It's Been Real

I thought this day would never come. And frankly, I thought I would possess more feelings of sadness and nostalgia. But sitting here on the second to last day of high school, I could not feel happier. I know for a fact that the sadness will set in, but not today. But for time’s sake, I want to take a trip down memory lane. Let’s time travel back to February. Oh, I do not like February. But, it’ll do. The first thing I notice makes me cringe. A blustering snowstorm can be seen through the third story window on this cold February afternoon. Despite the gloominess in the air, Ms. Serensky sits at her desk alert and ready to teach. Although it sometimes proved rather annoying, I admire Ms. Serensky’s dedication and determination. These two attributes make her the great teacher she is. As I sit in the back of the classroom, an imaginary figure looking over my old self, I notice Ms. Serensky’s commitment. Every one of my classmates, including myself, entered the classroom with misery written all over their faces. We slouched in our chairs, sighed, and whined when asked to put forth any sort of effort. But Ms. Serensky pulled it off. She successfully forced all of her students to learn and participate. Although the discussion topic sometimes deviated from the serious note of Rorschach’s arrest to the humorous, yet aggravating conversation about how much everyone hates Laurie, Ms. Serensky put us back in line when we had our fun. And watching our class as an outsider made me appreciate Ms. Serensky’s methods. Despite the fact that I dreaded every discussion and data sheet, I now know how much it helped me grow. Not only did the pain and misery help me grow as a student, but it helped me grow as a person. Without this trip down memory lane, I would not have realized how much AP English has impacted my high school career. I can complain and whine about it for hours on end, as I believe we all could. But in the end, we all know how much it has helped us. And we all know for sure that Ms. Serensky’s voice will always live in the back of our minds forever, telling us to shut up and move fast.
Thank you Ms. Serensky for two amazing years!!

Just Do It

You want to be a scholar? I congratulate you, and feel pretty bad for you at the same time. Sorry, I’m being honest. Please carefully read the following 10 steps. Let me help you receive a decent grade and make it out of there alive.

1.       Listen to everything Ms. Serensky tells you. She will remind you of this statement numerous times throughout your English career, but actually do it. If you follow her lead, you will reach success.

2.       Make sure you possess self-confidence. You will spend almost every single day of AP English discussing the events that transpired in your reading the previous night. And yes, you have to talk.

3.       Annotate your reading. Yes, I understand it sucks. I understand it kind of ruins the pleasure of reading. But you want to survive, don’t you?

4.       Learn how to perform under pressure. There’s never a dull moment in the ice cold classroom. (Bring a sweatshirt) It spans from writing essays, to speed dating worksheets, to stressful data sheets. Everything you do in AP English will bring you stress. You will just have to get used to it.

5.       Actually memorize every last detail of the literary devices you will receive. Do not think you can get away with doing the bare minimum with anything you do in English. You will use those particular literary devices and terms for the next two years of your life. And you will sound smarter if you use a bunch of different ones in your essay examples! Winner!

6.       Just do not ask questions. Wait and ask one of your smarter friends.

7.       Do not forget anything. Pens, pencils, books, binder, notes, and your brain. Also, do not forget to use the restroom before class. You cannot escape the room once you have entered.

8.       Do not miss school. Just go through the torture with everyone else instead of receiving a larger work load to do by yourself out of class.

9.       No matter who your writing partner is, make sure you keep them in your best interest. You will be getting rather close with them and enduring the pain right along with them. Remember, you have a 642034 point data sheet to do with them.

10.   Try to possess a positive attitude. I will be the first one to tell you that AP English is not the best part of your day. But it not only made me a stronger writer, but it made me a stronger person. Stick with it till the end. Never give up. Good luck.

It's Hard To Always Win

I love pulling into school in the morning. I just love it. Witnessing the morning sun shining against my name and my accomplishment for the whole world to see. Girls in Science National Grand Prize Winner. Aww yeah. That’s me. What a great start to my day. As I walk from AP class to AP class, I know that everyone knows who I am. I am the winner. My name is displayed. I know that some people feel intimidated by my intelligence, but I try my best to be humble. I mean, I have only taken 57 AP classes and only got a 49 on my ACT. I could have done better, tried harder. I need to make sure I involve myself in more extracurricular actives. What do I do today? Hmm. Well right after school I need to go volunteer at the botanical gardens and make sure all the plants are in perfect condition. No worries, the science guru can help any withering flower. Once I am done there, I need to race (under 30 miles per hour) to the barn. Trotting around an excited white ribbon horse is a breeze for this horse whisperer. What time is it? 5:30 already?! Henry can’t be alone during the dinner hour. I rush over to my night job as a busser and help Henry clean tables. Our teamwork is unstoppable. Barker and I hold the national title for fastest bussed table in the country. Yeah, it’s whatever. After the restaurant is spotless, I head home to study. After I finish my 9.5 hours of homework, I write a 6 page persuasive essay on why the biodegradable mechanisms of trash bags are faulty. Hopefully it will win me another national title.

