To Sum It All Up!

                Life is pretty crazy, as you can tell. Its filled with ups and downs, and just pure randomness.  It can cause drama and it can be fun. You have to make the best of your life because you never know when it might end. That is so true now more than ever.  Recently a senior at my high school passed away. He was in a horrible wreck that took his life. I didn’t personally know him but I knew some of his family and friends. It was a terrible toll on their lives, and now I know not to take life for granted. You have to fill your life with the great moments, and learn from the bad ones. Family and Good friends help you get through it all. It is important to have people in your life that care about you, and wont stab you in the back.

Its great to be involved in activities, they can teach you some valuable life lessons. When your young, get involved! You might regret it when you get older. I wish I would have ran for Student Council in high school and I wish I would have played volleyball these last two years, instead of cheered. I love sports, and its a great feeling to see football players, or basketball players from our high school move on to become players in college. It shows that if you really try hard in life, you can really follow your dreams and go somewhere.

Ive learned that memories are very important. Especially when you are young. I look back now through pictures and thoughts, and i remember good memories that i have had. I remember when no one had cell phones, and we used to call our friends' house phones if we wanted to get a hold of them, or when computers were getting to be popular and everyone had MSN Messenger, thats how we would talk to each other. I remember when cell phones first came to be popular, and everyone just called everyone else. No one texted. When digital cameras came out everyone had to have one and everyone took pictures. It was great, now i look back at all of those old pictures and i laugh at my friends and I. Everything was so different back then and it was, in a way, better than it is today. Today we just text everyone, and i think poeple have lost their morals about having a good time in life. Trust me, I love my phone, and I keep it with me everywhere i go, but wasn't it so much fun when we would go over to each others houses and instead of playing on the computer, or playing video games, we would play like board games or go outside.

Life will always be crazy and random. Embrace it because well, life is great.

My Teachers:)

My teachers are the best! We disagree at times but I feel like they teach me a lot when it comes down to taking tests, and using the things we learn about in our everyday lives. My teachers this year don’t baby us like normal, which, at first was a big change, but now I can say that it has helped me look things up and be more independent.
My first hour teacher is Mr. Barnes. He teaches Algebra 2. He is really good at it too, he tells us to do the assignment with notes, and we have to figure out the rest. It really helps me with the problems, it helps a lot with learning them. For fun, in his class, we get to work on logic problems! They are so much fun I love them!
My second hour class is P.E. It can be fun sometimes because my teacher, Mrs. Terrell, lets us listen to music, while we run or stretch. She also has some pretty fun games we can play on game days.
My third hour teacher is Mrs. Kelsheimer. She teaches Spanish 2. We definately have our moments of arguing. But I think shes a really good teacher, and helps me understand espanol. :) She lets us watch some of our favorite movies in her class too. Theyre in spanish, though. I think that she is a really great person as well as a really good teacher.
My fourth hour teacher, and one of my favorites is Mr. Hibschman. He is hilarious! I think he is a really good teacher too. He gives us notes, to help us understand the material a lot better, and really helps us with questions. His tests are complicated but I do really good on them because of all the preparation we spend in class. He really prepares us for final exams, and a lot of the people in his class do really great on them. He gives out a lot of project assignments, but he explains them a lot in class, and gives us time in class to work on them, which makes our lives after school a lot easier.
My fifth hour teacher, is actually the person that inspired me to write about my teachers in the first place. Her name is Mrs. Phegely and she teaches all of the Art classes. She is really great. She gives us a lot of projects, and lets us pick the subject and the materials we want to use. She is really funny, and is a really fun person to be around. Ill be sad next semester, when I don’t have art anymore.
My sixth hour teacher is Mrs. Stallings and she teaches Science Exploration. This is the first year I’ve had her, and her second year at Paris High School. She is a tough teacher, but she is great. Its really easy to make her laugh. Especially, with the people in my class.
My seventh hour teacher is Mr. Ogle. He is another one of my favorite teachers, even though he can get pretty frustrated with our class. He is the Creative Writing teacher, and he expects a lot from all of us. I don’t blame him, we do get a little immature at times, and he teaches us that if you want to go far in life, you have to have discipline and self control when it comes to respect, and a lot of other things. He is a really funny teacher, he likes to tell jokes left and right. And all of us have a lot of fun in his class.
My last teacher of the day is my Parenting teacher, Mrs. Propst. She is another one of my favorites. She is like the mom you wish you had. Don’t get my wrong I love my mom to pieces, but Mrs. Propst is really understanding, and her profession makes her motherly instincts even better. She is the best teacher I’ve ever had when it comes to hands on learning. We get to watch videos in her class while filling out papers, and if we have a question, trust me she is right by your side helping you answer it! We get to take home babies in parenting class, and she is really understanding when it comes to sudden problems with the babies, she even gives us her cell number so that we can reach her in case of emergencies. She is a really great person. I love her! :)

