Community Service

I have been given many opportunites to volunteer with my school and community. The largest amount of volunteer work I have done has been through the Peer Group class at my high school with our Community 101 project. In this project our class was given five thousand dollars to donate to local non-profit organizations. The five thousand dollars was funded by the PGE Foundation. To start this project we chose what issues we should address. We decided upon homelessnesss and fostercare. Next, we researched non-profit organizations dealing with either of these issues, and we found seven. Each of the non-profit was given an interview as to why they should receive the money. We also went on site visits to six out of the seven organizations. Lastly, we planned an assembly where we handed out the five thousand dollars to six different non-profit organizations. This project helped me become aware of problems we have going on in our local community. I think it was really great to see how all of these non-profits help so many people in numerous ways. I learned how to voice my opinion throughout this whole process. Overall it was a wonderful learning experience.      

Memory Lane

Hero-my mom

My mom is a true hero. She has always been with me through great times and extremely difficult times. She is always at least a phone call away from any of my needs, no matter how small they may be. I could forgot my lunch at home every single day and without any doubt she would always bring it to me. When my days are hectic she is always around to cheer me up and help me relax a bit. She is an extraordinary women.

My mom is not only my hero, she is my support system. She has never missed a volleyball game or any other events I have partaken in. She has helpd me through my toughest time in life. When my dad died she never left my side, and even though she was hurting she always put my before herself. She always has my back 100%. I know that I can always count on my mom.

My mom is also heroic for the ways she shows her love to me and the rest of our family. She has and will always love me no matter what and I have will never doubt this. She never fails to say I love you when getting off the phone or just saying good night. Sometimes she will just rtandomly tell me how much I mean to her, and these happen to be my favorite moments because they are so unexpected. I can’t explain how happy it makes me to have such a loving and caring mom.

Here is another blog about heroes: http://studentfriends.edublogs.org/

Zebras

Zebras are my favorite animal because i find them very interesting and beautiful. I love how zebras look like nothing else in the world. Their stripes give them character. I would like to see zebras be kept around forever and I think they belong in the wild. They need open space to roam, and it is clear they do not get this benefit inside of zoos. I think it would be great if zebras were out of zoos and in their natural environment because the zoo is cramped and does not allow them much space. I think this would be beneficial to this lovely species.  

Here is a video showing zebras in their natural habitat. http://revver.com/video/1258569/zebras-in-the-wild-and-its-behaviour/  

The Color Green

I chose the color green because it represents pure beauty in nature. It is the color of the stems on newly bloomed flowers.

Green is the color of Tinkerbell’s dress. She happens to be one of my favorite Disney characters.

Green represents my favorite childhood book Green Eggs and Ham.

 Overall green is a wonderful color. It is has always been my favorite and I’m sure it will continue to be.

Earth Day

I think Earth Day is extremely important to the world. I think this video helps people become conscious about the amount of energy they use daily and the amount of waste they create. My family helps the environment in numerous ways. For example, we have created a recycling system at my household. This decreases the amount of waste we produce as a family. We also having energy efficient appliances such as, our washer and dryer. Another thing we do to help benefit the environment is we always make sure to turn off the lights unless it is completely necessary to have them on. We eat organic food at my house which is beneficial to our bodies. The last thing we do to improve the environment is we use as little water as possible. All of this has made me very aware of Earth Day and how important it is. I think every single person should help improve our earth.

Ballad of Gold

Dear John Podcast

ashtins-podcast

This post has been written on “a podcast about the story Dear John by Nicholas Sparks” as part of The Edublogger’s Student Competition!

Podcasting: a literary connection

Drowning Anna by Suasn Mayfield

I thought this podcast was well thought out and used a great amount of creativity. The music really captured my attention. I think there was a great variety of it. The songs played during this podcast helped create the mood of sadness. I liked how the podcast featured different voices, which made the story come alive in my mind. I think Drowning Anna seems like a intriging story filled with a lot of detail. This podacst made me realize how this story must be very drama filled and not dull. It defintitely seems like a story i would truly enjoy. If I hadn’t listened to this podcast i honestly don’t think i would have ever been intersted in this book. It is for sure on my reading list!   

 http://odeo.com/episodes/17438933-Drowning-Anna-by-Susan-Mayfield

Text messaging…does it help or hinder writng?

I enjoy texting quite bit and find it an easy way of communication. I send about sixty text messages a day and usually text three different people. In some ways texting hinders the way i write but for the most part i use accurate grammar. Sometimes when i text i use fragments of sentences which once in awhile carries over to my writing. Texting doesn’t have a place in schools. In my opinion texting distracts students from their work causing their learning ability to decrease. Texting is different in ways than our language. For example, people don’t say laugh out loud or ttyl. Text messaging is a modern way of communictaion and has an appropriate place in advertisements, movies, tv shows, etc. Text messaging changes the way people communicate. Often times it allows people to talk to each other without ever developing face to face conversation skills. In my opinion, text messaging is a helpful way to communnicate.