Doug's Short Story

I was always the girl who loved to pick out my outfit the night before school, perfectly coordinating, with a bow to match. Then, I found out that I would be wearing the same outfit to school for the rest of my grammer school and high school days. After attending the quaint public school down the road from my house for six years, I found out that I was moving to Our Lady of the Hamptons Regional Catholic School. This was new territory for me.

The football stadium lights cut through the twilight sky like glass, creating an ambiance similar to that of Aurora Borealis. My heart pumps frantically as adrenaline fills my body, the crowd seated before me ripples and bellows like an ocean. The nerves that fill my stomach are agitated in a similar way, now is the time. I lug the heavy weight of my marimba and my anxieties as I descend onto the track with the remainder of the front ensemble, but the burden of my worries is no rival for the passion that drives my performance. Marching band has defined my life in ways that I had never thought possible. This was not how I expected it to turn out; the zeal that fills my being every waking moment of my performance never seems to pass. The months of summer fever and exhaustion that I had spent perfecting each note were worth it. They always are.

It is during monotonous afternoons in the sweltering heat where one discovers the true limitations of his or her resolve. Remarkably, our exuberant group of approximately 160 members repeatedly managed to accomplish a new feat and set a precedent after every repetition. Much of this persistence I attribute to our band director, whose passion and resolution roused us to attain superior versions of ourselves. Often, he would remind us that “what was acceptable yesterday is not acceptable today”, a sample of his wisdom that prompted me to audition for the role of drum major. A drum major is essentially the foremost proprietor of student leadership within a marching band and he or she functions as a musical conductor during performances. Though I was not chosen at the conclusion of my freshman year, my commitment only intensified. I auditioned once more at the end of the following year and was selected. Suddenly, I was thrust into a renowned position of liability. My success depended on effectively communicating with individuals unfamiliar to me on a daily basis and defusing stiff situations. Stressful and tedious as I have discovered the role to be, it has bolstered my confidence and allowed me to acknowledge the mantle of leadership in a new

From what I have been through, my current high school experience has not been meeting my expectations. After speaking with friends and parents, I believe that Archbishop Mitty High School can provide the experience that I am seeking. One aspect I am looking for is a larger campus, school community and a safer environment. I feel that the size and location of Archbishop Mitty will help enhance my learning experience. Something else I am looking for in my new high school experience is more school spirit and camaraderie. I have attended many sports events at Archbishop Mitty and I have thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm and spirit of the environment. One last reason is that I am looking for a school that can provide a larger class selection with

Kyndall Fritz~ I am a member of the girls’ varsity tennis team. I am a year round competitive swimmer and I plan on swimming for Wheatmore this winter. In my spare time I like to hang out with my friends and go to the beach. I am an active member in my church youth group. My friends would describe me as a funny, friendly, and kind hearted person.

Growing up in Catholic schools all my life I have always been told, “God created this earth now it’s our job to save it and keep it as beautiful as possible”, yet my High School did nothing to keep it beautiful like we were always told. We did not recycle the hundreds of water bottles kids drank at lunch, papers we used everyday in class, old textbooks at the end of the year, the list can go on forever. Instead, all of those items have ended up in landfills, polluting the world. Everyone agreed something needed to be done about the problem, but nothing ever changed. My school, Boylan Catholic High School, even created a Go Green club that would hang up signs saying “Save the Environment” or “Don’t forget the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.

When I was fourteen years old, I realized that I was very different from my twin sister Annsley. When Annsley and I were in the eighth grade there was a form that we received to encourage students to join the band. I had no desire to join the band, I wanted to play soccer while Annsley on the contrary, could not wait to sign up. She even had a countdown for the first football game because she could not wait to march with her now, new band friends.

In the fall of 2014, I embarked on the start of my ephemeral high school experience. Reminiscing back onto my first day of school, I can recall the exact moment as if it was yesterday. The adrenaline spewing out of my veins as if I had just consumed a large amount of caffeine, the anxiety boiling in my nerves not knowing who my teachers were or where my classes were. But most of all, I recall the coalescing of my fellow classmates’ personalities and the censure everyone had towards each other. It was in this moment that I had realized that Northwest Christian High School was not a banal Christian environment. In fact, Northwest Christian High School was the antithesis of a banal Christian environment.

