Our Wondrous World

(SSR)

Our world, pirouetting through space. Our world, existing, floating, and not falling. Our wondrous world in which we live is something remarkable. Not only in space, but also living on it. On this earth, the trees dance as the wind twirls around it. The oceans wave goodbye as you leave the beach. The clouds form portraits in the sky with the vibrant colors at sunset. The dew on the grass greets you every summer morning. The rain tumbles from the clouds and taps the ground as if it were dancing. The leaves change every fall, with a splash of new color, before sailing down to the ground. The snow tumbles from the sky in white sparkles, and forms a white blanket on the ground. 

All of these marvelous things happen, and we choose to treat our world as if it doesn't matter. We treat our world as if we don't need it, as if we'd be better of without it. We do need our world in order to exist. We need to praise the world for all the beauty it gives us, not put it to shame by littering, cutting down trees, and simply just not taking care of it. There is a saying that says "treat others how you want to be treated." Would we want the earth to treat us in this way? Do we want the earth to not care for us, and give us the life we live? Without our wondrous world, we would not exist, and we need to treat our world the way it deserves.

Our earth provides us with astonishing places and scenery. It hands us water, and air. It gives us a place to call home. Yet it does not ever ask for anything in return. This world is the only beautiful thing we know. We don't know that much on what the other planets look like, our earth is the most beautiful of them all. Why waste this grace and beauty when we could use it, and care for it? We need to keep this world as clean, and stunning as it has always been, or else if we don't, we might loose it forever.

Our word is completely fascinating. The amazing places, and this amazing scenery was not made by us, it is all natural. All of this beauty was made by our wondrous world. The Grand Canyon, all of the mountains, the oceans, the rivers, the forests, the waterfalls, they were made by this earth. We cannot take credit for this magic that has happened. We need to give the credit to our world, and give it the recognition it deserves by treating it well. No littering, no burning down trees. Just living our life and treating this absolutely stunning world, the way it should be treated. Take moment and just take in the beauty of our world, because it's beauty is one thing that can never be replaced.

The Question for Generations

SSR

Should same sex-sex marriage be legal? This question has certainly been huge for quite some time. For as long as I can remember, I have seen articles, and stories, and news broadcasts over such a simple thing, marriage. Recently, I have come across multiple articles discussing this topic, and I found one on CNN. This article talks about gay marriage and politics. At one point, the article states that "the marriage equality arguments seemed even more shaped by politics than law."  I agree that politics does have a huge influence on this topic, but it doesn't have to.

These people in politics do not need to be arguing over something as small as same-sex marriage, when there are many other huge issues in the world that need to be resolved. But, everyone continues to argue about the same thing, and it gets us nowhere. Honestly, I do not see any problem with same-sex marriage. I believe that marriage is marriage and it is not restricted only to people of the opposite sex. Why does it matter if their gender is different? They are human, just like everyone else in this world and they deserve to be happy just as much as everyone else. 

People may argue that people of  the same sex getting married isn't how it's supposed to be, and that's not what marriage is for. But I strongly disagree. I looked up the definition of marriage, and on many websites found that it only included opposite sex marriage. But on one website, I found the true definition that everyone should accept and learn. The definition included all types of marriage and didn't exclude any. It explained what same-sex marriage was and it showed that the world is changing. Times are changing, the world is changing, society is changing, so why can't we change our minds and just accept same-sex marriage? No matter what people may say, times are changing, and same-sex marriage is becoming more and more common. People need to learn to accept the change and move on, or else as everyone around them changes, they'll be left in the dust with their stubborn selves because they were not willing to change and help society improve.

Also, I hear a lot of people say that same-sex marriage bothers them, and they don't want to see it. I do understand how people may be uncomfortable with it, but if you are so uncomfortable, then don't pay attention to it. If you see a couple, you don't need to stare at them like they're some rare species, just keep going on with what you were doing and continue your day. Also, when these people say that they don't want to see these couples married, they are in for a treat. Once again, times are changing and these people are going to see a lot more of it. No matter what you do, you cannot stop the world from changing, change needs to happen in order for us to grow and improve. If you aren't accepting of change, then you are going to be stuck in a very tough place and it will be very hard for you to move forward.

