Assignment 26-khalid browne

I found most of the activities to be effective especially the readings of all the different essay to have a great example of what a 9 or a 8 is, and I found that to be one of the most effective things of all. However things such as what Ms.H had us do in groups and making an argument presentation about adversity felt like a waste in time and wasn't as effective as it could be. I also feel like if we had more discussion in our class or even things such as debates to better enhance our argument essays, or constant speeches to enhance our analysis skills. Feel like activities such as those would definitely help make the class more effective but overall I think the class is great and has prepared me well for the AP test.

Assignment 25- khalid browne

I manage a lot of my stress by finding time to exercise or take power naps, or even eating food, or playing videogames. Also try managing my stress by breaking down all the things I need to do into little parts, to make the big task not seem as big anymore. Helps ease a lot  of the stress. Even simple things like chewing gum, listening to music or even cleaning also helps with my stress. Also like talking to people about my problems and why I'm stressed and that ability to vent makes the stress go away and that's really nice. And I find all of these to be extremely effective and it always helps manage my stress and I love it.

Assignment 24- khalid browne

This junior year, I've made major improvements and have seen a big change in myself. One example of my success is my improvement in my grades, my grades haven't looked this great since freshman year, I have five A's. One failure would be that I have a B. I've learned to focus and work really hard and not look for shortcuts, which has greatly helped me. The only risk I took was talking about my grades on this blog lmao. Mistakes made would be waiting to do everything last minute in English because Mr.Lodgson is cool. I'm going to be studying a lot for the Act and Sat this summer in hopes of raising my score. Senior year I just want to relax and chill, still excel of course. I plan on reaching all my goals by stayi focus and working hella smart.

Assignment 23- Khalid browne

Hype Caribbean Mix.
Down D Road- Machel montano
Madder Dan Dat- Machel montano
Like Ah Boss- Machel montano
Danskie- King Danskie
Craziness- Machel Montano
Cuff- Burning flames
Congo Man- Machel Montano
Come out to play- Benjai
Bubblenut- Machel Montano
Beat it- Machel Montano

I chose "Craziness" because it gets you really hype and gets you up and jumping. And the lyrics in the song makes you want to start going "crazy". The beat of the music also keeps you up and active makes you want to go "crazy" this goes perfectly with the playlist because it gets you hype and it's a Caribbean song.

"Come out to play", also gets you really hype and makes you want to start dancing and go wild. The lyrics in the song makes you want to jump up and have fun by enjoying yourself. Also the beat and tempo of the music makes you want to get up and play as stated in the song.

"Beat it", gets you really hype and active. The beginning of the song already starts to get up and dancing. This song gets you in the mood whenever you need something to cheer you up or get you hyped for a game or a work out. This is definitely a great song to be in a Hype Caribbean Mix.

"Madder Dan Dat" gets anyone hype as soon as they hear it. The song madder dan dat, gets you madder than that, it does nothing but rise through the whole song and encourages who's ever listening to it to get more hype than that. This is by far one of the best songs to be in a Hype Caribbean Mix.

"Like ah Boss", is by far my favorite Hype song. This song does nothing but amps someone up, and makes them feel like a Boss. The beat of the music gets you in such a great mood, and gets you pumped up for anything. The lyrics also makes you feel like a boss yourself and of course that makes anyone amped up, Like ah Boss is my favorite Hype song and I love it. This song will definitely get you hype for anything.

Assignment 22- Khalid Browne

I think Spiderman is the best superhero. He’s funny. Even in the heat of battle he can come up with some witty one-liners. One part of the appeal Deadpool has as well. He’s down to earth. Spiderman has powers, sure. But he’s just an ordinary young dude whose near-broke and has all sorts of social problems. Batman has zero powers, but he’s also rich and famous. Kinda hard to relate to, unless you’re a celebrity. Deep inside his heart, he is a good person. One of the most morally pure people in comics.

Assignment 21- Khalid browne

So my sisters are about to do a play and my sisters both play a major part in the play. It's  cinderella by the way. Anyway they both have very important parts to play, which means they both have a good amount of lines to remember. So my sisters both get on stage ready to start saying their lines and then just freezes. I mean freeze, they aren't saying anything and don't remember their lines. So my sisters do something amazingly in my opinion, they start to make it up as they go and they do fine job. And they actually made the play very interesting and fun.

