100 Years

Through the grapevine, I have discovered that the choir will be singing 100 Years by Five For Fighting at Springfest this Friday. This song, one of my favorites of all time, not only will bring numerous tears for many during the performance, but clearly displays a message I feel we all need to hear. I feel that this song truly displays the need to enjoy your life to the fullest because we have limited time to live. As we end our high school careers, I am in shock that this monumental chapter in our lives ends in only a couple of days. I remember walking into school my freshman year and feeling nothing but anxiety and fear of all of the "old" kids roaming the halls. Now, we are those students we felt to be so much older than our freshman selves. Where did all of our time go? I have spend many days thinking about this question that can never be answered. I cannot help but fear that I have wasted my high school years in complete ignorance to time and importance. However, if I were to go back and re-live my childhood, I would not change a thing. The moments of stress, pain, and complete impatience to move on in life have helped me to become a better person and encouraged a further appreciation for the amazing times I had these past four years. Remeber fellow high school graduates,  "there's still time for you/time to buy and time to lose." I can only hope for a future well spent while looking back on a past that could have not been experienced in a better way. Good luck to the Senior class in all the amazing futures that lie ahead for each and every one of you.
100 Years
Five For Fighting

I'm 15... for a moment
caught in between 10 and 20
and I'm just dreamin'
countin' the ways to where you are

I'm 22... for a moment
and she feels better than ever
and we're on fire
making our way back from mars

[chorus]
15 there's still time for you
time to buy and time to lose
15... there's never a wish
better than this
when you've only got a hundred years
to live

[verse]
I'm 33... for a moment
still the man,
but you see I'm a they
a kid on the way, babe
a family on my mind

I'm 45... for moment
the sea is high
and I'm heading into crisis
chasing the years of my life

[chorus]
15 there's still time for you
time to buy and time to lose
yourself
within a morning star

15... I'm all right with you
15... there's never a wish
better than this
when you've only got a hundred years
to live

[pre-verse]
as time goes by
suddenly, "oh why?"
another blink of the eye
67 is gone
the sun is getting high
we're moving on

[verse]
I'm 99... for a moment
in time for just another moment
and I'm just dreamin'
countin' the ways to where you are

[chorus]
15... there's still time for you
22... I feel her too
33... your on your way
everday's a new day

hooo-.
hooo-.

15... there's still time for you
24... it's time to choose
15... there's never a wish
better than this
when you've only got a hundred years
to live

"Farewell Blog Entry"

Dear Fellow AP English Survivors,
     I would just like to say a bitter sweet farewell to all these years we have had together. Even though I find true excitement for the years ahead, I cannot help but remember all of the memorable times we have all had together. I believe that all of you have left a true impact on my character. Many of you have pushed me to become a better student, friend, and person. Without a doubt, the intelligence of my fellow students has been a true motivation toward my own and others' success. With this said, I can only thank all of you for the help you have given me throughout my high school career. Without the great people around me, I  would not feel as confident leaving my home and venturing out into a whole different atmosphere. Thank you everyone for all you have done.
Kelsey Butler

1) You are recognized as one of the best writers in the school. 2) The relief after finishing a Datasheet...priceless. 3) You get to spend everyday with Ms. Serensky! 4) You leave high school without fearing the hard English classes in college. 5) You never have to listen to lectures, but actively participate during every class. 6) You get to share every opinion you have of the characters and themes of different novels. 7) You remain in a constant AP English mindset allowing for endless discussions during commons. 8) You spend a whole day hearing about the reason why Ms. Serensky is Ms. Serensky (candy included). 9) You reach the ability to write an essay in thirty minutes or less. 10)You recieve multiple choice extra credit EVERY quarter with a two day break from class.

Algernon: "[she]is still concious" (Wilde, 9)
Emilia: "O my good lord" (Shakespeare, 5.2.105)
Entity: "You must stay put" (Currie, 5)
Algernon: "It is very foolish of you" (Wilde, 6)
Emilia: "I am bound to speak" (Shakespeare, 5.2.181)
Algernon: "produce your explanation" (Wilde, 5)
Emilia: "[she] might quickly make it right"(Shakespeare, 4.3.84)
Entity: "For now, let [her] worry about these things" (Currie, 8)
Algernon: "modern literature [is] a complete impossibility!" (Wilde, 6)
Entity: "They frighten you almost literally to death" (Currie, 32)
Algernon: "It is a great bore" (Wilde, 9)
Entity: "The power is [hers]" (Currie, 30)
Algernon: "Yes, but [she] must be serious about it" (Wilde, 8)
Emilia: "Say that [she] slack [her] duties" (Shakespeare, 4.3.90)
Algernon: "look at the inscription inside...I call that business" (Wilde, 3,4)

Every Thing Matters!

