Talk about Tosh

On Monday, Mr. Tosh came to class for some reflective, team-building activities. For this post, share your thoughts -- as a comment, not as a new, authored post -- about what went on. You can comment about how the class behaved, the activities themselves, what you noticed (or can predict or assess) about yourself, what you discovered about the class, what you think the class can/should consider, how the activities/discussion may impact our dynamics, what you learned, etc. Don't feel limited by my simple list. We talked about PAPA in class, so I guess you can consider the PAPA of the activities. :) The overarching question is this: how can/might what we did with Tosh affect us as individuals and as a class? Looking forward to reading your thoughts. As always, feel free to comment to one another as you write.

Purpose: To reflect on our time with Tosh
Audience: Each other
Persona: That's a personal choice. How do you want to come across?
Argument: How will you accomplish your purpose?
Appeal: Probably a bit of all three: logos, ethos, pathos

Life is short. Stay awake for it. - Ye-Na Hong

Hi, my name is Yena and I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born in Seoul, South Korea and lived there until I moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where my brother attended Washington University in St. Louis. In my brother's senior year, I moved to Shanghai and lived there for a year. Now I'm here in Illinois, where my brother works as a consultant. Out of the three cities I've lived in, I would choose Shanghai as my favorite. Although I was there for only a year, I had a great time. Not only was I able to learn a little bit of Chinese, but I also got to live in a great cosmopolitan city. I made several close friends whom I spent a lot of time with exploring the city and making memories. I was sad to leave Shanghai after living there for a year; however, I'm trying to focus on the last two years of high school to prepare for the future.
As I went through the list of slogans to pick, this phrase caught my attention the most: Life is short. Stay awake for it.

Looking back on the seventeen years of my life, I feel like I've wasted too much time not doing anything productive. It wasn't until recently that my thoughts have changed. I feel like I should live life to the fullest -- or at least try to -- and this slogan fit perfectly with my new take on life. Life is too short to be wasted and if we use time wisely, I think we can get a lot out of it. There are so many things available in us here -- why not make the best of it?

During my freshmen and sophomore years, I never had to try out for a sport team at school -- the schools were small enough so that I could automatically be on the team without having to try out. But here at Fremd, it seems that making it on to a team is much more competitive. I was nervous and unprepared because I was a transfer student and didn't even know the try out date until the last minute. However, I was able to make the JV Golf team and gained a little confidence on the way. I think the more we achieve, the more we develop a sense of ourselves, and so I figure I should put in a little more effort in life.

No Matter How Closely You Look You Simply Won't See What We See

I remembered seeing the sign as we drove in and it read: Elkhart, Wisconsin Population 1,019. And after a weekend away with the family, I watched it fade away into the high corn and low clouds, and I started to think about all the fun times we had, had that weekend until my sister shifted and her foot touched me. This made me recoil in disgust and reminded me of my fear of feet. Also, it brought to mind the fact that my two older sisters, Donna and Karen, and I were now cramped in the back of a small car for the next couple of hours. To occupy myself, I looked through my camera at all the pictures from the weekend. The first one was of me and my sisters on a pontoon boat ready to jump into the cold lake, as we are all lovers of the outdoors. But then, I thought back about how we stopped by at a local park just a day earlier and ended up getting chased by swarms of disgusting, biting, bloodsucking (as reminded by my dad), deer flies. I remember how we ran for about half a mile to escape these horrible things, and I was reminded how much I hate bugs. Also, I was very glad that I was in shape from playing softball and volleyball so that by the time I was safe in the car I was only sort of feeling light headed. As I looked back at the camera I saw a picture of my sister with her finger creatively placed in front of a distant street light so it looked like she was ET with the light glowing at the end of her finger. My sisters and I love to joke around and we all get along really well with our sarcastic sense of humors. The next picture was an old one of me and my friends at a bonfire. My friends mean a lot to me and I love to just hang out with them, I know I can always count on them for a good laugh. About the next 20 pictures on my camera were from the Cubs game I went to on my 17th birthday, because of course I am a Cubs fan. Also, I love to play and just be a part of sports. As I clicked the next button on my camera an old picture came up from my sister, Donna’s, graduation. This picture made me think about what school is to me, and right away I didn’t want to think about school any longer than to complain about it, but I do work really hard in my classes, and truthfully I’m a perfectionist. The last picture was one that I’ve never seen before and it’s one of me looking highly unattractive and asleep on the hotel bed. I thought to myself how nice it would be if there were a sign that read: Backseat of the car, Population Kristine. But then, I look over at Donna and Karen who have already started to laugh and I can’t help but join in.

