Watching movies about high school sometimes makes me feel left out. With the exception of the constant breaking out into spontaneous song and dance, high school movies are usually supposed to be relatable, but I hardly ever feel that they are. I’m sure that that’s because my school, Divine Savior Holy Angels, is a whole lot different from the movies. The biggest difference: there are no boys.

There are many things that differ between DSHA and the typical movie high school. A big one is that most girls at DS aren’t really worried about how they look during school hours. For example, I usually don’t do my hair in the morning, but just wear it the way it looks when I wake up. On that note, it’s not unusual for students to wear the clothes that they slept in to school, either.    

A lot that happens at DS also just wouldn’t happen in a co-ed school because it’s pretty blatantly girly. The perfect examples are our past two homecoming themes: Barbie and OPI nail polish. (It may surprise you, but each of my dates both loved their souvenir t-shirts.) 

  

On a slightly more serious note, studies suggest that single-sex education helps many students to excel academically, especially girls. I would say that that’s pretty important.

People ask me whether I like going to an all-girls school or not, and that is honestly really hard to answer. I don’t have anything to compare it to, as I’ve never experienced anything else. Sure, I went to grade school with boys, but that’s completely different (at that age we were still passing notes that said, “Do you like me? Circle one: yes or no.”).

Overall, though, I’d say that I’ve really liked DS.  I have made great friends and have had awesome teachers and coaches. I can’t wait to graduate, but I know I’ll miss my school even though I might not miss the all-girls thing.  Whether college’s new environment is better or worse, it’ll be quite a culture shock. Unless I go to Mount Mary. Not.

The end of summer isn’t pretty: my hard-earned tan is fading back to my usual pasty skin tone, I’ve got bags under my eyes from waking up four hours earlier than my body wants to, and beginning of the year activities leave little time for things like hair brushing or make-up doing.

This has probably been the hardest summer-to-school transition I’ve ever had. A lot of my friends went off to college and I’m still stuck here with the ridiculous load that comes at the start of senior year, most notably college applications. At the beginning of the summer I vowed to have my college essays written and Common Application completed before I had school and homework to worry about, but by September I still hadn’t done anything except create a username on the Common App website. The already onset senioritis hasn’t helped much, either.

Just this past week, however, things have started to look up. I’ve finally gotten over the end of summer, and I’m starting to get excited about the beginning of fall. The cold weather has reminded me of how much I love fall clothes. Today in the Journal Sentinel there was a whole section dedicated to fall fashion, and I just got the fall J. Crew catalogue (unfortunately I’m not in a position to spend $235 on a puffer jacket, but I can still dream).

 

This whole summer I’ve stuck to a uniform of running shorts and t-shirts, but there’s so much more variety in cold weather clothes. I’m making a scarf right now in fibers class, and I can finally start wearing those boots I bought two months ago.

Besides the wardrobe, I love how fall brings holiday after holiday. Stores have brought out their Halloween stuff already, and although a lot of people hate it when holidays begin so early, I say the more of them, the merrier. We’re entering the season where from now until January, houses are covered in Halloween/Thanksgiving/Chanuchrismakwanzakah/New Year’s decorations. It also seems like everyone has a birthday around this time (in fact, I like to consider my September 19^th birthday as the beginning of this holiday marathon).

So even though fall means the end of summer, I guess it’s not all downhill from here. I’ve just started most of my college applications, and although I can’t say that I’ve gotten used to school, it’s at least not as painful as it was a few weeks ago, now that I’ve realized the things I have to look forward to. I guess the old cliché about a closed door bringing an open window is true; since we live in Wisconsin, though, opening a heating vent might be a better choice right now.

Yup, it was exciting.

When I realized that I could no longer get tickets for the Jonas Brothers concert at Summerfest a couple months ago, I was pretty upset. Then my friend’s sister won tickets and she got to go, and the jealousy got even worse. I went to Summerfest on Sunday and saw thousands of girls in Jonas Brothers apparel excited to go to the concert. That was hard.

But now I’m starting to wonder why Jonas Brothers, or any boy bands, have such huge appeal. Well, there’s the obvious. Look at them:

 

But if it’s just their looks that are so great, why does everyone (correction: every girl) love their music so much? I’m not going to lie, I know the words to more than a few of their songs. I normally listen to more alternative music (The Wombats and Red Hot Chili Peppers are my favorites) that aren’t really anything like Jonas Brothers, but when a JoBros song comes up on my iPod, I’m not going to skip it.

