looking back

When I look back on my high school experiences, I look back with so many fond memories. Memories of walking on to campus my first day of high school scared to death. I look back on all the pep assembles, football games, soccer games, talent shows, and other various events I attended. I remember my first day of Mr. Verver’s class being so scared of his class and his reputation for being a very strict teacher. I remember sitting through lecture after lecture in government and history. Looking back I took a lot of my experiences at Cascade for granted. So to the students left at Cascade I leave you the power to not take anything for granted, and to take the most you can for every experience. My wish is that you would be the best that you can be, and be involved as much as possible; because when you look back you will remember the experiences a lot longer then you will remember the people in your everyday math and sciences classes. I would also challenge future students of Cascade to make as many friends as possible and be a person of character and integrity. So that when you’re a graduating senior you can say I did the best I could, I made as many friends as possible, I was evolved in as many activities as I could have been and I helped as many people as possible. Then you will be able to say I made a difference at Cascade, and that will be your legacy.

I shall give what I can, and then I shall give some more

Every person that I have connected with at cascade, whether it be teachers, students, parents or coaches, has somehow impacted my life. They have all had a part in making me who I am today, and now it is my turn to give a little something back.


To my parents: I give the right to claim any and all of my successes, for without you I would have nothing.

To my brother: I give my greatest gratitude for setting a high standard for me to live up to and for teaching me everything you know. If I hadn't felt the need to live up to you, and compete with you, I may never have tried so hard.

To Colten: I give you the ability to provide happiness to everyone you meet. You have already done this for me, and now you needs to spread your gift to everyone else. I also give you thanks, for making my senior year the best it could be and for always putting up with my weirdness.

To Les: I give the middle name Jerk, and every punch in the stomach that you deserve for making fun of people.

To the softball team: I give the opportunity to arrive at a game with two left cleats and get to wear one cleat and one tennis shoe.

To Kink: I give an amazing 2nd semester TA to sit and talk to during your planning period about your cute little baby.

To Mrs. O.K: I give the best 3rd period Calc class EVER!!! You know you love us.

To Mr. Verver: I give you some jokes to tell in class... maybe even a smile to shock the class with :)

To Mr. Wilson: I give you my map...I don't think you'd let me take it off the wall anyways.

To the Dream Team: I give you a comic of my own.

For all the classes that follow the class of '06: I give you a standard to live up to. We were a great class, now make yourselves great as well.

And to Mr. McNamar: I give you a group of quiet, respectful, intelligent freshmen. (Hey it coud happen)

Reflections

I have tried to leave this space in your control. The outcome has satisified me, though I often wonder what more could this Pre-College blog be. I wonder if any of you will continue to blog by beginning your very own blog when it is no longer an assingment. I believe in the power of language to convey something of who we are. When you have allowed yourself to speak thoughtfully and honestly, I have learned from you.
A few of you began your high school journey when I did. You came into our school a bit shy, perhaps unsure of who you were and where you were headed. To a large extent, I came in the same way. To have had the privelege of twice teaching some of you will resonate with me throughout my career.
I will leave you with this:

Represent our school well, your family honorably, and yourself honestly. The latter is, if nothing else, what will always keep you grounded.