Rethink Amusement

Though this is a school assignment, when asked to describe myself, William Fremd High School would hardly be mentioned. Instead I’d focus on topics that are amusing and important to me, like my family of five. My parents met in high school in a small town in Southeast Missouri, which was where I lived until the 3rd grade when my family, including my younger twin sisters, moved here. Both of my parents work at my dad’s law firm, and though I’d never admit it to them they are two of the funniest people I know. Robyn and Morgan are both thirteen, and could not be more different. Morgan plays soccer and is happy in a t-shirt, while Robyn enjoys cheerleading and shopping. Despite the differences, we’re all really close and do our best to lead lifes in Christ.
Traveling is a big part of my life. I’ve been to fifteen different countries and value every second I’ve spent abroad. I love meeting new people and being surrounded by a new culture! From paragliding over a castle in Germany, to staying in a hut on a mission trip in Ecuador, these experiences have made me the person I am today.
Some random fun facts about me: I believe the Colbert Report is the best show ever created, besides maybe The Office. I read all the books my Grandfather recommends. I order a grande iced skim latte with two sweet n lows at Starbucks. Also I can juggle.
The fact that I would mention my Starbucks order before mentioning school is the reason I chose the slogan: Rethink Amusement. So far my entire high school career, I haven’t placed enough importance on school. Instead of learning stoichiometry, I would be dreaming of traveling. Now that junior year is here, I need to make school a greater priority in my life. Right now, I would not associate school and amusement. I see school as a time in my life that I just need to get through, but why not embrace and appreciate it? This education will create so many opportunities in the future, and I should take full advantage of it. Study. Do my Homework. Learn. The slogan Rethink Amusement is a goal for me this year, to see school in a more positive light and try my hardest during my junior year at Fremd.

There's only one way to eat an eggo waffle...your way!

Howdy folks, my name is Ashvin Ilangovan and I am your classmate for AP Lang and Comp. I live with both my parents and one little brother. I am in the Viking Logue (newspaper club), and will be on the math team and the Business Professionals of America club in the upcoming weeks. I am also a tennis player, and of course, be on the team coming spring. Also, I am a violinist and I play for the orchestra at school. It is a great experience playing an instrument with a group of people. It is like communicating in your own type of language.
Speaking of language, I was excited for starting AP language and composition this year because I will get the opportunity to experience college level criteria; I like going through challenges because that's when I learn to apply all my knowledge and actively learn. I also like the fact that it will increase my chances of me getting into a good school.
Now about that slogan. I don't like mimicking people's actions because then I won't look unique. I like creating my own style and doing my own thing. I like being myself more than being like a superstar. That's who I am!

"Give Warmth. Give Color. Give Sparkle. Get $100,000"

Hey everyone! I'm Mercedes Herrera and like maybe most of you I'm scared for my life for junior year. No joke, I'm terrified but I guess I should talk about at least some useful information other than my phobia of grades, homework, ACTS, and anything else related to school. I'm sorry if I tend to steer off topic, it happens sometimes.

I'm sixteen years old and I turn seventeen on September 24 which is a month away so I will be expecting at least a greeting! I'm a hundred percent filipino and because I am often mistaken as being korean, chinese, or anything other type of asian besides filipino I find it necessary to point it out. Before I moved to Palatine, I lived in a small suburb called Hanover Park where I spent 13 wonderful years in a Catholic school with a very close knit group of friends. As you can imagine moving to a different neighborhood was a big obstacle in my life. I had some difficulties getting used to it but I was able to overcome it and meet many amazing people along the way. I love being active and food. I have to be constantly moving which is part of the reason why I play, have played, or at least tried to play almost every sport. I like to rest and nap too which I believe is an action. I mean napping is a verb right? Food, what to say about food? I love any kind and I will try any kind. True story, I'm fearless when it comes to food. I can not, however, cook to save me. When I get to be in college I plan to live off microwaveable and fast foods which is probably really bad for you. Education is very important to me. I always try the best that I can but I have a big flaw of being a procrastinator when it comes to homework or papers or projects, which is also very bad. I'm trying to improve, trust me. I can listen to music my whole life. I personally like the 90s music. Backstreet boys N*SYNC will always have my heart but I can listen to anything as long as it sounds good to my ears. I'm a complex but simple person if that makes any sense. The slogan, "Give Warmth. Give Color. Give Sparkle. Get $100,000" describes me almost perfectly. Plus, it came from an aeropostle ad and I like shopping there.

GIVE WARMTH. Family and friends are number one to me. They give me the strength to be myself and be proud of how I came to be the kind of person I am. I live with both my parents and my 8 year old runt of a brother who I love dearly. Not only am I close with my immediate family but also with my extended family and it is huge and constantly growing. We come as a pack, literally, and I love it. We like to party and just be with each other. I love meeting new people and making new friends even if we are just acquaintances. My very best friends have always helped me regain sanity especially when it comes to school and I don't know where I would be without them in my life. I do whatever I can to make my family and friends happy. I give smiles, help, compliments, anything. My family and friends are the light.

GIVE COLOR. I'd like to think I'm a very colorful person. If you can remember my poem freshman year Mrs. Gerber and Kaitlin Fanning about how I'm like a crayon box you'll understand. Like a crayon box I come in different colors, well, different traits. I'm random. I'm quirky. I'm happy. I'm chill. I'm stubborn. I'm funny. I'm angry. I'm boring. I'm loud. I'm quiet. I'm hardworking. I'm Mercedes. You can figure out the colors if you really want to, don't feel like doing that.

GIVE SPARKLE. I like to shine and be happy and make other people happy. I live life to the fullest (sounds cliche, I know but it's true) and make every moment of my life count. I've always been the type of person to try and make everyone satisfied. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but you could almost always see a smile on my face. Don't get creeped out, I'm just a smiley person.

GET $100,000. When you get to know me it's like winning $100,000, simple as that. =)

Short and Simple - Chris C.

Hello, I'm Chris.
I just turned sixteen today, I like reading, I'm a bit of a slacker, and often sarcastic.
Although physically I'm most definitely not short, and hopefully I'm not simple either, I chose the slogan Short and Simple. As you can probably see, I prefer to keep things short and to the point, which definitely makes English classes challenging.
This is embarrassingly short next to all the other entries, but that's all I have to say about that.