Assignment 20-Khalid browne

How to be unappealing and ugly.
Step 1 : Wear a lot of makeup. You want to wear a lot of makeup, so that you start looking like a clown and almost like a baboons butt.
Step 2: Develop a bad skin care routine that doesn't works for you. You want your face and the rest of your skin to be very gross and almost reptile like. So doing things like putting dirt all over your body and showering with your own urine should do this.
Step 3 : Eat terrible. You want to eat only junk food, and food that will give you high cholesterol.
Step 4: Drink anything but water. Juice, Alcohol, Pee, things like this you should be drinking.
Step 5 : Don't Exercise. Be a couch potato and try to be as fat as possible.
Step 6: Get little to no sleep. The less sleep you have the more gross you will look. You will eventually look like a groggy old person that no one likes.
Step 7:  Try to use a lot heat on your hair. The more heat you use on your hair the more dried out and gross it will be which will make you look more and more gross.
Step 8: Develop a negative attitude. Try to be as much as a pessimist as possible, the more negative you're the more people will try to ignore you and not want your company.
Step 9: Be anything but yourself. People don't other people who aren't themselves and find it to be very unattractive.

Assignment 19- Khalid Browne

The one piece of advice that has stuck with me for a long time, is to always try to look at the bright side of things, be appreciative and to be optimistic. I was told many times that my life i have nothing to complain about I have a beautiful home, a wonderful family, great education and great environment. I should be grateful for the things I have and our generation always tends to find an excuse for things and say that their life is terrible etc., but its not true. We are all blessed and have a great life, and being optimistic has shown me how blessed and fortunate i am. And this has been such a positive influence on my life, and in a way has made me happy with whatever, and if things come my way that well mess with my happiness i don't touch it.It has also made me a better listener, and instead of me getting mad when someone is giving me constructive listener, I see it as that person try to help me.

Assignment 26- Kalin Combs

I did not think reading the writing skills book in class at the beginning of the year was very effective. I also think the atmosphere and general classroom layout stressed me out when I walked in the room. I know it was meant to be a collaborative set-up but I think it just made me feel uncomfortable. I would've liked more hands-on class time as well, and I think that's another reason I disliked reading the Thinking Well book at the beginning of the year. Reading the same book as 20 other people in a silent classroom just doesn't seem like an effective use of classroom time to me. Maybe it would have been more effective if we heard lectures about the concepts in the book instead of reading the same passages silently to ourselves. The visual literacy stuff was fun to make, but I would've liked more guidance on it. I also would've liked more general structure to the class, instead of most project guidelines just being listed online for the students to read ourselves. I liked when we wrote essays and got feedback, but I preferred when we scored in small groups instead of as a whole class. I enjoyed the socratic seminars, but sometimes felt the grading was a bit harsh. I also feel like I would've gotten more out of them if they had been more spread out (like 1-2 days a week, instead of several in a row). It was more engaging when I had more time to prepare between each discussion. I also really liked the discussions about social issues!

Assignment 24- Kalin Combs

This has been one of the best and worst school years of my life. I've had so many new experiences, good and bad, and I've friends with so many new people.

Successes:
-Got into GSP
-Went up on my ACT
-Invited to the junior awards ceremony thing (idk what award yet but I'm excited to find out tomorrow!)
-Selected as an EAP leader
-Started a club
-Got more involved in clubs in general
-Prom (kinda)
-Got closer with people I never really talked to before, and met a bunch of new people.

Failures:
-I'm one point away from being satisfied with my ACT score (but there's still time and I think I reach my goal before I have to start college aps)
-Even though I started Cooking Club with Ella Jensen and Josh Pe, we only had one successful meeting because things got too expensive and we got to busy to keep up with it. We hope to improve it next year!
-I was sick like all the time this year
-I HAD MONO DURING PROM AND AP TESTING AND EOCS AND ON DEMAND WRITING AND I STILL HAVE IT NOW AND I HAVE TO TAKE FINALS WITH IT UGH.
-I also had strep during prom (I stuffed cough drops and ibuprofen in the top of my dress just to survive the night)
-My overall stress and mental health level.
-The grades that reflected my stress and mental health decline last semester.

