Assignment 26 Daniel Zhu

To be completely honest, I was a lot more prepared for the AP test than I thought I would be. Grading each others essays from an AP grader standpoint really helped me effectively write my essays matching their rubric. What I thought could've been more effective was when we took the practice multiple choice tests, even though it would've been kind of boring, if we looked over the frequently missed questions and analyzed why people missed them it would've helped me know why I missed what I missed. The socratic seminars were honestly kind of dreadful, but it really helped open my eyes and truly analyze texts that seemed to be confusing or really informational. I think we wrote a good amount of essays to the point where we were prepared for the AP test. However, what would've helped is maybe an activity that could help us brainstorm ideas and what to write about there on the post. Other than that, everything was pretty straightforward about the class and it was pretty effective in preparing me for the AP test.

Assignment 26 - Kassidy Stumbo

English has always been my favorite class, and this year was no exception. I really did enjoy the class  and feel like I learned a lot about myself as a writer throughout the course of the year. I especially enjoyed the freedom you gave us in writing. The exercise at the beginning of the year where we read the book about writing tips was very helpful for me. A lot of the things I read helped me during the AP exam. One of the few things I didn't enjoy/feel were helpful about the class were the visual Literacy projects. Maybe I didn't take full advantage of them or really understand them, but I don't feel they helped me at all. Besides that, I thought everything we did in class was very useful. Reading the old AP essays seemed tedious at times but I think it really helped in the long run. Overall, it was an awesome year and I'm very thankful for the help in improving my writing. Thank you, Mr. Logsdon!

Assignment 25 Daniel Zhu

What I've come to realize is that when I'm under stress, most of the time it is due to being really busy. To avoid, having to stress out about having a packed schedule, I stop and actually plan out what I'm going to do. If I have practice at this time, and I need time to study, I carefully plan out what I'll be doing the next few hours. This way, I can manage when I can take breaks and when I need to be focusing on what's on my plate. Then, there's things like APUSH unit assignments that are most stressful when you leave them till the very last day. The final unit, I actually managed to do five key terms a day for about two weeks and the stress was gone. By spending just a few minutes a day, it helped relieve a few hours on the last day before the assignments were due. This was all due to the careful planning and effort I made to follow my schedule. I believe if you plan out things ahead of time and encourage yourself to follow that set schedule, everything will be easier to handle, especially if you have a lot to do.

Assignment 24 Daniel Zhu

Junior year has been full of ups and downs. I've had some moments where I've felt like the world was going to end. However, this year I finally developed good studying habits. This includes reading the textbooks for AP Chemistry and AP U.S. History. I believe these studying skills will be very helpful once I'm in college and will be receiving a little too much freedom. I've finally been able to force myself to get some quiet time and expand my knowledge. I hope that I don't get too laid-back next year for senior year but I'm really excited as to what's to come. Over the summer, I plan to get ready for the extremely tedious AP Calculus class next year. I want to better prepare myself to make room for homework each and every day because I know for a fact there won't be many days that I don't have homework to do in there. A few mistakes I've made this year are doing this before I look at the consequences. One example is me getting into SAFE for leaving campus for lunch. It actually took a toll because I fell behind in a few classes but I managed to grind my way back up. The worst has probably yet to come but I'm excited to see what the future holds.

Assignment 23 Daniel Zhu

A perfect playlist for me to crazily shake my head up and down to would consist of a few rock songs. First I'd start off with the slow head bang. The opening song would be Back in Black by ACDC. The introduction to this song starts with slow beat with a nice electric guitar. The rhythm of the beat is just meant to bang your head to, I mean it's just so irresistible. Later in the song, the bridge into the chorus has a crazy guitar solo for rapid head banging just before your head starts to feel like it's about to fall off. The next song in the playlist would be Sweet Child O'Mine. This song is just a classic that I can't resist shaking my head to and singing along. All of these songs are a good way for me to just vibe to some good ole rock. Sweet Child O'Mine is such a smooth but hype song and is perfect for me to just shake my head to. The next song up would be American Idiot by Green Day. This song has a moderately-fast beat and really makes me feel hipster when listening to it. I just imagine myself with black eyeliner and just a straight rockstar. The lyrics are just so entertaining and I couldn't help but to blast this song. Next up after that would be Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers. This song has such a fast beat to it that even my head has some trouble keeping up with it. I know every word to this song and just makes me reminisce on life. Last but not least, the song would be Thunderstruck by ACDC. This song starts from the beginning with an insanely fast beat. Once the singing kicks in you just can't help but shake your head and scream the lyrics. This playlist isn't a joke at all but a relaxed series of song to bang your head and rock to.

