Last Blog

 

I believe this is the last blog of the year! In honor of the ending school year and the beginning of the summer this blog is a list of five things to do to make this summer awesome:

1. Camping:

One of the most traditional things to do during the summer. S'mores, hotdogs, and fireworks are a must when it comes to camping!

Perhaps for the first time I'll go 'real' camping. Real as in camping in a tent, outside, all night.

2. Make Ice Cream:

Ice cream is delicious on its own, but its even better if you make it yourself. Here's a link to a great recipe. Don't forget to experiment with cool flavors like!

3. Garden:

Though gardening can seem really complicated and complex, it's actually a very easy way to keep yourself busy and productive during the summer. It can also be a great way to make a healthy snack! Here's a link to help you start a garden.

4. A Photo Album:

Creating a photo album is a great way to remember your summer for years to come. It can also help you build on your creativity.

5. Get Outside:

Though camping is a great way to be outdoors, for those of us who are weary of sleeping outside, hiking, swimming in a lake, geocaching, and riding a bike are all great ways to get outside and enjoy the fresh and warm summer air.

 

    So everyone, please have a great (and as always, safe) summer! 



Washington, D.C.

I can honesty say that traveling to Washington, D.C. with A.P. US History was one of the best trips I have ever been on. Not only did I learn a ton about United States history in general, but I also became inspired by the art and history of our nation.


I was going to upload pictures of the trip onto this blog, but my phone and computer are being un-compromisable, so I'll just use my keen story telling skills instead.


Going to Washington was like stepping into a time warp. Often you could be standing somewhere and one side there would be a ivory colored, roman-inspired, building or monument that existed hundreds of years ago, a building that our founding fathers entered or a monument that has been built in admiration of them. On the other side of you there were modern day skyscrapers made of black glass, black metal, and accompanied with roof top gardens. They were completely reflective, almost as though the office buildings themselves were admiring their elder counterparts.


You cannot describe how it feels to stand in front of history.


It was indescribable, the way I felt when I first saw the Lincoln memorial. Being in there on the steep steps to the monument, feeling the history of Abraham Lincoln, there are not words for that feeling. Turning around and looking towards the Washington Monument and seeing its reflection in the lake, there are not words for that either. You can see them everyday in books, magazines, or on TV, but there is nothing like seeing them with your own two eyes, feeling them with your hands, and experiencing them with your heart.


History is incredibly powerful. Experiencing history is indescribable. Being part of history is unforgettable.

Studying

This week puts us A.P. students at about a month out from the big test. Its hard to believe that the test is approaching so quickly and it's even harder to comprehend all of the knowledge we, as students, have gained in the past few months. For students such as myself, the idea of taking this test is both a point of pride and anxiety. Pride because I've made it so far. Anxiety because it's not quite over yet. In preparation for the big day I've been researching effective ways to study. After learning about studying I decided to write my blog on it in order to share some of these study ideas with other A.P. students.


First I learned that studying is much simpler if you know your learning style. There are three different learning styles; auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. They're are many ways to figure out your learning style, the simplest being to look back on classes where you found the information easy to 'absorb', although, the most accurate could be taking an online test. Once you figure out your learning style, tailor your study sessions to that style. It will make the studying easier and quicker.


Another essential aspect to studying successfully is to create a strong study plan. No matter if you're studying for an A.P. test or a weekly vocabulary test, time management could very well be the most important part of your study plan. It is suggested that students keep a calendar or agenda of each of their test dates (amongst other parts of their academic life) and plan out specific times to study for each test.


Motivation is the third part to being a successful studier. Pessimism towards a test, or a subject in general, will not make you a successful student and can negatively effect your test grades.


Figure out the best way for you to concentrate. For me, I concentrate best in a dim and quite room. Other people like to study outdoors, with music playing, or with white-water noise. Try different methods of concentration to see which one helps you best.


I hope that some of these study ideas will help you study for your upcoming A.P. exams, finals, or other test. Good luck!

Let's Get Organized!

The past few weeks have absolutely flow by. They have been some of the best weeks, but I have also found myself struggling to accomplish school work while fighting exhaustion.

It’s really my own fault, I know that I pile my plate high with activities, but it’s piled high with things I really enjoy. (I’m also forgetful and sometimes disorganized. Whoops.)

So I’m currently trying to organize all of the things I have going on (starting with doing this late blog. Whoops, again). Why blog about organization? Because I know I’m not the only student who struggles with disorganization. Many of the students reading this blog are involved in many high-level classes and extracurricular activities, which piled one on top of the other, can be very overwhelming!

Now I’m on an organization-kick. I’ve cleaned out my room. I’ve organized my pile of papers. I’ve even organized all of the stuff on my phone (take a look at all the stuff you have on your phone, you might be surprised, I was!) Maybe, tomorrow, if I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll even clean my locker!

But why organize? Well, Gretchen Rubin once said that outer order contributes to inner calm, and I really think she must be right. Since I’ve become more organized, I feel less overwhelmed, and even less stressed. Knowing where things are is truly stress relieving. I even have a deep feeling of self-satisfaction; I’m proud that I was able to organize my things so successfully. Maybe it’s a silly way to feel, but that’s where I’m at with organization. That’s not to say my pile of papers won’t be back next week, but at least now I know I have a good organized foundation to lay the bricks of my busy life on, it’s a great self-security!

10 spring things

So winter is FINALY, coming to an end (hopefully), and after this bitterly long winter, I’m happy to find that it’s almost over. It’s funny how winter starts out so wonderful, clean snow and absolute silence, and ends in a muddy, raining, weather tantrum that can’t come quick enough.

Luckily for me, I enjoy the rain and the smell of mud after it rains, so spring is my second favorite season (beaten only by the absolute beauty of fall). There’s just something fresh about spring. Not fresh as in clean-laundry-fresh, but fresh after walking up from a long wintery hibernation.

Unfortunately for our area, there isn’t usually too much down time between our bitterly white winters and our bitterly sweltering summers. Because of this, we should all take careful attention in the next few weeks to enjoy spring while it lasts!

 

So to make sure we experience all spring has to offer, I created a list of wonderful things to do during this season:

1. The Rain

Now that spring is arriving, there will be less snow (with any luck that is). And the rain is also wonderfully smelling and makes the world fresh

 

2.The Temperature

The beginning of spring also means warmer temperatures. Warmer temperatures mean no more snow! (Yay!)

 

3.Colors

Without snow we don’t have to live in a tunnel of endless white and grey. Green grass, blue skies, pick trees, yellow flowers, etc.

4.Sounds

Spring is full of so many wonderful sounds. The snow dripping of your roof, water running in the creek by…

 

5.Smells

The smell of rain, the smell of flowers, the smell of fresh grass, the smell of mud, of its all so great!

6.Buds on the trees

Easily one of the most beautiful pats of spring; the pick buds on all the trees! They don’t last long though! So enjoy them every year while the last!

 

7.Birds

Though the chirping early on a Saturday morning might not be everyone’s favorite thing, they are so wonderful because they are a sign of the waking world. 


8. Being outside again


It’s so nice to be able to be outside without four layers, a hate, scarf, gloves, and lead-heavy winter boots! Warm weather also means a time to start long walks outside!


9.Easter

Easter is a great holiday to spend time with your family. It’s been a few months since all those winter holidays, so seeing your distant-er family will be great! Bunnies are also completely adorable!

 

10. Longer days

And lastly, longer days! Although day light saving is seriously awful, it doesn’t make our warm days longer and lighter!

All in all, don’t forget to enjoy this spring, it won’t last forever!