Food Drive

All right everyone, Amanda is right, we need to step up the participation in the food drive. I am not saying that each person should feel pressured to go out and collect 3000 cans, but I do think that everyone of us should try to come together and help our community. If we can get people out collecting in their neighborhood, in front of grocery stores, and from family and friends, we will be able to truly say that we did our part in getting into the Holliday spirit of helping others. That is the most important thing, to help the people around us. It doesn't have to be all about winning, however, if that is what it takes to motivate people, then get out there and strive to stay in first place. We are seniors now, and this is the last opportunity that we will be given to take part in the amazing experience of the Cascade High School food drive. Lets show the freshman how it is done, for it is up to us to set the example. If we don't bring in the incredible amounts of food that we have in the previous years, the underclassmen won't understand the vital importance of the food drive. We wouldn't want it to be a failure the year that we are seniors. This is going to be an especially difficult year, for many people have already donated to hurricane and tsunami victims this year. For some people, they would like to donate, but they have nothing left to give. For that reason alone, complete participation is imperative to success. We have to get the word out there and we have to collect food and money donations. This is an experience that we will never forget. That being said, I urge everyone in our class to find a way to contribute what they can.

Prior review: Homosexuality editorial

I do not encourage homosexuality, however, that does not mean that I would discriminate against a gay or lesbian. I think that homosexuals should be able to express themselves just as a heterosexual does. After reading the news article and viewing the excerpt from Katie Thompson's editorial, I do not feel that it was necessary to stop the school newspaper from being released. The controversy over homosexuality is a very big part in today's world, and I think it is necessary for people to express their feelings on the matter. It doesn't matter whether someone is arguing for or against homosexuality, as long as it is done in a respectful manner, I think that it should be permitted. From what I can tell, the article written by Thompson, a lesbian teenager, was just stating her opinion on the matter in a respectful way. There was no reason for the principal to pull it; not even because he thought the material was too mature for high school students. There is no way to protect us from hearing this information, it is on the news, in the papers, on the radio, it seems to be everywhere. Also, it is something that we may be exposed to at school anyway, like when we are faced with a gay or lesbian couple. People are going to talk and things are going to be seen, there is no preventing that. There for, there is no reason not to publish an article simply because it discusses homosexuality.
Although I do not feel that there was reason to prevent this particular article from circulating throughout the school, I do think that some articles should not be printed. This means that prior review my an administrator is a necessary action to be taken. For example, if an editorial encourages an illegal act, it shouldn't be printed. Most of the time, it is likely that every article will pass the inspection of the administrator and will be printed. However, there will be an occasional article that shouldn't be printed, and with prior review, it will be stopped before going out to all the students.

You Decide

At what point does a school's administration step in to stop the publication of a school newspaper? Read the following article and think about whether or not schools should censor student writing--then post your thoughts.

Extra Credit

I am amazed that this quarter is over it seems like the first day of school was just yesterday, and I was showing my freshmen brother around campus. Right now I only have three quarters left before I hit the big leagues and the standards and expecting rise to an all time high. Everything is starting to fall in to place and I am beginning to realize how much I need to put together, before I hit college next fall. Although I have learned a lot this quarter I still have a lot to accomplish before I feel confident enough to step in to a world of extensive homework where writing papers every night is an every day occurrence. So I think that when I evaluate the past quarter or even years of schooling it's important to set goals in terms of what I need to accomplish and what I need to pull together before leaving high school and entering college.

Abercrombie shirts

The topic of Abercrombie shirts comes down to one basic argument, the freedom of choice vs. What society tells you to wear. The women who buy these shirts, that are considered degrading are making a conscious decision to display the message they represent. I believe that if the people want to display their personality, their opinion, their belief etc. Let them that is a personal decision. If the consumers want the product let them have it, there is really nothing that is going to stop them from wearing these messages anyway.

Girlcott

Personally, I think that if you don't like the shirts don't wear them. If someone is wearing a shirt like that then they are only degrating themselves not others. I think that people should be able to wear whatever they want because it is up to them how they want to be looked at. I never wear ambercrombie because it is too expensive and is no better than any other kind of cloths. I don't think that the girlcott will be effective because people will still keep buying their clothing and it is still popular now.

Who needs brains when you have these... is it appropriate?

