Assignment 26 - Beppy Badgett - Class Review

English has never been one of my favorite classes, I would not consider myself a very good writer, and I have always done better in classes more like math or science. However this has been one of the best english classes I've had, I liked how the class developed skill we already had, and how it relied on lots of peer help. Even though I dreaded timed writings, I found them very effective. Getting to see 20 ways to respond to one question was very informational, and it helped me learn what worked and what could be cut out. This was also the format of the shortened AP test, so I felt like these assignments really left me prepared for the test. On the other hand I found the multiple choice almost overwhelming, I was never able to finish, and rarely did well. I think if we spent more time in class going over questions or working on how to effectively read the passages. This didn't end up being a real problem though because we weren't tested over it. I really enjoyed visual literacy projects and found them very effective at providing variety in the curriculum. They were never a massive amount of work, but they helped connect what we learned in class to other subjects. Smaller assignments like socratic seminars and book work helped build the skills needed for the test in different formats.

Assignment 24 - Beppy Badgett - My Future

I really enjoyed junior year. I had fun and made new friends, I enjoyed all of my classes, and I think I learned a lot. Overall I'd say I learned how to efficiently use my time, I also learned a lot more about myself. NTI taught me that I actually kinda like school, and going into next year I will try to remember this and not take it for granted. This summer I plan on figuring out where I want to go to college and what I want to do with the rest of my life. Senior year I want to stay on top of my assignments, but not spend too much time on school and still have lots of fun. To do this I need to make myself do assignments when I have time and not push them all off to the last minute. Working on my time management will help me be able to do all the things I want.

Assignment 23 - Beppy Badgett - Driving Playlist

I really like listening to music, but there's something different about listening in the car. Driving forces me to clear my mind and focus on a single task, so I like listening to upbeat, generally positive music in a variety of styles. Normally I'm not in the car for long periods of time, so each song must be carefully selected.

1. Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend: This song is very upbeat. I really like the instrumentation, in fact all the songs on this album have a very interesting and different sound. I also really enjoy the sudden buildup at the end of the song.
2. parking lot view - almost monday: I really like the variety of styles in this song, it has a strong driving bass which keeps the song moving. While they lyrics aren't necessarily the most positive, the song still has a very upbeat feel.
3. Fallin' All in You - Shawn Mendes: This is definitely the slowest song on the playlist, but I like the variation it adds. It has a very whimsical feel, and still fits with the positive vibe of the rest of the songs. I find most slower songs boring, but this one keeps me entertained. I sing along to all the songs on this playlist, but I really like singing to this one in particular.
4. Basket Case - Green Day: I picked this song because you don't really have pay complete attention to it in order to enjoy. Sometimes when I'm driving I opt for a playlist with more songs like this on it, but I always like to have at least one. I chose Basket Case because it does a pretty good job at capturing what I like about alternative rock, mainly heavy guitar and drums. 
5. All Night - Jordy Searcy: I think this song is the perfect way to end a drive. In the last few seconds of the song, a majority of the instruments drop out and it morphs into the next song on the album - which I have not included because I think it is kinda boring - but this deceleration is a great finale.

Assingment 26 - Katherine Henson

I usually am not a big fan of English. It's really hard for me when there's not a right and wrong answer and I really hate writing. But this class has been really enjoyable. I think I did improve my writing and abilities to analyze pieces. I think the no-no words we did at the beginning of the year were really helpful to think about how to specifically improve writing. I felt pretty prepared for the AP test. The structure of writing essays and grading others was hard for me, even though it did give us practice, because it was hard for me to pick up how to make our writings better. I also don't really understand the Visual Literacy projects. I wasn't sure how they connected to our AP test or what we learned in class. Overall I really enjoyed this class!

Assignment 24- Katherine Henson- Future

Junior year was probably my best year of high school so far. Most of my classes I enjoyed and I was able to spend a lot more time with my friends. With the corona virus shutting down the last couple months I definitely learned to not take life for granted. I never thought I would want to go back to school but I am now super appreciative of the privilege we have. On Monday I am starting back at my job at Kumon, which I had planned to quit for the summer. However now I'm excited to go back and work. Hopefully senior year I enjoy myself more and don't procrastinate. Life really is so much more easier when you get things done when you should. I'm writing this on what's supposed to be the second day of summer so hopefully I learn from the mistakes I made during NTI.