Movies based on September 11

Recently, I have heard a lot of discussion regarding the Movies based on the tragedies of September 11. Until this week, I was only aware of the movie United 93. This is the story the passengers and crew, their families on the ground, and the flight controllers who watched in dawning horror as the United airlines flight 93 became the fourth hijacked plane. The movie recreates the doomed trip in actal time, from takeoff to hijacking to the realization by those onboard that their plane was part of the coordinated attack unfolding on the ground beneath them. The film attempts to understand the fear and courage of the passengers and crew onboard as they became bonded allies who confronted an unthinkable solution. The story also includes actual conversation that passengers shared with their families.
When I went to see the davinci code this week, I saw the preview for another movie. This one is called World Trade Center and will come to theaters in August. This is about the true story of John McLaughlin and William J. Jimenez, the last two survivors found under the rubble of Ground Zero and the rescuers who never gave up on them. It stars Nicolas Cage who plays one of these two NY port authority police officers.
Part of me wants to see these movies, if only to learn more about what happened on that tragic day. However, another part of me does not want to see them at all. I don't want to relive the tragedy, it was hard enough watching it all the first time. Another reason I don't want to see World Trade Center is because it is mostly based on the firefighters and police officers who risked their lives in an attempt to rescue others. My dad is a firefighter and honestly, movies such as this terrify me. My dad is great at what he does, but sometimes I fear that he is just a little too selfless. I fear that he would be the one to volunteer to search for others, even if the odds weighed against him. Just watching the prevew was hard for me because I can't even begin to imagine what the families of thee people must still be going through.
I really can't believe that this September it will aready have been five years. It seems like it just happened, I remember the events so vividly. I don't think I will see these movies just yet, but perhaps someday I will. Because I do want to know as much as possible about what happed that day.

Tragic mix-up

Yesterday the Herald featured a story about a "Tragic mix-up revealed as coma ends". You may have heard about this story; a couple sat near what they thought was there daughters’ hospital bed for several weeks waiting for their daughter to awake from a coma. But when the girl woke up it was not their daughter but another girl that had been in the same accident. Both of these girls had similar facial features and similar body types. Because of broken bones in the face and severe bruising and a neck brace they could not make out the difference. The parents who had been sitting by the bed for weeks then found out that the body of there daughter had already been buried and a funeral had been preformed.
I can't imagine the emotional toll this would have on a family, not to mention the shock of the situation. All emotions aside, it will take years to sort everything out. The wrong family paid for the funeral and the burial and the other family has their medical benefits coming out of the wrong account for what they thought was there daughter.

Art History

I have always enjoyed exploring the world of art history; and the secrets that lie behind each artist. Being involved in the art program at Cascade for the past four years has given me the opportunity to explore the careers of many artists. Most recently I have been looking into the life of Magritte, a Belgian surrealist painter. Most of his work deals with imagination. In several of Magritte’s painting he uses a black hat on his subjects. This hat appears in several of his painting throughout the years. Some speculate that the hat represents Magritte himself because he was often found wearing that very hat. Another interesting thing about Magritte is that he often times covers or wraps his subjects hiding them from view. This could have to do with his early childhood. When he was a young boy his mother committed suicide, when they found her, her head was wrapped in a cloth. There is so much to learn about the art world; and I feel that having a better understanding of the person behind the art helps build a lasting connection and understanding.

Animal Cruelty

In the past few weeks as I have been watching the news, I have noticed that there have been a very high number of animal cruelty cases. One story was about a family whose dog had just had a litter of 10 puppies. While the family was gone, 4 of the puppies had managed to get out and were in the neighbors yard. A passerby called animal control, not knowing who the puppies belonged to. This person was only trying to protect the puppies, hoping that their owners would find them at the shelter. However, just 5 hours after the puppies arrived at the shelter, they were all put to sleep. When the family contacted the shelter, they were told that the dogs had been put down. When further questioned, the shelter simply claimed that they had made a mistake. My question is why were the dogs put to sleep in the first place? There is ALWAYS someone who will adopt a puppy, which isn't always the case with older dogs. Also, why were they put down so soon after their arrival? If these were my dogs, I would be furious. That is someone's pet, and because they were out of their yard, they were killed.

In another case, I heard about a dog that someone had soaked in ammonia. The chemical burned the dag so severely that it had to be put down. The vet who cared for it said she had never seen anything so horrible done to an animal, and she was still having nightmares about it.

