My First Basketball Game- Marcel Rimrodt

My First Basketball Game

Even though basketball is not the most popular thing in Germany I really like the sport and decided to join our CHS basketball team. I knew that I was not that good but that is probably genetic because I am not American. I just tried to understand what the coaches wanted me to do and even though I was quite clumsy at first, the others always tried to help me whenever they could.

                Then our first game came up and I still did not know all the plays of our JV team. I got to play for a few minutes though, and I was very glad that I did not cause too many fouls. I was very nervous and probably not a big help for my teammates. I did not really try to score a bucket; actually I rather tried to give the basketball to somebody else as quickly as possible.

                I would say that my first basketball game was a success for me even though we lost the game. I am one of the better players in my school in Germany but our game is nothing compared to the American way of playing basketball. When I practice with the other players I can see that I am a lot better now than I was on my first day.

I do not play much in the games, but I still enjoy being a part of the team and watching the Varsity game for free.

               

New Kid in Class- Kayla Dvorak

New Kid in Class

By Kayla Dvorak

     Though I am the “noob” in my journalism class, I already know all these people and I love them. As Mrs. Watson said, the journalism class is a sort of exclusive group of students. It just so happens that these students are my favorite kind of people. Sometimes I swear they’re on drugs, but they’re so hilarious that I don’t mind. Journalism is an exciting and useful class and I am thankful I got the opportunity to participate in it. I guess it’s just a bonus that it’s so entertaining. It seems like all the kids have known Mrs. Watson for all their lives, which makes for some interesting conversations. Honestly, my favorite thing about Journalism is my nickname. My sister, Kirstyn, is in the class, which makes me the second person in Journalism with the initials K.D., so I got the nickname K2D2. That’s pretty creative if you ask me, but hey, it was thought up by all the writers of the school after all.

     Writing has always been stressful for me since I’m not as savvy with words as my sister, but I’m hoping that with a lot of Dictionary.com use and tips from other students in Journalism I’ll get more comfortable.

Confessions of a Shop-a-holic- Courtney Monzon

 

 

Confessions of a Shopaholic

By Courtney Monzon

As a high school student you could very well say that I am broke. I rarely have money, but when I do I spend it, all of it.

Retail therapy is the problem. I go on random shopping sprees and spend all the money I “saved” up. I binge shop for no reason other than to make myself feel better. In that moment that $37 shirt provides my happiness, and that is sad. The honest truth is I’ll wear that shirt three or four times, if I’m lucky. A fourth of my closet is full of clothes with the price tag still on them (which may or may not be because I wear sweatpants/yogas every day). And no, mom, this is not me saying that I am giving up shopping for good. OBVIOUSLY I’m still going to shop, I am a girl and I love clothes. But I think it is time to realize, with college only a few months away, that I need to grow up and take on my own responsibilities. College is expensive, and hey, if I stop buying so many $37 shirts, maybe I won’t be forced to a life of ramen in the near future. Let this blog serve as physical evidence of my attempt to cure my ailment.

Places of the Heart- Cody Schimtz

Places of the Heart

By Cody Schmitz

     After spending close to six years in the Concordia High / Junior High School building, I've formed opinions about and made memories in basically every area of the building. Because of this, I subconsciously rank the various locations. Here are, in no particular order, my five favorite places in the school.

The Stage:

To be honest, my reasons for loving the stage in the high school auditorium are not simply for the performances I've done on it. The main reason I love the stage is for all the times my friends and I have snuck in and done our own special performances and improvisations on the stage alone. (We have done this close to 40 times, and every time is more hilarious than the last.)

The Freshman Hallway:

And yes, by freshman hallway I do mean the new Jr. High. But it will always be the freshman hallway in my heart. Something about the annexation of that hallway from the rest of the high school made it super special. We freshman became our own tribe. (Not to mention Courtney and I got into one of the biggest fights we've ever had in that hall late at night. It was intense and is now hilarious.)

The Pool:

I have fond memories of both swimming in the school’s indoor pool and climbing into an empty version and shooting class videos.

The Old Journalism Room:

Now known as Mrs. Blain’s Classroom, The Old Journalism Room holds a special place in my sophomore heart.

