Brown.

Brown is my favorite color, but I also like purple. Brown is a color of nature and can be used in exciting situations; such as: you get a good expo marker in math so you say, "BROWN." It's basically a universal term. I encourage you to give brown a chance.

                                                                           By:  laxallstars

                                                                   

ELC.

Words can not describe the experience of ELC. All the hard work and service that you put towards this one week really pays off. I think the best part was realizing how our grade reacted around each other, we had to spend a lot of more time together, but surprisingly it was amazing! We all got really tight and had many bonding moments. That week was the first time we didn't have conflicts with each other. Apart from spending so much time together, during that time we participated in many activities. My favorite activity was Rock Climbing!! It made me feel like I had to work for my goal; I went blindfolded and with the help of Emma Smith reached the top! Another class that I really enjoyed was the Superior Hike; when we reached our destination, the view was beautiful. I also did the Polar Plunge; this wasn't exactly in our schedule, but most of the grade ended up doing it. We all jump in the freezing water with our clothes on and afterwards warmed up by the fire. This idea came from the mind of Alex Emanuelson; what a genius. Another thing I had fun doing was the Stream Study class! I learned a lot in this class but the best part of it was the fact that Jennifer Schroepfer caught a crayfish!!!! The food there wasn't the best , you are basically always hungry so you will eat it even it you don't like it. We also had a class called First Games, this was really fun; you had to really work together! We got basically the whole grade over a twelve foot wall which was challenging, but really fun!!! We had most of the strongest guys get over first to help the rest of us from the top. ELC was an amazing experience and if I could go back and do it again, I would in a heartbeat. I hope all the future grades have as fantastic of a time as we did!! The pictuer above is of all us girls that did the Polar Plunge.

What is Work?

When I think of what I want to be when I am older, I don't really think of "Dream Jobs"; I think of practical jobs. I know work isn't always going to be the most fun thing necessarily, but I still want to have a job on a subject that I am passionate about. If I could think of my ultimate "Dream Job", it would be to be an Olympian Swimmer. I obviously know that's not going to happen, which is why when I get asked what I want to be when I am older, I think of jobs that would pay pretty good and also I would enjoy doing. You don't always get paid when you work; some people volunteer places just to be a good person. When I get a job in high school I will probably end up working at a restaurant or waterpark, someplace that pays around minimum wage. I won't need money for a lot of things in high school, my parents will still be providing the basics for me, but when I graduate from high school and also college, I will need to buy a house, pay phone bills, I will also probably need a car. These things that need to be paid for are reasons why I would need a job that pays higher. I want to be a nutritionist when I get out of college, because if I find the right place to work, it can get high pay and nutrition is something I am interested in.

    

   image by:  The Wolf

                                            

Sharing Creative Works

I learned some things from this video that I did not know from before. Did you know that if you want your work to be shared so others can use it, you need a Creative Commons license? Creative Commons offers six different licenses. Also, this requires attribution so others can use your work if they give you credit.  You automatically have complete ownership over your own original work and unless you say so, nobody can copy it; this is called bare use. Keeping your work safe on the internet is very important; if someone got a hold of it, they could use it for their own personal reasons.

image by Will Lion

Saving Money

I don't really have a specific way that I like to spend money, but if I have a few bucks I usually like to put it in my money bottle; every little bit counts. I don't try to spend more than about 15 bucks a month. Although, there are times when I end up spending more than I should. I could try to pass over a movie next time to save money, or not buy a drink when going into the gas station.

image by  401K

"Devour the Hunger Games"

     I read the "Devour the Hunger Games" blog, and it was truely inspiring. Christina Mead brought up some interesting points in the book and movie that I would have never thought of: Life, Courage, and Sacrifice. The Hunger Games can be thought of from so many different perspectives, and Christina's was extremely interesting.

     She talked about how in the movie and book, the districts value life so preciously; if only we would hold others' lives into our hearts like they do. When I look at the world today, I just have to feel so blessed for all the things God has put into my life. At the same time, there are people dying every day from hunger and poverty, soldiers sacrificing for us, and helpless babies dying for no good reason. After reading what Christina Mead wrote, it made me think of all of these things. If we had the same respect for life, the world would be that much greater.
      
     Another point she brought up was how much courage it took for Peeta and Katniss to go out there and fight for, not only their lives, but their families. Alot of the families in the districts depended on a certain family member to get food. We have so many courageous people living in our country to be grateful for. Just think, when you feel like things are getting rough, there are people out there who have it much worse. So, you must have the courage and strength to get through your own difficulties, if only to be able to help others with their toubles.
              
     Last but not least, Courage. Katniss volunteered herself to enter the Hunger Games, when her sister had been picked. It made me think about how I can sacrifice, even the little things, in my life to make someone else's day better. I should put others before me more often, because you never know when just being positive, or smiling at someone, could make their day.

NEW Health Care Reform-Individual Mandate

       There was a health care reform passed two years ago, and now there are a majority of people saying that it goes against the Constitution, because it would be making people buy things they don't want.  The part of the law that's being debated right now states that mostly everyone must have health care by 2014 or they will have to pay a fine; this is called the Individual Mandate.Some people that don't have health care might need medical attention in places like emergency rooms, and end up never paying for it. The Supreme Court is considering whether to have to just take the Individual Mandate part of the law down, or have to remove the whole law, even the parts which most of Americans seem to agree with.