R1-104 Days of Summer

What is the best part of the end of the school year? It is honestly hard to identify which one is the best. I love every little bit of it, I love the freedom, the reduce in stress levels, and most of all not- setting an alarm. When school is coming to a close it is the universal sign of summer. Hot summer days spent soaking up some vitamin D and doing some much needed R&R. While our summer nights are full of bonfires, s’mores, late night swims, and the ability to not think about getting up the next morning for school. Every day of summer is the freedom to spend the day of whatever you wish. The possibilities are endless. Another great feeling that is centered around the end of the school year is the feeling of accomplishment. After ten long months of long nights of countless nights studying, homework and sports/ clubs, is knowing that you past another year of school. You’re that much closer to graduating, you have learned so much and having the feeling of being ready to take on whatever chapter is next in your life.

However with all of those great things that come with summer and the end of a school year, there are some draw backs. Friendships fade, motivation is at an all-time low, and laziness is at a record high. We stop seeing our friends because school was our socialization, we stop working hard for things that need to be earned and we just turn into the typical teenager who doesn’t wake up before noon, and doesn’t have a problem watching tv for entire day. During this upcoming summer try not too just be that typical teen, get a job, get involved with volunteering, make every day eventful. When summer comes to an end there will still be that one thing on our wish list that doesn’t get a check. Instead of wasting the next 104 of summer, make every day a new adventure.

M1-Irish Dancing

St. Patrick’s Day has always been a big deal to me. Being Irish it is nice to celebrate your heritage. For a few years I took Irish dancing lessons. When I was a little girl my favorite thing to watch was a tape of Riverdance. I would watch it over and over again and try to mimic what I saw. Finally my parents put me in to lessons with Rince Na Tiarna, and it was so amazing to actually learn how to dance instead of watching it on TV.  After two years of dancing my class was asked to walk and dance in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Buffalo. I never thought that I would be given that opportunity. But it was one of the best days of my life, despite the weather.

The night before I was preparing the routine. While I was thinking, my mom had to curl my whole head in foam curlers that I would have to sleep in. It took about 2 hours just to put the curlers in my hair, and we even ran out a few times and we had to run to the store to get more, but it was worth it. After my hair was done I had to learn how to tie my ghillies. The ghillies are a soft shoe that only has a thin piece of leather covering the bass of your foot.  By the end of the night I master how to tie my shoes (which are actually quite complicated to tie) and my dance routine. The next day, to my surprise it was pouring rain! Great!...Not! When I got to the parade, I was amazed to see so many Irish dancers and I couldn’t believe that I had the opportunity to dance with them. Then I was told that I would have to walk/ skip for the entire thing and that we would do our routine when we passed the judges. After the long walk my hair was ruinded, my feet soaking wet and in so much pain from practically walking bare foot on the street, but I didn’t care. If it was up to me I would have done it all over again and wouldn’t change a thing.

Even though I am no longer an Irish dancer (because I thought cheerleading was cooler) I still remember everything I was taught. Looking back, I’m glad I was giving such a great opportunity and I was able to celebrate my heritage in the best way!  

M1-

Hmm, I have had a great deal of embarrassing moments, but there is one moment that I will never forget.  I ALMOST burnt down my house!

When I was a little kid, probably only about seven years old, I was obsessed with Barbie’s! Every day during the summer most of the neighborhood girls would come over and play Barbie’s. But was just play with the dolls then clean it up, no it was much much more. We made my whole basement in to a Barbie town. Each person had their own house, and jobs, we even printed out money and bills. One day the power had gone out and because my basement didn’t have any windows we were used candles. As me and little Sara Steffan (yes Michael’s older sister) were setting up the candles and flash lights. I thought it would be a great idea to put a candle stick near my hot pink and bright blue Barbie dream house. For some odd reason me and Sarah had to run up stairs for a minute, leaving the candles unattended.  When we returned the whole Barbie house was on fire, and it was right next to the wall! My aunt, who also played with us screamed at me to get water. But what did I do? I went in the next room and sat on the couch freaking out. When my aunt came out of the room looking for me, she realized that I didn’t do what I was told. She pulled off the couch and sprung to action. I ran upstairs to tell my dad that the house was on fire.  Unfortunately he was sleeping and my screaming about the house being on fire didn’t wake him, because his response was “clean it up when you’re done.” Luckily we put out the fire, but the only thing that survived was a Barbie and a plate. After that and still to this day I am not allowed to be left alone with candles.

