THE OVERACHIEVER

March 2013 Volume 9 Issue 7

International Academy 1020 E. Square Lake Road Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Cover Design

Photo Description: Spring is finally here!

In this issue...

Issues in IKEA……..3 Twitter…….......…..…5 Entertainment.…….7 Sports……….....…..…9 April Fool’s Day….10 Only at IA.....Back Page

Staff

Principal Ms. Lynne Gibson

Associate Principle

Mr. Chris Smith

Faculty Facilitator

Ms. Sarah Clancy

Editor-in-Chief

Swathi Shanmugasundaram

News Editor

Ana Chaves

Features Editor Sneha Edupuganti Entertainment Editor Trusha Patel

Sports Editor Mahum Farooqui

Perspectives Editor Nancy Huang

Back Page Editor Tami Lacasse

Contributors

Rana-Armaghan K. Ahmad Mariam Anwar Snehanjani Edupuganti Ana Chaves Trusha Patel Mahum Farooqui Nancy Huang Dylan McGuire Patricia Liu Isabella Lackner

by RANA ARMAGHAN K. AHMAD

3 March 2013 News

Issues in IKEA You’re eating spaghetti and meat-

balls. The T.V is turned on. Your dad

is watching the evening news. Your

eyes occasionally flick to the screen;

you catch every other word. A flashy

headline runs. Your jaw drops.

Horse Meat Found in IKEA Meatballs

The horse meat was first

detected in mid-January. Ireland was

conducting its first-ever DNA tests on

beef products on random frozen beef

burgers taken from store shelves.

The results were shocking; more

than a third of the brands at five su-

permarkets contained traces of

horse meat. The meat taken from

prominent British supermarket,

Tesco, was made of more than a

quarter horse.

More than a dozen nations

have detected horse flesh in pro-

cessed products such as factory-

made burger patties, lasagnas, meat

pies and meat-filled pastas. Coun-

tries already affected by the tainted

horse meat include: Slovakia, Hun-

gary, France, Britain, Portugal, the

Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy,

Greece, Cyprus and Ireland. In line

with the saying ‘better safe than sor-

ry’, the EU is now testing meat in all

27 of its member states. The

knowledge of tainted European meat

unsettled American consumers, as it

was learned that a shipment of the

same beef meat was sent to the U.S.

Fortunately, investigation soon re-

vealed that it was one of the few

shipments not tainted with horse

meat.

The news of horse meat in

beef products has spread very quick-

ly throughout Europe.

Many of them have begun their own DNA testing of products labeled as beef. They cannot be sure which products have been contaminated and are forced to withdraw tens of millions of products from store shelves. In the case of a European company called Findus, testing shockingly showed that in some cas-es, 60% to 100% of their beef was actually horse meat.

Testing is currently happening all throughout Europe. Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/16/16964619-fraud-on-a-massive-scale-europes-horse-meat-scandal-keeps-on-growing?lite

Soon, to the world’s surprise, some big-name companies were also dis-covered to be carrying mislabeled horse meat. Taco Bell, a favorite fast-food chain was implicated in the horse-meat dilemma as meat from its United Kingdom chains was test-ed. Ikea, the furniture giant, was caught in the scandal because of their main meatball supplier, Gunnar Dafgard AB. Gunnar Dafgard AB is Sweden's largest private food pro-ducer with annual revenue of more than USD 300 million. GDAB has customers throughout Europe with the main market being Scandinavia

GDAB produces all kinds of foods

but the best selling products are

Swedish meatballs, pizza, lasagna

and ready meals. Internationally,

Gunnar Dafgard AB is best known

for producing the meatballs for IKEA

in all the European markets. Ola

Larsson, marketing director of Daf-

gard, has shifted the blame, claiming

that Dafgard gets its meat supply

from another source.

This current horse meat

scandal has authorities worried

about the safety of those who con-

sumed unauthorized horse meat.

