BlockTwo – Page 5 – Thornton Academy

March 9, 2019

Why 18?

21F2C992-EF84-417C-A691-BF42DAF39156 Eighteen. The age when you reach freedom and adulthood; the age that opens a multitude of new doors and opportunities. But why does reaching eighteen suddenly allow you to do so much that you couldn’t do before?

At eighteen, one of the bigger things you’re able to do now is vote in elections, but not being able to participate in elections doesn’t bother me. What bother’s me, is the fact that as a sixteen year old, I can drive a car without my mom with me, but I can’t get a tattoo or piercing without parental consent. I can drive a car, that not only holds the ability to kill me, the car (and myself as the driver) holds the ability to kill dozens of other people on the road; I’m basically allowed to operate a gigantic weapon on wheels, but I’m not allowed to get a piercing or tattoo. The difference between the consequences of driving and tattoos and piercings is quite simple. Tattoos and piercings are temporary, and devastating car wrecks are not. Although a procedure may need to take place in order to remove a tattoo, a tattoo is reversible, and I can always take out the jewelry from a piercing and let the hole close. I can’t get my life back or another driver’s life back after a car accident.

In reality, what experiences and knowledge occur in the two years between the ages of sixteen and eighteen that improve an individual’s judgement? Do the chemical levels in my brain change in a way that suddenly give me the ability of knowing exactly what I want without needing my parents’ permission or input? In no way am I saying that, as a sixteen year old, I have perfect judgement or I know what I want. What I’m saying is why does the age of eighteen hold so many opportunities and powers that all prior ages do not?

March 8, 2019

My NHS Essay

HGR

My NHS application, in my opinion, was subpar; absent from the pages were staggering columns of listed clubs and after-school activities. So my real chance to get accepted lies within my “character essay.” I have mixed feelings about this one: it was either bold and unique, or it missed the mark entirely. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading. Here it is:

The Good Secret

I tried to write this essay. I did. But I could not, and would not, without the familiar tug in my chest. I tried to ignore it; I always do. Letters pounced from my fingertips, punching off black text. But these words were written in false inspiration as my mind oozed onto the page, clogged by guilt. And so the pattern ensued: type, tug, type, tug, type, tug.

So I will not write this essay.

Mind you, I will, of course, write, but it will not be the character essay you have asked for. This is because I have decided to tell you nothing. I will not give you “specific references and anecdotes” in description of my character. I will not tell you how I fulfill “each of the four pillars that define National Honors Society Members.”

But my rebellion is not without purpose; and neither was the tug. For you see, guilt is a lamppost to me as I walk through the murky paths of choice, and I will regard that light with respect. That light has revealed to me this truth: that to tell you of my do-wells according to the pillars would crumble them entirely. For these pillars are built upon the foundation that service is selfless, not to assure oneself of one’s own moral achievement. That would be folly.

Service must be done with noble intent. If a man were to give to someone in any form of good deed, how odd would it be for that man to tell his giftee that, “I am only being kind to you in order to feel good about myself.” Most would consider that foolish! But imagine how happier would that same man would be if, despite great inconvenience, he poured out what little he had in true submission to another human being.

We know this. So why have we taught students differently? Why have we been taught to flaunt our generosities and list them on a paper? It has contributed to a spirit of competitiveness, fueling this young generation to only be kind in the presence of eyes.

And so, it is my belief that when anyone does kindness, it should be, whenever possible, cloaked in secrecy. And it is by this strategy that one receives an even greater reward than they intended; for to give in secret generates a satisfaction far deeper than pride, which only runs through shallow waters. The satisfaction is this: that you have done something truly good—not in the vain efforts to indulge in the self, but to bring up another.

So I will not tell you of the gifts I have given, besides this piece of advice: give in secret, so that by doing good, you will be good.

March 5, 2019

Blog Posts?

I’ve been sitting here starring aimlessly at my iPad for about 30 minutes trying to come with a brainless topic to write about because I know the left side of the classes’ blog post are due tomorrow. As great as those 30 minutes have been I have chosen to give up on finding a topic and simply write about how mindless these blog post truly are for the next 230ish words left I have with you, to meet my minimum requirement of 300 words. Over these past few months finding a topic to stretch over 300 words has gotten harder and harder. With every week I feel as though the voice and detail in my blogs have begun to vanish more and more, until the only aspect of them left, still present, is a bunch of fancy words used to make myself sound smart, words in which I would never truly use in my everyday life. I don’t fully comprehend why students already put under so much pressure, from not only Ap Language, but all of their other classes as well, need to have one more weight put on their shoulders throughout the week. These blog posts keep students from going to sleep at an early 12:00am to a sleep deprived 1:00am, an hour in which their bodies could use to finally be able to relax after the hardships of the day. When looking back at the 50 or so blog post written by the students of Ap Language, I can comfortably say at least one fourth of these papers have been written about the stupidity, and stress associated with the writing of these weekly tasks. My blog is no different and neither will be the person’s after mine who writes about the same topic, or every single person after that. The point is, well I don’t really have to explain my point because my 300 words are up, but for you I will anyway, the point is there is no need for blog posts, teens already struggle so much throughout the week, what’s the point of adding just another problem to our week when the prevention of such actions are so easy .

