One Month to Go!

317 words

The end is in sight! There are only 23 days left of school and the seniors only have 15. The weather is starting to get nice, the grass is green and all anyone really wants to do is be outside, and out of school.

Everyone’s heard of ‘senioritis’ but honestly, I think it applies to everyone, not just seniors. As a junior, I know that this is my third year of having this ‘senioritis’ feel. Every year by this time, around the end of April, beginning of May, teachers start counting down the days left. Focusing is pretty much nonexistent. I am seriously struggling with finding decent enough topics to blog about, even. All I want is for it to be summer so I can be outside and not have to worry about school for three more months.

But then I’ll look back on the other days of school that I’ve had. It’s gone by so quickly. I posted my first post on August 28^th. I remember the first day of school and it is so hard to believe that eight months have passed. We have sat in classrooms, having information spewed at us for eight months. Isn’t that crazy? It feels like it went so fast, yet at the same time, so slow.

That’s when I realize that in 23 days, I’m going to be a senior and how my high school career is almost over and if this year went fast then next year will be ten times faster and before I know it I’m out on my own going to college up at UNI and…

Okay. I have to take a deep breath. I’m still a junior and have a whole summer ahead of me. Oh yeah, and finals and three AP exams to take before that but in 23 days, it will be summer. And I plan on making it an amazing summer!  

 

~Skoogster(:

Bullying

549 words

You know, I’m actually surprised that I haven’t blogged about this yet. Bullying is a huge problem and finally, people are starting to realize that bullying is more than one kid beating up another. According to Marriam-Webster Dictionary, a bully is one habitually cruel to others who are weaker. Nowhere in there does it mention physical abuse. For the longest time people thought bullying was physical but they failed to see the emotional and verbal aspect of it.

From about second grade to sixth grade I was bullied. I was never beat up or hit once but I was bullied all the same. But when I would tell the teachers they shrugged it off because they didn’t see it as bullying. They blamed me for it. They said that I was being oversensitive and insecure and that’s why I would go home crying. They didn’t think that the constant teasing would be considered bullying.

To an onlooker, it wouldn’t have seemed like much. A comment here and a comment there but nothing too harsh. But to me, it was horrible. It wasn’t just one comment once. No, it was one comment thrown at me by five different people, ten times a day, and every day. Asking them to stop became pointless because I knew that they wouldn’t stop. Telling a teacher soon wasn’t a possibility because I was ‘too sensitive’.

I have to be honest and say, yes I was a little weird when I was little but as I got older I became more ‘normal’. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was just as normal as you but my other classmates couldn’t get passed who I used to be and would still make fun of me using the same worn-out joke that I have heard for years. So. I moved.

If my classmates couldn’t accept my change then I had to move to somewhere that they don’t know my history.


I moved schools and haven’t been bullied since. But also, since then, teachers and parents and the whole world has become more aware of what bullying means. We have started to learn that bullying is more than just physical. Someone can get hurt by a few words. You might not see the harm in it but having someone be rude to you or make fun of you constantly tears you apart inside. You’re never the same. You constantly flashback to your time in elementary school when things were so bad and it makes you sick that people would think it was okay to act like that to another classmate.

It’s really hard to forget what people have said. If I hadn’t repressed most of the memories I could tell you everything that was said to me. But fortunately, I don’t remember too much. I have been able to push them from my mind and I can’t even force them to the front. They’re gone and I don’t want them back.

So please, I cannot stress thing enough. Think before you speak. I know you hear that from teachers and parents and everyone but this time it’s coming from a victim; someone who has been verbally bullied before. I don’t want other kids to have to go through what I did. Please. Think before you speak.

~Skooogster(:

College Visits

310 words

So today I went on my first college visit. Well, my first 'official' visit. I've toured some before but never an in depth organized visit. And let me tell you, it was amazing.

Since I'm only a junior in high school I thought that I would be the only one there but actually the other two in my tour group were juniors as well!

It is never too early to start visiting colleges. I am the kind of person who likes to get things out of the way so I want to know where I'm going when it comes to senior night at the last home football game. It is such a good experience to go to these schools. I went during the day so I ate lunch when a lot of the students were at lunch and there were always students walking around the campus. It really gave it that real feel that you will get when you go the the school. It was amazing.

