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This year the Journalism class had the amazing opportunity to attend Mount Hermon’s 41^st Christian Writers Conference. All the students took the same Major Morning Teen Track-“Writing a Novel; How to start and finish the race”. We all attended different writing workshops during the day that taught us things like how to create characters that live and breathe, marketing, and article writing. We all had the chance to submit manuscripts to be reviewed by professional writers; their critiques were helpful in enhancing our stories. All had our favorite memory:

Mt Hermon was by far one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much about writing and just as much about life. It was really cool to hang out with a class as awesome as this one for five days straight. I can’t wait to go again next year!

–Aaron Bennett

I believe that Mt. Hermon was a very enriching part of my life and I have gained knowledge and memories that I will hold with me for the rest of my life. I learned so much about story development and how the Christian writing market differs from that of the secular market. My most lasting memory will probably be just chilling with all my classmates in our room after a long days work and having a blast.

–Nolan Kelley

At Mt. Hermon I really enjoyed hanging out with everyone and getting to know them, especially Jina and Angie. I also loved all the classes I went to; I learned a lot. And meeting with Ethel Herr was a great experience and she encouraged me to continue with my story.

– Heather McCuistion

Mt. Hermon really showed me all the little details in writing. One of the things I learned was how to show characters personalities without telling but by showing their reactions. My favorite part of Mt. Hermon was hanging out with my homies in the rooms and getting to know each of them better.

–Tevin Jones

Before going to Mount Hermon, I was apprehensive and wasn’t sure if it would really help my writing skills, let alone be fun. But, while there, I met many amazing people who aided me on my quest to become an amazing writer, and also bonded with my fellow journalism students (and Dakota). It was a time I will never forget, and will cherish always.

–Angelina Martin

I liked the environment. Everyone was really nice. I also enjoyed making new friends, Dakoters. It was really fun to learn how to be a better writer.

–Anthony Adams

My experience at Mount Hermon was simply amazing. Everything about it was fantastic. I did not really want to go at first, but now I am so glad I did. I learned so much about writing and I am excited to apply it in college! The best part was without a doubt bonding with everyone and becoming a little journalism family. I also enjoyed stealing Nolan’s room key. Angie and I attempted to play a prank on the boys but were caught by Mrs. Thompson. I am so glad that we had the chance to have this experience and I definitely want to go back.

–Jina Daniel

I believe this was my ninth visit to the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, and each time, I leave inspired and refreshed. This year was no different. I took James Scott Bell’s Mentoring Track and learned some great fiction writing techniques. It was especially fun for me this year as I watched my journalism class catch the vision of the writing process. Another highlight was hiking with my students on the back tail of the Santa Cruz Hills that abuts the MH campus. My hope is that next year’s class will also have the opportunity to attend the conference.

— Mrs. Thompson

A high school student dreams about their senior year throughout their entire high school career. Then when you finally reach senior year…BAM! They slam you with the senior project.

The senior project is an 8-12 page paper about a controversial topic, which requires a 10-15 minute power-point presentation. This counts as a test grade for 3 of your classes, English, Government/Econ, and Bible. The teachers started doing the senior project because seniors were getting separate essays assigned; the teachers thought it would be good idea to have one long paper instead of three short ones, and that is how the senior project was birthed into the lives of TC Seniors.

Each student is assigned to a room where he or she presents the project to four judges. This year the head judges were Mr. Fast, Mrs. Piper, Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Hernandez, and Mr. Williams. The top 9 are selected to present the project again, in front of a different panel of judges, for the purpose of vying for a scholarship.

This year’s top nine were, Morgan Andre, Hiliary Sharp, Demsina Babazadeh, Geoffrey Retemeyer, Morgan Mcintire, Rebekah Godfrey, Garret Allison, Amy Wright, and Natalie Sanders. In the end, Demsina Babazadeh received third place, Hiliary Sharp received second and Morgan Andre won first place. Each student in the top three received a scholarship to further their education.