"Blondes are adored, Brunettes are ignored," "Available for Parties," "Freshman 15," "I had a nightmare I was a brunette," and "Who needs have brains when you have these?" These are all tee shirts that Abercrombie & Fitch has recently come out with. I, personally find that these shirts are indeed very degrading to women. However, I am not so naive as to believe that they aren't true. In today's society, looks are everything. Many studies have shown that when two people apply for the same position, and share relatively the same skill level, the better looking of the two will get the job almost every time. Beautiful people have endless opportunities, whether they go into television, films, modeling or ANY OTHER PROFESSION. If you walk into a high profile business or agency, it is highly unlikely that the employees will be "ugly people." Not only do people want to look good for themselves, they want their employees to be attractive as well, as if looks alone make someone a better worker.
I have already seen and heard a lot of media coverage regarding this issue, so I do feel that the "girlcott" has thus far been effective in terms of getting attention. Also, people are being forced to think about whether or not it is ok for shirts, and advertisements in general, to exist. However, I also feel that their plan isn't going exactly as planned because now people are saying that they are just bitter because they are the "ugly, flat-chested geniuses" as described by the T man on KUBE 93. He said that if they were beautiful girls with big breasts, they wouldn't be complaining. I don't know what these girls look like, but there could be some truth to this.
I don't feel that the shirts are appropriate, and I would never wear one, but I do have to say though, that I agree with some of the statements in the article that say that only shallow girls would wear the shirts. No one else would be proud of being stupid, even if they do find the shirt a little funny.
I doubt if A & F will get into any real trouble over this, honestly, the article is probably right and they are probably happy to have the free advertising.

Extra Credit

I'd just like to say that this class is so much better than the class that I came from in every way. At the same time though, it isn't quite like any other English class that I have been a part of in high school. Freshman year I had Mr. Bekins, the one teacher that everyone thought was too hard and no one liked. I, however, liked the class, I saw it as a challenge and I loved the structure that came out of it. Sophomore year I had Mrs. Crews, who is one of the more exciting teachers around the school. Her class is based on projects and activities that everyone enjoys. Junior year I took a step into the world of AP classes with Mr. Verver, who is truly an amazing teacher. Everyday I felt as if I learned something in that class, and everyday was a challenge. The atmosphere in that classroom is different as well, no one makes fun of each other, and everyone displays respect. Now, its senior year with Mr. McNamar. I was happy to be moved into this class because from freshman year I knew that he was someone that I could get along with. I have, so far, enjoyed most of the assignments because they generally involve a different kind of thinking than we are all used to. For example, I am having fun with writing my own Canterbury tale. At first, I was timid and afraid of what to write, now, however I am having fun because I am just going with whatever ideas come to mind. This class is a lot more open than I am used to, and I am still getting used to the lack of structure. I do, however, think that it is a good learning experience for all of us so that we succeed in the college world. The thing that I dislike most is the lack of effort that comes from other people sometimes. But I guess there simply isn't anything that I can do about that, it will just be another experience for me to adapt to my surroundings. I feel that I have done well in terms of getting everything in on time, but apparently I still need to work harder because have yet to achieve a perfect score on a writing assignment. That is my goal now, to prove that I deserve a perfect score. As a teacher, I feel that you have done a good job; the only thing that you may be able to improve on is keeping people focused on actually doing their work when you give us time in class. That, however, has nothing to do with your teaching, and perhaps some people will never be motivated, no matter what you do. I feel that the quarter went well, and the only thing we need a solution for is finding a way to motivate people. Wow, I just wrote a novel, so I think I am done.
Thanks.
Sara

The Topic & The Answer to Kaylie's Question

In your post, respond to this article. What do you think about the shirts? Will the "girlcott" be effective or backfire? Are these shirts appropriate? Should there be any reprecussions for Abercrombie & Fitch?

Kaylie's Question: Is it possible to make up a post that I forgot to do?
Answer: You all have a one time opportunity to make up a post. For those who forgot to do one of the previous posts, you may make up one of those posts. For it to affect your grade this quarter, it will need to be in by Friday at 2:00 p.m. Please designate your extra credit post as extra credit in the title. For those who have turnen in all of your posts, you will be able to recieve 5% extra credit in the blog category of your grade. For the quarter, there will be a total of four posts equalling 120 points. This means that your extra credit post is worth 6 extra credit points. So, if you've scored 114 of 120 points on your blogs, your blog score would then be raised to 120/120. This is a potential of 2-3 percentage points of an increase.

Extra Credit Topic for All: Reflect on the first quarter of Pre-College English. What have you liked about it? What have you disliked? What have you done well? What could you improve? What have I done well? What could I improve?--This is important to me. However, in your critique you must be respectful. If you are simply going to complain, don't. Give solutions.

No to late start!

I strongly believe that starting school later would not make that much of a difference. Students would still complain and whine about the new start time. Even with a later start students would still stay out late and their improvement in school, work, sports etc.; would not be that evident. By starting school later you have even less time after school to work, play sports or any other extra circular activates. Once you leave high school the majority of the population wakes up early to start their day. So why wait until your middle-age to start making good habits, make the most of your day and accomplish as much as possible!

late start

i would say starting the school hours later is a good idea specialy to most of the student. not just because we're staying up late, or getting lazy in the morning, but its also because a lot of students are working right after school and getting off late. then after work we start doing our homeworks, which will take a couple of hours. so i would say i agree with this idea.

