assignment 26

Classroom review

AP academy english has been, and always will be one of my favorite classes. It had the perfect balance of work and fun, and helped a lot with preparing for the AP test. I especially liked the life lessons, since no other high school class has taught us how to successfully change a tire or how to properly hold a paint brush. If I could change one thing, it would be that we went over every single multiple choice question as a class, regardless if it was easy or hard. A lot of students either are too shy or not engaged so they wont take the initiative and ask questions. This way, students wont have to fight through their nerves to ask the question, and everyone gets help. Overall, this was a great class and you shouldn't change a thing except maybe the thing i mentioned above. Loved the class and you were a fantastic teacher.

assignment 21 Ryan collins

right now... jeez where do I begin. Finals week is in two days and stress is at an all time high, hanging over the school like a wet tarp. Many try to study, but are caught up and swept away to distractions by the overwhelming weight of all the finals. right now, however, I am attempting to defeat the plague of procrastination that is spreading throughout the building. I will create a schedule, and stick with it. If i do this, I will not be able to talk myself out of studying for a few more hours so I can watch the next few episodes of Family Guy. Organization is key during finals, and hopefully I can prove it this next week, my last week of what was the most challenging year of academics i had ever faced.

assignment 23 ryan collins

Having just taken an EOC about the cold war era, this will be my playlist for the best 'nam era songs often associated with the war and movements that came with it.

Fortunate son by CCR
this song had to be included in the nam playlist because it describes the unfair drafting conditions the military used, and had the classic guitar/vocals of a song from this era. This song is also just a good patriotic (ironically) song.

War by Edwin Starr
just a great song about a terrible war, also has the precedented vocals and guitar of a song from this generation.

California Dreamin - Mommas and poppas
my favorite song from this era, this catchy tune reminds me of all the human rights movements during this time, and just sounds like a song a hippie would be bopping their long, greasy hair to.\

anything by the - rolling stones
No explanation needed, most iconic band of the era with many hits such as sympathy for the devil, paint it black, gimme shelter, and many more.

There are many more songs during this era of musical genius and outrage, but these are by far the most popular and most connected with the war.

assignment 25 Ryan collins

Okay since these are due tonight and I have nothing better to write about, I am going to analyze which is better: Qdoba or Chipotle; the two titans of the burrito business. Both are conveniently located close to my house, since both are on richmond road, but I tend to see more Qdoba's than chipotle's when traveling so there goes a point to Qdoba. Second, Qdoba has QUESO, an essential for any mexican meal, making it Chipotle 0 Qdoba 2. Also, most Qdoba's have the coke mega soda machine, which has every flavor of every soda ever, ranging from raspberry coke to vanilla dr. pepper do strawberry lemonade. However, this is where chipotle starts winning the fight; avocado. Also, Chipotle is more consistent with their wrapping of the burrito, and quality of the meat. I was a die hard chipotle fan for the longest time, backing them in any argument against the cruel and tasteless qdobians. However, all that changed when I tried the Qdoba brownie. Soft, sweet, and filled with chocolate chips, this secret weapon swayed my opinion and support over to qdoba, where it has resided ever since. It is different for every person, but for me, Qdoba has time and time again reigned victor.

Class Feedback -- D-Steve

I do not enjoy writing. I abominate it. I abhor it. I despise it. But I am not terrible at it. As such, I have typically done alright in English classes—while loathing every minute of it. This school year was not the same, and I appreciate that. Throughout the year, I found myself—for the most part—having fun in this class. Certainly, the timed writings were not fun. But I understand that they were necessary for the AP Exam, and I think they helped in that regard. The same goes for the multiple choice tests. While I don’t like to write, I love to read. The best English classes, in my opinion, have a bit of critical reading in them. That is what I think was most lacking in this class. I would like us to read something: Shakespeare, John Green, whatever. That is what I have to say. Thank you for teaching us.

Assignment 26--Angela Maske

Honestly, I really loved this class. I loved our discussions and random video-watching and even (sometimes) the Socratic Seminars. I would definitely be lying if I said that I liked doing timed writings and practice multiple choice tests, but I really do think they helped prepare me for the AP test. And no, I'm not just trying to be a suck up. I think that, especially granted that many of us were already pretty strong writers, this class prepared us well for the AP exam and for life (please ignore the cliche.) But seriously--that day when we watched Key and Peele videos was amazing. Ultimately, I think that the skills and relationships we built in this class will last us a lifetime and we will look back fondly at the time.