Demsina Babazadeh 3rd Place

Topic: Gay Marriage: The Battle Between Right and Wrong

Student Tip: Do it early, do not procrastinate it’ll getcha! Do all your ‘note cards’ in English the right way, the first time, research as much as you can and just get it out of the way…earlier. I spent time every day working on my presentation so, it never piled up for the last minute.

Nervousness? Oh I was definitely nervous doing it the 2nd time in front of the judges, but I think it was harder that way cause it was just the judging panel of (4) your tech partner and you. So it’s way less nerve racking when other classmates are in there.

Improvements: I guess I could have made the presentation longer, and had some handouts or something, but I was overall happy with how my presentation was different then my paper so it wasn’t like I was repeating the information over and over.

Scholarship-$500

Hiliary Sharp 2nd Place

Topic: Effects of Pornography on Society

Student Tip: Pick a topic that you are curious about, something that interests you and is controversial. You WILL spend a lot of time researching. Also, I would recommend choosing a topic that no one else is doing because this gives you a boost as far as the competition aspect goes. Another thing: Google Scholar is great for referencing books and articles.

Nervousness? I always get most nervous waiting to go up, but once I’m up, the nerves die down pretty fast.

Best Part: I think my topic in itself is my favorite part. At first, I was nervous pursuing this topic because I thought it would be really difficult to research, but I really felt that God laid it on my heart to pursue, and in the end it worked out really well. He used the experience to help me grow as an individual, while also (hopefully) impacting the lives of others.

Improvements: All in all, I feel very confident in my work. I gave it my all. I don’t think I’d change anything. I do wish I had started drafting my paper sooner, though. It takes a lot of time.

Scholarship: $700

Morgan Andre 1st Place

Topic: Media Bias and whether it is in favor of Liberal views or Conservative views.

Student Tip: A tip for students next year: is to work really hard on your first draft because after that all you have to do is revise and it’s easy. Also, make an interesting PowerPoint with graphs. They love the graphs.

Nervousness? I was extremely nervous. Presenting and public speaking is completely out of my comfort zone.

Best Part: I think the best part of my presentation was the interview with the Modesto Bee’s editor and Vice President, Mark Vasche. It allowed people to relate to media on a local level.

Improvements: I could definitely improve my public speaking ability and also I wish I had a more interesting introduction.

Scholarship: $1000

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and those who attended TC’s Drama Production of Don’t Kick the Turkeys got a healthy dose. The comedy under the direction of Dawn Davis, had the audience rolling with laughter. This year the drama class performed two plays- Cakes Galore and Don’t Kick the Turkeys.

It’s only Pastor Clark’s (Geoffrey Retemeyer) third day as pastor of Mission Baptist Church when his secretary, Joy (Kristen Tillotsen), starts laying down the laws of the office, while the janitor (Jesse Gray) is “fixing” everything in sight with duct tape. The most prestigious member of the congregation (Hiliary Sharp) is on the warpath, and an eccentric choir director (Ashlee Burnam) presents some far out ideas for Sunday morning’s special.

Calamity and humor escalates when a daycare moves into the church building after the pipes in their own building burst. Can God work in such a situation? A message is brought unexpectedly by way of a homeless man, and the members of the church realize there are more important things than keeping a squeaky clean image. Alongside the laughs, Don’t Kick the Turkeys offered striking similarities to almost every church.

The second performance of the night, Cakes Galore, featured Helen and Fern (Megan Brown and Morgan Andre) as two elderly women devoted to serving the poor every Tuesday and Thursday. They attend the small Mission Baptist church. Their “competition”, Southside Baptist has all the money they need to serve the poor extravagant dinners that consist of things like steak, meanwhile Mission Baptist is struggling to serve soup and sandwiches.

