Falzone Week 9 -Music

Music

    Music is such a large part of my life. I realize that my entire childhood was made up of people singing or playing instruments. I do not think I can remember a time when I was scared to sing in front of my family and friends or play my violin. Growing up in an environment where musicality was not only welcomed but nurtured I could not imagine life without it. Recently, though, I was talking with one of my friends and they told me that the only place they sing is alone in their bedroom. “Never”, they said, did they sing in front of their family or friends. I was shocked by this revelation but I was even more surprised as I saw the rise of popular TikToks where young people “surprise” their family or significant others by singing a song. Most reactions in these videos are astonishment, shone on the faces of the intended significant others, that the person has such a wonderful voice. I could not imagine not singing in front of those people who are close to me, let alone my parents. I wondered how these people could hide such a gift from those that they are the closest with. As I thought more about this, I realized that maybe I am an anomaly. I sing everywhere, including but not limited to the car, my house, in school, at practice, and in the middle of a store. I can not seem to bottle up my enthusiasm for something that I love. My point being, how can someone hide such a wonderful talent and passion away and not want to share it. I would kill for some of the voices I hear on TikTok, yet I find that I use my subpar voice more than many of these amazing singers. I wonder if it comes down to the way you are brought up, or your relationship with your family members. I understand that the more comfortable you are with a person the more open you are to sharing things with them. I feel that it is a shame that some people do not feel comfortable sharing their voices because some of them are truly spectacular. I believe that you are gifted with talents and you are meant to share them with the world. I just hope that some of these talented individuals consider coming out of their shells a little bit and sharing their musicality with others.

Some extremely talented Tiktok voices

Grimm Week 9

 Bernadette

    Ever since I turned thirteen I've owned an android phone. From Oneplus to multiple Google Pixels I enjoyed 'budget friendly quality' operating systems, thankfully the pictures usually came out alright after the google camera app worked it's post picture taking magic. Now I find myself craving a new device. Since I plan on learning Logic Pro X through Berklee's College of Music summer program, I wanted to make the jump to Apple. I have to say, so far it has been a blast.

    Prior to getting the phone I researched deals and apple plans like their Apple One subscription as well as apple pay and the apple card. Side note, Apple Music is an incredible deal, in the Apple One package especially, compared to Spotify. Through AT&T I was going to receive a really amazing deal on the iPhone 12, but it required the unlimited plan. The plan we had at the time was very old and now, after switching to unlimited, we pay less and get more for it. My dad having been apart of the military got us an even better deal on the phone than the original discount.

    Now it has been a few days of imessage games, transferring data from Google to Apple and just looking at my phone constantly. I know it's so unhealthy, but I never got that vacation I mentioned in a previous blog post. Me getting this phone created a new experience and due to my personality, a new obsession. I've realized recently how far I let myself leisure and I'm not proud.

    Today, tonight and last night I've been making up for my mistake of putting off school and life. Everything got back burned so I could waste my time rotting my brain. The sleep deprivation, lack of exercise and all my overwhelming school work combine to form one big hole I can't dig myself out of. I'm sinking in metaphoric quick sand and on top of all that feeding into a potential caffeine addiction. I actually might be addicted already, cold brews are the only drinks that really perk me up now.

    In conclusion I'm ending this blog post assignment on an uplifting note, because no one needs anymore complaining. I, and all of us, are so smart and talented, we do our best and I know that after getting through this week I will be proud of myself. I will come out the other side with an experience to refer back to in the future when I will inevitably be drifting off academics and life in general, this can't happen again. Let's make our junior year an accomplished year! Good luck everyone and goodbye blogs!

Bernadette

Grandma's 72nd B-day

My Dog (Owen)

Week 9 Cuevas

 Stress

     I know I have written about the stress students are currently experiencing before, but while writing this I realize that it is too important not to continue to talk about. My previous post regarding stress was about how we need to take care of ourselves, but this week I realize more and more that that really is not so easy. 

         I am genuinely exhausted by online learning. I am currently writing this blog post on my phone because my wifi decided to cut out, and the only time I was able to actually finish writing this was late at night. Work is piling up… and every time it feels like it’s finally getting easier, there is something new to stress about. 

         Somehow, even though we’re going to school for half the time, it is double the stress. Double the work. They tell you junior year is the hardest year of high school… but absolutely nobody could prepare us for what that would feel like in an online environment. 

        I am realizing that I am not often stressed, but rather constantly stressed- inescapably stressed. As the year progresses and we move toward incredibly important academic events, the stress increases. I have always been considered a smart student- above average at that. But suddenly, being placed in an online environment, I don’t feel as smart as I used to. I can’t learn the same way, and I feel as though I am not retaining information and am constantly unprepared. 

        It’s upsetting, really, to hope for a school year to end when I was so eagerly hoping we would even get one to begin with. I could hope this stress would improve, but in this environment, that is not exactly plausible. Instead, I will just keep doing my best and hoping my hard work will somehow pay off.

Buezo Week 9

 

                                                  Our high school experience is almost over.....