Despite how hard change can be sometimes, let it happen. All of these lawmakers are arguing constantly on the gay marriage topic when there is only one simple solution, let it happen. If these laws are passed and gay marriage is made legal, then eventually there will be a time when none of us even remember when gay marriage was illegal. It is bound to happen sooner or later, so why not make it legal now. It will be an amazing change for our society, and it will be a giant leap in the right direction. We all need to learn to be more accepting to those who are different from us. Everyone is different in some way, whether it be their hair color, their personality, or who they love. We need to be accepting of differences in order to make these changes, and these changes will spark a whole new light in the world.

Girl Scout Cookies: Delightful or Deadly?

(SSR)

As many cookie lovers may know, it is the best time of the year, Girl Scout cookie season. Girl Scout cookies are the delectable bite size cookies that come in many different types. There are eight different types of Girl Scout cookies to choose from ranging from mint, to raisin. For as long as I can remember, I have loved these cookies. I was a Girl Scout when I was younger, so every time I sold them, I was ecstatic. Now, because I am not a Girl Scout anymore, I look forward to walking into Giant Eagle, or Walmart and seeing a huge table of those delightful cookies that were sent from heaven. 

If you love these cookies as much I do, you might think that there can't possibly be anything wrong with these heavenly cookies. Well, you may be wrong. I have recently read an article that was posted on CNN discussing the problems with Girl Scout cookies. Let me tell you, reading this article and thinking about the possible problems with the cookies might have just broken my heart. 

The article discusses some of the ingredients in the cookies. The author states that Thin Mints contain white flour, sugar, partially hydrogenated oil, and high fructose corn syrup. All of these ingredients were in almost all of the other cookies. I will be honest, I don't really know the negative effects of these ingredients, but once the author explained, I most definitely knew. In the article, the author stated that high fructose corn syrup and sugar can lead to obesity. Now you may not think this is that bad, but it gets worse.

It is stated in the article that trans fats can increase the risk of heart disease. There is trans fat in cookies, and companies are are zero grams of trans fat on a label if a serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat. But many people eat many cookies, so they are taking in more trans fat than they think therefore possibly putting them at risk for heart disease. 

When I first read this article, I was very worried that my beloved cookies were very unhealthy. I am sure that they are unhealthy, but I don't think that if I eat a few cookies, the one time of year that they are sold, I will die. I'm sure that if you continuously eat the cookies, along with many other types of junk food, it could lead to obesity, or heart disease. I highly doubt that a box of cookies being sold by 7 year old girls will kill me. I know for a fact that I will continue to eat the cookies, but after reading the article, I might just be extra cautious on what ingredients are in them, and how many I eat. I know that they are not the healthiest food items out there, but they are a nice treat once a year and I know many people will agree that it is very hard to eat just one. 

Live Life to the Fullest

PB

There are many things in life that we take for granted. Food, water, our education, where we live, and what we do. A lot of the time we don't realize how amazing it is that we have all of these wonderful things in our lives. There are quite a lot of people in this world that don't even get clean water while we complain that some water "tastes weird." We complain that where we live is boring, while other people don't even have a place to call home. We complain when we have to eat a meal that isn't our favorite while other people struggle to even find food to eat. I think that it's time for us to stop complaining, and just be thankful for what we have, because things could be so much worse. 

Yes, I am indeed one of the people that complains about water tasting weird, or how boring Cortland Ohio is. But, I realized that complaining about everything isn't helping me in any way. We need to learn to accept what we get in life. If it's a good thing, then accept it and be happy. If it's a bad thing, do what you need to make it a good thing. We have a limited amount of time here, and it shouldn't be wasted constantly looking at the negatives in life. 

One of the major complaints in life is school. Everyone, myself included, complains about school. We complain about how long it is, the restrictions on how we express ourselves, and the amount of schoolwork. But, sometimes it is acceptable to complain about the schoolwork. We do get tremendous amounts of work and sometimes it truly is not fair. And I know that some of the dress code restrictions are unfair. And some people think we should be able to dye our hair whatever color we please in order to express ourselves. I do believe that any person should be able to express themselves in whatever way they feel is necessary. But, if you think about it, you're only in high school for a very small portion of your life. You have the rest of your entire life to do crazy things with your hair, or get tattoos to express yourself. You are not just limited to these four years, you have an entire lifetime to be you. 

