The Catamount Times 2015-2016 Issues | Seite 40

Catamount Times November, 2015 Phones Should Be Used in Class Physical Boundaries Need to Be Respected Even though this school year is still fairly new, I’ve already seen many instances where one student is touching another, and the student being touched is clearly annoyed, uncomfortable, bothered, or just generally not enjoying that contact. I would like to point out that everyone has their differences, and one of those differences is that some people don’t mind hugs or other physical contact. However, there are a lot of people who don’t like that stuff. In fact, some people get very anxious with any type of physical contact, especially in a large school environment or from people they barely know. If you want to hug or touch someone in any way, then you should prob- ably ask or give some other hint that you would like a hug before just walking up and latching onto that person. Personally, I’ve had multiple people come up to me and touch me without saying anything (whether it be a hug or someone touching my hair, etc.). And I can’t even begin to tell you how uncomfortable it makes me, as it does with so many other people in this school, or even outside of school. It’s really not okay to assume that someone doesn’t mind that contact, because you never know what kind of day they’re having, or how they feel about it in general. By Emily R. Catamount Staff Reporter Honor Veterans and World Peace on Nov. 11 Starting a New School Can Be Scary Veterans Day is a national holiday that is observed every year on Nov. 11. It honors people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The first Veterans Day was when the Treaty of Versailles was signed and everybody called it, “The war to end all wars.” The Treaty of Versailles was signed seven months after the actual end of World War I. Unfortunately, World War II started in 1939. President Woodrow Wilson was the one to start the holiday, proclaiming the first Armistice Day for Nov. 11, 1919. A Congressional Act approved in 1938 made it a holiday, “dedicated to the cause of world peace.” Ever wonder how Armistice Day got changed to Veterans Day? In 1945, a World War II veteran had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. The Congress replaced “Armistice” with “Veterans” in 1954, and it has been known as Veteran’s Day ever since. Armistice Day is still commemorated every year on Nov. 11, along with Veterans Day. If you are going to commemorate Veterans Day this day, I strongly urge you to also commemorate Armistice Day. By Isidora D. Catamount Staff Reporter I have moved many times in my life. I recently moved to St. Johnsbury from Texas. Was I worried about going to a new school? Even if you think you’re never going to see your friends again, you probably will, even if you move far away. You may not see them in person, but you can see them on video chat or call them. I met an awesome person here named Olivia, who is my best friend. Her mom works here, and you might know her. Her name is Ms. Aguirre, who is a Pre-K counselor. Ms. Aguirre is very helpful! I once had to go to the hospital, and she took me from class and talked to me about it. It helped a lot and I wasn’t scared to go anymore. Other teachers here are helpful and kind, too. Last year, I was in Mrs. Smith’s class, and she helped me with a lot of things like writing conclusions and more detailed paragraphs. Another teacher I had last year was Ms. Van Nostrand, who helped me with fractions and multiplic F