Lessons Learned:
-Being an extreme germaphobe does not mean you will get sick less. Apparently it means you will get sick MORE.
-I always feel better if I shower every night, instead of every other night
-Driving around at night is very therapeutic.
-I feel better about myself and have more energy when I'm eating clean and working out regularly.
-If you don't have classes with your closest friends, you might drift apart a bit.
-People you've been around for years but never talked to much can become your favorite people if you really start to get to know them.
-I LOVE NATURE.

Risks taken:
-Mainly applying for leadership roles and other programs (but I got everything I applied for- yay!)
-Developing new friendships
-Trying not to be scared of everything in general
-Becoming vegetarian

Mistakes:
-Not taking enough risks
-Not sticking with Cooking Club
-Getting Mono (UGH)
-Not taking better care of myself
-Wasting time on my phone
-Not going outside enough

Summer Plans:
-GSP
-Babysitting job to make money
-Go camping/hiking a bunch
-Spend hella time in nature
-Vacation
-Visit my cousin in Tennessee
-Be stress-free
-Have a lit birthday
-Travel a bunch

Senior Year:
-Be less stressed
-Get more involved in community service for things I'm passionate about
-Get a job so I'll have money
-Take more risks
-Get good grades
-Get into my top college

Assignment 26: Joshua Pe

I’d like for a stronger explanation of how everything we do in class helps us develop our skills. I understood by the end of the year, but I’d like a stronger tie in to everything. I understood that all the blogs helped us to write so that we didn’t forget the skill. I realized that reading the long packets gave us an overview of what to do. I figured that Writing With Style would not teach us how to write, only how to refine on some things. I discovered that practicing the timed-writings and then trudging through reading exposed us to good and bad writing. But this all came from later reflection. If I knew what I was getting into, and I was told how this would tie in with everything, I might have been more motivated to be more active and therefore learn better. Besides an explanation for everything, I feel like the class is solid. I don’t know how visual literacies fit in exactly though. Some of the visual literacy assignments were enjoyable to do, but others were not as much. I think that since visual things, especially videos, are becoming the primary medium to spread an idea, you want us to understand how to work with it, but I think that we need more help with those things.

Assignment 23: Joshua Pe

Crying Playlist

I haven’t cried in a while, so this is the best substitute for that.

1) “White Ferrari” Frank Ocean

This song destroys me. I don’t know what heartbreak feels like, but this is what I imagine break up, and the long term fall out to be like. Many songs on Blonde are tragic, and this one gets to me the most. Others I would have included would be “Nikes,” “Ivy,” “Solo,” and “Nights.” Blonde is an amazing album to listen to, and “White Ferrari” is probably the best song tied with “Self Control.”

2) “u” Kendrick Lamar

The sharp contrast between the impulsive anger of the first half with the reflective and slow, but still full-of-hate delivery of the second half throws me into feelings. “u” also contrasts with “i” which helps make the album TPAB great in terms of composition.

3) “Marvins Room” Drake

I was 11 when I first head this. I did not know what heartbreak was, and I still don’t, but this song was one of the first songs that taught me the feeling. I did not even understand most of the lyrics; I just know that Drake was feeling melancholy. Drake, drunk, calls his ex and spills his feelings. It’s a 5-minute tour of the depths of loneliness.

4)”Do Better” Chris Brown ft. Brandy

This song is straight beautiful. The duet is magical. The mirroring of Chris Brown and Brandy singing nearly the same song from different perspectives demonstrates that often break-up hearts for both parties.

5)”Fire and Desire” Drake

“Fire and Desire” flows straight from the heart. A listener just understands what is happening when he or she hearts it. The simplicity of each line somehow forms a cohesive, complex story.

6)”Blood On the Leaves” Kanye West

I had to include Kanye on this playlist. This song is in Yeezus, a giant change in direction from his previous work. “Blood On the Leaves” mixes anger and love together and winds through a relationship gone south.

7)”Thinkin Bout You” Frank Ocean

Frankie just gets to me. The initial violins set the mood of the whole song, which is just downtrodden. This song reflects on another ex, and it just hurts. Frank Ocean strikes deep within in this song.

