Assignment 24- Church

 Junior year sucked! Well I mean I learned a lot about myself and my limits but overall it sucked. After spending the first half of the year online and only doing half days of school I became pretty acquainted to my schedule of going to school in the morning and then taking a nap and going to work. It was great because I had plenty of free time to catch up with friends or sleep, but as my job became worse and my grades slowly followed, I learned that I was being treated to nicely at the beginning of my junior year. Then trying to come back to in person school... I didn't know these people at all. I had spent over a year away from these people and I felt like I barely knew them. So between balancing school and more than 40 hours of work a week, I never had time to sleep. The combination of all of things really made my mental health go down hill after a long streak of being happy and healthy. So I went back online. It made it easier between my job and school to be able to be home and skip the commutes and other necessities of school. Then I also quit my job right after this. After that I immediately noticed that my overall mental status was improving greatly. Plus I got a new job where they cared about me as well. So although I spent a lot of time in a worse mental health state.. I did learn about my limitations in school and that you don't always have to be perfect. As well that sometimes you can't hold yourself to standards that you won't reach. Plus I had some fun with finding new friends and new hobbies. 

Assignment 23 - Ethan Scutchfield

This is my playlist for chilling.

Bloody stream: Artist Coda, first off all of these songs are going to be openings from JoJo’s bizarre adventure because that series has great music all around, this song is high energy and is one of my favorites just to listen to in general.

Sono chi no kioku: TOMMY, Coda, JIN: another one of my favorites from the OPs and it also is a song with high rhythm and is just great and high energy.
Naked Silver: Jin Hashimoto: another song from JoJo’s but it is still a great song with a nice beat and that consistently has high energy even just listening to it.
chase: batta: another great JoJo song that just is consistently high rhythm and stays constant throughout.

Fighting gold: Coda: another JoJo song and it’s just really great and especially works with the opening animation which also helps it be a song I really enjoy listening to.

Assignment 24: The Future -Henry Adams

 Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ip6E2IMyU2F-0aydR_4r7W2hB9CLyVtcKa8kzcH8KAk/edit

Assignment 24- Ben Belin

Its crazy to think that there are less than 30 days of my Junior year left. I am just starting to get back in the groove of school! Don't get me wrong I'm still looking forward to summer, but my brain still isn't ready for it. One success I've had this year was for the first time ever getting an A in Spanish! This might be because while we were online she didn't give a single test, but I'd like to think I'm becoming fluent. A lesson learned is to not procrastinate (to much). I always put stuff off but especially this year since none of the deadlines were final which caused me to tell myself I could do an assignment later. However this eventually caught up to me and led to me having to do a lot of things in very little time. Its safe to say I've learned my lesson. From here on out they will call me Ben-never procrastinates-Belin. This summer I'm hoping to visit some colleges and get a feel for what kind of place I want to go to. My goals for Senior year are to get the whole college situation figured out as early as possible so I don't have it hanging over me the whole year. My plan to accomplish this goal is to do things as soon as they become available.

Assignment 24 - Ethan Scutchfield

I hope if I live another 100 years, we don't have another year like the past one.  I have learned a lot of my limitations and what I can do well.  I have also learned a lot about what I will have to work on for college.  My successes are not too many, but I have gotten together with friends for D & D almost weekly and that has been fun.  I started working out with a personal trainer, which helped me play much better lacrosse.  HCHS lacrosse team has had a pretty good season so far and we hope to play for the championship again this year.

I have learned that I don't manage my time well, which is one of the reasons I tend to fall behind on work.  And then it piles up and I don't think I can catch up.  I know I will have to work on this for college.  My grades have suffered this year because NTI was not a good fit for me.  I haven't really taken many risks this year because there aren't many opportunities.  I am communicating with a couple college lacrosse coaches, which is pretty cool.

I hope next year we will be in school the entire year.  I hope people get vaccinated and the world can go on.  I hope to pick a good college for me to go to.  I plan to work hard, both in school and lacrosse so that I have opportunities available.  I will pretty much play lacrosse all summer.  

