The painful truth: indoor tanning a dangerous practice

With prom, graduation, and summer just over the horizon students are doing a lot to look their best, like working out and eating healthy, but there’s one thing students are doing that they should really be avoiding: tanning. With a total of four tanning salons in Howell alone and even more in surrounding cities like Brighton and Fowlerville, students have a wide variety of places and prices to choose from.

Tanning outside in the sun isn’t much better but according to The Skin Cancer Foundation people who use indoor tanning 74% more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never used indoor tanning. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 76,690 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in 2013.

“I tried it once, but I didn’t like it,” says Kylie Smith, senior at Howell High School.

Unfortunately, not all teens agree with Smith. According to the Journal of American Dermatology, more than 30 million people tan indoors every year and nearly three quarters of them are women between the ages of 16 and 29. Indoor tanning is unsafe at any age, but the earlier you start doing it, the worse the outcome will be in the future.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)  people who begin tanning under the age of 30 have a 75% higher risk of melanoma. Tanning also increases the risks of eye damage, wrinkles, and changes the texture of skin.

Unfortunately , it gets worse. According to Time magazine, the IARC classified tanning beds as “carcinogenic to humans”. That is the agency’s highest cancer-risk category, which also includes plutonium, radon gas, and radium.

“Indoor tanning is associated with a significantly increased risk of both basal and squamous cell skin cancer,” concluded a study at the University of California, San Francisco. “These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the harms of indoor tanning and support public health campaigns and regulation to reduce exposure to this carcinogen.”

While many people look at tan skin as something that is pretty and desirable, it’s actually a sign of skin damage. Tanning is your skin’s way of trying to protect itself from harmful UV rays. A tan is no better than a sunburn. Both are bad, because both cause DNA damage to skin cells, but tanning causes slower damage to the skin.

There are many healthy alternatives to using tanning beds. The most popular one is a sunless tanning lotion. Most people choose not to use these because they say they smell and don’t look natural, but now that the risks of UV exposure are more understood, these products have undergone a lot of changes making them more natural looking and pleasant smelling.

Another alternative is a spray tan. Instead of tanning for a month to get the perfect tan for a special event, get an airbrush spray tan a couple days ahead of time. The tan will last about a week, and the application time is relatively short, about 10-15 minutes. One last alternative is towelettes. They are easier to apply and less messy than tanning lotion.

Assembly brings scary truth to seniors

On Wednesday, April 24, Howell High School is hosting their annual drunk driving assembly for seniors. The purpose is to raise awareness on the reality and consequences of drunk driving. All seniors are expected to attend. It will be held during first hour in the auditorium. From hours second through seventh, there will be a simulation that students can also attend.

“This year we wanted to do something more interactive,” Mr. Aaron Metz says, Leadership teacher at HHS.

This year is going to be more exciting than ever. Instead of just having speakers talking about how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of alcohol, students will have the opportunity to sit in a simulation to show how much alcohol impairs someone’s driving. Funded through the Leadership class, they have brought the “Save a Life tour” to HHS. This is a high impact alcohol awareness program. This multimillion dollar technology is the only one in the nation that gives participants a completely realistic, sober perspective on the effects. Students may sign up to participate in the simulation starting on Monday, April 22.

“If it makes at least one student think and saves just one student’s life it is well worth it,” Mr. Metz says.

Every year this is held right before the senior prom. It is no secret that this time of year, when prom and graduation is approaching, it is a historically “good time” to make bad decisions. Administrators have the right to pull students out of line who seem under the influence and possibly question and or search them. If any student is caught at prom with illegal contraband, administrators will turn them over to police that are on scene.  The past few proms have been very fortunate to not have any problems, and administrators hope that HHS seniors can continue on with it.

“Instead of ignoring it, we are trying to bring different ways to educate students. We are trying to sober them up to the reality of drunk driving,” Mr. Jason Schrock, HHS principal, says.

 

An evening in Paris: Prom night a favorite of seniors

For seniors, the annual prom is just around the corner. The prom will be held on Saturday, May 4 at Crystal Gardens, located on Grand River Avenue in Howell.
Tickets will be sold from April 10 to April 19. They will be sold at all lunches for 50 dollars, to those only with senior status. All students will need to show their I.D to prove their senior status. No I.D will result in no ticket.