The Old Gazebo:

 

After scanning the entire school building, I think that the most special place to me is the older gazebo on 11th Street for one reason. That gazebo is where an 8th grade Leyli, Courtney, and Cody sat and discussed their hopes and fears for their high school careers. The memory is bittersweet looking back, but it’s a place and moment I’ll never forget.

Super Sharon- Leyli Beims

 

Super Sharon

By Leyli Beims

It takes many people to make CHS run smoothly. Teachers, custodians, and administrators all contribute to creating the most productive learning environment possible. One staff member who doesn’t get enough recognition is Sharon Applebee. Most people know that she is our librarian, but very few know everything that she does, including me. I had to ask Mrs. Watson, teacher/librarian/Sharon Applebee expert, what exactly Mrs. Applebee did, and it turns out that there is much more to her job description than checking books in and out.

            Let’s start out with her vast amount of librarian duties. She makes sure every book is adequately covered and has its proper bar code, repairs damaged books, and keeps track of what needs to be re-ordered. She handles all overdue fines and has the daunting task of trying to get them all collected (pay your fines, people). Mrs. Applebee is also in charge of the money in the library. She handles all money exchanges and makes all deposits. When a student wants a book that is not available in our library, they turn to the one and only Mrs. Applebee. She handles all inter-library loans, which includes getting the book from another library, giving it to the student, getting it back from the student on time, and mailing it back to other library. This responsibility gets especially hectic when junior research paper time rolls around.

            It is also her job to enroll all students into their new advisories for AR at the beginning of each school year. At the end of the year, Mrs. Applebee is in charge of inventory, which is quite a task. She has to account for every single item in the library, including books, DVDs, audio visual equipment, furniture, etc. That adds up to over 20,000 items.

            Now on to her miscellaneous duties. We’re all used to seeing her name in our inbox, because Mrs. Applebee e-mails the bulletin to every student and teacher and also puts it on Facebook every day. She is also in charge of getting each student their ID card. This includes taking pictures of all new students and making ID cards for them as well. About four times a year, Mrs. Applebee changes the film in the laminating machine, which is an extremely complicated process that takes over an hour when she does it by herself. She keeps track of all events and meetings that are going to take place in the library and makes sure that there are no scheduling conflicts. And if that’s not enough, it’s because of her that the library coffee is so delicious because she cleans out the coffee pot once a day.

            The best part about Mrs. Applebee is not that she expertly manages all of these responsibilities on a regular basis, but that she does so with a smile that brightens the entire library.  After reading this, I’m pretty sure that we’ve all come to the same conclusion: that Sharon Applebee is actually Wonder Woman and is just using this whole librarian thing as a cover-up. We’re on to you, Mrs. Applebee.

Divergent- Kirstyn Dvorak

Divergent

           

By Kirstyn Dvorak

Even since I was a little kid I loved to read. I always preferred reading a book to watching a movie because being able to imagine the characters gives the story so much more meaning. Some of you may be calling me a nerd right now, trying to figure why I would ever want to waste my time reading a stimulating, exciting novel.  First of all, reading never made you dumber. Second of all, let me remind you that you are reading right now. I encourage you all to read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. This is by far the best series I have ever read, and yes, I have read The Hunger Games.

The Divergent series follows a sixteen year old girl named Tris as she is forced to make decisions about her character and who she wants to be in life. In her society, she must choose between five different factions that separately value honesty, bravery, selflessness, knowledge, and peace, and whether or not to leave her family behind to become her own person. These books also contain a love story for you Hunger Games fans, because for some reason danger, adventure, and tough personal decisions aren’t enough for you.

 This story is one that makes you question your character and makes you want to better yourself. For me, the Divergent series made me want to be braver. I have always been the person that stands on the sideline and watches my friends do fun things because I’m too big a chicken to join in. I now know that I don’t want to be that person anymore. From now on you will find me right in the middle of the action.

If all those reasons aren’t enough for you to pick up this book, the movie will be coming out in 2014 and it’s going to be BIG. If you don’t read them now, most of you will wish you had either because you want to get in on the conversation about the series like everyone else is, you want to seem intellectual by saying you read the book first, or you’re a hipster and you can’t possibly read them after everyone else already has.

The Pros and Cons of Working With Second Graders- Zoe Walsh

Pros and Cons of Working with Second Graders

By Zoe Walsh

Pros and Cons of Working with Second Graders

By Zoe Walsh

From booger picking and uncovered sneezes, to giant hugs and “You’re the best” drawings, let me explain some pros and cons that make me love my job at CAP, and that make me thankful I get the opportunity to have an influence on these young people’s lives.

