It’s 3:43 PM and Courtney S. ’10, has closed her computer, zipped her backpack, and is sitting on the edge of her seat.

“St. Angela, watch over the days of our youth. St. Ursula, protect our future.“

Courtney leaps out of her seat, dashes to the door, and power-walks to her car.

Courtney parks along the lacrosse field, and because of traffic, it often takes her between 10 and 15 minutes to make it from her parking space to the exit gate in the afternoons. Unless she sprints to her car.

“I take my sister and her friend to and from school every day. I used to have them meet at my car after school, but because they are freshmen, they are really slow. And because of traffic, I don’t have time to wait for them,” she said.

“Now I make them wait in the freshman carpool area. Immediately after class, I run to the car and drive around to pick them up there.”

Mr. Steve Smith, Director of Security, agrees.

“Traffic is a mess,” he said.

Mr. Smith points to non-compliance with the rules as the main reason for the gridlock on campus. For example, although the left lane that goes all the way around campus is for picking up/dropping off students and the right lane is a through lane, some parents stop traffic in the right lane to pick up their children.

Even though the front rotunda is supposed to be reserved for guests and visitors only, some parents pick up or drop off their children there, holding up traffic.

“If we could get everyone to comply with signage, things would go much more smoothly,” he said.

Or perhaps it is simply a matter of congestion. There is only one lane of traffic to carry students and parents all the way from the student entrance to just past the FFC. To further complicate things, as students and parents are trying to make their way out, the juniors in Junior strip, located immediately before the main exit, are all trying to back out of their parking spaces at once. The students who park in the lot behind St. Ursula are also trying to merge with the two traffic lanes headed toward Walnut Hill.

Next year, to alleviate traffic somewhat, Mr. Smith is looking to add more signs to make parents and guests especially more aware of the traffic rules. He is also considering converting parts of the on-campus roads towards the front of the school from one-way to two-way. But the main drive that circles around campus will most likely remain a one-way street.

The safety of Ursuline students, parents, and faculty is Mr. Smith’s main concern.

“We keep the roads one-way so that no vehicles are trying to cross in front of other ones,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to have no accidents. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

According to Mr. Smith, there have only been two on-campus accidents this year, and both were minor collisions that occurred when girls were parking.

Meanwhile, traffic is still an issue for those students who park along the west side of campus.

“I don’t even have time to ask a teacher a quick question after school, unless I want to be stuck in the carpool line until 4:15,” said Natalie R. ’10.

“Traffic makes me late to golf practice,” said Courtney.

Traffic delays during afternoon carpool are causing students and the parents that pick them up increasing frustration. However, as Mr. Smith pointed out, it is not an easy problem to fix.

Avatar
- Director: James Cameron
- Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
- Thoughts: Apparently the billions of dollars James Cameron spent on creating Avatar paid off: the movie not only made headlines, but also broke box-office records.  However, Avatar is a movie that people either love or hate. There are certainly aesthetically pleasing elements of Avatar, but political undertones are evident. The plot, however, was oddly similar to Disney’s Pocahontas.

The Blind Side
- Director: John Lee Hancock
- Actors: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins
- Thoughts: Sandra Bullock certainly has changed since her Miss Congeniality days. Michael Oher, a boy from the bad part of Memphis, changes the Tuohy’s lives so much you can barely remember how the family was in the beginning. I have yet to talk to someone who has seen The Blind Side and left the theater not feeling happy. And amid the other types of movies nominated, many find it encouraging that The Blind Side is among them.

District 9
- Director: Neill Blomkamp
- Actors: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope
- Screenplay (adapted): Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
- Thoughts: The last thing Africa needs is an Alien invasion, but this did not stop Neill Blomkamp from making this sci-fi thriller. Throughout the entire movie I wondered what was going on, and why anyone would think to make a movie this horrible, and thankfully, after fastforwarding through the last half, it ended. Not only was the plot ridiculous, but the aliens themselves were so graphic, the movie was especially difficult to stomach.

