neXt: The next generation, covered now

This day does not exist.

At least not in most other years. But 2008 is a leap year. So although February gets shortchanged three years in a row, every fourth year it gets the extra day the calendar needs to keep alignment with the celestial calendar -- though it's still shorter than every other month. The Earth revolves around the sun every 365.242 days, not every 365 days. We just ignore that extra one-fourth of a day and throw in a whole extra one to catch up every four years. Because Feb. 29 does exist this year, we asked 29 students what they would do with a whole extra day.

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"I would probably stay at home and sleep. I'd love to just stay at home and enjoy the day off."

Katie Thurston, a junior at Notre Dame Regional High School and on the dance team

"Honestly, I'd probably sleep. I'm on the swim team, and we have practice every day. It keeps me going all the time."

Ava Andersson, a sophomore at Notre Dame

"I'd hang out with friends at my house and watch movies, action movies. 'I am Legend' is my favorite."

Ronnie Scott, a freshman at Notre Dame

"I'd go shopping. [I[']d go] to the mall to get more clothes and food. I like McCallister's and American Eagle."

Kyron Gross, a sophomore at Notre Dame

"I'd go shopping to get accessories. I have tons of hair accessories, especially bows."

Kanaan Rhodes, a sophomore at Notre Dame

"I would go skate around the mall. I go every weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Thursday is Dungeon and Dragon's day. I go with a big group of friends. We've been skating for about two years in parking lots."

Mack Jamieson, a freshman at Notre Dame

"If I could do anything I'd go skydiving. I've been bungee jumping in Gulf Shores, the kind where you're on a swing and they suspend you. I'd want to go skydiving in Colorado somewhere over the mountains."

Austin Westrich, a junior at Notre Dame

"I would go to Hot Topic or to the movies. I want to see 'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.'"

Kody O'Kelly, a freshman at Notre Dame

"It'd probably give me more time to work on my car ... I'm trying to restore it to what it was."

Joseph Caruso, a junior at Central High School who has a 1991 Firebird.

"I would go somewhere. I wouldn't stay here. I'd go to Memphis and see a Grizzlies game or a University of Memphis game."

Gideon Barr, Junior at Central High School

"Have some friends over, watch movies, converse, listen to music."

Leslie Cagle, sophomore at Central High School

"Sleep half the day. Get on the computer. Probably go to the mall, then the movies and get something to eat."

Destinee Primm, sophomore at Central High School

"First off I wouldn't be here. But probably sleep. Yeah, sleep. It actually sounds pretty good."

Lilli Robinson, sophomore at Central High School

"There's too much homework. I'd probably just sleep, just relax."

Anna Bowles, sophomore at Central High School

"If I had a whole extra day, I'd fly to Hawaii. I could spend like an hour there."

Mary Catherine Ford, sophomore at Central High School

"Probably sit at home and play my Xbox 360. Go to the mall and buy some shoes and get on myspace."

David Hammonds, sophomore at Central High School

"Go to the mall. Go play basketball. That's it."

Curtis Branham, sophomore at Central High School

"My band would practice, I know that. I play guitar and I sing."

Andrew Reed, junior at Saxony Lutheran.

"I think I would just go crazy with my friends. We would go to the mall, go eat, if the enchanted Forest was open, we'd probably go there."

Katie Reed, junior at Saxony Lutheran.

"I would finish all of my scholarships stuff and finish my short story that's due on Tuesday, and I would spend more time with my family."

Kayla Hunter , senior at Central High School

"Sleep in, go tanning. I do that every day. I'd go shopping."

Brittany Tucker, senior at Egyptian High School

"If it was snowing, I would go out and play in in the snow, go sledding. If it wasn't snowing, I would probably take a day and go to St. Louis, go to the zoo."

Morgan Henley, Jackson High School.

"I'd play sports. I play baseball, soccer, and basketball."

Garrett Fritsche, junior at Saxony Lutheran

"Go to the mall with my friends. I usually go once every other week."

Tonya Scholl, freshman at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd play sports, basketball. I have a court at home."