Q3-Life Lessions

Over the past four years we have all read countless amounts of novels, plays, poems, and short stories in English class. One of my favorite English assignments was in ninth grade what I enjoyed the timeless play Romeo and Juliet by William Sheakerspere. Every young girl knows the story of the two star crossed lovers, and the great ricks they took to be together. Even though it was written over 100 years ago it still impacts us today. We are all fascinated with the mystery behind the story. It is still a major influence in movies, music and books today. I believe the reason I enjoyed Romeo and Juliet so much is because people can still relate to it in today’s world, it is timeless.

Another all-time favorite book we read was Ellen Foster by Kay Gibbions. The short novel impacted my life tremulously. It opened my eyes to how grateful I truly am for the life I have. It also taught me how to stay positive in life. Ellen has had such a horrible patch in her life, and she used it to her advantage by learning how to be strong, and trust is earned not given. For a young 12 year old girl she has more life lessons that most of us will ever have.

Finally, the last novel that impacted me the most was Tuesdays with Morrie. It truly did answer life’s most difficult questions. It was truly amazing that one man had all this knowledge about life, love, religion, society, regret, family, and much more.  Morrie truly is a teacher till the end, because this book his spoken words are helping people all around the world. It applies to every culture, ethnicity, race and religion. I am very grateful that Mrs. Scheafer and Mrs. Gramza pick that book because we all took something from it, and will cherish it forever. Overall over the past few years, and countless book we read, there is always a life lesson hidden somewhere. It is just our job to find.

P5-I Dare You

For this choice blog I have decided to write about the topic of life. We are all at that certain age where we aren’t quite sure who we are yet in life. We don’t know what are main purposes in life is, or what we even want to accomplish. Being an adolescent can be difficult, we are all self-conscious, we all worry about what others think, we all care. I think the media has impacted us more than other except. In this day of age everything is centered about the media, it is so easy to communicate with people, but with things like that we are done really alone. We have our cell phones on us at all times, we are constantly watching TV, or listening to music. When was the last time that any of us were truly alone? I think that because nothing is really ever personal and everyone knows everything about everybody. It has started to affect us in a negative light. I think it is healthy for one day we turn off our cell phones, unplug the TV, silence out radios, and just think. We can never truly be happy with the decisions we make in life if we are never confident in ourselves and forget about what other think.

So if you’re reading this blog, i challenge you. Take one day, 24 hours of being completely alone. No cell phone, no music, no TV, no internet, no talking to anyone (even your parents). Use that day to reflect about your life, find the positives and negatives. If there is something that you don’t like find a way to change it for the better. Concentrate on your positives, look in the mirror and be happy about being the person you are. Try to be confident in the decision you make weather they are in the past, present, and even the ones to come. So take the challenge, I dare you.

Q1-It's Time!

For this choice blog I decided to take a moment and talk about something that is important to each and every one of us, graduation. With only 18 days of school days remaining and the tragic senioritis is starting to set in. It’s crazy to think that in just a few weeks we will all walk the halls of Alden High one last time. The teachers we came to know and love won’t be there for us when we need them the most. Our best friends now could become a distant memory in just a few months. We are all going down our new paths in life. Who knows someone we could have graduated could become the next movie star, musician, writer, or even president.

High school is just one chapter in our life. It is a place that we learned who are friends are, what we are most interested in, and a place where we could grow; but every flower needs room to blossom. The past four years have been filled with so many life lessons that we will always remember. Looking back on 9^th grade we were all scared, not knowing how to open our lockers, who we should talk too, and most importantly trying not getting lost in the halls. We all feared the Seniors, the rumored Freshman Fridays, and even getting booed at, at all of our school assemblies. We all thought that high school was going to be the best adventure of our lives, and when people told us “the next four years go by in a blink of an eye”. We didn’t believe them.

Well here we are, 18 days left. 18 days until we cross that stage will our family, friends, and the teachers who impacted us, watch us take our final steps as a high school student. So with everything changing and the norm, no longer being the norm, it is this time that we must prepare ourselves and make sure that we are truly ready to take that final step. The one that starts as just a high school student, and ends with becoming an adult. At college no one will be there to wake us up in the morning, force us to do our homework, or even show up to class. What our reputation was here in these walls won’t follow us anywhere else. With all that being said, Class of 2012 I hope you’re ready!

Q2- Here Comes the Summer!