You-Connor Foley Assignment 26

Before you ask, no, this isn't me sucking up to you because I want better grades, Mr. Logsdon. I'm gonna be completely honest when I say that AP Lang's inherent classroom loop is boring. Write an essay, grade essays, write an essay, grade essays, discuss AP rubric, write essays, etc etc. What made it somewhat fun for me, was you, Mr. Logsdon. Too many teachers I've had before take the teaching itself too seriously. In some classes thats fine. But if you weren't there to talk about pop culture in the middle of class, or show us funny videos at the beginning and end of class, or just joke around while talking about stuff in class, AP Lang could have been my least favorite class. This isn't what I liked or what was fun, I think it was legitimately effective. If I wasn't invested at all in the class because I thought it was boring, I would have probably failed both it and the exam. I wouldn't be able to stand the tedium if not for the comedy. Your dedication to your students and their boredom levels is very admirable, and very appreciated. I'm legitimately considering taking TV and Radio again as a 7th class during my senior project period just because it was so much fun being in your class. Keep being yourself, Mr. Logsdon. You rock.

The Future-Connor Foley Assignment 24

Over the course of this second half of the year, specifically during the NTI days, I unfortunately spent a lot of time doing nothing but dreading the future. I slacked off because of it, a lot. Heck, I'm writing this blog post on literally the last day that grades can be entered. Going forwards this cannot happen, NTI or not. Next year, I hope to be more diligent, more timely. But more importantly, I hope to prove that I'm ready to take the next step into the future I have outlined for myself. Who exactly to? A lot of people. My parents. My teachers. My friends. But most importantly, I want to prove it to myself. I want to be ready for the outside world. Even though driving scares me, I have to take the driving test before college. I have to become more financially independent. I have to get really serious about coding and game design. But most importantly...I have to be able to fit a deadline next year. No more of this. It isn't good for me, and it puts a strain on my teachers (thanks to Herr Bright and Mr. Logsdon for putting up with all this late work). Moving forwards I have to be the best me I can be. And that means no slacking. Wish me luck.

Assignment 26 - Ethan Scott - My Suggestions

Over the past year AP lang may not have been my favorite class but it was far from the worst as well. I did enjoy many things about the class but often found it draining and uninteresting but that is always how I have been with English classes. The things that I would suggest to change that would be to give more opportunities to do individual work rather than class-grading. Class grading was helpful but I found the repetition of having almost the same discussion everyday to be almost unbearable. I would have liked to spend more time doing my own writing or individual class grading which in my opinion was more helpful cause everyone was more honest about scores with less influence from other people. I also would have liked to spend more time learning the content for the multiple choice question on the AP test even though we didn't take that part of the exam. All in all thanks for being a good teacher.

Assignment 25 - Ethan Scott - Following in my Dad's Footsteps

As I have written these blogs there has been an often occurring topic pop up over and over again. Now as you may expect, for this to happen it must mean a lot to me right? Well that is exactly the case. Ever since I picked up the trumpet in fifth it has stuck with me through every stepping stone of life I plan on it staying there for the future as well. My decision to begin playing trumpet has made such an impact on my life I truly have no clue who I would be if I had done something different. While this choice was extremely significant another choice 30 years prior led me to that point. When my dad was in elementary school he chose to play the trombone which then became the tuba and after many more years became a music education degree which land him a job as a real estate agent (long story). While I do not plan on becoming a real estate agent my life so far has been pretty parallel with my dad's, only swap a trombone for a trumpet, and as weird as it may be to want to be exactly like my dad that is how I plan to go on with life and id my dad never picked up the trombone in elementary school I would be nothing like what I am today.

My Perfect Playlist-Connor Foley Assignment 23

My perfect playlist makes no sense to anyone else. I don't listen to music because of any kind of style, message, or mood, I just listen to music that I enjoy listening to because it sounds good. The first few songs on my playlist would be on the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album by Kanye West. I love how many songs on this album combine orchestral tunes with hip hop beats. I would put Dark Fantasy, Power, and Runaway. I would also have a few video game songs on my playlist. I would have the Liberty Island theme from Ape Escape, Proof of a Hero from Monster Hunter, the Minor Circuit theme from Punch-Out!!, and Main Theme-Banjo-Kazooie and Fire Emblem Three Houses Main Theme from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I would also have the League of Legends song Awaken featuring Valerie Broussard and 2WEI's rendition of Warriors by Imagine Dragons. To end the playlist, I'd have a 8 minute mashup on Youtube by a Youtuber named Cyranek that features many different songs and sounds mashed together to make a really neat song.