25 -- D-Steve

This blog could be about anything, and I choose golf. The game of golf is old as dirt. More specifically, it is about eight centuries old, first developed in the hinterlands of Scotland. From these grassy dunes the game we know as golf first sprang. It was there, in Scotland, that the first full golf course was established: St. Andrew's. These oceanside links set the precedents for golf: 18 holes, a cup 4.25" in diameter, and the rich canon of rules and etiquette that accompanies the game. I first picked up the game roughly eight centuries later, at the tender age of five or six years. My father took me to the local links, and he teed up my ball in the center of the fairway, only 150 yards from the green. My first club was a sawed-off seven iron, which I still have today. It is because of my father and grandfather that I play golf; through the game I continue a family tradition. Ever since seventh grade, my game has improved continually. I attribute this development to my physical maturation and the increased practice with which I have honed my game in recent years. My years on the golf team—four so far—have given me a close set of friends and experiences I will never forget. For these reasons, the game of golf holds a special place in my heart, and always will.

Assignment 26- Olivia Dixon

In spite of all the Socratic seminars, timed writings, practice AP exams, and other pain-in-the-butt assignments, English has been my favorite class this year. I’ve enjoyed the casual feel of the class, as well as the focus on discussion as opposed to lengthy lectures. I liked being able to bounce ideas off of others during Socratic seminars, but some of the prompts lacked substance, making it difficult to carry on a discussion with little redundancy. To be honest, I lost most of my motivation by 6^th hour so I never gave much effort to the timed writings. Next year’s juniors are going to hate me for this, but I think you should collect all timed writings at the end of class so that students are required to finish.

I found Congress to be way more productive than online peer reviews. I think everyone paid more attention when reading as a class rather than individually on a computer. I don’t think people put much effort into their turnitin comments. I wish we had done more practice AP multiple choice tests—completing and reviewing these as a class helped immensely on the actual exam. Also, I almost always lost interest and zoned out when going over the sample essay packets. It might have been better to not do so many in one class period.

I don’t think weekly blogs are all that necessary and I almost always forgot to do them until Sunday night. Some of the prompts were fun to respond to, like the one where we got to write about our table partner. The rest of them were just blah.

Overall, I’ve had fun in your class and I’ll let you know if I ever have to change a tire!

Assignment 26 Ethan Petraitis

6^th hour English, where do I begin? Well I suppose I’ll start with the good things since there are more things good than bad. I usually dislike classes where a student teacher teaches a majority of the time but as we all know Ms. Moses was a fantastic student teacher, so no complaints there. The last two weeks of this class will be easy and I’m very thankful for that. But, like first semester, grading was infrequent. I was completely unaware last semester that my SOAPSTone was sub-par since it was a blank grade for months just like everyone else’s. Also Turnitin did not post any comments on anyone’s papers for the longest time, it was one week before the end of the semester when I find out that I had to redo my SOAPSTone and with finals and all, I just didn’t have time to do it. Grades this semester are similar, with only 9 blogs being graded and 3 papers, I am completely unaware of what my actual grade in this class is. This wouldn’t be that big of a problem if I had the ability to ask you about them in class, but you must not have been in our class for more than 30 minutes total during the week before the school play. It shouldn’t be an issue and Ms. Moses was a great teacher, it just bothered me for some reason. You know what you’re doing, you thoroughly know the content (unlike some of my teachers) and that’s just the most important quality any teacher could have and I really appreciate that.

Assignment 25- Cassadi Cordea

Soooo... I guess I'll just talk about my summer. Right after school lets out I'm going to a drum major camp for 5 days. I'm excited for it, but also a little bit nervous. Unfortunately I have to miss my cousin's graduation for that camp, but I might go visit her after I get back home.I'm going to see the Arctic Monkeys later in June  with a few friends and I am so so so so so so so excited for that. At the beginning of July I am going with my grandparents, my uncles, aunts, cousins, parents, and little brother to Maine for a week or so. Should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to going hiking and seeing all there is to see. We are going to celebrate my mom's, brother's, and cousin's birthdays while we are there so it should be nothing less than chaotic and fun. The end of this school year is really stressing me out, but I'm just trying to keep my head down and keep working. Not long after I get back from Maine is when band camp starts, so that's bye bye to summer. I'm really looking forward to it though. Next year is going to be filled with a lot of lasts, but I'm ready for senior year.

