(January 21, 2004) — Dick Clark is on TV with the giant crowd in Times Square serving as his backdrop. The ball starts to drop as the countdown dwindles: three, two, one. You toast everyone in the room and touch glasses, which are filled with apple cider of course. Another year has passed, 2003 is history as you’re in the oh-four now. This year, along with every other, countless people make New Year’s resolutions. It’s the age-old practice of promising yourself you’re going to do something differently in the new year. Naturally, the practice of not meeting that promise is just as old. Most of us don’t really understand the concept of a reasonable resolution though, which is why we don’t keep them. So we either stop setting goals for ourselves, which is never a good idea, or we make resolutions that don’t require more than breathing. If you’re serious about making one, don’t try to do everything at once. Word it carefully and make sure you write it down. Most people get the resolution urge on New Year’s Eve. There’s that feeling of renewal, of rebirth, and the thought in the back of your head reminding you that you ate your own weight in chocolate during the winter break. Hey, maybe last year’s resolutions didn’t get past the fifth of January, but this year is definitely going to be different, right? Maybe you want to lose the ten pounds you gained over the summer. Chances are you want to relax more, or to finally get an A in math class. Perhaps you’d like to keep your room clean. What about listening to your parents for a change? Come to think of it, you might as well go ahead and pay attention in class. The coming of the new year meant new goals and resolutions for our faculty at school. Senior English teacher Melanie Martin would like to see her “students writing more.” Librarian Susan Newcomer also has humble hopes, “I’d like to see people read more books in the library.” English teacher Marel Guarino hopes “that bus 103 arrives on time so Mrs. Melone can ditch the intercom.” Lastly, Principal Doug Dall’s resolution for Clark is “to continue to improve and become the best school in California.”