Assignment 24 - Ethan Scott - My Junior Year

This past year has been a wild ride for me. I went to all-state for the first time, got to perform in Lucas Oil Stadium, and got into GSA. After reading that list you probably realize that all three of these things relate to band and that's exactly what most of my junior year was. Not only did band take over most of my junior year but I fully expect it to take over senior year as well. My summer will consist of three weeks of virtual GSA hopefully followed immediately by band camp. From there on its off to the races with performances and more band related activities to fill my time. With things like concert band, jazz band, concert band, and the potential for many honor bands I won't have a lot of time to other things, but I'm okay with that. As the years have passed band has being the largest factor on my life and that's perfectly fine with me as I have gotten so many great experiences from it.

Assignment 23 - Ethan Scott - Winner's Playlist

Whenever I play an important match in NBA 2k or Madden I always use a playlist of songs that keep me focused on the game and keeps the right vibe for whatever situation I could be in.

The song I always start with is "Immigrant song" by Led Zeppelin. This song is a perfect song to "hype" me up and get me started on the right track for whats to come in the game.

The next song in the playlist is "Champion" by Kanye West. Combining old Kanye with a song about doing whatever it takes to succeed is a perfect song to keep me focused in a potentially stressful situation or even keep me steady if I have the lead.

Following Champion is "Stronger" by Kanye West. This song achieves the same goal as the last in that is about pushing "harder, better, faster, stronger" in order to succeed and also follows "Champion" on Kanye's album graduation.

Next is "Halftime" by Ying Yang Twins& Homebwoi. Fittingly this song is played at about halftime of the game and sets the vibe perfectly for a good finish to the game.

Lastly, depending on if I am winning or losing I will play different songs. In the case that I am winning I'll play a very different song than the last 4 which is "The Winner Takes It All" which is perfect to remind me to finish what was started and "Take It All"

Sleep is for the Weak-Connor Foley Assignment 22

When I was a kid, I was very much so oriented on the idea of going to sleep early and then waking up obnoxiously late. However, as I've grown up, quite the opposite has came to be. Most nights, I go to bed closer to 3-4 than 11-12. You'd think that this borderline insomnia would cause issues for me, but actually, I consider it one of my greatest tools. You see...I barely get sleep, and I'm still totally functional. I was going on a total of 4 hours of sleep the other week when I was a team captain in an eSports team inhouse, and I led my team to victory. One time the other day I went to bed at around 2 and woke up at 7:30 to go get a Kroger clicklist. I can operate on very little sleep, which I've heard is a very good tool in college. But most importantly, I don't waste the time I spend awake at night laying in bed doing nothing. That's my main time to relax and take care of myself. I still am technically resting, but as apposed to resting my brain, I'm essentially resting my soul. Without this important me time every night, I'd probably be pretty miserable.

Assignment 26 - Reflecting on Lang - Jordan Grady

In my opinion, the teaching methods used in preparation for the AP Lang exam were quite effective. Of course, the class did not solely focus on the AP exam - practicing for the ACT was a nice way to reflect on the skills necessary to succeed in that area. Another skill we practiced that was not AP exam-centric was visual literacy. For me, these assignments did not improve my skills in that area. In contrast, they felt like just another assignment I needed to complete to maintain my grade in the class. If we spent more class time learning about the ins and outs of visual literacy, the projects would have been more effective. However, we briefly discussed these visual lit assignments prior to their due dates. Personally, this did not enhance my understanding of visual literacy due to the lack of explanation given on the topic. Understandably, dedicating greater class time to visual lit was not possible. Other learning focuses with greater relevance to the exam, such as timed writings, took precedence. These timed writings, in addition to reading sample responses and Writing with Style, helped me immensely. I found that reading Writing with Style greatly improved my writing. Similarly, in-class grading gave me the ability to predict my score before receiving feedback from my peers - this deeper understanding of the rubric was a beneficial skill that made me feel well-equipped for exam day. Overall, I’ve learned a great deal about effectively expressing my ideas through writing. I appreciate that many of the concepts taught in class will be carried with us past the course, not only improving our writing for the exam, but for life. Thank you, Mr. Logsdon!

Job Security-Connor Foley Assignment 21

Money can be hard to come by when you're younger. I faced a problem where I wanted to buy a lot of different things but never exactly had the money for it. I couldn't exactly get a job, as I couldn't drive myself anywhere and was busy with schoolwork. However, my mom was paying about $30 every week to have the lawn mowed by a service called Epic Lawn Care. I offered to my mom to mow the lawn every week for $15 a mow. She got the lawn mowed for cheaper, and I got a nice $60 a month job to bolster my income, allowing for me to buy more games and such. It was a win-win, and while technically my mom could have just had me mow the lawn for free, she understood that it was important for me to have that little extra cash. Thank you, mom!

