India

7 Ways To Be The Best Freshman You Can Be

2010-05-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

India Emerick

Through input from students and teachers alike, I was able to compile a list of the most preferable traits for freshmen. Not all may be politically correct, but each recommendation should help up-and-comers start down the path to success during their 9th grade year.

7. Remember How Young You Are
Says Tony Martin, a junior, “Be yourself and have fun. Don’t do what I did and think you’re older than you are.” It’s important to enjoy your time as the little ones on the totem pole, for you’ll be the big man on campus soon. Rocket Stickney, a freshman, says, “Don’t be annoying; don’t act like you have seniority over anyone.” Try to live in the 'now' and enjoy being young; you have fewer expectations to fulfill, which is actually welcoming.

6. Be Clean
Many 9th graders, in the throes of puberty, have yet to discover the joys of personal hygiene. Complains teacher Ryan Waterfield, “I wish the boys would shower. Shower and deodorant.” Many recommend that you keep your area clean. Freshman Cameron Jenner knows what’s best: “Don’t leave your stuff around.” Staying tidy and smelling good will have amazing effects in terms of the respect and appreciation that you receive from teachers and fellow students.

5. Make Good Decisions
Part of being a freshman is discovering your boundaries, but make sure to think responsibly. Recommends Ryan Waterfield, "Don't put stupid stuff on Facebook." Another good idea: don't drink before prom. Although 9th graders are generally expected to stumble a little in their path to self-discovery, try to think before you act and keep out of trouble.

4. Be a Little Rebellious
Although no one likes a student with attitude, let alone a 14 year-old freshman with attitude, it’s important not to be entirely meek. Says Timo Gould, “You must not be too intimidated by upperclassmen.” Despite the mean juniors and seniors, try to keep your chin up. Freshman Mason Noyes, perhaps the best example of insubordination, suggests: “Leave your stuff around. Fight the man. Get detention.” Well, maybe scratch that last part, but the sentiment’s alright.

3. Make Upperclassmen Connections
One of the most widely acknowledged way to have a successful freshman year is to get close with some older students. Tony Martin was practically adopted as an honorary senior and therefore experienced none of the hazing or teasing. Rocket Stickney says, “Make friends with your juniors.” Calder Zarkos, another freshman, takes it to the next level, urging his classmates to “hook up with a senior and get some street cred.”

2. Be Academically Responsible
For many freshmen, the first year in high school can be detrimental academically. The transition from Middle School to the big, scary world of the Upper School is usually difficult, and many flounder for a while. Teacher Chris McAvoy recommends, “Come to Community Service Leadership Team.” He’s right. Joining clubs is an easy way to become involved with the school and stay motivated. Freshman Taylor Figge says, “Actually use your free period,” as many young ones spend each one playing computer games (coughcough Timo, Logan, Calder coughcough). Sophomore Katie Dumke imparts a truly genuine piece of knowledge to her younger peers, “Have a ready willingness to learn.”

1. Be Respectful
By far the most important interview answer, freshman respect is invaluable. It will make you friends, get you in teachers’ good books and make life easier. Comments Chris McAvoy, “Find out what the teachers want and give it to them. Bribe me. Buy me a new car.” Sophomore Tim Kanellitsas agrees: “You should all give Tim massages and tie his shoes. I like it when they ask how I am.” "Obey commands," instructs intimidating junior Dylan Prescott, "Just kidding."

French Compo

2010-05-10T12:36:00.001-07:00

Mon Premier Jour d’École Ici
Noëlle
Pour : 5.10.10

Quand j’ai arrivé à l’école pour la deuxième année, j’ai eu très peur, mais j’ai été excité. Je n’en ai pas connaît de une personne. Il a été le premier jour d’école ici pour Emma, Dane et moi. J’ai rencontrée Emma pour la première fois. Elle est allée être ma meilleure amie. Emma a été très populaire mais et je n’ai pas des amies avant d’elle. Elle m’a invité jouer avec elle, et après, j’ai eu une amie.
J’ai été une petite fille hippie et j’ai été un peu étrange et les autres enfants ne m’ont pas aimé. Je n’ai pas été triste, parce que j’ai été une petite fille et j’ai voulu seulement jouer et glander. Avant qu’elle m’a invité, je me suis amusée seule. Mais parce que je suis un enfant unique, il a été normal jouer seule.
Aussi les premiers jours d’école je me suis tenu la main avec Dylan pendant l’heure quand les parents nous ont lu. Il a été très mignon. Je lui ai aimé.
Ensuite, nous avons joué au foot et autres choses. Quand nous y avons joué, j’ai essayé faire des amis, mais il a été très difficile. Pendant le déjeuner, toutes les personnes ont bu de lait, mais j’ai été intolérant au lactose. Je n’en ai pas bu parce que j’y ai été intolérant. Je ne leur ai pas aimé beaucoup. Je me suis assis avec Emma, et nous sommes assis avec les autres personnes, mais je ne suis pas assis avec eux. Il est difficile expliquer.
Au fil du temps, j’ai fait des amis et aujourd’hui, j’ai beaucoup des amis. Et j’aime le Community School. Mais mon premier jour d’école ici, je ne l’ai pas aimé.

