"One-Act Review: 'The Pillowman'"

            Kennedy High School prides itself in multiple areas, academics, sports, and performing arts. This past week was our Speech Night, where our award winning Speech Team showcases the events that made it on to the State level. It is a chance for parents to see their kids perform, but it is also one of the few opportunities that the students have to see our peers. It takes a lot for a performance to give me chills and there was only one that gave me them this past week.

            The one performance that gave me chills up and down was the one-act interpretation of The Pillowman, starring Jonah Heskje, Luke Gibbs, Alosha Robinson, and Matt Larson. This group of guys is truly truly amazing! Their onstage chemistry is phenomenal and they each capture their characters to a tee. Luke and Jonah play the two cops in this piece, accusing Alosha's character of terribly awful crimes to children, only to find that it was his mentally handicapped little brother played by Matt. All of the guys had stellar performances, but two of them really stood out.

            Alosha Robinson is a junior at Kennedy. He plays football and is know for his extensive work with the improv team. I have always know Alosha as the funny guy and am glad to call him one of my friends. I had the privilege of directing him in his debut role earlier this year in our Children's Show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. In The Pillowman, Alosha plays the main character, Katurian Katurian. He captured this role perfectly, encompassing the right amount of quirkiness that the character needed, in balance with this sense of compassion and sincerity for the well-being of his brother. Alosha nailed this role and I feel that it was the perfect way to show that he can do something other than being funny. Props to him for a knockout performance.

            The other performance that absolutely blew me away was that of Matt Larson, sophomore. He has been involved with speech, theatre, football, and show choir in his short time so far at Kennedy. I have worked with him in musicals and he had a role in the one-act last year, but I have never actually seen him in a straight show (for those of you who don't speak theatre language, that means a show without music). Playing a role of a mentally handicapped character can either be portrayed extremely well, or completely awful. Matt captured the completely wonderful side of this. He played the role with such a genuine feeling that made it so believable, without going overboard and carrying out stereotypical mannerisms. Matt brought out the humor in this piece and held this over-the-top level of pure content that made the fact that he was the one who committed these awful crimes, all the more creepy.

            I commend all of the actors for their work and cannot wait to see the lead roles that are waiting for them down the road. 

Book Review- "CHLOE DOE"

CHLOE DOE is a very realistic portrayal of a girl who is living at the bottom of society. On and off the street since the age of eleven, having worked as a prostitute for most of that time, seventeen-year-old Chloe is sent to The Madeline Parker Institute for Girls for rehabilitation. Her first thoughts at the institute are how to get out; how to escape. However, as she speaks with the institute's psychiatrist and starts to bond with the other girls, she realizes there may be more to life than what she's thought.

Chloe narrates the story and talks as she thinks in the institute and when she has thoughts about her flashbacks to her life before she ran away from home. Her voice is very strong, and it draws you in to just keep reading. As her story is told the reader starts to understand why she plays the tough girl card. Though at first she seems tough, she comes out of her shell and reveals her fear and love. Her situation is way different than that of most teenagers. Her love for her older sister in particular is what demonstrates the love that she has.

The book never hides the harsh details of Chloe's life. Everything is stated simply and directly. While the Chloe rarely goes into graphic detail, enough is shown and what isn’t explained is implied to make it clear that her path has been far from an easy one. This makes her journey to open up as if you are right there cheering her on. Towards the end when you start to find out why exactly she left home, you will not stop reading. The ending has so much feeling. It just leaves you in awe.

The realism is what makes CHLOE DOE worth reading. It shows both the good and the bad, letting readers make their own judgments about Chloe and her life. When I read this myself, I found myself asking what would I do in her position? How would I react? Could I come back and be a better person? This story will inspire any reader that no matter how far one falls, there is always hope. You always have a second chance.

Grieving

            Grieving is a normal part of life. Whether it’s grieving for a dead pet of for a loved grandma. Therefore I think that we should teach a child that grieving is an ordinary thing to do.

            Many people in today’s society don’t know how to grieve properly. We see many examples of this on television. Some examples are people getting revenge of committing suicide. This clearly is a result of not knowing how to grieve and deal with the death of a loved one.

            One of the main reasons for grieving is safely getting over the death of someone you love. Safety is the most important thing, is it not? The safety is not only important to the specific person, but the people who surround them as well. Only proper grieving can allow you to come to terms with death and come out of it a stronger person.