Phenylbutazone, a veterinary drug

used to treat horses, is toxic for hu-

mans. Also known as bute, it can

have harmful results such as the

suppression of white blood cells pro-

duction. In horses, it is a common

pain reliever. In humans, while the

risk is very low, it can lead to aplastic

anaemia.

Steps have already been

taken to remedy the current situation,

but that is not to say that an event

like this will never occur again. We

‘watch what we eat,’ but stop as we

are satisfied in regards to calories,

sugar, fats and carbohydrates. We

assume that companies only provide

the cleanest of foods, handled in the

finest of ways, but in truth, there is

no way to assure that at all times.

These mishaps serve to create con-

scientious consumers, well-informed

on the goods and services they

choose, and vigilant companies, cau-

tious in what they offer to the public.

In the future, we can look forward to

a more informed consumer pool,

keeping its companies providing

clean, safe and quality products.

by ANA CHAVES

News The Overachiever 4

Baby Cured of HIV In the past few decades, the issue of HIV/AIDS has streamlined to the top of the international medical agenda, proving to be deadly and incurable. While treatments exist to slow the disease’s progression, there is no definitive cure. HIV/AIDS has ravaged our world, disproportionately targeting regions such as Africa and Asia. At the end of 2010, the World Health Organization estimated 34 million people living with HIV; of these, approximately 68% were from sub-Saharan Africa. Health organiza-tions have flocked to these regions in an effort to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS prevention and conse-quently slow the disease’s spread. The efforts of these groups, in coop-eration with governmental institu-tions, have reduced the incidence of HIV/AIDS, bringing the rate of new cases down significantly. Yet, while these achievements are to be laud-ed, the number of people suffering continues to climb each year, and the situation is concerning. This call to action has spurred tireless scien-tific experimentation, pushing the boundaries of the modern medical world in search for the elusive cure. These dedicated individuals have committed hours to this cause and produced some promising prospects. In 2012, the world was intro-duced to the ‘Berlin Patient,’ a San Francisco native named Timothy Brown who was hailed as an exem-plar of the future of HIV treatment. Brown, previously HIV-positive, un-derwent a bone marrow transplant in 2007 to treat leukemia. His doctors decided to use a donor carrying a gene mutation for HIV-immunity. Af-ter the operation, Brown was taken off of anti-retroviral medication and tested HIV-negative. Five years later, Brown remains HIV-negative. Brown’s case was presented to an audience in Atlanta, sparking great discussion and speculation in the virology community.

However, skepticism lingers in the medical community because the findings have not been repeated and Brown’s body still harbors traces of HIV, albeit harmless pieces that are unable to replicate. Brown remains functionally cured, but scientists are reluctant to deem him ‘cured.’ Never-theless, this case is a marker in the fight against the disease and has inspired creative approaches to the search for an HIV cure in others

In 2013, it seems that we have stum-bled upon another ‘Timothy Brown’ case. Two years ago, a Mississippi girl born to an HIV-positive mother was treated hours after birth with a combination of HIV-fighting drugs. Dr. Hannah Gay, the specialist be-hind this case, chose to treat the girl before testing came back; this deci-sion may have been the little girl’s saving grace. Dr. Gay’s aggressive approach appears to have worked; the young girl has now been off of medication for a year and is showing no signs of regression.

This miraculous case has pediatricians raving; with such a precedent, it is possi-ble that in the future, no child will ever be born with HIV. The theory behind this treatment is that in an older person, the virus can settle in crevices of the brain or spleen. In a newborn, the body is not fully developed and so the virus has not yet hidden away. Anti-viral medications are more potent when they can readily access the virus, making directly after birth, the best time to treat a child with HIV. While an application to adult cases or far-developed AIDS cases is not ap-parent, it is a milestone nonetheless. HIV and its advanced version, AIDS, have taken the lives of too many in our world and an upcoming treatment is a wonderful possibility.HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a disease of the immune system. As it develops, it weakens its victims, leaving them sus-ceptible to a myriad of other diseases. Although some people live HIV-positive with no advancement or symptoms, those who experience damage to their immune systems are said to have AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have re-leased categories with which to distin-guish the stages of HIV and its final lev-el, AIDS. According to the World Health Organization, without treatment, a per-son infected with HIV is likely to only survive 9 to 11 years. With no clear cure, prevention is vehemently encour-aged. HIV, as a sexually transmitted disease, can be spread through bodily