An Education
- Director: Lone Scherfig
- Actors: Carrey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgard, Dominic Cooper
- Screenplay (adapted): Nick Hornby
- Thoughts: “Don’t talk to strangers,” your parents have always told you.   But put a charming older man in the mix and the task gets a little more difficult.  1960’s London may sound more exciting than it actually is, but Jenny’s desperation for a more exciting life allows her to see what the world has to offer.

The Hurt Locker
- Director: Kathryn Bigelow
- Actors: Jeremy Renner, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce
- Screenplay (original): Mark Boal
- Thoughts: There has yet to be a movie that depicts the War on Terror in such raw detail. The Hurt Locker tells the story of the trials and tribulations of soldiers on a base in Baghdad, and of the brotherhood among all of them. Throughout the movie you see what it really means to have the patience and courage to be a modern soldier.

Inglorious Basterds
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Actors: Brad Pitt, Cristoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak
- Screenplay (original): Quentin Tarantino
- Thoughts: It is weird to think that a movie about WWII can be funny. Though the blood and gore make the R rating necessary, Tarantino did a good job of making the movie as authentic as possible with French and German spoken by many characters.

Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
- Director: Lee Daniels
- Actors: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique
- Screenplay (adapted): Geoffrey Fletcher
-Thoughts: First of all, Precious is definitely not as depressing as one would expect from the trailers. The movie starts off with Precious living with intense poverty and abuse, but the last third of the movie is so uplifting that it is hard not to cry. Gabourey Sidibe as Precious does a fantastic job of making the audience feel her character’s hurt, anger, and joy as she goes through the journey of self-reclamation. Mo’nique has earned numerous awards for this film for good reason: as Precious’ mother, she is terrifying.

A Serious Man
- Director: Ethan and Joel Coen
- Screenplay (original): Joel and Ethan Coen
-  Actors: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick
-  Thoughts: To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect from this movie. 1960’s Minnesota is the setting for this movie about a Jewish man. So many things go wrong for the main character, Larry Gopnik, that I started to wonder when things would start to turn around. However, the ending comes and the problems are still not resolved for Larry and his family, and I was just happy for the movie to be over.

Up
- Screenplay (original): Bob Peterson and Pete Docter
- Thoughts: Is there ever a Pixar movie that disappoints? I personally cannot think of one. Up is as feel good as the beautiful colored balloons that allow Carl’s house to float all the way to South America. The relationship between a cynical old man, Carl, and a happy-go-lucky young boy, Russell, is unconventional but certainly one that over time becomes similar to that of father and son.

Up in the Air
- Director: Jason Reitman
- Actors: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga
- Screenplay (adapted): Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
- Thoughts:  Up in the Air is a serious look at the repercussions of letting your work take over your life. It is a well directed and well written film and the actors just make it all the better.  The movie does end on a hopeful note—it makes you think about priorities, about living a fuller life that makes you happy rather than throwing away opportunities for happiness in search of money or status.

     Now, to oppose the green movement in our day and age is the near equivalent of killing puppies. This, of course, is not my intention. It is rather to question a movement that remains largely infallible in our nation’s eyes: if a product has a ‘green’ label on it, we naturally assume that it must be infinitely superior.

     While in many cases this may very well be true, marketing products as ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘green’ is largely hypocritical.

     Why? Because it encourages us to consume more. Sure a new energy efficient washing machine may save energy, but what happens to your old machine? Or any old appliance that is replaced for an ‘energy efficient’ one? 

     But the marketing does not stop at appliances. Certain clothing, cleaning products, why, even electronics are now marketed as ‘green.’ This idea needs to be re-evaluated: isn’t the goal to consume less? To conserve resources?

     The other day for example I was at a pet store where I saw a display of “Eco-friendly” dog collars. Naturally, I was curious to know just how dog collars could possibly be earth friendly. It turns out that these collars were not only made out of recycled materials, but were also manufactured using a process that emitted less carbon.

     While this is great and everything, wouldn’t it be more “Eco-friendly” to not buy your dog a fifth studded collar?

     Wouldn’t it be more environmentally friendly just not to buy anything? I believe the mantra is “reduce, reuse, recyle,” not “buy, buy, buy.”