Assignment 26- Eli Dyer

I've always been good at English. I usually know what sounds right and what doesn't, which is most likely as result from reading so much as a child. However, I've never been good at on-demand writing. I can never think of what I want to write about, which usually results in a boring, halfway done essay. All of my teachers have told me to write essays, told me what I can and can't do, but not one has taught me how to write an essay worth reading. I'm grateful for everything you've done to help prepare us for the AP test, but my biggest takeaway from your class is how to write a well-written, but also entertaining essay.

However, there were some issues with your strategy of peer-reviewing. When everyone grades essays at the same time, there's little variation. But when everyone graded essays individually, the variation surprised me. For one essay, I got 5s, but other people gave me 1s and 2s. When I'm being peer reviewed, I don't want people to give me what everyone else did, I want to be given what they think I deserved.

Assignment 24- Eli Dyer

My junior year went well. I did well in school, turned my assignments in (for the most part), did well on tests, and most importantly, I enjoyed myself. I can confidently say that I liked all of my teachers, which is a first since transitioning into middle school. Obviously the coronavirus epidemic cut our class time short, and I think me wanting to go back just goes to show how much I enjoyed my junior year.

Over the summer and in my senior year, I want to figure out where I want to go for college and what I want to do. I haven't given it much thought and in my free time I want to research colleges and figure out which is best for me.

My goal for senior year is to spend as little time working on assignments as possible. I feel like I've already put in the work and now I just want to sit back and relax.

Assignment 26: Tag Howard

Of course, the end of this year was a bit odd considering coronavirus and all, but I think the picture we got of your class was pretty complete. As far as the main types of activities I'll divide them up into bookwork, timed writing, and interactive activities. I'll be honest, I hate reading out of the textbook as opposed to an interactive lesson but I accept that a book has its place in then classroom. However, in my opinion that place is as a supplement to an ongoing lesson, not as a lesson in its own right. So I would submit that the book-centric lessons (while potentially functional) were not fully effective. Timed writings on the other hand, were a great way to translate the skills of the AP test into a a classroom format and, while I know some may have gotten less out of it than I have, I enjoyed the class discussions. I greatly preferred the on paper version of discussion to the online version as I personally think that a lot of my commentary is in part informed by the class discussion, whether it be what I thought of as a mistake actually being intentional or some nebulous concept that I did not understand. Finally, interactive lessons like the Socratic seminars were fun, but I don't feel that I got much out of it. It may be because I am already an avid reader and so the benefits of comprehension reading were lost on me, but I just was not particularly advantageous to me.

How to Edit Audio-Connor Foley Assignment 20

A lot of people know how to edit simple video. That's easy. A lot of amateur editors, however, seem to not understand the audio component as well. When cutting a voice, it's very important to remember the three Bs. Brevity, breaths, and boo-boo.

Brevity: You want your voice to come across as plain as possible for the best quality of audio. If you leave long gaps inbetween your words, it becomes bothersome to many viewers. You want to take the audio of your voice and cut out long pauses. When cutting, make sure you get the cut itself as close to the end or beginning of your words as humanly possible.

Breaths: No one wants to hear you sucking in or spitting out air. Make sure to cut around your breaths. I once saw a video a while back where this guy kept cutting between breaths, so every cut was like *HAUUU-* *-UUUGH*. Ideally, you should never even hear a single breath in a well-edited video.

Boo-Boo: You mess up, I mess up, we all mess up. When you do in a recording, though, cut it out. If you stumble on a word, instead of saying "Uh, I mean--", pause, take a deep breath, and say it again. Sometimes you'll make another mistake, but it's fine. Once you've said your line right, make sure to cut the bad audio out, following the same guidelines from the first two Bs. As close to your words as possible, and avoid breaths.

Assignment 26 | Evan Winkler

Personally, I have always had trouble with feedback-related assignments, mostly because I find it more productive to focus on my own mistakes and what I can learn from then and how I can improve, rather than to be frustrated with other people and what they have done or with whatever arbitrary parameters existed around me. Ultimately, I know that the only person I have final executive control over is myself, which makes me hesitant to criticize others on how they could have better helped me.