Matthew Wills, freshman at Saxony Lutheran

"Hang out with friends and watch movies and talk and eat. Just hang out and have fun."

Tayler Beal, sophomore at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd do things I don't normally do. I'd go parasailing. I've never been."

Kirstin Moll, sophomore at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd want to go swimming and eat ice cream at the same time. Chocolate chip cookie dough."

Samantha Elfrink, sophomore at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd want a day to have all the students come in and do activities, like an inside field day of sorts. Not to focus on anything education related, just use the day to refuel, re-energize, and be together as a student body."

Matt Simpson, a religion teacher at Saxony Lutheran

"I would spend it by the pool reading. Two weeks ago I would have said stay at home on the couch, but we've already had that with the snow days."

Laura Hayden, a social studies teacher at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd probably hang out with friends and play video games or go to the movies. I play Halo the most."

Casey Hemmann, junior at Saxony Lutheran

"I'd sleep in till 11. Then I'd eat breakfast and go on an hour-long run. Then I'd eat lunch and go play Halo 3. I'd probably read a book somewhere in there too. I like science fiction."

Andrew Etzold, junior at Saxony Lutheran

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Friday night lives

(Fred Lynch)

Bethany Parry of Jackson presented "When I Was Fair and Young" by Queen Elizabeth I at the Poetry Out Loud regional contest Sunday at Southeast Missouri State University. The event was sponsored by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. A video of the competition is available at semissourian.com/gallery.

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Your face here

Want to see your face on the page? You can submit photos to appear on the neXt page. Just e-mail your picture, your name and a short description of the photo to charris@semissourian.com

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neXt up

FRIDAY

• New movies:

"Penelope," Rated PG; 1 hr 30 mins @ Cape West 14 Cine

"Semi-Pro," Rated R; 1 hr 30 mins @ Town Plaza Cinema

• "The Cmplt Wrks of Wllm Shkspr Abridged" @ River City Yacht Club, Port Cape, 7 p.m.
• Road to WrestleMania Tour @ Show Me Center, 7:30 p.m.
• Travis Lee @ Grace Cafe, 8 to 10 p.m.
• Dance-Apalooza @ Bedell Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

• Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball vs. Jacksonville State @ Show Me Center 5 p.m.
• Dance-Apalooza @ Bedell Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

• Southeast Missouri State University baseball vs. Northern Colorado @ Capaha Park, noon.

Next week

• Games

"God of War: Chains of Olympus," PSP

"Major League Baseball 2K8," X360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP

• DVDs

"No Country for Old Men," R

"Bee Movie," PG

"Dan in Real Life," PG-13

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Who's neXt

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Jason Stevens of Whitewater and Leah Moore of Millersville have been awarded a Missouri Assessment Program Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University next year.
• Ethan Deuster of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a President's Plus Scholarship and a Missouri Assessment Program Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University next year.
• Cody Farrow of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a President's Plus Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University next year.
• Jordan Seabaugh, a senior at Notre Dame Regional High School, has been awarded the Board of Governors Scholarship at Missouri State University in Springfield.

HONORS

• Ashley Callis of Cape Girardeau was inducted into Sigma Alpha Lambda, a national leadership and honors organization, at Murray State University in Murray, Ky.

n Jordan Brown of Saxony Lutheran High School will participate in the Missouri Fine Arts Academy this summer.

• Heather Birk of Jackson made the dean's list for the fall 2007 semester at Maryville University in St. Louis.
• Meagan Schubert of Jackson Junior High received a President's Volunteer Service Award on behalf of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

SCHOOL NEWS

• Delta Elementary will screen incoming kindergartners March 6 and 7. Call 573-794-2440 to make an appointment.
• Jackson Junior High will hold information sessions March 11 for parents of students who will attend the school next year. Course offerings, the enrollment process, graduation requirements, participation in athletics and planning for college will be discussed. The session will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for incoming ninth-graders and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. for incoming eighth-graders.
• Jackson Junior High will hold a bingo bonanza from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 7 in the cafeteria. Money raised will be used to send members of the Supporting Our School organization to a Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth conference in November.

-- From staff reports

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