Friends(:

            In my opinion, everyone must have friends to pretty much survive. They help you get through a good or bad day. They come and go as you grow up, and you learn from the friends that stay and the friends that drift away.

             There are two types of friends, in my opinion. There are the friends that you love unconditionally and you would do anything for, and then there are the friends that you can’t and never will get fully close to. Those friends that you love, will come and go, but they will forever have a spot on your life, and they will affect it. You will hold them in your hearts for a long time, and you will look back and think about them as you flashback through your life. Friends that you can never get fully close to are friends that will have impacts on your life also. Their impacts will be vague, but they will teach you lessons that no one else will be able to. They will teach you that some people aren’t meant to be friends and that you can’t take it personally, you have to grow and make yourself a better person without those people bringing you down. You’ll have the enemies that once were your friends, but then again you’ll end up being better friends with them than with your current friends. It is something that no one can really predict understand.

            Some friends that are there for you no matter what are needed to get through days; they make things better when things are going wrong. A friend can be there for you in so many ways. They can cheer you up if something is going wrong, they can be there to keep you company, or they can be that shoulder you’ll need to cry on. You’ll even fight with your friends. They will make you mad, or vice versa, but either way you usually always make up within a couple of days, that’s just how it works. Friends can even turn into something more. You can be really good friends with a boy, and it can turn into something a little more. Relationships like that can either end really well, or it can turn things awkward. They usually turn out to be really good relationships. Your best friend would always be by your side, and if you would ever break up, you would still be good friends. There would be those other cases though. The ones where you could be best friends with someone and then when or if you tried to be something more. It would just change things and make the whole situation awkward, and if that relationship would end badly, things between those two would be even more awkward.

            There is so much more I could say about friends. Their importance is a big part in your life. Real friends will be there with you through thick and thin, and if they aren’t then well they really weren’t that great of friends to begin with.

Defeated.

Well its Friday! Its really weird though because there isn't a football game to go to. See, two weeks ago, it was our last game of the season, it was our Senior night, and it was the game to decide if we were going to the playoffs or not. We won that game, it was against Rantoul, so we got to advance to the first round of the playoffs. It was really exciting for everyone, especially for our Seniors because they make up most of the starters on the team. We traveled to St. Joe hoping to bring back a victory, and a ticket to this weeks game, but we were caught by surprise. St. Joe also wanted the same thing, and they succeeded. The bus ride up with my fellow cheerleaders to Ogden was so much fun, even though i didn't do much! I sat on the bus with my iPod blaring, and i fell asleep! :) when i woke up, i was told that we were in Ogden, ha thank goodness. I hate bus rides. It was so exciting to see pretty much EVERYONE there. It was so cool, you could tell it really made the boys happy too. We arrived with 40 minutes left before the game so we decided to warm up and mount. Did i mention that it was like 30 degrees outside. Not ideal weather for throwing girls up in the air. But we were all troopers and did it anyway. We took off our jackets and gloves so we dont drop anyone, and we stunted like any other game! We were all pumped up! With 30 minutes still left before the big game, the teams went into the locker room for their pre-game talk and we decided to mess around and have some fun! That meant taking lots and lots of pictures. You gotta have memories right?! :P So we left the track for the crowd to get as many memories as we could! Snap after snap of the cameras and flashes soon blinded my eyes! I couldnt do this anymore, i thought! 10 minutes left, and we all started to get ready to cheer. We put jackets on over sweatshirts, and we put gloves on top of gloves. It was just so cold outside! We got the banner that the boys run out of ready and we headed out onto the field. The boys headed out of the locker room and a roar came from the crowd. It was a great feeling even for me as a cheerleader and fan! We formed our famous tunnel and listened as the announcer came across the intercom! "And now for the Lineup for the visiting team the Paris Tigers!" Everyone was screaming now! "First up your Quarterback, a Senior, #7, CLAY BESS!!!" Clay gave a big wave with a huge smile on his face! "Next, at Center, a  Senior, #66, EVAN LEWSADER!!!" Another big wave came from Evan! More announcements went on and finally our last player was announced! "Last but certainly not least, at Full Back, A Sophomore, #31, STEWART ARP!!" The crowd gave Stewart a warm welcome as the boys got ready to run through the banner. 3-2-1 Then a big rip as the banner split in half, with all of the boys running through! Everyone was screaming so loud. We definitely wanted this so much more than anyone we knew! The game was underway, with us returning the ball first. We got some pretty good carrys and Clay threw really good. For some odd reason though no one could catch!!!!!! That was a huge problem! Our defense tried to block and well defend. But they were just wayyyyy bigger than us! It was crazy! Final game score= 32 St. Joe. 21 Paris. It was a goo try on our part though! :)