With depleting funds, the Mission church will soon be forced to suspend the ministry. Helen and Fern hold a fundraiser consisting of a 50’s theme with music and a cakewalk, which is headed for disaster when undermined by the Southside Baptist candlelight thanksgiving dinner. Eventually the two churches join forces with great success.

“I laughed through the whole thing; it was really professionally done” says Junior Jordan Gustafson. Each play had a unique message; Don’t Kick the Turkeys dealt with the issue of taking the road less traveled. The pastor had to take the lead for the other church members to follow him. Also, the play confronted the issue of homelessness. Don’t Kick the Turkeys taught the audience that we need to help those who are less fortunate than us. Cakes Galore also dealt with homelessness and taught us that we need to help the poor even if they are dishonest because we are called by God to help others.

The cast loved being part of the comedy troupe. “Playing Helen was really fun and I loved hanging out back stage with my fellow cast members,” said Megan Brown. Morgan also enjoyed her part saying, “Portraying Fern was a really exciting and different experience.”

Lead actor Geoffrey Retemeyer was appreciative of the director’s hard work. “Mrs. Davis is an awesome director and I am really happy I had the opportunity to work with her”.

Drama is a very special class filled with very special students. Each student had the opportunity to get something out of drama and to give great and memorable performances.

After receiving their dose of laughter; it’s safe to say that TC is a healthy group.

New York Fashion Week was a crazy memorable event this year. This is the last season where Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be held at Bryant Park, next season; it will be held at the new Lincoln Centre instead. This year menswear, which usually takes a back seat to the women’s collection, came out strong.

Some new and important trends noticed this year include the British sartorial expat–the bespoke suit. Whether it’s done slightly more traditionally like BESPOKEN’s tailored double breasted suit topped with lapel pins, Simon Spurr’s indigo rendition, or with a Lower East Side twist, like J. Sabatino’s all over plaid, designers are encouraging men to suit up.

At most shows it was layers galore as men began to take the layering concept beyond the three-piece suit. Robert Geller takes the idea of layering on items to a classy level as he pulls unexpected pieces from the wardrobe together. In Geller’s world, it is perfectly fine to wear a puffy vest over a pea coat, with a sleek plum dress shirt underneath and topped off with an embellished silk ribbon tie. Then, pull everything over shredded denim for the finale. Geller proves that men too, can handle fashion.

In fashion it seems like there is one decision maker, and her name is Anna Wintour. Anna Wintour, editor in chief of American Vogue, attended upcoming designer Prabal Gurung along with Rachel Zoe, Fern Mallis, along with other shows. If Anna Wintour is behind you and likes your designs you can go far in the industry.

Alexander Wang presented his latest collection for a fresh and young look that fare away from the eighties influences, using a wall street touch by revisiting the traditional banker’s suit and cropped blazer and vests with legwarmers.

Marc Jacobs also showed his fall 2010 collection followed by his usual after party and said” it is not about Fashion, it’s about style.” Jacobs introduced a 56-look collection with pieces modeled by two girls who did not fit the mold of the skinny model, quite refreshing.

Next Fall/Winter seems like a season to layer generously, suit up whenever appropriate or whenever you can, and to go larger than life in stretched out silhouettes or attention winning slogans. All in all, be brave; go ahead and dress up for fall!

The 2010 Oscars was a magical night filled with beautiful dresses and many awards. The night started off with a promising surprise, as Neil Patrick Harris dazzled with a performance about Hollywood duos, Harris and his showman confidence makes him a hosting favorite for years to come, as he seamlessly continues to have great flair.

Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin continued the good times when they started off the night with a message: Nobody is safe from ridicule. Their pointed and often hilarious monologue jokes, getting everyone from Meryl Streep to Zac Efron, brought a bit of edgy, insulting-yet-funny environment. It was far more MTV than ABC.

The presentation of the awards featured each nominee and brought back the focus to why the Oscars actually exist: To honor the actors and films. The intensity of the performances is the reason everyone gets dressed up.

