Graduation Speech

School is not easy in any sense at all. It is academically challenging, it is mentally challenging, it is challenging from a time management perspective, and it is most certainly one of the most socially challenging situations that you will ever experience.

From the days leading up to kindergarten to right now, standing here at the end of our final year at District 67, my experience has been packed full of lasting memories. I remember my parents telling me before my first day at Hynes that in kindergarten, you had to raise your hand before you spoke. So naturally, I imagined having a conversation with a new friend but we had to put our hand in the air every time we wanted to speak. Hynes was a dream come to life, full of fun, friends, and learning and discovering something new every day.

In fifth grade, we had a change in scenery. Moving to Golf was a change that I, like kindergarten, approached with enthusiasm and I was anxious to finally begin middle school.

Sixth grade was the first time I got to spend all day every day with my twenty one best friends.

Seventh and eighth grade were when school became difficult and many times stressful. Suddenly, it took effort to make friends and the world seemed to be more judgmental.

But, I got through it. We all did. We were able to conquer middle school, and with it, the world. I don’t think that’s how that works, but that’s definitely what it felt like.

You think these twenty one people are my class, but they are much much more. I cannot possibly describe who they are using actual words. I feel like shouting random gibberish might get a little bit closer to emphasizing the impact we have had on each other, but that’s a little weird so I’ll try the word strategy.

We have been together ever since math switch in first grade and throughout the years, we faced the world together, always together.

We possess a bond unlike any other. We help each other through each and every day. We respect each other. We have intelligent conversations with each other. We make each other laugh. We are able to access each other’s emotions so well that we are able to support each other whenever someone needs help.

These twenty one people are geniuses. They are helpful. They are compassionate. (Hey Mrs. Joyner! Compassionate is a vocab word. It means “to show care and sympathy towards others”.) They are respectful. They are hilarious. They are responsible...ish. JK. Rowling! They are phenomenal. And most of all they are my friends.

Now for the mass of thank yous.

Thank you to Dr. Flores, Ms. Chvojka, and Mrs. Westley. My experience at District 67 would not have been the same without the extraordinary work you do.

Thank you to all of the teachers I have had up until eighth grade. You’ve left me with so many great memories. I remember how excited I was when Mrs. Brandess, formerly Ms. Roos, let me use scissors and glue. I loooooooooved scissors and glue.

I’ll never forget Mrs. Uribe’s songs. “Bumped my head on a piece of cornbread!”

I remember in third grade, Mrs. O’Shaughnessy told us to highlight the important parts of our article about Pluto. I wasn’t really sure how to highlight things yet, and I really liked using my brand new highlighters, so I ended up highlighting the entire page.

I loved using my Mac Bucks in 4th grade.

But most of all, I remember that you were always there for me and set me up for success.

During my time at District 67, there have been a few long term substitute teachers. Thank you to all of them, especially Ms. Tziolas. You had a great impact on us in your short time here. The students at East Prairie are lucky to have you.

To my family, thank you for helping me and supporting me in everything that I do. In fact, when I told my dad I was writing a graduation speech and I wouldn’t show it to him until I finished, he said, “That’s so cool! Well, if you want I’ll help you in any way I can.”

I have realized that the teachers I have had this year have taught me much more than the curriculum they were given, and I will recognize them for that now.

Mrs. Conejo, thank you for teaching us Spanish, and also teaching us that kindness is everything.

Mrs. Maldonado, thank you for teaching us science, and also giving us the opportunity to discover, explore, and learn how the world works and the role that science plays in it.

Mr. Carris, thank you for teaching us social studies, and also showing us how to find the fun side of everything.

Mr. Carro, thank you for teaching us math, and also for teaching us life lessons, making sure we understood everything we could possibly need to know, and finding the punny side of everything.

