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January 2012 opinion/fea tures the stentorian I ncssm Student body infected by, like, redic, like, cray, like, abrievs By: Kristen Larson and Jay Buchanan Jennifer Ashe embellished a recent issue of the TWAN with remarks regarding common teen language. A guide and response follow. “Writing Tip 43.2” Abbreviations, when used correctly, can make powerful additions to essays, applications, and letters. •“Totes” is an abbreviation of the widely used adverb “totally.” Frequently used by NCSSM females, it is far more succinct, powerful, and sophisticated than “totally.” It is useful to prevent being stereotyped as a “Valley Girl,” and should be an intrinsic part of every student’s vocabulary. •“Fresh,” a shortened version of “precious,” is luxurious word that enhances the English language. •“Awk,” stemming from “awkward,” echoes the squawk of an awkward bird. Try it, scream it aloud at different volumes. It vividly illustrates the meaning of the word “awkward,” and can be utilized in very strong descriptive language. •“Adorbs” is the masculine form of the word “adorable.” Adorbs should be used when referring to an attractive male to avoid offending their testosteronic nature. •The use of the word “like” is an essential literary convention that should be incorporated more frequently into our writing. Your teachers will love you if you make use of it in your theses. Example: “In the early 19th century, like, romantic artists assumed the, like, responsibility of cultural priesthood, like, eschewing traditional 18th century opinions while like, embracing social and political ingenuity.” •“Jelly” is an important word to remember when considering your audience. If you ever consider writing children’s literature,' the use of the word “jealous” may be considered inappropriate. “Jelly” is less offensive, and brings to mind peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—a kid friendly concept, unless the targeted children are allergic to peanut butter. •“Ridic” is a prefix you may confront in the vocabulary portion of the SAT. It stems from the Latin word ridiculosus meaning laughable, or droll. Ridic can be used to describe anything you find humorous, and is a much more intellectual alternative to the lengthy word “ridiculous.” •“Cray Cray” is a phrase that emerged from the dialect of NCSSM. It stems from the word “crazy,” but may also be used in reference to a nocturnal freshwater crustacean that resembles a small lobster and inhabits streams and rivers. r encourage you to use this term in your Ecology and Environmental Science classes. •“Swag” is an architectural term that refers to a decorative motif that adorned many buildings built in the 18th century. It is a distinctive characteristic of Neoclassical American architecture. When you compliment someone on their “swag,” do not forget to remind them of their architectural significance. Make sure to compliment your Humanities teachers on their “swag.” They will appreciate your praise. A Response Our language is totes the presh. That’s, like, seriously why we should stop desecrating it with these Cray abrievs. I am totes jelly of schools where they don’t use these ridic crimes against the English language. Using these stupid non-words and passing them off as “the same difference” needs to stop now. Like, seriously. We are a school for, like, smart students, and we devalue ourselves constantly by using these awk little words in everyday conversation. We’re slowly but surely losing our grammar swag, and what used to be legit English has fallen by the wayside. Besides, most of these abrievs are, like, less easy to use than their legit counterparts. Seriously, if it makes our totes- confusing language even more difficult to understand, it’s cray- cray to keep the grammatical torment alive. So, like, seriously, stop it. Talking like a five year- old is awk, not adorbs. You can truly be totes-the-presh by showing off your ability to speak properly and taking a Stand against, like, lingual chumpbabies. We can make the journey back to legit English, and you can like, totes help pave the way! Fight SOPA By: Ash Gray and Jose Medrano The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), recently shelved pieces of legislature, were fought against fiercely by forces on the Internet on January 18th.' Wikipedia, Reddit, and various other sites blacked out completely in order to combat what many Web denizens see as a push for more Government control over the Internet, not limited to DNS blocking, the same technique China and Iran use to censor their people. Although piracy on the Net is a real issue that needs to be addressed, this is not the way to do it and is just a push from big media lobbyists to have much stricter control over not only their content but who uses it. “It’s stupid, careless, and arrogant to go after people who are working in the shadows and end up turning the lights off on everybody else.” -Dante Shepherd. Keep fighting for free speech. Hairspray on NCSSM stage Feb. 10-12 By: Madelaine Katz Hairspray was selected as the NCSSM 2011-2012 winter musical in late November, and since the mid-December auditions, work on the production has been going nonstop. As the show dates of Feb. 10 to Feb. 12 approach, the cast and crew have become increasingly excited about the show and its message. Hairspray, a musical based on a 1988 John Waters film,chronicles a group of ‘60s teenagers in Baltimore. The musical ran on Broadway from 2002-2009, and won eight Tonys, including Best Musical. The musical contains a number of lively songs and period dance bits, from “the chicken” and “the pony” to “the Jerk” and “mashed potato.” It also contains several underlying messages regarding racial segregation, physical expectations of women, self- worth and self-love, and independence, as well. NCSSM’s production utilizes instructor Kathy Bcrbarian as its choreographer, instmetor Phillip Riggs as vocal trainer, and Adam Sampieri, the theater studies instructor, as artistic director. Students active in the drama Courtesy of broadwayworld.com program seem to collectively agree that Hairspray holds the same level of dedication as the fall production. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, which strung together Edgar Allan the production’s ensemble. Poe’s most chilling stories Senior Chris Nellis, one in a progressive, audience- of the “nicest kids in town” in immersive experience. the show agrees, saying, “I’m expanding my skills by learning to sing, dance, and perform with an ensemble, as well as making wonderful friends along the way!” The cast and crew are quick to point out that this is not just another theatrical experience, but instead seem to unanimously agree that the message is one this production’s most important aspects. “Hairspray is the perfect show for our school. It is the ultimate story of self empowerment and cultural blending. It teaches you to embrace your quirks and weirdness and show the world that being yourself is the way to be happy,” says senior Grace Lamblin, who is cast in the lead role of Tracy Tumblad. “Every single member of the cast is giving their all to make this an incredible show,” says junior Elizabeth Carbone, who sings soprano in Lamblin continues, “I think we all have a Tracy in us, whether it’s insecurities about our physical appearance or the ability to tell our parents what we really are passionate about. Senior Zack Fowler, a member of the Drama Board who has the role of Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother, says, “Hairspray is all about love: love of your fellow man, love of your fnends, and love of yourself. No other show dares to touch on the topics of body image, popularity, racial equality, and the freedom of love all at once. We’ve got something special here.” “Hairspray is such an iconic show and I think everyone, the whole cast, is going beyond themselves to make this show the most memorable musical at NCSSM. I’m not really sure ifa lot of people are musical fans at NCSSM but I’m really hoping that we have a good turnout,” says Lamblin. Fowler echoes Lamblin’s hopes, claiming, “If people come with an open mind, and they come ready to laugh, they’ll be in for one heck of a show.”
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