And The Oscar Goes To…

The winner of the Oscar award for Best Lead Actor went to actor Jeff Bridges for his role in “Crazy Heart”. This was Bridges’ fifth nomination since 1971, and his first Oscar win in the category was presented to him by Kate Winslet. Bridges also picked up an award for the song “The Weary Kind” in “Crazy Heart”.

Oprah Winfrey was present to introduce Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” to the Oscar’s audience, calling her “a true, American Cinderella”, and told the starlet she had a “brilliant career” ahead of her. Unfortunately for Gaby, Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Lead Actress for her role in “The Blind Side”.

The awards for Best Director was between James Cameron for “Avatar”, Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”, Quentin Tarentino for “Inglorious Basterds”, Lee Daniels for “Precious” and Jason Reitman” for “Up In The Air”. The winner is… Kathryn Bigelow, the first female to win this Academy Award.

“The Hurt Locker” took Best Picture, making the total of Academy Awards won with six. “The Hurt Locker” was nominated for nine total awards.

Mo’Nique won Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. The best Animated Feature Film was Up, and Avatar won the award for Art Direction and Cinematography.

Though through the public eye all these movies are considered amazing movies that everyone must see, as Christians we need to take a step back and really as ourselves, Would the movies still win an Oscar with God?

As the clocked ticked, fourth-down approached and Manning knew it was over.

The Super Bowl is not just a game; it is a part of America’s history.

The first Super Bowl was on January 15, 1967 where the Green Bay Packers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 35-10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since then 44 Super Bowls have been played and many records have been set. Chuck Noll, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the head coach with the most Super Bowl victories with four (IX, X, XIII, and XIV). Bill Walsh of the 49ers, Joe Gibbs of the Redskins, and Bill Belicheck of the Patriots have each won three Super Bowls as head coaches.

Joe Montana of the 49ers and Terry Bradshaw of the Steelers are the starting quarterbacks with the most Super Bowl victories at 4. Montana won Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV and Bradshaw won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV. Montana, Troy Aikman, and Tom Brady have 3 each.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL franchise with the most Super Bowl wins with six. SB IX: 16-6 Pittsburgh over Minnesota, SB X: 21-17 Pittsburgh over Dallas, SB XIII: 35-31 Pittsburgh over Dallas SB XIV: 31-19 Pittsburgh over LA Rams, SB XL: 21-10 Pittsburgh over Seattle, SB XLIII: 27-23 Pittsburgh over Arizona. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each have five Super Bowl wins. Dallas won VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX. The 49ers won Super Bowls; XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX.

Super Bowl 2010

This year the New Orleans Saints faced the Indianapolis Colts in South Florida. After a slow first quarter, it looked like the Colts were ready to run away with the win, the Saints changed the path of Super Bowl XLIV by taking control of the second quarter. The Saints ran 26 offensive plays while the Colts ran six. The Saints opened the second half shocking the Colts with an onside kick. Six plays later, Pierre Thomas scored on a 16-yard catch-and-run to hand the Saints their first lead, 13-10.

The game was over when Saints Cornerback Tracy Porter stepped in front of Reggie Wayne, and intercepted Peyton Manning’s pass, returning it for 74 yards for a touchdown which gave the Saints a 31-17 lead with 3:12 remaining in the game. Porter stepped up and secured the win for the Saints; after all defense wins championships. The Colts were unable to get in the end zone in the final minutes, giving the Saints their first Super Bowl championship!

The game was filled with amazing plays; and both teams set records this year. The Saints lost their final three regular-season games and became the first team to bring a three-game losing streak into the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. With the loss by the Colts and Manning, the last five regular-season MVPs to reach the Super Bowl have lost the game. The Saints’ kicker Garrett Hartley became the first kicker in Super Bowl history with three field goals made from 40 yards or more. Colts’ kicker Matt Stover became the oldest player in a Super Bowl at 42 years old. Indianapolis’ 96-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter tied the 1985 Bears for the longest drive in Super Bowl history.