2010-03-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I interviewed Dylan, arguably the leader of the Super Fans, but he wasn't very expressive and didn't have much to say. I'm going to talk to Rem very soon and figure out the last time there was this much support for a TCS sports team, and if he's noticed that it improves the team. I wish Daniel was here, but I'll talk to some other bball player to get the 411 haha.
And I'll talk to Chris about the future of the Comm Serv team soon, but thesis is in full swing right now and he's verryyyy busy.

sldkfjadlsj CHAUNCY I will do this. I will.

Cutthroat Underground article

2010-03-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'll start with the SuperFan article, as it's far more specific and structured than my vague and yet-to-be determined Community Service article.
Unfortunately, the basketball season is kind of gone from everyone's minds, and Daniel isn't here right now. But the basketball players will still remember the support and intensity of the games. And I know that the audience had a great time at the games.
I want to talk to members of the team, of course, to find out how it felt to have such immense support (more or less for the first time, except for Daniel, I'm sure).
I'm going to talk to the hardcore members of the SuperFans, Dylan, Barret, Colby, etc. to get their perspective and the reasons behind their super-fanning.
Then I'll talk to a teacher or two about how often SuperFans occur and how it's unified the school/increased school spirit in the past and this year.

Zee Ahteecal

2010-02-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

Chickens: Localism in Your Own Back Yard
India Emerick

In the past few years, as environmental troubles have come into the spotlight, sustainability has evolved into a nationwide issue. Suddenly, average Americans are looking for ways that they can personally contribute to the conservation of our planet’s resources. “Localism” is the simplest way for everyday people to reduce their energy consumption. With organizations like Idaho’s Bounty, The Banburry Institute and The Sustainability Center cropping up left and right, it seems that Sun Valley is jumping on the localism bandwagon. In February of 2009, the city of Hailey passed a law allowing residents to keep three chickens on their property as part of a group of sustainability ordinances.
Even before that, educational institutions such as The Community School and The Mountain School were including chickens as part of their curriculum. Says Mountain School head Katharine Woods, “Giving the children an opportunity to be in contact with farm animals is immensely beneficial to their understanding of respect, appreciation and environmentalism.” Although The Community School’s program of raising chickens and then eating them was controversial, Sun Valley residents have stood behind the concept as an important learning process.
Recently, the Wood River Valley’s interest in localism and chickens has been apparent. On January 30th, 2010, The Banburry Institute held a Chicken & Egg Workshop on longtime bird owner Arden Schmidt’s farm with over 60 people in attendance. The workshop allowed those interested in chickens to share resources, information and birds. Kaz Thea, with Idaho’s Bounty, says that there has been extreme increase in both the availability and the interest in local eggs, proving that even those not willing to raise their own eggs feel the need to stay local. “We never have enough eggs; they’re so much more nutritious!” she says, “Eggs and winter greens are always in huge demand.”
Owning your own chickens is not difficult; in fact, it is one of the easiest things one can do to contribute to localism. The common motivation is the desire for organically grown, free-range eggs, a “farm feel,” or pets. Chicken owner Brian Yager created a “Chicksaw” coop, a mobile chicken coop that fertilized his lawn while housing his chickens. According to his family, having chickens wasn’t too hard nor a big responsibility, and the process increased their understanding of the circle of life. He states firmly, “Backyard chickens are advantageous to the community; local agriculture, independence from corporations, lack of environmental effects and the usefulness of chickens as fertilizers make them such valuable part of our lives.”
Although Sun Valley is generally thought of as an isolated bubble, in this case it is the microcosm to the macrocosm of the nation. We are mirroring the trends that are cropping up all over the country, such as community gardens, personal chickens and local food centers. Although we’re making strides in the world of sustainability, we’re still not doing as much as we could. Thea remarks with strong conviction, “A lot of people don’t walk the walk… We should be creating local economies. Not just the food but everything should be localized. It’s about getting people to care enough to do something about it, and if the masses take little steps, we conserve a lot.”

Cutthroat Undergrounddd

2010-02-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be doing a Superfan article and a Community Service article.
For the Superfan article, I'll mostly be doing interviews. I'll interview teachers to find out when a sports team has had such interest, members of the basketball team to find out how it affects them on the court, and of course, the Fans. I'm pretty sure this will be an easy article to get information for, and one that will spark the interest of the students, both high school and middle (I doubt elementary students will care much).
For the Community Service article, I'll first go talk to Chris, and as I'm a member of the Community Service Leadership Team, I've got an "in," haha. I'll see what super cool things have been happening lately or will be happening. I think I'll tie in the question of "What's going to happen to the Comm Serv team when Chris is gone?"
I'm not feeling too worried/scared/nervous right now...