People always say that they know they've found the right place once they take their first step on campus. I haven't visited any other schools but I can tell you that I felt very at home while I was walking around the UNI campus. It just felt right.

I am planning on visiting other schools as well but I'm not sure that I will find one as perfect for me as UNI. I want to go into Special Education and play in the marching band. UNI had great programs for both.

If you are a junior thinking about going on some college visits I strongly suggest that you go. The earlier you go, the more time you have to make your decision. Plus, you can just get it out of your way and just enjoy your senior year and not worry about college visits!

 

 

~Skooogster(:

When One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

478 words

I get home today and get the mail and there are three things addressed to me. All three of them are from three different colleges telling me about one thing or another. One was about Cornell College but that one isn’t important to what I’m talking about here. The other two were telling me about summer camps that they had. One of them, from Concordia Nebraska was giving me dates and times of their volleyball camps. The other, from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, was telling me about various summer marching band camps that they are having. This was kind of a wake-up call to me. Not really, but it just showed me how my interests have changed from even a year ago.

A year ago I was head-over-heals crazy about volleyball. I wanted to play on varsity and play in college, possibly getting a scholarship to a small school. My parents and I spent so much money and time on volleyball camps and teams and clinics and private training. But this fall, all of that was taken away when I got my concussion and was out the whole season. I was devastated.

Little did I know that my concussion would open up a whole different door that would make my college choosing process so much simpler.

I was Drum Major for my school’s marching band, as many of you know, and I guess I was lucky because if I had been a regular marcher, my doctor wouldn’t have let me participate because, as silly as it sounds, I could get hit with a color guard flag or a trombone slide or something. (Don’t laugh, it’s happened before!) Being Drum Major made me realize how much I love band and how much I actually missed marching so I thought, “hey, why don’t I just march in college?” so that’s what I’m going to do.

A year ago I was determined to play volleyball in college but now it has taken a break in the back of my mind. So when I got two post cards in the mail, one about volleyball and the other about marching band and I got really excited about the band one that just showed me where my interest lies.

The sad thing is, my family is thinking about going on a vacation the same week as the band camp so my chances of going are slim. The UNL marching band is one of THE bands to be in. They are amazing and honestly, it is my dream to be in that band but the school isn’t exactly strong in the areas I want to go into like UNI does (where I’m 98% sure I’m going). They also have auditions and, frankly, I don’t know if I’m good enough to get in. But hey, if you aim high, you’ll land among the stars, right?

~Skooogster(:

A Walk in Dublin - my poem

A Walk in Dublin

 

1 I gaze out my window

2 On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day

3 There are cars buzzing¹ by

4 Streets brimming with bustling people

 

5 I walk outside though the front entrance

6 Lit up by green lights, I am greeted by your smile²

7 The streets narrow as the distance between us

8 The pavement curving crookedly

 

9 I take in a breath

10 Savoring the March breeze

11 Feeling the brisk air upon our pinkish cheeks

12 I advance with caution

 

13 The glow of the street lamps

14 Glitters like silver upon the River Liffey³

15 The water drifts lazily beneath the dim arches

16 And I grab for your hand as the chill settles in

 

17 The once illuminated sidewalk

18 Had now grown dim

19 Vacant in mind and alone in spirit

20 Together, we are alone⁴

 

21 A light mist begins

22 Water sprinkles and dances⁵ its way off the leaves of trees

23 Wetting the grand green grass^6&7

24 Gently numbing our delicate faces

 

25 We stray from the main roads

26 Down the elaborate pathways of stone and brick

27 That wind through such magnificent parks and meadows

28 Our feet pressing upon the soft ground with each step

 

29 Our eyes then smiled at each other⁸

30 We are flooded with desire

31 And just the slow pitter-patter of our hearts can be heard⁹

32 As we dissolve into the horizon

 

33 Only a walk through

34 The drizzly Dublin night

35 A walk with you

 

 

 

 

1 - Onomatopoeia: “buzzing”

2 - Synecdoche: "greeted by your smile”   It’s a synecdoche because obviously the person greeted me, but the smile stands for the whole person.

3 - Simile: “glitters like silver. . .” This simile helps show how beautiful and amazing the River Liffey is. (This is the river that goes through the center of Dublin)

4 - Paradox: “together we were alone”  This paradox is deep because it first shows the reader that we’re together, but then secondly reveals that no one else is around; it’s ironic because they’re alone—together.

