Change...

Everywhere we look, we often think of ways of how something could be different, how it could be better. Henry Clay has been a good experience the past three years and I have some things I would change. I think that students should be able to leave for lunch. Yes, there are a bunch of legal implications in letting students off campus during school hours, but those should be fixed as well. Once off campus, the student shall be responsible for their safety and for getting back on time. It teaches students responsibility, which seems to be lacking with the countinuing growth of government parenting of students. Summers! Oh summers. They should be a week longer at least. We have gone back to school as early as August 12 while my little sisters are going back on the 27th and other friends that are out of state are going back in September. These are just two things that I can think of at the moment that I would want to change.

Reflection

This year has been very eventful as a whole, yet it seemed to fly by quite quickly. I started the year not knowing what to expect; I wasn't sure whether I would do GSP or GSA, whether I would get a 36 on the ACT, or whether I would be killed in some unfortunate smelting accident (Okay, I wasn't really thinking about the latter). However, the year turned out pretty well as I said before. I must say that I learned so much about life and what it means to dedicate time to something you truely love in Marching Band. This was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have ever had, and I undoubtably plan on continuing it next year. In taking three AP classes, I found out how to effectively manage my time between school work and study without drowning myself in stress. I had the great fortune of liking all of my teachers this year, which my previous years sadly deprived me of. In retrospect, not including the past month of AP/EOC/Final study torture, this year has been very rewarding and I am blessed to have experienced it. Looking forward, I  hope to continue my current efforts at furthering education and staying alive as long as humanly possible. Thanks for a great year of writing chop-building!

Gigantic late-blog Bonanza. Blogs 5, 6 and Reflection

So, i've been procrastinating awfully on these, time to get them in. On the last day of school. In 5th hour. Yeah.

Blog 5: 100 years from now.

100 years from now, I expect the world to change a great deal. Moore's law dictates an exponential increase in processor power, and according to scientists such as Ray Kurzweil, it is not improbable for processor power to soon reach a point where it roughly equates to the power of the Human Brain. When computers are as powerful as the human brain, it will hit a point known as the Singularity. Then, machines will be able to create machines more intelligent than themselves, or, more intelligent than humans. And so on, and so on, and so on. This massive exponential leap in power will result in a gigantic change in the way we view the world, from the advent of conscious AI to the gigantic jump in technology that will be associated with it. The world will change from such levels of technology, and I believe it could occur 100 years from now.

Blog 6: Somewhere in the world right now.

Out in the world, according to the population bureau's 2010 study, around 1.8 people die per second. That's around 108 deaths a minute, 156,000 a day and 56.7 million a year. That means that out there right now in the time it's taken you to read this blog post, someone has died. Many someones. Out in third world countries people who suffer under the grip of poverty starve to death, or someone is killed in a war-torn nation by a savage tyrant. There is much, much death in the world right now. So, while your life is cushy and comfortable, right now, no matter what you're doing, every second, someone dies. Someone with family, with friends, with aspirations and dreams, their lives are extinguished. Every second of every day of every year. That's what's going on in the world right now.

Reflection:

This year has been a doozy. I've spent it taking 3 AP courses, with all the finals and AP tests those entail, alongside two online courses attempting to repair damage that occurred at the end of Sophomore year. I've had to do a lot of work, and while i'm not going to say i'm responsible (the fact i'm entering this blog at the quite literal last minute shows), I have been taking a lot of effort to do work. I've pretty much had to cut off hanging out with my friends outside of school. I haven't never gone to see a movie this year, but i certainly have had a lot less social interraction, because i've been having to try to take responsibility for my actions and prepare more for my future. In that method, I think i have maybe gotten a little bit more grown. Possibly a tad. And, I have finally figured out what I want to do with the next school year, and i've chosen a mentoring project I really care about. So all in all, it's been a good year. I've scraped by in some areas, but in others i've done fine. I got my first 100 in a real class this year, which is a big accomplishment. Yes, overall Junior year was nice.