            Grieving can be complicated or easy, but is must be done correctly. So I think school is the perfect place to teach children how to grieve properly. Whether it is a counseling class, or a private discussion. It is something to be dealt with and school, like I said, is the perfect place.

Looking Back on Luisa Continued...

            When I picture Luisa, I honestly have a strong image of myself. She is that sweet, innocent girl who everyone feels the need to take care of. She possesses the perfect amount of awkwardness that makes her unique. No one takes her seriously, especially the people who know and love her the most, but the reason is because no one understands her. Luisa is that average girl with brown hair, who looks like everyone else, but has a secret.

          The way Luisa talks is very different than everyone else. Like I said whatever comes to Luisa’s mind she just blurts out. The things she thinks of are completely crazy, but not to her. To Luisa, swimming in ice cold water is what she would like to do with her spare time. Luisa talks about how her vision is like the Rape of the Sabine Women. I wasn’t sure what this was at first, so I looked it up. The entire abduction seen is much like this Roman story.

          I wanted the audience to take away from my character was the spunkiness and ignorance. We all are young at some point in our lives and care a bit too much about our hair, or what we should be, or even what everything else is like. I want every girl in the audience to go to that time when they were awkward and could relate to Luisa. If anything I just hoped my character would bring a smile to the faces of the audience and she’d charm them with her innocence and quirkiness. I absolutely loved this role and wish that I could go back and do it over! 

Looking Back on Luisa (Part 1)

Luisa Bellomy just turned 16. Like most 16 year old girls she has found, what she considers, love. Though she is perceived as crazy, I believe she is just in love. I mean honestly we all do crazy things when we’re in love. As El Gallo explains in Luisa’s introduction she has undergone change. We all take change differently and Luisa’s way is by just doing the first thing that comes to mind. Her feelings are so over the top, that when you first meet her you don’t want to get to know her. Luisa is so naïve, wanting to experience things that she has no idea about.
Luisa wants so much to be like the princesses in her novels that she develops an image of herself. She becomes vulnerable, sharing all of her deepest secrets, which later El Gallo uses to exploit her. In the song “Round and Round” her ignorance shows through. Luisa takes a first hand look through the mask of what the world is like. She perceives it as fun and exhilarating while wearing the mask, but when the costume of the world comes off, she comes to see the reality that the world isn’t like what she reads in books.
Luisa and I are very similar in that, we are both very positive, caring people. I don’t think I have ever been “in love” before, but I have imagined what it will feel like. I imagine that when you fall “in love”  everything will stop and, like the characters’ tableau in the show, you will feel like you can take a step back  and then you’ll just know. When you are with someone you love you feel like you can do anything. I think what Luisa is looking for the most is to just have someone that loves her, just as much as she loves everyone. She dreams of that perfect guy, who she thinks, is her mysterious bandit. I mean honestly, who doesn’t want the tall, handsome, mysterious, bad guy? We all have some kind of dream. Unfortunately, most of the time the mysterious, bad guy ends up being a jerk and we always go back to that sweet guy that we have known for a long time.
Continued...

Childish Games

            Show choir is a great thing. It allows you to get up on stage and dance and sing and just be in front of a group of people. I have been involved with show choir since I was in the eighth grade. Aside to the hairspray, aerosol deodorant, curling irons, character shoes, bobby pins, and clear bra straps, show choir moms are a huge part of the show choir world. The parents of our show choir make everything easier. They are there to help with everything, but this year I have run into some problems.

            I find it completely immature when mothers feel the need to sit around a pick on teenaged girls and compare them for the sheer satisfaction that their daughter is just a little bit better. On multiple occasions I have walked in on conversations about different girls. Why is it that parents have to point out flaws of other kids to assure themselves that their kid is the absolute best? The ridicule and childish acts do not stop there. The moms pick on kids and treat them differently than others solely because they feel threatened by that student.

            The irony of the situation is that most of the moms who complain about everyone else have some of the biggest drama queens for their children. I just do not understand why it has to be like this. It crushes my feelings because I have been the butt of the conversation at times. It is actually kind of sad when a seventeen year old can tell that what forty and fifty some odd women are doing is wrong. When you deal with petty teenaged girls all day at school, it is nice to have those adults that you can go to with anything, unfortunately you aren't able to go to those parents who are supposed to be there for everything. I guess they aren't our surrogate parents after all. No matter how hard you work, I guess it is always still a competition. 