Playoffs!

P. L. A. Y. O. F. F. S.

                Its that time again. The time after football season dedicated to playoffs. Teams from all around the state hope the whole season that they will qualify. Playoffs are divided into classes. 1A, 2A, 3A, etc. You have to win a total of 5 games or more. If you only win 5, you get to go by the amount of points you have. Teams miss the deadline by only a few and are so upset. The teams that do get to go are so excited. Most teams love to go just for the experience, and some come back very lucky to be moving on in the bracket. Anticipating the pairings show is the best part. That’s the show on tv that tells you who you play, or if you even go. It’s such a great feeling to see your teams name on the show. This year, the Paris Tigers are going, its going to be great. Im a cheerleader, so it makes it ever more fun to know that in a way I am apart of the team. Im ready to have some fun screaming for the boys to get a touchdown. Im so excited to be going and to cheer tonight. Our team is made up of mostly seniors, and our last home game was senior night and the game to decide if we were going to the playoffs. The boys really wanted it bad, and they definitely deserved the win. The deserve tonight’s win too. They all are so pumped to play; not one person isn’t going to be at that game tonight. We had a pep assembly at school today, to send the boys off, and let them know that we will all be there cheering for them at this really important game. Pep assemblies are awesome, everyone is laughing and having a good time, and you can tell the boys are in the zone. The cheerleaders and band perform the fight song, and the cheerleaders do some cheers to get everyone else in the zone. The ride up there will be the best part. Its awesome to know that the boys are going to be getting pumped up, and getting ready to win this game.  When we get there the boys will warm up and the cheerleaders will too, while the crowd gets out the blankets and air horns. I cant wait for tonight, I just hope and pray that we will play good and win!

Senior Night(:

This Friday, is the biggest football game of the year. Its senior night, and it’s the last game of the season. We have to win this game because if we win, we can go to playoffs. We went to playoffs in 2008, but I wasn’t at the high school yet so it wasn’t really that important to me. Now that im a sophomore, and a high school cheerleader, its really important that we go. I love football and I know that everyone that plays, or goes to the games, loves football too. We really want to see our boys go to the playoffs this year. If we go, we get to take turner buses and head up to an awesome school to play. This week, the team we are playing, has lost too many games, and they have lost their chances to go to the playoffs. This could either be good or bad. They could go easy on us and let us win, or they could go really hard, and make us lose. The boys have been practicing really hard this past week, and they are all really confident that we will win, or play good at least. They have been playing really good lately, and that has boosted their confidence a ton. I really hope we play good enough to beat Rantoul and go on to the playoffs.

                Not only is this game our last chance to go to the playoffs, it is our last home game, which means that it is Senior Night! Senior night is so much fun and it is really emotional. Its so much fun because, we all are pumped up to win the game and the cheerleaders and band mess around and try to get the crowd pumped up. The football boys are really rowdy, and they know they have to win this one last home game. They get so fired up and its really cool to see how much the football boys actually love football and we get to see how much they actually care that this is their last home game they will play while in high school. Every year, the cheerleaders put up our senior mounts. A senior mount is when we stunt, and the seniors are the flyers. This year, we are building a pyramid. Its going to be so cool! Everyone will love it. The band has learned how to play some new songs, and that will get the pack cheering and dancing. It will be awesome. Senior Night is also really emotional for everyone, not just the seniors. They announce the seniors at the football game, and people start to cry. We have all grown up with the seniors and this is the last time they will cheer at a football game, or play football. It’s really emotional. Everyone gets each other presents, and some teams even have senior moments. That is a time where the seniors can sit down with everyone else and tell stories about the good times they have had in high school. The tears really come flowing for that one.

