There will always be the jocks, the cheerleaders, the popular crowd, the nerds, and then them…… the outsiders. To them, no matter what they do, it’s never good enough for others to like them. They have to join forces with other outsiders and become friends with them.
To be on the outside is even more common in cliques. To the typical “outsider,” the people in the cliques are perfect. Take one look into to lives of the popular crowd or the cheerleaders. It isn’t all perfect. Someone in the popular crowd never meets the standards of the others. Same goes for cheerleaders. Cheerleaders always feel they have to strive to be the prettiest, because they are being looked upon all the time and being judged. There is always going to be someone who likes different music than you do or different clothes. Just because it’s not what you wear, it doesn’t make them any less important than you.
There are going to be outsiders in every group. They either don’t have the right looks or they like something the popular crowd doesn’t. An outsider can even be someone that is liked, but isn’t let in to all the details and is probably talked about behind his/her back. While it seems to the outside horrible not to be liked, in reality the outsiders are the ones that stand out. They are the ones that once people see who they really are, they will get to know them. People will eventually see the “insiders” for who they are and pick the “outsiders” over them.
-Kenzie
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Untypical Date
The rules of dating are easy right? Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, and boy gets up enough courage to ask girl out, chickens out a couple times, then some how squeaks out the question, "So um, you like movies?" And the girl answers, " Umm yea I think everyone does." Boy tries to decipher the "hidden" meaning behind this when really the girl is just thinking, Aw maybe he’s not stable! Should I speak slowly for him? Then of course the girl thinks this is "adorable" a word a boy NEVER wants to hear from a girl. What boy in his right mind wants to be adorable? But he goes along with it because he knows what is coming next the smile and the " Umm yea I would love to go to the movies So the boy and girl go on this so called " date" to the movies to see a movie that probably only the girl is interested in. So your in line and the boy looks at the girl and says, "Wow, you look really pretty tonight" (thinking this will make her night and win her over completely), but she says, " Really? Because I feel so yuck right now." Well that poor` boy, that defenseless boy is left wondering, "What? You do? What does that mean? Does she really feel ugly or is this a trick, is her dad hiding somewhere, will he jump me if I tell her she looks good in that shirt?" So they buy their tickets and walk inside, the boy thinking no girl eats in front of guys asks the fatal question of " Would you like anything for the concessions stand?" And that dumb poor boy gets the only girl that can win a pie-eating contest in 10 seconds flat. " Well since you asked, I would love some cotton candy, and some chocolate maybe with some crunchy things in it, and a slurpy but not too cold because I’ll get a brain freeze, oh and a diet coke." And of course how can the stunned boy doing anything but nod his head and say, " Yea sure anything you want."
So he waits and gets up there and there’s no cotton candy but there is cotton candy flavored candy and no diet coke but diet Pepsi and this of course means nothing to the guy its basically the same thing … right? So he goes to find his date, this is a mission that no boy can come back alive from. Everyone looks the same, he can’t remember what she is wearing, and he is getting the evil eye from the couple he is standing in front of. Then like a life vest she stands up and waves him over. Smiling, feeling so proud he got this food for her he hands her the food. What happens next is something that shouldn’t but does shock him. She says, " Aw this looks so good but I ate a tic tac and I’m so full but thanks, it’s the thought that counts." The cloud of disbelief sets in around the boy and takes his seat and waits for the movie to begin. But he hears something not even ten minutes into the movie. It’s her! She is talking to him without him even knowing. He doesn’t even have to slightest notion about what she could be saying so he just nods his head. These thoughts run through his head "what is she saying? Am I supposed to read her lips? Its dark how in the world could I do that? What is that in her teeth." He can’t believe the lungs on this girl, she must be a world champion talker; they have to give award for this kind of lung capacity. And all too quickly the movie ends, and she is still talking about the movie, and he realizes he has no idea what he even seen. The car ride is unbelievable, the talking is still coming, what could there be left to talk about? Finally he pulls up to her house, and he delivers the universal line that everyone should know as this is NOT working, " Well, so and so, I had a really great time tonight. I’ll call you to do it again sometime." As he drives away, the only thing he can remember is never to ask a girl if she likes a movie again.