Novelty Numbers Need Lots of Props

            I have been in the show choir mood lately, so I decided to talk a bit about something that has been eating me up a little bit. There are some show choirs that are known for specific things that they do every year. Jefferson is known for their tap, Washington for their dark singing during the ballad, and Totino for their belting ballads. Well, my school is known for something too, a novelty song.
            A novelty song is a song that usually has a storyline to it and is meant to be funny. A lot of the time it is sung with a really bright and young tone just to make it seem funnier. My school has been doing novelty numbers ever since the show choir was first started. When I was a freshman, our varsity group did one called "Men are From Mars Women are From Venus" which made fun of the communication problems that go on between a man and a women who are in a relationship. Last year the novelty was called "Fear" and makes fun of things that are scary and irrational fears. This year our novelty is called, “This is How to Put On a Show!” and it is about how to put on a show choir show and what goes in to each song.
            I think novelties are really fun to watch but not everyone thinks that way. After listening to some feedback from some friends, they don't really like the numbers and a lot of people think that novelties should be banned from show choir. This is a little harsh in my opinion but that's just what someone thinks. Novelties are supposed to be funny and make people laugh, but they also can really show case certain things about a group’s talent. Most of the time there isn't much "acting" that goes on in show choir except maybe in the ballad depending on what message is being sent, but novelties require a lot of acting to make it funny. Judges can see that people in the show choir know how to show the emotion of the song by the way they act when they sing it and that's why novelties are a fun way to show the judges that the group can act. I like novelties and think that they are a good thing to have in a show. That's my bias opinion but I'm sticking to it. 

Short and Sweet- Themed Show Choirs

           This past weekend at the competition that Kennedy hosted and when I was in Davenport, for the Davenport Great River show choir competition I saw groups perform that almost made me fall asleep. One group I saw this weekend did a mix of West Coast and Midwest show choir and the show at Great River had a Wizard of Oz theme. I have respect for show choirs that do themes, but I personally prefer variety shows. I think show choirs that are themed around one musical or that try to act things out multiple times in the show should be banned. If you are going to put on a musical, go put on a musical. I like when groups have a wide variety of songs rather than the same types of songs for the whole show. The reason that some schools do this is because their interpretation of show choir is way different than the rest of the show choir world. Its good that people try new things with show choirs but don't do a themed show. No one likes them and they are extremely boring.

Your Fridge Is Your Friend

           When you walk into the kitchen, one of the center pieces that you are drawn to is the refrigerator. My refrigerator is covered on the outside. There are pictures of friends, family, from dances, from sports, from weddings. There are newspaper clippings from the obituaries, from the milestones for birthdays, and articles about something or someone we know. There are schedules upon schedules upon schedules of so many different activities. There are magnets from preschool, New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, California, Canada, South Dakota, colleges, the Farmer's Market, and various amusement parks. There are letters of recognition, grade reports, and awards. The outside of your refrigerator says a lot about the people who inhabit the household.

           On the inside my fridge one will find left overs, take out boxes, and containers upon containers. One will find juice boxes, gallons of skim milk, jugs of Sunny Delight, and water bottles. One will find pears, apples, clementines, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, and pineapples. One will find green peppers, disgusting broccoli trees, celery, carrots, onions, cherry tomatoes, and spinach leaf salad. One will find homemade jelly, homemade salsa, garden vegetable cream cheese, and ranch. The inside of your refrigerator says a lot about the people who inhabit the household.

          When your refrigerator is a cluttered mess, it reflects a busy life. When your refrigerator has pictures scattered about, it reflects a personable and loving family. When your refrigerator has magnets from several places, it reflects a plethora of different destinations and check marks made off of the bucket list. When your refrigerator holds so many schedules, it reflects yet again a busy life. When your refrigerator is the home of awards, it reflects a family proud of accomplishments.

          When you open the door of your refrigerator to reveal containers upon containers, it reflects a family on the go. When you open the door to your refrigerator to reveal a variety of fruits and vegetables, it reflects a health conscientious family. When you open the door to your refrigerator to reveal several spreads, it reflects a very versatile family.

Your refrigerator is a reflection of who inhabits the house it resides in. Your refrigerator is a part of who you are. 

Book Review- "Bossypants"

          Tina Fey is arguably one of the greatest female comedians. She was a star on Saturday Night Live and has made a career for herself as an actress and producer in Hollywood. I have loved her ever since I first saw her sketches on SNL and have looked up to her as an actress and a woman who has made a career for herself.