8)”Self Control” Frank Ocean

Once again Frank Plays with my feelings. The song evolves over three parts, not completely distinct, but still different. Each part details a different nuance of one person’s feelings.

9)”Suicidal Thoughts” The Notorious B.I.G.

This song nearly wraps up the playlist, but still leaves the door open for one more song to properly close it. Biggie describes how he feels like he doesn’t belong on this world anymore, while P Diddy tries to talk him out of suicide. In the end, Biggie shoots himself, and falls onto the floor as Puff calls for him hopelessly.

10) “Everybody’s Something” Chance the Rapper

This song still fits the playlist’s theme, but it’s a positive note to end on relative to everything else. The song is negative, but it still leaves the listener with some positivity. The core message is that “everybody’s somebody’s everything” a good thing to keep in mind and in heart.

assignment 26- Alex Russell

I get stressed very easily especially with school. For me this is by far the most stressful time of the year. With finals coming up and teachers thinking that giving all of their finals on Monday is a good idea. Like bro come on I have three tests due on Monday and two of them are finals. Aren't there set dates for the. the final is suppose to be. These teachers out here finessing a young blood. Apparently I'm oppose to know every vein, muscle, artery, and nerve inside of a cat by tomorrow which is Kat. Also I am very stressed with work because I work from 4:30 to past 12:00 on all three of our finals days because Merrick Inn apparently thinks that child labor is encouraged. But to deal with all of this stress I basically just hangout with friends. Also playing sports, especially basketball helps with this stress.

Assignment 23- Kalin Combs

For this assignment, I pulled a few of my favorites from a playlist I made a few days ago. Personally, I like to relieve stress by driving around and listening to music or hanging out with friends. I think there's no better feeling than driving around at night and screaming out every single word while listening to a great playlist. This playlist is perfect for driving with the windows down with friends and just screaming all the words. Plus, I have fond childhood memories associated with each one which just makes it even more stress relieving for me.
https://open.spotify.com/user/kalincombs/playlist/20R9vygtHM1FFhzUM38btA
Drops of Jupiter--Train & Ignition (Remix)--R. Kelly
Both of these songs are just classics. You just can't help but to sing along to them if you know the words. They both have a slower beat than some of these other songs but it's a great way to start the playlist.
Hey, Soul Sister--Train
This song reminds me of my mom. She was obsessed with a couple of Train songs for a while and so I have many memories of screaming this in the car with my mom and siblings when I was like 11 years old.
Teenage Dream--Katy Perry
This song came out during the period when Katy Perry was really big, leading up to the release of the Katy Perry movie. I was obsessed with Katy Perry from like age 8-12 and have fond memories of jamming out to this song and others by Katy Perry.
Some Nights--fun.
One of my favorite middle school memories was our 6th grade class trip to Chicago. On this trip, I have very specific memories of screaming this song on the charter bus at the top of my lungs with my best friend Rachel until we lost our voices completely. The bus rides on that trip are really what made it one of my favorite trips ever. It was really the first time I started developing a friend group and I associate all of those feelings with this song.
Your Love Is My Drug--Ke$ha
I still remember the first time I heard this song. My cousins Jacqueline and Erica, my brother, and I were all staying in the same guest room during a family reunion and of course we stayed up way too late talking. We were listening to the radio when we heard this song come on. It was the first time any of us had heard it and we couldn't understand what the words were saying.
Year 3000--Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers were truly my first loves. It was the first concert I ever went to (in 2008) and I had 1st row seats and even got to touch Joe Jonas's hand! Also, last summer at camp I won a lip syncing competition singing this song.
Miss Independent--Ne-Yo
Growing up, I remember thinking my older brother was the coolest person ever and I thought he had amazing taste in music. This was one of the songs he always loved and I thought it was so cool, and so I learned all the words to it.

