The Smoke Signal

By Aileen Lu Looking for the perfect Halloween costume this year but tight on cash? Never fear; here are some DIY costume ideas you can make without breaking the bank. 1) Coordinated Costumes Get your friends involved with costume making.  Simply decorate t-shirts with glitter, felt, paint, and markers, and you’ve got a themed costume set! Some group ideas include movie and cartoon characters, rainbow colors, foods, brands (see #2), and various animals. Cost: $5-10 per person. 2) Brands Halloween is much more fun when it’s commercialized! Coordinate your outfit’s color with a product, and hold the respective product to…

By Ginger Werner The camp ended after 10 days of fun and amazing experiences. After many tearful goodbyes, the Mission students then went to Chengdu, a province in the Sichuan area of China. The Sichuan province of China fell victim to a deadly 8.0 magnitude earthquake in 2008, which devastated the area and killed at least 68,000 people. The majority of the province was demolished, but the area had made an extraordinary recovery. Even though they were victims to a terrible tragedy their efforts to fundraise money to help rebuild paid off. The students went to the main cultural highlights…

By Connor Williams Sharon Chung founded MSJ’s very first fashion club. The Smoke Signal recently got the chance to talk to Sharon about the club and what she is planning for it. Smoke Signal: Can you give us a general idea of what the club is about? Sharon Chung: The club’s name is “A La Mode”, which in French means “in style”. The club is a high school branch of the Fashion Institute of Design nd Merchandise (FIDM). The club is also connected with all of the other FIDM clubs across the nation. I guess what we’re all about…

By Rebecca Dutta September 7, 2010 7:00 AM Today, my alarm clock must have rung at least five times before my sister finally barged into my room to tell me to, “shut the darn snooze button!” Painful moments later my dog ran into my room and brushed his furry coat against my stunned face, demanding attention.  As if that weren’t enough, my mom walked in to tell me sweetly that I needed to wake up, and when that didn’t work, she pulled off my blanket, leaving me shivering in the Tuesday morning chill.  Why did this morning feel so…

By Sonia Dhawan & Audrey Wu Freshmen: 1. Enjoy having your home in the N-wing! But don’t just stay in one place. Explore the whole campus. 2. Get involved in your first homecoming—it sets the basis for the next three years. 3. Take a risk and run to McDonald’s at least once. It’s a staple of the freshman experience! 4. Don’t stress out about SATs just yet. 5. Get involved in clubs! Just don’t overdo it—you do not need to be a member of every organization on campus. Sophomores: 1. Read for pleasure. As you get older, reading gets…

The Excitement Phase | March 15, 2010 | 11:40 AM Dear Diary, I can’t believe it; we got our high school registration forms today! I also can’t believe there’s only two and a half more months until we can get out of here! No longer will I have to gaze longingly at MSJ’s track and tennis courts during PE! No more outrageously hard science, no more Accelerated Reading, and, best of all, no more 4-6 PM socials! Life can only get better from here on out- senior boys! Better cafeteria lunches! Junior boys!! The Nervous Phase | March 15, 2010 | 3:07 PM…

Ruffles: The good: Ruffles are a cute, girly way to make a fashion statement this spring. But just like any other bold statement piece, don’t overdo it. Choose a ruffled top, skirt, or dress, and then create the rest of your outfit around that piece. The bad: This outfit has clearly broken the rules we’ve outlined for you above; trust us, ruffles everywhere is not a flattering look on anyone. Use common sense when putting an outfit together; for example, if you have a flowy, multi-tiered skirt, wear a more form-fitting tank top (with a cute cardigan, of course, so…

Location ____/15 Location is a major factor to look into when trying to decide where to go to college. Remember: this is where you will be residing for the next four years of your life, so don’t pick San Francisco State if you despise cities. Academics ____/25 Professors play a vital role in the quality and success of the school’s academics. Make sure you do not get caught up in just the number of Nobel Laureate professors at the school, but also how the professors rate on relaying knowledge to the students. How accessible are the professors? How many classes…

If you are one of the many who have recently received their driver’s licenses, the time has come to beg your parents for a new car so that you can take your friends out to lunch or drive yourself from school to SAT class. Either way, the dramatically changing automobile market is difficult to keep track of, but look no further for advice as the Smoke Signal has compiled a list of the best cars in various categories. If you are one of the many who have recently received their driver’s licenses, the time has come to beg your parents…

Every year, spring break rolls by and we tell ourselves that this year is going to be the year we do something productive, something different, something exciting – but we never quite get to it. If you have yet to plan anything, look at the following list of ideas on what to do over break; who knows, you might just find the perfect activity! Looking into Colleges: If you’re looking to do something school oriented and productive, one of the most popular activities for high school students is to visit colleges. Especially for seniors and juniors who want to look…