Now, going back to being thankful, I think that we all need to live life to the fullest. Live life to the fullest everyday. Live life to the fullest even when your sad. Live life to the fullest with your friends, and family. Just simply live life to the fullest. If you find it hard to live life to the fullest because people bring you down, find knew friends how will always pick you back up. I have amazing friends that will always pick each other when we're down, and we don't take life for granted. We have fun, we go on adventures, and we're always doing something new. Having a good group of friends can change your life. 

Life can be rough sometimes, trust me, I know. No matter how hard things can be, keep your head up. Live your life to the fullest, don't let anyone bring you down. Always be yourself, and do not let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough. Don't take things for granted either. We have so many nice things, and opportunities in our lives to be grateful for. No matter how hard things can get, don't forget about your friends around you, they will always be will to help. And remember, live life to the fullest.

This is my Freebie!

 

Watch this music video with R5 performing!!

Band: Burden or Brilliant?

(PB)

Musical instruments have been around for as long as we can remember. I only know of the main musical instruments, not the ancient ones. But, one of the first musical instruments found was a bone flute which is over 40,000 years old. This goes to show that music has been around for quite some time, and will continue to be a huge part of our lives. 

Band in our school was introduced to us in fifth grade. This was back when the hardest decision I had to make was what instrument I would play. I chose the clarinet, and have stuck with it ever since, but I have added one more instrument recently and that is bass guitar. On our first day of band, everyone was eager to learn how to play. We didn't sound very good at first, but over the years, we have all developed into outstanding musicians. 

Band in high school is a lot more intense than it was in elementary and middle school. We go to contests, and we have solo and ensemble to attend, and countless rehearsals after school, and we even go on many trips. Sometimes, with all of this going on at once, band can truly be a burden. I have had my fair share of complaining about everything we have to do for band, and trust me, there is a lot that we have to do. But, now that I think about it, band is truly brilliant. Being able to express yourself through the music we play is something remarkable. And the feeling you get when you have an amazing performance, or you get a 1 at districts or state, is one that cannot ever be described.

Having a good band takes a lot of hard work and practice, and that's when the complaining comes in. We have multiple rehearsals after school, and many playing grades to ensure that we are the best that we can be. Despite how much I dislike doing all of this sometimes, and really makes us all better and it's great that we have a director that wants us to improve. 

There are many experiences that I have had in band that will always make band absolutely brilliant. Last year, our marching band show was titled "Man vs. Machine." This show signified a short sort of battle between man and machine with songs such as "Mr. Roboto", "Creep", "Rockit", "Soul Man", and "Fix You." Our favorite performance every year is at the Jackson Band Night in Massillon. The crowd there always has so much energy and it's wonderful. When we got there, we were all extremely excited to perform our new show. We all lined up on the field and got ready to go. As we stood in parade rest, the audience was quiet, and then we heard the whistle, and it was show time. We performed every song as best as we could, and it all paid off. In our last song of our show, "Fix You," we did a chainsaw which is when the whole band comes together in different lines making it look somewhat like a chainsaw. But once we came out of the chainsaw we were all standing in a line of blue and white mixed together to symbolize that man and machine could come together. (The man side of the band was wear white and the machine side was wearing blue) When we finished, our entire band was lined up across the football field and the colors were alternated. The second we finished the crowd stood up and broke out into applause and cheers. It gave our entire band a feeling that we will never be able to explain. It was in that moment that we knew all of our hard work paid off, and we had created something very special. That was something that only happens once in a life time. Even before that day I knew band was something special, but after that day, I knew it was brilliant.

Here is our Man vs. Machine show at Warren

Being in band gives every person a chance to have a surprising experience. Some of the music we play is incredible, and we are very fortunate to be able to go on many trips to places such as Chicago, New York City, and Orlando. Band gives everyone a break in their day to just express themselves though amazing music.  I think band can truly help with creativity and at times can be very relaxing. Band will continue to be brilliant as time goes on and it will never cease to amaze me. You may think you hate band at times, but just wait, you will be amazed at where it can take you. 

Genius and Drill

CRR

In class, we have been analyzing Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Education."  The essay talks about the way kids learn now, and how they should be learning. He discusses nature, and how it is patient. He talks about how we should let the children learn the way nature evolves. Nature takes the time it needs to grow, Emerson felt the same way about children learning. Emerson repeats in his essay "Respect the child" to indicate that we need to respect the way they learn, and let them evolve on their own time. 

