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.