Graduation Speech

     Golf Middle School is special. I will be honest though, Niles North is huge and has a lot of really great programs and luxuries that we didn’t get here but it’s also kind of frightening and scary. I remember going into fifth grade and I felt all grown up going to middle school and thought it couldn’t get any bigger. The kids at this school always have looked bigger to me especially the eighth graders. Just a couple of days ago I was talking to some of my friends and someone said, “Were we always that short in fifth grade?” and that’s when I realized how much we have grown up. It dawned on me that we have finished half of our schooling already, and we just have high school and college left. I am excited and worried at the same time and let me tell you, those feelings do not go well. Are school is small, and even though I have always wondered what it would be like to go to a huge school, I like that I know everyone and am friends with a lot of people. I remember fly-up day when you go and check out the middle school and we thought it was huge and was the greatest thing ever, but now that I got older it seems really small. Those blue, red, yellow, and green lockers that once towered over me are now almost eye level and hardly fit all of my books. The tables and desks that used to be a little too tall are now a little too short and I always bump my knees. I also feel like middle school is less work, there’s not as much pressure on you. But in high school you have to have good grades because of college. Also I will have to learn all these new things which I am excited yet scared for. Like learning how to drive it will be really scary for me at first but I think after a while it will get better. Another thing is now I am the oldest in the school. It’s not fair that there have always been grades above us at the middle school and now that we finally got our chance to be the bosses it’s over really quick. Next year we will be the babies  of the school again, the incoming Freshman and we will probably get lost and babied because we're new. I loved middle school and elementary school. They were the best. We went on field trips and played outside and had fun everyday. But now it’s different, school is harder there’s more work and I can see a lot of changes. A lot of the teachers I loved either left or got married and go by a new name. We have all grown up and it’s kind of sad because I finally got the hang of middle school but now I have to start all over again. I know there’s also a lot of kids at the high school which is kind of frightening. I see the same people every day, and I feel like when I go to high school I won’t see them ever again. On to the positive things though, even though I would probably be crying halfway through this speech because I don’t want to leave there actually might be some good things to come out of this. First off, I made it out of middle school thankfully. Second I will get to meet new people at the high school, and have new experiences. The programs at the high school will also broaden my horizons to new things. I think for the most part I will love every part of the high school, it will just take some getting used to. I am worried and really, really scared but when I think of all the people who will have to go through it with me it makes me less nervous and more eager to go. We all grew up and I think even though we will leave a lot of memories behind  we will make a lot more too. It’s really hard for me to say goodbye, but I have too and I like to thank every teacher, student, parent, and family member who made this possible for me and for all of my classmates. One day later on I think that even though I am afraid to move on, I will be glad I did. I just want to say to the seventh graders though, this year wake up every day and don’t complain about all the homework, essays, and tests because at the end of it all you will realize it was worth it. I just hope now that i'm as thankful when I graduate high school.

Blog About Testing (dun dun duuuun)