    I was out on a hike the other day, and I thought to myself I'm basically 75% done with high school after June. It's gonna be here before we know it. I remember being in kindergarten and going up to the high school and watching plays and being so envious of the kids in high school. I wanted to be just like them. I wanted all of the football games and conversations by lockers before class. I wanted to go to homecoming and cheer for our high school teams. I remember I wanted to have a boyfriend in high school, and I wanted a cute pink car. I fantasied about high school from the moment I knew about it. I would watch endless chick flicks and try to manifest my future to be just like those stars.

    High school is absolutely not that glamourous. It's not pink cars and cute boyfriends. It's figuring yourself out and finding your path, and creating a future for yourself. I have a great time at school, but it really can be stressful. Teens don't typically have time for lunches and hangouts after school everyday, there is a lot of cram studying and practices that are hard to plan around. There are not nearly as much parties as Hollywood makes it out to be, and there is much more work. I do have a great group of friends I'm always with, but those huge raves you seen in movies, happen once a month at most (covid probably ruined the chances of that.) By joining clubs I found my interest in law, and I found motiving friends that I hope to have for a lifetime too. I met most of my friends in my AP or Honors classes and am so thankful for them.

I am really grateful for everything that high school has given me and taught me, but it is a lot of work, and it's not as glamorous as shows make it out to be. I definitely think that after writing this COVID really messed up my high school experience. My freshman and sophomore years were so fun. Im sure my freshman year, I had more flings, and went to more get togethers, but the older I get I realized thats not what high school is all about at least not for graduating class. More than ever I see kids more focused on themselves and staying in, and either focusing on sport or grades. It's just different. With graduation coming up in a little over a year for me, I just wonder how different high school would have been without COVID. This school year has felt draining and sad, with all of the cancellations and postponed events. I just cant wait for the future ahead of me, and I hope no high school student ever has to deal with what all of these students went through. How did we all grow up so quickly, it felt like yesterday when we used to watch those plays and wait on this very moment.

Regan Week #9

Life-Long Friend

    Growing up my parents always told me I would be lucky if I were to have one true, life-long friend. As a kid, this information went in one ear and out the other. It didn't really mean anything to me as a child. As kids, we are just so social, most of the friends we make do not stay in our lives long-term. What I failed to realize when I was younger was the meaning of a real friend. Not just someone you trust with everything or someone who is always there for you, but someone who you can completely be yourself around. Someone who knows you better than you know you. 

    As I matured, those words my parents told me started to hold more value. Friends came and went, and I never found "my people." The feeling of being an "outsider" and loneliness overcame me. Sure, I have close friends who I have known for years, but I could never find that person who truly understood me. I never felt that deep bond with anyone. It was hard always feeling misunderstood and not having that person I can go to whenever. It wasn't until a couple of months ago I realized my friend, Sarah, was that person for me.  

    Sarah has been one of my friends for a couple of years now, but as I said before, it wasn't until the past few months we became extremely close. Along with the friendship we already had, we have several mutual friends, so we started to spend a lot more time together. As time went on, I realized that she was "that" friend for me. Our friendship compares to no other relationship I have ever had. Sarah has always been so honest with me. She also has one of the kindest hearts I know. While the road to finding a true friend was difficult, I am so glad it led me to her. I truly cannot imagine my life without her. I know, without a doubt, she is a true, life-long friend!

This is us this past weekend (not the best picture, but I think this really captures the nature of our friendship)!!

Dawe: Week 9

Imagination   

    When I hear the word imagination I always think of that one SpongeBob episode where Spongebob and Patrick go inside this cardboard box and pretend that they are pirates on a ship, driving a car, or flying to the moon. Squidward, the character that acts the most like an adult, can't figure out how they are doing all these things in just a cardboard box. 

    When I was younger and watched this episode, I thought that it was obvious, they were playing and pretending that they were doing all these cool, exciting things. They didn't need anything but their minds to come up with these stories. 

    Now I look at kids outside and see them pretending and having fun and think to myself how can they do that? How can they completely forget about the real world and just pretend? How do they not feel worried or scared that others will judge them for their wild fantasies? Just like Squidward, I can't seem to understand anymore how children can do it. 

     Sometimes I wish that I could have the same wonderful imagination that I had when I was a child. I believed that I could do anything or be anything. I thought that I was just a child so when I got older there would be endless possibilities that could happen. 

     I remember drawing out a whole rode with chalk on my driveway with little shops and different signs. I would ride around on it with my little scooter and pretend that I was an adult driving a car. My neighbors and I would also run around in my friend's yard pretending that we were trapped on an island and had to find food (rocks), to survive. 

    Now that I'm older I don't have many outlandish dreams about my future. I wish that I could escape reality for a short amount of time, like I could when I was a child, and just pretend. Without having that imagination when I was younger, I don't think I would have had such a wonderful childhood or become the person that I am today. 

Hunter Week Nine

    Burned Out

    Mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, or burnout, is something I have felt each day since the beginning of this school year. I, along with many of you, place insane standards upon myself for no legitimate reason. I am well aware of the toxicity that lies within these expectations, yet I refuse to allow myself to breathe. My overall health is suffering because of my workload. Parental confrontation regarding such issues enables stupid responses such as “Summer is soon ” or “It’s just this week” to slip out of my lips. To what end will I let my stress consume me? To what end will you let your stress consume you?

