American students are known for that would surely be hindered if the school day or year was significantly lengthened. Extracurricular activities, for instance, are highly valued and are what keep a balance in the lives of American students. Shockingly, many students in countries like North and South Korea lack these crucial additions due in part to an “all work and no play” mindset toward academics. In fact, Korean Ivy-Leaguers have the highest percentage rate of U.S. college dropouts—a scary 44% due to the students’ continuous study habits and failure to get involved with American activities. Korean students attending U.S. colleges and universities spend about 75% of their time in the books and only 25% in extracurricular activities. American-born students on the other hand balance both equally at 50%.

So do we really want to compete with our Asian counterparts and spend more time in the classroom at the expense of sacrificing our high school sports teams and other extracurricular activities such as band, art or choir? With all of their time being spent in the classrooms during school and in the books at home, students will no longer be encouraged to participate in class leadership or interest clubs—the very roots that allow a student to grow in his or her gifts and passions that make them uniquely American.

Numerous articles are covering the sudden decline of Facebook popularity. What’s the cause of this drop? Some people say they just simply don’t have enough time for it, while others are concerned about the privacy of their profile. Whatever the reason, numbers are dropping, and we wanted to know why.

All of us can admit, specially “bookers,” that Facebook can be very useful. The fact that you are able to find someone that you met at Liquid Summer Camp and have a life-long relationship with that person through Facebook is fantastic. Also, it’s just another means of entertainment. So, where’s the harm, you might say? 

Known fact: Facebook can be addicting, if you let it. Like all good things in life, if not used in moderation, it can be a bad thing. The feeling of, “one more post won’t hurt” can get a bit ridiculous. If it pulls you from school work, the real world, and most importantly, your relationship with Christ, it is, of course, harmful.

About a month ago, I decided I needed to give up Facebook. It had become my idol—the object of my obsession. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And it didn’t happen overnight, either. It happened over time, slowly creeping in where it didn’t fit in my life. I gradually let Facebook take the place of my devotions at night, as well as my homework. That was no good. After carefully looking at my life and what my Facebook obsession had done to it, I decided to take a fast from it, a very long fast.  

Maybe that’s you too. Or maybe, just maybe, your fast doesn’t need to be so drastic, but a simple cutting back from your regular portion. Wherever you’re at, that decision is between you and Christ. Just make certain that if He gives you the green light to say “Farewell, Facebook!” you do it, from the heart.

A recent study conducted by the University of Dartmouth reported that 25% of college admissions officers admit to using search engines such as Google or Yahoo to research their applicants—this search leads them to Facebook and MySpace, where these colleges can view a much more personal side of students. Another study, conducted by Kaplan, on the top 500 schools in the country revealed that of the colleges visiting Facebook and MySpace only a quarter of the student’s Facebook or MySpace pages improved the college’s view of them, while 38% of the material they found “negatively affected” their view of the student. And you can pretty much guess what they stumbled upon…jokes that may have gone too far, eyebrow raising remarks and posts, and questionable pictures, which are all plastered upon these websites. So now your personal page isn’t just visited by your friends, but by the very people who can determine your acceptance into college—scary thought!

But is this right? Is it ok that colleges can do this? Is it fair that personal pages found on Facebook and Myspace can actually determine a student’s future?

Colleges have all taken different stances on this relatively new issue. Considering that these websites weren’t even around five years ago, college’s policy’s on this subject, are, for the most part, still non-existent. Some however, adamantly admit to researching their potential students, while others consider it invasive, and do not partake in it.

But, it all comes right down to being held accountable for our actions and our words…while on these sights though, it’s easy to feel as though no one is really watching you, but what we are failing to recognize is that it all will catch up with us! Yes, of course God is always watching, but that doesn’t always alter our behavior, so He may just have to remind some of us, through the means of college admissions officer, about the importance of integrity. Instead of facing that kind of regret, why not edit your Facebook or MySpace now? Maybe that means taking out some inside jokes that can be taken the wrong way, or even replacing some of your pictures.

Jeff Olsen, the head of Kaplan’s research, had this insightful advice, ““Today’s application is not just what you send … but whatever they can Google about you.”

The statistics regarding teenage driving do not lie. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, 16-19-year-olds were four times more likely to crash than older drivers. Furthermore, 12 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 would die everyday in motor accidents. Driving a car is a privilege not to be taken lightly, and teenagers must not only grasp this reality, but also comprehend the need to be cautious and responsible on the road before ever pressing the gas pedal. If the level of maturity is in question, driving is not worth threatening your life or someone else’s.