March 4, 2019

Losing people is kind of difficult. Not the they’re dead type of loss, but the they’re off living their life somewhere else without you type of loss.

Even if it’s someone you’re not close to. For example, last year, a bunch of people graduated that I knew because of swim. I’d known of them for years, but was never close to the, up until three years ago. When they graduated, it was fine because I hadn’t let it sink in that they wouldn’t be apart of the team anymore. When swim started again, especially high school swim, it was weird. It’s not like we hung out outside of swim practice and swim related activities, but just having them around apparently impacted me in some way, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Of course I keep in contact with the ones I was closer too, but it’s not the same.

Losing someone you’re close to is not fun. I’ve recently experienced it for the first time. A good friend. I’ve been friends with my best friends since first grade, and during that time, we have never fought, argued, or anything bad, so I’m not particularly used to the feeling. I’m not used to knowing people who graduate either. This is all new. I’m not a fan. In my head, I’m justifying it by thinking I had to experience it eventually, I’m sure everyone does. But it still sucks. What’s the point of meeting someone, and then losing them. Maybe it’s because in my head, if I like you enough to be my friend I never want to lose you. Or maybe it’s because I don’t like change. But everything happens for a reason, even if I don’t know what that reason is yet.

March 2, 2019

207

EBF8A0C0-8D74-4496-B800-A50826D10FDE When I look at the time, the page number, the house number… I see ‘207’. I see these three numbers everywhere. It’s the area code for where I live, so every time that I call a friend, I see it. I check the time on my phone many times per day but I always pick it up at 2:07 pm. At my last two cheer competitions, we needed to stay in a hotel. Yes, two weekends in a row, at two different hotels, I was booked to stay in room number 207. I am starting to get creeped out whenever I see the numbers ‘207,’ so tonight I decided to look up the reason as to why I am seeing these numbers in these places, and what they mean.

In my research I found that there is an angel, numbered 207, which has a meaning. The ‘angel number 207’ represents certain aspects in my life that my loving angels want me to pay attention to. Number 2 represents harmony, order and balance. Number 0 portrays endless flow of energy in my life. Number 7 is the number that signifies totality.

I have concluded from my research that my guardian angle is Angel number 207 wants me to know that I am doing well so far. They are encouraging me to remain in my path and work out all the situations in my life to attain perfection and success.

– Isabella Dube 2/15/19

March 2, 2019

Furry (and Non-Furry) Friends

Like many households, my family and I are very welcoming to animal friends of any species, breed, shape, size, and color. A few years ago we even fostered animals; mainly kittens and puppies that needed temporary homes before going into their forever homes, but we did take in elderly animals as well. After about a year or two of non-stop fostering, we decided that we were done. With me starting high school and working, my schedule was getting too crazy to give the animals the amount of time and attention they deserved. As devastated as I was to no longer be fostering, I was also very grateful. Fostering animals not only allowed me to care for and interact with animals (which happen to be my favorite things in the entire world), fostering was like a therapy to me; being with the many animals kept me company and my mood was always up. Whether I was doing homework or just watching some TV, the animals were always there with me.

After fostering, I spent most of my free time with the animals my family and I already had. I brought my dog on walks, I got a laser to play with my cat and I sat with my guinea pig when I watched TV. As an avid animal lover, I thought I was living my best life, but oh was I wrong. One random when day I asked my mom to get me a kitten (which I did quite often) and she actually agreed, that’s when my best life really began. We adopted an extremely adorable 8-week-old black kitten with big golden eyes and silky fur. Watching her grow up and having a lifelong companion has been the best part of my life. Last year she got me through the worst year of my life, and I’m eternally grateful got her.

I may be a little biased, but I believe every household should have a pet. Not only are animals adorable and cuddly, they’re proven to lower stress levels and help those with anxiety and depression. Even if you’re allergic to dogs or cats, there are other animals out there that make great pets; I have a dog, two cats, two guinea pigs, and four fish and each one of these animals fulfills my happiness in a different way.

February 28, 2019

10:59

alarm clock analogue bed bedroom — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Rub your eye. Blink. Stay awake. This is due in less than two hours. Don’t stop now. Get this done soon, and you can get a full seven hours of sleep. True, that is not enough compared to eight or nine hours; however, it is something. Keep writing. Stop drifting. Stay focused. It’s not that late. Time is an illusion. Plenty of teenagers stay up doing work; why should you get the luxury of getting to sleep at a reasonable hour? Besides, it’s not the late. I already said that. Oh well. This is my brain in the night.

Does this writing suck? Probably. But what choice do I have? It’s 10:40 right now. It’s too late to create something beautiful.

Oh, there you are, old friend guilt. You know I can do better. But consider this: what would my parents think? They have always promoted the idea of plenty of sleep for a growing body. Plus, I’ve got another school day ahead. I have to be prepared for another day at school tomorrow.

