Fifteen year old pop star? He’s on a roll and nothing can stop him. His singles are hitting the top of the charts and girls are falling head over heels. He’s pretty much the new Jesse McCartney! Poor little 15 year old girls… there can only be ONE less lonely girl. Oh, but don’t worry… you *cough*, might be the one. :P

High school is full of drama. Constant, ridiculous drama. However, sometimes we can’t help how we feel, no matter what is going on. For example, many people have their one best friend that they keep close, but what happens when a third-wheel type friend comes in? Your instant reaction may be, ‘Oh my Gosh, what a friend stealer!’ but honestly… just chill. It’s ok to have more than one best friend and we all have to learn how to share. The same goes for boyfriends. Well, you’re not sharing the boy but you have to share the friend. If the best friend that you’ve had since you were three gets a boyfriend, things are going to be different. It’s not just the girlfriend’s world that’s flipped; it’s the best friend’s too.
Best friends get torn apart all the time over boys and it’s just something we’re going to have to suck up and take. Of course, it’s hard to not get to see your bestie whenever you want to but that’s just part of life. And don’t freak out on them when they haven’t talked to you because chances are you’ll get a boyfriend eventually and you don’t want to sound hypocritical when you start ignoring her for the same reason. The best thing to do is talk about it and not get into ‘girl’ fights, aka, not talking to each other and giving each other the death glare for three weeks. It’s not worth it.
Even though it feels like they’re gone forever… they’re not. Life goes on and people get busy. I do promise you though, that if they really are your friend then they will love you and be there for you no matter what. Ok, now some advice to the girl with the boyfriend: The odds of you keeping this boy till the end of time are slim to none. Don’t take this article as an excuse to ignore your best friend because that’s not it at all. One day you and that boy are going to break up and then who are you going to turn to when you’re crying and need a pint of ice cream? That’s right, your best friend.

The month of February is almost over, and with it ends black history month. Of course, February hasn’t always been black history month. It started in 1926, with the addition of “Negro History Week.” How did this come about? Dr. Carter G. Woodson was the one who started it all! He was disturbed to find out that black history was largely ignored in American history books. So, he launched the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, a year later publishing the Journal of Negro History. He finally launched “Negro History Week” to bring national attention to the subject.
February was chosen because of two very important people who were born in February: Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Of course, other very important events have taken place in February. W. E. B. Dubois was born in 1868. In February of 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment, giving blacks the right to vote, was passed and the first black senator, Hiram Revels, was sworn into office. In 1909 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded, and in 1960 a group of college students started a sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina in what would become a milestone in the civil rights movement.
As we end our celebration of a month of love and a month of a history too long subdued, we should stand in awe of a culture who has overcome a lot. Think about it for a second. This group of people was forcibly taken from their homeland, only to become generations of slaves. They finally found freedom, only to have it restricted. They fought for the equality that should be freely given, finally achieved that equality, and now we have an African American as President of the United States. There is certainly good reason to celebrate the history of a people who have endured and overcome so much.

As you can see, the Pawzette changed a little over the weekend! The new website is faster and has several new features over the old one. You now have the ability to comment on articles and share them on several social networking sites. Hit up the new comments feature at the bottom of this post if you have any comments/suggestions. To vote in the poll from the school, you have to register.

Throughout the halls and classrooms, all you hear people talk about is “The Hangover”. Whether they’re reciting lines or describing scenes, it’s the only movie you hear about right now. Is it really that good, though? Is it a gut-busting comedy like they make it out to be? Honestly, I don’t think it’s that hilarious. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movie and laughed like there was no tomorrow, but all the hoopla isn’t necessary and makes it out to be better than it really is. Have any of you guys seen it for a second time? It wasn’t as exciting and it was hard to pay attention to. I mean sure, “not at the table Carlos” was pretty great. But you knew what was going to be said, so it wasn’t quite so funny. In reality, movies like “Stepbrothers” and “Pineapple Express” were far better. I could watch those over and over and laugh at the same stupid stuff, unlike “The Hangover”. So people, stop making this movie out to be better then it really is, especially since it’s not so hot a second time!

This is a lesson that everyone should learn. Each of us probably believes we have been in love before and think we know exactly what love is; because we’ve felt it. We’ve hurt from it. We’ve spent nights crying ourselves to sleep curled up in a ball because we think that there is no one in the world but that one other person and we’re terrified of losing them. But, there is a difference between love and true love. Love should not be a sex driven act and it should contain no lies. I’m not here to preach to you, but I think the best way to explain love is like this:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.”

- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Each sentence has its own importance. Starting with love is patient. These days it’s rare for a couple to wait until they’re married to have sex. Teenagers think that since everyone else is doing it, that it’s ok. Or they’re boyfriend or girlfriend is telling them anything they want to hear to get it. News flash! If they love you and respect you, they will wait for you. They have waited their entire life to be with you so they can wait a few more years and so can you! I know it’s hard, everyone wants it at some point but you have to be strong enough to know what is best for you and what you want. People will take advantage of you so be careful. Although, mistakes do happen and that’s ok! That’s when you have to pick yourself up and move on. The world doesn’t end; it’s still turning just as fast.

Do you ever feel so happy that you want to shout it out to the world? That’s great if you have! But ‘Love is not proud’ doesn’t mean you can’t express it. It means this: If your boyfriend loves you he’s not going to tell his friends when he steals a new base. If he loves you he will be happy with what he has and do everything he can to make you feel great. Not only is love not boastful but it is also not selfish, or self-seeking. When you are in love you spend more time thinking about the other person and what they want and what makes them happy then constantly thinking about yourself. You will not push them to do things that they don’t want to do for your personal entertainment, no matter how much you want it.

When I mentioned that people make mistakes I don’t only mean sex, or taking things a step, or even a jump, too far. I also mean cheating. One day you may find yourself in a situation where you slip up. You kiss a girl or boy or maybe even go all the way. Once this happens though… you can’t fix it. You can’t go back in time and change what you’ve done no matter how much it hurts. But if the love of your life really loves you, they will be able to forgive you. ‘It keeps no record of wrongs’. Grudges cannot be held in a relationship. The feeling will grow inside you until eventually you hate the person. You must be able to talk things out and let them go. But along with letting things go, you have to trust that the other person will not cheat on you again. That your boyfriend/girlfriend has learned from his or her mistakes.

You need to feel protected in your relationship. Not just from other people, but from the person you’re dating as well. You need to know your boundaries and share them with the one you love so they know not to cross them. The last thing I have to say is to have fun! You’re young for crying out loud! So many teenage couples get so caught up in the relationship they’re in, that they can’t open their eyes and look at the big picture. The saying that there are several other fish in the sea is true, believe it or not. There are millions of them! You may think that there is no one else out there for you but there is. You’re going to end up with the person you’re supposed to be with. So don’t worry about losing someone, because if you do, then someone better will fall into your life. Don’t forget, your life has only just begun.