fluids such as blood, semen and breast milk. With a combination of education and scientific research, we hope to see an end to this terrible disease in the fu-ture. Cases such as those of Timothy Brown and the girl in Mississippi serve as our light at the end of tunnel, a flicker of hope amidst the disheartening statis-tics.

A multitude of drugs are used in an effort to treat HIV. Source: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hivaids/understanding/treatment/pages/default.aspx

by SNEHANJANI EDUPUGANTI

by ANONYMOUS

What is Twitter? March 2013 Features

Tips for Going Green! Every issue, the Overachiever will be sharing a new idea to help you live an eco-friendly life. So, keep a look-out for more green tips in future issues!

Tip for Month:

Completely use up all the paper from the

notebooks—don’t let all that extra paper go to

waste!

In a world where technology is

advancing rapidly at a speed that

cannot be absorbed soon enough,

there is so much to take in and

learn about. Social media, for ex-

ample, is growing tremendously as

more and more people are signing

up to connect more with their peers

all around the world!

First, it was Myspace and now

comes Facebook, slowing fading

away and other social media sites

such as Twitter become more and

more popular.

Social media sites are at an all-time

high nowadays!

So everyone knows Mark

Zuckerberg, the man who created

Facebook. But where does Twit-

ter come from?

Twitter was initially used by

the board members of the pod-

casting company, Odeo. They

wanted a way to communicate

with the small group through

some simple method, such as

sending a text message. This

lead to the creation of the 5 num-

ber (which are now 40404) to

send a text to Twitter, which up-

dates it for all the individual’s fol-

lowers to see. The original name

for this service was ‘Twttr’ which

was inspired by Flickr and the

length of American SMS short

codes.

The website quickly gained

popularity through conferences

where members would keep tabs

on each other and the events

happening based off of Twitter.

Twitter had changed its logo and

its site design to its current style

on September 14, 2010. Recent-

ly, Twitter’s popularity has been

increasing immensely with the

ever growing number of users

tweeting everyday and is hoping

to continue on that way!

Photo Courtesy of: http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/12/17/social-networks-V2.jpg https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/2284174758/v65oai7fxn47qv9nectx.png

by MARIAM ANWAR

6 Features The Overachiever

Springtime Tips 2. Balance yourself.

Although focusing in classes is

very important, especially while near-

ing the school year, it is always cru-

cial to maintain some balance and

keep some sanity. It is no fun being

forced to stay inside your room doing

homework all day while watching all

the little children yelling and running

around outside in the warm weather!

3. Study for those finals!

Finals are such a major portion

of your grade for every class; it is

important to stay focused and con-

centrate on doing well on those dur-

ing the final weeks of school! Look

through all of the notes you have

made during the year and make use

of the time the teachers give you in-

class to go through the tests and

quizzes.

Spring is finally here! With all the

warm, sunny days (and since we live

in Michigan, maybe even the ran-

dom snowy days too!) ahead of us, it

becomes so easy and tempting to

distract ourselves from the torturous

thoughts of homework and school

and just call summer vacation in a

little too early. In order to avoid fall-

ing into the trap of the perfect weath-

er and the feeling that summer vaca-

tion is only a few months away, here

are some tips to help you out:.

1. Avoid pushing off homework.

Procrastinating becomes much

more tempting around this time, es-

pecially with so much to do in such

good weather and with summer so

close by. It may seem like not doing

one homework assignment or even

convincing yourself you will get to it

during passing time or during lunch

and end up not actually doing it may

sound like it would not hurt your

grade too much, but it actually will.