Alex Russell-Assignment 24

Throughout this year of high school I have had more fun than I have ever had in my life. This year I have made some great friends and had a great time in and out of school. My main success was basically making it through the school year fully in tact. Some teachers were praying on my downfall but I stood tall and made it through the school year with decent to below average grades. Either way we made it through junior year after all that happened. It is indeed a blessing that we made it out. Some of y failures this year was I got the first C of my high school career which was upsetting. I learned some great lessons, one of which is studying is definitely the move. This summer I just want to make bands at Merrick Inn(my current employer) and hang out with my friends. Tryna grind and hoop with the brothers but other than that it will be a pretty chill summer for me. Most people are looking forward to college but I'm happy where I am right now and being so close to senior year makes me want to enjoy all of the time I have left in High School.

Assignment 26- Ian Schaeffer

I generally enjoyed English this year. I wouldn't lie and say we were swamped with work or challenged at home, but we learned what to do for the AP test, and I would say most everyone took it and likely passed. To improve, I would say be more forceful in ensuring that everyone pay attention/ focus during the practice AP multiple choice. I noticed that some people around me chose not to do them, and while it is a personal choice, I think an AP class expects that they fully participate. I think the essay reading periods should be accelerated. Whether or not that is to save time for more essays or other work is not important or my place to say, but I felt that those classes got monotonous. I liked the Socratic Seminars, so maybe devote more time to those. I feel like those classes force everyone to be mentally present and also reflect what a college class will be like (at least more accurately). Also, starting ACT prep two weeks earlier might help students.

Assignment 23- Ian Schaeffer

My perfect playlist for a hike at Red River Gorge with all my buddies"

The entire Lord of the Rings soundtrack, by Howard Shore- these beauties include the march of the uruk-hai and helm's deep and more. They are mostly instrumental and perfect to march to through the early morning fog. You almost become a part of the movie, and it's a necessity.

Runaway by Kanye West- From the opposite end of the spectrum, this song is easy to sing a long too and always seems to improve hikes. Don't know why.

Famous by Kanye West- more Kanye- it fits the "boys boys" mood on an early morning hike, and it is the perfect mixture of hype and laid back.

Megaman by Lil Wayne- everyone knows every single word so it's a pretty fun time when it comes on the speaker. Whenever it is playing, you can assume we are breaking every rule of hiking in silence, so good thing we get up really early. 

God's gonna cut you down- Johnny Cash- there's nothing like some soulful Johnny Cash tunes to start a hike. This kind of music (many other Cash songs are featured) play in the early morning, as his music fits that foggy, peaceful environment.

Assignment 26 - MacKenzie Varble

Ok, so if you want my honest opinion, I feel like I should start with the fact that I felt that most parts of the class were really vague, and didn't have much of a helpful purpose. Clearer instructions and clearer expectations on assignments would be super helpful.  Also, I saw no purpose to the visual literacy projects. I'm sorry, but I just didn't. Also, while you may have had the right idea with the essays, I didn't find them helpful. The big circle discussion of them was extremely anxiety inducing for someone with social anxiety. But if you do continue the big circle discussions of them, it would be helpful to give tips on how to improve things in the essays instead of just saying what is wrong with them. You could explain how to make things better, instead of leaving us to figure it out for ourselves, but end up failing to fix anything. I have really enjoyed the blog posts because it's more creative and casual writing.

Assignment 24 - MacKenzie Varble

Well, the first thing I can say is that I've successfully not died this year. I guess that's a good thing. I made it into NHS, and I was in the musical. I didn't get as big of a part as I did in the musical last year, but there were a lot of talented actresses who deserved the rolls they were given. I made a mistake with being in a bad relationship, but that's none of y’all’s business. Over the summer, I have many things in my lineup. I'm going to the ACC conference for baseball to watch Louisville, and hopefully I can go to Omaha to watch Louisville in the College World Series. I promise my cousin is their pitcher, I'm not just a crazy person who likes Louisville. I'm going to a church camp in North Carolina. I'm going to Disney World and on a Disney cruise. I know that's a huge shock to everyone, what is this, the 5th summer I've done something Disney related? And I'm also starting my mentoring project with the Lexington Children’s Theatre’s costuming department.  Next year, I'm getting even more involved in Henry Clay’s theater department, and I hope to be redoing the whole backstage for my Girl Scout Gold Award project. I'm basically going to be living in the theater, and I'm completely ok with that.