Rethink Amusement

Hey, my name is Blaire Lurie. I chose Rethink Amusement because what I usually like to do for fun isn’t always mainstream or the most popular choice. For example, while most people probably went on vacations or went to the pool a lot over the summer, I volunteered at Brookfield Zoo. There’s a program at the zoo called YVC (youth volunteer corps), for which I had to submit an essay and recommendations to be accepted into the program. This was my second summer in YVC and basically what I would do there was to talk to guests and answer questions about the animals and the zoo. There wasn’t any animal contact or stuff like that, but that’s ok because I don’t plan on going into that field of work. I’m more interested in art and design. Even though it was a huge commitment, about 130 hours over the course of the summer, I am so glad I did it. I met so many amazing people and had so much fun.
If that doesn’t make me sound very different from the rest of the class, there are a lot of other things that will probably set me apart. My family has never been really close. I’m not saying we don’t get along and things, it’s just were not super close-knit. I have an older brother who’s leaving for college at Northwestern this fall, and a younger sister who’s about to start 5th grade. I am also not religious, atheist to be exact. While some people look down upon that, I truly thing no one should ever be judged because of their beliefs, no matter what they be. My friends are a huge part of my life. I pride myself more on how close I am to my friends than how many I have. Sure, it’s nice to have a lot of acquaintances, but if you don’t really get past the all too polite conversations with someone, you never get to know them.
Some of the other things I do are Varsity Vikettes, if you don’t know what that is it’s the flag team, I co-lead a 4th grade girl scout troop, and I’m in NHS. I also really love music. Mainly rock and alternative. I cannot stand rap or country music! Oh yeah, and I’m a vegetarian. So maybe all of that made you rethink amusement, if not, it’s good to know that someone else shares the same intrests as me.

Taking the Time to Get it Right - Arjun Puranik

"So which slogan should I choose? I chose "Stop at Nothing" but 3 people already chose that. So... uh I think I'll wait till I get a better idea. That European one would be strange but probably creative or something, but..." etc. So I chose "Taking the Time to Get it Right" as the slogan to represent me because that's what I was doing with this assignment (emphasis on Taking the Time). And after thinking about it more than a little bit, I decided that that would be actually be a surprisingly good fit for me. But first the basics:

My name is Arjun (I know you know but it felt introduction-y), and I was born in India on October 26, 1992 (I'm 15). Then I got moved around between the India and the Chicago area and Milwaukee a few times, but I've been in Palatine since second grade so this is where I've spent the majority of my life. I've got a brother about to be a senior at Stanford, after leaving behind a good amount of shadow at Fremd and at my house. Our whole family is very close.

School: hard classes like this, a bunch of work, several activities, Logue news editor, varsity tennis (my favorite thing to do, although my running and other athletic ability is basically 0)

The slogan: It's pretty late right now, and I really haven't been doing much outside of school. I like to think this long work time is because I've been taking the time to get it right, but it's probably in combination with procrastination. However, I did spend a while (too much) on this and other work tonight taking the time to get it right (I've used that too much I understand).

On a higher level, in all my pursuits, I can never stop where I am. I always try to improve myself. An obvious way is that I strive to learn things in my classes, and although I want to improve my learning and not my grades, I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn't try hard to get A's. Sometimes, I even find having fun with friends another way to improve myself in the ability to have fun. The slogan seems like basically perfectionism but I don't want to look at it that way, it's not perfect to be a perfectionist.

Some think barren, we think source -Haley Schwartz

Hello all. First off, in case you decided to skip the title, my name is Haley.

Before I get into the intricacies of my ad choice here's some sun facts about me:
I'm co-president of Speech Team. I'm president of Gay-Straight Alliance. I'm a huge Obama Supporter. I'm on Junior Exec Board and Viking Ambassadors. I like French things & black and white prints. I work at Banana Republic. My dad, step-mom and three half sisters live in San Diego. I was born there. I've never loved a place more than Paris. My favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's. I make sushi. Speech rules my life and I love it. My main event is Verse Reading which is performance poetry. I want to be a foreign service officer and work in US embassies abroad until I retire early and open a patisserie in Paris or a Cafe Provencal in Provence, France.

I chose this ad because it embodies an important theme in my life, looking at things from a different perspective. For example, in the movie Truman (starring Jim Carey (in a serious role... SHOCKING) he plays a guy who was raised not knowing his life was a reality show & the world has been watching him grow up) when he is a wee boy, he says he wants to be an explorer, and his teacher shoots down the idea saying that the entire world has been explored. She really just doesn't want him exploring and finding out he lives in a huge bubble shaped studio in California. this may be coming off as a bit abstract, but if you think about it, you really can't be an explorer these days. I guess you can explore space, but we have robots for that, and even if you decided to, i hear it all looks the same anyway, and what hasn't been explored is too far away.
So there is nothing new to explore. which is a bummer because how are we expected to grow as a society without exploring? The answer: to explore that which we have already discovered, or more simply, to look at what we "know" and to challenge it.
and that is how i try to approach life. So what if everything has been done before, as long as you approach it with a new, fresh perspective, isn't that exploration?

Reality is just what we perceive it to be. The only thing we can be sure of is that we exist. I think it's too bad that life is about practicality. I think that instead of learning what to think, we should learn how to think for ourselves, and I don't mean in the typical, overstated, make your own decisions way, I mean being a free thinker.

I think the true measure of greatness is not what you know, but your capacity for original thought.