-Hannah Smith
So he waits and gets up there and there’s no cotton candy but there is cotton candy flavored candy and no diet coke but diet Pepsi and this of course means nothing to the guy its basically the same thing … right? So he goes to find his date, this is a mission that no boy can come back alive from. Everyone looks the same, he can’t remember what she is wearing, and he is getting the evil eye from the couple he is standing in front of. Then like a life vest she stands up and waves him over. Smiling, feeling so proud he got this food for her he hands her the food. What happens next is something that shouldn’t but does shock him. She says, " Aw this looks so good but I ate a tic tac and I’m so full but thanks, it’s the thought that counts." The cloud of disbelief sets in around the boy and takes his seat and waits for the movie to begin. But he hears something not even ten minutes into the movie. It’s her! She is talking to him without him even knowing. He doesn’t even have to slightest notion about what she could be saying so he just nods his head. These thoughts run through his head "what is she saying? Am I supposed to read her lips? Its dark how in the world could I do that? What is that in her teeth." He can’t believe the lungs on this girl, she must be a world champion talker; they have to give award for this kind of lung capacity. And all too quickly the movie ends, and she is still talking about the movie, and he realizes he has no idea what he even seen. The car ride is unbelievable, the talking is still coming, what could there be left to talk about? Finally he pulls up to her house, and he delivers the universal line that everyone should know as this is NOT working, " Well, so and so, I had a really great time tonight. I’ll call you to do it again sometime." As he drives away, the only thing he can remember is never to ask a girl if she likes a movie again.
-Hannah Smith
Defining the Grateful Gesture
The poem “Defining the Grateful Gesture” made me realize how ungrateful I really am. Every day I complain about the food prepared for lunch as if it isn’t edible; I wake up every morning dreading the rest of the day at school, and I think of another excuse to get me out of football practice. Not once all day do I think about how good my life actually is, or how lucky I am to afford a lunch and tuition at a private school were I can play any sport that I want.
It is hard for me to believe that I can complain about the type of food that they are serving at lunch when not twenty miles from our school there are thousands of homeless people waiting in an endless line outside of the Nashville Rescue Mission for their only meal of the day. I wake up every morning in a bed in a house that I never once think how grateful I am to have. The problem with people who have a decent life is that they don’t know how great their life is until everything is taken away from them.
One problem I have is that I am ungrateful about my education. I dread coming to school. It is not fair when my parents work every day to better my education by paying my tuition and all I do is the bare minimum just to pass so I can drive and hang out with my friends on the weekends. If it weren’t for the privileges that I have, I probably would have thrown my life away. There are many people that don’t even have the privileges of going to school and participating in athletics.
Like the children in the poem, I am undeserving of the life that I live, of the nourishment, the shelter, and even the education that I receive. I have no idea the pain that people have that live in the streets and go to bed hungry, that don’t have the same opportunities that I have to better their lives. I regret the ungrateful feeling that I have; it makes me sick that I don’t thank God every day for allowing me to live this life.
-Devin
It is hard for me to believe that I can complain about the type of food that they are serving at lunch when not twenty miles from our school there are thousands of homeless people waiting in an endless line outside of the Nashville Rescue Mission for their only meal of the day. I wake up every morning in a bed in a house that I never once think how grateful I am to have. The problem with people who have a decent life is that they don’t know how great their life is until everything is taken away from them.
One problem I have is that I am ungrateful about my education. I dread coming to school. It is not fair when my parents work every day to better my education by paying my tuition and all I do is the bare minimum just to pass so I can drive and hang out with my friends on the weekends. If it weren’t for the privileges that I have, I probably would have thrown my life away. There are many people that don’t even have the privileges of going to school and participating in athletics.
Like the children in the poem, I am undeserving of the life that I live, of the nourishment, the shelter, and even the education that I receive. I have no idea the pain that people have that live in the streets and go to bed hungry, that don’t have the same opportunities that I have to better their lives. I regret the ungrateful feeling that I have; it makes me sick that I don’t thank God every day for allowing me to live this life.