Glass half full kinda year

Thank God Junior year is over. I am looking forward to experiencing bonnaroo and also my exciting trip to Spain! Although this was a rough year and not an easy transition, I feel like I have grown as a person the past couple of months. As most of you know, coming home from boarding school and enrolling in Henry Clay was not my decision, but my parents. All I could think about the first half of the year was how miserable I was being here. It consumed my life. Instead of trying to make the best of the situation and make myself happy, I was making myself miserable. However, I came to a realization that I can't move around and switch my life up trying to make myself happy. I have to think positively in every situation and it won't seem as bad. Given the option between Sayre and Henry Clay, I chose Henry Clay. Now that I am content and happy with my life, it doesn't matter to me where I am or what I'm doing.

Year in Review

This past year has certainly been an interesting one. From school, AP tests, and studies to stress, colleges, and driving Junior can accurately be described in one word: Deadlines. Whether this refers to school, projects, studying for AP tests, or the upcoming college applications that my (insane and very stressful) college planner has been making me fill out, my life in the past 10 months can be characterized as divisions at which the end of something important is due. Sure, next year might have additional deadlines but for me this "warm-up" if you will has not only prepared me for the coming Senior year but has also made for a stressful life that I have had to learn to deal with in healthy and effective ways. For instance, I now know that when I'm really stressed out taking a shower and putting a washcloth over the drain to achieve a sound very similar to that of rain instantly relaxes me. Furthermore, taking my dog on a walk also has a similar effect in taking my mind off of things that are stressing me out.

Reflection

Reflecting back on the past school year, I realize that I have learned many things. I have made new friends, learned how to communicate better, and additionally have had to deal with the shock and wake up call of difficult classes. I have also been faced with new pressures and stressers. However, overall I have had a phenomenal school year. Learning new things and meeting new people have been big components of this teat. I have also been presented with many new opportunities and experiences. I have verb able to go to Europe this summer and have been event planners for many groups and clubs. That has helped me to learn many new skills. I have really enjoyed this year and all of the people who were involved.with it. :) However, this year has also proven to be difficult with grades and teachers and such. I received my first B in a class taht I found to be very difficult for me. Additionally, the added stress of End of Course Exam did not make the month of May any easier for me. May Madness has been very difficult for me, and as I bet it suprises you, I'm ready for summer. I'm ready to relieve the stress I have been feeling and just relax a little bit. Even though, I know that I have a tough year ahead of me.

i better make sure this is on time. i've used up all my late passes.

Quite honestly, I felt like this year has passed more quickly than any other. Then again, I don’t think there is a single part of junior year that I wished I had gone back and savored. The only thing that is truly disheartening is the fact that I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. I’ve certainly made progress, and I’ve had wonderful teachers to guide me. But while everyone has been telling me that I’ve “gotten my act together” in recent weeks, I feel even more lost than before. It seems now that the question has digressed from “where do you want to go to college?” to “what career are you going to pursue?”. My answer?

I DON’T KNOW.

In fact, I don’t have a clue. And for the last few years I’ve been reassured, “Oh no, dear. You don’t even need to be thinking about that yet”. Well, I’m almost a year away from stepping onto a campus that I have committed to, to take courses that will determine my ultimate success in the workplace and my life in general. That’s a pretty frightening thought.

On the bright side, junior year has taught me to live with myself. I notoriously set the bar high (too high, according to most). It has taken me this long to realize that I don’t have to. I don’t need to ace every test, I don’t need to win every leadership position I run for, I don’t need to pack my schedule with AP classes. Because frankly, it just isn’t worth it. This is far from apathy, mind you. Rather, this mentality just puts things into perspective. In terms of strict input and output, what I gain isn’t worth the cost. It makes far more sense for me to achieve in my own way, than fill up the cookie-cutter positions that the school system has punched out for me.

Many of us have been blindly led into these positions and supposed responsibilities. In most cases, they don’t really mean anything. Our class in general has conformed to the same clubs, interests, and even colleges. This is really bad. We’re just hurting ourselves by doing it. I hope by next year, we all can diversify and find our own niche.

I’m sick and tired of doing things that will “look good on paper”. I’m going to start hiking again, set aside time for leisure reading, and play my saxophone again.