At the end of the day the Saints got the job done and won their first championship at their first ever Superbowl appearance. Running back, Reggie Bush summed up the day stating, “I think it (the championship) is more special because in the fashion that we did it and the city that we did it for. A city that was pretty much destroyed in a hurricane and they need something to be proud of. Through the 30 or 40 years plus of terrible seasons in New Orleans, now they can excel; now they can be proud of the Saints.”

The Notebook and A Walk to Remember both captured our hearts with stories of undying love, causing us to remember what love really means. Now Nicholas Sparks’ latest book turned movie, Dear John, is sparking quite a controversy between book lovers and movie buffs.

Synopsis

Dear John is a story about John Tyree, a solder in the Army who falls in love with Savannah Lee Curtis. The book begins with John returning to his hometown of Wilmington, NC on a two-week military leave from the Army. As John is surfing one day he comes to the rescue of Savannah after she drops her purse in the water and John dives in after it saving her bag and all the valuable things inside. Savannah is a relief worker, rebuilding homes for hurricane-ravaged locals.

John and Savannah’s love quickly blossom and they proclaim their love after only three days. Two weeks later, John has to leave and return to Germany where his Army base is. But before parting, John promises Savannah that he will marry her one day and that he will come back after a year and visit her for two weeks, then he only has six more months left until he will be done with the Army. Savannah gives him a letter and the two promise to write, e-mail, or call whenever they can. They also promise to remember each other every time they see a full moon.

But then September 11, 2001 happens.

After the terrorist attacks John re-enlists in the Army, and though promising to wait, Savannah falls in love with another breaking John’s heart. When John returns two years later, he discovers that Tim, Savannah’s husband has been diagnosed with cancer and is barely surviving. Sacrificially, John pays for better medical treatment and Tim lives, leaving Savannah looking up at the moon, proving her unending love for John.

Rewind

Wait?! Back up! Is that what really happened? Because none of that was in the movie. And so the controversy begins. The ending in the movie is completely different than the book. In the movie, Tim dies, and the movie ends with John and Savannah hugging outside of a restaurant. Okay?? No marriage ceremony, no kiss, so…huh? Unfortunately the movie leaves audiences in the dark long after the lights come back on.

It’s the same old, “Did you read the book?” scenario. If an individual saw the movie without reading the book, their opinion would probably be more gracious. But for the avid readers, the movie was a disappointment.

So the question stands. What ending would have better suited the movie? Regardless, the movie should have provided some closure as to what happens to John and Savannah. We can only hope for deleted scenes and alternate endings to be featured on the DVD.

Dear John,
Your producer needs a new screenwriter.
From, Your Viewers

As Gisele spoke the words “I Do” to her now husband Bobby, her dating history flashed before her eyes. She thought about all the times she had been hurt, all the secrets she had told, and all the lying it took to hide the relationship from her parents. Was it all worth it? Sure at the time, she thought it was a great idea, but now looking back on it she realizes the mistakes she made. Gisele’s mind began to wander, would Bobby hurt her the same way Taylor did? She began to doubt her marriage and her feelings.

Seventy-six percent of teens say they have dated in high school; yet only 27% of those students actually marry their high school sweetheart. The controversy of dating in high school has become an epic battle between parents and teens. Teens obviously want to have relationships, but why date? Where does the drive to date come from? Our wise Math teacher, John Godfrey, says the influence comes from pop culture and peer pressure.

One has to admit his observations aren’t without proof. Television shows convey scripts filled with stories about who is hooking up with whom. And some of the situations are less than moral, with shows like Secret Life of the American Teenager, containing dramas about out-of-wedlock sex and unplanned pregnancies. Even movie themes revolve around high school girls attempting to find love with the popular boys. One can’t help but wonder if teens are programmed to think that remaining single in high school is abnormal.