As long as other people's actions and methods were good enough, I don't want to make them feel like they need to change just for the sake of pleasing me. The changes they might make as a result could make things worse for themselves or others, and I have to consider people besides myself when talking to others about the jobs they do. Furthermore, I rarely feel confident in my own ability to fairly and correctly assess what factors were good or bad for me. It is often hard to discriminate what made you feel good and what was good for you in your mind, and it is also often hard to imagine exactly how you 'would have done' if something, let alone multiple things, had been different.

To answer the question as best I can, it's hard for me to say how well the course prepared me for the exam because I have no standard to compare anything to. This year was my first time in this class, and each method of teaching the course was therefore new in its effect on learning the course. Things which I felt were very effective were the timed writing assignments, as well as the inner/outer circle discussion activities. Personally, I was not as affected by the 'class grading' of each others' responses; they were somewhat rushed in my opinion and had little room for deep thought into the quality of each graded paper. I don't think we had enough time to constructively criticize each other in a back-and-forth manner as we did in the inner/outer circle discussions.

Assignment 26- Noah Ford

I thought that the most effective thing was the repetition of writing the essays. I did think that they were extremely effective and the class-wide discussion of the essays was also very beneficial. However, with the reading, I don't think that having one person read was necessary or beneficial. It might have just been me, but I found it better for my analysis and feedback if I was able to just look at the essay and read it at my own speed. I really liked the atmosphere of your classroom more than anything else. It  felt really comfortable and easy to be in, and I really liked talking with you about nerdy stuff like Dungeons & Dragons, Hearthstone, etc. I loved having you as a teacher, even if I sometimes didn't turn in an assignment or two!

Assignment 24- Noah Ford

I would say that my main success this year would be keeping my missing assignments to a minimum. I've been getting better about turning stuff in and not letting too much pile up. Don't get me wrong. I am still a procrastinator, and probably will be for a while, but I am definitely getting better about turning work in. Failures is the same as successes. I need to not have missing assignments, so this was kinda a failure and a success. Progress though! This summer, probably nothing. Corona ruined all our plans for anything, so we are just stayin home and relaxing. I want my Senior year to be a year well spent for AP credits and hanging out with my friends, not much more I want than that.

Assignment 23- Noah Ford

So, this will be very cliche, but here is my playlist for when I am playing video games like League of Legends. Now, this is similar to a gym type thing, but sometimes you need a slower paced music for less stressful periods of time

In order of game time to be played (from top to bottom) (Length is in Parenthesis)

Money for Nothing- Dire Straits (8:25)
Message in a Bottle- The Police (4:51)
Another One Bites The Dust- Queen (3:35)
The Rubber band Man- The Spinners (7:22)
Can I Sit Next to You- Spoon (3:54)
Thunderstruck- ACDC (4:52)
Tin Man- America (3:25)
Ventura Highway- America (3:32)
Southern Nights- Glen Campbell (3:00)

Assignment 22- Noah Ford

I was adopted when I was three and was enrolled in the gifted and talented program when I was in the third grade, which put me on an easy track into the academy at Henry Clay and your class. I was also started playing baseball in kindergarten, which started my athletic trend in my life. I played baseball till the sixth grade, broke my arm and was unfortunately no longer able to swing a baseball bat without pain. I switched to golf because of my arm and my dad really enjoys golf, so he got a set of clubs and got me lessons out at Man O' War Golf, and I have been on the Henry Clay Golf Team since Freshman year. Just this last year I started on the Archery Team and my record is about 271/300.

Rob Gilligan - Assignment 26 - Adieu

I'm going to split this blog post up into three sections not including this introduction. First, I'll address how I felt about essays and their grading, next I'll discuss my thoughts on the multiple choice questions, and finally I'll talk about miscellaneous other activities throughout the year.

First up, and by far the largest chunk of this year, is the essays and the essay grading. I certainly thought it was helpful that you encouraged all of us to take risks in our writing. I think a lot of us get bogged down in simply trying to get the points, and lose any sense of style. Your constant nudging to try things I wouldn't have often done I think helped develop my writing. All of the prompts were appropriate and representative of the one essay I did get to see on the test. As far as writing the essays goes, I don't think I learned new skills, but in writing I was able to develop skills I already had to create a stronger piece of writing. The grading I have mixed feelings about. I often  thought it was fun, but there were certainly times it got monotonous. Furthermore, at the end of the day, it's your opinion (as a grader and teacher) I care most about, not my classmates'. I usually didn't read any of their marks, but always read your markings because I felt that was far more beneficial to see where I needed to improve. Ultimately, essay grading was an interesting and beneficial exercise, but maybe took up a bit too much time.