Assignment 25: Uniquely You – Mulligan (College app)

This is a Makeup Blog Post.  If you have a score that is less than a 30/30, this will replace that grade

When I tell my wife I’ve met someone new (a friend – don’t go there) she always asks, “what’s their story?”  She is keenly interested in the who, the capital WHO, a person is - in that she wants to know their story.  You have a story.  You have a unique background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful you believe you are incomplete without telling it

Inspired by Keanu Gomez

Minimum of 150 words.  Due on May 2 @ 11:59 pm

May 16 is the last day to make up blogs 23-25

Assignment 24- Katie Taylor

 Junior year was my worst year, academically speaking. I struggled the most this year in my classes, more specifically, Calculus and Physics. However, I feel truly happy with the friends I have and my role as a member of the school. I learned that I do not well on an online format, that's for sure. I took a risk by joining Model UN although it was completely online this year, and I also started my own podcast. I gained a better taste in music. This summer, my family plans to take a trip to New England, where I'm from originally, and just travel around that region. I will also work on my college applications. In June-July, I'll be at GSP, which kind of stinks because I won't be able to enjoy my summer with my friends like a teenage kid usually would. Then, I get back from GSP and immediately go to marching band camp, where we rehearse for 9 hours a day outside on our show. I'm very excited for senior year, mainly for my license, the college application process, and the classes I'll take. I hope I do better academically next year.

Jake Walters Assignment 24

 The future. Its a scary thing with how much in uncertain, but I'm trying to do as much as I can right now to make sure I'm prepared for it. I've learned a lot from this year. For one thing, how important reading is. I want to be a psychiatrist when I'm older and seeing how much work and dedication its going to take I've realized I'm not going to be able to avoid reading. So I've started getting into reading psychology related books even the DSM-5 which I never thought id be reading for fun. I'm going to try and keep up this trend of being able to read during the summer too where ill have even more time to do so. This helps me reach my goals and something to do during my free time. My mistakes this year have also shaped me. I need to get my sleep order in shape. I have been staying up way too late to be getting up at 6 am thinking I'm all set for school. Staying off my phone more and having a better night time routine have helped me with this and fix my mistake I came into junior year with especially with being online for the first part. Overall, junior year has been a big year of change for me with building better habits for myself and doing more now to help achieve my goals for the future and not procrastinate. 

Assignment 24- Sara Anderlich

    My junior year was nothing like I expected it to be. February, as a Sophomore, I was getting so excited for it too. We were going to perform our 2020 Marching Band show at the Bands of America Grand National competition, I was getting weekly private saxophone lessons with my band director, I was getting ready for my CKYO Jazz Concert, and I truly felt like I was getting somewhere instrumentally, and with the rest of my life. It may sound strange, but I intertwine how I think with how I play. I was so happy... I had never felt so confident...and then everything changed. I think it's impossible to talk about my junior year without mentioning the pandemic, no matter how much people may be tired of hearing and reading about it. The pandemic hit and I had no idea what was going on. My lessons stopped immediately and within a few months, I was hardly practicing at all. I just couldn't bring myself to, even if all of my school stresses flew out the window. I absolutely loved that my grades couldn't drop, as I was convinced that without the pandemic, I wouldn't have had an A in Pre-Calculus. 

    But anyways, as this transitioned to my junior year, I really didn't know what to think. Everything was so still Up in the Air (marching band inside joke hehe) and we didn't know when we would be coming back to school, or even if we would come back at all... For me though, this uncertainty wasn't awful. I was sad about band and not getting to meet my teachers, but I don't think my work ethic got any worse. If anything, it got better. I have never had a year where I didn't procrastinate until this year. I just didn't. Sure, it happened on occasion, but for the most part I planned out all of my assignments and did everything by the due date or significantly before it was due. Specifically with my APUSH Key Terms, I started doing at least seven every day. It was difficult to train myself to do, but eventually it got to be really easy and I really feel like it taught me a lot of self-discipline. I may not have given myself a detailed practice regimen for band, but in every other class I truly believe that I thrived. It was weird. All this time alone, and I managed to motivate myself. Sure, it may have been initially triggered by anxious habits and fear of guilt if I didn't do my work, but I still did it. I even started doing my homework with friends, which did help a lot for accountability... I don't know, it was just really cool. This year was the first the year that I was ever able to actually sleep, and I think that that helped a lot too. I just felt like a person, you know? Because I had complete control over my schedule, I was actually living in my own life, rather than walking around in auto-pilot. I really liked it. 