Mr. Godfrey believes that teens today don’t look at the big picture. He said that every time he considered dating a girl he would think to himself first “Can I see myself marrying this person?” Teens might argue saying the relationship it’s not that serious, and that they are not looking to get married. So if you’re not looking to get married then why date? Of course the answers says Godfrey are in written in God’s word, the Bible.

“Matthew 6:33 tells us, ‘ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ When we seek God first everything else will come into play,” says Mr. Godfrey. “God promises that as long as we seek him first, other things will be given to us.”
Still the question remains, Does dating in high school affect your marriage/ adult dating life? Mr. Godfrey says most definitely. “Every experience affects how you will process things in the future. When you have a bad experience, and someone hurts you, you will try to protect yourself next time and not open up to someone else.”

Mr. Godfrey warns that dating in high school adds on to our “baggage”. “Baggage” is something that you have to carry with you for the rest of your life, through every relationship you have.”
Mr. Godfrey added that there is only one person you can give your ‘first kiss’ too. “You will remember that kiss for the rest of your life, because there are some things that can never be returned,” he said.

Fortunately for those who’ve made some unwise decisions in the past, there’s no time like the present to give God your dating life, and seek him first.

Below, some of the TC students weighed in on their dating opinions concerning dating.

“Experience means nothing if it comes with regrets and hurt. Guard your heart and do not leave it out in the open.” - Freshman, Alysia Warda

“I want to be older the next time I date, and also I want to put God in the center of the relationship.” -Junior, Ashlee Burnam

“What I learned from my last relationship is that the girl is always right.” -Sophomore, Schyler Johnson

“Teen dating is fun as long as it’s within the law. Listen to your heart when he’s calling for you, listen to your heart there’s nothing else you can do.” -Senior, Kyron Loving

Tons of artists are dropping their albums. Two of the most anticipated albums of the year are Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster and Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment. Both made big splashes in the music industry with their riding in the car with the top down feel.

Lady Gaga’s songs are always upbeat and fun to listen to. And while Adam also has upbeat songs on his album, there are some beautiful ballads highlighting his impeccable voice on his debut album.

Lady Gaga’s The fame Monster sold a cool 174,000. Taking the edge over Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment sold 198,000 albums.

As the Holiday season approaches some of the best albums that you can be blasting out of your car or home are, Faith Hill – Joy to the World, Sheryl Crow – Home for Christmas, Elliott Yamin – My Kind of Holiday, Andrea Bocelli – ‘My Christmas’, and David Archuleta – ‘Christmas From the Heart’.

If you’re thinking of hitting the theaters this Christmas season, the biggest movies this winter are:

• New Moon (obviously)
• 2012
• Disney’s a Christmas Carol
• The Blind Side
• Sherlock Holms

The Blind Side is an amazing inspirational story about a homeless teenager who is taken in by a family and is later recruited into the NFL. The movie based on a true story about Michael Oher. It’s a great movie and is only rated Pg-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references.

The best Christmas movie to go see is Disney’s A Christmas Carol. It is a cute Disney movie that will warm up your Holiday.

Whatever you decide to listen to or watch for the Holidays, remember to not lose focus on what really matters; the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Once upon a time in small land far far away, students at TC attended MORP in Palo Alto, California. MORP originated quite a long time ago, when the students were sick of not having any kind of homecoming, so they came up with the term “MORP”, which is prom spelled backwards.

The first MORP was held at Discovery Zone in 1998, but since then MORP has come a long way. This year TC students attended a football game at Stanford Stadium, enjoying Stanford’s 33-14 win over Arizona State.

The theme for this year was Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes so students donned creative and whimsical costumes. Junior Jordan Gustafson was impressed with one costume in particular. “Morgan Andre and Geoffrey Retemeyer’s Goldilocks and the 3 bears costume was pretty clever,” he said. Others agreed that Candice Balswick and Garret Yagi also made a big splash with their Jack and Jill costume.