     In truth, consumerism and environmentalism should be conflicting ideologies. But somehow, as ironic as a recycle truck that emits high quantities of toxic fumes, the two seem to have come together.

     But it seems that “going green” is more than a movement and a marketing strategy.  It also seems to be a fad: from drinking out of a Sigg to driving a Prius, saving the environment is in.

     Let’s just hope it’s a trend that lasts.

     Obviously, technology is supposed to make life easierrrrrrrr..r..jjl ifdeqn

     So sorry, I just had to restart my laptop 5 times, do my “please, please, PLEASE work” dance, and scream a few times to get it up and running again…That was fun.

     So right, technology. Technology is flkj dsf…,…,

     UGH! Once again, so sorry friends. I’ve been frantically saving everything on my laptop to a disk drive because I have that gut feeling that those two “issues” were just the beginning.  Do you want to hear how I got it working this time? I closed my eyes, and put my hand over the keyboard. Holding one hand up to the heavens, I yelled, “I heal you!!!” like a faith healer.  I think I might have scared my classmates…

     I swear this time I’ll get through a sentence. Now, Technckjvl

     Okay, so I got serious this time. I finally took my laptop to the Cave and Kyle told me I should come back tomorrow. You know what that means. Bye bye laptop, see you next week.  It’s not Kyle’s fault, though. Many laptops here have about the same number of problems as mine. He must be swamped, all the time. This breakdown is just unfortunate because now I have to redo my biology project.

     Oh well. Here goes. Technology is a tool we can use to increase efficiency and stay connected with the world around us.  Hey look, that’s a full sentence!!! Maybe I’ll be able to finished a para.ge gl`d

Garrrrr. Now, I’m mad. My hot spare broke down. I had to get a hot spare for my hot spare! And you remember that biology project I was working on. Gone. Again.

     You know, when my laptop is working, it is a thing of beauty. I can get all my homework done with a billion times the efficiency. My life is easier and I am more technologically aware because of it.  In fact, just the other day, my mother asked me to scan her computer for viruses and fix her internet so that it wouldn’t be so slow, and I knew how to address both those problems. 

     However, for those terrible, bleak days when technology doesn’t work, my world basically comes crashing down around me. 

     Now, I only have one more thing to sayfn bcvio wfbefo

     You know what? Forget it.

— Penelope

1. Create a cool architectural phenomenon like Stonehenge.  Come in the dead of night, build, and leave no explanation.

2. Off-roading.  Drive your car right off junior strip and enjoy the ride.

3. Build a windmill.  Entertain yourself by charging at the giants with a sword.  Unless it’s all in your head…

4. Farm.  Grow only cool vegetables like corn where you can then can create crop circles and freak everyone out.

5. Two words. Mud Fight.

6. Live there.  Put up a tent and camp out.  This will let you wake up at 8:40 with no worries about being late to class.

7. Reenact a Civil War battle, preferably the Battle of Dove Creek, one of the few battles fought in Texas where the Confederates were beaten by the Kickapoo Indians.  Make sure to scream out in pain when you are “shot” and fall to the ground convincingly.

8. Play a little baseball.  When the ball inevitably goes over the fence into Walnut Hill, all hope is not lost.  Pretend like you still have it and play virtual baseball.

9. Or if baseball isn’t your thing, play a little hide and seek.  Yes, there is really no place to hide so you must be creative.  Burrow yourself in the mud and cover your body with grass.  Only come up after at least an hour.

10. Grab a group of friends during free and stand together near the fence by Walnut Hill.  Stand in rows, stare at the cars that go by, and point a hair-dryer at the road.  If they slow down, wave politely.

It has been seven days since I last used a computer. I was not on vacation and unable to get to a computer, and I was not grounded from it. I made this decision myself. It might seem crazy on my part, but I wanted to see what it would be like to go a week with no computer.

Here’s the thing: Ursuline girls like to use their computers. A lot. Some girls are simply addicted to Facebook, Hulu videos, or celebrity gossip sites such as Perez Hilton and Just Jared. Other students spend hours taking quizzes on Sporcle or looking at colleges on College Prowler and telling themselves that it’s “Ok” because they’re learning something. We all take care of work and home-related business at school, shopping and e-mailing throughout the day.

