Newt for President...Yikes!

            We are currently in the midst of the race for the Republican nomination. The candidates include Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, John Huntsman, Michele Bachman, Rick Perry, and Ron Paul. For some reason, the American public has shown that they want to nominate anyone other than Mitt Romney, who is arguably the most qualified candidate. In the polls over the past few months, Romney has been behind Herman Cain, the pizza-god who, allegedly, sexually harasses women, and Newt Gingrich. Who’s the next leader in the polls? Rick Perry again?

            Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, was basically thrown out of Congress due to his lack of leadership skills and long list of personal problems. During his time as speaker, Congress had a record high level of arguments about nothing, and a record low level of constructive conversation. In fact, his lack of leadership led to a government shut down on two occasions.

             When not on Capitol Hill, Gingrich had even more problems. He asked for a divorce from his wife, who was also his high school geometry teacher, while she was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Did I mention she was suffering from cancer? He got married twice more after this escapade.

            Many people are willing to forget all of the Newt Gingrich scandals due to his knack for debating and public speaking. Although he is very articulate and has many good ideas, Gingrich has no executive functioning skills. After being practically banished from Congress, Gingrich set up a number of Republican think tanks that all fell apart.

            We cannot be fooled by Gingrich’s debating skills; his presidential qualities are only on the surface. Come on, America, stop kidding yourself.  It is time to accept the fact that there are no good Republican candidates for this primary, and realize that Mitt Romney is the lesser of all evils. -James M.

Transition from 6th to 7th Grade

I woke up at 7:15 on September 9^th, not sure what to expect in a new building. I thought back to my sixth grade year. Would seventh grade be as much fun? Would it be awful? Would it be as hard as everyone had said, with four hours of homework every night, tests and quizzes all the time, teachers not realizing how much work the others were giving and definitely no more “mental health days” (where I used to be able to convince my mom to let me have a break and take a day off)?  And what about grades?  That certainly was new, and not fun to think about. While preparing my backpack, I let my mind wander through my class schedule. I liked my classes and had good friends in each of them: a definite plus. That first day of seventh grade, I had no idea what to expect.

Now, with the first trimester finished, I realize how much I like the Upper School. Though I’m still unsure if the seven-day schedule makes sense, I love the new sense of freedom the Upper School gives. It’s fun to socialize with my friends in the hall, to play football on the big lawn, and to have the flexibility of study halls, art electives, and different club options. Athletically, it is great to have the opportunity to make varsity, JV, or an ISO (for me being squash). None of these options were available for us in the Middle School. Finally, the Upper School building is different from the Middle School, with its three floors, an elevator, and a big Commons area (definitely an upgrade from the Middle School in every way). Though I didn’t know what to expect in the Upper School, it has been a great experience and I look forward to the rest of this year and the next.-by Mason P.