Assignment 24- Tom Polites

This has undoubtedly been the fastest year of my life. It seems like yesterday we were riding the stationary bikes, reading Writing with Style, and going to UK Football games on Saturdays. I'll be sad to say goodbye to junior year. All in all, it was a fantastic year. First semester I achieved my goal of maintaining my 4.0 and (fingers crossed) it appears that I will meet that same goal this semester as well. I started playing two new sports this year for HC, which turned out to be great decisions and I look forward to continuing them next year. Tennis was a bit of a risk as I was fearful I would make a bafoon out of myself at tryouts, but the risk paid off. This year hasn't been easy by any means and has been a struggle at some points, especially every three to four weeks when unit assignments were due. However, it is a year I will look back upon fondly as I had experiences that I will remember as some of the best in high school, and I'm excited to have more of them this summer. I am nervous but excited for what lies ahead next year. I am certainly intimidated by even the mere thought of applying to college, but I am ready to face the challenge and excited for the possibilities ahead.

Assignment 24 - Kenna Miller

Has a year ever been more stressful and strenuous than junior year? NAH.

Successes:
1. I have more friends. Yet most are better friends with their other friends.
2. K-club created and I now have two things to commit to on Monday afternoons.
3. Kayla has been freed.
4. Mr Cain is hilarious
5. Free days in Mr. Logsdon's class
6. Converted people to K-pop
7. Learned some Korean
8. Permit and license obtained
9. Have not broken up with boyfriend

Failures and Mistakes:
1. Having literally four sleepovers the entire year.
2. Staying up until 4 am on saturday before UAs are due
3. Having only Henry Clay friends
4. Failed my first math test
5. Year 3 and still not in a class with my best friend
6. Making only 3 senior friends

Risks:
1. Starting Unit Assignments late
2. Starting to nap after school
3. Ordering presents late
4. Not knowing how to make gelatin
5. Scheduling a picture with congressmen in freezing DC weather
6. Talking about race in general

Lessons Learned:
1. Sleep is a privilege.
2. Do UAs while Cain is lecturing
3. Drive according to the parent in the passenger
4. Make friends with sophomores when you're a freshman

Summer plans:
1. Watch This is Spinal Tap
2. Eat my way through a menu (Graeter's maybe)
3. Enjoy Korea
4. Ride a bike
5. Hang out at the bookshop
6. Sleepover or party
7. Go to an amusement park
8. Make it to a BTS event

Assignment 25 Victor Allison

Recently I attended a youth group meeting led by Kirk Abraham, who is something along the lines of a fitness professor at Transy. The talk he gave was about stress; its physiological effects and how to cope with it. Speaking to an audience of high school students, he explained that the only real way to cope with stress from a biological perspective is to exercise. Stress, explained Kirk, is the body's fight-or-flight response - a series of chemical reactions that allowed primitive men to fight off saber tooth tigers, but does little to prepare anxious students for final exams and college applications. So, to combat these stimulating chemicals, one simply has to use them up - by exercising.

By coping with stress in this way, I have eliminated stress almost to the point of a constant euphoric state, but I have consequently become uncontrollably strong. My shirts tear with the strain of my anxiety-free muscles, and I can barely open a door without pulverizing the handle with the vicelike deathgrip of a completely self-content physical specimen. Having smashed every computer keyboard in the building, I am dictating this blog to my mother as I sit on the splintered remains of a chair that could no longer bear the weight of my hulking, completely relaxed torso. My entire family live in fear that I trip and crush them, but hey, I'm staying positive. Assuming that my teachers will allow me to test in the hallway (doorframes disagree with my beachball shoulders) I am quite confident in myself in regards to upcoming finals.

