Choir students then loaded the buses again, and were supposed to be taken to the Brooklyn Bridge to walk on it and see the sights, but weather caused some complications, so instead students were drove to the 9/11 memorial. Before entering the memorial, students were brought through a security check, and then told what they can or can’t do in the memorial.

        After an hour or so at the memorial, the students trekked along to Wall Street for sightseeing and hot dog stands. The choir was then brought to the subway once again to be taken to their next big event, a dinner cruise. The subway however, did not arrive at the cruise, it arrived about 2 to 3 miles away, or in New York measurements, 15 or so blocks. After a long walk, the students finally arrived on the cruise ship, along with 3 other high schools, one of them from Wisconsin. The dinner cruise lasted from about 7 PM to 10 PM. After the long exhausting dinner cruise of dancing and sightseeing, choir students boarded the bus and were ready for the long 20 hour drive home.

        The choir stood outside the on the Met stairs while waiting for the tour guide, Karen, to collect all of the tickets. Students were entertained during the wait as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade marched through the streets. The Met offered a variety of art to view such as digital photography, ancient instruments, and Egyptian artifacts. Students broke into groups of about four to explore to their hearts’ content. Once done at the Met, the group of about 90 toured in Central Park as it started to snow. They saw everything from a small castle to a garden dedicated to John Lennon named Strawberry Fields.

        The cold and wet students were relieved to enter Lincoln Center. They were given a very short tour by former Albert Lea High School student _____ Ness. After Ness answered a few questions, the students headed off to the subway where they saw their first, plump subway rat on the rails. Cameras flashed to capture the moment much to the dismay of native New Yorkers.

         Students then went to Hard Rock Cafe. Quite a few birthdays were loudly celebrated as the choir students were able to express their talent in the singing of the Happy Birthday song.

        Once full from the warm meal, the students watch the musical Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia was a very colorful and lively performance with the best friend sidekicks being the overall favorite of the musical. The day was finished off when the students returned to their hotel and peaceful snores created music filled with harmony.

         March 30th is National Doctor’s Day and a great time to call up the family Doc and say ‘Thank You for keeping me alive so far.’ Doctors get the generic appreciation after every check-up and physical, but it’s the life-changing surgeries that bring forth the tears of joy and thanks they really want to hear.  A card, basket of luscious fruit or perhaps even a random bear hug consisting of confetti and three other people is what doctors enjoy; you can see it in their eyes. Surrounded by sterilized objects and death most of the time, why not throw your doctor a bone (pardon the pun) and sprinkle some gratitude on their National Doctor’s Day Cake or get the whole family together and take a road trip to Mayo for a surprise visit to Dr. (Insert Name Here), to carry out that giant bear hug. I’m sure he/she will smile like the Cheshire cat from having received the acknowledgment.

         National Doctor’s Day was first started by Eudora Brown Almond from Winder, GA. National Doctor’s day has been celebrated since 1991 after George Bush signed the resolution passed by the Senate and Congress. It is marked by the first use of general anesthesia in surgery and the beginning of less suffering during. Doctors perform what some call miracles every day; they just call it their job. Celebrating a tribute to someone who saves lives every day? What’s the harm in that?

Day 1

Upon arrival in The Big Apple, choir students where bused into the heart of the city. Along the way, a brown tour bus from Texas sideswiped the leading ALHS bus, which resulted in the loss of the left rear-view mirror. After insurance policies were exchanged, the students arrived at the Birdland Jazz Club.  Students dined while enjoying a live performance by Amanda Brecker. However, there was more than just diner and a show. Somehow, a paper napkin on a table without a candle started on fire. The flame was promptly extinguished by chaperon Susan Piper who quickly poured a glass of water on the flambeed napkin. When the show finished, the travelers had a group photo taken in Time Square. The group wound down their day of adventure by taking in the sights atop the Empire State Building.