Stop At Nothing - Donna Milner

Here's the thing, if any of you knew me as more than just a fellow classmate, you would probably be startled to see that i chose "stop at nothing" as the quote that best explained me. At 2:30 p.m. this past summer, any normal kid would have been out at the pool, or running at football practice, doing things that kids would do. However, if you walked into my house at 2:30 p.m. you would see me passed out in my bed, all the blinds closed and my door shut. This summer, I slept that late every single day, and paid a visit to Taco Bell almost every night(I'm allowed to blame more than half of those times on my sister's Nacho Bell Grande cravings). I went out with friends every night, stayed up until 4 a.m. and slept til midday. And no, this wasn't just a summer phase..my laziness has been kicking in ever since the day I had the option to take a nap rather than go for a run. So why, you ask, did I choose stop at nothing? Well, to everyone's surprise, although I could possibly be the laziest human being known to mankind, I will stop at nothing when I want something bad enough.
One thing I always have motivation for is to excel in school. While other people can brag about the winning touchdown they scored, or the main role they snagged in the school play, I can always be the one out of my friends to say I successfully achieved a 4.0 or took the extra A.P. classes. I think it's good to know that you have one great thing about you that separates you from everyone else..it helps keep me sane and somewhat self-esteemed.
So now that you know why I chose that quote, I should probably tell you a little about myself. First off, the basics. I'm 16, recently licensed, and loving/hating it. Being the only one out of my friends with a car can be a burden too, driving all the time gets tiring = /. Plus, it gets harder every day to fight the urge to go out after school every day and spend all my money on fast food and starbucks. One thing you might not know about me is I have a twin sister. I always get the reaction, "Oh, I wish I had a twin!!" I can only oblidge to this half the time. I should feel somewhat fortunate because unlike some twins, we're best friends and have all the same friends. She is my other half. It just forces us to be with each other 24/7..literally. I've never spent one day apart from her in my entire life except the first week I was born because I had to stay in the hospital for open heart surgery. She is my only sibling, and we don't have much family. It's ok though, I have many best friends to make up for it.
As for activities that I'm involved in, pick any sport, and I've done it. I've been in t-ball, basketball, softball, swimming, gymnastics, horseback riding, ice skating, dance, poms, track, etc. The thing I stuck to most was dance. I was on Fremd Poms for my freshman and sophomore year, but didn't try out for junior year because I just needed a break. I miss it sometimes but then I remember how much more free time I have, and the sadness slowly starts to fade away. I am definitely excited for my junior year, and am up for the challenge. Sorry if this was terribly boring to read, but at least remember it was an option, so basically you bored yourself. Hope to have a great year with everyone! <3

Short and SImple

Hi I'm Abby Danekas and I am currently 16. Before I explain my slogan I'll start with the basics. I live with just my parents right now because my two older siblings, Nick and Alex, are away at school. This is upseting becasue we are a pretty close family and it is weird being the only child at home. At Fremd I am involved with Poms and Viking Ambassador.

When I first saw "Short and Simple" it jumped out at me, but then I second guessed myself that it was too lame, however the more I thought about it the more I realized how "Short and Simple" is true for me. Short. This is obvious: my size. I am proud to have remained the some height since freshman year. When talking in a social setting you will most likely find me looking up. Most people who are taller wish they were shorter and vise versa. I, however, am content with how I am. This leads to the second word in my slogan which is simple. When you think of the word simple, you might autimatically jump to the word boring, but I think otherwise. Simple just means that I am real or down to earth. For the most part, what you see in me is who I am. I am not hiding anything or striving to be anyone that I am not. I am not going to be fake with you or try to impress you. I simply want to be real and genuine towards everyone. I have found that this helps in friendships. When I am real with people they trust me and they know that this is who I really am. I am simply a happy, fun person and if you get to know me this year you will know that this is the real me.

Don't Wait to Be Noticed

Hello, everyone. My name's Ricky and I'm sixteen. I picked the slogan "Don't Wait to be Noticed" because though I may not dess in insanely stlyed clothes, talk obnoxiously loud, or strive to get every last individual's attention, ever since I've been at Fremd, I've realized that life CAN sometimes just be a competition.

Ever since I was little, I had gone to small schools. For elementary school, I went to St. Theresa, and I also spent my freshman year of high school at Saint Viator. Now I realize that at these schools, because they were so small, every student was able to succeed at what they were good at. The really intelligent students all got attention because there were only a few of them. The really athletic students all got attention because there were also only a few of them. Ultimately, it made life boring because there was no need to grow. The entire year I spent at Viator, I knew I wanted to transfer to Fremd. Even when people asked me why though, I couldn't give an explanation because I didn't know myself.

Then, I went to Fremd. It seemed like people competed with everything here. There was no point in just getting good grades or just doing well in sports because there were dozens of other kids doing just as well me. So I started to change my perspective on life. Although I still knew that keeping my grades up and developing my talents were important, I began to realize that what I was able to give back was more important. Getting the highest GPA in the grade wasn't a main priority anymore. I decided that I'd rather try to make a difference in other people's lives and develop myself through them also, rather than just sit in the corner and study all the answers for tests.

So now, I really like traveling and seeing how other people live. I like seeing if being exposed to different places changes the way I think. That's why I love ethnic food. All in all, I like trying new things because I realized that living your life like everyone else doesn't really get you noticed at all, especially in a positive way.