    Three AP classes, six additional classes, an international United Nations internship, seven music groups (leadership positions within each of them), choral competitions, ACT prep, volunteering, a job, nine clubs, class executive council, etc, leave no room for relaxation, self-care, or much social life. Weekends are consumed by labs (horrifically always due on Saturdays) and working. I often find myself skipping meals and social gatherings at the hand of my extreme workload.

    I place all of this on myself. Though I have the power to remove stressors and unnecessary or insignificant extracurriculars, I will never do so. I, unlike many of you, have not always been as academically successful or dedicated as I am now. I began in CP courses, as my counselors did not think I could handle anything more due to my ADHD. My grades were poor and eons below those at the moment.

    It feels as if my life, at least until the end of my high school career, has one purpose: raising my cumulative GPA and getting into a top university for my major. I know those words may not seem difficult to accomplish, as you are consistently high-achieving people. For me, one grade (good or bad) can change everything, and I cannot risk that. Therefore I have spent every waking moment since the first day of my sophomore year trying to make up for the lack of academic focus I displayed in the past.

    My genius, top 10, 4.0 GPA in college sister told me recently that she wishes she spent more time living rather than studying for the AP Physics exam in which she forgot every aspect. Those words make me contemplate my priorities quite a bit. Despite the lingering anxiety about college, these years are supposed to demonstrate fearless growth and exploration. Am I treating them as such? Are you?

    I feel eternal burnout. Living on a cycle strictly of homework assignments, tests, and studying is the epitome of unsustainable. I hope to find a balance between living and learning, as I do not think I can continue to go to bed at 3 am and proceed to wake up at 6 am every day much longer. If you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know! :)

Here is a photo I took of some pretty flowers. I try to convince myself that all of the work I do will help me bloom (like a flower haha), and that thought keeps the motor running!

Goodricke Week #9

I know I'm not alone when I say that I spend wayyyy too much money. I do have a job, and I do work a lot, so I do make money. I recently got my tax return stuff back and saw exactly how much I made last year from August-December. It was kind of a lot of money, and I have no idea where it all went. I do have a lot in my savings but thats partly because my mom sent me some money from my college fund in order to get a better interest rate. Today, I got paid the most I've ever gotten paid on a paycheck. I get paid weekly, therefore all of my hours come from the 4 days I work a week. I was very shocked when I recieved that paycheck because I only worked about 25 hours that week. At Texas Roadhouse, I get paid $3.25 hourly, but I also get tip share added onto that. Even though I should, I don't exactly know what that means, but I do know that I get paid minimum wage. However, with tipshare I can get paid more than that based on the amount of tips made and distributed among all of the workers. At work, I have been trained on several different positions, each get paid differently. When I work in togo, I get paid more hourly (I believe) and I get to take home the cash tips that we make. The most I've made with the cash tips is about $15, which isn't the best, but we get a lot more credit card tips, so that gets put on our paycheck later. As of about a month ago, I've saved all of the cash tips that I've got in a glass piggy bank in order to put it into my account later. Every week, I put away about 40% of my paycheck to my savings. When I got this huge paycheck this week, I put 50% of it. I am saving up for college, but I know at this rate, it wont even cover 10% of the tuition. Money is weird. I don't fully understand how it all works. I literally spend a lot of money on food and amazon. I recently bought $150 worth of stuff from amazon that, looking back, I didn't REALLY need, but I know that it made me happy and I do use the stuff. Actually, I haven't recieved the $90 dress that I ordered, and I'm stil waiting for it. I might end up returning it if it doesn't look like the picture. I shall keep you updated.

I can't add a caption because it's a big link of numbers for me, but this one is self explanitory.

Sheka Week 9

 Do Princesses Dream of Talking Sheep?

Ah, we all love fairy tales. Most of us grew up with them in the form of Disney movies rather than the original, but no one can deny how they’ve shaped our culture. For example, we refer to someone who has spent half the day asleep as a “Sleeping Beauty”, or a chivalrous man coming to the rescue as a “knight in shining armor”. Most of us get to a certain point in our lives where we no longer care for fairy tales (unless you choose to have kids), as we deem them too immature or idealistic for our palates. Even if we forget that many of the original fairy tales were quite dark, this could still be further from the truth. 

One of my favourite modern adaptations of the classic fairy tales comes from the world of comics. DC Vertigo is a comic books line aimed at older audiences. Some of it’s most popular series include The Sandman, Hellblazer, Lucifer, Preacher, Watchmen, and Fables, the latter of which I’ll be talking about today. 

The premise is simple: centuries ago, the characters from fairy tales and folklore, collectively known as Fables, were driven out of their homelands by a mysterious villain known as “The Adversary”. Now, the surviving Fables live in a little community in NYC called “Fabletown”. The outside world is unaware of their existence, and Fabletown acts as an independent nation, surviving on the scraps given by its more wealthy inhabitants. 

If that isn’t intriguing enough, the entire first volume is a murder mystery. Rose Red, the sister of Snow White (who’s the assistant mayor of Fabletown), has been the victim of a grisly crime. Snow enlists the help of Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown, to find her sister’s killer. It's an engaging story with a fantastic plot twist at the end, and has just the right amount of whimsy mixed in with the gritty realism.