-Devin
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
To My Gacky:
Gacky,
You truly were my hero, and I can't believe you are gone. It still hasn't hit me yet, that you're gone. The image of the doctor coming into the waiting room and saying, "I'm sorry there's nothing more we can do" just keeps running through my head. I remember every time friends have told me about the death of their grandads, I would say I don't know what I'll ever do without my Gacky; I think I'd die. But now it's actually happened, and I miss you more than ever. I won't ever forget you taking me to "Rockytop" as you called it even though you never wanted to go and you singing and dancing to my music. All the times when I complained about being hungry and you'd drop everything to bring me exactly what I wanted. I'll also never forget all the other memories. You always put others before yourself, and anytime I needed you, you'd be there in a heartbeat. You were everyone's hero; there was no one else in the world like you. You were the greatest person I had ever known, and I can't believe this, it just happened so suddenly. Nothing is ever going to be the same without you, and you'll always have a very special place in my heart, and you won't ever be forgotten. Every time I was upset, you were there to fix it and make it stop, but this time you are not, and that hurts more than anything. You were the only person to ALWAYS be there for me, there wasn't ever a time you weren't. You were more than a Grandad to me, you were like my dad . . . you were my Gacky. I will always love you and always miss you.
R.I.P. Gacky,
I know you are in a better place, but I still want you here with me. :(
The Kaleidoscope
The kaleidoscope of color shifted from brilliant red – gold to sand and white; the sand molded with a sleek, glistening black and then turned to pure, clean white, and back to the red – gold. I watched as it turned and shifted through this same color pattern, mesmerized. They were all so beautiful. Over and over I watched with delight at the beauty before me, all my very own. I laughed with joy as the colors grew and developed into something more beautiful and complex than anything I knew. I was truly blessed. My eyes focused beyond the beautiful color and looked into the heart. It was there I was truly happy with what I saw. The colors – this joy – were mine to keep.
But it didn’t last. Things slowly began to change. The black and sand colors began to flicker in and out. Their definition became unclear. I watched as they slowly disappeared. Tears silently filled my eyes. Then, I watched in horror as the pure white became cloudy and deluded. And then, just like that, it was gone. The only color that stood fast was the red – gold, but that didn’t seem to be enough. The kaleidoscope was broken. It fell from my numb fingers to the floor where it shattered and spread in all directions.
My knees gave way beneath me, and I fell to the ground. The tears flowed freely now, easy almost. I opened my eyes and saw the glimmering red – gold still intact. A faint shining hope edged its way into my heart. I picked up the pieces of the kaleidoscope, and went on my way down a path I was sure would always be there.
But it didn’t last. Things slowly began to change. The black and sand colors began to flicker in and out. Their definition became unclear. I watched as they slowly disappeared. Tears silently filled my eyes. Then, I watched in horror as the pure white became cloudy and deluded. And then, just like that, it was gone. The only color that stood fast was the red – gold, but that didn’t seem to be enough. The kaleidoscope was broken. It fell from my numb fingers to the floor where it shattered and spread in all directions.
My knees gave way beneath me, and I fell to the ground. The tears flowed freely now, easy almost. I opened my eyes and saw the glimmering red – gold still intact. A faint shining hope edged its way into my heart. I picked up the pieces of the kaleidoscope, and went on my way down a path I was sure would always be there.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Remember 9-11
A cloud of smoke and dust, so thick it seemed that it could be cut with a knife, blanketed the city. Bloodcurdling screams echoed from every direction, while sirens blared the signals of coming paramedics, cops, and firefighters trying to save as many souls as they possibly could. They fought through the rubble while heat penetrated even the thickest of uniforms. Around them was an image few can forget: The Twin Towers broken and burning, a portion of their former glory, and bodies of thousands of American men and women found throughout the remains.Two thousand, nine hundred ninty three people lost their lives because of this attack on our own soil. The families fo these people will forever remember the full extent of the attrocities committed. However, I fear that, as a country, we will lose sight of that. In fact, I believe that we already have.