It's Important to Know Who Can Handle the Challenge

Hi, I'm Emma. Before I talk about the slogan I chose, I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself. I am sixteen years old, and my family includes my two parents and four brothers. I have an older brother, Ron, who is 18 and going off to college this weekend; I have to admit I am upset that he is leaving and that I'm only going to see him a few times throughout the year. Although I will have plenty of company at home because I have a brother who is now a freshmen, a brother who is 10 and another brother who's 7. At school I am involved in NHS, I am on the varsity golf team, and I am member of the orchesis squad. I played softball for 8 years but recently retired so I could concentrate on golf.
Everyone faces challenges in a different way. The slogan "it's important to know who can handle the challenge" applies to me because I believe I can handle challenges. Taking on challenges is my forte. I find a challenge fun; a time to show what I can do, a time to be the best I can be for myself. Everyday I face challenges; today this blog is my challenge. Doing this blog has brought forth qualitites in me that I can relate to my slogan. I know I am a 'who' who can handle challenges. During those times I stay focused, and having to overcome them provides with me goal tha I can work towards. And these goals bring out the best in me. They give me confidnece in myself as I overcome them, which then allows me to have more inner strength to take on more difficult challenges in life and to ultimately succeed. Through taking on small challenges, and great ones, I have learned patience to be able to handle the trivial things in my everyday life. Whether it be with arguements at home, trouble in school, or my busy schedule with NHS, Orchesis, and golf, my ability to be a 'who' has shown me who I am. I am a girl, a junior in high school, writing an assignment about myself for my English class. I am Emma Haduch, a fun, focused, friendly person who has faced challenges and can handle them, be whatever they be and wherever they are. "It's important to know who can handle the challenge." Well I can.

Safety.Fast. - Dan Szmurlo

Hello, I'm Dan. I'm a hardworking, good ol' American boy from Palatine who is obviously your new classmate. Here at Fremd, I run cross country and track, and I participate in the Fremd band program. I play the bari saxophone. Oh, which reminds me - come see The Officials at 5:15 this Friday at Palatine Streetfest!!!! I'm playing sax with the band, so it's guarraunteed to be the best concert you'll ever go to.
Anyways, you can probably guess whyI choose the slogan "Safety.Fast". I got that slogan from some car ad, but it has nothing to do with cars for me. Like I said before, I run cross country and track. I run fast. I run safely (ya know, pace wise and all). I also don't run in the middle of the road weaving through cars. So there.
But actually, there's more to that slogan then just my running. Thats kind of my slogan for when I have to do things that I don't want to do (like homework, for example). My philosophy is, if I don't want to do it, why spend more time on it then I should? Get it done as fast as possible, so I can actually do stuff I want to do. But, do a good job. That's where the safety comes in. Be smart, be safe. Just do a good job on it, so you don't have to do it again.
Well, that was my post. I have to go work on that reading and notes anyways

Pump it Up- Amber Palcheck

I'm not going to lie, the reason why i originally thought of using "Pump it up" as my slogan was because the ad looked extremely cool, and "Pump it up" seems like a really cool thing to say. But, after i got past that I realized that "Pump it up" really does describe my life.

Now, you're probably wondering how on earth the phrase "Pump it up" describes a short, 5'1 16 year old girl, but if you stick around you'll find out. So "Pump it up" and get excited, because here we go.

We'll start with the basics. I have a family of five. There's my parents, my older brother, Anthony, who is 18 and leaving for Iowa University tommorrow, and my younger brother, Nick, who is quite the character. I have a big extended family, and most of my relatives are 100% Italian. This means that our family parties are ridiculously loud and crazy(most Italians are pretty loud, and can be obnoxious). As loud and crazy as my family is, i would never choose a different one. My family is a pretty big part of my life.

Then there's the stuff that i get to choose like friends, activities, and hobbies. I love my friends and always have a good time. They always make me laugh and feel better when i'm down. Then there's my activities. I've kind of been all of the place sports-wise. I used to do hard-core gymnastics, but then i quit. After that I moved on to dance. I did Orchesis my Freshman year, and Poms as a Sophmore. This year, however, i decided i wanted to try something different and now i am on Fremd Girls Diving Team and i love it, more than any other sport i've done! So I'm pretty darn sure i'll stick with diving. Clubs-wise I'm in NHS, S.O.S., and Viking Ambassador, so i keep pretty busy. A hobby i have is listening to music. I love the Jonas Brothers, Jack Johnson, Jack's Mannequin, and the Goo Dolls. That's pretty much it when it comes to describing me!

Now that you know me a little better, i'll try and explain how "Pump it up" describes me. I'm a middle child, and as all you other middle children know, the middle child does not get very much attention because they are not the first to try something, and they are not the last to do something. Because i don't get very much attention for doing average or mediocre things, I always strive for more. I am determined, i always try to be the best, and i always try to stand out. In order to stand out in my life i had to "Pump it up" and do more. For instance: I'm not really big, and can't swim far for the life of me, but since my brother set the example of being a lifeguard in my family, I "Pumped it Up" and became a lifeguard too. So essentially "Pumping it Up" for so many years has made me who I am. If i hadn't "Pumped it up" academically i wouldn't be in honors classes. If i hadn't pumped it up sports-wise and tried out so many different sports, I wouldn't be doing what i love and diving. If i hadn't "Pumped it up" socially i would be quiet, and being talkative is a huge part of who I am. So, all i have have to say is "Pump it up", get excited, give it your all, and do your best. Because if you don't, you'll miss out on a lot.

