10 things I am thankful for...

Thanksgiving is a time for just that: giving thanks for the things in life that are meaningful to you. Some of the most meaningful things to me are...

1.My Mom- My mom is someone who is always caring and looking out for everyone else. She never has an unkind word to say about anyone, and she always is giving. She is the rock that I lean on for support and the glue that holds my family together.

2.My Dad- My dad is a hardworking and virtuous man. He believes in working for your goals and always being persistent. He is one of my role models in life; aways providing a good example.

3.My Sister, Jillian- Jillian is honestly one of my best friends. She is two and a half years younger than me, but she is still really easy to relate to. I can always talk to her about my problems and count on her to cheer me up.

4.My Sister, Madelyn- Madelyn is like my own personal comedian. She is always telling complex and funny jokes and stories. Madelyn is six and a half years younger than me, but I never mind having her around.

5.My Brother, Jack- Jack is the "baby" of the family even though he is almost six years old. He is very much like Madelyn in the fact that he cracks me up. If I am ever bored, all I need to do is go find Jack.

6.My home- I am beyond grateful to have a warm and sheltering house to come home to every day after school. In this economy, you must be thankful for any chance you have, which makes me all the more thankful for a home. This also makes me thankful for my dad's job.

7.My Friends- I am very appreciative for all the people in my life, including my wonderful friends. Family can only go so far and when all else fails, I turn to some of my best friends. They make me smile and always help with problems.

8.My Faith- The world is never going to be perfect, and we all need a "reason" to live. Belief in God, for me, makes up a huge part of who I am. Not just at church do I try to be a good Catholic, I try to bring my values into every aspect of my life and when I do, things always work out.

9.My Country and Those Who Serve It- I am very proud to be an American and to have all the rights that come with that status. I am also very proud of all those who serve our country, like the Armed Forces, Humanitarian groups, and police and firemen. Those who put themselves in harm's way for the sake of others deserve to be thanked for all they do to protect us.

10.I am thankful that my mom would go out of her way to take me to New Moon and then sit through the entire movie just because she knew how much I wanted to see it. That sentence says it all, and yet I am still extremely grateful.

