As Twilight fan Ashlie Hawk suggests,  “Twilight is the ultimate vicarious experience.”

“I was actually really surprised at how much I liked Twilight.” Junior Ashlie Hawk said, “Initially I was against reading the series just because it seemed sort of overrated.”

Of course, Hawk’s attitude toward the books changed.

” I ended up falling in love with it after the first few chapters. After reading the first one, I could not wait to see where the story would go,” Hawk said.

Of course, as Hawk says, the Twilight series isn’t perfect. Throughout Eclipse, Bella’s selfishness is a source of frustration for many readers.

“In Eclipse, Bella is with Edward, who will do anything for her and is her true love, yet, she continuously lets Jacob sway her away,” said Hawk, “Although I love the overall plot, I just hated seeing her string on both of them.”

Although Hawk does not sympathize with Twi-haters, she does realize why they might not like the series.

“When you write the plot,” Hawk said, “it can seem incredibly cheesy. I mean, an average girl falls in love with the most beautiful man in existence, who just so happens to be a vampire. Oh, and her best friend turns into a werewolf.”

Hawk agrees that, when one considers the typical plot, it can seem superficial and unrealistic. However, Hawk says, “There is really so much more to it than that”

“I love the Twilight series…because the books are written in a way that you can put yourself in Bella’s place and live what she is going through,” said Hawk.

RA is an autoimmune disease, or a disease where the body attacks its own tissue. The causes are unknown.

“When you do ‘crack’ your knuckles, the pop you hear is just the joints filling up with air,” chemistry teacher, Jason Roberts, said. “The popping of knuckles itself cannot cause an autoimmune response, or, at least, cannot be considered a direct cause.”

Specialists believe that the myth of getting RA from cracking knuckles is simply an old wive’s tale.

“I’ve heard it for years, and when I was a little girl, that if you crack your knuckles, they’ll start to bother you in your fifties or sixties. But I never did, so I wouldn’t know,” Jane Brown, Nurse’s Assistant , said. “My husband has inflamed knuckles from arthritis, and he never cracked his knuckles habitually,” Brown added.

The MISD PSAT/SAT/ACT Institute is held during the summer from either June 14 to July 1 or July 19 to August 5, Monday through Thursday. The course, which is held at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, will cover basic concepts necessary for improved scores on these important tests. The classes will help both accelerated and average students, as well as students who struggle with SAT related subjects.

There is a fee of $120 if registration is completed by May 4. There are also scholarships available. To register for the institute, a registration form can be obtained in the counselors office and information about the scholarships can be obtained from the bookkeeper.

The classroom is so silent you could easily hear a pen drop. Standing before the students, a woman moves her arms and hands in meticulously organized motions. You may find it strange, but Peggy Cobb and her students are used to it. Cobb feels that the best way to learn a language is total immersion, so she teaches American Sign Language classes in relative silence.

“When I was a little girl, my parents discovered my older brother had a progressive hearing loss and we all started learning the language,” Cobb said, “after high school I still remembered some”.

Cobb’s connection to ASL goes way back, but It truly began one day at a car dealership where she worked as a receptionist.

“A deaf couple came in to look at cars and I offered to interpret for them. They actually ended up buying the car and began coming just about every single week to see me,” Cobb said.

The couple adopted Cobb as their “hearing daughter”, and as a result, she learned more ASL.

After this  entrance back into the deaf community, she realized she did not want to remain a receptionist her entire life.

“I decided to go back to college to study sign language interpreting,” Cobb said, “I have been involved in the deaf community ever since”.

This is Cobb’s first year to teach sign language at Ben Barber, and her sixth year teaching overall. She has been interpreting since 1988.

“In my years as an interpreter I have interpreted for such things as Walker Texas Ranger, Former President of the United States Bill Clinton, cruises, heart surgery, hand surgery, in schools, and in court,” says Cobb.

Cobb says the knowledge of ASL can be used in all walks of life. “The opportunities are endless for someone who learns the language and skill of interpreting,” Cobb said,”I teach high school because I love to watch students’ eyes light up when they catch on to a concept and begin to blossom as they use the language,” Cobb says.

Cobb says she expects the year to be successful.

“I am amazed at the motivation of the students…” Cobb said, “We are off to an awesome start!”

Freshman Arieyana Smith decided to take ASL because she wanted to help out at her church.

“This lady at my church is deaf in one ear, and they need someone to help with American Sign Language,” Arieyana said.

Smith says Cobb’s enthusiasm for teaching is motivational.

“I love sign language,” said Smith, “you can tell she likes to help people that need help in sign language.”