1st Quarter is almost over!

So the end of the first quarter is seriously one day away. This year has gone by way too fast already! Since the quarter is almost over, everyone is worried sick about their grades. I sure am! That’s the problem with me and other students too! We mess around early in the year because well we just still want it to be summer. Since we mess around and don’t do any homework in classes, our grades start to slip. We all have a chance to get onto mms and I used to every night but ive been slacking this year. Getting back to my point, students don’t realize how bad their grades are until the week or two before. Everyone freaks those last few days before its over trying to put grades in and everything else. A lot of students get into trouble if they have bad grades with their parents. Some students just don’t even tell their parents because well honestly, neither of them care that much. This year my mom has a new rule that if I get a c or anything lower ill be grounded. I hope my grades will add up to give me at least a b. You really see a big change in everyone’s effort level right before grades are due. Everyone has to get their bad grades up. My teacher, Mr. Ogle, has been talking lately about how grades won’t matter in the future. I agree, sure they matter for college but a letter grade wont help you get a job or get you out of trouble. He also brought up the fact that people just go to school and do the work without trying very hard. They just do the bare minimum of what is needed to succeed. When they do that, are they really learning anything? Probably not to be honest.

            Another big thing with the quarter ending means that people start to switch out of and into classes. If you’re in Driver’s Ed like me you switch into P.E. Some people go from P.E. to Driver’s Ed. and some just switch to different teachers. I don’t like switching into new classes because it feels like you just start over again, its really boring. You have more class rule sheets that you have to have your parent sign. Its just a lot of work. The teachers are also a lot different. They all have different rules and expectations. You have to get more supplies needed for different classes and stuff like that.  There is an advantage to switching classes though. You get to learn more things and get the required amount of credits to move onto the next year. They all add up at the end of your high school career and you have to have a certain amount of those credits to graduate. Some colleges even look to see the classes you take when your in high school. That could help with being accepted into some of the schools you want to attend.

Parenting Class!

As a freshman you get to take Child Development as an elective class but now that I’m a sophomore this year, and that means I can take Parenting class! It’s a lot of fun, even though you talk about having babies and stuff! You learn a lot about children and your future as a possible parent. There are mostly girls in parenting class, but the boys that are in the class are pretty funny and get grossed out most of the time!

            Parenting class teaches you some really valuable stuff about becoming a parent. It gives you information about financial costs, relationships, and child care. It really opens your eyes about kids and the way they act and develop. The class really helps you by teaching you that children are hard work and to wait until you are ready to have any. It also teaches you about teens that are parents and how it is difficult for them to support their children without support from parents and friends. It taught me that I definitely don’t want to be a teen mother or a mother any time soon! Not that being a teen mother is bad, but it’s difficult and I’m definitely not responsible enough to become one.

            Another big part of parenting is taking home the babies. That’s mostly the reason why people take that class to begin with! Every start of the year, the parenting class has to take home babies over a weekend. I take home a baby this weekend! I can’t wait, but I’m so nervous because I don’t think I can handle it! Good thing we can have a babysitter! You get a due date, and then you get to find out what you’re having! When you find out whether it’s a boy or girl, you get to name your baby! The babies are practically real. You get handed a bracelet, and that bracelet is used to care for the baby. Without the bracelet, the baby doesn’t know who’s taking care of it so it won’t work! They cry like a real baby, they have to get fed and changed; they even have to be rocked for a long time just like a real baby. The babies are so realistic because before they made this program, they took diaries from real mothers and their real babies and they put the diary schedule into the fake simulator babies we have to take home. You get graded on the babies after your weekend is over. It’s a big part of your final grade in that class. You have to take care of the babies like they are real. If you put the baby down too hard or drop its neck back, it’ll show up as neglect or abuse and you will get points taken off. It’s quite the challenge. None of the babies have the same schedule! They all cry and need different things at different times. You also have to make sure you don’t forget anything before you leave school for the weekend; you have to have a bottle, clothes, blankets, diapers, your car seat, and the bracelets that allow you to take care of the baby.