There's only one way to eat an eggo, your way.

Due to my tendency to tangent and inability to blend paragraphs efficiently, I am going to describe myself in a list. Also, because I am not fond of the tacky "I have three layers, like an egg" I will stick to what I like best. Which is ice cream.

CORI LIN: SHES JUST LIKE NAPOLEON ICE CREAM.

1) Vanilla: the layer that's most common.
Hi, I'm Cori Lin. I have two sisters, one older and one younger. My parents are Japanese and Taiwanese. However, only my father is actually from Taiwan, and i don't know any language besides English, so i never have associated myself heavily with my ethnicity. I am in NHS, and i am really involved with Youth Theater and my church.

2) Chocolate: the second favorite flavor.
I really, really hate running, bananas, home work, unibrows, Hannah Montana and every other character fabricated by Disney. I really, really love photography, art, my friends, So You Think You Can Dance, peach sorbet and the new 3D glasses.

3) Strawberry: the flavor with chunks in it.
I am, and have always been a procrastinator. I tend to freak out easily but that usually fuels me to finish and perfect. School and grades are held high in my mind, but because of my friends and family, I have come to hold mental stability higher. I feel like i am exemplified in my slogan in my desire to live my life my own way, not in the way society tells me to. [ I really am not fond of the Jonas Brothers. Sorry.]

take the time to get it right-amanda kopec

hey. Okay, so I don't really know how this whole thing works, but I promise I'll try my best. So I guess I don't have to tell you my entire life's story to explain my slogan thing, but there are some important parts along the way. When I was in grade school, (third or fourth grade) and I was reading and writing different things that the teacher assigned, I just thought that taking my time was the normal thing to do. The truth is, writing is very important to me and it's one of the best ways I can "express my creativity," (yeah, that was lame...) but when you like something that much you want to do it right... right? So I took a very long time to not only do the assignment, but to make sure that I had the best choice of words and that anything I wrote sounded just right. Although this was a very good way to get A's and impress my teachers, once I got older and I had tons more work to do, I found that my time to do everything the right way was growing shorter and shorter. By the time I got to junior high, there were so many papers to write and so many books to read that I knew I wouldn't be able to do the quality work that I knew I was capable of. I only wrote what was absolutely required of me, and I skipped all the transition sentences and big words. So that's pretty much how it went until sometime during freshmen year. Well, then freshman year came and all of a sudden my teachers wanted more of me again and my "just getting by" papers didn't reach the standards anymore, and that's where everything went downhill. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I would have to clear even more time in my schedule, but unfortunately, the extra time kept me up until 2 or 3:00 a.m. on countless occasions. But I still never fell back into the ease of writing a solid paper and I still read very slowly (but that's because I still wanted to, even if it meant sleep deprivation). I guess what I'm really trying to say is that once I did have more essays and work to do I should have taken the time to get it right and learn how to write just as well and in half the time. So I've really kind of destroyed the rest of my 5-paragraph-essay-writing-life. It's a sad story--I know--but I do intend to somehow get back into trying my hardest and shortening the time it takes, but I really do believe that I've gotten a lot better. (and just in case you were wondering: YES-I stressed over this assignment for an hour, and YES-it did take me 2 hours to write this thing, but for me that's pretty darn amazing.)

Talk more, live longer-Kaitlin Fanning

Why hello there! I'm Kaitlin Fanning, and as you may know, I'm one of your new classmates this year. I guess before I explain my slogan, I should start with the basics. Well, I'm sixteen years old, and I have a twenty-two year old brother, Kevin, and a twenty year old sister, Keara. I used to play tennis at Fremd, but I'm currently involved in Student Council, Viking Ambassadors, and SOS. Maybe you even saw me over the summer at my job. I'm a lifeguard at Birchwood. Oh, and my favorite color is green. Well now that you know a tiny bit about me, I'm going to talk about my slogan now.
"Talk more, live longer." When I first read that slogan I thought to myself, Is this saying that if you talk more, you're going to live longer? Because that definitly seems a little crazy. But as I sat, thinking more about that slogan, I started to take it farther. I mean thats what were supposed to do now that were older right? Stop taking things for their superfical means, and start digging below the surface to find a deeper meaning. So, I twisted that slogan, and thought, and thought, What else could this be saying? How could this apply to me and how I live my life? Then it hit me.
For those who may know me already, I am known for talking. Not only do I talk a lot, and loudly, I talk at the fastest pace ever, so by the time I've finished cramming as many words as possible into what I call a sentence, you're standing there thinking How could that have possibly been English? So this is how my slogan applies to me. By me talking so much and to many people, who sometimes I dont even know, this helps me live not a longer life, but a more fullfilled life, which in a way could be interpreted as a longer life. Talking has helped me so much, especially in high school. Not only did I come from a small school, St. Theresa, I came after two perfect children who managed to always get A's, join all the right clubs and teams, and have tons of friends. So obviously, if I hadn't talked so much, then I would most likely still be called little fanning, or keara/kevin's little sister. So in a way my talking "abilities" saved me.

Live Beautifully - Jennifer Lee

My name is Jennifer Lee. I'm am a sixteen year old Korean-American, and I live with both my parents and my older sister. My sister just graduated and is now preparing to go to Johnson and Wales University-a culinary arts school in Rhode Island. I enjoy spending time with friends and playing sports. I also like music a lot. I am active at my church and enjoy spending time doing community service. Since last year October, I have been working at Sushi Ai as a hostess in the same plaza where my mom and dad own a flower shop. I'm not too sure what I want to be and where I want to go in the future but right now, I just want to focus on doing well and having fun the rest of my high school life.