5 - Personification: “water sprinkles and dances”   water can’t dance!

6 – ALITERATION: “grand green grass”

7 - Imagery: “grand green grass”   This is only one example of imagery in the poem, but there are a couple of others too!

8 - Personification: “Our eyes then smiled at each other”  eyes can’t smile! Thus, this creates a picture of eyes twinkling as they would if someone was actually smiling.

9 - Diction:  again, not the only example, but in this particular instance, words like ”pitter-patter” and “flooded”  help relate back to the theme of rain that occurs throughout the poem.

 

~Skoogster(:

P.S. yes I know it is over 28 lines but I really like it sooo...yeah!

 

You Are More Beautiful Than You Think

274 words

Maybe you have heard of the new Dove soap commercial but if you haven’t, I thought I would fill you in.

Dove recently came out with a new commercial called Dove Real Beauty Sketches. They had someone come in, Gil Zamora, who is a forensic artist. A forensic artist works in criminal stuff. Someone can describe a possible suspect and he draws what they describe. Dove had him come in and put him behind a curtain and had different women come in and describe themselves to him. Later, they had someone else who had just met the other person describe them. The differences were shocking! Here is the commercial…

 

 

 

What did you think? Pretty awesome, no?

When I first saw this, the first thing I thought of was our Miss Representation unit in my AP Lang class. The whole unit we talked about how the media affects the way women see themselves and this is a perfect example of how it plays into our everyday lives. These women in the commercial are your average woman, not jaw-dropping gorgeous yet not hideously ugly. They are just that plain and simple beauty. Yet when they describe themselves, they describe themselves in a degrading way, making them appear less than they actually are.

I think this was an eye opener for women all over. How you see yourself is NOT how others see yourself. You may hate the color of your eyes, thinking they have no distinct color to them but to someone else, your eyes might be your best feature. It’s pretty amazing to see how you see yourself compared to how someone else sees you.

 

~Skooogster(:

Dr. W: The Best of the Best

582 words

This is the last year that Kennedy will be the Kennedy High School that I have grown to love.

We have one of the most, no, scratch that, THE most amazing principal ever. I honestly don’t know what we would do without her. But unfortunately, I am going to have to learn. A few months ago, Dr. W. told the staff that she would be resigning after this year. It came as a shock to all of us, students and administration alike. For a lot of the teachers, Dr. W. hired them and they have work under her for a long time. For me, she has been my principal for the last three years.

Okay so you’re probably wondering why this is such a big deal. She’s only a principal, right?

Wrong.

Dr. W. is more than just a principal. She is the most amazing woman I have ever met. Kennedy is like her family. She treats us with respect and tries as hard as she can to fix our problems. She comes to as many activities as she cannot because she feels it is her obligation as principal, but because I honestly believe she WANTS to. She drove all the way to Valley High School in Des Moines, a two hour drive on a Saturday to watch our marching band perform. If that doesn’t show dedication to my school, I don’t know what does.

Also, she tries to get to know you on a personal level, but not in a creepy way. She makes it her job to know each and every student’s name that goes to Kennedy…and we have over 1800 students. I don’t even know all the names of the kids in my grade, let alone the whole school!

One of the best qualities of Dr. W. is that it doesn’t matter who you are: if you’re a good student or a bad one, get into a lot of trouble, or don’t, she will take the time and talk to you and talk you through anything you could be going through. I mean, I haven’t talked to all 1800+ kids, but I haven’t heard someone criticize Dr. W. once. I’m pretty sure we all love her and will all agree that next year, without her, is going to be extremely different.

The hardest part for me, though, is the fact that my senior year, my LAST year at Kennedy will be without Dr. W. It’s just kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around. Next year when I walk across the stage at graduation, I won’t be shaking her hand; I will be shaking the hand of someone I have known only a year. And I’m not saying he or she won’t be good. They could be the next best thing after The Dubs. All I am saying is that one year won’t be enough for the person graduating me to get to know me like Dr. W. knows me. I’m finding it hard to see myself as a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School without shaking her hand.

So here is my plan:

She comes to every graduation party she is invited to. Her husband works at a local high school. Next year I will just drive over there, give him my invite to give to her. When she comes, I will have my mom take a picture of me shaking Dr. W’s hand. Only then will I be able to completely graduate high school.

~Skooogster(: