Active Learning

I cannot count on my hands how many times I have not fully grasped a topic in school because it was very boring to learn about. Honestly, when we first got the assignment to read about Rwanda I thought… another boring topic. I changed my mind yesterday at about 2:00. The idea of learning about a topic in an active debate is brilliant. It forces everyone to be active and know what they’re talking about. Blaming people for the Rwandan genocide was really exciting and I liked watching everyone's faces when they were asked to respond to a hard question. I am sure many had a laugh watching me try to comprehend some of the things I was asked.
Although it went very well for our first debate, there were a few things everyone, including myself, would agree could have gone better.
First off, it would have been better if I had some more intelligent questions to ask. It was very nice watching the RPF and the “dead” Juvenal battle it out because it really seemed like they knew what they were talking about. Also, I wish we had more time in our groups to help each other out in the questions and intros we came up with.
First time, first pancake… none of us knew what to expect so I am pretty positive to say that our next debate will be even better!

G is for Genocide

In any situation there are always many different directions in which you can point the blame. No conflict starts without a bunch of different sources added to it. In regards to the Rwandan genocide of 1994, more than 800,000 lives were lost, but in my opinion there isn't just one group to blame. Though, I could say one major group to blame was the Interahamwae. There could have been fighting in Rwanda, but the Interahamwae is what caused it to be genocide. These live probably would have not been lost if they hadn't existed.
You could just point the blame at them, but you could go farther back and blame the MRND. They are the ones who organized the Interahamwae and brainwashed them into killing the innocent people. Farther back than that, you could blame Juvenal Habyarimana for creating the MRND in the first place.
So as you can see, no matter who you want to blame for something, you can always look farther back and find something that cause them to do what they did. In such an event no one is innocent. Instead of everyone blaming each other for causing the genocide in Rwanda, the problem could have been easily solved if everyone would have just taken responsibility for their part in it.

The American Scholar

Emerson"s argument in "The American Scholar" about American society still holds true today.
One reason Emerson's argument still holds true today is people are becoming specialized and focused on only their job. By doing this, they are not becoming the diverse American that we need in regards to their job, in this world. Emerson says, "The fable implies that the individual, to posses himself, must sometimes return from his own labor to embrace all the other laborers." In essence, that one should not only know about their job, but sometimes they should care about other jobs and have more than one specialty. For example, if we as students only learned about one field of knowledge, such as science, we would never learn how to read, write, or apply math to our science skills. Therefore, it would make us less diverse in the real world. Not only are people becoming less diverse in the job industry, but they are also not relying on their own brain to think.

Imagine if everyone in America had the same opinions about everything. There would be one flavor ice cream, no arguments about anything, one T.V. show everyone liked, or only Coke and no Pepsi. This would cause a huge problem in our society because there would be no variety. This is another reason Emerson's argument still holds true. People are relying on other peoples opinion and not varying enough in their thinking. Emerson relates this to being a "parrot of other mans thinking." So if that is all we do, rely on other peoples opinions and only widen our thinking to one subject, how can we become a diverse and educated population that this country needs to compete with others?

I Want Candy

The candy part of Halloween never meant much to me. I really liked the dressing up part, but I knew the next day, my pillowcase of candy would be gone. My mom took it as free candy she could hand out to her customers the next day. Even though I never got to eat much of it there are always some great houses that have a selection of all my favorite candies.

5 best :)


1. Reese's peanut butter cups:
Salty and sweet mixed together is like heaven on earth in my opinion. The two flavors mixed together will ignite your taste buds and never leave you unsatisfied. On every Halloween I immediately go through my bag and find all the ones I have got that night. There has never been a Halloween where I have not indulged on this creation of a perfect candy.

2. Payday

Yet again the creation of a perfect sweet and salty candy. (You can probably tell that I am obsessed with salt and sweet mixtures)The caramel and the salty nuts combine in harmony to create a great treat for Halloween. They picked a perfect name for this candy because that first bite really does feel as great as getting paid.

3. Hersey’s chocolate bar- ONLY frozen or with almonds
I will only eat Hersey’s chocolate on two conditions:
First, if it is frozen and secondly, if it contains almonds.
Frozen Hersey’s can really hit the spot when you’re craving chocolate. If it’s just at regular temperature. the chocolate tastes gross and fake. On the other hand, when you freeze it, it automatically becomes good enough to obtain the #3 spot on my best candies list. Yet, when you throw some almonds in there... it could get bumped up to #2 on the best Halloween candy list.