My favorite work of literature from this year remains Every Thing Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.. I find this novel to have multiple twists and turns that make it such an interesting read. Multiple times throughout high school, I found myself trying to find alternative ways to avoid the inevitable. However, this novel shows how sometimes you cannot prevent certain events from occurring, but one can definitely redirect their life in the direction they desire. I feel as though this novel has reiterated numerous lessons in life that I have forgot these past couple of months of high school. I continue to countdown the days until school finishes so I can enjoy my stress-free summer. However, similar to Junior, this negative attitude toward the present time in my life only prohibits me from truly appreciating everything occurring at the moment. Junior finally realizes that he needs to appreciate his past "Because even in the last moment there is still Everything" (Currie, 302). The profound lesson of living in the moment is one of the reasons why I enjoy this novel so much. I have recognized that "It does matter. All of it" (Currie, 268). Instead of wishing my last few weeks of school to be over, I now recognize that I must spend this time to recall on the wonderful time I have had here at Chagrin Falls and the preparation it has made to make sure that in my future "anything, anything, anything is possible" (Currie, 302). Sometime in our future, we may see Ms. Serensky "get in a vehicle and try and find you in the state of Ohio." We have time to experience new things and we must live in the moment to cherish these experiences in life.

"Top Ten Most Thrilling Academic Moments of My High School Career"

Throughout my high school career, I have experienced multiple memorable academic moments that I feel I will remember for the rest of my life.

10) One of my most thrilling moments remains when my group did not come in last place for the multiple choice extra credit game in English class. Trust me when I say, "It looks so bad" to be the only team that does not receive extra credit (The Importance of Being Earnest, 7).

9) Many would agree, Physics remained a constant struggle throughout last school year. However, I find the tests in his class to be quite thrilling due to the uncertainty of how well we actually did on each of them. I will never forget the stressed and confused faces as I looked around the room with the same fear on my own face. However, everyone seemed to "quickly make it right" because by the end of the year we all ended up with straight A's in his class (Othello, 4.3.83). I guess hard work pays off.

8)Some of my overall most thrilling academic moments have been while writing an in-class essay for AP English. Continuously throughout my essay, I question "Does Anything I Do Matter?" (Every Thing Matters, 9). I have found no matter how much I stress about these papers, I seem to do better than I imagine I will. The thrill of not knowing if you will finish or end up with a successful product always leaves me in anticipation on essay days.

7) I remember the long months it took to complete my Honors English 10 Research projects were some of the most annoying in my entire high school career. As I eventually turned in the finished project, I remember was in disbelief saying "I'm not crazy. This is real" (Every Thing Matters, 90).

6) One of my favorite teachers, Mr. Roberts, nominated me for Tiger of the Semester junior year. Although I was expecting one of the boys who believe "Girls don't think it right" to receive the award, I was honored after Mr. Roberts gave a memorable speech about the time spent in his classroom (The Importance of Being Earnest, 3).

5) In Computer Science, we have a competition of the best coder for Tic Tac Toe. We face each other to see whose code can conquer all others. Although many would say their code failed because of a "misunderstanding between myself and a young person", the thrill of watching my code against another only brought excitement then eventual denial  of failure (The Importance of Being Earnest, 1).

4) I never thought it possible to receive a 100% on a final, a final in English especially. Although my embarrassing presentation "will not go from my mind", I remain very proud to say I received 100% on one of my AP semester exams (Othello, 4.3.31).

3)Passing my AP tests was very exciting. Coming out of the tests last May, "I [was] nothing if not critical" (Othello, 2.1.118). I had no idea of my results and remained critical on the parts I struggled with on each of the tests. However, my stress turned into relief after I received my results.

2) Among my most thrilling moments has been receiving the letter of recognition from the Cum Laude Society. After months of early stages of senioritis, I had come to realize"no one likes change unless it is from something bad to something good" (Every Thing Matters!, 7). However, I realized this change from summer being over and many months of school ahead of me was not too exciting, I needed to appreciate the good education and smart people I was surrounded by at Chagrin Falls and cherish the time I had left to leave my mark at our high school.

1) The most thrilling moment I have had in my High School Academic Career has been receiving my acceptance letter to Purdue University. College acceptance "inspires absolute confidence" and highlights that our academic successes have truly paid off (The Importance of Being Earnest, 10).

The Crossroads

The Crossroads by W.H. Auden remains one of my favorite poems from this year. This poem discusses the separations of friends in life and the path individuals choose to take. I feel this poem relates to our lives now and the upcoming separation as we all continue our way to college and other adventures after high school. This poem reminds me to recognize that there is "no time at all" left of my childhood years (21). This thought gives me fear but motivation to cherish the time left and prepare myself for the major decisions coming my way. The poem recalls how major paths chosen by individuals will affect the rest of their lives and the people they will become in their future. This poem allows me to realize that I am "about to make the most important decision in your life to date" (190). Among my future decisions, I will have to grow from my past mistakes and learn to leave the many individuals I have felt comfortable and familiarized with. This poem highlights how high school is a place "of decision and farewell" (8). This home for the past eight years of my life has taught me to realize "It does matter. All of it" (268). Like one of my favorite books from this year recalls "Everything ends, and Everything matters" (292). However, this end can only bring upon a bright future and another crossroad in life where I must decide the path I want my life to lead due to all the lessons I have learned throughout my life.