          During this time of the year, I never completely understood why people were so excited about the summer; however my opinion has done a complete 180. In past summers I was usually pretty bored with the mass amount of free time. School was one thing that forced me to be focused and motivates, it was also a great place to socialize. I had to opportunity to see my friends every day, but during the summer you stop talking to nearly all of them.  Nevertheless, the countdown has begun for summer of 2012! I’m looking forward to relaxing while catching some sun, as well as graduating and being ready to take on next chapter of my life. This summer I have so many plans it is hard to keep track. I recently have gotten a job, been asked to coach three cheerleading teams, and even a  few vacations as well, all while planning my aunts wedding.  Every summer I have gone to Virginia Beach with my family the week before school starts, it has been our little tradition to say goodbye to summer. While this summer it is going to be a little different. I will be going to Virginia Beach, but I’m taking a few of my friends with me, before we separate for college. I also will be going camping for a week in Allegany. I love camping; it is so relaxed and low-key. It is nice to around the campfire surrounded by friends and family. I also will be starting college. I might not be dorming but I am still very excited to start new class, and meet new people.

                Overall I don’t know what the future will hold, but I’m excited to take on whatever comes my way this summer, the good and bad. (I need three words)

P3

After reading this article I was shocked. I don’t think that all the blame should be put on the teacher. The blame should be on the student and their parents. The student, parents, and teachers should work together as a team if the student is having problems in school. I believe that most people don’t test well. I am one of those students, I can study for weeks, but as soon as I get the test in front of me all the information is gone. I know the information, but my test grades don’t reflect it. There are so many great teachers out there who do everything in their power to educate their students to the best of their ability. We should be applauding those teachers for going the extra mile, not worrying them over how their students test. I also thing that the Obama administration doesn’t know what’s going on in the classroom, people elected him as our president, not our teacher.  

I do however agree that there are some schools that have let education slip. Down south it is the curriculum is horrible. Instead of blaming the teachers, our country should have a common curriculum. New York is one of the smartest states, and in the high school we attend, Alden is ranked in the top ten for Western New York.  Overall I think the blame should be on everyone not just one particular set of people. It is true that out country is not the smartest, but with things such as a common curriculum, access to more hands on learning. I think we can true our education around. But the students have to be willingly and that’s half the battle.

Here in Alden we are blesses to have a great teaching staff, a ALC, which most school don’t have, a guidance office and our principles do everything in their power to help put us on the right track for the future.

P2

                Looking back, from the goals I set in September I believe I did a satisfactory job.  I did become a little bit more outgoing and participated in activates I wouldn’t rather do in the past. During this year I have learned many things about myself. It is weird to think that next year during this time I will be in college. This is only my fourth year in the public school system. From the young age of three I attended St. John’s. When I first arrived here at Alden High, I was shy, scared, and I didn’t know how to act like myself. I let myself become completely focused on being liked by everyone. However I learned now that can never happen. It is better to be yourself and happy, then be someone you’re not and be liked by everyone. It is proven that you can’t please everyone, so a word of advice, stop trying. At SJS my graduating class was a grand total of five, including myself. Most of my classmates I have been with me every year from the beginning.  They became more like family, the class mates. My freshman year I was terrified to talk to anyone new and epically met new people. Even though it took my four years to come out my shell, I am glad I met people that will always have my back and will be my friends till the end. They say that college is the most memorable time of your life. That might be true and I can’t wait to figure out that next chapter of my life. But I wouldn’t under estimate high school. It is a great time in everyone lives where they get the chance to fund themselves and what they want from life. So overall I think I have accomplished things I never thought I could.

P5- Really?

A few weeks ago everyone on Facebook and twitter was posting KONY 2012. Walking through the halls it is all that everyone was talking about. It amazed me how many people were serious about making a difference. It sparked discussions in class, and got the youth involved with the government. People rallied together to put an end to this horrible event and to make a difference.

But what happened?

The media was covered by KONY supports, how the government was involved, and it seemed like even us- the youth- could actually make a difference in the world. But now all of this excitement and attention has practically disappeared. We no longer see posts on the internet, the news covering the government and what happened to those discussions in school? They vanished. I find it ironic that the head of the KONY campaign was not in the next video, just because he made one mistake. Unfortunately we live in a world where “celebrities” are our role models, and as soon as one of them makes a single mistake we turn our backs on them. If this were to happen to someone in Alden, nothing would occur. I think what some people forget that everyone is only human. Yes we all make mistakes, we all have screw ups, but we all learn from them. Jason Russell made a single mistake. He was under the influence of alcohol. He is legally allowed to drink; he was not driving intoxicated, or endangering anyone. He did make a bad choice to consume too much alcohol, and now he lost everything.  I do agree that he should take full responsibility but for everyone to turn their backs on someone, who is only human, I think it horrible. Now, we no longer hear anything about KONY, we moved on to something else.