Let me be clear: this series is not meant for everyone. It is quite raw and crude in places, and deals with very mature themes. That being said, if you are interested in this, you should definitely check it out. 

Falzone H. Week #9

                                                                Engagment in School 

 What is one thing you would love to know how to do? Given the opportunity to explore any topic or idea with no judgment or grade, what would you choose? Would you want to learn more about science, or maybe writing, or maybe art. Without the pressure of school and other classes that must be completed, what would you find your mind pulling you towards? 

    Our schooling system is effective but not without its flaws. Every year students fall out of love with learning because of the pressure to get a good grade. It is crazy to think what we may be able to accomplish if we had more time in a day to explore what we want to learn. There are so many things I am genuinely interested in that I will never have the opportunity to explore because of my overwhelming schedule. Although filled with things I enjoy, I often wonder why we are forced to learn things that we may never use again and things we lack passion for. Imagine how diverse and developed our world would be if we were given the opportunity to explore what we love and find our passions instead of being forced to learn, memorize and spit out information that may seem unengaging and useless to us. With time to discover what we enjoy in life, our children in schools would be happier and better off in the end without the pressure to be good at every little thing. Without the need to be knowledgeable in every matter, we may be able to each specialize in what we enjoy and really make leaps in our education. Unlike college where students are forced into one interest, I think high school should be a time for students to try everything they may be interested in and feel free to make mistakes, learn and grow while figuring out what they really enjoy doing and what they are passionate about. 

    Just like on a sports field or with music,when you are passionate about something and invested, you want to learn more, keep improving and get better. With this kind of approach to schooling, teachers would have to spend less time motivating their students because these children will already be engaged and wanting to learn more about a topic. Along with educational ideas, students should be given time to develop and figure out non-school related activities that stimulate their brain and allow them to enjoy themselves. By developing a task outside of school that you find interesting and engaging, students have created an outlet for themselves and a safe space and activity that will allow them to destress without going onto devices. Simple changes to curriculum could provide students with an ability to discover something new and try new ideas out, without them counting for a grade. 

     I realize the importance of grades and I actually believe they are necessary in order to measure success but to a certain extent. Our entire schooling should not just be based around grades but also the ability to try new things and take risks in order to become more knowledgeable and to further our understanding. I believe our schools should be more receptive to a liberal arts way of learning where students are able to discover what they enjoy and take the necessary risks to find something they will not only enjoy but love doing in the future

     Down below is a photo of a wall I painted in my room. I was able to take time during the quarantine to discover that I enjoyed painting. I used this as a way to destress after the craziness of being stuck in my with my 3 siblings all day.

My Wall

Ahearn Week 9

"Our Final Chapter"

All good things must come to an end even when we don’t want them to. Last night, our basketball season came to an end after we finished the game 46-43. We fell short, 3 points short, and now it’s all over. I am so fortunate to be able to say I was part of such a successful team. 

Over the past several years we were able to accomplish so much. We were back-to-back district champions, we had the most successful record with the most wins in one season, and we’ve made the farthest run in the state tournament. Although this is the last thing we wanted to happen, I know I can speak for the team and say we are so proud of what we were able to accomplish. 

This team has not only helped me grow as a player on the court but helped me grow as a person. These girls are the most positive, supportive individuals and they are truly family to me. They are the first to pick me up when I’m down and are all rays of sunshine. Playing with the seniors this year was truly a gift because they are all such powerful leaders. I know each and every one of them is going to achieve so much in the near future and I am so excited to see and hear about all they do. 

Unfortunately, this is where our chapter ends. We stepped on the court one last time as a team and had one last huddle after the game. We had one final bus ride home and passionately sang the alma mater one final time. Now it’s over. Our chapter has finished as a team, but we left our mark on the girl's basketball program at Nazareth. I know it won’t be nearly the same, but I am looking forward to coming back with the other juniors for one last season. 

Our team in a huddle right before one of our games started. 

Rodrigues wk 9

 Samuel M. Rodrigues                                  AP Language & Composition                                            23 March 2021

     All About The Money [Continued]   

    Many in the main-stream media have said it's been quite a week in the United States. With two mass shootings in a week and covid cases on the rise, again, I will have to agree. However, as much I want to delve into these current events, I already said last week that I would continue my summary of The Total Money Makeover. So, I plan on following through on that. In this blog post, I plan on sharing Ramey's approach to personal finance. All you need is a set of common-sense principles: [1] avoid credit, [2] set aside money early in life, and [3] invest in mutual funds. Like I said in my last post, there are easily twenty or more principles that he mentions throughout his book surrounding finances, but these three are by far the most important from a wealth-building and financial security standpoint. 

    

     Alrighty, so let's begin with avoiding credit and loans. If you didn't know already, credit is basically used to spend money you don't have. Many students and young adults are targets of credit card distributors because they supposedly have poor money management abilities. So, yes, we are the targets. The reason why credit is pushed so heavily in the US is to make banks more money. If we fail to pay back the loner on time -which is very likely to happen-, we will have to pay interest or an additional percentage of the money we borrowed, in addition to the money we still owe. Basically, when push comes to shove, you should avoid credit to save your hard-earned money, stay out of debt, and avoid irrational spending.