There were about 4 advertisements near me that I was able to see while sitting down, and the one that stuck out most was the one that had this slogan live beautifully. I don't really know why this happened to be the one I chose. Maybe it was because I liked how the colors of the butterflies seemed to be glowing even more vibrantly next to the dark, blackness surrounding it. However, I have a feeling it was because of the two words on that paper that I ended up choosing this ad.

I don't think I chose these two words because beautifully is the word that describes how I live my life, because it's definitely not, but because that's the way I want to live my life. Like everyone else, I've had my share of struggles, fears, joys, and other things that life encompasses.

Some people allow their not-so-good experiences to impact their lives negatively, others only look at the events they want to recall, but a few honorable people look back on all their experiences and see each and every one as a good opportunity that they can learn from and enjoy.

According to the definitions given on dictionary.com, the word beautiful means "having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about,etc." My definition of beautiful agrees with this one.

The kind of life that gives great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc. (a.k.a. is beautiful) is that of a person who can live with strength and courage no matter what they're going through and look back on their hardships to grow even more perserverance and hope.

The people who I always choose as my role models are the kind of people who have lives that fit my definition of beautiful, and I hope that I'll have that same strength and courage to do the same and live beautifully

Well, that's a little bit about me and my thoughts on this slogan!

Without bridges, we would all be be islands. Lauren Zaworski

Hey everyone! My name is Lauren Zaworski and I am 16 years old. I live in Palatine with my parents, Jim and Marie, my two older brothers, Brian and Sean, and my dog, Elvis. I would say that I am a fairly open minded and balanced person. While I love to compete in sports, such as basketball and softball, I also like going to my favorite store Francessca's Collections. My favorite movies of all time would probably be A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, and Becoming Jane. However, when complete marathons of Indiana Jones or Star Wars come on, I declare that I am a fan also.

In order to have an idea of what is really important to me, I would like to tell you a story. Freshman year, during Spring Break, I was able to go on a trip that would end up being a life changing experience. A group of teenagers from my church and I had gone to the Dominican Republic on a serving/mission trip. Our mission was to serve a local church in whatever way we could, whether it be through physical labor or by communicating with the children at a school nearby. By the end of the trip though, we had realized that while serving we had learned a lot more from the people we served. By constantly asking what they could do for us to make us feel more comforable and giving us their necklaces and bracelets when they only had a few to begin with, these people displayed selflessness and humility in order to reach out to people they only knew for a short period of time. Never before had I seen such passion from a collective group to openly love others. Despite the language barriers and thier lack of resources, the members of the Nueva Vida Church found a way to connect with us on a deeper level than anyone thought possible.

These people were true bridge builders. With kindness and understanding they brought two islands or different groups of people together. I don't know if this slogan truely defines me as a person, however, it does remind me of the person I strive to be like.

Trust. Honesty. Loyalty.

Hi, I'm Zach. I grew up as a middle child in a really close family. I am in between my two sisters, Demetria, who has long since moved out, and Tiffanie who is a Sophomore at Fremd. Despite our many differences, we are a close bunch when you group us together. Demetria is a huge inspiration to me. Her free-will attitude is one to be admired. Without her guidence, I would have been a nervous wreck.

If it doesn't look like it, on the inside, I'm an optimist. Getting my work done is usually my top priority. If it seems that there's too much work, I'll know that in the end I will get it all done. It's also my weakness. I think more of my work than of myself. Even If I am in excrutiating pain, my next thought is, "When is that paper due?" Band camp is a good example. Marching around in the sun and heat, sun-burned everywhere, my only thought is where I'm marching.

This is a year full of firsts for me: Marching band, Louge editor, and an AP class. Despite all these new experiences, I feel I'm up to the challenge. One activity that allowed me to extend my trust and friendship with is the Arlington International Airgun Club. Getting thrust into an unfamiliar environment full of people I didn't know was a little scary. But with the common interest of aiming for the perfect "ten", sharing techniques, and comparing lifestyles has changed my perspective of trust in a whole new way.

When I look at this quote, I think of the deeper meaning of what a friendship is. Sure we may not realize it, but that's what it all comes down to. This is how I can be described: trusting, honest, and loyal.

It's Important to Know Who Can Handle the Challenge. Jane Danstrom.

As a sixteen year old girl, the most important things on my mind should be fun, boys, and clothes, but as a result of my lofty aspirations my world is centered around grades, scores, and tuition. I know that many of my classmates consider me crazy insane for being constantly focused on my GPA and class rank, but there is a very good reason for my insanity and it is, like all great psychological disorders, rooted in my childhood.

When I was in sixth grade, I began the great search for colleges, spurred on by my older brother's own hunt. I would sit for hours reading through his copy of The Princeton Review's 361 Best Colleges searching for the place that would be the pinnacle of all my schooling. I examined the reported student GPA average for the schools, as well as their ACT/SAT scores. Unwittingly I forced high standards upon myself which ultimately means that I forced myself to conform to only one thing- being as close to perfection as I can humanly attain and to put it simply being the best.