    I think that the hardest thing for me was just getting distracted, not with my assignments, but in class. I feel like some of my teachers really didn't know how to be engaging over zoom, and that made it really hard to learn. I still struggle, but I'm doing my best to always take notes/screenshots of the lectures so that I can be successful in all of my classes. I think this will be an easy fix for next year. I assume my senior year will be in-person and at least semi-back-to-normal, and that's really all I need. I like seeing everyone. Though I get really tired around a lot of people, I'm an extrovert at heart and seeing everyone makes me really happy. Now that I'm vaccinated, seeing more of my friends this summer is something that I'm excited for too, assuming that COVID cases start to go back down again. I don't know... it's just going to be really nice to have a break from school so that I can focus on things that I'm really passionate about. For example, now that I know I want to go into Veterinary Medicine, I'm excited to apply for some kind of job/internship at a veterinary clinic. I think that would be a lot of fun. I also plan to really crack down on myself and actually try and learn how to play piano. I have a keyboard and multiple beginner/intermediate books, and I really think that I can do it if I put my mind to it. I have a friend that's going to do it too, and we're going to use each other to stay accountable with weekly check-ups on our progress. Marching band should happen too... so with that and the normal relaxation time, I think that's all I want to do this summer. 

    As for senior year, I think I'm just going to take it as it comes, and make the most of everything that happens. All I want is to be happy and experience everything that I can, so that's going to be my goal. I want to spend time with my friends, build quality relationships, and do my best to work towards scholarships for the University of Kentucky. I know it will go by fast, but I plan to relish in everything that happens. 

Assignment 24-Aiden Beach

Overall, my junior year was a year of growth. Being quarantined for over a year has helped me learn to be more responsible with my work, not turn away from problems, and pay attention to other people around me. I’ve learned to have much more self-control when it comes to talking to other people without becoming very hyper. I’ve also learned to give people personal space, and I’ve opened up to other people about my problems instead of bottling them up. This helped me reduce stress in order to focus on school better. This summer, I’ll be seeing my grandparents in California for three weeks after I get my second vaccination, a vacation I was going to spend spring break of 2020 if Coronavirus didn’t hit. For my senior year, I hope I spend more time focused on my work and don’t get distracted with any outside situations or personal issues.

Assignment 24 - Palmer Lee

Junior year has been... something. When I started high school, going through a year-long world-wide pandemic wasn't exactly what I had in mind. The pandemic isn't even over, and it probably won't be for another several months, at least. I'm a more introverted person, so I enjoyed staying home. That said, it wasn't good for my habits - I got much worse about putting things off until the last minute, and I never wanted to do anything. Even know, I have a hard time getting out of my chair to go get dinner. Still, I tried to make the most of it. I did do a few college visits, and I hope to do more over the summer. As for next year, I just hope to be able to go outside without a facial mask on. I don't mind wearing a mask now, but it will be nice for it to not be a big deal for me to leave it at home. 

Assignment 24-Lin

 Unexpected. Hectic. Spontaneous. All words I would use to describe this year but one thing it has taught me is how to be adaptable and how to be responsible for my school work without a teacher actively enforcing instruction. The NTI that started last April of 2020 was something that lacked preparation so when we started school in August, the more strict schedule was something to adapt to. The lack of in person classes made learning from a distant less effective as constant distractions to get up and move or look at other stuff made staying on task difficult. As this year went, I learned how to be responsible for work as what the teachers can do during the hour period on zoom is limited to how much they can teach. A friend in college told me that this is what college is like. The lack of an active teacher enforcing due dates is common and the shorter school days leave the day up to the students to decide how to spend it. In a way, this unexpected, hectic and spontaneous school year has helped me learn an important self-discipline skill. With the semester almost ending, I look forward to normalcy during the summer and a more opportunities to enjoy our last year of high school next semester.

Assignment 23- Lin

 Don't Stop Believing 

More than a Feeling 

Smooth Criminal

Werewolves of London

Bat Out of Hell

All of these songs give a type of retro vibe that gives me a nostalgia to when I would watch the movie Grown Ups with Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and others. It was my all-time favorite movie that showcases a hilarious group of old friends who share childhood experiences with each other. The songs are light hearted and upbeat at the same time. It's really fun to just go with the beat of these songs because they have this feeling with it that just makes you tap your foot and change your mood entirely. The retro vibe makes it all more interesting for me which contrast to today's music which doesn't use as much guitars, pianos, and drums together.