One of Emerson's main focuses in this essay was Genius and Drill. When I first read about genius and drill, I had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. But, we discussed it in class and it was made very clear exactly what it was. Genius is the intelligence of an individual. A genius is looking for new ways to learn, they are enthusiastic genius is when you are willing to learn new things in order to better yourself. Drill is when you apply what you learned as a genius, and you seek answers. You practice what you know as a drill. 

I believe that genius and drill can apply to our everyday lives. For example, imagine you're in school sitting in math class and you find out you have a test tomorrow. You immediately get super nervous because you don't understand what you are doing in the class. Then you race home after school because you know that you need to study. You use your genius, and you look for new ways to learn. You apply yourself and you are willing to learn about math. You spend hours studying and you come into school the next day as confident as ever to take your math test. You get to your class and you use drill to apply everything that you learned. That math test ends up being the easiest test you have ever taken because you were willing to learn new things and apply them. 

In the essay, Emerson says "Alas for the cripple Practice when it seeks to come up with the bird Theory, which flies before it." This quote can mean that the theory of practice sounds great, and it should be easy. But in reality, sadly it is not always easy. This can also apply to genius and drill. The process of learning new things and then putting them to use and practicing them is definitely not easy all the time. Every single person is going to be different in what they do. Some people may find it easy while others find it to be the hardest thing in the world. Clearly, Emerson did not just think of all of this randomly one day as he was sitting in a chair reading. It would have taken a lot of time and effort and learning and thinking to even find the idea of genius and drill. So if you think about it, the man who thought of genius and drill, even had to go through the genius and drill process before it existed, in order to come up with the idea of genius and drill. He had to learn all of his life, he had to want to learn, and better himself in order to think of genius and drill. Then he had to apply what he learned throughout his life in order to fully come up with this idea.

When I first read this essay, I did not understand one bit of it. But then I read it again and we had a class discussion on it, and I found it to be very interesting. The whole concept of genius and drill is really clever and it really made me think. And what Emerson said about nature was very interesting too. I know that it would be very hard to do, but it would be extremely nice to have kids learn and grow at their own pace just like nature. It could be a very natural and relaxing process, but instead we are rushed through school and we get information thrown at us because there are so many topics that we are required to learn. But that's the way things need to be because it is a process that works. After reading his essay, I know that I will think more about genius and drill, and what they can do to help me improve my life. Do you think genius and drill can help you in your daily life? Do you agree with Emerson when he states that children should learn at their own pace?

This is my Freebie!

Here's a picture of the beach since it has been so cold lately!

Pluto Gives Us an Opening to a World Unseen

(SSR)

Have you ever thought about going into space? Have you ever wanted to explore and truly see what is beyond our world?  Have you ever thought about how much we have not even discovered yet? I know I have thought about all of this. The topic of outer space has always made me think about exactly how much there is beyond earth. There is so much that we have not discovered, and probably never will. But, there was a recent discovery that could bring in new information about outer space. And believe it or not this discovery came from the dwarf planet Pluto.

The NASA New Horizons spacecraft was launched into space to Pluto in January 2006. The spacecraft traveled 1,000,000 miles per day and it is one of the fastest space vehicles ever made. Even thinking about possibly ever traveling that much makes me tired. Despite traveling that fast, it took 9 years for the spacecraft to finally reach its destination at Pluto. I never realized just how far away Pluto was until now. It is truly amazing that we are able to create something that can travel in space for 9 years and still make it to its destination and do its job. 

Once the spacecraft reached Pluto, it took two images of moons, Nix and Hydra, that could potentially lead us into discovering more about space. It is so interesting when something is discovered in space. The people that sent this spacecraft must have felt very accomplished once they received these images. 

                      (The moons are in the yellow boxes)

New Horizons did not only take pictures of the two moons Nix and Hydra, it has taken pictures of spouts on Jupiter. The spacecraft will make its closest pass by Pluto in July, and it will take even more pictures then. It is reaching new regions of our solar system and making discoveries that could lead to great things. It is such an interesting topic, there is always something new to talk about. Outer space is so massive that there is always new discoveries, which is pretty incredible. So many great things are happening in space and they will just continue to improve with our knowledge and technology. Space is an incredible place and will continue to amaze us all. With that being said, how do you feel about new discoveries in space? 

Hooray for a Snow Day!