4. Milk Duds:
The eating part of this candy is not the part that is best. Eating them is hard and breaks your teeth. The best part of Milk Duds is the after taste. When I am at a movie and I get Milk Duds the best part is that 2 or 3 can go a long way. The caramel and chocolate get stuck in your teeth therefore, creating an endless gooeyness in your mouth for quite a while. Also, when you first bite into it, and all the chocolate gets shaved off, is heavenly.

5. Starbursts:

There is that moment after you frantically sprint around your neighborhood, when the rewarding tast of chocolate just doesnt hit the spot. Thats where Starburst roll in. Starbursts are juciy and full of flavor. There perfect for a fruity treat on Halloween, when you need a refreshing candy.

The Best of Everything

In my opinion, living in Michigan is the most rewarding thing. Why? The answer is in our seasons. Not many other states have the luxury of living in fall, spring, summer, and winter. I know to some of us think having to go through three months of torturous winter, but on the bright side, at least its not 12 months of winter.

Another positive is that we get to go shopping four times a year! In Florida, they pretty much wear shorts, tank tops, and bathing suits. Here in Michigan we can make fashion statements all year long, whether were in short sleeves or sweaters.

Do you remember the first couple weeks of school, when the heat was unbearable and our classrooms were sticky and sweaty? People living in the south have that all year round! In my opinion winter is God's air conditioner. I would not be able to learn if I was trapped in a hot school all day.

In Michigan we are never restricted to just one activity throughout the year. Our days never get boring and our seasons play a part in that. If we lived in just a summer climate, the good thing is that we would be tan all year. The bad things are that we could only swim all year and probably all get skin cancer and die. Don't you think swimming with your friend’s everyday would be boring? Also, its not like we would have summer vacation all year long. We would still have to go to school in the blistering heat.

Then there’s winter. Living in just a winter climate zone would be horrible as well. Yes, we could go sledding every day, but it would get boring after a while. Just going up and down the same hill over and over again. Also we would be able to drink a lot of hot chocolate,(my favorite drink :)) but having our "summer vacation" in winter wouldn’t be too pleasant.

Spring and fall add to the mix as well. They happen to be my favorite seasons. I could not imagine the months of September, October, and November without cider mills, red and orange leaves, crisp autumn nights cheering under the lights for football. I could also not imaging the months of March, April, and May without blooming flowers, rainy days in my rain boots, and school coming to an end in some of the most perfect weather.

I understand that people have their opinions about seasons and some people would rather live in the blistering heat or in the shivering cold. Why not choose Michigan though? You get to experience many seasonal activities, and you’ll always have at least 3 months of your favorite season.

Peace for Obama

I was surprised when I heard that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, although I do not believe it was a mistake. Obama has worked very hard to claim his name and be the best he can be. I think the fact that he is trying to solve many of the world problems at once is a good thing. Most people will say that he will not accomplish much during his time as president, but I believe his eagerness towards these issues will overall help America in the end. According to the article, Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize on Newser he won the award "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." This is particularly referring to his activity with Iran's nuclear power plant.

I believe that it is great that Obama is trying to promote peace throughout the world. He is committed to the problem that this world has no room in it for nuclear weapons. I am a little confused though because it seems like Obama is too intensely worried about Iran getting nukes, rather then fixing the problems with the nukes we already have in this world.

Another thing Obama is doing to promote peace is he is bringing together countries to discuss world issues we are having today and in my opinion that is what the world needs. They need to come together and fix the worlds, as one instead of fixing them their selves, because we are all responsible for what happens to the world. Just as in America we need to all come together as Americans, not Republicans and Democrats...etc., and fix problems such as healthcare. Together we can do anything instead of just having to opposing sides in one country.

Since Obama won the peace prize because of what his plans are for the future, I think it puts a ton of pressure on him in the years to come. Everyone is already upset that he won the award for something he never did, so imagine the reaction people would have if he did not accomplish his goals. For example, lets say Obama never fixed the problems in the Middle East, or Iran got nuclear weapons. I could imagine people getting very angry at the Nobel Prize commitie for giving him the peace prize.

Overall I think if Obama succeeds in the future it will be great for our country. Him winning the peace prize will be motivational for him to do well because I don’t think he wants to fail in front of the whole world.