          My teacher saw that I was reading Ellen DeGeneres's book and suggested that I read Tina Fey's Bossypants. So, I went out and bought it, hoping to be pleased. I was more than pleased. I had expected this book to be a biography of Tina's life, starting from her childhood and going up to the present. What I got was different, but similar at the same time. This book was very similar to the book This I Believe that I read earlier this year, in that it shared a lot of philosophies and lessons throughout the book.

          The criticism I hold for this book is that the transitions from chapter to chapter don't really flow that well. It is like you are watching a movie and then all of a sudden the screen goes black and the scene is switched. The other criticism I hold is that I would have like to see Fey get a little more personable. For those of you who have watched her show “30 Rock” know her character, Liz Lemon. Throughout the book, it is almost as if her character comes out. Liz is your average, run-of-the-mill boss of a television show, much like Tina in real life. I would have really liked to get deeper into Tina's head, so hopefully she pumps out another book that is more of a memoir.

          This book is very similar to Ellen's because it is jam packed with Fey's humor. She has this sarcastic tone throughout the whole book and, like in Ellen's book, you can hear Tina's voice in the back of your head reading this book to you. Her descriptions in this book are superb, especially the chapter that she talks about her time that she worked at the YMCA. This is a book that you have to really struggle to put down. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I plan on reading this book again and again. 

What It Means to Be a Friend

          Your best friend is that one person that you would trust your life with. They are the rock you lean on when things go wrong and the string that let's you fly like a kite when things go amazingly. Your best friend is the person you shed tears with when you lose something you love and when you laugh until your sides split.

          As you go through school, you make friends from doing activities, being involved, and simply being in class together. I have a total of two friends who I have had since kindergarten that I completely trust and tell everything to. Lately a lot of things have been happening that have hindered the way I look at my friends.

          Over the years I have learned that teenagers are mean and cruel. I have also learned that the ones you decide to trust the most, seem to be the ones who let you down the hardest. Unfortunately, you can only trust yourself. It absolutely sucks when you lose a friend because you become “uncool”. The worst thing is when you know that your so-called best friend is ditching you for people who are not the best for him; people you know aren't helping him to make the best decisions. Because you care so much about your best friend, you try to stress how much you care, but it gets strewn and twisted and taken the wrong way.

          

          Sometimes I wish that I was a hermit who doesn't talk to anyone and just goes about her own business. At the same time, if I was a hermit, I wouldn't have ever met the greatest thing that has ever happened to me; I wouldn't have my two best friends in the entire world; I wouldn't be the person that I am today. Someone told me once that, “Life puts obstacles in your way so that you can overcome them. The only way to face adversity is to look it in the face and tell it who's boss. People will put you down, but the ones who care will lift you up. Find those ones.” This is probably some of the best advice I have ever received. I pass it on to you, my trusty readers. Forget the haters. Haters gonna hate, but the ones who care are the ones you should keep forever and always.

Book Review- "Atonement"

          This term I read the classic, Atonement, by Ian McEwan. It was a wonderful book in my opinion with a riveting story that keeps you going. This book holds so many different emotions and it has a little bit of everything. Some things I found challenging about this book were at the end I couldn't really tell if it was a happy ending. The author made it seem happy, but it really wasn't. The set up of the book over several decades, being the first part of the book is a single day and then it jumps to WWII, was very confusing at times. Also, the multiple flashbacks from the characters was confusing, but as with flashbacks, this holds true most of the time. Though it was confusing, the time over which this book elapsed made for an interesting setting.

          The author did an incredible job of making his characters tell the story. It was confusing, though to think of Briony as the author of this book because she depicts herself as a bratty young girl. As the story goes on, I started to realize that she isn't looking for revenge on anyone at all, she is simply looking for forgiveness so that she can come to terms with what happened in her past. Though the description that McEwan uses in this book is amazing, I most definitely could have done without some of the gory scenes that he depicted during the war. There is a movie version of this book with Keira Knightly and James McAvoy that I have yet to see. My friends who have seen this movie and read the book say that it is quite similar, but there are some differences, which is only natural. I highly recommend this book to someone looking for a riveting storyline to follow.

Book Review- "The Pillowman"

          This term I read the phenomenal play script, "Pillowman", by Martin McDonagh. This play is exciting from the beginning. What McDonagh deals with as his theme is the importance and power and necessity of telling a story. He presents this theme in away that is entertaining and clever. Not only does he utilize this manipulation of time, but there is also the interesting notion that we are listening to a story of a bunch of characters that like to tell and listen to stories. The overall feel is definitely a little creepy. McDonagh has a very unique voice throughout this pieve, and although he does not create amazing personalities, his style is entertaining enough on its own; the stylized dialogue is semi-poetic and is interesting to listen to and has a smooth flow to it.