Members of the Albert LeaHigh School wrestling team made an appearance at the State wrestling tournament on Friday. ALHS students that wrestled on Friday include Beau Johnsrud, Trevor Westerlund, Garret Wangsness, Dakota Wangsness, Lucas Hansen, Tristian Westerlund and Jacob Kunkel.

Tiger wrestling began it’s day with Beau Johnsrud, who suffered an unfortunate defeat. Johnsrud wrestled valiantly but could not get any points on the board. He was pinned with moments to spare. He lost his match 0-8.

Next up for the Tigers was Trevor Westerlund. Westerlund gained some significant points right away, and crushed his opponent with a final score of 18-3.

Garrett Wangsness wrestled next. He suffered an unfortunate loss of 11-3.

Following Garrett Wangsness was his brother Dakota Wangsness. Wangsness found himself a strong start, gaining four points. Unfortunately, this was the extent of his scoring. Wangsness lost 4-8.

Up next for the Tigers was Lucas Hansen. Hansen came out with a strong start, gaining a point, which ended up being the extent for scoring for both sides for almost the entire match. Hansen gained two more points in the closing seconds of the match and won 3-0.

Tristian Westerlund was up next. Westerlund demolished his opponent and won his match.

Next for the Tigers was Jacob Kunkel. Kunkel suffered an unfortunate 0-9 defeat. He fought valiantly to come back but couldn’t get out from under the other wrestler.

First up for the Tigers in the second round was Trevor Westerlund. Westerlund was, unfortunately pinned.

Hansen was up next. He lost his match as well. Hansen wrestled the number won wrestler in his weight class, who has only lost six matches in his entire career, during this match. Hansen lost 5-11.

Finally, Tristian Westerlund won his second round match.

She stands. Shivers. Then steps on the scale.

This might be a girl with an eating disorder.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximately 2.7 percent of 13 to 17-year-olds suffer from an eating disorder. Girls are almost three times more likely to be diagnosed.

According to NIMH “although males with eating disorders exhibit the same signs and symptoms as females, they are less likely to be diagnosed with what is often considered a female disorder.”

WebMD describes the term “eating disorder” as a condition that causes a person to have “unhealthy thoughts and behaviors related to food and body image.”

“Some people with eating disorders severely restrict their food intake, while others eat excessively,” WebMD explains. “They may also vomit, take laxatives or exercisew excessively to try to prevent weight gain.”

His last meal was nearly 36 hours ago. His stomach grumbles, but he doesn’t notice. He throws another sweatshirt on and begins to run, wishing it was warmer so he’d sweat faster. He hasn’t consumed so much as a sip of water all day. Instead, he spits what moisture that remains in his mouth into an empty water bottle.

He stands. Shivers. Then steps on the scale.

This might be an Albert Lea High School wrestler.

Male athletes show a higher rate of eating disorders than the general male population. For example, in weight-class and aesthetic sports like wrestling, bodybuilding and gymnastics, 33 percent of males are affected by eating disorders (National Eating Disorder Association), while experts estimate that only 10-15 percent of the general male population are affected.

To defend against these disorders, NEDA encourages coaches and parents to “be aware of and disallow any excessive weight control or body building measures employed by their young male athletes.”

The Minnesota State High School League attempts to prevent these behaviors in wrestling by requiring a Minimum Weight Permit Form. This form, completed at the start of the season, establishes a minimum wrestling weight based on body fat. A trained skin-fold technician uses calipers to measure the thickness of the skin in the tricep, infra scapular, and abdominal. These measurements are used to calculate the wrestler’s weight at 7 percent body fat–the minimum weight class he will be allowed to wrestle in. This information is recorded and the form is signed by the skin-fold technician, the coach, the student and his parent.

“The purpose of this report is to prevent undue and unsafe weight reduction for competitive purposes—weight reduction which might jeopardize the physical, scholastic and psychological well-being of the student,” the form states. “During the wrestling season, which can extend to early March, the student-athlete should eat and drink normally while in training and participating in wrestling activities.”

