Julius Caesar Project

       For my English project, I chose to do Julius Caesar’s family tree.  I didn't realize that making this project would have so many details.  I had to look up all the people, their life span, and their life events.  It was very interesting to learn how much their lives were similar to families and relationships today.  I did not know before I started this project that Caesar had 3 wives and over that time span, 3 mistresses as well.  In addition, he had a child with one of those mistresses.  Creating the actual family tree made it a lot easier to recognize the people and how they were related to Caesar.

Why Are People So Fearful?

Photo By: mrsdkrebs

Do you think your fears are rational? There are a couple of things that I’m fearful of, such as sharks, tornadoes and intruders.  I think that my fears are rational because sharks are a real threat when swimming in the ocean.  Also, I think tornadoes are a rational fear because we don’t have anywhere safe to go in our house.  If we had a storm shelter, I might not be so fearful of them.  As far as intruders go, I think it’s just the luck of the draw, but I try to be conscious about what is going on around me. As far as other people’s fears being rational, I think that people have reasons for being fearful.  I don’t think it is my place to judge whether their fears are rational or not. A fear that might be rational to me could be irrational to someone else.  Some of the most common fears are of failure, death, rejection and disappointment.  Nothing deserves our fear, but unfortunately, most people are fearful of something.

A Happy Ending

           My mom and I went to Aldi to purchase food for the holiday weekend.  While we were looking for black olives, a little old man started talking to me.  We had a lot of random items on our list.  While we ran around the store looking for these items, the old man continued talking to me.  He smiled a lot and he was generally nice.  We finally got to the checkout line and paid for our groceries.  Once we had them loaded in our car, I was headed to return the cart.  I then noticed that the man's box, loaded full with groceries, broke open from the bottom and all of his food was on the ground in the parking lot.  He seemed very upset about his broken milk bottle, so my mom and I went over to help him.  We picked up all of his groceries and exchanged his milk bottle for him so he wouldn't have to walk all the way back inside.  He seemed surprised that strangers would help him, but he was very happy and thankful for the assistance.  It was encouraging to know that by helping him, I could make him smile.

                                                                                                                               By: Joelk75

The Pearl: Project

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

Gracie and I had to do our project on the symbols that were in The Pearl.  We had to learn how to use a tool new to us, Animoto.  To create our video, we first had to pick out music and the pictures that we wanted to use.  Then, we had to go through our book to pick out the symbols that we felt were some of the most important.  To show everyone about the symbolism of the boat, pearl and scorpion we picked out 3 quotes.  I feel that I learned that symbolism is everywhere in the world and you don't always know what it might mean to others.

Goals for Freshman Year

Academically:
    As I start out my freshman year, I am planning to maintain a high GPA so that I will be able to get into a good college.   Also, I want to carry forward my status in the National Honor Society. An action plan would help me stay on track through my high school years and prepare me for the start of college.

Socially:
     Socially, as a freshman, I find myself on the bottom of the totem pole again.  Gaining additional confidence in myself will help me become a well-rounded person.  I really want to relate to all people and cultures. By going to my extracurricular activities, such as tennis, I will get to meet more people than I already know.  I am lucky to have such great friends already, and making more will provide a better experience for high school.  I enjoy meeting new people and learning about them because I know that the friendships I make in high school can last a lifetime.

Spiritually:
     I was raised to believe that the Golden Rule is great to live by.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  I want to have the ability to express why I believe what I believe.  Having an open mind to different peoples thoughts and opinions is an ability that will help me form my own.  I plan to rely on my faith through the good and bad times.

Photo by:  Thom C