I’m not saying I’m one of those long-haired, peace-lovin’, holy jean-wearin’, pinko hippie-types…

But you just gotta live, man.

reflection time

I've experienced a lot this year and I feel like I've grown a lot more than I did freshman or sophomore year. I'd like to say I have a different perspective on life. This year has been a lot more work but I think that it's worth it. Getting involved is awesome and it's when you do things you actually care about. Academically I've definitely grown. I've come to manage my time better and procrastinating this year has been least strenuous on me. I still remember my first writing prompt from Logsdon for the summer reading; it was so horribly written. I want to say that my writing is better, but there is a lot more for me to improve on. Also I've gotten a better grasp on what I want to do in the future. My summer is planned out and all I have to do is look into colleges for next year. Looking back, I think that it's been a productive and quite a memorable year.

looking back on things

Junior year.  A time of growth, a time of change.  One of the best years of my high school experience despite its many ups and downs and highs and lows.  I'd always heard that junior year would be the toughest yet, and now I can certainly say that rings true for me as well.  First off, I took four AP classes this year: AP Art History, AP French, AP US History, and AP English.  They all brought on a high level of stress for me at times, what with the never-ending image notebook assignments, French homework assignments constantly bombarding my inbox, highly challenging history tests, and consistent writing pieces for english.  My other two classes were Advanced Physics and Advanced Pre-Cal, and both certainly had their moments as well.  I've never been a math person whatsoever, so I quickly learned to just accept my high B in Pre-Cal and move on with life.  In fact, one thing I really have started to realize is that grades really are not everything.  The kind of person you are matters just as much, and there are a multitude of other factors that contribute to a well-rounded student.  This year I also grew much closer to some people, and grew apart from others, maybe for the better, or perhaps not.  But that's just how life goes.  Everything happens for a reason and you've got to learn to deal with whatever life throws at you.  I had dramatic times, sad times, and some of the funniest and best memories of my life.  And even though many times I find myself walking down the filthy, bustling, cramped halls of Henry Clay questioning why the heck am I putting up with this, I eventually think to myself, I will miss this place.  I just want summer so badly right now though...and I honestly can't wait for senior year!

Reflection

It is hard to look back on this year just because it has gone by so fast, especially second semester. Of all of my high school years so far I have grown more this year than any of the others. Ive had my first experiences with college and has caused me to start thinking about my future. School wise this year has been the most demanding. No longer was I able to put off to the last minute and just to just wing assignments and tests or quizzes, although the parking situation provides me with a way to cram the day of still. As for soccer I have seen my most successful year yet, we won disney and casl and were a goal away from winning the regional league. As for high school we were able to prove a lot of people wrong who thought this was going to be a re building year for Henry Clay and made it back to the final four only to lose to the eventual state champs. I can only hope impove upon my Junior year and have an even better senior year.

This isn't late, right...?

Looking back on my Junior year, and really my high school experience as a whole, I still can't believe how fast it has gone by. It is as though yesterday was the day when I first stepped into Henry Clay, stumbling around frantically to find my classes. And here I am now, about done with three-fourth of high school.

In contrast with the dissatisfaction I had with my freshmen and sophomore years, I feel reasonably proud of my junior year. I accomplished what I set out to do; I earned decent grades in all of my classes and feel like I scored well on the AP tests. I had a lot of fun in my classes too, thanks to little things like Mr. Pope's ever so whimsical choice of diction. The fact that I had half a class each day dedicated to playing cards was a pretty nice bonus, and I hope you current Calculus students have as much fun in Calculus II as we had.

I feel glad that I tackled AP Chemistry this year, despite the excess amounts of pain and suffering I've endured on test days and test hand-back days. I felt so smart getting As on some of these chemistry tests, but then I look at Patrick Lutz, who takes AP Chemistry, Physics, and Biology in the same year and constantly scores the highest in all three classes, and I get reminded of my rather mediocre intelligence in comparison. Nevertheless, I do feel proud in passing the class with an A.

Although I would say that my junior year has been my best so far, there are still many things I want to go back and redo (how's that Time Machine coming along, CERN?).  I have found myself repeatedly daydreaming about how awesome it would be if I could be reborn with the same knowledge I have now. Not only would I avoid some of the mistakes I've made in school that haunts to to this day, but I would also be some of sort of kid genius. I could graduate college at the age of like eleven, and spend the rest of my life traveling the earth and solving the world's greatest mysteries or something, but I digress. So yeah, time machine, it doesn't matter when, but someone please invent it?

