Hi Times Issue 8 Vol. 102 May 2011 2 Product placement knocking out 2010-2011 Hi-Times Staff the advertisement competition Staff Writers: Editor-in-chiefs: Brittany Belkiewitz Samantha Holifield Copy Editor Anjelica Oswald Ads Staff: Jordan Bello Samantha Holifield Lauren Dipert Advisor: Miss Saoud Jordan Bello Lauren Dipert Abby Feikes Sarah Fisher Jon Gardner Cole Kellogg Jorge Medina Kharson Nurnberg Anjelica Oswald Alex Saliwanchik Skyler Shortt Tommy Snyder Jenny Szymkowski Courtney West Zach Winslett By Jordan Bello Staff Writer Gone are the days of basic product advertising where a commercial dominates the marketing industry. Company marketing teams are finding creative ways to grab attention and persuade. One of the more traditional ways of advertising, besides commercials, is product placement. The concept of putting a product in a show solely for the purpose of convincing someone to buy it may seem kind of sneaky, but with more and more people ignoring commercials, it can prove to be more effective at getting a message across. “I would say that this method is more crafty than sneaky. From the standpoint of the show, advertisements and product placement are great money makers. Sponsors have to pay to advertise, and they make money back on sales,” said Mr. McCorkel. The “sneakiness” factor is that viewers may not realize they’re getting a sales pitch, and that’s the whole point. As humans, the viewers are easily convincible, even if they don’t want to be. Television networks and big time marketing firms are now starting to collaborate, and it is becoming more difficult to tell the difference between a commercial and a show. Sometimes there isn’t a difference. This may be more common now due to the fact that more people own DVR systems, and can easily fast forward through commercials. Media Planning Group recently released their results of a study on commercial viewing. The study showed that 90 percent of people with DVR’s skip commercials, and 16 percent of them watch commercials when viewing live television, instead of doing something else or channel hopping. Mother’s Day quick fixes: Last minute gift ideas for mom By Courtney West Staff Writer Trivia Question! The answer to last month’s question was “3”! Marsha Mello was our winner! Congratulations Marsha! Come to Room 4.19 during success for your prize! Before Mt.Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world? Preparing for the future: Essential measures to take By Alex Saliwanchik Staff Writer Going to college is a very important part of students lives. There are many things to do to prepare for this big change. Juniors • Take ACT/SAT • Submit scores • College visits • Community service • College Applications • Improve GPA as much as possible • Find majors and minors • Jumpstart on saving money • Summer jobs • Concentrate on sports • FAFSA Seniors • Take ACT/SAT • Submit scores • Submit transcripts to colleges • College visits • College Applications • Look into room and board • Find roommate • Orientation • Figure out what classes to sign up for • Summer job before college • Buy things for dorm room Even some of the most important dates can sneak up without much of a warning. With Mother’s Day coming up, there is a lot of stress to find those great lastminute gifts that will make a mother feel loved. So what kinds of options are there when it’s the day before Mother’s Day and the perfect gift has yet to be found? A great way to show a mom how much she is loved is by sending flowers. It may seem like an over-done gift idea, but sending a bouquet of lilies to a work place is a pleasant surprise for a mom. To accompany the flowers, one can make an impromptu recipe book. All this requires is a computer. Find some of her favorite recipes or old family dishes that have been passed down, and bind them together to make a recipe book. Another way to be creative is to make a coupon book. This can be hand written or typed. In the coupon book, offer a free car wash or vacuuming of the house. Gifts such as these cost little money and will show mom how much she is cared for. “I think my mom appreciates the handmade gifts more than the ones that I buy. They seem to mean more to her,” said freshman Drew Kessler. If money is available to be spent, one can try these simple ideas. Restaurant gift certificates are a great Mother’s Day gift. Not only can she use them whenever she wants, but you might even Photos by Kharson Nurnberg (Top) Beautiful pink flowers are on display in the main office. (Bottom) Taste of Home Cookbook contains many delicious recipes. get lucky and she will treat you, as well. You can spend however much you want and pick her favorite place. Another easy gift fix is to purchase a year-long subscription to a magazine you know she already purchases. This will show that you pay attention to what she enjoys reading. If she doesn’t already subscribe to a magazine, try picking one that will appeal to her interests. For example, if she enjoys running, try Runner’s World, or if she likes to be in the kitchen, try Food & Wine. If all else fails, a trip to Bath and Body Works can go a long way. Pick out a special fragrance for mom and buy one of their gift baskets. These are relatively cheap and usually contain a few items. Not only will mom be a happy camper, but she will smell good too! “I always make my mom a homemade card because it shows how much I really appreciate her for me to put my time into making her one. I also get her lots of candy, because she is the best mom ever and she does so much,” said sophomore Sierra Conklin. Summer job options bring debate over what to do Jobs bring money for gas Summer is a time for fun By Tommy Snyder Staff Writer Summer jobs are a common thing for high school students. Some people think summer jobs will take up their whole summer to have fun and hang out with friends. I think it’s good to have a summer job. You can raise money over the summer to help with gas. Gas prices keep rising, so most people need the money to help pay for gas. You can also request for just a few days of work a week, so you can also hang out with friends and go places. It’s also a good idea to get a job and save up some of your money for after school and for college. You can also try and find a summer job with a friend, so you have someone to talk to and joke around with. Some of the common places to work at while your in high school could be at a pizza place, a fast food restaurant, clothing storeor a dine in restaurant. Kids usually will pick a easier place to work when they’re young so they don’t have to worry so much about work, while also having to worry about schoolwork. It is also always nice to have a little more pocket change to have around when you go places with friends. Also, they wouldn’t have you work twenty-four hours a day, so if you get off in the evening there’s plenty of things to do, so it’s not really taking up too much of your time. I think getting a summer job will also help you get used to working when you’re older when you have to work everyday. I think it would be a hard transition to not be working at all to working everyday for ten hours. So in my overall opinion, I think a summer job is a good idea. Who knows you could even make some new friends. By Jenny Szymkowski Staff Writer Summer; what better time to relax and enjoy the beautiful sunshine? For many, summer is a time to catch up on some sleep, a time to rejuvenate for the next school year or even a time to stay out late without any consequences. For others, it is time to go back to their backbreaking boring job. Nothing is a bigger downer than having to work while everyone else is having fun splashing around in the water at the beach. Summer jobs can still be as stressful as school. Summer is supposed to be a time for relaxation, not a time to have to work. Working during the summer is the worst. Tyler Algrihm, LPHS senior, works at Ralph Lauren and enjoys his job to a certain extent. “I don’t enjoy working during the summer but i guess that making a little money is better than making none at all,” said Algrihm. “Sometimes I wish that I had a money tree in my backyard, but don’t we all?” This is like having school all year around. There are no breaks, and no time for much of anything, unless you have a part time job. We will have to work the rest of our lives after high school and college, so might as well have fun now. For seniors, this is their last summer to see their friends and hang out stress-free. It will be the last two months to enjoy life before being on their own. Teens have the rest of their lives to work. Just having one summer off from the hard work would be a nice change. Summertime is a time for having fun, hanging with friends, catching up on sleep, and doing whatever you want whenever you want, but that’s just my opinion. It’s understandable if some people have to work for some reasons or they really just like to have a job, but if you don’t have to, why work? Next time you have the option, take the easy road and relax for once; it may just help you on your journey through life. Forget about stressful situations and worries, and just kick back.