Lend an ear to 7th Heaven

7^th heaven is a Chicago-based band. They formed in 1985 and are still together and performing today.

The band was started by lead guitarist, Richie Hofherr and bass player, Michael Mooshy. The band plays popular songs other bands have recorded.

I recently had the chance to see them at a festival in Elgin. For 45 minutes we stood, speakers blaring, people screaming and all,and listened to this great band.

Overall, 7^th Heaven is a very good band; I would recommend them to anyone who likes bands that play cover songs.

By Elisa Hill

Planking sweeping the nation

Planking is a new fad catching on like wildfire.

Planking is fun, easy, and usually pretty funny. All one needs to do to complete a successful plank is lie face down with their arms at their side in an unusual location, and then snap a photo for Facebook.

Millions of people around the world are giving a try at planking,  and it has even been seen around Westminster. Inspired by planking, people have come up with similar things, such as owing, lamping, or, my personal favorite, batmanning.

Planking can be done by anybody, which is why it is growing in popularity so fast. The excitement of planking makes almost everybody want to try.

But be careful where you plank; some people have gotten into quite a bit of trouble while trying to pull of a cool plank. A young man from Queensland was arrested while attempting to plank atop of a police car. What would have been a legendary plank turned out to be some trouble for him.

Planking is a fun and usually harmless game, but be careful where you choose to pose.

'American Idol' Obsessed

The tenth season of the singing competition show "American Idol" turned out to be an enormous hit this year.

Despite predictions made by many that the show would never make it with the loss of everyone’s favorite British judge, Simon Cowell, the season turned out to be one of the most successful in Idol history. The diversity and undeniable talent of the group of contestants has made the show’s ratings soar and brought in a ridiculous amount of revenue.

The top eleven contestants went on tour this summer, and tickets quickly sold out in the majority of venues. Winner Scotty McCreery’s and runner up Lauren Alaina’s singles “I Love You This Big” and “Like My Mother Does” have done extremely well on country charts.

McCreery quickly rose to Number 32 on Billboard’s Nielsen Country Songs chart, a record for a new artist’s first single, while Alaina landed at number 49. “I Love You This Big” became number one on iTunes singles chart as well.

While these two teenage superstars are doing incredibly well, Pia Toscano, who shockingly placed ninth in the season, also has a single out titled “This Time” that is doing pretty well on the charts. Hopefully other talented contestants, such as Haley Reinhart and James Durbin, will come out with singles of their own soon.

Scotty McCreery’s album “Clear As Day” will come out Oct. 4, along with Alaina’s, entitled “Wildflower,” out Oct. 11. If the past year is any indication, it seems that these two have long and successful careers ahead of them in country music.

By: Alexis Brenner

Get involved with the ARC

Do you know who helped Katrina victims in 2005? What about the more recent, massive earthquake in Japan?

The American Red Cross was founded in 1881. Within the past year, 175,000 volunteers of the association dedicated themselves to the preparation, prevention, and responsive action to approximately 64,000 disasters. Ninety-seven percent of the workers for the Red Cross are simply benevolent volunteers.

Aside from giving aid to disastrous incidents, over 190,000 Red Cross volunteers annually collect six million pints of blood. Volunteers also serve as Community Education course instructors. For example, they teach the fundamentals of CPR, First Aid, or other similar courses.

Great news! You can also get involved in volunteering for the American Red Cross association. How, you ask? There are multiple internship opportunities among both high school and college students. To explore the possibility of this riveting chance to help and serve others within or outside your community, visit this website: http://www.redcross.org/en/volunteer.

By: Alison Howey

Reflections on Women’s World Cup 2011

Only once every 4 years does a World Cup in soccer come, but when it does, the world tunes in and cheers their favorite team on, becoming the psychotic fans they are meant to be.

This summer was the year of the women’s World Cup. Sixteen teams battled it out to get a chance of winning, any soccer team's dream of raising that trophy high in the air as confetti falls and the world rejoices. Injuries, sweat, tears, smiles, tackles, shots, and blocks determined the teams who pushed through into the finals.

The first team to advance was USA. An intense semifinal against Brazil, which was determined by penalty kicks, led the USA the shot of winning the World Cup.

The team USA would be playing in the finals was the shocking advancement of Japan.  Japan led a dominating 3-1 game over Sweden in the semifinals. A tough, intense, suspenseful game was played as the courageous Japanese and determined USA played their hearts out to the last and final whistle.

The shocker of the game was the end result. The underdogs came on top. These Japan women survived the tsunami and put everything they had into this tournament for their country and lost friends to become the champions of the Women’s World Cup of 2011.

Confetti fell as Japan raised their hands up high cheering and crying for the accomplishment that seemed impossible for these survivors. They proved the doubting world wrong. They fought for their country, friends, family, and one another. They have become the main example of the saying that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

By: Mallory Richardson

Don't write Black off yet

Fourteen-year-old Rebecca Black is not just a young girl posting videos on YouTube; she has become quite famous from her hit music video “Friday.”

The young girl has few fans and endures rude comments and death threats. Some may wonder why she has all those haters and here is my answer: her cheesy lyrics and auto-tuned voice makes her come off as an amateur. She sounds young and doesn’t show that she has what it takes to become a pop star.

The growing artist has a lot to work on before I would consider her to be worth listening to. However, I believe that with some voice lessons and a creative mind Rebecca could go far.

By Rachel Fugiel

A summer well spent

While most teenagers spent their summers at the pool, watching TV, or hanging with friends, I spent two months in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Here, I worked at Camp Paradise.

I worked with the kids and helped run the high ropes course and climbing tower. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no cell phone service. While this might scare off many, I loved living a more simplistic and slow-paced life.

Camp Paradise was designed for fathers to come with their son or daughter. It was great waking up every morning knowing that you were helping strengthen these father-child relationships. Yes, we worked hard, woke up early, and stayed up late, but there is truly no better way to spend your summer. Being in this quiet atmosphere with limited distractions was refreshing, life-giving, and a fantastic way to connect with your Maker.

This environment also allowed me to build relationships that go a lot deeper than the surface with other staff members, all committed to a goal bigger than themselves. It was definitely a summer well spent.

By: Whitney Vanden Bos