Sophomore Schyler Johnson, and Freshman Mackenzie Spycher, both agreed that the best part of MORP was watching the game, but they didn’t know some would think they were part of it, “Someone saw my Alice in Wonderland outfit and asked me and my friends if we were the half time show,” said Spycher.

Of course part of the fun of any trip is the journey up. Students busied themselves on the 100-mile bus trip with storytelling, mass text messaging, and watching out for Mr. Fast’s hand checks.

Students agreed the tailgate party before the game provided an excellent opportunity to bond. “I really enjoyed eating on the grass with my friends during the tailgate,” said Junior Haley Myer.

But for some MORP was bittersweet. “ “I’m sad that I will never get to experience a MORP again. It’s always really fun to ask creatively, dress up, and go to an event with all your friends. But four is a satisfactory amount,” said Senior Morgan Andre.

Overall MORP was a fun day of spending time with schoolmates, and all the students at Turlock Christian lived happily ever after!

As Bella lies on the floor, lifeless and bleeding, Edward realizes he has two choices: let her become a vampire or suck the vampire venom out of her arm. He questions himself, wondering if he can resist drinking all of her blood.

If you haven’t heard about the Twilight Saga yet, you must be living under a rock because Twilight has become one of the most popular books of the 21st Century. With over 70 million books sold worldwide and translated into 37 languages; it has easily become a hit.

Stephanie Meyer, the author of Twilight, says she first came up the idea for Twilight when she had a dream about a human girl and a vampire who thirsted for the girl’s blood. With no plans to ever publish the book Stephanie Meyer wrote the first installment to the Twilight Saga. With encouragement from her sister, she sent her manuscript to different publishing companies. After denying seven publishers she finally settled with Little Brown Books for $750,000. Twilight first arrived on the scene in 2005 and within the first month, it was #5 on the New York Times Best Selling List.

Turlock Christian Sophomore, Marley Burton, believes she was one of the first to jump on the Twilight bandwagon, “I read Twilight when it first came out, before it was popular, and then I found out through all the media madness that there were three other parts to the saga.”

The four books include: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. But that’s not all. The movie rights for the franchise were purchased by Paramount Pictures and put into production by Summit Entertainment. Even though the first movie was kind of a disappointment, released in theaters on November 21, 2008, it still managed to gross $35.7 million its opening day. By September 19, 2009, the film has grossed $383,520,177 in the worldwide box office and, as of July 12, 2009 it earned $157,078,128 in North American DVD sales.

Turlock Christian Senior, Demsina Babazadeh, thinks that regardless of how much money the Twilight movie made, it still was dissatisfying, “Well, to be honest the first movie was kind of a letdown. I don’t think they captured the chemistry between Edward and Bella at all”.

Fortunately, the movie sequel for New Moon, is expected to be better, in fact one actor in particular is adding to the film’s frenzy. “I am so excited for New Moon, because of Taylor Lautner,” says TC Sophomore, Mary Sargisian.

As with many cult movies there are various opinions about the Twilight books and movies both abroad and here on the TC campus. “I love the twilight series,” says Sargisian, “It is defiantly one of my favorites.”

Disagreeing, Senior, Hiliary Sharp, shared reasons why she decided not to read the saga. “Although I think the whole idea behind Twilight, the vampire-romance, is interesting, I don’t agree with some of the moral qualities hiding beneath the romantic exterior. A dangerous, and addictive, secular theme is played out within the saga: that there is a person out there that will give you satisfying, eternal personal fulfillment and will complete your life”.

Sharp makes a good point. The Bible commands us in Proverbs 4:23 to “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. And Romans 12:2 Warns us not to “conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Definitely a warning that all twilight heart throbs should be aware of.

Regardless of whether you’re a Twilight groupie or not; one thing is clear, the Vampire genre is back and it has found a way to turn blood into a great deal of money.