Multiple choice. I always dreaded the 45 or 55 question test days. I thought they were super boring, but there isn't much you can really do about that. I thought taking the tests was a good way to get familiar with them, and gauge where my understanding was at. Fortunately for me, I was scoring pretty well on them usually in the mid forties if I recall correctly. However, if I had been struggling, I'm not sure what my course of action would have been. My recommendation would be to have an optional session to go over multiple choice before or after school for maybe half an hour once a week. Since the scores seemed to be very polarized, I think this would offer kids who were struggling a chance to get more insight on the questions, without bogging down students who were scoring well with extra work.

The last section is reserved for everything else we did. I'll try to touch on everything that I can. Of course summer reading is canceled this year, but I did not feel over burdened by it. I was thankful that I was able to have a conversation with my mom about the book rather than having to do a long assignment. I was a bit frustrated that it seemed like some kids got away with not doing it when I put in a lot of time in doing it. Visual Literacy assignments were always fun, but not too helpful for the AP exam. I liked researching advertisements and even creating my own, but don't feel it was helpful for the test. Vocab quizzes weren't too bad, and I think were helpful for providing a bit of a boost to my vocabulary. ACT reviews were brief, but more practice always helps so those were nice. At the beginning I did not put a ton of effort into these blog posts, but I grew to enjoy them, and wish I had put more thought into the first few. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other assignments, but hopefully this is a good encapsulation of the year.

6th hour was almost always a fun class, and I feel like all the work we did was sufficient to prepare me for the exam. Thanks for your hard work.

Solid Advice-Connor Foley Assignment 19

The late Stan Lee once said that "If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, don't let some idiot talk you out of it." I want to grow up to be a game designer and developer, and I already have many, many ideas for what I want to do. Sometimes, I’ve seen and heard things, both from random people and people that I know personally, that make me doubtful about me and what I want to do. But this quote really spoke to me, and I never want to forget it. He’s also said many, many more quotes that inspire me and many others. Stan Lee passed away on my birthday in 2018, and I miss him still. But his quotes will always be with me, and his advice will always help me in life. Rest in peace, Stan Lee, and thanks for helping me along in life.

My Bucket List-Connor Foley Assignment 18

1. Before I finish high school, I want to learn how to create simple video games via coding. I have been enrolled in Computer Science classes for the last two years and plan to be in the game coding one next year.

2. Before I finish college I want to release a small indie game onto Steam and hopefully sell it for money. I also hopefully want to have a small group of friends to code games with in our spare time.

3. My end goal is to start a successful video game making company, and there's one game idea in specific that I want to be my magnum opus. Even now, I’m working on the outline for the game, in hopes that one day I can bring it to life as the head designer.

Assignment 26- Katelyn Rowell- Year in Review

English is usually my least favorite subject in school. I’m fine with grammar and learning the mechanics of writing, but I hate the idea of having to sit down and write an essay. That being said, at the start of junior year, I thought I would dread this class. But I was actually surprised. Having 6th hour Lang was a nice way to end the day. I enjoyed all the fun and random videos we watched, especially after a day full of long classes. Looking back, I appreciate the relaxed environment of the classroom. It was helpful to grade and talk about the essays as a group. However, when we first started grading, it felt like we spent an eternity getting through all the essays. Sometimes the same comments were repeated over and over. Towards the end of the year, we began setting timers for commentary as a group, and this really helped us to keep moving. Going forward, I think it would be beneficial to continue to set timers so that it doesn’t take quite as long to get through all the essays. Overall, I feel like my writing improved and that the class prepared me well for the ACT. It’s weird to think that we will never have 6th hour Lang again. I’m going to miss the fun videos and random conversations.

Assignment 26 - Matthew Klee

Ahhh, 6th hour AP Lang. English has never exactly been my strong-suit, but it sure was interesting this year thanks to you Mr. Logsdon. From the seemingly random videos I would walk into class and see from the acapellas we listened to English class this year was most definitely a different experience. Anyone, things that were effective and things that weren't. Something I thought that helped me was when we had in-depth discussions on what a "line of reasoning" or "thesis statement" was according to the rubric. Now, I didn't necessarily enjoy going over the rubric before starting to grade essays, because, to be honest, I mostly get zoned out during that, but I think when on an essay we were grading someone argued it didn't get a thesis point it was very helpful to discuss with the class just why it shouldn't get one because later on I would usually remember while writing my next essay what I should do so that it would be argued that I get MY thesis point. (wow that sentence was hecka long) Something that I didn't like was "no no" words, now, I guess there is a reason you have these because I know previous classes have had to avoid "no no" words as well, but, I was unable to see how it improved my writing much. I didn't despise it, I just didn't see it help me at all. Anyway, another effective thing honestly were the days that you gave us sort of a break, since I had Lang 6th hour, I was already hating school and in my mind ready to flame any teacher that gave me work that I didn't want, so, the days that you gave us breaks really made it difficult to hate you as a teacher and therefore I worked harder for you class even if I wasn't necessarily interested in the work we were doing.