The final story is one that I have heard on a personal account. A kid I know, who lives in Lake Stevens owned a rot weiler (sp?). His dog did not fit the normal, aggressive and dangerous description that rot weilers are known by. Actually, the dog was very calm and friendly. One day, however, the neighbor called the cops and said that he had been in their yard. The police came out to investigate and the officer found the dog sleeping on his own front porch. The neighbor also claimed that the dog had bit him (which was not true). The officer then preceded to shoot, and kill, the dog. The dog was asleep, and had never left its own yard. For no real reason, the officer decided to shoot him. The kid I know is now in court over this issue, apparently the officer has done this before. He has shot and killed more than one pet for no reason.

I am disgusted by the way animals are being treated. Just like humans, they do not deserve to be treated this way. I think that the punisment should be more sever for the people who choose to commit these heinous crimes against innocent animals.

Mannerisms

Last week I compared mannerisms between blind children and autistic children and the similarity found with each disability. What I realized was that many people do not have a clear understanding of, mannerisms and the effect mannerisms cause.
Because I do not have an autistic relative I only know a small amount about, the effect mannerisms have on autistic children. I do however have a brother who is deaf- blind; so I have been exposed to the mannerisms, that effect deaf-blind children. Mannerisms defined are " physical behavior patterns that occur in visually impaired children and may last into adulthood." These mannerisms include: eye pressing, finger flicking, head banging, head weaving, fixated staring and maintaining a blank expressionless face. Many blind children engage in mannerisms because they are self-stimulatory behaviors. These behaviors interfere with learning, development, and socialization. They cause these children to withdraw from their surroundings and enter a world of their own. Mannerisms have a negative effect on deaf-blind children and there for should be diminished as much as possible.
I have learned through first hand experience that these mannerisms have a negative effect because they are causing these children to fall behind. Mannerisms are also causing social isolation and disfigurement. Mannerisms are real and they effect many blind children. The best way to counteract and prevent mannerisms is to engage these children in learning and the world around them.

Hundreds of Dollars spent just to ask a girl to prom... is it really necessary?

As we walk around campus, there is one thing that is sure to be talked about: Senior Ball. Who is going with who, and most importantly, how were you asked.

DON'T GET MAD YET MCNAMAR... THIS STORY REALLY DOES HAVE A POINT AND ISN'T ONE OF THOSE "CAN YOU BELIEVE WE'RE ALMOST DONE STORIES."

I myself have wondered why how you are asked to a dance is almost as important as getting asked at all. What ever happened to "will you go to______ with me?" I recently read an article online that discusses this issue. It said that asking someone to be your date has become such a production of the years that even before the big night the boys are blowing their money. It has turned into a competition between the boys, who can be the most creative when popping their question. And it has brought out bragging right among the girls "Well, MY boyfriend did this to ask me."

"Clearly, though, it is a big thing. A chat with her girlfriends, a phone call or a quick conversation by the lockers between classes won't do anymore. That's so 2005. In 2006, the request has to be painted on a giant sign parked in front of her house or accompanied by 50 red candles, hundreds of Hershey Kisses and an original poem. Why? For the same reason guys go to prom: because girls want it that way."

"Trouble was, he didn't have a clue how to impress her."
"I wish my boyfriend had done that."
"Lahr is the kind of guy who is terrified by the idea talking to a girl on the phone. "I'll be in my room, staring at a name on my cellphone, wondering whether I should call. The whole social thing is totally nerve-wracking," he says."
"The prom invite had him rattled big-time."

I think girls have become to needy, to many of us expect something extraodinary. As you can see from the quotes from the story, asking a girl to prom (or Senior Ball in our case) has become very stressful for the guys. I think this question should go back to something simpler. Save the extravagance for when you get engaged.

I'm not going to lie, my own boyfriend took a lot of time planning and asked me in a very cute way. However, I would have been fine if he had just said "Will you go with me?" I don't expect him do spend great deals of money on me, but when he does take the time to plan somethig special, I am sure to let him know that I appreciate it.

Overall, I think that girls shouldn't expect to be asked in an amazing way, and they shouldn't put pressure on the guys. We should all just be happy that we have been asked, and if they do go above and beyond, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate the efforts that they have made to make this a special event for us.


If you'd like to read the article, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12863585/