Rukavina- assignment 23

 Perfect playlist-

 

Dancing Queen - Mamma Mia

I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers

Family Tradition - Hank Williams Jr

Callin’ Baton Rouge - Garth brooks

Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks

 

I do feel like I should say that at least for the first two songs, my favorite songs change all the time.

 

First, I chose Dancing Queen specifically from Mamma Mia (that is very important) because I just watched the movie for the first time last week and I can’t get it out of my head. Second, I chose I Wanna Get Better because it is also another song I just started listening to a lot about 2 months ago when a friend played it for me. Finally, my last three have kind of a combined reason because they are all songs my mom would play in the car allll the time when I was little. Well she actually played a lot of country, but these are just the ones I always liked the most. Out of the three I think Callin’ Baton Rouge might be my favorite because I’ve just always really liked it. Also my mom’s entire side of the family is from Louisiana and my mom didn’t actually move from there until about 20 years ago, so whenever I hear country songs my mom listened to like this they just remind me of visiting down there in the summer and being in the car when I was little. 

Assignment 22- Aaron Falk

 As of right now I am quite undecided in what my college path is going to be so everything written is far from a commitment. Once thing I can say that will play an influence into my college fit I believe is my sense of independence. I feel like this is going to push my college decision to a border state as it gives some space to my previous chapter of life giving me room to grow, but also doesn’t take me too far from home. I feel like I'd find myself a little more successful with a little distance between me and home as it would give me less to worry about and a new environment to adapt to. I feel like somewhere in-state wouldn’t be a good fit as it would be too close (especially UK) as it’d be hard to adapt because if anything went wrong I'd see going home as a solution and it wouldn’t give me what I'd need to strive as a student.

Aaron Falk- Assignment 21

 One of the most recent challenges I’ve had to overcome that comes to mind was in the second semester of freshman year. My body has been notorious for catching strep at least once every single year, but freshman year probably had the most long term effects. Starting around the beginning of February I caught strep and my parents thought I was over exaggerating so I continued to go to school until one day I passed out in the shower. I would have strep until near the end of March with about the first two weeks out of school and numerous more days as the doctor would require frequent tests as they thought I had chronic strep. Through all of this it was very difficult to keep up with school as I was constantly having to miss while also having very draining symptoms. It also threw off my wishes to do track as I was beaten down and too unconditioned to attempt to return. But school was the most important aspect to not let slip out of my hands so I would make sure that every time I was feeling a little better and not completely drained I would set a goal to finish so many missing assignments even if it was just an hour or two.

Duncan Wingfield Assignment 23

 My perfect playlist:

Ancestors by Huun-Huur-Tu

Traditional throat singing is just genuinely one of the coolest things ever and Huun-Huur-Tu are complete masters at their craft. Ancestors is my personal favorite song of theirs. It's absolutely beautiful and captivating and it's just so impassioned and I just love it so much.

Got To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn

Disco never died and this song proves it. This incredible masterwork of grooviness is the greatest musical composition of the 20th century. 

When Doves Cry by Prince

An absolute classic that is just off the walls insanely good that will never get old no matter how often I listen to it. The instrumental is insane, Prince's vocals are fantastic and crazy and man it's just so good.

Digital Love by Daft Punk

Another masterwork of grooviness blending electronic and funk with a fantastic driving beat that just goes so hard and then later when they start adding guitaur solos and stuff on top and it just always gets me feeling great.

(What A) Wonderful World by Sam Cooke

This is probably just like the most feel good song ever.

Assignment 23-Zent

 My perfect playlist-

Two Ghosts (Harry Styles)

Life in the City (The Lumineers)

Cigarette Daydreams (Cage the Elephant)

Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor Swift)

Rivers and Roads (The Head and the Heart)

What I like to listen usually changes just about every week but these are the songs that I currently like to listen to. So, all of the songs don't necessarily go together on paper but they are the ones I've listened to a lot lately. 

