Book Review: Shut The Door

The Watchdog

March 2007 Vol. 16 No. 3 C.D. Hylton High School Woodbridge, VA

Shut The Door

By Amanda Marquit

Heather Gioia
Features Editor

Shut the Door quickly grabs the attention of the reader, making it nearly impossible to put down until it has been read from cover to cover. It invades and dissects the life of an average, middle class family.

Lilliana and Vivian are two teenage girls whose lives spiral out of control. They finding themselves becoming more self destructive each day and abandoning old friends. At the same time both of their parents, too busy with their own insane lives, do not even notice the destruction occurring in their own household.

Harry is the typical “six in the morning to six at night” business man whose wife, Beatrice, spends hour upon hour striving to please him. With their marriage on the rocks, falling apart like an old ratty blanket, the novel tells the story of a family screaming out for help where nobody is listening.

While the climax is built up throughout the novel, with stories any teen can understand, readers may find the ending to be a let down, ending with no closer. It is left up to the reader to complete the story.

Book Review: Diary

The Watchdog

March 2007 Vol. 16 No. 3 C.D. Hylton High School Woodbridge, VA

Diary

By Chuck Palahniuk

Heather Gioia
Features Editor

The story of Misty Wilmont, mother and wife, is like none other, told through her diary entries, written through the eyes of an outside observer.

Misty, who was considered trailer trash as a child, ends up living in the dream-world that she had once drawn with colored pencils. Peter Wilmot is the man she meets while in art school and drops out to marry; she both disappoints, and is disappointed by, him.

After Peter’s psychotic rage and tragic accident that leaves him lying in a hospital bed like a vegetable in a coma, Misty is left to clean up the mess he left behind.

When it seems as if nothing could be worse than erasing her husband’s ranting, raising her daughter by herself, and dealing with her over controlling mother-in-law, her sanctuary is invaded by outsiders. Diary brings to light a family’s conspiracy, a plan that threatens to cost the lives of hundreds of people, unless Misty can save them this time.

The novel looks at aspects of a life some readers could never imagine and others deal with, such as family secrets and pre-planned futures.

Diary is a novel that keeps readers puzzled until the last page, and stays with them after it ends. The plot is dark, sardonic, full of satire, and at the same time extremely gripping. The reader, although at times confused, will not be able to leave the novel in the past until they solve the mystery and untangle the web of lies and secrets in the novel, even after is has been completed. To not read this novel would be a crime.

Time for business and fun

The Watchdog

March 2007 Vol. 16 No. 3 C.D. Hylton High School Woodbridge, VA

Time for business and fun

By Heather Gioia
Features Editor

Student Council Association (SCA) Convention— fun, bonding, leadership, new friends, excitement. However it is described, the SCA Convention is one thing that Hylton’s SCA students look forward to attending each year.

What is the SCA Convention? It is a weekend in Richmond, VA, where SCA’s from different Virginia schools unite exchange and share ideas. This year’s SCA convention will be held at the Holiday Inn in Richmond, VA, from Mar. 23 – Mar. 25.

Although students attend special presentations and listen to numerous speakers, everyone knows how to keep it fun. The convention includes workshops on leadership, a dance, a formal banquet, and a chance to bond with people from schools from all over the state.

“Students go for the fun, for the bonding, for the excitement of meeting [new] people,” explained senior Alberto Camacho, Virginia’s SCA president.

This year Hylton is playing an immense role in the SCA Convention. Since the Hylton SCA is the president school, they will run the event. As the top dogs, Hylton SCA students will lead different sessions over the span of the weekend.

Not only will Hylton be stepping up to the plate and taking charge of the event, but two students will be running for offices at the state level. Junior Mareeha Niaz will be running for the vice president and sophomore Jeson Souvannarath will be running for the Region Four representative.

Because SCA is a club open to anyone, anybody can go. While it may be too late for students to sign up for this years convention, they should keep their ears open for it next year. SCA covers a portion of the cost for students based on involvement. Interested students should see SCA Sponsor, Mrs. Susan Hunter, in room F-209 for more information.

“[SCA Convention] a lot of fun, and everyone who has gone has had fun. It is exciting to be there,” Camacho said.

Publications visit the Big Apple

The Watchdog

March 2007 Vol. 16 No. 3 C.D. Hylton High School Woodbridge, VA

Publications visit the Big Apple

By Heather Gioia
Features Editor

As the charter bus pulls up in front of Hylton, students dressed and half asleep will slowly load the bus and begin their journey at 2:00 AM on Thurs., Mar. 15 to New York City. Students from different publications will make yet another journey to participate in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) Annual Scholastic Convention at Columbia University. The Convention spans three days and is full of fun classes and other activities.

CSPA’s 38th Annual Scholastic Convention is held from Wed., Mar. 14, through Fri., Mar. 16. While attending, students will be able to chose from more than 300 sessions including classes in newspaper, yearbook, magazine, online media, video/broadcasting, and law and ethics. On the final day of the Convention, CSPA will announce the winners of the Crown Awards for top publications, and the Gold Circle Awards for top individual student awards.

Hylton’s The Watchdog, The Legend, and The Promethean staff members will attend different classes that specialize in their specific publications. While the students will run all across the campus of Columbia University, the weekend will not be all study, study, study.

Students will attend dinners in the city, grab lunch on their own during the day, and find themselves being treated like adults in the real world. Students will plan to attend (insert name of show) on Broadway, and will have the opportunity to visit Ground Zero and the Empire State Building.

“It’s a once in a life time opportunity! A lot of students have never been out of Virginia and this gives them an opportunity to not only take classes on the campus of a major university, but also see Times Square,” explained Ms. Kellie Solhiem-Chabot, Literary Magazine Sponsor.