Mrs. Joyner, thank you for teaching us reading and writing, and also laughing at our jokes, introducing me to Dear Evan Hansen, giving me a gazillion points for all of the vocabulary words I find in my books, recognizing that I frequently use hyperboles, and teaching us a very important lesson that we needed to learn: That it’s okay to be different. Sure, we all focus on not bullying people who have a disability or are of a different race than our own, but nobody has told this to a class of nerdy kids until now. Mrs. Joyner, you made us comfortable in our own skin and made sure to teach us that our awkwardness should be embraced, not hidden.   

You all pushed me to do better and better, and then when I was about to fall from all the pushing, you ran around on the other side and caught me. For that I thank you very much.

Toward the end of this year, I have been asked a few times what advice I would give to younger students, or my past self. I have avoided the question because I needed more time to think, but I came up with the following.

Always do your best. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish. And, for those of you who are like me, remember that you cannot do better than your best. Your best is the best you can do. That’s why it’s called your best. Always persevere and keep trying, even if you don’t succeed the first time.

I would like to close with a few lines from one of my fourteen favorite songs from the musical, “Dear Evan Hansen”, “To Break in A Glove.” It is about how to break in a baseball glove, but I have found that the baseball glove is a metaphor for life.

Even when everyone around you thinks you're crazy

Even when everyone around you lets things go

And whether you're prepping for some test

Or you're miles from some goal

Or you're just trying to do what's best

For a kid who's lost control

You do the hard thing

'Cause that's the right thing

Yeah, that's the right thing

Thank you.

Prioritizing Commands

How is it possible that everybody tells you how to do something, and then you do it and you're wrong?

They say, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." ("Who is they?" You'll all bug me about it, but by they, I mean them. People. I don't really know how else to say it. I will be addressing society in this post as, they, them, people, and you.)  Anyway, they say that if you don't eat a good breakfast it will be nearly impossible to function and that it is extremely important.

You know who they tell this to? Teenagers. I wonder why they tell that to teenagers? (I'm not actually wondering. I know why. I just put that there to keep the writing going.) They say that to teenagers because teenagers generally don't eat good breakfasts. It's usually just a piece of toast or a few bites of cereal. It makes sense. They focus their advice on those who need the advice. But nobody ever thought of one very important detail. There must be a reason that this problem occurs consistently among the same age group. That reason is the following.

They also tell us to get more sleep. If we are trying to get as much sleep in as possible before school, how on earth will we have time to make a healthful and filling breakfast? They tell us to get eight or even nine to ten hours of sleep per night. If we get that much sleep, it does not leave nearly enough time to make a decent breakfast. These commands contradict each other. Notice that. When you're done noticing, continue to read because I am about to blow your mind.

Now, there are three different counter arguments to the problems explained in the past two paragraphs.
1) Wake up earlier to make breakfast.
2) Make the food the night before.
3) Go to bed earlier.

And now I will tell you all why these arguments are completely wrong and do not work or make any sense whatsoever.

1) Wake up earlier.
If you don't see why this is wrong, you obviously did not read paragraph four of this post. We can't wake up earlier to make the food you told us to eat because we are busy sleeping because you told us to.

2) Make the food the night before.
We can't do this either. You know why? It's the same reason we don't have the time to sleep that much. It's also the same reason as:

3) Go to bed earlier.
We get to much homework. Teenagers get too much homework to do anything else at all with their lives. But, we do anyway. We still take extra curricular activities like crazy. Why? Because you tell us too. Any teacher who reads this will think, "I don't give them much homework at all. It should only take them ten minutes tops."

 I have two responses to that.

1. It always takes longer than you think it does.
2. It isn't just you. I think people forget that their class is not the only one. Sure, we don't get that much from each one, but when you put it together, it gets a little bit insane. Especially at this time of the year. Everybody panics and stresses and tries desperately to do all of their homework on time, but sometimes it's just too much.

So, we don't sleep a lot. We don't eat very good breakfasts. But that's life and society will just have to deal with it.

All The Other Stuff

Everybody, at some point in their lives is asked the following question. It is a question that is so difficult to answer that it feels like you have just been stepped on by a very large iguana with mountain feet. (Why an iguana? I don't know!)

This terrifying question is, 

"How was school?" (It can also be phrased as, "Do you like school?")

