Features

Jackie’s Part: On my 11th birthday, the Hogwarts-embossed envelope I’d been expecting was missing from my mailbox. My chimney was free of owls, and sadly, no hairy half-giants broke down my door to inform me that I was a witch. I was heartbroken then, but I haven’t lost hope yet. I’m still waiting for the day the Ministry of Magic sends me an owl apologizing for the terrible mistake they made four years ago for not recognizing that I was clearly destined for the wizarding world.

On a Thursday night, junior Varsha Ramesh looked at her chemistry homework and sighed in frustration. It was the night before her AP Chemistry quiz. Completely confused, Ramesh decided to open up Facebook, but not to write on someone’s wall, browse photos or chat away. Instead, Ramesh clicked on the AP Chem group and opened the group chat and typed, “Did anyone get the right answer to No. 8 on the equilibrium worksheet?” In an instant, five people replied and explained their answers.

On a recent Wednesday, junior Eric Wang walked out of his class five minutes into the lunch period and began to search the quad for friends to eat with. However, he found that all of his friends had already driven off campus, and so he resigned to do homework in the library. Such a situation is routine for Wang, who, like many other upperclassmen, has no means of driving off campus at lunch.

As the midnight premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” set for release Nov. 18, comes closer, many teenagers are rushing to buy tickets. It is part one of the dramatic close to the worldwide phenomenon and it has everyone excited and nostalgic. They have read all the books and cannot wait for it to debut on screen. Yet for seniors Grace Kim and Andy Jan, this is not the case. The magical effect of Harry Potter has not put them under the same spell as all the fans.

Maize. In Spanish, it translates to corn. Now, take the “i” out of the word maize but keep the corn and what do you have? Swank Farms Corn Maze in Hollister.