Mission Accomplished: Article Written

2010-02-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Sooo, I wrote an article! Go me... I know, I'm rather excellent at life. I had been 100% procrastinating (too busy partying with Chauncy at The Mint) and finally I sat down and did the damn thing. I'm feeling pretty good about the final product, although it is definitely a rough draft as it is. I wasn't able to find out as much information on the chicken trend as I thought I would, since the trend isn't quite as popular as I thought it was. So I focused more on the importance of localism and sustainability. (BTW - Turns out localism is a real word! It's in the dictionary and everything!)
It feels good to have something completed. That's about all I have to blog.

Outline-Ish

2010-02-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

I've now interviewed my mom, owner of The Mountain School, Brian Yager, previous chicken owner, and James Reed, with Idaho's Bounty. I'm set to interview Kaz Thea tomorrow morning at Java. I still need to talk to Scott Runkel and the Sweek family about their chicken experiences.

In my article I'll be trying to focus on how having chickens helps the average family contribute to and understand sustainability. I'll also be including the perspective of sustainability organizations like Idaho's Bounty on the chicken trend. I'll use Brian Yager's interview to show how the setup process works and how rewarding chickens are to a family not only as food providers, but as pets. I'm banking on the Sweek's information to pull it all together as a real, personal view into the life of chicken owners and egg harvesters.
I'll bring in the concept of the national trend and how it ties into other levels of involvement in sustainability and localism, but I'm planning on focusing mostly on what's happening here in the valley.
My hook, or thesis, will be that the new trend of owning chickens is helping individuals, families and communities contribute to and understand sustainability in a positive, easy way.

Family Bonding vs Eggs/Sustainability

2010-02-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

After my first interview with Brian Yager, I'm feeling more confident about the direction my article will be going. As we're writing about the kids' perspective, I think I'll be focusing on the positive effect that backyard chickens have on a family. Yager said that having chickens unified his family, with family activities like rounding up the chickens in the evenings, and his kids came to love the chickens as pets. Of course I'll be taking the sustainable angle as well, if I can get enough personal stories. Unfortunately Yager's chickens died before they were able to get eggs, and so I couldn't get the perspective on the circle of life or the newfound understanding of sustainability.

Now all I need is more firsthand perspectives on the positive effects chickens have on the family to be able to paint a descriptive picture.

Emma's thoughts: like how they make you feel inside, does the family want to eat them? i would. Maybe i could dress up like a wolf and see the families reaction to their chickens being attacked, hopefully i dont traumatize them too much. I feel so cool im a blogger.

Buh-buh-buh-rainstormmmm

2010-01-26T17:11:00.001-08:00

Alriiiight... blogging. The media of the masses, making every person with access to a computer an influential author, newscaster, psychiatrist or artist (at least in their minds).
I suppose it is a very efficient way of sharing writing, though.

Since I've been home from Spain, I've been experiencing some major writer's block. No, speaker's block. Eloquence in English is coming back a little rusty. But I am going to embark on a writing project, with a topic, and a deadline, and I'm fairly sure I can accomplish that.

Backyard chickens is a familiar topic to me. Food's journey, from garden, field or animal to plate, is extremely tangible for me, as I live on a farm. Although the smell of cow dung or the incessant cockadoodle-doo-ing of overly confident roosters isn't always pleasant, the basic knowledge of my food's origin is incredibly comforting. Over the past years, "green" has made the gigantic leap from the trademark of the grungy hippie to that of the conscientious do-gooder. Now that Green is in, with it come consciousness of Global Warming, the desire to help, the approval of new technology, and most accessible to the average person: sustainability. With sustainability comes "localism," a term so creatively coined by Melissa. Sustainability and localism are ideas that can be understood by Joe Shmoe and be assisted by anybody willing to make a little effort.

As the localism wave is crashing over Sun Valley, certain trends are becoming increasingly obvious: personal gardens, support of local farmers and food (Idaho's Bounty), local food being used in local restaurants, and chickens! Supporting the local restaurants that serve local food is the easiest way to feel as though one is making a difference. Next comes buying food from Idaho's Bounty, a rewarding and tangible experience, where one can see, meet, touch and taste where and how one's food is grown. Making the personal investment in a garden or a chicken coop requires slightly more dedication, but both options are still incredibly easy.

One's food literally coming from one's backyard is localism at its simplest. No giant farms or factories, no pesticides, no teensy cages and clipped beaks, no preservatives, no trucks or planes, and importantly: no blissful ignorance! Getting out of the supermarket mindset (some children these days, when asked where eggs come from, honestly answer, "From Atkinsons..." with no concept of the circle of life) is one of the benefits, along with tasting the richer, yolkier, yummier, happier home-grown eggs.

The important people in this process to talk to would be:
The officials who organize and permit backyard chickens, the owners of chickens and those affected by the new trend (Atkinsons, local stores... lower egg sales?).
Questions to ask would be:
What motivated you to have chickens? What benefits have you experienced since having chickens? How does experiencing the circle of life and the process of food affect your understanding of "localism"?
How do you think the trend has affected the valley's economy? Have you witnessed a larger trend of consciousness of sustanability and "localism" as the smaller trends have been growing (gardens, chickens)? How would you say backyard chickens are advantageous to the valley?

Okay, that's my rant for now, kind of just getting my basic thoughts on "paper," or at least into the blogosphere.