With all this said, the experience of learning to drive inherently causes a teenager to become more responsible and aware of his or her surroundings—aspects of maturity that should be gained before heading off to college. Therefore, parents might consider allotting more time for these realities to sink in while their children are still home. The earlier a teenager attains a permit, the more time parents will have to work closely with and instruct him or her, equipping their child with the necessary skills to be safe and confident drivers. Whether a teen struggles with making u-turns, switching lanes, or using side-view mirrors, practicing these skills will allow for a young driver to be more confident on the road. Thus, teenagers will be able to pay more attention to traffic and situational driving, rather than worrying about and being distracted by the petty mechanics. Furthermore, teenagers will realize that when driving a vehicle, they are responsible not only for their own car and passengers, but also for other drivers on the road. The more time parents have to instill this truth within their children, the more defensive and cautious teenagers will be. Having driven for three years, I have learned to anticipate the maneuvers of other drivers, and have become more comfortable with the flow of traffic. Driving has developed within me an acute intuition for determining which drivers are safe to drive with, since I have a greater sense of what makes a safe driver. I have also gained a greater sense of practical safety, such as when or where to stop for gas, and where to park safely in parking lots. As I head on to college in the fall, these skills will allow me to make wise decisions regarding transportation and safety.

Now, I am not saying that everyone should sprint to attain their permits the day that they turn 15. The road can be a dangerous place, and a teenager must fully comprehend their role behind the driver’s seat before ever turning the ignition. However, families might want to consider allotting enough time for their teens to gain experience on the road before college. Just remember, it is all about what is safest.

Lauren Says…

Once teenagers hit sixteen, freedom, is certainly strongly desired—freedom is defined as: “the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint; exemption from external control, interference, regulation; the power to determine action without restraint.” And that is exactly what any sixteen-year-old is looking for: “the power to determine action” and to be exempt from “external control.” And this freedom is most easily accomplished and obtained by means of one powerful piece of plastic…a driver’s license.

But can a sixteen-year-old truly determine whether or not they are yet primed for such freedom? Can any sophomore in high school really take on, not only the liberties of the freedom provided with a license, but the responsibility as well? Statistics abundantly prove that they cannot, and though we all might have friends, or children whose safe driving experiences rebuke those statistics, why would we even choose to chance it? Because, the facts are overwhelming…sixteen is just too young to have a license. 

One CCA student recently shared this about their driving experiences, “I was definitely not one of those kids who got their license on their sixteenth birthday…or even close to that! My license, and eventually my car, were earned, not just because I turned sixteen, but because I displayed the kind of responsibility and maturity my parents thought was required. And though there were many days when I just didn’t get it, now that I am older, and waited, I get it!”

The freedom a license provides simply must be earned . . . the truly invaluable qualities of maturity, and responsibility are truly a must, and not necessarily obtained at the age of sixteen.

Although evidence is abounding concerning the dangers of sixteen year olds driving, there is also evidence of the dangers of not knowing how to drive upon entering college. Just because a student and his or her parents decide that sixteen is just too young, that doesn’t necessarily mean students should wait to drive until age thirty! Not knowing how to drive when students are off at college, can often times create dangerous situations. Any student who does not know how to drive, is, therefore, constantly relying on others for any means of transportation—and everyone knows, and has heard about, the rampant abuse of alcohol on college campuses, in fact, 1,400 college students die every year in alcohol related accidents.

It is pretty clear that not knowing how to drive can put a student in just as much danger as driving at too young of an age, which is why it is so vital for students to prayerfully and carefully consider when to get their license.

Many families have found that by senior year their student has reached an appropriately responsible age for a license, plus, at this age, this still leaves students ample time to learn to drive before heading off for college.

Driving is a huge decision­­­­­ in any family and there are certainly pros and cons to each side of the wait-or-not-to-wait debate, but the statistics are so blatantly clear, and the facts are nearly impossible to avoid. And though statistics and percentages of accidents may seem inconceivable now, it can still easily happen to anyone . . .because if you really stop and think, everyone of those numbers that make up a statistic is really just a person, with a family, who never ever thought it could happen to them.

Now, you read both sides… so, what do you say? Send us your comments below and let’s talk!

With Liquid ministries’ high-school series, Sexpectations, lines are being crossed left and right, and the issue of premarital sex is being explored with all of the dark nooks and crannies thrown into the light. And yet, one needs to take a step away from the giggles and awkward blushes and realize that many aren’t looking for that physical relationship, but something many, many steps before that. We may not be ready to say “I do,” but what about a dinner and movie?

Dating is perhaps the most debated topic in all of Christendom in regards to the young. When is it okay to hold hands? Can a “date” be a fifteen-people group date? Answers range from “never” to “now,” “yes” to “no,” and all the areas in between, but there still is no clear answer. What now?

In a religion full of absolutes, dating must be determined by a relative maturity. No one teenager is exactly alike, but the questions are the same. Who is one now? And when it comes to dating, who is one willing to become?

If a relationship doesn’t change both people involved, there is no purpose, but those changes need to be addressed for what they are. The biblical image of a relationship is one of completion, not compromise. Wanting to be better is very different from wanting to be someone else completely, and for all those who think otherwise, it may be best to stick with play dates. For those who have a solid personal identity, however, the next step is to develop it further and to begin the uncompromising search.