Head Coach Larry Goodnature takes over from there.

“It’s my job as a coach to make sure that I train my athletes to get the maximum out of them so they stay fit and they stay healthy,” Goodnature said.

High school wrestling weight classes range from 106 to 285 pounds, their purpose being to ensure fairness. Only wrestlers in similar weight classes compete against each other; the idea is that no one wrestler will have a decided advantage over the other only because of weight.

When asked about the least favorite thing associated with their sport, a common answer among wrestlers is cutting weight. Why do wrestlers cut weight?

“So we can wrestle smaller kids,” explained senior Trevor Westerlund.

Westerlund said during the off-season, he usually weighs around 132 pounds. He’s been wrestling in the 113-pound weight class. Westerlund said most of his teammates wrestle at the lowest weight they’re permitted to as specified by the Minimum Weight form.

“I don’t even consider it ‘cutting weight,’” Goodnature said. “You work out, you do everything right, and you lose body fat.”

To wrestle in a certain weight class, a wrestler must not weigh more than the number associated with that class. However, a two-pound growth allowance goes into effect after Jan. 1, so athletes wanting to wrestle in the 113-pound class may weigh a maximum of 115 pounds.

“Everyone else cuts weight,” said senior Dakota Wangsness. “So if I stay at what I actually weigh then I’d wrestle bigger kids.”

And with the intensity of wrestling practices, some of the off-season weight disappears through workouts.

“Once practice starts, everyone loses, like, five pounds right away,” Wangsness said. “Because that’s how hard practice is.”

Varsity wrestlers typically practice at least 14 hours per week, with practices after school 4 days a week and morning practices on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Coach Goodnature likens wrestling practices to popular workout programs such as Insanity and P90X.

“I teach technique, I teach nutrition. I teach cardiovascular fitness,” Goodnature explained. “My workouts are designed to keep the body fit.”

Goodnature said the purpose of morning workouts is to “speed up [the] metabolism in the mornings to burn off calories.”

“When you do all these workouts and you watch your diet–your caloric intake–everything else takes care of itself,” he said.

Wrestlers weigh-in on Thursdays and Fridays to show that they’ve maintained their weight.

Weigh-ins are also conducted a few hours prior to every match to ensure that each wrestler weighs no more than what he is allowed to in order to wrestle in his designated class.

“Right now I can’t eat because I have to make weight after school,” said sophomore varsity wrestler Beau Johnsrud, before a home match Feb. 8 against John Marshall. “I usually weigh 112 but I have to make 108. So it’s just four pounds.”

Just four pounds. That may not seem like much, but sometimes wrestlers lose those four pounds in a few days. Mayo Clinic recommends a loss of one to two pounds per week.

According to Weight Watchers “losing weight at a rate greater than an average of two pounds per week increases your risk of developing health problems like heart beat irregularities, anemia, excessive loss of lean body mass (muscle), bowel irregularities and gallstone formation.”

If he doesn’t make weight, he doesn’t wrestle. When weigh-ins are completed, it’s back to the locker room to fuel up on food before the match starts.

“After weigh-ins I can eat as much as I want,” Westerlund said with a laugh.

Drug addiction.

This scenario is good representation of what happens on a day-to-day basis. Teens and genders of all ages strive for acceptance, and an outlet to feel welcomed by. And during their journey of looking for that missing piece they abuse drugs to fill that missing spot.

“A number of things can lead to addiction,” said Jenine Koziolek, Outreach Specialist at Albert Lea’s Fountain Center. “Like a family history of addiction, underline issues like ADHD and depression that never got taken care of, and factors like nature versus nurture.”

Some people are more prone to suffer from drug and alcohol addiction compared to others. If an individual has a family history of drug and/or alcohol abuse they are eight times more likely to develop an addiction in comparison to an individual without the family history.