Every single assignment weighs in

and affects your grade in class, no

matter how small the points are

worth. So make sure you are doing

each and every assignment without

missing them carelessly!

4. Use it to your advantage.

Positive weather is actually

scientifically proven to give off posi-

tive vibes and lift up moods. So

when you are having a terrible day

because of school and stress, let

the warm sunny weather do its thing

and bring you happiness again!

5. You’re almost there!

Eagerly counting down the

days until summer vacation can be

aggravating and very tedious. It is in

times like these that it is important

to realize you made it more than

halfway through already, only a cou-

ple more months and all your hard

work will finally pay off!

Photo Courtesy of:

http://www.yoganonymous.com/wp-content/

uploads/2013/02/

wp_Spring_Daisy_1600x1200.jpg

http://www.thespoiledchild.com/wp-content/

uploads/2012/03/kids_at_the_park.jpg

http://b.vimeocdn.com/

ts/237/643/237643124_640.jpg

by ANONYMOUS

March 2013 Entertainment 7

Star of the Month: Emma Watson

This month’s star of the month is non other than the gor-geous and wonderful Emma Watson. Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born on 15 April 1990 in Paris, France. She is an English ac-tress best known for playing Hermi-one Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson starred in all eight Harry Potter films along with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. She was about eleven years old when she began filming for the first installment in the Harry Potter series. She also starred in the 2007 BBC film Ballet Shoes, which was an adaption of the novel Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. In her first Post-Harry Potter film, Watson appeared in My Week with Marilyn in 2011. She then starred in the film adaption of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Watson attended Brown Uni-versity for approximately 18 months

until she announced in March 2011 her decision to defer her course for a semester or two and focus on the release of the second Deathly Hal-lows film and other projects. She continued her studies at Worcester College, Oxford University. Her up-coming films include The Bling Ring, Noah, and Beauty and the Beast. Watson is a talented actress as well as a worldwide fashion icon.

She worked with Italian designer Alberta Ferretti to produce an organ-ic clothing line. In February 2011, Watson was awarded the Style Icon award from British Elle magazine. She had also been chosen as the face of Lancôme in March 2011. In addition, Watson made her model-ing debut for Burberry’s autumn/winter campaign in 2009. She later appeared in Burberry’s 2010 spring/summer campaign. Emma Watson has a an extremely bright future ahead of her. Picture 1: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_anCsh_UnrDU/

TPNB4SIICQI/AAAAAAAAFBw/Xi6ts3OEBaU/s1600/hermione%2Bgranger.jpg Picture 2: http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33200000/People-s-Choice-Awards-Portraits-HQ-emma-watson-33269909-2604-3444.jpg

Book of the Month: We Sinners

We Sinners is the debut novel of Hanna Pylvainen. She is a gradu-ate of the International Academy. This novel is drawn from the au-thor's own life experience. It is about the Finnish-American family of Rovaniemis and their nine children who belong to a deeply traditional church in modern-day Michigan. The story is told in 11 chapters, each from a different family member’s perspec-tive. Although money is tight, the parents provide the children with books, musical instruments, and love. Their home is small, the van is old and rusty, and there are of-ten fights among siblings. But most importantly, the children share a tribal bond. The novel explores the issues that face the family as the children struggle with their faith. Some of the children rebel and return while others do not and find

themselves in a world that is lonely and shallow. Pylvainen’s novel is an excellent novel to read and has re-ceived positive reviews. In fact, USA Today gave the novel 3 and 1/2 starts out of 4. The story is very moving, graceful and compassion-ate. Once you begin to read, you will find yourself immersed into the sto-ry. This is one book you will not be able to put down until you reach the end. She has truly written a remark-able novel that is engaging and amazing. Check out the local library or bookstore for a copy of this won-derful novel. Picture 2:http://www.npr.org/2012/08/26/159928880/faith-family-and-forgiveness-in-we-sinners