          This play is extremely dark and sadistic, yet hilarious in multiple parts and generally funny throughout. I loved how McDonagh used the pieces of literature that are popular, like the Pied Piper and made a twist on it. His use of alliteration is profound and it is always somewhat self-assuring when you can understand a joke or piece of alliteration within a piece that you are reading. This play was a bit challenging, because it was hard at times to keep in mind what was going on simultaneously in certain scenes. Overall, I loved this play and despite what most reviews I had read on this script said, I think it was very well written. I had the opportunity to see part of it performed by some very talented actors at my school and they did a superb job. I highly recommend this script for anyone looking for a quick page turner!

Tweet, Tweet

          Twitter. To the non-tweeter, it is a social network that is pointless and confusing, but to the avid tweeter, it is the ability to live your life, 140 characters at a time. Twitter is the ability to express whatever you are feeling; use a hash tag; show your followers the latest picture that you took; bash someone without saying their name; sing a song without uttering a note; be best friends with your favorite celeb; quote your favorite movie; tell the world what you are doing; a drama outlet for high school students; be a leader of numerous followers; stalk your favorite people; keep up with the minute by minute or second by second activities of your secret lovers. Twitter is nothing and everything at the same time.

          To a celebrity, Twitter is an outlet to thank your fans; send out your latest music release; advertise your upcoming event; tell your adoring fans what you are eating at the moment; get in a fight with your ultimate enemy. To the follower, Twitter is where you stalk your favorite celebrity; find out where the party is at this weekend; find out the sores of your school's sports team; get the fact of the day; look at the love quote posted. Twitter is nothing and everything at the same time.

           Living your life one-hundred and forty characters at a time can be challenging, but that is what Twitter is. Tweeting, hash-tagging, mentioning, trending, and following are what Twitter is. Twitter is nothing and everything at the same time.  

40 Days and 40 Nights

          Lent started last week on Ash Wednesday and being the Catholic that I am, I have come to that time of year where I have to decide what I am going to do for Lent. This year, I have decided to give up two things that seem to be a part of my every day life; coffee and meat. Two essentials, right? It has been less than a week and I am definitely going through a withdrawal, more with coffee than with meat.

          When you give something up for Lent, it is supposed to be something that has importance to you so that you are making a sacrifice. So, being the heavy coffee drinker that I am, I decided to do without my caffeine friend for the next forty days. I am on day five and let me tell you, this is so hard. I am one of those people who wakes up with a cup of coffee and then has another sporadically throughout the day. I am so addicted to coffee, the smell, the taste, the warm sensation, pretty much everything about it. On Ash Wednesday, my friends and I went to Starbucks. Be proud of me readers, because I didn't give into the temptation, I got a tea and soaked in the wonderfully glorious smell of the coffee around me. Needless to say, I cannot wait until Easter and rest assured, I will wake up and drink a humongous cup of the best roast of coffee ever.

          My feelings towards giving up meat are completely different. I have always wanted to try being a vegetarian and so I am really excited. I will admit that I was tempted today by my favorite kind of pasta salad that has little bacon bits in it. I have been keeping up with this sacrifice very well. I think it is because a lot of my friends are vegetarians and I have their support. Also, my mom gave up meat so my meals at home are easy to work with as well. I feel bad for my sister, though because she has to deal with our meatless meals, but my mom has been pretty good about making our meals be something that could have meat in it, like noodles and you could have meat sauce or just an Alfredo sauce. We will see if I crack even though, I have complete faith that I won't. Easter please come fast!  

One of the Greats

         Tonight is Oscar Sunday, the 84^th award ceremony where all of the movie greats gather together to acknowledge each other for their amazing accomplishments. Billy Crystol hosted the Academy Awards this year and I can honestly say he was not my favorite host. When they were announcing “Best Female in a Lead Role” I sprinted into the living room. I knew that I wanted either Viola Davis for her work in The Help or Meryl Streep for her work in The Iron Lady to win. I absolutely love Meryl Streep and was thrilled when she won.

          My favorite role of hers would be a tie between her role in The Devil Wears Prada and Julie and Julia. Both equally amazing roles, but both completely different roles. In her role in The Devil Wears Prada , she plays the editor in chief of one of the world's top fashion magazines. She is basically the “Dragon Lady” and works side by side with Princess Diaries actress, Anne Hatheway. These two are a great pair and play off of each other so well. She encompasses this character that you absolutely want to hate. She is so so mean, but you have to love her because she is Meryl.