Old Friends, New Friends
Because I went to a private school last year, every single one of my friends went to Ladywood, St. Frances Cabrini, Brother Rice, or Catholic Central High School. Only I and one other student out of the eighth grade went to Stevenson, but I don’t have any classes with him, so I felt very alone coming here. I thankfully knew some students from Holmes that I had played sports with, and they were a relief to see when I walked into a few of my classes. I was still feeling kind of lost when I met a load of new friends in my Global Ed. classes. Batool, Katerina, Madison, and Kelly are now who I eat lunch with every day and I’m really glad to have met them.
SHS Activities Attended
Almost every activity I have attended for Stevenson had to do with Cross Country. I have been to every meet, boys and girls, and almost every team dinner or team activity night for the entire season. I think that this is a great thing to do, though, because I have met some of the nicest people I think I will ever meet while running. My teammates are just great people overall and are really nice to know when I’m lost for what to do.
Funniest Moment
One of the most hilarious things I have ever witnessed in my entire life was the Fortune Cookie Incident. At lunch one day, my friend Madison brought a very stale fortune cookie to eat. I don’t think she knew it was stale, though, because when she broke off a piece and took a bite, her face went white and contorted like she’d bit a lemon. We started laughing at her reaction, but that was just the beginning. She forced my friend Batool to try a piece, but she tried it while Madi was drinking red juice. Batool made a disgusted face and Madi laughed and choked so hard that the juice came out her nose. If you see a red stain on one of the tables, now you know.
Easiest, Hardest Class and Assignments
So far, my classes haven’t been too hard, but they haven’t been blow-offs. Spanish was kind of hard at first mostly because I had not spoken it in more than a year, but it’s clicking now. I really like my Global Ed classes, but they do have a LOT of writing. Biology is challenging, but also rewarding. I’m definitely thinking about the world in a new way every time I walk out of that class. Finally I have Geometry. I really like Mrs. Knechtel, she explains math in a way that makes it sound somewhat human-relevant.
Top Five Current Events
Uno- President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Personally, I have no idea why. Not to be rude, but he hasn’t really done anything. I know a lot of other people disapproved of this little tidbit also. Dos- Iran went nuclear. Secret uranium refinery plants were found underground in Iran, thought to be being used to make nuclear weapons. They denied it of course, but I think they are hiding something…something big. Tres- LPS budget cuts mean big problems. We lost $7.7 million in funding this year alone when Jennifer Granholm vetoed part of the statewide school budget. Cuatro- Arti is the new “oldest” ancestor of human beings. She lived a full million years before Lucy, but she is just now making some huge waves. Cinco- The 2016 Olympics are going to be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. We were close, but not close enough.
Faces in the News
~Sonia Sotomayor is the newest Supreme Court Justice, and the very first Hispanic to hold this position. ~Khadaffi is the leader of Libya in Africa, but the whole world was talking about him when he made some controversial comments at the United Nations meeting. ~President Barack Obama has constantly been in the spotlight for a number of things: the Peace Prize, Health Care reform, and the worrisome economy.
Interesting New Words
It may not be relevant to the rest of these exhilarating topics, but even though we were given a diverse group of words to study, they will not assimilate into my thoughts! It’s an enigma to me why these words will not stick, I study and I study but it just seems futile. In a subtle way these words perturb me, though I try to remain aloof. I guess my vocabulary will just have to be devoid of these un-tangible words.
Popular or Memorable Songs
The ages of disco and funk have long since passed, and now rap and pop are what's "it". Popular artists include Lil Wayne, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Miley Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, 50 cent, Paramore, Rihanna, P!nk, and many more. Currently the number one song on the charts is "Down" by Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne. Following close behind are "Whatcha Say" by Jason DeRulo and "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus.
Popular or Memorable Movies
Movies are only getting bigger and bolder, with inflated budgets and sometimes controversial themes. Nonetheless, moviegoers are still flooding box offices and making the movie industry a very successful one. One of the biggest movies of the year was Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. At $402.077 million, Transformers was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Close behind in revenue were the movies Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Up, with a combined total of $593 million.
Rumors and Gossip
Rumors are going around Stevenson that with the now effective budget cuts for LPS, a lot of popular programs are going to get cut. Some often brought up points are Equestrian Club, some foreign language clubs, and possibly some sports. Who's going to get the axe? The students may never know...for now.
Fads and Trends
One trend that is very popular is in women's fashion. Plaid and flannel shirts are the new must-have. I personally don't mind this clothing trend, though, because the shirts are comfy and, when done right, very cute. I very much prefer this trend to past fads, I mean, did you see when neon was the "thing" to have? It's still big (shudder) but at least it's dying down.
First Cultural Event
For my first cultural event, I attended Stevenson's showing of the movie: Invisible Children. It was about the injustices and horror going on in Uganda, and the children that seem to be so overlooked, so invisible. I presented my project as a speech, and even though I got a little emotional at the end, I still did well and informed some people that maybe didn't know what was going on.
Homecoming
I had planned at first to go to the homecoming football game-completely decked out in double blue and white of course-but due to the horrendous weather, I was not permitted to go. My parents were not too keen on letting me go back out in that rain again because of the swine flu scare and because I had just had to run five miles in the freezing rain. Although I couldn't go and cheer on the Spartans, they did wonderfully and beat Churchill in the end.
Advice for a Freshman
There is not too much to say to "prepare" you for high school. It is one of those things that you have to experience for yourself, form your own opinion, and then listen to other people's ideas. I personally am enjoying high school very much, definitely much more than my old school. I love the sense of freedom I have and how diverse and numerous the student body is. I would say to go in with a positive attitude and things will work out on their own.
What I'm Looking Forward to...
Well, right now I'm looking forward to the weekend because of Halloween and sleeping in, but overall, I'm not quite sure about the school year. There is nothing really big that I'm planning for right now, but I'm sure something will pop up and get me excited.
Noteworthy Achievements or Events
Nothing excedingly outstanding yet has happened, but with my limitless capabilities and obvious humbleness, I will achieve anything. One thing does pop to mind when it comes to my athletic abilities, though. Last Thursday our cross country team had a meet at one of the hardest ranked courses in the entire state and I set a new PR, that is, a new personal record. I shattered my old time by eight seconds and came in a very high rank in my set. Proud was an understatement.

American Culture

Culture in America
The American culture is a varied and ever-changing way of defining the American people themselves. We are a group of many talents, nationalities, stories, and beliefs. Some say that there is no certain way to define American culture, because it is so diverse, but I say that the diversity itself is what defines us. Our nation is based on a set of morals and beliefs that diversity should be celebrated, and all should be given the chance to show their own individuality, making ours a nation of freedom and pride in one’s self. We are a loyal people, putting country first with a true spirit of patriotism, and caring for one another when disaster comes our way. Though there are always exceptions to this spirit, I believe that deep in the hearts of almost every American is the “we” attitude that brings us together, as it did in such as the fateful events of September 11. Even though we are sometimes caught up in our own little worlds, it only takes some of the smallest actions to remind us of what we really are: a family in nation, in dreams, and in rights.

My own Culture
Besides the enormous pride I feel in having an American culture, the other traits of my background are very important not only to me, but also to my family. My father’s side of the family is very German (if you couldn’t tell just by looking at my name) with some Southern American roots from my grandmother. My mother’s side of the family, however, is extremely Irish, and very proud of it too. I enjoy learning about both sides of my ancestry, believing that the makeup of my ancestors also defines me. Both of my parents were raised Roman Catholic, and still are, as am I. My faith is very important to me, and governs a lot of decisions I make. Though going to a private, parochial school didn’t really expose me to as much as other kids who went to public school did, culture is always changing, and I am always open to new experiences. I believe that my ethnic and cultural opportunities are always increasing, and there is always room for improvement, so I look forward always to becoming an even more diverse and opinionated individual.