neXt: the next generation, covered now

Hangin' low

Pull your pants up.

That's the message several cities have sent with ordinances aimed at stopping the continuous trend of saggin' -- wearing baggy pants well below the waist. One town in Louisiana has a $500 fine or up to six months in jail for a violation, claiming it's an indecency issue.

But school officials in the area say it's either not a problem or one that is decreasing.

"If you'd have told me about that two or three years ago, it would have drove me nuts," said Jackson High School principal Rick McClard.

Dr. Mike Cowan, Central High School's principal, said it is still an issue, but not the main dress concern.

"A lot of the kids do it because they see the rappers do it, and they don't know the cultural backing behind it," Cowan said.

The sagging trend began in prison, where prisoners aren't allowed belts for ill-fitting uniforms to prevent suicides or their use as a weapon.

Some students at Central knew where it purportedly came from but said the origins didn't matter.

"It's not like they saw it there," said Rebecca Stokes, a senior at Central.

A song connected to an anti-sagging ordinance in Dallas relates the trend to jail and then to homosexuality in an attempt to shame people to "Pull Your Pants Up."

The song lyrics include the line: "You walk the street with your pants way down low/I dunno; looks to me you on the down low."

"On the down low" can refer to secretly being gay. The song and its artist, Dooney da' Priest, have come under fire recently for the tactics.

Saggin' has also been associated with invitations in prison, furthering the homosexual references and also preventing some teens from partaking in the trend.

"I don't sag," said Marcus Johnson, a ninth-grader at Central. His pants were belted and around his waist.

"If you sag up in jail, then you're basically saying that you're free to do whatever," he said.

Most of his friends couldn't answer as to why their pants were a little low and others agreed that saggin' was a useless trend.

"Your pants can be baggy, but keep your pants around your waist," said Deontai Cooper, a Central sophomore.

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246

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The voice box

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The neXt page is designed around you, high schoolers, so tell us what you think. Come on, what's on your mind? Tell us your opinion. What do your teachers do that you just can't stand? What new fad have you seen around that you just don't get? Nothing's too silly, too stupid or too serious to print here.

So tell us in a text:

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Just tell us.

Here's your chance. Use your voice.

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Friday night lives

Students attended the Jackson High School Silver Arrow Dance Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. (Photos courtesy of Bailey Rodgers, Jackson High School student.)

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neXt up

Today

"Lions for Lambs"

Rated: R

Run time: 128 mins.

At Wehrenberg

"P2"

Rated: R

Run time: 103 mins.

At Wehrenberg

"Fred Claus"

Rated: PG

Run time: 116 mins.

At Town Plaza

Southeast Missouri State University Fall Dance Concert: Bedell Performance Hall, River Campus, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Living History Day: Fort D, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Red House Interpretive Center: open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Bell, Book and Candle" dinner theater: featured by River City Players, River City Yacht Club, Port Cape, dinner at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.

Southeast Missouri State University Fall Dance Concert: Bedell Performance Hall, River Campus, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

Space: Dare to Dream: Memorial Hall, Southeast Missouri State University, 1 to 4 p.m.

Senior Recital featuring Sara Badger on horn: Schuck Music Recital Hall, River Campus, 4 p.m.

Buddy Guy: Show Me Center, 7 p.m.

NEXT WEEK

Games:

Beowulf, Tuesday, PC, X360, PS3

SimCity Societies, Thursday, PC

Crysis, Friday, PC

CDs:

Alicia Keyes, As I Am, Tuesday

Amy Winehouse, Frank, Tuesday

LCD Soundsystem, 45:33, Thursday

DVDs:

Pan's Labyrinth, R, Tuesday

Ocean's 13, PG-13, Tuesday

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Who's neXt

School News

• The Central Methodist University Chorale will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 and 10:30 a.m. Nov. 18 at the New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson. The choir will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.
• Kelly High School FCCLA members collected 280 cans for the Ronald McDonald House by going trick-or-treating for charity in Benton, Mo. FCCLA stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
• Author Stephanie Tolan will speak at 9:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday in the library at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. She will speak about gifted education at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tolan's latest children's book, "Surviving the Applewhites," was a 2003 Newbery Honor book.
• High school students who qualify can participate in the National Vocabulary Championship for a chance to win $40,000 to apply toward college tuition. Students can take an online qualifying exam at www.winwithwords.com. Top scorers will take an exam at a Princeton Review location, and finalists will be selected from regional contest events to participate in the national event held in Los Angeles in March. The championship is sponsored by Charter Communications and the Game Show Network, and goes beyond a traditional spelling bee to include the testing of word definitions and word comprehension.

Achievements

• Three students from Eagle Ridge Christian School won at an ACSI, or Association of Christian Schools International, spelling bee held Nov. 1 in St. Louis. Andrew Hileman won first place for sixth grade and fourth place overall. Jennifer Galemmo won second place for seventh grade and third place overall. Bethany Miget won second place for eighth grade. Hileman and Galemmo will advance to a regional spelling bee in February in Dallas.

-- From staff reports