Whether I have reasons to love them or not, though, I don’t think I’ll get over missing their concert anytime soon.

Waking up at 7:00 a.m., digging 30 inch deep holes for 8 hours, sleeping on an air mattress in a room with fifteen people and no air conditioning – doesn’t really sound like the ideal summer day, does it? Well, after a week of days like this, there’s nothing that I would rather do than do it again.

I just got back from the ASP mission trip in Kentucky with over 90 kids from the Tosa Trio (Karen Waldkirch wrote about it last week). We left last Saturday at around 6:00 a.m. and drove ten hours to London, Kentucky. The next day we drove another few hours to our final destination, Harlan County, and started our work. There were several small teams that each got assigned a different house and a different job. My team had to replace a trailer’s foundation by digging holes beneath it (and trust me, there are no good tools to use to dig under a trailer) and then filling the holes with concrete and cinder blocks.

 

(Digging holes under the trailer – this was an easy one because it was on the end. The monkey was our team mascot.)

It was definitely one of the best, if not the best, weeks of my life.

Going on this sort of trip teaches you so much. It’s amazing that there can be such a different culture in the same country. Instead of the neighborhoods around here, there are groups of trailers arranged in “hollers,” in which all of neighbors were family. So while we were helping our family, we met their cousins, nephews, uncles, and other distant family members who were all stopping by. There were many things that I didn’t understand about the people there, yet I could relate to them in a lot of ways, too. It’s weird, but they were both more different than me and like me than I expected. The community was different, but on an individual level everyone seemed like the people at home, if that makes any sense.

Of course, the area was much poorer than here, but as cliché as it sounds, even though the people we were helping didn’t have a lot of material things, they had plenty of other things to make up for it. They lived in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen (which isn’t what I expected when going to Kentucky) and there was an amazing sense of community and family. Many of them live so simply and are so happy, and I’ve finally decided that it’s about time I try to de-clutter my room a bit, because I don’t really need all of the stuff I have jammed in my closet.

 

(My small group in front of a lake in Kentucky)

There was another cliché that I felt on this trip: you get more than you give. Obviously, this is a standard response to a trip like this, but I’ve got to say it. It’s not that I really got a feeling of doing something good on this trip or anything; it’s that I just had an amazingly fun time. The people we were helping were some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and leaving on Friday was a lot more difficult than I thought it’d be. I expected to have a lot of fun with my friends from Tosa on the trip, but I actually had a great time with the Kentuckians I had just met, too.

You also do get a great sense of accomplishment out of a trip like this, which was much needed for me after I spent the first few weeks of my summer doing nothing productive. Like I said, I learned a lot about a completely different culture, not to mention how to do a lot of construction work. If I could spend my whole summer doing something like this, I absolutely would.

It’s hard to put into words exactly what made this trip so great, and I think you have to experience it yourself to understand the feeling this trip gives you. So if you’re over 21, each small group needs two adult leaders to volunteer. They were scrambling to find leaders this year and everyone ended up having a blast. And if you’re in high school, I have to say that you need to go. Everyone should do some sort of mission trip like this, not necessarily through the Tosa Trio. This sort of thing is a life changing experience, or at least it was for me.

I began writing this a while ago, but, of course, I’ve been too busy with end-of-year homework to sit down and write it all at once. I read an editorial entitled “The 40-year-old high schoolers” that was published in the Journal Sentinel on May 21 and written by a high school teacher from Wauwatosa, Tessie Tennyson. She says that students today have no drive to do any work, and that their parents think that it is alright to do work for them. She also claims that students should be prioritizing their school work above anything else. I guess I hold some bias, seeing as the article was directly attacking a group of which I am a part, but I honestly think that Mrs. Tennyson is completely off the mark.

I suppose that a lot of people have misconceptions about what we teenagers do on a daily basis, but here’s the thing: not all teens strive to get through high school only doing the bare minimum or “pass the class with as little effort as possible.” I’m sure that this article does apply to some students, but in my experience, most teenagers are far from slackers and most parents are far from slacker-enablers.

Ms. Tennyson asserts that in today’s society, learning is not considered important, whereas grades are. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but grades actually are extremely important. Learning, of course, is the whole point of school, but grades are what get a student into college along with extracurricular activities, which Ms. Tennyson later says should be sacrificed for homework.