Fiction Writing

The Final Test 

       "Arabella!" said the lady with the long auburn hair from the office, "You're up." I hated being called by my first name and preferred Ara instead yet didn't dare say anything as I walked up to the frosted glass door, the bare white walls feeling as if they were closing around me. My hands were drenched in sweat as I put my hand on the knob, this was the final test to be selected. Everyone else wanted the opportunity I had and even though it sounds selfish, I didn't want it. They want certain characteristics for you to be entered in ICAP, the International Children's Assassin Program. They only take seven girls and seven boys to be entered in this program to become the worlds best assassins. They work for the government and protect their country, but there are also many trials to get there. I was born here at the ICAP headquarters, my parents worked here. They were assassins also, picked at age sixteen. I grew up in these walls and hardly go to the outside world. I was raised different than any one else I know because my parents died when I was three so I was raised by Darius and his wife Elora, my mother and fathers best friends. Instead of learning how to ride a bike, I learned how to hold an assault rifle, instead of playing at the park I played on the rooftops of buildings, learning how to keep my balance as to not fall,  instead of practicing the guitar, I practiced the twenty seven different ways to hack into the government's files on basically everything. I watched everyone else's life go by from the tall floor to ceiling window that took up one wall of my room. People got married, had children, and did incredible things over the years, but I was confined in these walls meant to keep the world out, but by doing that it locked us in. This job allowed you to see the outside world but not the way I wanted too. I never dared tell anyone what I really wanted to do with myself because they were so set on me getting this career. They moved me up from my age group when I was younger because I did  really well in everything. So now they expect a lot from me considering I might be the best student this program has ever seen. If you pass the tests, you go on to become an assassin but you work for the government, therefor you go on a mission and then come right back to headquarters to receive another one. Basically, the government owns you. You are never allowed to see your family again or make any new friends or get married and have kids because they will make you weak, there will be something that makes you vulnerable. Most of these kids were orphans though so to them it doesn't really matter. For me though it might be harder because of Elora and Darius and my best friend (who's and orphan) Vienna. That's why I am hoping to say no when they offer me a position. I already  know my other too tests had phenomenal results thanks to the surprised looks on the judges faces but this last one was the hardest. I passed all the tests for intelligence, fighting tactics/ weapon training, courage, selflessness, and now the ability  stay focused on tasks. This one is the hardest. The lady led me into the room and closed the door leaving me stuck with a weird looking man in his 40's wearing a lab coat. He asked me too stand on a platform and then he strapped me to all these weird looking tubes my nervousness fading into curiosity. He turned on the machine and suddenly I was in London in front of Big Ben instructions coming through my mouth piece. I had to find a man by the name of Charlie Price who was said to have stolen government files from the embassy. I found him at his home in Essex and I opened the door. What I saw was horrific. Everyone I ever cared about my parents, Elora and Darius, Vienna, and even Arsen who I haven't told anyone about in fear I will be killed were all there hanging from the ceiling dead. My knees were weak and tears sprang to my eyes. I felt broken like when you chase your siblings around the dining room table and her favorite vase falls. I felt like closing my eyes and drifting away right this very moment because what was the point when everyone I have ever loved is dead? No I told myself I have to keep going. It felt like ages but I finally got to my feet and stumbled passed the maze of bodies holding my breath. After what seemed like forever I found a small wooden door leading to the basement. I tiptoed down the stairs so he wouldn't hear me and swung up to one of the rafters. I pulled my light machine gun from my back and took a deep breath. I shot. I got an immaculate head shot and killed him in one go. I grabbed the files from the desk and ran. "Congratulations" said a voice I thought was in my head but was coming from my mouthpiece. "You passed".

Beginning Blog

         This weeks blog was supposed to be about beginnings and endings. Personally I hate endings because that usually means that something I really enjoy, is going away. It's like when I was in fourth grade I was excited yet super scared to go to the middle school because of all the work I would have to do and all the things that might happen. Yet now right when I got to become one of the oldest kids in the middle school, right when I started to feel comfortable and at ease with my workload of homework and my classes and started to feel like I was really getting the hang of it, they are going to end it by sending me to the high school where I will be one of the youngest kids in the school and I will have so much work and I will be so confused.               This is why beginnings are better, because it is the start of a new adventure and you don't have to think about it ending, because it is a long way from now. I like beginnings seeing that they are happy because you have finally gotten over the fact that you ended something to get there. Even though I don't want to leave Golf, where their were only 72 kids in my grade and I knew everyone at my school, I still am kind of excited for my beginning at Niles North.Though my Freshman year might be kind of tough, when I am a Senior and I look back at all the mistakes I made and all the homework and grades that's how I will know I have improved. I guess you can't have a beginning without an ending but maybe beginnings are there to make endings seem not-so-sad, and to cushion the blow. Maybe even though I feel this is sad now everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not, it's not the end. -unknown 

Field Trips

          When I was in the third grade we took a field trip to the Shed Aquarium. I woke up early that day putting on the clothes I had picked out the night before, my morale was higher then ever and got on the bus to go to school. when I got to school they told us all the rules, packed our lunches onto the bus, took attendance, and then we were on our way. This was the first field trip my mom had ever been to with me and I was super excited. We got on the bus and I sat next to her towards the front and we started our trip. Halfway there the bus stopped and someone went to the front of the bus to get the body fluids kit. apparently someone had thrown up. Who is it I asked someone, "Madison" my friend Maddy replied. The teacher with us claimed it was motion sickness, because it took awhile to get downtown from the suburbs especially on a bus so we kept going. When we got to the Shed Aquarium there were hundreds of people all crowded around waiting to get tickets. I saw people swimming with stingrays and others apprehending fish to clean out the tank and many other strange but intriguing things. We slowly started walking around the museum looking at all the sea creatures, it took us three hours but we finally got to go to lunch. My stomach hurt and I had a headache and I though it was because I hadn't eaten. So I at my chips and sandwich hoping I would feel better so that I could watch the dolphin show at the very end. But I didn't feel any better. After lunch I felt sick and my head started pounding. I felt like I had a fever because I was really cold, I tried to suck it up so I could finish the trip but I knew if I walked any longer I might throw up. My mom was coincidentally talking to the girl Madison's (my best friend's ) mom who had also volunteered on the field trip. "I think am sick." I told my mom. " How do you feel she asked?" I then explained to her the headache and nausea. My mom replied telling me she can't take me home because she had to chaperon. "You know," Madison's mom said " My husbands coming to pick up Madison, he could pick up Elina too." Grateful my mom said sure. I then went to sit next to Madison on the bench. "This isn't so bad" i told her." At least we get to miss the essays at the end of the day. " "Yeah" she said "I guess". Her dad finally came to pick us up and he drove us home. We were kind of sad that we had missed the dolphin show but glad about the essays. Field trips are important because we get to learn about different subjects and have fun at the same time.