“I think computers can be a distraction, but in the end it is the students’ choice to take advantage of the distraction,” Allison K. ’10 said.

Obviously, the primary use of the laptops is for school. Many quizzes, reviews, assignments, announcements, textbooks, and projects are all only available online and a large percentage of assignments can only be done on the computer.

“I spend 50% of my time at school on the computer,” said Ali B. ’10.

Middle school, where notes were taken by hand and we only used computers for major projects, is really hard to remember. What I do remember, especially about the note taking, is painful even to contemplate. With these distinctive memories in mind, I prepared myself for my mission.

Actually making sure I did not get on the computer meant changing passwords and keeping the computer far from my reach to remove (if only physically) temptation. It was a long and arduous process. I had to print out all of the documents I would need and resign myself to the fact that I would not be seeing the gleam of my good ol’ Toshiba for a week (the longest we’ve been separated since I got it).

I felt like I was on a mini vacation, and it felt nice to be away from it allthe gossip, the stalking, the narcissism, and the extra school stress…

Then it snowed. And then there was no school.

Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic to have a mini vacation, but I started running into problems with my mission. I was watching TV when I suddenly had the urge to look up the actors on imdb.com to figure out what they’re doing with their lives and where they were born and how old they are. Essentially, I wanted to stalk them, but my mission kept me from the hunt.

Having a four day weekend during this mission actually helped me to stay clear of the computer. I found new things to eat up my time: Olympics, sleep, TV, and exercise. I actually did some homework, too. But after three days sans computer, I started to miss knowing the answer to my own questions immediately after typing them into Google.

With the Vancouver Olympics underway, I wanted to do some research on the biathlon, the obscure sport of cross country skiing with guns. Without Google I was left to my own devices. I entered my dark and dusty library and hauled out a book I have not touched in years: the encyclopedia. The American Spectrum Encyclopedia smells like one of those books you find in the library that no one has ever touched but somehow smells bad because it just sits there. So I opened up the enormous book and found the entry for biathlon. It actually gave the information to me just like Google would have (though maybe not as in depth as Wikipedia).

After the long and unplanned break, dreaded Monday came and I had no idea what to expect without being able to check Blackboard. I got to school armed with only pen and paper. I know people say that using the computer is a gateway to distraction, but I found out there are plenty of ways you can distract yourself when you are finished taking notes. My personal favorite was looking at my planner and trying to figure out when I could go on my college visits and seeing what days we have off. (Sadly, there are none until Spring Break.) Then I started making lists: what I need to get done that day, that week, that month, and you can see where this is going… I never actually looked at or used those lists. They were simply my way of wasting time before the clock hit 10:17. It was my form of “Texts from Last Night”, if you will.

The long seven days finally ended. I opened up my laptop, and it felt good to be reunited with my Toshiba. The feeling of having a wealth of information at my fingertips overwhelmed me. After 45 minutes, I felt reconnected to my friends and to pop culture. I found it a lot easier to tear myself away from my laptop later that night. When I was watching the bizarre sport that is curling, I actually referenced my trusty Encyclopedia.

After completing this mission, I have come to the conclusion that computers today are completely necessary. Computers are great and are almost always used for the good or benign, and, if used in moderation they are perfectly fine. It was good to remind myself of the ‘”good ol’ days” when our social lives and academic careers didn’t depend on little silver slabs prone to viruses and breakdowns—when we spent more time thinking and learning than staring at a screen.

The team prepared several weeks ahead of time, reviewing parliamentary procedure – the code of conduct for debating in session.  They also researched their country in depth — the government, people, economy — and the issues specific to their assigned committees.  All of the girls did exceptionally well; Esha E. ‘10 and Natalie R. ‘10 from the Human Rights Committee  received a Verbal Commendation.

We have been housed in three different buildings, witnessed more than a hundred classes graduate and seen essentially everything. I mean everything.