Two Ghosts- I like Harry Styles but I have really only every listened to fine line and none of his older songs. I listened to Two Ghosts recently for the first time and I like it because its different than his other songs. Life in the City- I like the Lumineers and have listened to many of their songs. Right now I like Life in the City the best because its a little more upbeat than their other songs. Cigarette Daydreams- This song has been stuck in my head for the past three weeks. It has many different parts and all of them have just been going through my head at one time or another. No complaints though because its a good song. Mr. Perfectly Fine- Taylor Swift just recently released this song and I really like it because its just a big dis track and even though she wrote it a long time ago it still holds up to her other songs. Rivers and Roads- Lastly, I added this song because I think it kinda perfectly describes where all of us are at being juniors this year. It says in a year from now all of our friends will have moved away and that our family will live in a different state. Which is basically what is going to happen when we all move away to college next year. Its sad to think about but I would add it because it reminds me to live in the moment. 

Assignment 22-Aiden Beach

I don't have any top colleges yet. However, I want to go to a college that has a good reputation for coding classes. I want to be able to go to a coding class that supports putting personality and emotion into code to make something out of a bunch of ones and zeroes. Coding has always been something that I’ve been good at, as it’s just a project you complete via a huge mathematical logic puzzle. However, coding can also hold emotion, like a piece of good literature, just as long as just as much emotion and interest are poured into it as is expected of it to hold. I want a college that recognizes this, and uses it to their advantage in order to have the best teaching experience of coding. This way, I can have even more fun at a college doing the thing I like to do the most.

Assignment 23- Sara Anderlich

 The Perfect Playlist :)
music makes me happy

Figuring out the songs for this playlist was a little difficult.. I had to scour my favorites on Spotify and go through old scraps of paper where I wrote down songs that I really loved in the moment. I also didn't try to tie the songs together as much as I tried to make them reflect me. So any randomness is just part of my nature, but I still think that these songs work together well. 

Random Music Playlist to play in the car and sing with some friends:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Ur0hRbqcWMUQ99w3vuOe9?si=0092724c2dbd47ad

1. Hakuna Matata- The Lion King

If any song works as a starting song, it's this song. I also don't think that a "Sara themed" playlist would be 100% right if it didn't have at least one Disney song on it. Overall, it's just so much fun and is really wonderful to sing with a bunch of people. 

1. I Need to Know- Barbie as the Island Princess

Now a playlist just wouldn't be a playlist without a Barbie song. I just have a soft spot for them, and this is one of my favorite songs in the entire series. They're also just so much fun to sing with other people, especially if everyone knows the movies and the lyrics and it's blasting in the background (it works with other songs too) 

2. I See The Light- Tangled 

This song is just so pretty and so much fun. It may not be the best to sing along with all the time, but it's still super nice to listen to, and even just have in the background while talking. 

3. Someone To You- BANNERS

This song is so pretty. It gives me a feeling of nostalgia and this weird tense, happy, shaky feeling. It's like a kind of good anxiety- excitement- where I have a lump in my throat and just want to either close my eyes and sing, or fall back in my bed and just close my eyes. 

4. Take Yours- Matthew Mole

The first time I heard this song, I think I just fell apart. It's not really the lyrics, it's just the tune. The way it build makes me so happy and I don't know if I can truly describe that feeling. I definitely feel the need to sing along. It's just so pretty. I love the obvious use of various instruments, especially the ukulele and how they just seem to build off of each other and collapse seamlessly. 

5. Shattered- O.A.R.

Though it may not be my favorite song in the world, this song is super, super nostalgic for me. My mom used to play it all the time in the car and we would sing it together sometimes. Still, it's a really simple and beautiful song and I absolutely love the melody and how it starts.

6. Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol

I really, really, really, really, really like this song. I don't listen to it very often, but when I do it makes me feel super relaxed and happy. Whether I'm listening to this alone or with a group, it's really nostalgic and beautiful. Sometimes, it can become too much for me to listen to songs like these, especially with lyrics (I don't really know why), but I think that, for the most part, I would enjoy listening to this song with some of my friends. I just need them to pick some songs too, so that there will be more variety in the music. That's just something that's really important to me. 

7. Tarir, The Forgotten City- Lena Chapelle

This song is definitely a change of pace from the last few, after all it is an orchestra performance. But it's so cool. I love how the melody flows in and out of parts and how the whole thing just builds from start to finish. 