Diary

April 3rd, 2006

            Dear Diary,
                  Today I met my little sister for the first time. Her name is Deena. I was at my grandmothers house and my dad was at the hospital with my mom but he quickly came back to get me and my brother to meet our new sibling. When I first found out I was kind of upset. I would have to share a room and I thought it wasn't fair because my mom should have thought about that before she just up an moved all my stuff. Second my little brother who was born only two years before is adorable and fun but sometimes he is SUPER annoying he cries almost every day if he doesn't get what he wants so basically when I found out I was like "really another one?" Anyway when my dad called my grandma I just smiled and then went back to playing with my brother. I mean I am excited and all but nothing really feels different so I was kind of like whatever. My dad came and picked us up an hour later and we headed for the hospital.She was born at  Lutheran General which is across the way from a Portillo's so of course we stopped there first. My dad was in a good mood that day so he told us to order whatever so me and my brother went ahead and got Giant chocolate cake milkshakes. They were amazing. That is literally the number one thing I remember about today was the milkshakes, the rest is kind of a blur. Anyway the rest of the day me and my brother just sat in a hospital chair watching people pass my sister around like they were playing hot potato because no one person held her too long finally me and my brother got to hold her and even though my brother wasn't care full I made sure I was after all I am the oldest. Today was super fun and I can't wait for all the fun things that will happen and all the experiences I will get to have with my little sister.

Erika's Blog

     This week we were supposed to write a blog based on this quotation,

“We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place.  And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and we can go to our deaths in dignity… I want you both to live…And to remember...You must choose love.  Always choose love.”  

(from Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, page 70) and I kept thinking about a time when this applied to me or someone else. But then I realized that I see examples of this quote all the time, and always in books. In most books there is a similar theme especially in distopia novels, where as they're are usually two sides bad and good, heroes and villains, great and evil. And I realized that most of the protagonists have one thing in common, they would do anything for the ones they love. (SPOILER ALERT) Think about it in Divergent, Tris Prior loses her life for the greater good of the people she spent most of her life trying to protect. In Harry Potter, we saw evidence of this sacrifice in the first chapter when Lily and James died protecting their son Harry so he would live. In the Hunger Games, Katniss offered her self in return for her younger sister Prim who was to be sent to her definite death when she was picked to participate in the Hunger Games. In The Book Thief Hans teaches Liesel how to read and takes care of her and even trades sixteen cigarettes because he knows that when Liesel gets the books that he has just traded them for she will be ecstatic, and that is an example of some kind of sacrifice doing things you hate knowing they will make the person you love most happy. The reason I love all of these books was because they all made me feel sad or happy or made me laugh out loud and those are always the best kinds of books, the ones that make you feel a million different kind of emotions all at the same time. So I guess Erika in Daniel's story was right "Always choose love." And the more I think about it that's the whole reason we all love these books because in this day and age most people root for the underdog because I think they see a little bit of themselves in them and the fact that these ordinary people did amazing things all for love gives us hope that if we make those kinds of decisions in real life we will become these extraordinary people. Even though most of us already are.

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key is an AMAZING book that I have currently read that was recommended to me by Mrs. Joyner my English and Literature teacher. Sarah's Key is about a little Jewish girl living in Paris during World War 2 in 1941, and the struggles she faces during this time period. Every other chapter it switches though to a reporter in 2002 who came from Boston, Massachusetts to Paris, France and is now a Journalist. This reporter was assigned to do a report on the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jews and the deeper she looks in on this event that few know about the more secrets she finds. Its wonderfully sad but it's one of my favorite World War 2 books. I highly recommend other books also if you end up reading this book and love it such as The Boy In The striped Pajamas, Daniel's story, and The Book Thief.