Drama

Wow don't you hate drama? Especially in high school! Everyone has drama and it's stupid and pointless. It's always a he said she said thing. People usually start rumors without even knowing. They say something they don't mean or something try don't even realize and someone else will taken that and twist the words. Then if someone tells the wrong person, the whole school ends up knowing. It's funny really, how it gets around so fast! The people who accidentally start it feel bad, but then there's the people who mean to start nasty rumors. When someone doesn't like you or something you do they like to start stuff about you. Haha. People freak out over it too. They ask you if it's true and then you get so mad at the person. Then that is where the drama starts. People get so worked up over rumors and lies that they blame people and then the chaos starts. People start yelling at each other, talking bad about one another, and jute plain being mean. It's horrible. Boys rarely get into the drama at school. If the boys are involved it cleans that they are usually the Reason girls fight. Girls are horrible when it comes to drama. They can get so verbally abusive. Girls don't usually get violent, they stab each other in the back! I don't really know why girls are so mean, we just are. Not all, some can be quiet and nice, but most, most are vicious! It's pathetic really. Why can't people mind their own business and leave other people alone? Because they are either jealous, or have no life! (: And really, hey do boys cause girls so much drama? Boys play girls, and so much more, and that makes one girl mad at another. Ha and then their friends get mad at that girl and then more girls are dragged into it, even some guys. It's funny! Drama is mostly centered around teenagers and life. It's tough but you get through it! Not everyone will like you when you go through high school. Friends are the best though they are there through it all with you. It's great. And it keeps your mind off of the drama:)

Homecoming Week:)

The week is arriving, and there isn't one person that isnt excited! Homecoming week is here!  The beginning of the school year means football, and whats football without the Homecoming game! :)

The week starts off with theme days. Monday usually being something small like hat day. Everyone with school spirit wears their funky hats and hope they get asked to be in the yearbook picture! Tuesday comes along and its something along the lines of favorite sports team day! Its pretty funny what people come up with! this year, our theme was greek gods and godesses, so we had toga day. when wednesday comes along people are getting so excited because that night is powderpuff. powderpuff is something that all the students and teachers get pumped about. its so fun to watch the juniors beat the freshman, not because the freshman arent good at it, but because they arent prepared.  then after the juniors, or freshman in rare cases have their victory huddle, the seniors and sophomoresget pumped up for their game, because everyone knows the seniors are out for blood. people say that the sophomore and senior game is rigged so that the seniors can win, but this year it was different. as i sophomore i am proud to say that we beat the seniors fair and square this year. the teams come together after both games and then compete for the championship game. the teams play hard and they dont back dow. ha and were only girls. the winner of powderpuff then takes their victory lap, until next year. the next morning at school is hilarious, everyone is all talking about the game, complaining that peopl have cheated, blah blah blah. but in the end everyone setlles for what they got. thursday isnt anything special, superhero day, then friday rolls along. man oh man everyone is pumped on friday. its orange and black day and the biggest game ever, the homecoming game. the morning starts off with class games, and a pep assembly then we are dismissed at 11:30 to do whatever we please before the big game. friday evening is the best, stands filled with parents and students awaiting to see their tiger football team, and the football players are waiting in the locker room for the game. the door opens and out they go to win a game. the either a victory or loss, the school still has something to look forward to, the dance the next night. everyone meets with their dates and groups that saturday afternoon and they take pictures then they are off to eat at some awesome restaurant. when they ariive at the dance there are people danicing to the dj and having a great homecoming. they hardly thinl about the next week thats filled with homework and normal classes. what a bummer! :( well until next homecoming week:)

Friday Night Football :)