          In her role in Julie and Julia , she plays the infamous chef Julia Child. This role is super funny and quirky. In this film, she works side by side with Amy McAdams, who she also works with in the film, Doubt which is a completely different role. Meryl Streep and Amy McAdams are a really great acting duo. I love watching acting pairs who are in different films together, especially these two because in Doubt , they play a two nuns who are very serious and in Julie and Julia , they don't exactly work in the same scenes, but Meryl character acts as the inspiration for Amy's, and throughout the movie you see the similarities that the two have in each other.

Though I haven't seen The Iron Lady , I intend to. From what I have heard she encompasses a serious character, but also includes her subtle sense of humor. Meryl Streep is just an amazingly versatile actress and is my role model. I hope that someday I can be an amazing actress like her.

POS! (Parent Over Shoulder)

Have you ever felt like your parents are always getting into your business and want to know everything that is going on? Or maybe they do everything for you and solve all of your problems. Whichever one it may be, it could potentially change the way you live your life. Helicopter parenting is negatively affecting the way kids grow up.

Helicopter parenting has very few positive impacts on children. A research done showed that kids with helicopter parents were more engaged in learning and were more satisfied with their college. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, a social historian, who thinks helicopter parenting is ok states, “Over-parenting, is not letting our kids take the consequences of their actions, swooping down to rescue them, and the result would be a spoiled brat. But helicopter parenting is entirely different, and I think it is a positive style of child-rearing.”

Contrary to that opinion, Susan Newman, the author of Nobody’s Baby Now: Reinventing Your Adult Relationship With Your Mother and Father,  indicated, “When parents are making decisions for their children all the time and protecting them, when they get out on their own they don’t know a thing about disappointment.” This is a very true statement about many parents out there. They are afraid of watching their children fail so they are overprotective.

With parents being over protective, children have a lack of exposure to the real world. When children have a lack of exposure, they are unable to develop the skills needed as an adult. When a child is in a situation of making a decision, parents should allow the child to try and deal with it themselves before stepping in and helping.  Parents step in to help make decision because they can’t stand to see their child in pain, by doing this their child is unable to develop the necessary social skills needed. Parents think they are helping their kids; consequently their children will grow up and won’t be mentally and physically tough enough to survive in the real world.

Furthermore, a study at Wollongong University in Australia showed that not only did over parenting affect a child’s emotional and social development it could potentially affect their physical health. Problems may include weight gain, underdeveloped motor skills, and lack of emotion.

Children of helicopter parents have also been shown to be more “stuck up,” meaning they feel like they are better than everyone else. Parents have been found doing their kids projects, homework assignments and even writing college essays. Parents say they do this for their kids because they are embarrassed of their previous failures and want to show how good their kids really are. With parents doing this for their children the child may grow up thinking nothing is ever their fault because instead of making their child face challenging situations, they make it disappear instead of allowing the child to learn and grow from it.

Reducing the amount of parenting you do may be a difficult thing to change but in the long run you are helping your child out. When helping a child make independent decisions don’t always provide your input because that will make them think differently. Also when they are making more superior decisions take a step back and allow them to understand the consequences and how their decisions help determine the way they live their life and not yours. One of the biggest things you can do as a parent is to allow your child to make mistakes. Remember everybody makes mistakes, with making mistakes; it creates learning experiences for both you and your kids. Ally Birgitte declares, “It's not about accomplishments, but about relationships. Just like our children are valued for who they are, not what they do, we as parents need to realize that it also works the same for our children. They love us, not for what we do, but for who we are – their parents.”

            Always remember that you aren’t always going to be there for your kids, allow them to experience failure and make their own decisions or they will never make it in the real world. Sometimes you may need to take a step back and think if what you are doing is affecting your child’s future. Allow your kids to have a life, because being a helicopter parent negatively affects the development of your child which will negatively impact their future.