Although it may seem impossible, I have done it. I have achieved the nearly impossible. 

I have thought of an answer to this question. 

Sorry I keep doing one line paragraphs. It contributes to the dramatic and suspenseful effect. :)

The answer is, "I like the learning, but not the stuff that comes with it."

Now, let me explain how I came up with this answer.

I love learning. If that makes me a nerd, I don't care. Learning about how thing work in science class, or stories of the past in social studies, or reading books in English class, or even the thrill of finally solving a really hard quadratic equation! I love it! It builds up my knowledge and gives me a better understanding of the world as a whole. However, I don't like the stuff that comes with it. Some examples of this are the following.

- Other people constantly judging you

- Name calling to your face

- Name calling behind your back

- Stereotypes

- More stereotypes

- The knowledge that, to most people around you, many of your defining characteristics are "bad"

- Not tests themselves, but the constant anxiety and panic that NEVER EVER EVER stops leading up to them

- Not the homework itself, but the knowledge that you go to school every single day and look forward to going home to relax and shake off all the stress, but NO! You just come home to hours and hours of more work to do and you want to watch your favorite TV show, or even read a book that you have to read already in order to go to Mariano's for the reading incentive that you can't miss because you know that all of your friends are going and you can't stand the thought of being all alone in the disgusting lunch room with nobody, not a single person, to talk to and actually feel wanted, but no. You have to go to bed because it is really late and you just finished your homework.

- That one stupid question on that one worksheet that doesn't make any sense to you but for some reason everybody else gets it, and you don't know why, but it ends up bringing down your grade.

- Knowing that most of your grade hates you except for your class, who doesn't hate you, but half of them talk to you in that voice you use when you don't want to talk to somebody.

- Knowing that in many friend groups, whenever your name is mentioned (They may have a code name for you so that they don't get in trouble.), they laugh and make fun of you behind your back.

- Knowing that some of these don't even happen, but you believe them anyway because you have anxiety and trouble in social situations. Oh yeah, and guess where that came from? School!

My friends are pretty cool, but next year, they are gone. Even the ones who are not moving away will still be gone. We don't want to accept it, but it will happen. Nobody keeps the same friends in middle school and in high school. 

This blog post is supposed to be about endings. This whole school, and the learning, and the other stuff will be gone forever. Next year is a clean slate. My goal, and what I recommend your goal be too, is to try to be able to love the learning, and the other stuff. If the other stuff turns out to be bad, don't let it bring you down. So, maybe the answer to the impossible question next year can just simply be, 

"School is good."

(I realize I should probably add a picture in this, so here.)

It's Complicated...

Before I start, I want to share with you all the first thing I thought of when I found out the topic of our blog posts would be, "It's Complicated". 

I had no idea what to write for this blog post. I was actually getting kind of frustrated because I usually think of these kinds of things  right away. So, I started thinking,

"Ugh, I can't think of anything! I would write about (insert  idea here) but I wouldn't want to post that. I also have to think of the response that could result from the topic, and how it would affect the rest of my posts. The topic has to meet or exceed expectations and fit with the overall theme of my blog as a whole. It's so hard to write a blog post. There's so much to think about!"

That's it. Writing a blog is complicated.

Here is what I think about before I write a blog post.

1. Does it match the topic/criteria given with the assignment of this post?
The reason I ask myself this is pretty obvious. I don't want to get a bad grade on the post, so I always follow the directions given to me.

2. Does it display the message intended for it to display?
This is definitely one of the most important parts of writing a blog post. If I want to teach the readers some sort of lesson, or tell them something, I want them to understand that. If the readers don't take something out of my post, then what is the point of even writing it? There is no sense in trying to write anything if it doesn't have a purpose. For example, the purpose of this post is for readers to know how I write my blog posts and possibly even give them ideas for writing their blogs.

3. Does it fit the overall theme of my blog?
This may seem like a weird one, but most people follow this rule without even thinking about it. I want my blog to stay consistent. I'm not going to write one post in old English and the rest in regular English. (Unless, of course, if it has something to do with the topic.) Or for example, I'm not going to change the font for two posts and not the rest.