Assignment 24: Joshua Pe

Three years ago I was naïve, and I still am. I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future, but with junior year only a few days to closing, I think I’ve at least narrowed the focus on what I’d like to do. Finding some direction is at least some progress, and that’s a success considering all my failures. Some other successes are that I passed my driving test first try and I haven’t gotten into a crash yet. I’ve had small successes here and there but nothing too noteworthy, rather just little developments.

I’ve had many failures. I failed my New Year’s Resolution, although I expected that to happen. I failed keeping snapchat streaks. I failed being more outgoing. I failed my goal of not procrastinating. Many, many things I’ve failed.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to plan ahead. Planning ahead is what kept our ancestors alive and it’s what keeps civilization moving. I did not realize the importance of planning until time and time again I either got crunched on time or things fell through.

The greatest risks I’ve taken are applying myself. I’ve been rejected a lot of times, and I’ve still yet to get over the fear. I applied myself to numerous positions and programs. Almost all of them did not select me. At least I tried though. I’ve had more rejections than acceptances, but they are all growing moments. I’m recognizing how to be better.

The largest mistakes I made were not planning ahead. I ran out of time and could not apply to some summer programs. I did not plan ahead how I would drive home after late nights out. I did not plan whom I’d go to prom with. All of these things demonstrated that planning is key.

This summer, I’m going to be learning. I don’t have a summer program or anything. I did not apply to GSP or any camps or anything. I tried applying for a few positions but they all found someone better than me. I’m beaten up but still positive for this summer. I’d like to explore different things that I did not have time for these past semesters. I hope to do more cooking. I hope to start on my mentoring project. I hope to take a road trip around and explore outside of Lexington.

Senior year I’m not taking any breaks. I’m planning it to be much like junior year academically, which is why I’m taking this summer to get most of my college applications sorted. I’m planning to take 6 classes (5 APs and Spanish 4), mentoring, two independent studies. It’ll be hell but I need to learn more.

Assignment 23 - MacKenzie Varble

At this point in time, I feel like everyone should know one thing about me. I love musicals. If you didn't know that, then where have you been!? So, I decided, what better way to show my love of musicals than by creating a Best of Broadway playlist of my personal favorite show tunes. I decided to be a bit rebellious and put 12 songs on this list because I have too many favorites. With having too many favorites, these are in no particular order, and they're all on the list because they're from my favorite songs from my favorite musicals. The whole list is just many conflicting emotions, but they work so well together.
Only Us - Dear Evan Hansen
I included this song because it sums up where my relationship currently is. The song is from a new popular musical, so it qualifies for this playlist.
Requiem - Dear Evan Hansen
This song was included because it is a great representation of feeling loss, but wanting to put on the act that you're strong through it. The musical has received 9 Tony nominations for the 2017 Tony's.
Candy Store - Heathers
Heathers is basically a musical where the creators thought “what is not ok to put to music? Oh, yeah, murder and suicide!” But I'll be honest, it's great. Almost everything is super upbeat, even if it is about high schoolers dying. Candy Store is no exception to that style.
Lifeboat - Heathers
Ok, so this one is pretty sad, but I'll be the first to tell you that this song depicts what social anxiety is like, or at least that's how my social anxiety feels. I can easily connect to this song, and it is all around amazing.
Cell Block Tango - Chicago
Well, I've never murdered anybody, so I can't connect with this song in that way, but it does have a great beat, and listening to the stories of all the women is really interesting.
Blood In the Water - Legally Blonde
This song is all about being a lawyer, and how ruthless it is, but it's put to a really fun jazzy tune.
No One is Alone - Into the Woods
This song also kinda applies to my life with the whole feeling alone. You feel alone, but then you realize that there actually is someone there with you, it just might not be the person you were expecting.
On My Own - Les Mis
This song is absolutely amazing, and everyone should listen to it. Right now. Go. It talks about longing to be with someone who is with someone else, or someone who doesn't even know you as anything more than "one of the guys". Les Mis is a fantastic musical, with amazing music, but this song is my personal favorite from it.
 In My Own Little Corner - Cinderella
I was lucky enough to see this musical when it came to the Opera House. This is an amazing song for dreamers and adventurers. It talks about traveling around the world, and having courage.
Easy Street - Annie
Annie is kinda a weird musical in the theater world. Either you hate it, or you were a part of a production of it. I guess with this song on the list, you can tell that I was in it. I was one of the people singing this duet. It also holds a really special place in my heart because it was the production that got me into theater.
Popular - Wicked
This is kinda in the same boat as Easy Street. It was my audition song for last year’s production of the Jungle Book at Henry Clay. It got me into high school theater, and will always have a place on this list.
Watch What Happens - Newsies
I love this song. Always have, always will. It's a woman trying to fight her way to the top of the news industry. I guess I'll share a little secret; I'm planning on singing this for my musical audition next year, so it'll hold a great place in my heart and on this list.