Assignment 24 - Matthew Klee

Not going to lie, I hated junior year. Not only did we not get to end it with anything satisfying like knowing we aced our finals or having one last giant junior year party but the course load sucked. To be honest, I don't think I genuinely looked forward to going to a single class I took this year (sorry Mr. Logsdon but by sixth hour I was just ready to be out of the building and down the hill to my car). All year I struggled to maintain my grade in physics, fought the reading quizzes in APUSH, grinded out my calc homework the class before (wait, actually though, I loved Ms. Dewees' class, so jk I did look forward to her!), did my anatomy homework during lunch, and didn't learn ANYTHING new in AP Spanish which was the class I was looking forward to most. Although none of my classes were any good this year, I think I did enjoy sports. I finally started getting good at tennis and quarantine didn't screw me over too bad, and also, I found a couple friends I could rely on. So if I learned anything, it's the cliche be yourself and let people like you for who you are because you're not going to be happy having friends because of your fake personality, it's their fault if they can't handle how cool you are (wow that sounds straight out of Disney or something).

Assignment 26- A Reflection on AP Lang- Hayden Caldwell

Personally, I thought Mr. Logsdon’s AP English Language class prepared me very well for this year’s AP exam. We definitely got lucky that the question included was the one we learned early in the year (or maybe Mr. Logsdon just knew) but I felt like I had a year’s worth of experience behind me as I wrote the essay. I felt like the process of reviewing essays fitted my learning style perfectly because I tend to struggle with subjective and vague rubrics sometimes but talking through what worked and what didn’t allowed me to understand my writing more. I also think that the practice prompts during NTI helped me keep my skills strong before the test. Additionally, our ACT reading practice activities allowed me to raise my reading score 3 points this year, so that was definitely very helpful. Personally, the only activities we did that I can’t see the correlation between them and the test are the visual literacy activities. Understandably, the class is about a greater knowledge of English and not just a test, but to me visual literacy felt like only something else on my plate rather than valuable practice. 

Assignment 23- Eli Dyer

I don't often listen to music, though that's largely due to never having a working pair of headphones. But when I'm driving I always have the music blasting. So this is my perfect playlist for the car.

1. THRU THE NIGHT- Jack Harlow
Jack Harlow is a rapper from Kentucky and one of my favorites. This particular song features another Kentucky rapper, Bryson Tiller. Overall, the song has a high tempo and is great to jam to in the car.
2. Camelot- NLE Choppa
This is just a good song with a good bass. I really enjoying cranking up the bass until my car vibrates.
3. Baby Sitter- DaBaby
This song is fast paced and features a fairly strong bass, which can be accentuated by turning up the bass in my car.
4. Futsal Shuffle- Lil Uzi Vert
Although the lyrics are fine, I'm mainly including this song due to its intense beat. I think the beat is very cool, and it's even cooler when it's played at a high volume.
5. Red Roses- Lil Skies
This song is unlike the others on the list. It's not super high tempo or good to jam to, but I included it because I just really enjoy it. Lil Skies is one of my favorite artists, and Red Roses is my favorite song of his. I also know all the words, which makes it exponentially better to play.

Assignment 24 | Evan Winkler

One of the things I learned, more than ever, this year was the importance of having a support group. This year, I was more connected with my classmates and peers than my last two years at Henry Clay, and it was a very positive experience. I got myself through more than a few challenges using advice and help from others, and the social experiences I had in groups and casually during the school day helped make the year more memorable and pleasant.
Next year I hope to be even more engaged, and to maintain a high level of academic involvement. Staying in touch with others and with the world around me helped keep me grounded in reality and my responsibilities, and I hope to utilize that knowledge even more next year.

This summer, I would like to start more seriously considering my options as far as colleges go for the future, including planning for what I might do in between senior year and college. To discuss something less formal, I hope that I'll also have the opportunity to spend some time travelling and focusing on my intermediate driver's license this summer.