The thing is, when I’m applying for college, there are some classes in which the material is not crucial for my educational growth. Gym class is the perfect example (no offense to my gym teachers, though - I liked most of gym, but the written tests on pickle-ball were a little much). What will matter is the grade that I got, as that will be factored into my grade point average. I know that learning is more important than grades, I’m not saying that it’s not, but I just want people to understand why students get so worked up about grades: they determine what our college options will be.

Ms. Tennyson continues by saying that we cannot bear being given difficult assignments. Here’s at least my reality: a significant portion of the homework I get is busywork. I admit that there are certain assignments that I dread even though they can teach me a lot, but I would definitely take a challenging yet meaningful assignment over one that’s pure busy work. Lately I’ve noticed that there are certain teachers who treat their class as more of an art class, in which I’m significantly downgraded if my poster isn’t colorful enough or my video isn’t creative enough. I can’t assume that this is the sort of work that Ms. Tennyson is assigning, but I know that this is an epidemic in high school.

I read another article awhile ago that said that students in Finland do the best on international standardized tests, and they generally have about half an hour of homework a night. One student who did a foreign exchange program from Finland to the U.S. said that it seemed like every assignment was spending hours gluing things on poster boards. She had to repeat a year of school when she got back to Finland because the U.S. had prepared her so poorly.

I feel that many adults have the impression that students come home from school and watch T.V. all night. My friends and I stay up until the early hours of the morning doing homework, not watching T.V. I have track practice after school so I can’t start homework until about six or seven, so I usually end up going to bed around midnight, after having done practically nothing but school, track, and homework all day.

You might ask me, then, why I don’t quit track. The thing is, I love track. In her editorial, Ms. Tennyson says that students and parents complain that there’s not enough time to do homework because of sports, plays, jobs, social events, etc. and that school should have priority over everything. This is probably the part of her editorial with which I disagree the most. School is supposed to give us the tools to be happy and successful in the future, but what about now? Shouldn’t we be happy and do what we love now? We are all given different gifts, and if someone’s isn’t academics but is something else, shouldn’t he or she have the chance to shine in another field?

She says that “assignments apparently should be lessened to accommodate basketball, cheerleading, McDonald’s  and the prom.” Does she honestly, seriously think that we should stay home from prom to do homework? Prom? I recently went to prom two days before the A.P. Biology exam, and I saw my friend there with her biology flashcards along with her. This made me feel guilty about not studying too, but then I asked myself if what I wanted to remember from prom night is the definition of a bryophyte.

Ms. Tennyson wondered “how we would get world leaders, new inventions, top-notch mechanics and intelligent conversation from each crop of graduating seniors.” Here’s what I wonder: if teachers don’t respect, appreciate and even enjoy the kids, how are the students going to do well? Doesn’t every story about great teachers begin with the teacher giving the students newfound hope and confidence in themselves? The only way a teacher can push students is by believing that they can handle being pushed, and motivating the kids to believe it about themselves.  Otherwise, what example, hope or inspiration is the teacher giving?  There are already many adults who assume that teenagers can’t have or are unwilling to have a positive effect on the world, and I would hope that if one group of people doesn’t feel this way, it’s teachers.

I feel that Ms. Tennyson's editorial made far too many generalizations. I have often felt classified as apathetic, indolent, and even loud by people who don’t even know me, just because of my age. If you’ve taken the time to read all of this, well thanks, first of all, but please understand that not all teenagers are unconcerned about the state of the world and our place in it.

Well, it’s been almost a month since I’ve written anything, but trust me, I’ve been trying to get to it. The truth is, this part of the year has been getting pretty intense. Some genius decided to schedule AP exams, confirmation, prom, and two track meets all in the same week, preceeded by a few weeks that have been equally crazy. To top it all off, this is the time of my high school career that colleges are the most interested about, because it’s right before I’ll be applying next fall. I just wanted to say that I haven’t disappeared from WauwatosaNow, even though from my social life is a different story.

As a side note to any teachers out there, let me tell you that the teachers whom I appreciate the most are those who are the most flexible. Obviously things have to have due dates sometime, but even an extra weekend can make a world of difference for a student who spends half her night drowning her anxiety in Cocoa Pebbles.

It’s always when you’re the busiest when everything else gets piled on. It’s Murphy’s Law.