4. Will it attract the correct response?
I'm not going to explain this one too much, but basically, I want my blogs to generate the kind of response intended for them, without sacrificing the style or content of the writing.

I decided to end this post with links to some other blogs that I found and liked. I just went through the list on Mrs. Joyner's blog and looked at random ones, so don't think I was stalking you or anything. :)

http://kyliesworld16.blogspot.com/
http://theblogofacolor.blogspot.com/
http://itisallaconspiracyfolks.blogspot.com/

The Best Quotes In The Entire World (AGAIN!)

The very first post that ever went up on this blog was full of amazing quotes that I really like. I decided to do another one of those posts with Dear Evan Hansen quotes that I like. I provided the song that they came from so that you can listen to the lines if you are interested. :)

There is a reason I did not provide explanations for these quotes. That reason is following. Each person interprets a quote differently. I want each reader to understand the quote in a way that applies to them. These quotes don't do anything if I tell you how to feel about them.

Enjoy!

"Cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep. No one lights a candle to remember."
-Requiem, Dear Evan Hansen

"Even if you've always been that barely in the background kind of guy, you still matter."
-Disappear, Dear Evan Hansen

"So, where's the map? I need a clue, cause the scary truth is I'm flying blind and I'm making this up as I go."
-Anybody Have A Map, Dear Evan Hansen

"When you're falling in a forest, and there's nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound?"
-Waving Through A Window, Dear Evan Hansen.

"It just takes a little patience, it takes a little time. A little perseverance, and a little uphill climb...the hard way,
but it's the right way..."
-To Break In A Glove, Dear Evan Hansen

"But what do you do when there's this great divide?...And what do you do when the distance is too wide?"
-If I Could Tell Her, Dear Evan Hansen

There are more, but unfortunately I don't have time to type every word of the soundtrack into one post. :)

Why Dear Evan Hansen Is Not A Funeral Show

Today I almost exploded (figuratively).

I was in graduation chorus and we were picking out which song to sing. Two of the songs on the list were from Dear Evan Hansen. When one person listened to them she said,

"This is so sad. It's like a funeral song."

Well let me tell you now, LIFE IS SAD! Life is full of disappointment and sorrow and worry and anxiety and war and conflict and hardship.

That is why people love Dear Evan Hansen so much. They love it because it's real. The actors display real problems faced and conquered by real people in the world.

Would you like to know how I escape these feelings? Through this song! Through this musical! These songs get me up in the morning! Literally! I finally get out of bed the second I hear these songs!

You Will Be Found is a song about how even people who aren't able to pick themselves back up when they are pushed down by society will be lifted up by their peers. If that sounds like a funeral, then there is probably something wrong with one's ears. (Unintentional rhyme!)

Dear Evan Hansen gives me hope. When I am faced with nerves and anxiety, Evan Hansen inspires me to keep going. Even the actor is inspiring. Ben Platt went to the same summer camp that I do. He gives me the hope that one day, I can succeed and get to do what I love as long as I work as hard as I can, and persevere.

So, why don't you listen to the songs again? This time, really listen and maybe you won't think of funerals whenever you hear a song that appeals to your emotions.

Adorable Accuracy!

After a study in Japan, it is now proven that looking at pictures of baby animals helps people focus. More focused work can lead to more accuracy as well.

Here are some articles about it!
Article 1
Article 2

Here are some adorable animal pictures to help you stay focused today.

Stars

I was pondering for a while about how to begin this blog post. After thinking for a bit, I decided to start like this.

Stars. Lights from above that reveal their beauty to life on the ground. They lead us and guide us through life. They inspire us to persevere. Much like memories.

When I was given the assignment to write a tribute to somebody, dead or alive, I immediately thought of one of my most prominent memories, a star, my cousin Ryan Briere.