Assignment 23-Tom Polites

This is a playlist I have entitled "Beach Playlist" all though it can really be used when at the pool or a lake or really any other relaxed sunny/summery situation. I have refrained from adding any songs by Migos or Travis Scott because although both artists produce bangers, their songs don't apply to this playlist.

Rooftops by Moon Taxi
The playlist kicks off with the most relaxed song and by one of my favorite bands. This song perfectly encapsulates the meaning of the world chill. There is no better piece of music to just sit to and forget about the outside world as the sun beams down on you.

Radiate by Jack Johnson
Is it a beach playlist if Jack Johnson isn't included? Of course not. The king of beach songs features for the first time on this playlist with a song I immediately associate with being in Florida with 80 degree weather. The tempo gets a little faster, but not fast enough to make me want to get up from my nice relaxed position as I watch the tide roll in.

Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
I will never know why this song reminds me of the beach. It's probably because of Jimmy Buffet's version, but the version by Van Morrison is undoubtedly superior. Something about the guitar at the beginning of the song just screams tropical weather to me. It is a staple in any beach/summer playlist I put together.

Sober by Childish Gambino
As the title of this EP by Bino is entitled Kauai I think he was going for a beach vibe when he created it. This song isn't like his passionate and clever rap songs he created earlier in his career, which I also immensely enjoy, but it is another song that I associate with summertime.

All Day All Night by Moon Taxi
Moon Taxi makes its second appearance with one of my favorite songs by them. When listening to this song, I can't help but think of jumping into the water and having a great time in perfect weather until long after the sun goes down.

Washing Dishes by Jack Johnson
The King of beach songs makes his second and final appearance with my favorite song by him. The guitar in this song is what really makes me associate it with the beach, and I think it is the most beach song on this playlist. I could make this entire playlist out of Jack Johnson songs if I wanted to, that's how many beach songs he has.

Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield
Woah Tom woah, this is a pretty big curveball you're throwing at us with this song isn't it? Yeah maybe a little bit as this song sounds nothing like the other songs that have been featured in this playlist. But, my dad and I have listened to this song countless times while driving to Florida, so it is now ingrained into my mind that this song should remind me of the beach.

https://open.spotify.com/user/andrewpolites/playlist/4JspLZX0ryDn989Dy2ByHe

Assignment 23 - Kenna Miller

I'm notorious for playlists, though Lena probably has more than me. I'm sure she's psyched about this assignment, as am I.

This time, I'll be doing a late night playlist, which is made of 59 songs on my Spotify. No offense to Mr. Logsdon, but order doesn't really matter to me on my playlists, so I won't talk about it.

The Late Playlist by Kenna Miller

1. Warm on A Cold Night - HONNE
Shoutout to Sara for posting this in one of her blogs.
Anyways, this track is definitely something that would  be played over slow stop motion video (aka the music video for it). The chords are soft, low and soothing, matching the singer's voice. I feel at peace listening to it. I also like the intro by the radio announcer at 3 am, making it even more night-adaptable.

2. Youth - Daughter
This is my quintessential late-night song. The guitar chords are different, but played super softly along with the singer. It reminds me of Ed Sheeran, so obviously some of his songs are on the playlist. It builds up later on with a soft drum roll, then into more prominent guitar playing, dramatizing the lyrics.

3. Autumn Leaves - Ed Sheeran
With the same, echo-y guitar sound as Youth, Ed Sheeran sings about falling autumn leaves. This guitar sound is a theme of this playlist, so hopefully you like it. It's very calming with the piano piano in the background. During rain storms, quality heightens.

Optional: Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
It's your favorite echo-y guitar. But this time, minor chords rule the strings. When this song comes on late, the minor chords kinda freak me out to start with so I skip it a lot. If you keep listening, though, it's a reflective, unique song. (I like the Rufus Wainwright one too, but that's Shrek.)