During these past two weeks, I’ve gone to many fun and interesting events that I would normally have loved. The problem was that they all happened at once.

On Thursday I went to the Body Worlds exhibit at the museum on a field trip. Even if you’re a squeamish person like me, it’s definitely worth seeing.  The problem was that it was followed by a track meet and the usual load of homework that comes from missing school.

While I was still trying to finish this up, I missed school again Monday and Tuesday to participate in Model United Nations at UWM, in which students simulate a United Nations meeting. I’m interested in international relations and thought that the conference was enlightening, but it was hard to focus when I was worried about finishing my four math assignments and other homework with another track meet on Tuesday.

I got home yesterday and began packing for Italy, even though my plane leaves today and I still had some shopping to do (specifically for comfortable shoes, thanks to the many suggestions on my last post). I’ve finally got it all finished, but my suitcase still has tons of room.  I’m usually the kind of person who over-packs, so I’m a little concerned that in my rush I forgot about half the stuff I’ll actually need.

Anyway, sorry that you’ve read this tired rant, but I’ll finish it off on a positive note.   Once I leave the US I’ll be free of all obligations.  And, of course, it’s Italy!

Sorry I haven't written in a while, but I've been busy, among other things, creating this:

I'm pretty sure that making a stuffed three-headed dog (that's what it is, in case you can't tell) is a bit out of the ordinary, so I'll explain.

Last weekend, a bunch of my friends and I went to Madison for three days to meet up with 500 other people from fourteen different schools in what might be my favorite school-affiliated event all year: Latin convention.

By now, I'd be surprised if you haven't pegged me as just about the biggest loser alive, but the truth is, Latin convention is a party. Sure convention includes taking tests about derivatives, state mottoes, and what ancient Romans ate and wore as well as memorizing poetry and writing essays, but everyone who attends convention loves it. There is a lot more to convention than just knowing Latin. The real highlight is the spirit competition.

Schools are judged by how spirited they are, and, not to brag, but our school has won spirit for the past four years in a row. We really get into it. The most important spirit contest is the pre-assembly spirit, in which all 500 delegates are cheering, singing and screaming in unison with their school while dressed accordingly to the day's theme, such as "L is for..." (my school was litterae, or letters, so we each wrote a letter on a shirt and spelled out words) and "Greece-ers" (a 50's theme because it was the 50^th annual convention with a pun on the Greek aspect, as the convention focuses on both of the classical languages).

It would take far too long to describe everything that makes Latin convention my favorite weekend of the year, and it's hard to understand the atmosphere without actually being there. I mean, "Latin convention" doesn't sound that thrilling; most of my non-Latin friends ask if all we do at convention is speak and translate a dead language.

And as for that matter, as a true Latin student, it's now my responsibility to argue that Latin is not dead. There are numerous words and phrases in the English language that come from Latin. For example, the word language itself comes from lingua, which means the same thing. "Spirit" also comes from the Latin word spiro ("I breathe"), which, in my opinion, proves that the spirit of convention keeps Latin alive and "breathing."

And, because you still might not get the dog, there's an art competition, too. In Latin and Greek mythology there is a three-headed dog named Cerberus who guards the underworld and looks like Fluffy in Harry Potter, even though mine looks more like Scooby-Doo.

The Convention is run by the Wisconsin Junior Classical League (WJCL). There is also a National Junior Classical League that will be holding its week-long national convention in Ohio this summer. High schools around Tosa that attended convention include DSHA, Brookfield Academy, Brookfield East, Brookfield Central, Catholic Memorial, Marquette, Homestead and Rufus King.

*Hooray! The language lives!

Is it just me, or are there way, way too many decisions to make?

Right now I’m supposed to be choosing my schedule for my senior year. I’m bad enough at choosing what to pack in my lunch every day, how can I be expected to choose what I’ll be sitting through seven hours a day, five days a week, for nine straight months starting seven months from now?

Sorry to complain, but I’m just horrible at dealing with things like this. Never go shopping with me. I take a half an hour to decide whether or not I want to buy a ten dollar shirt, and then I usually end up returning it anyway.

So does anybody have any advice? European history or economics? A study hall or an art class?  Analyzing literature or language and composition? The hard math class that meets after school and interferes with track practice or the math class that’s just during school but doesn’t look as good on a college transcript?

But don’t even get me started about the college decision now. I’ll probably just end up flipping a coin.