Assignment 26- Cassadi Cordea

I've enjoyed this class throughout the year. I admit that English is probably my least favorite subject, but I didn't mind this class at all. I like that it was very laid back and that you let us have days to work on other things. Much appreciated. I thought that taking practice AP multiple choice was very helpful, but maybe it could have been more helpful if we had spent more time going over it. I thought the class congresses were helpful too. I didn't get much out of the online peer review, probably because it just isn't as personal and everyone kind of slacks off on the comments. Although I despised it during the process, having timed writings did help me prepare for the AP test. I do not like writing, and would not practice it on my own time, so thank you for making me do that. I wish that we could have spent more time on the argument essay, but I think I handled it well anyway. It's been a nice year in this class.

Assignment 25- Olivia Dixon

There is a list of things I hope to do when school lets out: Camp Lyons, International Youth Convention, Panic @ the Disco concert, a weekend at the beach, etc. The only thing standing between me and the best summer of my life... is money. I have applied to three places thus far-- Zaxby's, City Barbeque, and Jet's Pizza-- and have heard back from no one. Because of this lack of interest, I have decided that the fast food industry must not be for me. I am looking to apply to Kohl's and let's face it, discounted Lauren Conrad clothes are way better than the smell of fry oil anyways. I had no clue job hunting would be so difficult! The employees at Zaxby's actually made fun of me for stapling a resume to my application... please explain to me why they found that so amusing. I'm just trying to make SUMMER2K14 worthy of a hashtag. 

Assignment 24- Olivia Dixon

I guess I deserve a big fat "I told you so" from everyone who warned me that junior year would be a tough one. I walked in with confidence and met my demise within a few weeks...that's right, web homework. I might have even shed more tears over physics than last year's chemistry lab, and that was brutal. However, I don't want my memories of junior year to encompass only the stress of lab reports, practice logs, and Socratic seminars. I want to remember junior year for the abundance of change that came with it. In the future, I hope "11th grade" isn't referred to as "the toughest year of school high," but instead, the time I made decisions based on my own interests. I risked disappointing my parents and severing friendships by quitting volleyball, but because of the extra free time, I was able to be a part of "Shrek," which allowed me to meet a ton of awesome people while doing something I love. Encouraged by my youth pastor, I attended an adult growth group which I found to be awkward and uninteresting. I had no clue that a couple within the group would agree to be my academy mentors. At the beginning of the year, I desperately missed my brother and sister who were away at college. Only later did I realize their absence gave my younger brother and I the chance to bond. I realize this blog post has shifted some, but I think it's important to not only do what makes you happy, but embrace change and recognize all the good things that come as a result. I thank my junior year for this realization and I hope to apply this mindset to my college search next year.

Assignment 25: Grace Goulson

I love my kittens. And if anyone follows me on twitter or Instagram you have seen their cute little faces. I got them for my birthday last Tuesday and I love them to death already. The grey one, Zeus is the boy and is slightly bigger than his sister who is still nameless (I don't know what to name her!). They love to sleep. All the time. And they cuddle together when they sleep which is so adorable! But they also like to romp around, explore, and wrestle (playfully, of course). They've already taken to following me around everywhere, which is adorable. They're so fluffy and tiny and precious! I love them and they love me. My kittens bring joy to my life. 

Who Would I Be? - Haven

   Who wouldn't I be, more like. Never mind the fact I create my own fictional characters I wouldn't mind trading places with for a day. Probably for the best to exclude them though, feels like cheating if I picked any of them. 
   The answer starts by looking at some of my favorite characters. A couple come to mind, all from the same universe: a place called Gensokyo full of magical girls, essentially. A miss Okuu isn't a bad choice - a raven with the power of nuclear fusion. However she lives in a less than desirable location (i.e.; hell) and is quite literally a bird brain, so those two characteristics don't mix well for me. I do like destruction and insanity it seems, so Flandre, a vampire girl with those exact abilities, is also a good choice. Then again, she's insane for a reason, being locked in a basement for 495 years. Better not. Hmmm, something simple then, like a fairy. In this universe Fairies re-spawn after they're killed and are essentially immortal. Wait, that doesn't sound good either. Especially since they're not so bright. A life like that sounds like a life of pain.
   Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. Maybe I should go to Gregory House (of Gregory Horror Show, thank you) instead, full of exceptionally weird characters in a black-comedy setting. The titular character is an obvious choice, with his apparent ability to make creepy things happen within the house. He does get injured a lot, though, and has a frightening mother and a jerk of a grandson. Jeez, is there anyone who has a simple life in the world of fiction?
   . . . AH! Roulette Boy! Roulette Boy is a roulette who makes other people play a game that has a high chance of killing the players; Even Gregory is a bit afraid of him. Sounds dark now that I type it out, but he's the other character I can think of that's consistently happy with who they are and what they do. He laughs, he plays games, he's especially weird and dangerous and yet may be completely innocent and unaware of what he's doing - sounds like the kind of life I can get used to. 
   I may have to question my life choices now. Ah well. My choice. I get to live with it.