    Now, we will cover the "setting aside money" principle. It's common sense really. Think about it. If you add a little bit of your income to different saving deposits over the course of months or years, you will have a substantial amount of money saved up. Retirement, education funds, and mutual funds are among the most important long-term investments you can have. Additionally, there are important expenses that you should pay annually such as health, home, and car insurance. To avoid paying unnecessary expenses when you are trying to develop your wealth early on, it is important to follow Ramey's #1 guiding principle, "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else." Essentially, if you avoid paying for things you don't really need right now, you can have a much better lifestyle later on.

    Okay, stay with me now. We are going to scratch the surface of the behemoth that is mutual funds. If you are not already familiar, mutual funds are essentially groups of stocks and bonds that are literally 100% guaranteed to make you money over an extended period of time -usually over five to ten years or more. Although their value may fluctuate, they average a total growth of 12% annually. Compared to the .2 to .5% of most banks, I would say that's pretty good. Mutual funds are intended to be used as profitable long-term investments, not "get rich quick" investments. To avoid losing money, you should find a mutual fund with a good track record and invest in it over time. The last important note I would make here is that mutual funds are tax-free! No matter how much or how little money you make with these investments, know that they are not tax-deductible. However much money you make is yours to keep!

    Hopefully, you found this post to be insightful. As always, if you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to let me know in the comment section below!

All About The Money

 

Brougham week 9

Stress

    Growing up in this unprecedented time has thrown multiple scenarios in to my life that I could never had imagine being dealt with. Because of this, I can say that this has been easily the most stressful year of my life. More specifically, school year. School, mixed with work, mixed with the expectations put on teenagers, all results in high and unnecessary stress levels.

    Going into high school, everyone always talks about the important junior year. You always hear "make junior year count" and "colleges are looking at your junior year!". The difference is, no other class has spent their entire junior year attending school twice a week, or not at all, yet somehow we are still expected to meet the same levels of success as students of the past. In my case, this mainly applies to my AP classes. It is very hard for me to retain information in classes that I have once a week, mainly AP Calculus. Although I am doing fine in these classes, there is always that thought of what if. What if I got the correct amount of instruction. What if I had that class for more than 75 minutes per week. What if I got the same opportunities and chances to succeed as students prior.

    I can't blame all of my stress this year on school. I work two jobs. One at Action Karate Nazareth, and another at Alpha Pizza and Subs in New Jersey. Some may say why don't you just quit one of your jobs, but I also know that no one understands my connection to these two establishments. I have been doing karate since I was three years old. My mom has been working at the restaurant on and off since I was two years old. I have basically grew up at these two places, making it not just another job. The people at karate are like my second family, while I used to go on vacation with my bosses at the restaurant, so I consider them as my actual family. Even if I wanted to quit one of the jobs, I would feel as if I would be letting down family members that have done so much for me. With that being said, I work a combined 25 hours every week. Managing this and school work, I often find myself staying up late hours of the night to complete what needs to be done.

    I will say that I have learned valuable lessons during this period of my life. For example, I have never been better at my time management. I usually have my assignments completed in advance because of my unpredictable schedule. I am hoping that I can take this with me once the world starts to go back to how it was before, whenever that may occur.

    Overall, working and school has caused me so much stress during this experimental time period, however I am thankful for the lessons that I have learned and that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

My coping mechanism

Leszcynski: Week #9

 A Day of Lasts

Last night was my last game as a junior for the Nazareth Girls basketball team. It was the last game I will ever play with my best friends. It was the last bus ride with them. The last time singing the alma mater with them. The last time we will have the opportunity to play together. I know this day would come, but I always thought that it was so far away, but now it came and went. 

There were many highs and lows in our game last night. We started out to a rough start. In the first quarter, Springford started off the game on a 16-3 run. We struggled at the start, but once we got into our rhythm, we started to come back. At the end of the first quarter, we trailed 16-9. At the break, the score was 25-23 Springford. We were all pumped because we got ourselves back into the game. We knew we still had a chance. After halftime, Springford went on a little run, and took the lead but we answered and came right back. In the 4th quarter, Springford took a 42-36 point lead. We cut the lead to 3, however we weren’t able to pull it off in the end and lost devastatingly, 46-43. 

There were a lot of tears that were shed last night. The bond of our team is something special. We are all a big family and have been playing together for 5 years now. We wanted the state gold but unfortunately fell short. Although it is very sad to be in the position we are in, one game away from making it to the state finals, I am so grateful for the opportunity to play with such a great group of people. These people have helped me through so much and I have made some unforgettable memories with them. 

Last night, on our hour bus ride home, we all came together and were having a fun time. After a good half hour of being upset, we forgot about it for an hour and were all laughing together. I will never forget that. It is the most little detail, our team just talking on the bus, but it was our last bus ride home together. 

I wouldn’t trade my team for the world. I love all of them so much and I am so grateful to be able to play with them. They have all made my life 10x better and I couldn’t thank them enough for it. I will never forget my time playing with the 7 seniors we have. Although it may have been our last game together, it will not be the end of our friendships.