It's important for me to know who can handle the challenge, because I expect myself to handle the challenge and be the very best at everything I attempt. For me it's just simply not okay to pass on any possible challenge and I am constantly pushing myself to prove to everyone (including myself) that I can handle the challenge. Handling the challenge for me is a way of life, and while some people may think that I overwork myself, or put too much pressure on myself, the reality is that I enjoy the challenge. And every time I overcome, I feel that much better about my ablilities.

Stop at Nothing

Hey, I'm Dani OBrill. I'm sixteen and have a small family. I am an only child so its just me and my parents in the house. I am involved in a ton of stuff which takes up a huge chunk of my social time, but thankfully some of my friends are also in those clubs with me. I'm in SOS, the Bridge Youth council, NHS, Student council and also play soccer. My family is fairly religious but I hadn't found a church I liked until the beginning of sophmore year and now I'm very involved in it. I work at Legoland in the streets of Woodfield though I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue there while trying to balance a job with school and the other activities I'm in.
I'm a pretty hard working student, but I get frustrated really fast when lessons don't come to me easily. Because of the only child thing, my parents have a lot of expectations that I need to live up to and now those expectations are just second nature to me. I do want to get the A, but I'm not one of those people who freak out because I didn't get the grade I wanted on one test because I know there will be more opportunities for improvement and I just need to study that much harder next time(the end of the quarter is a different story though). English is one of my worst subjects, but I hope to improve my writing by the end of the year since there are more essay questions on tests as we progress to higher level classes.
I haven't a clue as to what college I want to go to and I dont know what field of careers I'm interested in by any means. This always worries me during ACT times because most teachers and administrators make it seem like we should have it all figured out by now, which I definitely do not.
I would say that this slogan fits me because though I come to mainly challenges and may not do as well in all of them as I had wished, I have so much on my plate that I don't have the time to cry about it. I have to pick myself back up again and move past it without missing a beat. I experienced this freshman year before we had even started school by not making the volleyball team. That was the first time I had faced that blunt of a rejection, and it sent me flying backward. I had no confidence in myself going into freshman year but thankfully with the help of some good friends getting me into clubs that I liked and the knowledge that I still had soccer and basketball to lean back, I got back on the speed track I was used to being on. The mentality I had coming into high school was that nothing could stop me, but when I realized that wasn't true, that nothing in life was unstoppable, my mentality completely changed which is why this slogan fits me so well. Stop at nothing.

Pay attention. Planning matters. John K

Hey everyone, my name is John. I’m sixteen and have a mid-size family. My one younger brother attends St. Theresa, the oldest Lauren is in her fourth year at University of Illinois, and Alyssa is currently in her second year at Iowa State. I enjoy hanging out with my friends, watching movies, etc. I suppose if you were to zero in on my personality, this slogan is what would stand out. (Of course I didn’t have much time to look around for a more fitting choice.) I guess you could say I’m a hard-working student. Preparation and organization are fairly important concepts to me, and finishing assignments quickly and getting them out of the way gives me sense of relief. I really don’t like homework at all, but I’d rather be through with it and doing something else once I’m finished. In reality, I feel planning ahead is a helpful tool for almost anything; being prepared never hurts. So I guess that’s it then. See you tomorrow.

Stop At Nothing- Joe Calhoun

Hello new classmates. My name is Joe, I am 16, and I am not sure what to say in this blog. I guess I will just start with the basics.

I have a decent size family. I live with my parents, Jim and Marian, and my twin sister, Molly. I have two brothers in school, Danny, who attends the University of Iowa, and Jimmy, who is at graduate school at Marquette University. I am involved with track and ping-pong club. I do the hurdle events in track. Used to hate those hurdles, but I am starting to enjoy them now. Also, this year,  I will be president of ping-pong club. That doesn't mean I am very good at ping-pong though, I was just appointed president. Also I might get involved in the business club.

Also, I have two jobs at the moment. I work the counter at a local pizza place called Tre Amici pizza, and I also teach sports to children at the YMCA. If your ever around those two places, look for me. I really enjoy music. I am listening to it right now actually. My favorite artists would have to be Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews Band, and Dispatch.

One of the main reasons I am in AP Language and Composition is because it looks good on college resumes. I will be honest, I am not overly excited by this class, but I am hoping it will be better then planned. (Sorry Mrs. Gerber.)

Now, about the slogan, I bet I can find a better one for myself, but I didn't see one in class, and this one is just fine. The reason I picked this one is because, when I get determined to accomplish something or very passionate about something, I usually finish the job quickly and skillfully. For instance, I started getting very excited about track midway through the season last year. I worked hard in practice, taking advice from all the coaches and applying it. By the end of the year, I had lowered my personal bests by almost two seconds, which is a considerable margin.

That is Joe Calhoun in a nutshell. Have a good day. I'll see you all tomorrow 

Introduction

Welcome to your junior year and our class blog. This is the beginning of 'college life,' which means that some assignments are due outside of class. Your first assignment, as we discussed in class, is to introduce yourself to your classmates using your advertisement slogan as the subject. Explain how you are, in fact, like the slogan. Feel free to write an actual advertisement with yourself as the product, create a poem, or stick to a more formal "hello." Humor is fine; lies, not so much. This is your chance to share who you are with your classmates, people you'll be talking with quite a bit this year.

You should post these responses as an AUTHOR, not as a comment to my post. I encourage you to read your classmates' posts and feel free to comment. A picture of yourself is a lovely addition, though not a requirement. And though I know I need not say this, I will: keep the responses school appropriate. This is a public blog, folks, which means, mom, grandma, and Dr. Small can peruse the site if they so choose.