(Passion Blog)

Imagine. It's extremely early on a Monday morning, and you are a zombie trying to open your eyes and wake up for school. Your alarm starts blaring out "Uptown Funk" and you quickly spring up to turn it off. Rubbing your eyes, you dread the thought of having to get out of your warm, comfortable cocoon of a bed. Then you hear the phone ring. You feel a tiny flicker of hope inside of your body. Shortly after you hear quiet footsteps creeping up the stairs. Your heart starts racing, "Could this be true?! Are we having a snow day day?!" you think to yourself as the footsteps creep closer. Your parent opens the door and you feel a sudden wave of relief once you find out that you do indeed have a snow day. The thought of being able to sleep in and have the day off gets you so excited that you can't even fall back asleep. So you just get up anyway and you're completely wide awake. But if you had school, you would be dragging yourself around struggling to get ready. But, I guess that's just the fun of snow days!

Snow days have always been an exciting event for as long as I can remember. The feeling that you get when you find out you have a snow day is one that truly cannot be described. Of course, ever since we first heard about snow days, we heard of all the tricks that could increase our chances for a snow day. We all heard, you can put ice cubes in the toilet, you can sleep with a spoon under your pillow, and you can sleep with your pajamas inside out. When I was younger, naturally I thought all of this worked. I would excitedly run around my house and perform all of these tricks so I could get a snow day. When the next day came, and we didn't have school, I felt like I ruled the world. Now, not so much, but I still get very excited when we do have snow days.

When we were younger, most of us would spend snow days playing outside in the snow with our friends, or sledding, or building snowmen, or staying inside watching TV. But since times have changed, snow days are not spent in the same way. Normally, when we get snow days, it is because the roads are terrible, or the temperatures are at an extreme low. But honestly, there's still quite a few people that drive, and go outside despite how bad the roads are or how cold it is. Now, we drive to friends houses on snow days, or some people still go outside with their friends. Some people also stay inside and watch Netflix, or play video games. As we got older, the way we spent snow days has changed, but that does not mean we don't get the same excitement that we did when we were younger. 

Today when we hear about snow days, it's either on twitter, or we get a text from our friends. Or, when a snow day is a complete surprise, we learn about it from a phone call just like we used to when we were little. Also, now there are multiple ways to find out early if we'll have a snow day or not. Many people use snow day calculators. With these, it gives you the percent chance that you will have a snow day the next day, and they do work sometimes! 

The next time we have a snow day, think about how you want to spend it. After high school, you won't get them nearly as much. Spend them wisely and have fun. You're only in high school once, so do activities that you wouldn't normally do. Be adventurous, and have fun with your snow days! With that being said, How will you spend your next snow day?

One Direction Infection?

(Passion Blog)

As many of you may know, the group One Direction has become quite famous over the past few years. One Direction is a musical group made up of five guys name Niall, Liam, Louis, Harry, and Zayn. Four of them are from England and one is from Ireland. Originally, they all tried on on The X Factor UK as solo artists. Then as the show went on they got placed into a group, and that was when One Direction was born.

People sometimes think that One Direction is a band for little girls and that they don't have any talent whatsoever. But I think that they don't ever really give the band a chance. One Direction has released four albums so far in their career. Their most recent album, "Four", sold 387,000 copies in its first week. Also, they are the only group with four number one album debuts in history. Now I think that's pretty good for a band that many people think is for little girls.  

One Direction is a very talented group and have been compared to the Beatles for their world wide success. They have a fan base of millions and it keeps growing with every album and tour. They've done countless performances on awards shows and festivals and they keep getting bigger and bigger.  

I am indeed a fan of One Direction and I have been for a few years now. I guess you could say I have "One Direction Infection" as some people call it. I think they're all extremely talented and when put together in a group, it created something incredible. I've been to two of their concerts so far and believe me when I say that they know how to perform. They engage the crowd and put on a fantastic show that will leave you breathless. Just by being at their concert and seeing how the act on stage, you can tell that they love what their doing and they don't want it to end anytime soon.  

People should learn to appreciate One Direction more. Despite what some people may think they are a very talented band and they have worked very hard for everything they have. The next time you hear about them, take some time to listen to their music. It has evolved throughout their career and has really turned into something special. Even if you only listen to one song, I would listen to Stockholm Syndrome. It has a very unique sound and maybe just maybe, it will change your feelings towards them.  

Hopefully now you have a better understand of the phenomenon that is One Direction. But before you judge them, listen to their music and give them a chance because they have talent that you don't come across very often.