Change of Plans...

I woke up that morning with the intention I would be going to school that day. The whole school was pumped because we just had to get through one more day of school and then we would finally have thursday off for conferences. So here I am lying in my bed at 6:00 in the morning, upset that I have to get out of my bed and go to school. After a long time staring at my closet I finally decide to wear jeans and my cheerleading warm up jacket. I usually hate wearing jeans because sweatpants are much more comfortable, but sometimes I just grin and bear it and wear jeans.

I then spent a half hour doing my make up and hair. It was 7:00 and I was running late on time so I pretty much shoveled my cereal down my throat. My moms voice yelling at me to hurry up was ringing in my ears. Now I had a new problem.... I could not find my left shoe anywhere. After 5 minutes of searching I found it in my dogs cage. After getting my shoe on and sprinting up the stairs so I could go get my jacket I finally got into my car. Then my mom insisted that the dog was going to die if he didn't go outside to pee right this instant. So after the dog did he business my mom got into the car and we were on our way.

At this point it was 7:12 and that was a later time than usual for my mom and I to leave my house. We usually leave at 7:05 so that my mom has enough time to drive me to school and then drive my younger brother to Holmes Middle School. She was in a very bad mood that morning. I was guessing it was cause we were running late and she was worried she was going to be late for my brother. The ride down Levan road was longer than usual. It reminded me of when I force myself to go running on days when I am not in the mood, and 7 mile seems to go on forever and It seems like days before I get to the intersection.

So we're driving down 6 mile, and nobody is in the left hand turn lane. Usually that lane is packed with anxious teenager trying to get a good spot in the morning. Then I look over and nobody is parked in the parking lot. I was so confused! My mom keeps driving and all the lights in the school are out as well. "Are you sure that conferences are not today?" My mom asked. "No mom, I'm not that dumb, "I tell my mom. "I am positive that we have school today!" My mom turned on the AM radio and sure enough there is a report for school closings that says, Livonia Stevenson High School is closed because of a power outage. I was so upset that I woke up for nothing. It took me so long to get into the mindset that I was going to have to go to school, and then it was cancelled. The only good thing was that now we had two days off in a row!

--- :) gabby

Underclassmen Anxiety

RRRRRIIIIIIIIPPPPPPP!!!!!!! Well, that’s never a good sound, I thought to myself. As I stood up from my embarrassing slip, I looked down and saw a huge rip in my pants staring back at me. I felt like I was in a silent movie. I could see everyone laughing but, I couldn’t hear a sound because my heart was pounding so loud. It was all because someone had spilled some water. So now I had to walk around with a wet backside and a hole in my brand new jeans. As I scurried to my locker, attempting to conceal my rip, the bell started to ring, and it sounded exactly like my alarm clock. At that very second, it hit me! It really was my alarm clock! Was this all just a dream? I glanced over at my clock and saw that it was still September 8th: 5:45am. So I hit the snooze button, took a deep breath, and attempted to fall back asleep.

I finally came to the realization that I had to wake up. When I turned on my light, I immediately went blind, which made me trip over a pile of dirty laundry. Luckily there was no rip this time. I was so grateful that I had spent the previous week constantly stressing about my outfit choice, because now I didn’t have to worry about picking out an outfit, while I was half asleep. I put on my clothes and shoveled my cereal down my throat. My carpool was beeping uncontrollably so I grabbed my bag, and ran out the door.

Walking into the school and seeing the hallways over-jammed with 2500 students was a very unfamiliar sight to me! I was so accustomed to the 900 shrimpy kids at Holmes Middle School, where even at 5'2”, I would completely forget how short I was. Now, I felt like a tourist standing next to the Eiffel tower, looking up. I quickly walked to my locker and put my lunch in. After becoming startled by the two-minute bell, I thought

I was going to be late to my class! You know those gray-haired, old ladies you see walking super fast around the malls in their outdated Air Walk shoes? That’s what I felt like as I zoomed to the end of D hall.

As I passed through the door and found my seat, I finally felt relaxed. Now I could relate to why underclassmen have all this anxiety. There are so many legends about the first day of high school that get us all hyped up and nervous, when really, its unlikely to happen. My first hour flew by and when I found out that I already had homework on the first day, I said, “It’s going to be a long four years”, to my friend sitting next to me.