I’ll start with cons of working with second graders. Cold season is in full force, and I get a pleasant reminder of that frequently. Uncovered coughs and sneezes hit me often. Maybe second graders are allergic to me…who knows? I also always have to remind youngsters to use a Kleenex instead of their finger in the course of my day. I have intercepted a few, “You’re a poopy head,” notes being passed. Due to constant talking, I have even had to enforce the absolute WORST thing to ever happen to any second grader…make them sit BOY, GIRL, BOY, GIRL!!

My list of pros always outweighs the cons. No matter how mad I made my second graders the day before by changing their seating arrangement to boy, girl, boy, girl; the next day I always receive a warm welcoming hug as they unload off the bus. I hear absolutely hilarious stories. I have enough coloring pages from my second graders to cover my fridge for the rest of my life. Whenever I read notes from my second graders it’s like decoding a secret message, but I like the challenge. Once I had a little boy write this, “I luv Zoe becose she halps me with my spelng.” If you can decode the message you will realize it’s ironic. But those are the things that just make me chuckle and make my heart warm.

I get the chance to watch these individuals grow up and become young adults. I love that I can help in their development throughout their year, even if it comes with a few sneezes in the face. J

The Big Deal About Boots- Olivia Leif

 

The Big Deal about Boots-

            Boots- This signature pair of shoes has been worn and loved by women for centuries. Although they are loved, boots have a sad roller-coaster relationship with fashionable females everywhere. They are THE must have item for three to five years, and then they go away for ten or so years, and then make another appearance for another handful of years. In the past three years, boots have made a comeback unlike that of any other decade.

            Fall of 2012 saw the beginning of the biggest boom in boot wearers for years. This year women of all ages from all over were once again buying the classic Equestrian piece to keep up with the latest trend. All girls know what THE boot looks like. THE boot has a tall shaft that goes up to just under the knee. THE boot is made of soft butter-like leather in either black or brown. THE boot has a buckle at the ankle or the top, and THE boot has a pretty price tag that goes right along with it.

            When buying a great pair of boots, you have to know exactly what you are looking for. Are you trying to buy a classic boot that can be dressed up or down and will last for years? Or are you looking for a modern take on the classic cut just to wear this season? If you are going with the former idea, you are going to have to pay for what you want. A good pair of quality, classic boots does not come at a low price. You are bound to spend $60-$70 for the cheapest “lasting” boots. Boots in this price range are great if you have a particular style you are looking for, and are not necessarily looking for genuine leather. If you find boots in the $100-$150 range you can be confident that your steep purchase is a great one. Yes spending that much money on a pair of boots may seem like a lot to swallow, but by making a purchase like that, more times than not you are buying real leather that will last through the entire boot fad and then some. By spending a little more money on a beautiful pair of boots, you can almost guarantee that people will notice and compliments will come in. The color will be richer and the comfort level will be that much better, and the look of classic Equestrian will be more obvious.

The Reality of Retail- Julie Gross

The Reality of Retail

By Julie Gross

Working at Six Street Fashions is both interesting and enjoyable. As one of my co-workers says, “Can you believe that they pay me to play with clothes!?”  I completely agree with her.  It is always exciting to sort through the new clothes, claim first dibs on new clothing, and sometimes even help our boss, Shari, pick out things we think people would buy.

As the newbie, I often am stuck with steaming the new clothes to get out all the wrinkles so the clothes will be consumer ready. I do not particularly mind steaming, except for pants. Pants always take some coaxing to get all wrinkles out. My sister hates steaming pants so much that she smiled and said to me, “Alright Julie you are going to learn to steam today!”

Also, my job as the newbie includes cleaning the bases of the clothes stands, the mirrors, the floors, the windows, the shoe racks, the jewelry cases and whatever else needs cleaning.  Of course in any job there are the tedious responsibilities, but I also learn many interesting things from working at Six Street. Our boss knows many of the women who come in to shop. While they shop, they tell her whatever hot gossip is out there, and I can’t help but overhear.  Most of the time, we hear things before they even hit the papers. Many other perks come along with the job including the 40% employee discount. Six Street Fashions is the perfect job for me, considering I love fashion and every day brings new surprises.