A young lady has been accepted into her dream school, Stanford. The only problem is that neither she nor her parents can pay for her way into the university. A recruiter senses her willingness to remove herself from her comfort zone and talks to her about joining the military, ultimately she does. Upon joining, she is promised 20 thousand dollars in student loan repayment, which she never received and never made the money that she thought she would. Not only did she not receive her benefits, she was taken advantage of by her higher-ups, who were male (Allison III). This is just one tragic example of a student trying to make their way into the world. Allison is not alone in her hunt to determine what life after high school will be like. Many

Just a few days ago we were heading in the opposite direction. When I say “we” I mean all of us, the whole band. It’s a sort of mentality that was driven into us since sixth grade, that we are a collective unit and are only as strong as our weakest player. I was once again alone in my bus seat with my headphones on, blasting some sort of screaming music into my already damaged ears. Even though it was still day I slept away most of the trip. The bus was heading towards Indianapolis; the Godwin Heights marching band of 2010 was having its final hurrah at the Lucas Oil Stadium. We had just got first at the Ford Field House which was hosted by The Michigan Competing Band Association, and our hopes were high to repeat that. The show that year was

It was when I was 6 that I was first told, “You look good for someone of your skin color!” The moment that phrase escaped her lips, my parents stared at each other, not unsure of how to even respond. Nothing seemed abhorrent about that statement to me at the time. The woman just wanted to give me a compliment! I should feel honored that someone would consider me so beautiful. Before they could even say anything, I simply smiled at her and said thank you with my hands folded in my lap and my head held up high.

Lastly, growing up in a Catholic School changed my perspective on life. As I got older and understood more about God, the more I realized how incredible the gift of life is. It is mind blowing to think about how our planet and human life was just created through the power of God. In my opinion, people from public school do not really know about creation or about human life. Although people may doubt many things, I think God is the creator of everything and most things would not be possible without him. Things always happen for a reason whether it good or bad. Often, when times are rough people may ask “Why me” or “why is this happening to me.” I learned to always keep my head up because they will get better through God. Thanks to God, I was

High school is a crucial period for all adolescences, it’s a time where teenagers are approaching young adulthood, their learning new skills rapidly, and making important decisions (Blakemore, 2011). For this reason, it is highly imperative for high school students to have positive influences in their lives, especially in their educational setting. In high school, educators play an important role in their student’s lives because they have the opportunity to have a stronger impact on their future and their goals. In addition, they also have the opportunity to, inspire them to learn and try new things, teach them how to make sound decisions, and encourage them to collaborate with their peers (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010).

Manteca High has always been a diverse place, where anything is allowed and okay. With recent controversy of signs being hung around the campus students have found themselves thinking a lot more. It’s changing their thoughts cause most people around agree with it. Is peer pressure really that big of a thing?

Previously in the year, it was typical for me just write what is on my mind at the time and later go back and organize it. This paper is a stupendous presentation of that obsolete format. It was common for me to leap from one paragraph to another without soundly blending my ideas into the narrative. Despite this, however, many outstanding developments appeared in this essay. This was the essay that helped me further develop my ability to write sensory details, which immediately shows itself in the introduction: “Lights blare down from above. To my left, I can see the crowd cheering as the previous band charges off the field, and we prepare our grand entrance” ( 1). I also highlighted the negative aspects of the band, such as leadership problems: “Aside from inexperienced and uncaring managers, some people are just wholly opposed to taking orders from their peers. This causes an avalanche of tension between them and their section. Arguments will typically break out as to who is right and who is wrong-- especially during marching season ( 3).” Each paragraph, despite flowing strangely, outlined a specific aspect of the band in increasingly detailed methods. One section describes the methods band members use to communicate with one another while another tells of its hierarchy. Overall, this paper, despite its shortcomings, laid the base for which I would later improve upon in following essays.