The Wannabe Southern Belle

I already made the mistake of doing it once, and I will not do it again. When my mother and I endured the 15 hour road trip down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the University of Alabama PanHellenic Preview Weekend, we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. I, along with 1,500 other anxious girls attending Bama next fall, watched a fashion show explaining each detail of what we should wear during rush, heard about the 16 recommendation letters we need, and toured all the sorority houses. As I placed my name tag around my neck at the beginning of the day, I did not know why I selected my real name. REBECCA BLACK. Although it served as a decent conversation starter, some people thought I lied. “Your name is Rebecca Black?!? Oh my God, no its not! Hahah Friday Friday!!” And…I was sung to the rest of the day. So for starters, I do not want to be known as THE Rebecca Black. We’re going to stick to Becky. I can’t endure mocking renditions of the hit song “Friday.” No way, no how. Furthermore, I want to stay true to who I am and let the people I meet see my true personality. I have heard from several sources about how rush this fall will easily be the most stressful event of my college career. Endless interviews, socials, parties, and judgment. I mean, The University of Alabama has the largest Greek Organization in the country. It’s cut-throat man. And although I truly want to be a southern belle with a thick southern accent, (and will be that girl one day) I need to remember where I came from and how I became the person I am today. I want to be viewed as the strong individual that I am. Full of confidence and always (well, usually) a great person to be around. I want people to understand and appreciate my blunt personality along with my usually inappropriate, yet funny, sense of humor. I hope that I can find classmates who take me for who I am and help me reach my full potential. I want to be viewed as someone who cares about others and wants the best for herself and everyone who she comes in contact with. But all in all, I know one thing for sure. I do not want to be known as THE Rebecca Black. I don’t even like Fridays that much.

The Simple Fix

Dear Pathetic Girlfriend,

If he does not love you anymore, dump him first. Stop spending so much time worrying about why he does not like you, and find someone who cares for you.

Ms. Serensky

Buddy the Elf, What's Your Favorite Movie?

Although I constantly fail at knowing the names of actors and actresses who star in chart-topping movies, I do consider myself a movie buff. Why? Well my mother and I, in an attempt to spend more time together, go to the movies almost every Sunday afternoon. So I do see movies quite often and I look forward to my Sunday movie day all week. Although I have seen many fantastic and memorable movies, it remains pretty easy to pick out my favorite. Many would assume I would say one of the Harry Potter movies since I read each book around 5 times, they came out on my birthday every year, and I dressed up as Hermione until I was seventeen. Yes, the world of Harry Potter is the definition of my childhood, but I just cannot pin-point one of the movies to name as my favorite. So, I picked another movie that I watched incessantly throughout my upbringing. Not only did it fill my heart with Christmas cheer, but it filled my mouth with hilarious one-liners. “Elf.” When I first saw that movie in 2003, I believe I watched it around twenty times that holiday season. Not only did it bring me holiday cheer while I lived in a place where it stood at 50 degrees during the winter (I’m not saying I like snow, because I despise it), but it made me happy at all times of the year. It became a family tradition of watching “Elf” at least three times during Christmas break, and it never ceased to make my entire family laugh. And throughout the rest of the year, my best friend Mason and I would watch it every single month. Whenever we needed a little pick-me-up or just had nothing better to do, we watched “Elf.” Hands down. We knew every single line, every single song, and every single sound effect. We spent the duration of the movie listening to our own interpretation of the movie instead of listening to the actual thing. And it made us happy every time. Therefore, I believe that the reason that “Elf” wins my favorite movie award is not just because it brings my family together and promotes the holiday cheer, but it reminds me of the memorable times I had with my best friend. I just wish that Mason and I could get together and watch it during the holiday season every year considering the fact that my family established a rule that I am not allowed to recite any lines. What’s the fun in that?

A Tasty Afternoon Snack

He reaches his pudgy fingers into his greasy hair

Itching around with his overgrown fingernails.

He tries to keep his craving a secret,

But he doesn’t know that I am watching

When he feels that he has enough under his talons,

He excitedly examines the treasure that he acquired,

And rapidly munches on the scalp skin he found.

If you think I am kidding, I am sorry to say

I watched this boy eat what he picked off his oily head

Every. Single. Day.

Honestly, I found it difficult picking a topic that remained school appropriate. So, I thought I could write about something disgusting that happened during school. I thought back to a time where I wanted to vomit sitting in Spanish 3 my junior year. Said boy, to my dismay, loved eating his own scalp skin. Not only was his body odor enough to make me sick to my stomach, but his greasy snack literally made me gag every single day.  I believe that many of my descriptive word choices enhance the grotesque scene, allowing the reader to gain an image of what I went through every single day. Also, the fact that this event actually happened arouses discomfort. The idea that that person sitting next to you could feast on their left over skin left in their slimy hair. I believe this story not only arouses discomfort, but arouses fear. The fear of witnessing this occurrence. The fear of watching this boy devour his afternoon snack.