Assignment 26: Grace Goulson

Throughout this year I have been so happy that I have had English for sixth hour. It's such a chill and stress-free class. But that doesn't mean we didn't do anything. For the most part I have felt productive in this class, and I've learned stuff too. I felt adequately prepared for the AP test, though I do wish we had spent more time on the argument essay. The multiple choice sets (though horrible) were helpful in the end. Unlike many, I think, I actually enjoyed  doing congress and hearing other's opinions in that way. I liked this format much better than the online peer reviews. The vocab quizzes were also helpful, but I think you should have set the quizzes on concrete dates (every Friday, perhaps), not because we might have gotten better grades on them, but because we actually would have studied further in advance than the class before. I like the openness and trust we have in this class and it's been a great year.

Assignment 25--Angela Maske

You never realize how little control over your creative ability you have until you're presented with a blank blog prompt. So I guess I'm just going to share some of my favorite things lately.

1) Buzzfeed Quizzes. I'm typically not a huge fan of quizzes when they affect my grade....but I'm all for quizzes that tell me more about myself in a hilarious, mostly arbitrary way. http://www.buzzfeed.com/quiz


2) Starbucks Iced Macchiatos. Call me a basic white girl all you want--this is the perfect summer drink. Just look at it:

3) Betches Love This. I'm not sure of how school appropriate this is...actually it's not very school appropriate at all but I'm taking full responsibility for this so sneaky, overprotective parent: no, you can't sue Mr. Logsdon. Regardless, Betches Love This is a hilarious blog-type site that so far is unknown enough that it hasn't been blocked on the school wifi (score!) It reminds me vaguely of Gossip Girl in its sass and often blatant classism. But it is just self-deprecating enough to not make everyone enraged. This piece about "white privilege" is actually really insightful:

 http://www.betcheslovethis.com/article/a-note-to-the-princeton-white-privilege-kid

4) Bastille. Okay, so now that "Pompeii" has had its run on Top 40 radio most people know about Bastille, but for the record I totally knew last summer that they were going to make it big. Here are a few of their songs you might not have heard yet:

Oblivion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-_H54mydE

Laura Palmer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eEa12J6oVY

5) Clueless. I just watched this move for the first time the other day and I absolutely LOVED it. It's witty, hilarious, and endearing at the same time. An absolutely iconic movie. I personally think it rivals Mean Girls. And how can you not love Cher:

Assignment 23- Olivia Dixon

As fly as the Dixons may be, we prefer to drive. Whether it’s a 1 & ½ hour trip to Lebanon, Kentucky or a 16 hour travel to Orlando, Florida, my parents will blast an array of 80s rock…and a splash of Disney. The following playlist is perfect if you ever want to re-live a Dixon road trip.

1. Livin’ on a Prayer- Bon Jovi. Road trips usually begin with Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album, which includes this song. It starts with a strange talk box effect which gets us all excited for the trip. Knowing we’re embarking on a 13 hour long trip to Panama City Beach, it’s nice to establish this positive energy.

2. Come Sail Away- Styx. Since it’s talking about a journey, this song helps everyone realize the potential of the next few days.

3. Hakuna Matata- Lion King Sountrack. I admit, totally random, but the Dixons specialize in random. One time we were stuck in awful Atlanta traffic so we rolled down the windows and started singing this song with the people in neighboring vehicles. It definitely helped pass the time and make traffic more bearable.

4. Wheel in the Sky- Journey. Another song with a deep meaning that we like because the chorus is catchy.

5. Carry On- Kansas. By the time this song is played, the majority of my family is asleep or we’re in desperate need of more snacks and a bathroom break.

