Teen Pulse

Gary Houfek is more than just a history teacher. He has a humorous personality, boisterous laugh, knack for “speaking” to crows and a massive cheese hat to boot.
Of all the teachers at Los Alamos High School, none has more craze and charisma than Houfek, which makes for an unforgettable character. He grew up in Wisconsin, the land of cheese and Green Bay Packers, back in the days when, according to him, “you earned an A!”
Teen Pulse staff members Owen Bradbury-Aranda, Alexandra Hehlen, Kenzi Hunsaker and Lily Johnson put the teacher to the test and asked him a few questions about his life in high school.

Where did you go to high school?
“Appleton West High School, in Appleton, Wis. I graduated in 1971. My first year after high school I worked for the FBI in Washington, then I went to Madison and I was actually contemplating pre-law. But by the ’70s, I just wasn’t into it.

What were you like in high school?
“Believe it or not, I was pretty much a knucklehead. I was manager of the basketball team and we took state junior year.”

Why a teenager with their whole life ahead of them would commit suicide is a question that haunts communities all over the country — Los Alamos is no exception.
And though, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, Los Alamos County has one of the lowest suicide rates in the state, residents still experience grief every time a young person decides to take his or her own life. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide not only affects the family of the deceased, but it also affects the health of others in the community, causing shock, anger, guilt and depression. 
There is no single cause of suicide, but the most common are depression, mental illness, alcohol, or drug abuse, a history of previous suicide attempts, a family history of suicides, or a stressful life event or loss.
It’s the third-leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States and the second cause of death among this young age group in New Mexico. 
Boys are more likely than girls to die from suicide. In addition, females are more likely to report attempting suicide than boys. 

Monday: Foam art
Tuesday: Sunflower spitting contest
Wednesday: Movies and munchies
Thursday: Relay games
Friday: Wii Friday

The centers are open from 3-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Memberships are free and open to all third through eighth graders. 

With all the talk about strikes against Syria flooding the news airwaves, it’s only natural that one would be curious about what’s going on. To help clear the air, Katey Green and Angela Workman came up with a series of questions and answers about Syria.

Q: What’s happening in Syria?
A: Syria is at civil war right now and the use of chemical weapons (gases and toxins that are illegal throughout the world) has been proven to be in use.

Q: Why is the USA getting involved in this?
A: Syria called for an intervention (a plea for protection to prevent another chemical attack)
Q: What are some of the other nations doing about this?
A: France, Great Britain, and Russia have all stepped in and are trying to solve this crisis, but Bashar al-Assad (the president of Syria) has threatened that anyone who steps in will “pay a steep price”

Q: What chemical weapon is in use?
A: Sarin (a man made chemical that is considered the most toxic and powerful of its kind. It kills quickly by damaging the lungs and nervous system.)

Q: How many people have been killed by this gas?
A: 1,400 people, 400 of those being children