Assignment 24- Ian Schaeffer

Junior year was fun. Probably the best year of high school. Except I went into deep and insurmountable debt to my parents after crashing my car. Not to mention being grounded all year for various, shallow infractions that did not coincide with my father's ideal version of a son. But yeah, it was okay. I learned I can never do homework and still get decent grades, and I also learned that it is hard to do unit assignments in a single day. Risks taken? Not really honestly. The only ones I took had to do w turning in assignments. In the summer, I'll play lacrosse, visit family, and hang with the boys. If I can hope for one thing for senior year, it is more fun. My classes should be more relaxed, and I am excited for applying for college. I also hope lacrosse is more fun, as this season is somewhat of a letdown. I guess I'll reach my goals with thorough procrastination and huge minimal effort.

Assignment 26- Tom Polites

I have seen my abilities as a writer greatly increase this year, and the activities that you had our class do played a great role in that. Especially when practicing analysis, I saw myself learn how to think clearly of examples to employ in my writing and how to craft my ideas skillfully and efficiently. I would have enjoyed to go over some more strategies about taking the AP multiple choice practice test as I feel there are some questions I could have gotten correct on the actual test had we spent more time on it. At the beginning of the year when we wrote our first essays, I appreciated you telling us that the grading curve would get steeper for the second semester. While this turned out to be a lie, it got me to focus intensely as to avoid bombing an essay. I also believe that the book Writing with Style helped me as a writer as well. Instead of videos, I maybe would have liked to practice more with the writing strategies explored in the book, but either way it was a great help to me. This year was the biggest increase in my writing skill that I have experienced and I thank you for that.

Assignment 25- Tom Polites

Whenever the stress of an impending due date or an AP test kicks in, I go about several ways of alleviating it. One of my methods is by watching a movie or show that I'm fond of. Watching an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will help me forget about the looming pain and suffering I am about to endure, and as they say, laughter is the best medicine. I also try to keep things in perspective. I remind myself that the stress and massive workload I have to go through at that moment is only temporary. I remember that once it is all over, it will be worth it and I'll be happy that I put in the amount of effort that I did to ensure success. I try to think of how good it will feel when I can relax afterwards, knowing that I put my best foot forward. I think stress is positive for me. It never derails me from completing my objective and it just inspires me to work hard and get the job done.

Assignment 26 - Kenna Miller

1. The benchmark reading and out-loud grading was fun but constructive. Logsdon (you?) made it easy to tell what graders were looking for in a high-grade essay, and what to do in each kind. I really appreciate how often we wrote essays: practice makes perfect. As much as I hate to write essays all the time, the more we did them, the more comfortable I got with writing them. I also preferred the non-revisable ones, since it simulated the real AP test.

2. Again, the consistent multiple choice tests were helpful, but we didn't really go over a ton since I feel like most of us didn't want to speak up. There were a couple of footnotes tested on the AP exam and I don't think we went over formatting those outside of the annotated bibliography for the summer assignment. I'd like to see more formatting review next year.

3. I remember staying up until 3 on the WMHSMUN trip in November working on the VisLit ad campaign. What a struggle that was. Some I didn't really get, especially when we couldn't use videos for our advertising one (2). When I heard advertising, I immediately think of videos. Nonetheless, it made us think CREATIVELY! The whole school supplies thing was really challenging. Like, how do you really market an eraser to someone? 

4. I was never able to access the online calendar though we tried with two different emails so I really liked the white board calendar. Ms H did good on working out that compromise. Coming in and seeing the plan laid out (when I haven't owned an agenda in three years) put me at ease.

5. Logsdon is like a cool film-savvy uncle. That's good.