My friends and I were traumatized after the first time a mob of young ladies thundered down the hallway during Intramurals, screaming and shouting, wearing different colors and cheering for their respective classes. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that we are not covered up unceremoniously like the other classes from the 1900s. Those poor girls are relegated to hibernation for the entire week! We do communicate with and visit each other from time to time, but it is not as if we could fit all of them into our frames at once.

We enjoy being in the epicenter of the school. We see you as young freshmen, watch you grow and graduate. We particularly liked the renovations over the last two years—the opportunity to see all of you every day on your way to the pre-made portable classrooms, talking, shouting, laughing and crying. The rainy days were my personal favorite. Watching students being ambushed by teachers and administrators with ponchos was just about the most amusing thing I have ever witnessed.

We are usually the first and the last to greet visitors. Parents confused by the maps for conferences, delegations and nervous eighth-graders all stop by to see us before continuing on their visits. They are all rather impressed—we assume that it is because we are poised and fashionable.

Seeing the graduates lined up for their ceremony every summer is our favorite part of the year. I must admit that we are quite jealous of the (rather scandalous) “regulations” for the dresses. You have absolutely NO idea how hot and stuffy my graduation was—there was enough fabric in my ruffled collar to make hundreds of the “straps” that serve as sleeves to your gowns.

The ever-evolving hair styles have been a constant source of amusement (and confusion—we almost gave up trying to understand after the 80s…), and we do like the hats. On a few occasions, students have attempted to deviate from the “dress code” by wearing odd shoes or other accessories. The reactions from the faculty overseers were, in a word, priceless.

While we are on the topic of fashion, I would like to say that we do not appreciate your gawking or joking at our clothes. I will remind you that our dresses were the absolute height of fashion in our time, however long ago that was. We would also like to point out that regardless of the fact that our coiffeurs remind you of “poodles”, at least we brushed and styled our hair. On a regular basis. Every day.

     Ursuline is home to hundreds of athletes: basket-bears, soccer bears, swimming and diving bears, and even golfing bears. Each week Bear Faithful gives updates on our teams’ performances in their various games, matches, and tournaments.

     What often goes unnoticed is the hard work of the off-campus athletes. They devote just as much time and energy to their extra-curricular activities, but are seldom recognized for their achievements.

Lisa M. ’12, a dancer for Power House Competitive Drill Company, has danced for 13 years and considers it her passion.

“I cannot remember what exactly made me start dancing, but watching different dance competitions and events made me want to pursue some sort of career in dancing, then it became my passion,” said Lisa.

She practices with her company once a week for two hours and then attends mandatory dance classes at least three times a week.

In addition to dance, Lisa participates in Jesuit cheerleading, which practices twice a week.

Although her time consuming dance and cheer schedule becomes overwhelming at times, Lisa explains, “[Cheer] is just another way to branch out and stay in shape and healthy! And I love it!”

Lauren C. ’11 also juggles an off-campus sport with an Ursuline sport. She plays Ursuline lacrosse four days a week and still finds time to ride her horse, Miss Prisse, twice a week.

“I have a lot of fun doing [Lacrosse] too, but there isn’t always a lot of free time in my schedule with both sports,” said Lauren.

Lauren has been horseback riding since she was six-years old. She took lessons when she was younger and now competes in horse shows about once a month.

Sometimes she finds it difficult to fit in her horse shows with her lacrosse games, because shows can last anywhere between a couple of hours to a couple of days.

“The best part is flying over the jumps during cross country. It’s also a lot of fun spending time with my horse. She’s like a really big dog I get to take care of,” said Lauren.

Kelsey N. ’10 shows her pride by participating in competitive cheerleading for the PRIDE All-Star team.

Kelsey has been cheering for PRIDE since she was a sophomore. She and her team practice three times during the week for about two hours and three hours on Sundays.

“We have 8 competitions each season,” said Kelsey. The first competition takes place in early November and the last at the end of February.

During competition season, the team practices at least five times during the week, adding more practices if they need it. The actual competitions usually last all day Saturday and Sunday.

“All of the hard work really pays off in the end,” said Kelsey. “My coaches are hilarious, the girls at the gym are so sweet, and the competitions are a blast!”