4. Midnight - Coldplay
Coldplay's Ghost Stories album is certainly an outliar compared to the rest of their music. It's quiet and minimalistic in tones and melodies. It's soothing enough to remind me of the deep sea or heaven's light. Midnight takes on the deep seas with a consistent two-note switching while a trio of Chris Martins sing in unison. It's eerie, but very relaxing. A counter- keyboard melody comes into play as the song progresses, adding a whole new celestial sound to the song.

5. Gravity - John Mayer
If I wanted to fall asleep immediately listening to music, this would be the first song on. The guitar plays so softly alongside the light hi-hats, it's super relaxing. I feel like I'm sleeping on a couch next to a fire. Maybe Slow Dancing in a Burning Room would have been a better pick.

6. Butterfly - BTS
Because it wouldn't be a playlist by Kenna without a k-pop song, amirite? Each singer's voice brings the same, smooth tone as more instruments add onto the simple  guitar melody. The drums, snapping, and background vocals (how to identify a synthesizer?) help bring the song to its intense, vibrating climax. I feel like I'm in a movie, with the camera shooting downwards on me as it spirals but maybe that's just me. I love BTS. Listen to their other stuff too.

7. Stolen Dance - Milky Chance
I always remember this song because a) I can't tell what words the guy is singing and b) it gives a serious HONNE tone. The low guitar plucks combined with the snare remind me of Autumn Leaves's guitar with Gravity's snare. The singer is solemn like HONNE. All this matched together gives us our last song on the late playlist.

If anyone is interested in more songs/the full playlist, leave a comment :)

Assignment 26 - Stephanie Bailey

This English class taught me less about the grammatical aspects of English and more about the nuances of writing essays. I think the most important thing that I learned this year was that I don’t have to make my essays conform to the traditional structure. I have learned that being bold with the structure of my essays could make them better instead of making them less academic. I also learned a lot from the grading of other people’s essay because it showed me the way my peers write while also demonstrating which ways were successful and which were not. That helped guide me when I was writing my essays because I knew which approaches had been successful in the past. I do believe we may have done a little bit too much grading to the point that people stopped listening but I think doing a little bit of grading once or twice a semester would be a big help.

Assignment 24 - Stepahnie Bailey

Junior year has been the hardest year yet, mostly because of all of my school work but it also was the year where a lot of social things changed for me. First of all, my school workload was outrageous the entire year which absolutely sucked, especially when I am trying to balance that load with my horseback riding, social life (not like I have too much of one), and family. My horseback riding just skyrocketed this year and demanded even more of my time and effort than my previous years at Henry Clay. My social life feels like it was only just born this year and, of course, right in the middle of the busiest year of high school. I got more connected to friends of the past, made new friends, and even somehow found a boyfriend. As well as just getting my driver’s license, making it even easier to choose social life over homework, my parents filed for divorce in the middle of this year. Now I had horses, friends, church, school, and two separate families to worry about. For someone in the middle of the most important academic year of their life, this was the most stressful balancing act I could ever imagine. I’m now just hoping all of this work pays off in the end and I end up at the college I want to go to with an amazing horse by my side to keep my sanity in check.

Assighnment 23 - Stephanie Bailey

Playlist for hacking my horse:

1.)    Lights Come on by Jason Aldean

i)       This is a good song to start out my ride because it is nice and easy so that my horse and I can prepare ourselves for the work we have ahead of ourselves. This song, beginning the country music theme, will let us warm up at the walk for a proper amount of time before moving to the next song that will start our workout.

2.)    80’s Mercedes by Maren Morris

ii)     This song is a good motivator because it is slightly sassy and that makes it a great song to start out my trotting. It motivates me to move my horse from the walk to the trot and get ourselves working.

3.)    Dirt on my Boots by Jon Pardi

iii)   This is a good song to let my horse and I relax to because it isn’t too fast or too slow. It contains a good relaxed tempo for and easy trotting pace that will later be intensified by the next song as we keep warming up more and more.

4.)    If the Boot Fits by Granger Smith

iv)   This song is a bit of an aggressive song with a strong beat that I can follow along with at the trot that will get my horse ready to canter at the next song. This song and the next contrast each other nicely and are both meant for different purposes in my riding.