Warmups at our Last Home Game

Ricci week 9

                                                            Surviving death

    I have recently begun watching a new show called Surviving death. The show is centered around discovering if there really is life after death. It explores the science behind what it means to die, along with personal experiences.

    The first episode is mainly about near death experiences, also known as NDE. A near death experience is a profound experience associated with an impending death, which often shares similar characteristics. People who have had a near death experience, all describe a similar phenomenon. In the show, the people who were interviewed all talked about feeling a warm light, becoming free of pain, or becoming detached from their physical body and “floating” away. One of the participants interviewed had survived going over a waterfall in South America. After this incident, she had been found lifeless. Her heart had stopped, she had broken multiple bones, and she had water in her lungs. However, she had still survived. While she was unconscious, she describes floating through a field and feeling a calming energy. She said that while she was here, she never wanted to leave. Her experience is similar to many other people who have had a near death experience. This episode goes into more detail, with the experiences of others who have gone through the same things. 

    This is not the only topic that is discussed in the show. It also has episodes on psychic mediums, signs from the dead, seeing dead people, and reincarnation. I haven’t watched all of the episodes yet. However, I would recommend looking into it, if this is something that interests you.

             https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-near-death-experiences-reveal-about-the-brain/                                                      

Kryemadhi: Week #9

 Remember to Stay In Touch

    Sometimes I believe we are too quick to judge social media. I feel as though almost any adult could go on and on about how damaging it is. I can’t overlook the fact that it does have its flaws, but simultaneously I feel as though we forget to look at all the great things these apps provide. Communication being one of the most significant. 

    As a kid I moved many different times. I was born in Brooklyn, NY then moved to another part of Brooklyn. Once I was 4 years old, my family moved to New Jersey. At the end of fourth grade, I found out we were moving to Nazareth, PA. After spending the last 5 years making amazing friends, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was leave them. I didn’t have a phone at the time and wasn’t allowed to have Snapchat or Instagram on my iPod. So, as I left the little town of Fair Lawn, all I had left to contact my old friends were their emails and phone numbers. 

    Shortly after moving to Nazareth, my parents got me a phone. Without even thinking about it, they wiped my iPod clean. All the pictures, phone numbers, etc, all gone. They didn’t think anything of it, but I soon realized that my only way of contacting my old friends was completely gone. I was so sad, but I let it go since there was nothing I could do about it. 

    Years later, I’ve been loving my time here. I’ve lived in Nazareth for about 7 years and made many many great memories with the best of friends. However, jumping back to my original idea about social media; I ended up getting Snapchat and Instagram in middle school. 

    Though these apps aren’t anything extraordinary, recently something pretty cool happened. Two of my old friends from New Jersey followed me on Instagram. I couldn’t believe my eyes and was so excited to catch up with them after all these years. We face-timed and it was almost like I never left; the close bonds that were there in 4th grade are almost exactly the same. It’s so amazing that even though we live pretty far apart, we are still able to stay close. 

    If it wasn’t for social media who knows if I would have ever found these old friends. When it comes to things like this I am truly thankful for the great things technology has made possible. 

An old picture from when I lived in New Jersey.

Dawe: Week 8

 Guilt

    This week I really struggled at finding a topic to write about. I ended up having to google different topics and found the topic of writing about something that I feel guilty about. The first thing that popped into my mind was a moment where I miss judged someone. 

    I was volunteering at a food stand, at a carnival, a few years ago with my church and had a customer come up to me towards the end of my shift. I immediately noticed that there was something off about him. He stumbled upon his words and spoke very quietly like he was struggling to speak. Being that it was pretty late into the carnival and there was alcohol available, I immediately assumed he was intoxicated. 

    I changed my whole demeanor. Instead of giving a smile and asking kindly for him to repeat himself, I immediately became nervous and said "what?" in an almost distant tone. I don't remember exactly how the interaction went but I know that I definitely treated him with a slight lack of respect. 

    Once he had gotten his food and walked away, I realized that he wasn't intoxicated. I saw that he was actually working at another stand and noticed how he was talking to others. I figured out that he actually just had a speech impediment or other disability that caused him to struggle with speaking. 

    I felt terrible. I kept thinking about how many times I had seen people treat others with disabilities with little to no respect. The man was probably even used to it which is absolutely terrible. How could I just automatically make assumptions about someone based on a 20-second conversation? Even if the man turned out to be just intoxicated why should I automatically treat him with no respect? 

    Some may think that it was an honest mistake and that he probably forgot about the encounter within a minute. However, I didn't forget. Although it is such a simple, quick, and forgettable moment, I think about it often when meeting new people. It might sound stupid but this small moment just reminds me to never treat someone differently based on a quick judgment. 

Cuevas Week 8

 “Evil-Stepparents” A False Media Trope

        Throughout history, multimedia has portrayed stepparents to be evil. We saw it at an early age with the movie Cinderella, and it is replicated in countless other films and books. Media, for some reason, has consistently cast stepparents as villains- as harmful entities who enter a family and consequently destroy it. After inheriting two stepparents, I can testify that this stereotype is absolutely incorrect. 