Entertainment The Overachiever 8

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

by TRUSHA PATEL

The ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars is an excellent show watched by millions of viewers. The show is loosely based on the popular series of novels written by Sara Shepard. Pretty Little Liars premi-ered in June 2010 and since then it has received lots of good reviews and a loyal fan base. The show is set in the fic-tional town of Rosewood, Pennsylva-nia. It follows the lives of Aria Mont-gomery, Hanna Marin, Spencer Has-tings, and Emily Fields. After the dis-appearance of their clique leader Alison DilLaurentis, their clique falls apart. One year later, they begin re-ceiving messages from a mysterious person using the name “A” and threatening to expose their secrets. At first the girls think it’s Alison her-self but after he body is discovered, the girls realize that someone else knows their secrets. It is later re-vealed in the series that Alison was also stalked by A, and the girls con-tinue to find more information about A and Alison’s disappearance. In the show, Aria Montgom-ery is played by Lucy Hale, Spencer Hastings by Troian Bellisario, Hanna Marin by Ashley Benson, Emily Fields by Shay Mitchell, and Alison DiLaurentis by Sasha Pieterse. Not only are the actresses popular but Pretty Little Liars is also known for its gorgeous male characters capturing the hearts of many girls. The series has received many positive critiques and consistent high success ratings. Currently the show has completed its third season. Pretty Little Liars has been renewed for a fourth season which will premiere in June 2013. Pretty Little Liars is a show for a wide range of audienc-es. It is a fantastic show that every-one should at least give it a chance to watch before changing the chan-nel. It is still not too late to catch up

to the latest events in Rosewood and join in the A action. Once you start watching, you will not be able to put down the remote! Everyone else is watching so should you! Turn on the television today and start watching the remarkable and popular Pretty Little Liars.

Troian Bellisario(Spencer Hastings)

Ashley Benson

(Hanna Marin)

Emily Fields (Shay Mitch-

ell)

Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery)

Picture 1: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjIxNDM5NDgyMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwND-Q5MTc3Nw@@._V1_SY317_CR12,0,21.jpg Picture 2: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU1MzkwNDY1Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwN-TY3OTg5NQ@@._V1._SY314_CR13,0,214,314_jpg Picture 3: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19900000/Troian-Bellisario-troian-bellisario-19940678-819-1024.jpg Picture 4: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/26800000/Ashley-Benson-Tommy-Hilfiger-s-Night-Of-Cocktails-and-Dancing-held-at-Soho-House-ashley-benson-26870896-948-1222.jpg Picture 5: http://www.racebending.com/v4/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ef491_shay-mitchell.jpg

by MAHUM FAROOQUI by DYLAN McGUIRE

March 2013 Sports

IA Athlete of the Month

Austin Pickwick, A junior at the IA, has

earned his first IA Student of the Month

Award! The reason why people chose

him to achieve this title is because of his

humility and love of helping people. In

addition to this, he is balancing his

heavy workload with many hard classes

and is also a language and music design-

er. I decided to interview him and asked

about his own view about earning this

award.

Q. What do you think sets you apart

from other students?

A.Well, I really do not want to brag, and

I guess I am not any different from other

people at my school. People say that I

have a lot of humility and always help

people. People have a lot of good things

to say about me, helping people is

among the most they say. But ultimately

there is no positive aspect about me that

makes me stand out because I think I am

just like everyone else.

Q. How do you feel about getting the

Student of the Month title?

A.I am actually really surprised and elat-

ed that someone would nominate me. It

is good to know that people consider me

to be an exemplary student. In addition,

it is pleasing to know that I have been

chosen as the Student of the Month out

of a wide range of people.

Q. What is your goal from now on?

A.Honestly, I don't think there have been

any major changes in my goals since I

got this Student of the Month Title. Just

because I am student of the Month does

not mean I want to change the way I

view my future. However if the question

is asking about my personal goals, it

would be to continue writing music and

designing new languages because that is

where my interests lie.

