Anyone Out There?

Does anyone still post?

....anyone?...

"Success is a constant, but time is a variable"

             The documentary our group watched en masse was The Lottery. The movie follows four families anxiously waiting to hear if their children have been accepted into Harlem Success Academy, the local charter school. This type of school is lottery based, highly prestigious, and has an extremely high success rate. According to Eva Moskowitz, the school's founder, 100% of Harlem's students pass their final exams. This is due to the rigorous curriculum and strict attendance policy producing results that are envied by many local charter and public schools. These schools are wonderful, however, they have one flaw: not everyone is accepted. Since there are only a limited amount of spots available for students, some must be rejected. You cannot buy or beg your way in; you must be lucky. This is a substantial point made in our book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. You must be born in the right location, into the right family, and in the right school system. You have to be lucky to get in education and be successful in life. According to Gladwell, there is no such thing as a self-made outlier, you have to be lucky and grasp the opportunities that come your way. In his book, Gladwell mentions the KIPP School. This school is similar to Harlem Success Academy in regards to the rigor of the curriculum and strict policies. Also, they both use the lottery system for accepting students. The results of these two types of school are the same- the students enter this schooling performing below their grade level, and graduate and attend college.
               Many types of appeals were used in this video. Logos was the one most evident; startling statistics were flashed across the screen many times. Included in these statistics were facts about low graduation rates and high success rates of schools. Since the movie followed real families, I, as a viewer, became emotionally concerned when they faced challenges and rejection. I also was elated when two of the four families were accepted into this prestigious school system.

The End is Just Another Beginning

As 2010 comes to an end, I can say that it was a great year. I got my license and a car- the ticket to independence, and a job that I love. For many, myself included, this was a year for growing up; taking on new responsibilities, planning for college, and managing schoolwork and spare time. A year is only 365 days, not really THAT much time, but think of all that has changed in your life since this time last year. Probably a lot. We have gained new friends, had different experiences, maybe learned a few life lessons. Now think about this time next year: anxiety of college applications, many people already have received their acceptance letter, Mo Pro, as well as many other pressures. We have 365 chances to have a good day in a year; make the most of it. So here's to 2011: let's make it a fun and successful year!


Happy New Year everyone!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love winter break- any sort of break, for that matter. We get 11 days off to do whatever it is our hearts desire. So far, my time has been great! To kick off the beginning of break, my friend hosted a Christmas party where we exchanged white elephant gifts. I ended up with a scuba diver toy and a stuffed llama made out of real llama fur. His name is Kevin. On Thursday, I finally saw the first part of Harry Potter 7 and Inception; both were awesome. Friday and Saturday were spent with my family, celebrating Christmas. I love the holiday season, but I think my cat might enjoy it more- he spent the whole day entertaining himself with his new toys (skunk and squirrel kitty toys and a laser pen). I reignited my old hobby addiction of Xbox and dabbled with some FIFA '06. I kick it old school with the original game system and the first of the Halo series. So no, I do not play Live. At this point, winter break has been enjoyable. I hope everyone else's has been, as well! I'm off to update my passport now.

Rings

C.S. Lewis' speech basically defined high school cliques. Here, they are omnipresent; you can't deny that. It is clear when walking through the halls of WHS- the lockerbanks are packed with students and their tight-knit groups chattering away in C wing between classes. If you were to walk up to a random person at school, it would be a rare occasion to not find that they were part of a clique. I mean, this IS high school. Teenagers do form close groups with "rings"as C.S. Lewis calls it. To get to the innermost ring, you have to warm up to the people who have already achieved that- just make them like you. Once you've been "accepted", you're in. Face it, we've all done it a little bit. We do it because we know what it feels like to be on the inside and the outside- and the inside is typically preferred.

JK Rowling Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkREt4ZB-ck&feature=related

JK Rowling rocks! I like how she included humor in her speech to connect with the audience, as well as get her message across clearly.

Delicious

Delicious: pleasing, especially to the taste.
Adjective- This chicken curry tastes delicious.
Origin: 1250–1300; ME < OF < LL dēliciōsus,  equiv. to L dēliciae  delight + -ōsus -ous

Tasty: good-tasting.
Adjective- I think chocolate is tasty.
Origin: 1610–20; taste + -y¹
Toothsome: pleasing, desirable, attractive
Adjective- Did you see the toothsome shoes on that lady?
Origin: 1545–55; tooth + -some¹

Flavorful: full of flavor, tasty
Adjective- The shrimp is not very flavorful.
Origin: 1925–30; flavor + -ful

Scrumptious: pleasing to senses, splendid
Adjective- He makes the most scrumptious cookies on Earth.
Origin: 1820–30; perhaps an alternative of sumptuous

Delectable: delightful, highly pleasing, enjoyable, delicious, an appealing item of food
Adjective- My mom's lasagna is quite delectable.
Noun- The table was covered in delectables.
Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L dēlectābilis  delightful, equiv. to dēlectā ( re ) to delight (freq. of dēlicere  to entice) + -bilis -ble

Appetizing: appealing, tempting, savory
Adjective- The school's mystery meat did not look very appetizing.
Origin: 1645–55; appet(ite) + -ize + -ing² , as trans. of F appétissant

Savory: agreeable in taste or smell, a British appetizer or dessert
Adjective- Sweet and savory chicken is my favorite
Noun- Zac made a great savory to bring to the picnic.
Origin: 1175–1225; ME savori  ( see savor, -y¹ ); r. ME savure  < OF savoure,  ptp. of savourer  to savor
Palatable: acceptable taste, agreeable to the mind or feelings
Adjective- We can all agree that the roast duck yesterday evening was palatable.
Origin: 1660–70; palate + -able

Mouthwatering: very appetizing in appearance, aroma, flavor
Adjective- The smell of my pierogi is mouthwatering!
Origin: 1815–25

Tasteful: displaying good taste in style or food
Adjective- The room was decorated tastefully.
Origin: 1605–15; taste + -ful