Monday, November 23, 2009

You won't be happy with more until you're happy with what you've got.-- Viki King

Ten Things I’m Thankful For

My religion. I’m so thankful I have God there for my protection and my help. God helps me through everything and when I’m not doing well I go to him. Even though I don’t always obey his rules I still am thankful for God.

My family. Without them I would have nothing. I love them and they love me. My family is so important to me because they are the ones that help me succeed in life. My family means everything to me.

My friends. I always look to them for advice. They cheer me up when i’m sad and they comfort me when I’m not feeling well. I tell them everything and I am always with them.

My education. Without my education I would not be able to excel in life. Without a good education you cannot get a good career so, I’m thankful I have a good education.

My home. I know that not everyone in the world has a nice warm home to go to so I’m thankful for mine.

The food that I have. Some people do not have a lot of food and some people in the world are starving. I am grateful that I have enough food to keep me well.

That I am healthy. If I were not as healthy as I am I would not be able to function and I would not be able to be normal.

My adorable dog Charlie. Without Charlie I would be bored at home and a lot less responsible. I look forward to coming home and seeing his white fluffy tail wagging every day.

My sports. I am thankful for my skating coach Kerri. Without her I would not be good at figure skating. I am thankful for my cheer teammates also. Without them we would not be a team.

My cell phone :). I know we shouldn’t favor technology but I am really thankful for my phone. I am always texting and calling my friends. I really don’t think I could live without it. Not everyone can have a cell phone so I am lucky to have one.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Art of Film Making

From the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence, I have learned many facts about film making. Phillip Noyce, the witty director of Rabbit Proof Fence, shows how he picks his actors for the movie. He wanted his characters to be convincing, so he chose three girls from the area who not only looked the part, but could also play the part. To make Noyce’s three immature actors more comfortably with acting, Phillip brought in a real Aborigine actor who could relate to the girls culturally. Noyce was a perfect fit to direct this movie. He was described as “an excellent director and an Australian who understood the material” (Walkabout to Freedom). Film making is not always manageable. For instance: when the hair dresser cut the actor who plays Molly’s hair, she became furious. She stormed off and ran away from the set. Noyce had to cooperate with her and comfort her to get her to regain her self-confidence.

Film making can be used to raise awareness about a certain issue. For example: Invisible Children uses their movies as a way to educate people of the issue in Uganda. Rabbit-Proof Fence educates people on the half-caste Aborigines being removed from their native lands. Typically, more people tend to watch movies, rather than read a book or a magazine. So film making is a popular to raise awareness. The story of these children in the “stolen generation” outraged critics. The country of Australia wanted to apologize to its indigenous people. “Sir Ronald Wilson, president of Human Rights Commission, should be the one apologizing, not to Aboriginals but to all Australians for the falsehoods contained in his report” (Walkabout to Freedom). The art of film making is an important way to share the knowledge of an unknown culture.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Survey Says...

Old Friends, New Friends
When I came to Stevenson I knew some faces and didn’t know others. Cheer helped me make friends before I came to SHS so I knew most of the people. Some of my old St. Mikes friends came to Stevenson also so I know many people!


SHS Activities Attended
I love my school, so I participate in many events! Since I cheer, I have been to every Freshman and J.V. football game. I have also been to every home Varsity football game and several Varsity soccer games. I have also been to many Global Ed events such as: Invisible Children Movie, NOTF (Night on the Field), Global Ed Mixer, and Float Night. I can’t wait for more activities! GOOOOO Spartans!


Funniest, Scariest, Weirdest Moments
The funniest moment I can remember happened at cheer camp. There was a huge bug on the wall and everyone was screaming like crazy! My coach told me to get on her shoulders and kill the bug because it was very high up on the ceiling. So I climbed onto my coaches shoulders with a paper towel to squish the bug. I slapped the wall and hit the bug as it fell to the ground. The whole hallway was screaming and people from the floor under us came up to see what happened. We were all cracking up!


Hardest, Easiest Class Assignments
My hardest class assignments would be in geometry. I’ve never been good in math and I don’t enjoy learning it. Geometry, especially, confuses me the most. There are so many terms you have to know! It just confuses me.


Top Five Current Events
Something in the news that is making people crazy is definitely the Swine Flu or H1N1. Another popular news story is the bombing in Pakistan at a bazaar market. Also, cables on the San Francisco bridge snapped causing the bridge to close. A fourth current event would be the scientists making a white hole that sucks up light energy. Lastly, NASA is test launching the Ares 1-X rocket.


Faces in the News
Some Popular faces in the news include:
Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Smart and Edward Brooke are some popular faces in the news. They are in the news for various reasons such as Hillary Clinton in Pakistan, Elizabeth Smart’s rape case, and Edward Brooke winning the Congressional Gold Medal


Interesting New Words:
Since the start of 9th grade I have already expanded my vocabulary. One of my favorite new words is akimbo, which means outstretched. It’s my favorite because it’s fun to say and I can use it a lotJ. Also some other words I enjoy are; vehemence, tangible, sylvan, ebullient and many more!


Popular or Memorable Songs
There are many popular songs out and topping the charts. Some major ones include: Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, Break Up by Mario, and many more. There are many different genres of songs that are popular for 2009.


Popular or Memorable Movies
The most popular and memorable movie saga would be Twilight. It has fans obsessing everywhere with the 2nd movie New Moon coming out in November. Harry Potter, G.I. Joe, and Where the Wild Things are, are other popular movies. Some memorable ones are; Step Brothers, Wall-E, 27 Dresses, Bride Wars, and many others.


Fads and Trends
The fads of today are twists of 80’s style. Some include: Ugg boots, plaid, flannels, acid wash jeans, bright colors, polka dots, studded belts and several others. Today’s trends are getting more and more like the fads of the past.


First Cultural Event
For my first cultural event I went to the Shedd Aquarium. It is located in Chicago so I went there when I was on my summer trip. The aquarium is full of all different sea creatures and is very educational. It has a fun environment and hands on activities that kids love. Overall, it was a great trip and my favorite museum in Chicago.


Homecoming
I am SUPER pumped for homecoming!!!! I have been waiting all week. I love dressing up and wearing heels and dresses. My dress is pretty peach and my heels are tall and silver J. Spirit week is my favorite week because I love showing my school spirit and getting pumped up for the big game and dance!


Advice for a Freshie!
I would have to say to freshman to map out your classes and pick routes before you get to school because the hallways are a lot more crowded then they seem! Another thing is to find friends in your classes and especially in your lunch so you can plan where your going to sit. Overall, don’t let all the rumors or gossip about high school intimidate you. It’s not as bad as it seems!


What I’m Looking Forward To…
I’m looking forward to more dances! I love school dances. I cannot wait for Coming Home, I already know what dress I’m wearing and I have perfect heels to match it. I’m also excited to go to the Glow Out Dance. I’ve heard it is super fun and crazy.

Other Noteworthy Achievements or Events
The event that’s important to me is competitive cheer tryouts. I’m really hoping I make the team. I worked extremely hard all sideline season to get my splits, back walkover, and pretty jumps. I hope the coach will take me!