Q. What else should people know about

you?

competitions in which they and repre-

sentatives from other countries debate

issues as broad as they are urgent- issues

such as the Palestine conflict, the crisis

in Syria, religious tolerance in Europe,

political stability in Africa, and many

more.

“Model UN gives the young generation

perspective and opinions on current is-

sues,” says Mr. Pagnani, the club's act-

ing sponsor, “It's an extremely valuable

educational experience for students

looking to expand their knowledge of

important issues around the world.”

Model UN is currently run by four class

officers- Sheema Rehman, Hannah Da-

vies, Andres Cornejo, and Peter Kim.

However, Mr. Pagnani insists that the

real power lies in the hands of the spon-

sor, which he is serving as this year in

Mrs. Hedges' absence.

This year, Model UN went to three com-

petitions- SEMMUNA at Lahser, CASC

in Lansing, and an invitational at Har-

vard University. According to partici-

pants, SEMMUNA is a casual competi-

tion used to introduce Model UN to a

wide range of students, whereas CASC

was a three day long trip during which

each student focused intently on two

issues. 14 IA students won awards for

their performance. The Harvard invita-

tional took place over the course of an

entire weekend and included participants

from over 120 countries; IA was as-

signed the role of Palestine, as the entire

conference focused on the Middle East

conflict. Next year, they plan to expand

the season to include even more chances

to compete.

Model UN helps to build leadership and

give students an understanding of forces

and conflicts that are affecting their dai-

ly lives. If you are interested in joining

Model UN, talk to any of the class offic-

ers or Mr. Pagnani about what you can

do now to prepare for next year.

A.Well, I cant really think of anything

else that people should know about me

but I will tell you about what peoples

should know about themselves. Every-

one should know that they are capable of

earning the Student of the Month

Award. It is not too difficult to be suc-

cessful at the IA once you get the hang

of it.

Ok then! Congratulations!

Are you interested in current

events? Are you curious about how soci-

ety and politics are shaping our world as

we speak? Would you enjoy pretending

to be the physical embodiment of a for-

eign nation and arguing with other na-

tions over whether or not the Coalition

should intervene in the Syrian crisis? If

you answered yes to any of these ques-

tions, then Model UN is the club for

you.

Despite the slight absurdity of its prem-

ise, Model UN is in fact one of the old-

est and most prestigious clubs offered by

the International Academy. In it, stu-

dents are assigned a country and are

asked to learn all they can about its gov-

ernment, culture, public policy, and role

in foreign affairs. Then, they attend

February Superbowl

Austin Pickwick

Spotlight: Model UN

by NANCY HUANG

Perspectives The Overachiever 10

History of Fools

So recently I read this article that summed up the history of April Fool’s day in about three pages. Here is a summary for you.

(Note: Article from http://

www.april-fools.us/history-april-fools.htm)

The history of April Fool's

Day or All Fool's Day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the re-form of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was in-troduced, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25 - April 1 (new year's week) to January 1 (currently our New Year!).

So, apparently, people really

didn’t like that. Communication was really slow back then and most peo-ple didn’t even hear about the calen-dar change until years later.

The stubborn ones decided

to disregard January 1st altogether and keep celebrating the new year on April 1st. They were labeled as “fools” by the general populace, and a wide variety of pranks were played on them. They were sent invitations to fake parties, and ran “fool er-rands”. This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continue on the first day of

April. This tradition eventually spread elsewhere like to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way.

In England, for instance, jokes are played only in the morn-ing. Fools are called 'gobs' or 'gobby' and the victim of a joke is called a 'noodle.' It was considered back luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon.

In Rome, the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, cele-brating the resurrection of the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing Day."

In Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends—flour. Flour.

The Huli Festival is cele-brated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another and smear colors on one another cele-brating the arrival of Spring.

So, you know, guys, it’s not just us. The rest of the world knows how to party, too. So good luck on your pranks, everyone! Make sure that they’re appropriate, yet awe-some!