To those seniors who will be taking a non-Howell High School student to prom, you will need to pick up a form in the office and turn it in as soon as possible.

The theme for this year’s 2013 prom will be Midnight in Paris. Student council is responsible for the planning of the event. Money to fund the prom was raised through profits of past high school events. Leadership students created the posters hanging around the school, informing students of the upcoming ticket sales.

Senior Alix Vanbuskirk, a member of student council, has been working on prom preparations. “Student council has worked really hard to make prom excellent this year, and I am really proud of all of us,” Vanbuskirk says.

2013 prom dresses designed with glitter and glam

With anticipation already building for the class of 2013’s prom, this year’s trends are beginning to make their statements. Whether you’re looking for modest and simple, or extravagant and eye-drawing, this year’s trends are spread among a broad spectrum of styles and perfect for everyone.

The initial choice in picking out a prom dress begins with color, and with this brings great diversity. Color really emphasizes personality which is why it can be such an important factor in dress selection. Whether you’re looking for a bright pop of color or would rather keep it neutral this year, there are statement colors for both. For color lovers, Seventeen magazine predicts that the top hues will be red, fuchsia, and cobalt blue. Peach tones such as pinks and oranges are runners up to the more elaborate colors. For the more neutral tones, we will be seeing a lot of golds, and whites. Both are wonderful choices if looking for a subtle yet, eye-catching fabric color.

“I really feel like the dresses will be elegant and bright,” says HHS senior Annette Miesle. “We’re sort of veering away from the over-the-top dresses and looking at more of elegant type ones. Also, bright colors, because big colors make big statements. I’m personally looking for a jaw-dropping open back dress. I’m expecting to see the same along with lots of sparkle and sequins.”

Once the color is selected, it’s onto the choice of design. According to the Huffington Post, this year’s top trends will be one shoulder or strapless. Be cautious with strapless dresses; although they look wonderful in pictures, they are difficult to keep up while dancing. When looking for the dress style that will suit you, look for functionality. The best decision is choosing a comfortable dress that works with your body type. Aside from cut and colors, this year will be big on sequins and embellishments. The trend will be lots of sparkles and glimmer, anything to draw attention, which is the common theme throughout choosing a dress. No matter what your style–princess cut, sweetheart, or mermaid–sequins are a must.

“I think this year’s prom styles will be sparkly or gemmed,” says HHS senior Tara Smith, “and I think a lot of them are going to be with a shiny, sheer material. Everyone’s looking to stand out and because of that, I really feel like girls are going to go all out this year. I’m very excited to see what everyone will wind up choosing.”

Assembly for seniors being held in hopes of teaching good decision making

With Prom coming up this weekend, many seniors are thinking about the fun and memories they may create. However, there’s one thing on Principal Aaron Moran’s mind, whether or not they will make the right decisions while there.

To help bring out good decision making and the reality of drugs and alcohol, Mr. Moran and the Leadership class has organized an assembly called Prom: M.A.D.D (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) for all seniors to attend during their third hour on Wednesday, May 2.

“The reason behind the event is to help promote safety on prom night and to help lower the chances of drinking and driving,” says senior Kelly Collins.

Collins, along with seniors Karen McColl and John McCorquodale, are all part of the group in Leadership that helped plan this event.

Partnering with LACASA, the group will bring in guest speakers to hit the point hard that while prom is a fun and exciting night, it should be alcohol and drug free. Among these speakers will be prosecutor David Morris.  

The group has also created a PowerPoint presentation to explain the effects drugs and alcohol have on teens and how they can lead to disaster. Plus, it will show how drinking and driving affects those who take part and that it does happen too often.

Not only that, but this whole week, crash cars will be set up in front of the school in the senior parking lot and the circle lot to show this is something that could happen when students choose drinking and driving over doing what is right.

“We want seniors to learn that while times are fun wrapping up the senior year, they should be times to remember and cherish, not to be remembered from a funeral or jail cell,” Collins explains. She also adds that she believes all seniors want is to graduate with their class and have a fun time at prom, but also to make wise decisions.

At the end of the assembly, the all the seniors will sign a pledge saying, “We will be alcohol and drug free on our prom night.”  

“I want to remind them of good decisions and that bad decisions could ruin their future. I want good decisions to be made so no one gets injured,” says Moran.