Many people today oppose the war in Iraq. They blame George W. Bush for starting the war, but wasn't the entire country stirred up with a wrath superior to any other nation attacked in history? We were all appalled at the evil behind the act, so we stood up and with one unified voice, demanded tht Congress take action against the people behind these heinous crimes. Are we such short sighted people that we have forgotten why we all started this war? Or, worse, can we not have the same patriotic fire our grandparent and great- grandparents had durring WWII because of Pearl Harbor? We cannot stand idly by and condone such violent acts upon our nation's soil. To do so only opens a door for more opportunities of mericiless and needless slaughtering.
I say this, not just to those who oppose the war, but to every American. Let us not forget 9-11 and thus forget our patriotic duty to defend our nation's liberty at all costs. Remember 9-11.
-Ashley Reed
Beating up Coach C
By T.J. Roberts
Well, this is the famous golf story where I hit Coach Christensen in the mouth with a golf ball. Two years ago Coach C. was my golf coach. One day during practice, I hit my ball behind a tree on a par 5. Par five means that the average score or par score on that hole is 5. Well my second shot was the one that went behind the tree. I was about 14 years old during this time so I was not as advanced in golf as I am now, so I did not know how to hit all the different types of shots like I do now. Coach C. decided that he was going to attempt to teach one of these special shots to me. This special shot is called a hook or a draw. For me as a right handed person, this means that when I hit the ball it would go from right to left pretty quickly which was a perfect shot from the position that I was in.
Coach C. told me to turn my club face in towards the ground and swing around my body kind of like a baseball bat so that the ball would curve around the tree. I swung at the ball and all I heard was the ball hit the tree. I was looking to see where it went and as I went to ask Coach if he saw where my ball went, I saw him bent over holding his mouth while gushing and spitting out blood. I immediately felt horrible and handed Coach my golf towel. After the pain started to go away I saw that my golf towel, which started out white, was now 100% red and dripping with blood. Coach left the course right then and I believe he went to the doctor before going home.
The main thing that I remember about this experience was the looks and questions I got the next day at school. I can not count how many times I had to tell the story. It was so many times that I wanted to say ok let me just tell the whole class once so I do not have to say it anymore. Coach C. showed me his purple lip the next day and I think Mrs. C. would agree that it was one of the nastiest bruises that I have ever seen. But yes, this is the famous story of how I beat up Coach C.
Well, this is the famous golf story where I hit Coach Christensen in the mouth with a golf ball. Two years ago Coach C. was my golf coach. One day during practice, I hit my ball behind a tree on a par 5. Par five means that the average score or par score on that hole is 5. Well my second shot was the one that went behind the tree. I was about 14 years old during this time so I was not as advanced in golf as I am now, so I did not know how to hit all the different types of shots like I do now. Coach C. decided that he was going to attempt to teach one of these special shots to me. This special shot is called a hook or a draw. For me as a right handed person, this means that when I hit the ball it would go from right to left pretty quickly which was a perfect shot from the position that I was in.
Coach C. told me to turn my club face in towards the ground and swing around my body kind of like a baseball bat so that the ball would curve around the tree. I swung at the ball and all I heard was the ball hit the tree. I was looking to see where it went and as I went to ask Coach if he saw where my ball went, I saw him bent over holding his mouth while gushing and spitting out blood. I immediately felt horrible and handed Coach my golf towel. After the pain started to go away I saw that my golf towel, which started out white, was now 100% red and dripping with blood. Coach left the course right then and I believe he went to the doctor before going home.
The main thing that I remember about this experience was the looks and questions I got the next day at school. I can not count how many times I had to tell the story. It was so many times that I wanted to say ok let me just tell the whole class once so I do not have to say it anymore. Coach C. showed me his purple lip the next day and I think Mrs. C. would agree that it was one of the nastiest bruises that I have ever seen. But yes, this is the famous story of how I beat up Coach C.
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