Ryan was an bundle of energy whose curiosity never stopped. Instead of running inside away from the rain, he ran outside to the rain and admired its wonder. Ryan constantly taught those around him how to optimistically love life and see it as beautiful, not flawed.

This is a picture of Ryan (right) with my cousin Noah (left).



On January 11, 2011, Ryan and his family went to Portillos for dinner. He choked on a hot dog and passed away that night, just a few weeks before his third birthday.

In his memory and to honor his constant curiosity and care for others, the Ryan Briere Foundation was created. The Ryan Briere Foundation helps various organizations, mostly ones pertaining to children.

This is a link to the Ryan Briere Foundation website.

All We See Is Sky For Forever

I have already expressed how indescribably breathtaking Dear Evan Hansen is. I feel as though I am unable to express how inspirational and phenomenal this musical is. So, if I could choose three famous people to meet in person, they would be the following:
*Note: Each name is a link to the person's picture.*

1. Ben Platt
Ben Platt is an amazing actor with a wonderful voice and he plays a very interesting character that I would love to meet.

2. Laura Dreyfuss
Laura Dreyfuss has a beautiful voice and she seems really funny. She's the kind of celebrity that everyone just wants to be friends with!

3. Either Justin Paul or Benj Pasek
I would like to meet both of these amazing people, but I only get three, so I would just get one of them. Pasek and Paul are the songwriters for Dear Evan Hansen. I would love to find out how they came up with such amazing songs.

If I got to spend an afternoon with these people, we (Well, me. They would be performing.)  would see Dear Evan Hansen, then we would tour backstage and we would see the show again, except this time, I would perform with them. :)

Nerdy Field Trips Are The Best Kind!

I know this is kind of nerdy, but one of my favorite field trips was the junior model un trip. A few weeks (or a few days :) ) before the event, each person gets a country and an issue. They have to research what their country's ideologies are for that specific issue and write a position paper. It seems boring, but I think it's pretty fun.


At the event, we collaborate with students from different schools and concur to create international solutions to our issues.



You may be wondering what part of this I get most excited for. Maybe you're not wondering this. If you aren't, you might be pretty irate when I say, "Too bad, I'm telling you anyway!" :)

My favorite part is meeting new people who you get to share your information and research with, and becoming friends with people you had only met because their country had similar ideas to yours. However, the part I get most excited about is my binder.

We get a black, half inch binder to keep our papers in for this project, and in case you don't know this already, I have a bit of a school supply obsession. I start studying for school supply shopping (which I do in August) in March or April. I watch YouTube videos, research on websites, and create spreadsheets to prepare for my favorite day of the year. I know, I know. I'm crazy.

Anyway, I always decorate and organize my binder extensively and I alway get so excited about it.



I apologize again for the lack of actual pictures. I think it might be the computer I'm using. I'll try to change the pictures later if I can.

My Favorite Movie

 A funny classic from 1998, "Parent Trap" is a movie that will both make you laugh and warm your heart. This film is an updated version of the original "Parent Trap" from 1961 and stars an eleven year old Lindsay Lohan.

(Warning: This movie review will be very vague because I don't want to give anything away.)

"Parent Trap" is about two girls, Annie from London and Hallie from California, who make a surprising discovery when they meet at summer camp in New England that will change their lives forever. The movie documents their journey as they work together to sabotage he life of an "evil almost stepmother" in order to complete their mission together. 

WARNING: THE NEXT PART CONTAINS SPOILERS. PLEASE STOP READING AND GO WATCH THE MOVIE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET, IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I really liked this movie. One of the reasons I liked it was because of the rollercoaster of emotion the viewers experience while watching it. I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt during the scene where Hallie and Annie repeatedly prank Meredith during the camping trip. I could feel the love when Hallie's dad and Annie's mom were looking at the wine collection together. I could feel the tension whenever Annie and Hallie talked to Meredith.

This is a great movie and I highly recommend it to anyone with feelings :)

No Words To Describe An Emotion

The definition of music is the following, "vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion".

But to me, music is more than that. Music isn't only a sound, it's a feeling, a way of life. A really amazing song can make you feel something that cannot be described by words, cannot be understood unless experienced.