The prevention of drug and alcohol addiction is all about feeling accepted by something. Feeling wanted, cared about, and loved by your surroundings.

“Prevention goes back to the factors that lead to addiction,” Koziolek said “It’s all about involvement, and being accepted into a loving and caring place.”

Early on in addiction warning signs include mood swings, erratic behavior, loss of interest in what used to be important, and dramatic changes in grades, friends, and social life.

“You really don’t know if these are warning sides of addiction,” said Jenni Braaten, Albert Lea High School social worker. “Or just usual teen behavior.”

The most common treatment model used for addiction is called the “12 Steps”. The twelve step program is a set of guiding principles that an individual will follow to ultimately reach serenity, and sobriety. The twelve steps are used by over 200 self-known organizations, often known as fellow-ships. A fellow-ship is gathering including recovered addicts. During these meetings they share about their roads to recovery, support one another, and continue to practice the 12 step program.

Drug addiction and mental illness often co-occur. According to Science Daily, two to five of every 10 people with anxiety, or depression, and every four to eight of every 10 people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or antisocial personality, have some type of addiction.

“The most you can do for someone with a drug problem is talk to them let them know how you’re affected.” Braaten said. “You can’t help someone that doesn’t want to be helped.”

According to World Health Organization and The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Of those 350 million, 18 million are in the U.S. Two-thirds of those never seek help to treat their depression.

Thirty percent of teens with depression develop a substance abuse problem, according to NIMH. Furthermore, self-harm is categorized as one of those substances. Four percent of the U.S. population struggles with self-harm. Those who self-harm are faced with the myths surrounding their condition.

“You’re just seeking attention.”

“You do this to yourself so it’s not that serious.”

“You enjoy the pain?”

“Can you actually feel that?”

“There’s nothing to be upset about,” friends and family of self harmers say. “At least you have a roof over your head.”

Depression isn’t something people snap out of and self-harm isn’t a habit easily kicked. Suicide attempts are 20 times more likely than completed suicides, but people who self-harm are not attempting suicide. Experts say it’s a coping method that carries serious risks.

“Relief,” Behavioral Health specialist and psychologist Ellie Wiemerslage said to why patients self-harm. “[It] affirms they are alive. There is some evidence that it releases endorphins, the ‘feel good’ brain chemicals.”

While it’s debated on what qualifies as self-harm, Wiemerslage emphasizes that anything that puts a person at risk can be considered self-harm. That includes drinking, unsafe sex, over-exercising, scratching or rubbing the skin to the point of being raw.

“If they want to stop self-harming they can challenge themselves to try new things and learn new coping strategies,” Wiemerslage said.

While there are many medications and different forms of therapy to help people struggling with self-harm or depression, it isn’t always easy to reach out for help. Wiemerslage suggests friends and family of self-harmers should encourage them to talk to a psychologist. Like any other illness, a supporting group of peers is helpful to those who self-harm.

There are many programs and organizations that reach out to help teens struggling with depression and self-harm. To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a well-known non-profit organization. It’s dedicated to finding help for those with depression and self harming. Their vision is one of hope.

“… hope is real. You are not alone and this is not the end of your story,” reads the TWLOHA website.

The story started in 2006 when one of the founders wanted to reach out to people struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm and any other mental conditions. They started selling T-shirts to raise awareness and bands like Anberlin and Switchfoot wore them and started a trend among teenagers. They also created a MySpace page to spread their message across the web. The message of TWLOHA will always stay relevant; if someone is struggling, get help and have hope.

“The butterfly Effect” has been circling around social networks this year. The butterfly effect is a movement that started on Tumblr. tbutterflyeffect.tumblr.com is a blog filled with people with butterflies drawn on their wrists. The mission of the movement is like TWLOHA, to encourage those who are struggling to find help. When one is contemplating hurting themself, they draw a butterfly on their wrist. The butterfly symbolizes beauty and reminds them they won’t always feel this way.