Assignment 23 - Palmer Lee

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the most seemingly insignificant things, and it can take me a while to get my mood back up in order to be able to start being productive again. This playlist is designed to speed that process up a little bit. (All of these songs are relatively old, that wasn't intentional, I just thought they mixed together better than some more recent ones.)

Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
This song is at the beginning of the playlist because there's both a lighter and a darker part - the skies have been gray for who knows how long, and they want to know what they did wrong to make that happen. But, with everything, there's a light at the end of the temple. The upbeat-ness of the song also never really stops, even if the parts where the singer is asking what took the clouds so long to clear up.

We Are The Champions - Queen

This is another song meant to hype up the listener. It's opening ties into Mr. Blue Sky's part about wondering what mistakes you may have made by acknowledging that though bad things happen and mistakes are made, you can get through it. Some things can be challenging, but you can power through it to work on bettering yourself and how your mental state.

Dragostea Din Tei - O-Zone
A lot of people only seem to listen to this song ironically, but I really like the feel it has and how upbeat it is. I have no idea what the words mean, since the whole song is in Romanian, but with music, you don't necessarily have to. I also really like the music video - it isn't overdramatic, it's just three guys on a plane dancing really badly and having a good time.

Take On Me - A-ha
This is one of my favorite songs by itself, it always helps to put me in a good mood. The theme of learning that life is okay and you're ready to take on anything is important in being able to get into a better headspace. I can conquer whatever it was that made me doubt myself in the first place. It doesn't have to overwhelm me if I don't let it.

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
This is at the end of the playlist because at this point you're in a better headspace than you were when you first started the playlist, this song is to help you get motivated to keep doing what you're doing, especially with phrases like "go, go, go, there's no stoppin' me."

I don't have a Spotify so I can't make a Spotify playlist, but these songs are relatively easy to find on YouTube.

Assignment 23- Ben Belin

 Playlist for being a pirate

-Yo, Ho, Ho! (And a bottle of rum) by Craig Toungate

    Chose this song because its super catchy and perfect for pirating. Makes me feel like im sailing the high seas!

-Drunken Sailor by Storm Weather Shanty Choir

    Had to put this song on the playlist because not only is it a classic but it's incredibly fun to sing too. Also this version of the song is a bit of a different take on it because it adds a guitar.

-I'm on a boat by The Lonely Island

    Although this one isn't a pirate shanty it is one of my favorite boat songs of all time and has T-pain in it so I had to include it.

-Yo Ho (A pirates life for me) by Ukulele Jim

    The songs tells you exactly what to do as a pirate, and like most pirate shanties is incredibly catchy.

-Paddy and the Whale by Ellen Cohn

    The entire song may only be 30 seconds of someone playing the flute but its the best 30 seconds of catchy pirate flute playing you will ever hear.

Jake Walters Assignment 23

 My perfect playlist has to be the playlist I use when I'm trying to relive the glory days. This playlist has anything from old love songs to 2010 hip hop songs that I personally love. This playlists allows me to embellish in the old music and enjoy myself listening to it. First song on the playlist is a must for any club and that is no other than "Time of Our Lives" by Pitbull. This song is a classics throwback and if not the perfect hype song for any occasion and anybody listening as about everyone knows about this song and the lyrics to it. Not to mention Pitbull sings it perfectly as he does with plenty pf songs that I also enjoy. Second is my favorite song of all time "Mr. Blue Sky". The best song of all time, never fails to fill up anybody who listens with joy and its an absolute joy to listen to. My next song is "Cant Take My Eyes Off of You." Another one of my favorite old time songs and one of my favorite love songs. Frankie Valli's solo in the middle is beautifully done and an absolute joy to listen to. My fourth song on the playlist is "Walking On a Dream". This song lives up to its title and does make you feel like you are walking on a dream. Its so well made and just hearing the little beat at the beginning of it gets me hyped every single time I hear it. My final song and my guilty pleasure has to be "Firework" by Katy Perry. Its such an amazing song and Katy Perry kills it. Its only found in two amazing movies, Madagascar 3 and The Interview. Overall a masterpiece and a song you can pour your heart out into singing. This is my perfect playlist. 

Assignment 24: The Future

You're done!  - well almost

Your Junior year (nearly) OVER.

Tell us about it.

Successes? Failures? Lessons Learned? Risks taken? Mistakes made? What will you do in the Summer?  What do you want for your Senior year? How do you plan to reach your goals?

Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, April 25 at 11:59 pm

May 16 is the last day to make up blogs 23-25

Assignment 23- Church

Playlist for Driving and Vibing

OK ORCHESTRA 

This is the first song because it is overall super hype and fun. It can lighten anyones mood and when the song is on full blast in the car and you're driving down country roads, it really is the best starter song for a car ride. 

Slow Dancing in the Dark

This is the next song I picked, it doesn't follow as well as the first song but the beat drops and background instrumentals really pull through to create a super chill vibe. This would be the song that plays in the background while you are catching up with your friends. 

Good Things Fall Apart

This next song is one of my favorite songs ever. It is also pretty chill and gives me strong Harry styles vibes It can pull as a background song or a sing along song and that makes it perfect for the middle of the playlist.

Don't tell the boys 

This next song is also one of my favorites and it gives me super 2010 vibes which is immaculate vibes. It is a pretty soft song and isn't too fast or too chill but is super catchy. I think this is point where people are singing along but also could be having super deep conversation.

Pierre

This is a super classic summer song. It is super upbeat and is a great windows down and blaring song. This would be the song you played as the sun set and when you are on the way to drop people off but you have to get some good jams in.

Midnight City

 This is the last song because it really has no words but is is super upbeat and uses a lot of cool technical sounds in the background. It really creates a good atmosphere when you're trying to get one last song into the car ride. 

Assignment 22- Koen

     For the most part, my life has been pretty average. With each year passing by, I always look back to see what has changed about me. I have experienced what is considered a typical American childhood with good principles introduced to me in elementary school, transitional and somewhat frantic middle school era and finally, a growing period of finding what to do in the future. But during my childhood, I have developed a deep understanding of perspectives and the power of observation. For most of my life, I have played basketball but now I play golf. As part of a typical childhood, sports play a major character-developing role in one's life. I would pour out my energy, running down the court in basketball, and I would improve swing strokes to get better at golf. With each sport I gained the skills to the game but  I was also introduced to new perspectives. I came to understand two very diverse cultures that gave me a better understanding of the world around me. Being able to be part of a basketball travel team let me compete at a high level while seeing the culture of basketball. I observed the grit and grind of training for hours, running suicides and drills everyday and spending every weekend at tourneys from out of the city. On the other hand, I observed the importance of structure and form playing on the high school golf team, knowing how each situation requires a different skill. My childhood may be typical to everyone else's, but it is how I embrace the perspectives from my sports experience that makes life much more intricate. While one culture may solely focus on athletics and how its their chance to prove themselves, the other will stress the importance of structure and connections with others. While one culture may struggle financially to be able to play, the other may see athletics as a social opportunity to improve their status. Through sports and other opportunities, I have been able to let these cultures influence and shape my character to be more appreciative to each. Whatever new venues these experiences come from, I continue to have sports in my life and always take in the new perspectives from every experience. 

Assignment 23- Katie Taylor

For my perfect playlist, I didn't necessarily pick similar songs, but rather picked songs I believe match a particular mood/scenario. I've entitled it "Songs for Driving on a Road Trip at Night," because I find myself putting these artists and their songs on repeat as I stare out the car window at the passing, dark fields. 

Up first is "Just Friends" by Amy Winehouse. I chose this song because Amy's jazzy feel really reminds me of cities at night (I really can't tell you why). I feel comfort in her voice.

Next is "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star. This song made the cut thanks to the chord progression and the soft vocals. Overall a great song to fall asleep to.

Third on the playlist is "And I Love Her" by Kurt Cobain. A departure from his band's typical intense instrumental, this is a wonderful acoustic song. Kurt's low register is nice to hear.

Fourth is "1979" by The Smashing Pumpkins. This one is on here not only for the catchiness, but for nostalgia purposes. As mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, my dad would play this song and others like it a lot whenever we were on a road trip and were driving at night.

"The Only Exception" by Paramore is next. Similar to Cobain's song, Paramore tones down their 2000s punk rock sound for a romantic ballad. It's catchy, and I consider Hayley Williams to be one of the greatest vocalists of this century. 

Of course, I couldn't leave out Phoebe Bridgers. Here, she sings "Georgia," another love song with a somber tone.