5.)    God, Your Momma, And Me by Florida Georgia Line

v)      This song is nice and relaxed with just enough of a beat that I can follow it with my canter pace. This song forces me to relax my body and, in turn, relaxing my horse, letting him sink into the nice, smooth canter rhythm he needs for his warm up.

Blog Post 25 - Daniel Brewer

I get stressed.  ALOT.  I seem to put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself to get things done, and then feel like I have let myself, and everyone around me, down when my goals are not accomplished.   I struggle with anxiety and honestly have a hard time dealing with stress.  I do have a few activities that I enjoy that can help to relieve the stress of school, exams, and life in general.  Even though I don’t always enjoy it, physical activity can help relieve stress for me.  Sometimes if I am studying for a big test or am having a hard time focusing on homework, I will take a walk to the end of my street and back.  The break and the activity seem to help.  I also enjoy riding my bike.  This can be a double edged sword.  I get on the bike to relieve stress and take a break, but then I enjoy it too much and spend more time riding instead of getting back to work.  I also have a noise maker machine that I set to “rain”, and that is relaxing to me.  I would like to be organized to help relieve stress in my life, but I really struggle with being organized.   

Assignment 26-Sara Ueland

As far as preparation for the multiple-choice test I think we should have gone beyond just doing practice tests. I would recommend breaking down the different sections or going over certain skills required (for example how you read a footnote as it was on the AP test at least 3 times.) Also, going over the practice tests more in depthly would have been lengthy, but personally I think it would be helpful to understand the thought process when narrowing down the answer.

 For the free response I think peer reviewing the essays was effective, but got very boring and redundant. It was helpful to read the benchmarks before grading and get a sense of how to grade or what the criteria was. Reading the essays out loud was scary and nerve racking for me, but I think it is good to hear your writing out loud and critiqued by peers and teacher.  My suggestion would be to go more in depth on the multiple-choice in understanding the format and breakdown and mix up the grading of essays.

Blog Post 26 - Daniel Brewer

As a person on the Autism Spectrum, communication of all kinds – written, spoken, social cues etc. - is difficult for me on a daily basis.  In AP Language and Comp, I thought that the “No-No” words list was especially helpful because it gave me easy, logical rules to try to follow.  I also thought that learning to argue to a specific audience with a basic knowledge of the subject matter was effective.  This helped me to write things in a more concise manner, without too much detail.  I thought that the writing portion of the AP Exam for Language and Comp was difficult because I always struggle with organizing my thoughts before writing them down on paper.  One thing Mr. Logsdon taught me that was helpful with getting organized was to be sure to read the question first before trying to answer and to annotate the articles as I read them.  I found this advice helpful in other classes as well, and I tried to use this strategy on the AP US History exam, too.  Also, I thought in the beginning I would really like the bikes in class.  But, in the end, I’m not sure how effective they were with helping keep me on track and keep me focused.

Assignment 26 - Kyle Hosey

I decided to wait until after the AP test to write this post. As you said, you taught to the test, and I determined that I would be best able to evaluate this class after I had actually sat through what you prepared us for all year. Obviously.


Having now actually taken the multiple choice and written the three essays, I can say without hesitation that  I felt more than adequately prepared to take the exam. Since its not really a content test, the only sure way to prepare is lots of repetition. I felt like I got that this year with the monthly multiple choice practices and the sometimes biweekly essays. One thing I would have liked to have seen was a little more explanation of the trends on the multiple choice; at times I felt like I had no idea why one answer choice was even different from the others, much less the correct one. This was especially true in regards to the passage with the notes. Perhaps just before the exam half a class could be dedicated to reviewing the various questions about those notes. Additionally, I would have liked to have seen a more extensive explanation of the 10 or so most frequently missed questions. As far as the essays go, the thing I struggled most with was time. Though I'm sure I would have hated it, a couple more strictly 40 minute essays might have been helpful. Perhaps that could be started 1-2 essays earlier, or just done for practice at other times so they don't kill anyone's grade.