Play Review: "Harvey"

                   This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to be involved with the show, “Harvey”, at my high school. I am going to take some time in this post to talk a little bit about the show. Here is a brief storyline from the author, Mary Chase, “When Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend Harvey, a six and a half foot rabbit, to guests at a dinner party, his sister, Veta, has seen as much of his eccentric behavior as she can tolerate. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her daughter, Myrtle Mae, and their family, from future embarrassment. Problems arise, however, when Veta herself is mistakenly assumed to be on the fringe of lunacy when she explains to doctors that years of living with Elwood's hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also! The doctors commit Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion. When he shows up at the sanitarium looking for his lost friend Harvey it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood's delusion has had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only at the end does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn't so bad after all.” It is truly a phenomenal piece of literature! For more on my thoughts about the script see my post, “Book Review: ‘Harvey’”.

                Elwood P. Dowd is a very hard role to capture. He encompasses this very soft and easy-going attitude throughout the show. In our interpretation of this show, Elwood was played by, Shane Neilsen. Shane is arguably one of the greatest actors to grace the stage at Kennedy High School. This role was leaps and bounds different than any of the other roles he has had in his time at Kennedy. In his role as Elwood, we got to see the more seriously and softer side of Shane, versus his usual goofy self.

                Kylie Hanschman played the role of Veta Louise Simmons, Elwood’s sister. Kylie has acted most prominently in Playtime Poppy children’s shows, so, like Shane, this was a very different stage for her. She far exceeded any expectations that everyone had. Veta is, in my opinion, the most important role in this show. She is also the hardest to play. Kylie perfected the right amount of quirkiness and calmness that was needed to give of the right impression of Veta. I was thoroughly impressed with her performance.

                The entire cast performed very well and made the audience smile. I would like to extend a huge “Thank you!” to the entire cast, directors, and crew for making this a truly amazing experience.

Two Sides to Every Story: Part 2

               Our scholarship system, that is set up to aide students with finances for college, is a prime example of this modern racism. According to the Census Bureau in 2010 the number of white Americans who were below the poverty line was 243,013 and the number of black Americans, 38,965. Given the amount of white Americans that fall below the poverty line in this statistic, one would think that a special scholarship would be available to help those who are students with college finances. Now, white students can apply for a general financial aid scholarship, but that is available to all students. After researching on various scholarship websites, I found that the amount of college scholarships, specifically, available for minorities is countless. If you go and search for a scholarship specifically for a white student, you won’t find one. These scholarship stipulations are something that needs to be re-evaluated. Originally when these scholarships were made, it was to ensure that the public knew that schools were making the effort to make their schools more diverse, but the diversity of our schools isn’t so much a problem anymore. In this day and age, getting a college education is something that people strive for. It is an opportunity that should be available to everyone, which is why scholarships are available. If it isn't right for people to single out others, why is it okay to make a scholarship unavailable directly for one race of people, singling them out?

            Several times I have been in class or in the halls and have been verbally and emotionally harassed by black people and the teacher does nothing about it. A time that sticks out the most is when I was walking through the hall and was thrown and yelled at for “intentionally” ignoring the fact that someone, a black student, was right next to me. This student continued to call me names regarding my race. I didn’t respond to it and kept walking. Why? If I had said something back, stood up for myself, I would’ve ended up in trouble, or have been yelled at again by that same person. Even writing this I am scared for what the response will be.
            A huge controversy in our society is the use of the “N” word. I don’t believe that it, or any derogatory term, should be used, ever. What some people don’t understand is that for a white person to be called a “Cracker” or “Vanilla Latte” is just as offensive as any derogatory term used towards black people.
               Racism is something that unfortunately is a part of our culture. Regardless of where you are in this country, there will be a minority, and that minority will be treated even the slightest bit differently than the dominant race of the area. It is something that we should try to eliminate from our everyday life. A modern racism exists towards white Americans today, similar to the racism that black Americans faced in the past. Every person is unique and different in their own way. As a society, we need to break away from this detrimental stigma, created so long ago, and start to see people for their uniqueness, not the color of their skin.

"Two Sides to Evey Story: Part 1"

Unless you've been living under a rock for basically your entire life, you know what racism is. Most prominently in the U.S., as students, you learn about racism towards black people. I feel that as a country, we focus too much on how badly the black population has been treated in the past, that we don’t realize a modern racism occurring in front of our eyes. So, I pose the question, can there be racism towards white people? Absolutely. This modern racism is not by any means as awful as the “Separate but equal” or Jim Crow eras that the black population went through in the past, but is the action of treating a person different based on the color of their skin. A modern racism exists towards white Americans today, similar to the racism that black Americans faced in the past.