Overall, I think we are all just needed to be reminded that everyone is only human, we have flaws. So the next time someone makes a mistake in the public eye, remember that they are just human.

O4- My Mother Is...

My mother is the sweetest person I know. I have always looked up to her and see her as a role model. Growing up she taught be so much, she taught me to be a good person, to be responsible, and to stink up for yourself. She is the type of person who will tell you how she feels, and always be honest with you. I don’t think I have never seen her not speak her mind. I personally that is a good or bad thing. I believe that it is good when someone needs the honest truth, but no one is willing to say it. However sometimes people don’t want to know your opinion and want you to mind your own business. She has such a great work ethic. I always see her going above and beyond what her job requires and doing it with a smile on her face. But sometimes it stresses her out, my mother is a perfectionist and when it isn’t done to the way she want, she will let you know as she is redoing it herself. My mom is always doing everything she can do for her family. She was at every one of my cheerleading competitions, science fairs, and dance recitals. She always so caring in the way she wants to know about your day and can’t wait to hear all about it. She sacrifices so much, to make me and my sister happy, even if that involves staying out late to see a movie or sitting threw a concert for a band that she doesn’t like. My mom is always trying her best and that’s anyone could ever ask of her. I love my mom so much and I can’t wait to be a mom myself so I can follow her in footsteps.   

O3- Generation Gap

We have all heard it from our parents at one time or another, “you wouldn’t last one day in the adult world.” But things have changed since our parents have been high school, and I think it is more difficult then they believe. During the 80s when most of our parents were in high school, there was barely any technology. There were pay phones, computers were this new age creations, and cell phones- forget it. However in high school today I believe things are ten times more difficult than before. Our world is centered around the internet and media. Things such as Facebook and Twitter have become our source of entertainment. Nothing is private anymore, we live in a world were secrets aren’t secrets anymore. Anything we say to our friends, or text, or post, is instantly everyone else’s business.  Rumors spread like wildfire, and people you don’t even talk to, you know everything about them. Not to mention it always seem like everyone is judging.

                Back in the 80’s people didn’t have computers in their pocket, like we have today. Skype was something some people thought was impossible. When you told someone your secret, it was kept. There weren’t curfews for driving, or being at the mall without supervision.  I’m not saying that there were some of their own issues, but everything was not so public. Everyday teenagers are looked down upon as rebels, crazy, or a bad influence. However I think most people underestimate us. There as much on our plates as adults, but it just different. We are in school seven hours a day, five days a week. That’s not including homework and study time. We are sometimes forced to get a job, try out for a sport, and we still try to have a social life. As well as the typical teenager things such as drama with friends, relationships, money and trying to establish a good relationship with your parents; the list is endless.  

In conclusion, I think we as teenagers are underestimated, with how we live our life. I personally believe that most of the teenage population behaves really well dealing with the circumstances. So the next time you hear that line, say “times have changed and our generations are different.”  But remember to say it in a nice way, or risk being grounded.

O2

After reading this article I realized that the unemployment rate wasn’t just affecting the United States. We are constantly talking about how high the employment rate is, but we are lucky compared to other countries from around the world. It is all over the news and media about our unemployment rate. We ask the government what they will do once elected to try to fix this issue. The people that have jobs always have to suffer from that constant worry and being fired, due to cut backs.

After graduating from college, most students have a dead end job to support themselves until they can get a job in the career they chose.  It is common for many students to not have a job lined up after graduating college, but I never thought that there are some places that people will never get a job. It is truly shocking that some places have been stuck at 20% unemployment rate for nearly two decades. However, even though the unemployment rate might be high, it is still proven that in this day in age everyone is required to have a college degree for jobs that pay more. Back 30 years ago college was something that most people did fine without, unfortunately if you don’t attend college then the jobs you can apply for cut by almost half.

Even though this artic says that college might not be the best idea, I disagree. Yes, it is expensive but the doors it can open are priceless. With a college degree so many things are at your disposable, such as, a life time career and a higher salary. When it comes down to it, college is an investment in your furfure and if it was up to me I would not take that gamble. College can cause mass amounts of debt but the payoff is worth it.