ADHD is a developmental disorder that affects one’s self-control. Dr. Susan Welnel Psy. D. of Mayo Behavioral Health, Albert Lea, said the “hyperactivity” in part can be described as “fidgeting or squirming while seated, getting out of one’s seat, running or climbing when not appropriate to do so, or having problems engaging in quiet activities, appearing as if ‘driven by a motor,’ or excessively talkative.”

All this is typical behavior associated with common ADHD but not always the case with attention deficit disorder. Another developmental disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), consists of the same attention problems of ADHD but lacks the limitless supply of unrelenting energy. ADD impairs one’s capacity to control normal social behavior and makes it difficult to keep track of, or even make, future goals with consequences in mind.

ADHD and ADD are mental disorders affecting the development and brain functioning parts in the frontal part of the brain. Like most mental disabilities, it’s difficult to tell if someone has it at first glance. Though the person in your class screaming “Holy cow! Did you guys just see that MASSIVE crow?” and fills their notebooks with incoherent doodles and scribbles instead of notes doesn’t help the cause. According to recent studies, chances are you may have 1-2 students with it in each of your classes.

ADD/ADHD are often joked about. Though it may be comical for short periods of time, in actuality those afflicted with the condition struggle with simple day-to-day tasks such as homework or remembering appointments. The disorder consists of various symptoms ranging from attention span, impulse control and hyperactivity.

For numerous students like sophomore Bailey Ford, it can cause careless and stupid mistakes in schoolwork, rush through tests and projects to catch up because of distractions and only remembering bits and pieces of a lesson. ADHD/ADD often leaves students in a fog as to what to do.

“Most of the time I don’t even notice it,” Ford said. “But when it gets bad it’s really annoying

and really hard to get anything done.”

All these other issues and more, piled on top of the infinite and never ending aggravation of the inability to focus, the amount of effort exhausted on trying to learn what others do with ease, and the stress of family and friends among the other personal problems we all have. To some, it can be too much to bare. In fairness, many cases aren’t severe enough to be more than a major annoyance. But some can have to ability to lead to more serious conditions like depression and anxiety.

So next time that “retard” bumps into you in the hall, or you call someone a loser, spaz, dweeb, or anything else that can be construed as a negative or derogatory term, think of what they might have to deal with in their normal day-to-day lives or how you’d handle the same kind of situation if you were placed in it.

Those sounds are the reason lock downs are so important and security is now a must in schools. Similar sounds were heard in the shooting in Newtown, Conn., by small children. The shooting in Conn. is a prime example of why many schools are upgrading security and practicing more lock downs.

Albert Lea High School has, and will continue to practice lock downs, and while those are helpful, schools are safe for many other reasons.

“Since Newtown, school security has changed a lot,” said principal’s secretary, Jen Zoller.

Zoller controls the new system that locks and unlocks the front door after 8 AM. This is a new addition to the high school’s security, which prevents someone from getting in after a certain time unless Zoller opens it.

“It’s a nice addition, but glass won’t protect against a gunshot,” Zoller said.

It’s true, the front doors are glass, and they will not defend anyone inside from a gunshot, but that’s not their purpose. The tiger doors are glass panes so Zoller and other office staff can see who is attempting to enter. Even though it is not the safest, security will continue to be upgraded, and there is always the possibility of new and improved additions to the security of ALHS.

“We never had lock downs when I was a kid,” said Police Officer Ted Herman.

Officer Herman is ALHS’s primary protection. The secondary protection is, of course, the teachers and any other emergency services called upon in the case of a school shooting. The reason for having a police officer in a high school is not only for that reason, but to make us feel safe. School is a safe place, and students are meant to learn without the fear of an intruder. In the case of a school shooting, it’s Herman’s job to try his best to prevent, but mostly limit any possible danger to any students in ALHS.

“If someone ever were to enter the school as a threat, I will do whatever I can in my power to stop them,” Herman said.