            Growing up in a very diverse environment, I learned at a young age that everyone should be accepted for who they are on the inside, not for what they look like. It causes frustration when questions of whether or not white people understand the hardships that black people in our history had to face such as slavery, segregation in schools and other public places, come up in conversations. Everyone who has attended public school in the past decade has done some type of research regarding black history during K-12 schooling. I have not only done extensive research on black history, specifically in slavery and civil rights, but I also hold an award for advocacy of black history. My research has included interviews with several people who faced the hardship first hand. For someone of the black decent, or anyone for that matter, to question the knowledge that I have, cuts very deep.

How to Be Me...Part 2

Fourth Hour:

©       Here is where being me gets a smidgelet confusing. Depending on the day, you will sprint from the South side of the building to the North side of the building to retrieve your lunch and then try to beat the traffic back up to the Chemistry room to eat lunch with your best friend, Sadie (whom you refer to as Staci, don’t ask why, it is just the way it is), and then sit in A.P. Chem. This class is fun because of the teacher, but you don’t always pay attention, which makes it a bit difficult. Are you really going to pay 100% attention to a class that you sit next to your best friend in? Yeah, didn’t think so.

©       If it is a different kind of day, you will nonchalantly mosey your way to the North side of the building to sing your heart out next to E. Coker and Miss Marie in Concert Choir. This is one of your favorite classes.

o   If you are in concert choir, you will eat during D lunch and you will eat it in the choir room. Most likely you will start out sitting by yourself and then Joebear, or Janey, or someone will allude to the fact that you are always by yourself. This comment will make you move to join a circle of sorts, but you will remain seated on the ground because it is easier to eat for you and you feel awkward eating out of your lap.

Fifth Hour:

©       Goody! You have made it to fifth hour! This is A.P. Lang with Mizzay. There are a multitude of things that could happen in this class. It is super fun, because it is with like a ton of fun people…especially Ky. It is inevitable that you will probably get in an argument of sorts with Mizzay. The argument will be harmless, most likely over something unimportant.

o   If it is a Friday, you will sit in the classroom and read while everyone else blogs.

o   You may have a class discussion over something that you probably didn’t take notes over, but you grasp on pretty quickly, so it comes off as if you know exactly what you are talking about.

Sixth Hour:

©       If it is a day where you had A.P. Chem during fourth hour, then you will have Happiness class. If you had Concert Choir, then you will have A.P. Chem and your normal routine during A.P. Chem will ensue.

Afternoon:

©       Unless it is a Friday, you will have some sort of rehearsal after school. If it is a Friday and you are in a show, you will have a rehearsal. This rehearsal after school will carry on to another rehearsal and you won’t get home until 9:00.

Evening:

©       Once all of your rehearsals are over, you will go home and get some sleep.

So, you see, it is hard work to be me. I am always busy and I always have something going on. The most important thing to remember when being me is to always have a smile on your face and just be happy. If you are trying to be me, you should probably stop because I never try to be someone I am not. I think that everyone should embrace their individuality and just be themselves.

How to Be Me...Part 1

                I know you readers are sitting there thinking to yourself, “How could I ever achieve the level of awesomeness that Bailey possesses?” Sound like you? Yes? Well, weep no more my friends because this blog will answer all of your questions. This blog will walk you step by step through my everyday routine and you, yes you, can be just like me.

Morning:

©       To really embrace all that being me encompasses, you need to wake up to the song, “Early Bird”, sung by Shirley Temple and press the snooze button at least twice. If you are feeling a bit frivolous, you will sleep until 6:10 and then get up to shower and get dressed.

©       After you are dressed, most likely in something very comfortable, yet cute with your own personal twist, you can get into your car and drive to Kennedy.

©       Once you have parked proceed into the building and on to your Zero Hour class.

©       After Zero hour is done, you get to go home!!!! Only for an hour, though.

©       While you are at home, you can eat a nice hearty bowl of brown sugar oatmeal mixed with raisins, and ice cold apples. Oh, it is sooo good! Eat your oatmeal and catch up on your television shows you missed out on.

©       At precisely 8:45, leave the house and go back to school.

©       You will most likely park in the North lot, unless Carl is there, in which case you will still park in the North lot and then sneakily walk to the building, pretending to be a senior.

Second Hour:

©       This hour is with Coach White, a.k.a. my favorite teacher. This is U.S. History, a.k.a. my favorite class. You will spend the entire hour discussing something historically interesting in U.S. history.

Third Hour:

©       Third hour is French III. This class is fun because you basically correct homework the whole time and then get assigned a new homework assignment with five minutes left in class. It is French, though, so you love it now.