10+ hours may seem like a lot of time to spend in a moving vehicle (especially with your family), but catchy songs like these make the time fly! (It also gives my parents a chance to relive the 80s and us kids a chance to reminisce our Disney-centered childhoods).

Blog 26: Kelsey Halbert

Overall I liked this class. English has never been my strong suit, especially writing, but I feel like my writing has gotten better over the time period of this class. I liked the class congresses, people actually had meaningful input instead of putting pointless comments on turnitin.com for a grade. Honestly, the socratic seminars were pointless to this class. Also, you should spend less time on the analytical essay and more time on the argument and synthesis essays. I understand that there were many snow days, but I felt a little weaker on those two essay because we had written less. During the musical, you seemed to have a little trouble balancing out the musical and school. I love you, but sometimes you make comments that are unnecessary and rude. That didn't happen often, though. Overall you're a good teacher and a really nice person. I have to admit, I did enjoy this class and it was a nice way to end the day.

Assignment 24--Angela Maske

The entirety of my junior can probably be summed up by three Ps: procrastination, persistence, and pain. I'm not sure whether I'm really joking about this...I think it's actually true for the most part. In some respects, I bit off more than I could chew this year. On the other hand, I spent a lot of time putting things off and watching Netflix. Perhaps it was a combination of these two aforementioned factors that ensured that, throughout the year, I was constantly stressed and always had something on my mind or at the very least in the back of my mind. No, junior year wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, especially first semester, but I can really feel myself losing stamina at this point. Frankly, I'm ready to be done and have a fresh start. As far as summer plans go, I will be in China completing a service project for two weeks and then I will be attending Governor's Scholars Program at Bellarmine. And then shortly after I'll probably be procrastinating on college apps....but honestly I just want to be in college already. Junioritis is already progressing into senioritis...please call a doctor.

Assignment 22- Olivia Dixon

If I could be any fictional character, I would be Zoey Brooks from Zoey 101. First off, she goes to a co-ed boarding school in Southern California where the weather is always warm and sunny. Her parents send her a weekly allowance (which I would probably spend on a giant jar of gummy bears, like her little brother did). She rides around campus on a hot pink Jet-X scooter and stays in touch with people using her super cool Tech-mate. What I envy the most about Zoey is her polka-dot room key. JUST KIDDING. While her key is cuter than most, I really love Zoey’s friend group. Chase, Dana, Michael, Lola, Nicole, and all her other quirky friends/acquaintances make every day an adventure at PCA. Zoey is sporty, spunky, and a natural leader which is why she has no problem rallying support for anything she wants to do. She is also creative which is seen through her backpack and clothing designs (the first Monogram Meredith, anyone?). Basically, Zoey’s life rox. Sushi Rox.

Blog 25: Kelsey Halbert

I am SO ready for summer. I can't wait to have absolutely nothing to do. This is the best way to spend your summer, because you can make spontaneous plans. One day, Kaylyn and I decided to go buy a bunch of water balloons, fill them up, and take them to the park and have a water balloon fight. Another day, I randomly picked up Cassadi and we probably went and done something really pointless and stupid (my specialty). There were some days where I literally just stayed in bed all day and watched Netflix. This summer, I do have a few things planned. At the end of June I plan on going to a music festival with Matt and his brother. I also have to go to a traffic diversion program to get the speeding ticket that I got a few weeks ago off of my record. The point is, living a structured lifestyle isn't always the best life to live. It's understandable during the school year to keep ahold of good grades, but during the summer you should run free like an antelope when it first senses a predator (bad simile but idrc).

Assignment 21- Olivia Dixon

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe…

A girl is starting to piece things together. She has come to the realization that there is a reason behind every action.

She is starting to understand that the “boy-crazy” girl in her history class simply needs a guy for validation. The shy girl down the street wears too much make-up to mask her insecurities. Her best friend harms herself because she feels like she’ll never live up to her “perfect” sibling. The boy that annoyingly cheated on his Spanish test today had a swim meet the night before and had no time to study. The girl that parties every weekend has lived a sheltered life and needs to have fun. The “grumpy” Kroger cashier is mistreated by every other customer. The “weird” girl who always has her nose in a book looks to fiction to escape her harsh reality.

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe…

A girl is realizing that it is far more important to understand, than to be understood.