This season’s prom dress styles feature bright colors

May 5, 2012 is the day many of this year’s senior girls have been looking forward to throughout their whole high school career. Girls spend hours shopping in stores and online to find the perfect dress. When looking back at old prom pictures, the dresses were long and poufy, but this is not the case anymore. Dresses have become much sleeker and sometimes even a shorter style.

The theme for Howell High School’s 2012 senior prom is Mardi Gras Masquerade, which goes along well with one of the new popular trends, bright colors. This year’s prom fashions include bright pinks, blues and purples. Mardi Gras colors include green, purple and yellow.

Most girls spend on average $200 for their dress. Some popular stores to find prom dresses are Von Maur, Cache, and Jessica Mcclintock. Von Maur is located in Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor, and Cache and Jessica Mcclintock are located in Twelve Oaks mall. Some girls will go out of state to find dresses, that way no one will have the same dress as them.

“I bought my dress at Von Maur in the Briarwood Mall. It’s light silver, strapless and so long that it made a small train behind me when I walked. I fell in love with the dress the second I tried it on,” says senior Kayleigh Dowling.

Another popular trend is the high low gowns. These gowns are short in the front and long in the back. While giving the wearer a sense of an evening gown, it also shows off those cute shoes that probably cost a fortune and would be hidden under a long dress.

This next style is the mermaid style. Mermaid style dresses have been a huge hit recently. These dresses are tight until they reach the knee then they pouf out, sort of like a mermaid tail (hence the name). It is common to see mermaid gowns with a sweetheart neckline, but they are made with many different neck lines.

Short formal dresses are usually worn to homecoming but recently girls have been picking short dresses for prom as well. Since prom is more formal than homecoming, girls typically pick long dresses, so a short dress will definitely make the wearer stand out from the crowd.

Prom is a very important day for many girls and that is what makes finding the perfect dress so important. Some girls don’t tell anyone what their dress looks like so that it can be a surprise and make prom night more special.

This is exactly what senior Stephanie Straka has planned. “The dress I chose is very me. It’s different from what I know other people will wear. I feel like a Barbie princess and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

According to Aryn Morrison, who is the senior vice-president, masks will be given at the dance, along with beaded necklaces. “Prom goers are encouraged to create their own masks that compliment their dresses and tuxedos,” Morrison says.

Prom will be held at the Crystal Gardens in Howell. Tickets will go on sale on April 16. The cost is $45 per ticket. A photo booth will also be available at prom to capture your night of mystery.

Assembly raises awareness about drunk driving after Prom

Prom is an exciting time of year for students. From getting the dress or tux to the after parties, it is overall a great experience. That is, until alcohol is involved.

With 11% of all alcohol in the United States being consumed by those under the age of 21, drinking is a major problem.

Students at Howell High agreed with this and thought it was necessary to hold a drinking and driving assembly for seniors. One of the coordinators, senior Stephanie Nalepa, stated, “We decided to put on this assembly because we wanted to do an activity for the seniors the day before prom, and we thought that this would be a perfect way for seniors to get educated about drinking and driving”

With the assembly every hour during the day, seniors first attended their English classes. There they will view be a 30 minute video about the dangers of binge drinking. Following that a speaker will tell about his/her experiences with drinking and driving. Hours 1^st through 4^th listened to Mr. Mike Morse who talked about the after-effects of getting in trouble from drinking and driving. Then 5^th and 6^th hours will hear state trooper Jennifer Hodgsen speak. Along with the video and the speakers, there was a wrecked vehicle brought in to show what can happen when driving under the influence.

Principal Mr. Aaron Moran told of how he hoped the assembly would help promote having a safe prom and graduation season. Nalepa agreed saying, “I believe that the assembly will help people to realize that drinking and driving is extremely dangerous, and that it is not worth risking losing someone else’s life, or your own.”

When asked whether or not there would be a breathalyzer at prom Mr. Moran commented that there would be one available, and that if administrators felt the need to use it they would.

Mr. Moran also remarked that it would be a community effort to decrease the amount of drinking and drug use before and after prom. Parents will need to be involved and that it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure the students are safe.

Prom for Howell High School was Saturday, May 7. It is hoped that the students of Howell High use the information they learned in the assembly and put it to use. There is no reason to risk one’s safety and others’ safety during this prom season. As Mr. Moran stated, “One incident is one too many.”