Image from http://

www.inflexwetrust.com/2012/04/01/ifwt

-wishes-you-a-happy-april-fools-day/

Image from http://

gawker.com/5506472/columbia-girds-

for-crackling-april-fools-day

Image from http://www.zazzle.com/

i_love_april_fools_day_coffee_mug-

168837857027478023

11 March 2013 Perspectives

Ask the Dude! by THE DUDE Got a question? Relationship issues?

Family matters? Problems about school?

Unsolvable HL math equations? Ask the

Dude!

All letters to The Dude are subject to

publication in the International Academy

High School Overachiever. Names of

correspondents guaranteed confidential.

Want to submit a question of your own?

Drop off a note in the box at the main

office!

The Best Prank by NANCY HUANG

So this one time I sent my friend a fake love letter. It was pret-ty awesome. He thought so, too.

His initial strategy was to freak out on Facebook to one of my other friends (she sent me the chat later). He even tried to analyze eve-ry aspect of our totally-platonic-brotherly relationship. After going on a rant for like an hour (while I read the shared chat, cracking up and eating Fruit Loops), he finally logged off and said he was going to sleep.

My friend, the one chatting with him, immediately called me. A plan hatched.

So I called him up. Me: “Hello! Vedha said

something was up.” Him: “Oh, yeah. I just want

you to know that I read your email and I’m going to go to sleep right now because I can’t handle this

pressure and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Me: “Oh, that’s too bad. I mean, it’s like, 11:56. Just four more minutes, right?”

Him: “…” Me: “I mean, Vedha

and I were going to drag it on until the actual date, but since you wimped out at the last four minutes, I guess we just can’t.”

Him: “…” Me: “Also, how the

heck did you not know this was a setup, god I am brilliant.”

He made a sound like his brain was dying.

Long story short: it was very amusing. I highly rec-ommend sending one of your best friends an April Fool’s Day love letter. If your friends are like my friends, they won’t even doubt for a second that you may be lying. It just shows

how much trust my friends have in me that they believed it.

So, you know, best April Fool’s Day ever.

Dear Dude, Do you have any rec-ommendations for getting CAS hours? I work at the library and since I’ve been getting paid to work there, I can’t really call it creativity or service. And be-cause of my hours I have no time to do anything else. Time-management suggestions? Shelving Forever

Dear Shelving, Which library do you work at? The library does more than shelve books, I’m pretty sure. You could ask whoever supervises you if you could be put on preparing activities at the library. I’m pretty sure that sometimes there are arts and crafts centers at libraries, and those could count for creativity. As for time management, unless you quit your job, you’re going to have to find a way to incorpo-rate work time and getting more hours. Hope this helps. The Dude

The Back Page Everything else you could want in the news.

During the month of March I have considered the people that I value in my life heavier than other

months. I am fortunate enough to be in the position of having an eclectic collection of friends, who mesh into

the curves of my life and provide laughter, wisdom, and happiness. It is true the saying that friends are the

family that you choose. Through friendship we can recognize that two people do not have to have identical in-

terests or values, but instead both willing to learn from each other and expand each other’s personalities and

minds, bringing out sides of people that are otherwise kept in the dark.

Friendship feeds off the appreciation of each other. The best way to remind your friends of their value

should be kept simple. Reminding them of the traits that keep them unique from others, for example. The rea-

sons that make them great individuals is important, and teaching them to find the beauty in their differences

that they might not be able to identify themselves. Another way to help your friends realize their value is simp-

ly by being honest to them. When they know that being told the truth, they themselves can give more trust back

to you. Simple things like talking trash behind a friends back or telling lies about your friend can ruin a

bridge of trust you share between each other. Being honest with one another and keeping true will show your

friends how much they mean to you in an indirect way. During this month, do not forget to consider your

friendships and the true happiness you can gain from them.

Here’s a Sudoku puzzle to keep your brain healthy and to keep your mind of your stressful day. Challenge

yourself!

By Patricia Liu and Isabella Lackner

Puzzle of the Month