          My parents were divorced when I was pretty young, and without diving into too many details, I can say it was hard. I remember not understanding why they couldn’t be together, why they lived so far from one another and why it had to be that way. I soon learned exactly why- they were meant to be with someone else. 

          As I grew up and reached the age where I understood what ‘divorce’ really meant, I eagerly watched both of my parents go through many boyfriends and girlfriends. Those people provided some interesting stories to tell, good and bad, but collectively, each respective parent and I could tell none of them would really stick. Then, my dad met Diana and my mom met Jay. 

          Although I live with my mom, I was able to easily form connections with both Jay and Diana. While they were dating my parents, they started to begin to feel like parents too, and I was happy to see each of them get married. Now, I am extremely grateful to have them around. 

         I live with Jay, and we have such a great relationship. He and my boyfriend are basically best friends, which is very important to me, and Jay cares about me like a real father and treats me like his daughter. I don’t get to see my Dad and Diana very often, but when I do, I always feel grateful to experience the maternal-like bond I have with my stepmom. Both of my parents really fill the role of real parents, and honestly are like friends. 

         I’m incredibly grateful for my stepparents. Maybe I got extremely lucky, but I would say these two people really defy the “evil-stepparent” stereotype. It’s crazy to say I have 4 parents, but it’s true. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by so much love. 

        

This is my sister, me, my mom, and my stepdad, Jay.

Goodricke Week #8

I've been finding myself wishing more than ever to stop time. Time moves so incredibly quickly when you don't want it to. I'm frustrated by that. I find myself sitting in my room about to get ready for work, knowing I have 25 minutes befoe I have to shower, and that times races by. I literally lay down in my bed, roll over, and it's time to get in the shower. Maybe I just need better time management skills, or I have good time management skills, but time is to blame. We see the physical effect time has on people: wrinkles, sunspots, dying, etc. However, the point that I want to bring up is the mental effect that time has on a person, specifically, me. I don't like growing up. I tear up everytime I say that to myself. I see pictures of myself from when I was 9 or 10 and becoming very upset. Obviously, I had a conscious mind, but I cannot tell you the things that I was stressed about or even what made me happy at the time. I know that I've always made it a point to think about the future. What would my life look like in high school? Would I have all of the leads in the musicals, be the president of all of the choirs, have the best grades, or have the cutest boyfriend? I'm sure I wasn't alone in having these thoughts. As I definitely have noticed, I don't have any of those things. Though, I did get the lead in the musical last year, but because of the global pandemic we were hit with, I'm not even counting it and I'm moving on. I really hate getting older. I know I'm just 17 and I have a long life ahead of me (hopefully). However, reflecting back to 10 year old me is devestating. Would I be proud of who I am? I'd like to think so. I have a very strong mind. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm incredibly smart or witty, but I do consider myself wise. If I've learned nothing over the past 7 years is that I know who I am. I am a very caring, loyal, loving, positive, and out-going person. I love being surrounded by people, but I treasure alone time to reflect on everything occuring in my life at the time. When I am dedicated to something, I do not let go until I know I've done everything to be the best it can be. Of course, there are qualities of mine that I know little Allie in her neon pink room in her Princess Ariel chair wouldn't look too kindly on. Truthfully, I don't even know if little Allie would care about anything besides her Zayn Malik poster or her real life crush whom she called at least 8 times a day. Sorry, AL. I have a younger cousin who just turned 10 named Riane. She is my everything. Without her, I don't know what I would do. What hurts to think about is how her memory of her being young will fade away, and all the wonderful memories that we share that I hold so dear will follow. I hope to God she never has to go through what I went through when I was her age. I hope her parents stay together and her brother doesn't ever drift away from her when they both get older. I hope that she never has to feel the pain that I find myself feeling sometimes. That would kill me. I hope that she sees me as an ally that I didn't get to have at her age. I remember how innocent those times were, but also how quickly that innocence faded. I hope she watches out for boys, they truly suck. They'll have to go through me first if they even think of trying to date her when shes a little older. The point is, I wish I could talk to my 10 year old self, and tell her that everything will be okay. Tell her to hug her dog and go out and play with him, because of how painful his loss was to me. Tell her to go play video games with her brother and listen to him talk about his legos. Tell her to call her Grandfather in England and tell him everything about my day, for she'll be wishing she did everyday before he passed. Tell her to let her mom know how much she loves her and thank her for always being there for her. Tell her to go on the painfully long fishing trips with her dad. And most of all, just tell her to be grateful. Live is so precious. I'm grateful to have what I have. Sometimes I just wish it all wouldn't go so fast.