Then again, my parents continuously stress the idea of working with excellence…

Keep writing. Don’t slow down. It’s 10:45. Five minutes have passed. Keep up a fast pace. You haven’t reached 300 words yet…

Bare minimum? Really? Is that all that I am capable of? What about your teacher and all the blood, sweat, and tears she pours into your education? And all you give her back is some first-draft, speed-written barf-in-a-blog?

Now hold on there. I’m working, aren’t I? If I wasn’t trying, I wouldn’t have said something as clever as ‘barf-in-a-blog’—see? You just used illiteration (a rhetorical device), and some really fancy punctuation work.

Come on. You’re impressed with your punctuation? Look at those contractions! Shame! That is no way to write an essay! And you only used the — because you know your teacher thinks it looks good in scholarly articles! That is no way to create art!

Would you look at that. 327 words, increasing. And it’s only 10:55.

Nice time management, right?

February 28, 2019

Importance Of Great Friends

Cole Paulin
Mrs. Durkee
AP Language and Composition
26 February 2019
Three great high school friends is better than a whole gang or mere acquaintances. Great friends will last with you through life and will always be by you side. Acquaintances will come and go, friends will stay.

The few great high school friends someone makes will remain as a part of their lives forever. After years of hanging out and making connections, these friends will not be able to stay away from each other. Any mere acquaintance will slowly drift apart as their distance increases. There is no connection like a childhood connection. The coming of age and growing up together is an experience that kids will always share together. No matter how similar and amazing an adult friend may be, they will never have the shared childhood experiences that last forever. Even if these friends move away and become distant, social media will ensure that they can stay close. With FaceTime and messaging, high school friends will always stay connected.

Real connections can be made when a friend group is small and close. Superficial connections are made in large groups comprised of fake friends. When three people are hanging out all the time, they begin to understand and spot the weird quirks that each other have. Deeper connections like these cannot be formed with large groups of people. Yes, it does take much more time and effort to form connections that last a lifetime, but the effort will pay dividends once true blue friendships are formed. Small groups of close friends are much better because they will lead to real connections that can’t be found elsewhere.

Throughout high school, having many shallow friends sometimes seems easier and more enjoyable, but creating a few amazing friendships will always be more satisfying.

February 28, 2019March 14, 2019

Shameless Promo

Kristina Arabatzis

Ever heard of TED talks? I’m sure you have one time when either your teacher was absent or just needed to give you busy work and decided to be “educational” by having you watch one. They are actually really interesting though. Well here at Thornton Academy we are having our very own student run TEDx event! It’s mostly international kids who are running the show actually. But we have a bunch of awesome speakers, students, teachers, Senator Justin Chenette and even a random artist also known as “Pigeon.” The theme Find Your Flow is super vague and allows the speakers flexibility to discuss any discussion that is interesting to them and helped them find out who they are. This opportunity is amazing for students as in a normal school day it is often difficult to discuss and research topics that personally entice the students to research on their own.

The leaders of the club have worked diligently through many difficulties the school has thrown at them. But through their determination to prove that a student run event never before seen at Thornton Academy can and will be created. This show will definitely become a marker in the history of Thornton Academy and we hope that it will lead to greater events in the future. There is a limited number of allowed seating, only a hundred spots. The tickets being five dollars each per student and fifteen for non students are all simply to run the event. The hope being that ninety percent of the audience being Thornton Academy students. So please come show support to this amazing event and tell your friends that that giant X in the atrium is part of this club and event: TEDxThorntonAcademy

Link to the website and tickets is below:

https://fixr.co/event/826694629

people sitting on beige rolling chairs on brown wooden table inside room — Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

February 28, 2019March 14, 2019

I Go To Jesus Camp

I go to Jesus camp. Every summer for at least one week I am in the middle of the woods in New Hampshire, no television, no phones, no WiFi. Just myself and a bunch of Greek Orthodox Christians kids all pretty much under the age of eighteen. We are not all Greek and not all orthodox but we all get so close over that week it’s like we are one giant family of crazy people who scream and yell to “Country Roads Take Me Home,” “Build Me Up Buttercup” or the American and Greek national anthems. By the end of the week my voice is so gone you would think I had been smoking cigarettes for forty three years.

Sadly, many kids I know have never experienced something like “summer camp.” Especially one with a bunch of Greeks in it. Being able to just run around and not worry about “the real world” is something that creates bonds with people that if you were in school together would never create. I remember one year a friend of mine on the last night stood up to reflect on the week and said, “in one week, we create bonds that we can’t even begin to develop in the 180 days of school.” This statement is one of the most true things I’ve ever heard. Even though many of my camp friends live hours away we still contact each other, some I even write letters too. We even manage to find time to go to Boston and meet up for a day, go to each others dances or even stay at someone’s house for a long weekend (one time we had about twenty kids in one house). The bonds we created are not something that we forget when we leave camp. Rather we grow up together and develop friendships that can never be from just school alone.

When I say school isn’t my community I mean it. Yes I have friends here but school is not where I create bonds. Spending time outside of school with friends is how I find friends and family.

Kristina Arabatzis