I have been singing my entire life, and I don't intend to stop. As I say to myself when I doubt this, "I will never shut up." (Sorry Mrs. Joyner, I know I shall not ever say that. :) )

If I tell somebody repeatedly that I like a song, I don't like the song. It means that I am living the song. "What does that even mean?" You may ask. When I am "living"music, I feel as though I am somehow connected to the song. I am constantly singing, and when I'm not singing out loud, I'm playing the music over and over in my head.

 You may think you have experienced this obsession, but you probably haven't. I don't mean that in an exclusive way, I'm just trying to explain this feeling to the best of my ability. Usually this is most common in musicians.

My current music lifestyle revolves around Dear Evan Hansen. It's an amazing musical currently on Broadway, and here are the reasons, that I can put into words, why it's wonderful.

1. Ben Platt is amazing. (He also went to Camp Ramah. I go to Camp Ramah. We're practically best friends.)
2. The voices are indescribably phenomenal.
3. The story is inspiring and the song lyrics are something many teens can relate to.

I'm running out of adjectives.

I wish the tickets weren't so expensive so I could see the show!

Anyway, music is pretty cool. :)

Tweet Less, Think More

Many people hate President Donald Trump. For this blog post, many people are going to criticize his every move. My blog post isn't going to be like that because insults won't improve anything. My criticism will be as constructive as possible. These are a few do's and don't's for our new president.

 The first thing that President Trump should do is think more. Some of his ideas make sense, but they all go wrong because he forgets to add a certain guideline, or doesn't think the whole thing through thoroughly enough. 

 Apologize! If you recognize that you have done or said something wrong, it is important to apologize. Apologies do not show weakness. In fact, apologies are a sign of maturity. Please, at least pretend to be mature.

The last "do" is to be informed. If you appear to be intelligent, more people will take you seriously. There are two resources I highly recommend. The first is the Ben Shapiro show. It is a podcast with conservative Ben Shapiro, an extremely intelligent person who is also phenomenal at debating. (Click here to listen to his podcasts.) The second is Prager University. This is a YouTube channel with educational videos from a conservative point of view. You may not be able to view them if you have restricted mode on your device, but there is nothing inappropriate about them. They are perfect for anybody wanting to learn more about political issues. (Click here for the PragerU website.) 

One "don't" for Donald Trump relates to Twitter. There is no need to tweet whenever somebody insults you. There is absolutely no reason to respond to every tiny comment you receive. When you're famous, people will hate you, that's just how it is. Responding to all of them is only escalating the issue.

   

Ukuleles Are Tiny Guitars

Imagine yourself sitting on green grass on a warm, sunny day under a big, shady, green tree. You are gently strumming the strings of a ukulele as you lightly sing along. You are happy.

This is how I felt at camp this past summer, as I tried out this beautiful instrument for the first time. I had heard about people I knew trying it the year before, but I hadn't had the courage to try out this instrument until then. I loved playing the uke. I don't like calling it that though. I don't know why.

This is a gift I wanted this year. The only gift on my mind was my very own ukulele with a case, capo, finger picks, and some way of learning it. Although I began to learn it at camp, I only had two weeks of lessons.

I have had my ukulele for four days already and I can't stop playing it. I have been practicing for around an hour each day I have had it and I just can't get enough.

There are two reasons that I think may explain why I love playing my tiny guitar so much.

The first is the reason I had kept in mind all along: playing an instrument is fun and it lets me finally escape from singing a cappella. (Though I do love a cappella)

But another amazing benefit is something I hadn't realized going into it.

I am not taking ukulele lessons. I'm teaching myself. It's very surprising how easy it is. I just print out the chords to a song, and look up how to play the chords on my chord chart. Then I know four chords, which can potentially lead me to hundreds of songs. I can only imagine how much I will know when I learn more chords. It is a very rewarding experience to be able to teach yourself a certain skill and figure it out all by yourself.

I love my ukulele and I'm very excited to learn as much as I can!