Reflection

This past year has been the most difficult year academically, but it has also taught me how to procrastinate less and grow up as a student to succeed, this has worked out and all of my grades have seen a noticeable positive effect. First hour I had Art History, it has been a very interesting class that though I thought I would not enjoy it, I actually have and has developed me culturally. Second hour I had calculus, a usual math course that I feel that I have breezed through and my chances for a 5 on the AP test are high. Third hour was US History, which started out not my favorite, but Mr. Pope and his teaching style have grown on me and I now enjoy the class. Forth hour was Physics, which combined my love for math and science and with Mrs. Gills teaching has made a very fun class. Fifth hour was English class where I feel I have become significantly better at writing and English skills. Lastly, is sixth hour Latin 3, by far my least favorite class; however, I have learned the most this year compared to the previous two. Not only have I grown academically but I have also grown as an individual and a leader on the lacrosse team. I have become the leading scorer and assist leader and a captain that has helped lead our team to a 8-6 season with a playoff win. My hopes at making the All-State team is helping my dream to play college lacrosse seem possible.

To judge Harry Potter versus The Lord of The Rings on which is the “better” series would be like trying to defend apples over oranges; it is subjective to taste differences. If we were to break each into criterion of certain aspects, then we could more easily see which excels more in certain areas, however. If we look solely on which has the most character development and detail given to the setting, the award clearly goes to The Lord of The Rings; Tolkein created one of the most complex fictional worlds in history, Middle Earth, which he wrote several languages for, illustrated government forms for the people/creatures in the provinces, as well as designed the races of dozens of creatures in depth. Were we to judge solely based on action and the ability of the text to keep you turning the page, Harry Potter would win in my opinion. Rowling is one of the best story tellers that I have ever known. She makes the Harry Potter books so captivating and exciting that you can’t help but turn the page every time you read any of the books. If these were the two criteria for judgment, I would give Harry Potter the upper hand. The books were a huge part of my childhood and they introduced me to reading chapter books. Would Rowling have not made the books so accessible yet stimulating, I would not be able to say that I love reading as much as I do now. I may be tarred and feathered, but that is my preference.

Reflection

Over this year some things have changed and other things have not. I think that academically, I have proved to my self again that I should not procrastinate. Dozens of instances this year I put off work for another day. Though I usually finished it on time, the experience was highly stressful. Also, several courses changed my life. First, AP US History was a powerful and enlightening experience. I had always found myself wondering about the various periods of US history. I was always angered by references to US history that I did not understand. Now, I understand those references; they no longer anger or confound me. In addition, AP Art History was a fascinating experience, especially the material of the second semester. We covered impressionism and modernism which were the most interesting subjects of the year. The comprehensive scope of the course adds light to all areas of study.

introspection

This is the first time in a long time that I have actually felt a reason to reflect. I think thats thats enough to show that i have had one hell of a year alone, but I feel like an explanation is in order.
Generally speaking, school has never really been all that challenging. Not that I haven't had my, but share of hard classes, I have, but ive never had so much to do with so little time to do it. I've had to juggle leadership and studying and friendships along with everything else I've ever had to keep track of. I took 4 ap classes and visited colleges and everything else under the sun. The stress was more intense than anything I've ever experienced when takenas a whole. In summation, the year itself was HUGE.
Without a doubt, ny favorite teachers have been from this year. Theyve really been a huge benefit, and without them, I would have crashed and burned a long time ago. The year has really taught me the importance of connections.
I think my junior year will prove to be extremely crucial to my life.

The Past, Present, and Future

Well, Junior year is just about over. I’ve had fun times, but mostly spent too much time working on whatever work we had to do for all of our classes, staying up until the wee hours of the morning procrastinating and/or working on things slowly. I can’t say that I’ve had it rough, seeing as I already took Calculus AB and didn’t take AP Chemistry (WHICH PEOPLE STILL THINK I TAKE), the sources of pain and suffering for the majority of my friends. I still think that this year has been a bulk of my high school work, and has let me understand how I work on deadlines and other pressures that will inevitably arise during college.

This summer will probably be a time for me to relax, hone some skills, and pick up old hobbies. I’m most excited for my mentoring project, which will require me to learn the cello, which has always been something that I’ve wanted to try. I’m also probably going to re-learn as much computer programming as I can, in a poor attempt to get myself up to around the same level as AP Computer Science.

My senior year will be a winding down transitory time between high school and college. I’ll actually experience some college, as I will be taking Calculus 4 and 3 during the afternoon at UK; this will be an interesting experience for me, and probably help me get used to that environment and style of lectures. I also can’t wait for AP Physics, which will be quite interesting – I hope to learn as much as possible before college.