Hunter Week Eight

Friendship When You Least Expect It

    Ever since I could remember, I was a floater in many friend groups with many different types of people. Though I am content with having quite a large number of friends, I would often find myself and my role in each group quite insignificant. I know it seems cheesy, but I never discovered a group of MY people, as most do.
    All of this was true until recently, when my childhood YMCA summer camp best friend, a friend from dance, chorus, and more iconically, homeroom, and I all oddly decided to double-up on science courses. Abby Haffner and Paige Horvath are prominent figures in opposite parts of my life, making my interactions with them in AP Environmental Science and Honors Astronomy even more incredible.
    Initially, I had no clue of the joy simply making a group chat to share a Quizlet would lead. Over a few weeks, labs done over facetime became sleepovers where white cheddar Cheez-It Grooves and memorizing various Just Dance routines are the focal point. Each of us has experienced friendships that were toxic or difficult to maintain, so uncovering the simple, free-spirited nature of our bond was magical. Nothing is challenging with them; our bond is the epitome of a healthy relationship.
    I cannot count the number of times “I Want Crazy,” by Hunter Hayes or virtually any old Taylor Swift song has played while driving with each other. We love to go to target, explore new thrift locations, and most importantly, contribute to capitalism through our undying love of McDonald's Coke and fries.
    Our friendship grows stronger every day. Despite the lingering pandemic and constant uncertainty, the steadfast light Paige and Abby create gives me nothing but a smile. They are my best friends, and I could not be more grateful to be alive at the same time as they are! Abby and Paige consistently remind me of how friendships should be; easy, equally supportive, and fun.
    I hope you too get to experience friendships so extraordinary that you forgot what life was like without them. Until then, stay true to yourself and your values, as the most valuable relationships form when you least expect them!

Fun hats!!

Our favorite snack!

Paige and I <3

Grimm Week #8

 New Directions

WARNING: What you're about to read has nothing to do with "Glee," the TV series, so sorry, especially if your name is Caroline.

    I've gone through so many changes this past year. Everything from major weight loss to improved vocal ability and for the first time knowing real confidence. Don't get me wrong, I'm still that awkward weirdo with little friends and I'm never completely confident in my abilities or 'working progress' talents. I have myself to thank for my successes, but that'll never happen so I'm going to thank my vocal teacher Connie Edinger. 

    Connie's helped me this last year to come out of my shell and finally grasp some form of 'stage presence,' on and off stage. My confidence comes from my "abilities" which includes singing. I remember listening back to my voice and realizing my expression was lacking, internalized under deeply rooted doubt and discomfort, and, well I had no technique so you can imagine. Connie welcomed me into her home, this almost intense confidence radiating off her and I couldn't help but feel the same, I guess. Weeks and then months flew by and before I knew it I had changed. My voice still, today is hardly 'officially' presentable like for performances and auditions, but my personality blossomed with her. Sadly all good things must end and I find myself looking for more, a true professional who might enhance and perfect this underdeveloped voice I have. 

    I want to put college and my career goals before friendship, finally. Similarly to Connie, I've had a piano teacher since the second grade who I've surpassed, I know, I've known for the last five years now. She was also my middle school church choir director, she told stories, and still does, and initiated my love for music by introducing something more than singing 'Mama Mia' over and over again until my family murdered me. She introduced me to firstly to the basic foundations of music, but more importantly to connecting with others and instilling a larger meaning behind everything we did. I'm so grateful for her and it'll be hard, but it's only fair to them and myself to continue on this journey through higher level teachers and hopefully mentors. So goodbye and hello to all the new opportunities that will inevitably overwhelm me as I advance and grow.

(No caption needed)

Brougham week 8

 Grey's Anatomy

    About a year or two ago, I decided to watch Grey's Anatomy while I was on vacation. I was instantly in love with the characters, story line, and acting. My first time through, I watched the first fourteen seasons, until I became annoyed by the departure of two of my favorite characters. Recently, I decided that I wanted to watch the recent seasons, but came to the realization that I did not remember most of the things about where I left off. Twelve seasons later, I am very happy I made the decision to start from the beginning, as this show has officially become one of my top 3 shows of all time.

    Some may say that seventeen seasons of the same show is too many. Although I agree it may seem like a lot for an ordinary show, I would say back to them that this is no ordinary show. The actors play these roles so well that you can not help but fall in love with these characters, making you want to watch them. This show is the definition of addicting, and it feels like seventeen seasons isn't enough. In my opinion, this show has some of the best characters in television history. Most notably, Lexie Grey, played by Chyler Leigh, Callie Torres, played by Sara Ramirez, and Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh. Those are my top 3 characters in the series. Honorable mentions go to Meredith Grey played by Ellen Pompeo, April Kepner played by Sarah Drew, Arizona Robbins played by Jessica Capshaw, and Amelia Shepherd played by Caterina Scorscone. All of these actresses make the seventeen seasons worth it.

    The actors also have amazing chemistry with the other actors. Couples like Lexie and Mark, Meredith and Derek, Jackson and April, and Callie and Arizona all had amazing chemistry. I am not going to spoil anything, however the storylines that these couples go through are inspiring, intriguing, and heartbreaking. These couples are the foundation of the show, and without them, it would not be as legendary as it is now.

    What I think Greys Anatomy does best are season finales. Almost all season finales end in a memorable way, whether it be devastating or inspiring. What comes to mind is the end of season 6 and season 8. I am not going to spoil what happens, but any true Grey's Anatomy fans will know what I am referring to. The plots are very well written, and are even acted out better. 

    Overall, this show will forever hold its place in television history. Ellen Pompeo, also known as the main character Meredith Grey, is currently the highest paid actress on television. With a total of 54 awards won, Greys Anatomy will go down as one of the best tv shows ever created.