Julien Baker comes in with the penultimate song on this playlist: "Relative Fiction." This one is tied with "Heatwave" for my favorite song off of her new album, Little Oblivions. I adore the new sound she's adopted, different from her power ballads of her previous two albums.

Finally, Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky" makes it on here. I love a good somber acoustic guitar.

Link:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/59gIhhCnkUa89TuXz59qAU?si=22f74a273c2b4c57 

Assignment 22 - Ethan Scutchfield

I spent spring break visiting several colleges and universities to get a better idea of what I would be interested in for after high school.  I visited University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Hanover College, Lake Forest College and Butler University.

The past year has been a reflection on my life, staying mostly alone with very few human interactions. I like to be an introvert, so it was pretty obvious and expected that I really preferred the smaller schools.  I really do like to learn, But I struggle to pay attention and in a large lecture hall where nobody is paying attention, that's just giving me a recommendation to stop caring and stare off into space for an hour.

The fact that i just prefer to keep to myself for the most part, despite how loud I am (i know weird), really just makes me prefer a school that's fairly small and doesn't really have all to many people because i enjoy not having to interact with people any more than absolutely necessary because hell is other people and i prefer to just chill out and try to learn.

Assignment 21 - Ethan Scutchfield

 For over a year, the obstacle of online learning has been a huge issue for me.  I was able to coast pretty easily during the non-pandemic high school years, but when everything went online, it was hard to focus for hours a day to an online platform.  Add to that issue, I have five AP classes this year, including Physics and Calculus.

My first reaction was to completely shut down.  I don't like busy work and I felt like I wasn't really learning. All the classes had me completing assignments outside of class time and I didn't feel like it was really helping my education.

I am still struggling, but I am trying to get things turned in on time (or close to on time).  I am slowly getting caught up on assignments that I have let fall between the cracks.  I have learned that I need to be face to face with my instructors.  While looking at colleges, it has also made me realize I need to go to a smaller school and not one with 400 person lectures.

Assignment 22- Sara Anderlich

 "Your Life Isn't Boring"

I really just want to go to UK. I know that may seem short-sighted, or like I could do better.. but I really didn't think about it seriously until this year. I always dreamed about Ivy League, or Michigan State, but I never really had a reason. I thought about schools for psychology too. There's one in Chicago that looked really great, and for a while I considered Berkley too. But, the thing is, all of those dreams came out of confusion. I was just thinking about random colleges and choosing them with no basis. I never really looked into any of them. I've been thinking and thinking... I don't want to be a psychologist, I don't want to be a musician. Yes, I'm passionate about those things, but I've let my mind wander and I really want to be a veterinarian. Just a normal, domestic, veterinarian. I want to be around animals and I want to watch them heal, even if I'll have harder days. I want to feel like I'm helping someone. For a while, I thought that was people... and I do want to help people. In a way, I will be. I'm still interested in music and psychology, and to be honest, I don't have to give that up. I've looked into it, and I can pretty much major in anything, as long as I take the pre-requisites for graduate school (vet school). These include Biochemistry, Microbiology, Physiology, and Communication. Though the University of Kentucky does not have a vet school, they work alongside the Auburn University of Veterinary Medicine (ranks 14th in the nation). Even then, I don't have to go there. For graduate school, I could also go to the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (ranks 4th in the nation)... and that's kind of where I'm leaning depending on finances. That's also why I want to go to UK. I am very concerned about costs and I know that I can get in to UK without paying much at all. I also live close by, so if I don't qualify for a housing stipend I can easily commute. I don't see it as the easy way out at all. I just want to go though college with as few student loans as possible, so I can have the money to spend on a nice graduate school. 

Ohio will be amazing, especially if I can get in. It's close by, a good school, and I have some family connections to it that can help my chances. The campus is also really pretty and I know that by being so close to home, I'm going to be able to experience life while also having people that I can look forward to seeing.

As for my uniqueness, I'm determined. I don't think that any one school is going to be perfect for me, but I think that I'll be the perfect fit for almost any school. I know how to make the most out of any situation and I think that being surrounded by friends and family, I'll have the support system that I need to get through anything. In no way am I the perfect student, but I have so much passion that I know I'm going to be happy at UK. Their jazz program is phenomenal, and even if I don't choose to major/minor in music, I know that it's going to be something I enjoy. I'm already excited.