    Friday night football is something every student enjoys. Especially me as a cheerleader, and also someone who has grown up with 3 uncles who take football to heart every Sunday and Monday on that big flat screen TV. Cheering is something I've enjoyed ever since I was a little girl. Now that I'm in high school it's great to head out there on the track and cheer on my favorite football team, the Tigers!
    When you arrive at the football field, you can feel the intensity of the game in the air. If your in high school, you usually sit with the "pack", or spirit club. If your in the stands with the parents, all you can hear is them screaming about a bad play the referee had just called! 10 more minutes before the game, and every is getting pumped up! The cheerleaders are going over game plans, the parents are getting our their sweatshirts, because the night is getting cold, and the football players are in their pre-game huddle. 
     Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for, one minute left on the clock! Suddenly, a hush comes over the crowd as the football team lines up at the locker room door. "Buzzzzzzzz", the clock as spoken! Suddenly you can hear yelling from each corner of the field! The boys run out onto the middle of the football field and form a huddle, where they yell and get pumped up! Whoa, what a rush it would be to be out on that field in that exact huddle. 
     You then hear a cheer coming from the cheerleaders, and thats when you know we mean business! The football players say their last ho rah, and they take the field! Every play can be seen from the stands. First down after first down, tackle after tackle, the boys still hold their heads up no matter what the score is. The greatest feeling is when the ref holds his arms up high and the announcer says, "Touchdown Tigers!" At that moment it is great to see the fans stand up with pride for their Paris Tigers. 
     The plays are given to the quarterback from the coach on the sidelines, and then they break the huddle. The center then calls hike and the scramble begins. You then see a quick fluid motion from the quarterback, he has thrown the ball! The wide receiver then catches the ball and rushes for the end zone. No one can catch him! He darts left and right until a defensive player from the other team hits his core and then he goes down. He uses all of his bravery and courage to get back up from the fresh, wet grass even though the tackle caused pain. That takes some dedication! Play after play the crowd gets more rowdy. The game has only one minute left. The football players take their positions on the field for the last play. The ball is snapped and the quarterback has no choice but to run the ball. He dodges left and the right again, and jumps, aiming for the end zone line. Everyone goes silent waiting for the referee to signal the results. Finally, his hands go up! Touchdown Tigers! Then you will hear a familiar roar of the crowd! We have won the game! There is no greater feeling than the feeling of those boys' happiness. Soon everyone clears out, except for the boys who stay and stand on the field that they have dreamed of playing on since they were little boys. The give their last glances and await the next Friday, for the great feeling of being a football player.


With nothing but pride, you're about to leave it all, for tonight is Friday Night, let's play some ball!


Friday Night Football:)

Myspace and Facebook (:

Myspace and Facebook have become something way bigger than people probably intended on it to be. At first you heard about every getting myspace pages. It was such a big deal and everyone felt they had to have one. It was alot of fun at first because you got to customize your profile, add friends, and chat with people. But now, hardly anyone uses and when they to its intended for drama, and fights.

Since myspace isnt a big thing anymore, facebook has blown up.People all over the world have it. Facebook used to be a way that older people could find old friends from highschool, or college, but now younger kids are adapting to it. There wasnt much you could do with it at first, but now they have apps and a chat room.

I think myspace and facebook is a good way to connect with all your friends, family and a good way to meet new people. I think that have alot of extra time should try it out. Its fun and easy.

Facebook and Myspace also have a bad side. Younger kids are putting their problems all over the news feed, which is the board that all your friends can look at. Kids have enough drama and stress, and other kids can make them feel even worse with drama or secrets all over the internet. Drama has recently become pretty bad. Girls and boys everywhere are harrassing people on the internet over the stupidest things. Since facebook is so big now, the chat room is used more than Msn or hotmail. Therefore, people use the chat to harrass other kids.

Alot of teenagers are putting that they are going to illegal places on their facebook, and the police are catching them where they go. This is another bad thing about Facebook. They often put pictures and videos of either them drinking or doing illegal things. Which can get them in trouble also. I think kids should be more smart about what they put on myspace and facebook, instead of putting pictures like that on there. They also dont need to be putting innapropriate pictures on there that anyone can see. Bad people can get a hold of that and leak them onto the internet.

Even though Facebook and Myspace have positive sides, I think that myspace and facebook should be banned completely. Poeple have abused it and therefore we shouldnt be able to use it at all anymore. I think its a waste of time and that its just starts drama. It takes time away from kids doing their school work and spending time with their families.

I think that since people are going to continue to use Myspace and Facebook, people should monitor it. Facebook and Myspace can be a great communicator with friends and family. Kids should try not to abuse it so if someone would shut it down completely, people that use it for good purposes wouldnt be upset.

Those are my thoughts about Myspace and Facebook. :)