Transition

I am going to write a story about a girl who has just moved from a very small town, where there is barely any people, to a huge city. Her parents are too caught up in there own lives to worry about her. They don't notice that she's changing or barely ever comes home; she's starting to hang out with the wrong people and make the wrong choices. Then one day she gets in a horrible accident; drugs and alcohol are involved.... No one ever would have thought that Brandy, the perfect girl in her old town, would ever be into that kind of stuff. Finally her parents eyes are opened and they start to pay attention to her.

Need something to post on?

Here is a story from the Boston Globe about high shcool start times.

The prep's tale.

Ok, so my main character is going to be a preppy highschool girl by the name of ****. Everything about her, and everything that she does is absolutely perfect. She has perfect clothes, a perfect body, a perfect boyfriend, perfect grades, and the perfect family, basically: the perfect life. She is always preaching to her peers, as well as anyone else that will listen, that people are to quick to judge others. She says that everyone has the right to be their own person and that nobody should be someone that they aren't just because that is what is expected of them. Everyone believes that **** is such a great person, and they listen to what she has to say. **** influences the lives of many people around her, and many of them are much more open minded to the people around them because of her words. Only problem is that **** is a complete hypocrite. She may not realize it, but she is one of the fastest to judge people. If they don't dress right, or live in the right community or have enough grades, then she has a very difficult time accepting them. The only reason that she seems so great and accepting is because everyone around her is just like her. When a person comes along who doesn't share her way of thinking, she shuns them. One day, she meets a guy by the name of Forest. Forest has plenty of money, he has a good family, and his life is really a lot like hers. However, he has a very different appearance. Forest is Gothic, and because he doesn't share the same feelings regarding clothing, **** doesn't even give him a chance. The moral of this story is that nearly every person in today's society is to fast to judge others and that people aren't always who they first appear to be.

These are my ideas so far, and i will definately add a lot more detail and dialogue and such. Also, Les will be doing a story that goes with mine. His will be from the point of view of Forest, the Gothic boy. Let me know what you think about this and if there is anything that I should change. Thanks!

By the way, **** is in place of the name of my character, which I have yet to pick.

The Server's Tale

Marcus stepped up to the microphone, adjusted it to fit his height, and spoke directly into it, "You will love this story." Because Marcus spoke so loudly already, the sheer volume of his remark caused most to miss his opening.
Here begins the Server's Tale:

At a downtown restaurant, in the Emerald City as it is called, many businessmen spend plenty of money on nightime recreation and dining. One of the men, a lanky fellow of thirty-five and a persuasive salesman, stopped in almost on a nightly basis. He had, because of his natural smile and polite demeanor, many men and women who wanted to be around him. Each night, he would walk through the doors, smiling at the hostess, the waitress, and even the restaurant manager, who happened to be a woman of thirty-one.
Always dressed with the finer labels offered, his suits never appeared wrinkled or unkept. His hair was always meticulously placed and his chiseled jaw and high cheekbone rarely sported stubble. His stature alone would impress any person of average height. This salesman, Michael--never Mike or Mikey, stood at six feet and four inches. Blessed with an athletic figure, and the time and money to keep it that way, his presence commanded the attention of nearly everyone in whatever room he happened to enter.

*I'll continue later...this took a good half an hour to write/revise before publishing.

An Example Prologue

I cannot promise you that I will keep up very well on this, but I submit to you a character to join our story telling contest. At the very least, you will know who he is and where he is from. At the very most, you will hear his tale, provided I have the time to create it!

Taking his seat beside the other contestants, Marcus slipped into his chair with a certain amount of stealth. He accomplished this not because of his great ability at remaining quiet, as we certainly will find out, but because Marcus is lacking in what every man in his adolscence secretly hopes for, height.
At a mere five feet and four inches, even in his thick soled Doc Martins, Marcus has the ability, not of his own desire, to be overlooked. Nearing the age of thirty has caused him to accept, finally, his fate in life, though he kicked and screamed in protest for the first 28.
Luckily for Marcus, he has found his niche in life; he is a very fine server at Limbaugh's Steak House. It is here that Marcus cannot be overlooked. There are no coaches to cut him from a team, no girl to look past him to the tall guy behind him. When he stands before a table and asks for their order, every guest will listen.
To be friends with Marcus means you must be a good listener because he loves to talk. Mostly he speaks of sports and gambling, though mostly he talks to hear his own voice- -loud and distinct, bellowing from his little frame with masked confidence.