A Look Back

Looking back at the beginning of the year seems like looking back a week or so; it's gone by fast. This year has been host to some wild rides both in school and out. Friendships have been created and ones that had already existed have become stronger. This year, like any other, has had its moments that I wish would have never happened and moments that I wish I could relive over and over. Latin class...Latin class, oh how I wish you never ever ever existed..ever. But it's all good. Not really. Let's go through classes shall we? Anatomy was nothing I didn't expect. Math was, well, math. Nothing new there. I'd rather not speak of my third hour..it barely deserves the one mention it has already. Physics was cool thanks to Mrs. Gill. I'll be with her next year in AP which I hope will be just as cool. English was an interesting class this year. Now the things we learned weren't necessarily as interesting as the events that happened to occur within the walls of Mr. Logsdon's room during 5th hour. I thoroughly enjoyed the speeches that we rounded out our first semester with. U.S. History was fun. Good class. Good teacher. Basketball season ended earlier than planned. Oh well. Lacrosse is where it's at in my book. This season was fun and our team progressed like none other that we've had before. Personally, this year has contained moments that I'll never forget; some good some bad. The good ones I'll never forget simply for what they were. The bad ones I will remember as well, but in a way to help me learn from them. It's not long until we're seniors, everybody. I can't believe it. Now one random thought. I was just watching Highlight Express on ESPNEWS and I am noticing that there are more and more random Indian people working for ESPN on air..I can't really take them seriously on sports. That is all.

A Reflection

The juniors of past years really weren't kidding when they said that junior year was the hardest. Was it more academically challenging? Of course. But that's not what made it hard. What made it hard was preparing for the next step; preparing for our lives. I could say that this year has been a year of moving on. High school had very little stress when we first walked in through the doors and got acquainted with Henry Clay life. However, junior year is one of those times when, if you're not stressed, you're stressed that you've probably forgotten something, which will then lead to more stress. This year was also full of changes in that I started exploring more into what I liked. At the beginning of the year, I wanted to go into the medical field. But now, my doors are wide-open, and I have the luxury of delving into new things. I also found out (with the help of chorus teacher Mrs. Stohlmann and the cast of Charlie Brown) that I could sing. Who knows what I could do with that? Even though junior year is the beginning of a new phase in our lives, one that takes us from childhood to adulthood, this year has been amazing. Thank you, Mr. Logsdon, for a wonderful English experience. And thank you guys for a great junior year. Let's make senior year even better.

Junior Year

Over the course of year I've seen a lot of changes in my life. I would love to sit hear and say how much I have matured and grown academically, but I know I have a long way to go in those respects. I have learned a lot however, and in English I feel that I have grown as a writer in both developing my prose style and my content. Socially, some things I would not have expected have gone on this last year. People who were sort of background, school friends have really come to mean a lot in my life- one in particular. I have made a lot of new friends this year, and become a part of some friend groups that I was not a part of previously. I feel as though I have come into myself a little more and become more confident. Going to more parties and hanging out with people more this year has led me to appreciate my friends and the memories we make. Most importantly, I have grown closer to my very best friends and furthered friendships that border on being brothers. I know I have to become more mature and work harder at school, but I always have to remember that the relationships I make now will be the memories and friendships I carry with me for my entire life, and that define me as a person.

A Journey Through Time (but not really)

I suppose if I were to talk about how much I've progressed in the last school year, it would mostly be me talking about how much I've been preparing for various AP tests and college visits and stuff like that. And also I'd probably have to mention the incident in December wherein my three closest friends pretty much just up and said "lol you're a loser we don't wanna hang out with you anymore BYE NERD" then walked away talking about their fanfictions. And I think that this year, I've had quite a few more afterschool activities, in part due to my not doing marching band this year. I've also But, more than anything else, I feel that in the last year, the most I've changed in is in my demeanour on the computer. Yes, I realize that sounds pathetic and lame, and it pretty much IS pathetic and lame, but in this past year, at least through the internet, I've been able to communicate with some pretty neat people who share some of my interests. (Also, my typing style, due to a combination of Tumblr and instant messaging, has, outside of the classroom at least, devolved into a "lmao omg did u see that post im crey" style worthy of only the most typing-challenged trained monkeys.)