I'm not going to evaluate anything else because, well, it wasn't on the exam. I will, however, say that this was one of my more enjoyable classes and I appreciate that you didn't just give us essays and practice tests nonstop.

Assignment 24-Sara Ueland

Well to put it simply, junior year can only be described with one word—death. This time in particular (AP tests, ACT, and finals) marks our looming, inevitable demise. With so much stress put on tests and grades, it’s only natural to think the world will crumble if you get a bad score on a test. Junior year has been a learning experience for me in the social arena. I do not consider myself a social butterfly and have found a balance between school and social life that suits my personality. While there may be a major imbalance on the social side, I have realized that it doesn’t matter if I go to a party or not because in reality I will never talk to most of these people again.

Overall I haven’t taken that many major risks but I have jumped out of my comfort zone by joining the tennis team.  I might consider that a failure as I have only played one exhibition match but I can truthfully say I am undefeated! Many mistakes and failures have consumed my days. First off I have extremely slacked off on the fitness/sports area of my life. In past years I spent my off days at the gym or training at the Seaton Center, but junior year has experienced a decline in fitness. I hope to return to my old ways and stay in my best shape possible.

In the summer I hope to attend every music festival my microscopic wallet can afford. I also hope to focus in on soccer/tennis and as stated above, get back in shape. My goals for senior year are to get all A’s and get out of my comfort zone and try to meet/reach out to a variety of people. I have not concocted a plan yet because I am the queen of doing it live. (RIP Bill O’Riley)

Assignment 23-Sara Ueland

Being the antisocial pessimist I am, I find it necessary to have a solid anxty teen/moody playlist on deck at all times. Naturally, I named my playlist “phony ppl” to represent my utmost annoyance with the majority of humans that walk this earth. To start out, “Why iii Love the Moon” by Phony people is numero uno on my playlist because it most accurately portrays my thoughts. Not only does this lead male vocalist have the voice of an angel, but also his lyrics perfectly align with my pessimistic ways. He nails the idea that people are unreliable and you can’t depend on anyone but yourself because at some point everyone will leave you. Now yes, family will always be there for you and support you no matter what, but they also will leave you at some point be it willing or unwilling. Second is “Them Changes” by Thundercat. I must admit this song does not fit into this category lyric-wise, but it’s groovy as fudge. The title does connect to the overwhelming changes that occur through out life (especially transitioning into college mode.) “I Would Be Sad” by the Avett Brothers is a slow and feels song that symbolizes the eventual end to almost all young, fetal relationships. To supplement, this song stars a banjo, which is an all-time favorite. “Do I Wanna Know?” by the Arctic Monkeys expresses the wide realm of secrets and unknowns in the teenage world. The idea of not wanting to know some things for the sake of your personal well-being is popular in our teenage years due to the rampant rumors or slander thrown freely through the halls. “West Coast” by Coconut Records appeals to me personally because of my love for California/Colorado and traveling. (Other songs on playlist are just quality and you should totally listen.)

https://play.spotify.com/user/saracath6/playlist/6HtrPf2NYsBiHDnDtFzuoW?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open&post_id=1213363028761286#_=_

Assignment 26 Victor Allison

English has honestly been one of my favorite classes this year. We rarely had homework, and the in-class work was hardly as tedious as other classes I've taken. It's chronological location in the middle of the day also marked the "hump" of the school day, and the period right before lunch. That being said, one source of discomfort was the Socratic seminars, which often became numbingly repetitive, although this was likely partly due to us rather than the curriculum. I also thought that having to grade everyone's essays as a group might have sacrificed time that could have been spent on other exercises. But if I had to choose one single aspect of the class that I would change, it would be that we spent almost no time at all developing a secret school-themed rock band to participate in an annual band competition at the end of the year.

I'm not saying that we haven't learned valuable skills in the class. But I'd just like to point out that we could be a real force to be reckoned with in this year's Battle of the Bands. And are you really going to let those posers who kicked you out of their band go home with the title? And that new guy, Spider or whatever? What a dope.

I do feel very well prepared for the AP test, and I think my writing has probably improved with such ample practice. But still. Real missed opportunity.