Assignment 24 - Junior Year - Averi Ricks

If I'm being 100% honest, junior year takes the cake for the worst school year I've ever had. It started out good; I got my spot on varsity (volleyball) and I had some good games here and there, but after I hurt my shoulder, I kinda lost my spot on the team because my abilities were limited, so that sucked. And then to top things off, I tore my ACL! And then, the party train kept on going because I missed the last two weeks of school because of surgery which meant I didn't have a winter break because I had to catch up on work and I also had to take finals in January while simultaneously keeping up with the work that was due everyday! All of this piled on top of each other made me extremely depressed and anxiety ridden if I'm being completely honest. But, I did realize that I don't want to play volleyball in college, so I guess that's a positive that came out of it. And then of course corona happened but I really needed this break so I'm not complaining at all. This summer, I intend on getting my license (I couldn't drive for a while because of my knee :) ) and if quarantine lets up I wanna do stuff with my friends and just have a lot of fun. For my senior year, I want it to be as calm and stress free as possible. I of course hope I get into my top schools for college, but if I don't, it won't be the end of the world. I plan on reaching my goals by working on my procrastination and worrying less about the outcomes of things and just letting whatever happens happen. 

Assignment 24- Katelyn Rowell- Looking Back

Junior year is supposed to be the toughest year of high school, but mine was surprisingly different. Although some classes felt never ending, the year flew by. The workload was less than what I thought it would be, and I became a lot closer to new people. Looking back, this year was probably the most fun out of my three years in high school. Unfortunately, it ended in a way no one expected. But instead of focusing on what was lost, I’ll talk about what I’ve learned. Going into senior year, I’ll be more appreciative of the opportunities I have. In other words, I’ll enter that building with a little more pep in my step. Instead of complaining about having to go to practice or having to get up early for school, I’ll be thankful. When senioritis starts to kick in, I’ll remember what the grade before me was robbed of. Although I’ve groaned a lot about school in the past, I’ll be appreciative going into senior year.

Assignment 23- Katelyn Rowell- Quarantine Playlist

 These past months in quarantine have definitely been different. Whenever somebody asks me what day it is, it honestly takes me a couple of seconds to figure it out. It’s easy for the days to blur together when your Tuesday is no different than your Friday. The playlist below contains songs that help to brighten the mood and lift that quarantine fog.

1. 3:15- Bazzi
This song conjures up memories of happier times before quarantine. One of the lyrics talks about running around East Lansing at night. When my sister first came home from MSU (which is in East Lansing), she would just listen to this song on repeat. For the first couple of days, this song was playing incessantly in my house. But, honestly, I didn’t mind because it takes me back to pre-quarantine times.

2. Don’t Stop Believin’-Journey

There really isn’t much to say about this song- it’s a classic. I don’t really remember when I heard it for the first time, but I can confidently say I recite the lyrics word for word. No matter what you’re doing, this song will put you in a better mood.

3.Classic-MKTO

Even though it came out seven years ago, this song remains a bop to this day. It takes me back to the days when my biggest worry was missing a new episode of Dance Moms.

4.Young & Alive- Bazzi

This song is pretty relaxed and keeps me looking forward to the day quarantine is lifted.

5. Shotgun- George Ezra

Like the other songs in this playlist, this song emits positive energy and makes you think of happy summer days.

6.Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine- Matthew Mole

This song is slower and definitely more relaxed, but it’s one of those songs you play while driving in the country with the windows down. You just feel happier after listening to it.

Assignment 23 - Enjoy Your Movie-Montage Moment - Jordan Grady

You know that feeling when you’re on a long car ride, staring off into the distance as you imagine your movie-montage moment? You know the feeling - you’re the main character in your own film experiencing a pivotal moment of self-discovery. Well, these songs perfectly encapsulate those feelings. This playlist has range - is this an adventurous journey? A solemn occasion? A moment of reflection? Regardless, these songs give off that feeling of self-discovery necessary for your movie-moment.

Out the Blue - John Lennon

This song is one of those you’d hear in an old indie film as the main character is trying to ~find themself~ It’s one of those oldies that you could listen to with the volume up and windows down, or on a rainy day, volume lowered. A versatile and effective car-favorite.

Window- Joji

Another song for a more solemn car ride. The song's lyrics reflect those times when you’re lost within your own thoughts - it’s you against the world.

Electric Love - BØRNS

Moving onto the more energetic side of things, we come to Electric Love. Every time I hear this song, I immediately think of a coming-of-age film. It’s adventurous, fun, lively, and it totally works for your movie-montage moment. This energetic song will make you want to roll the windows down and just live in the moment.

Golden - Harry Styles

It’s fun. It’s lively. It makes you want to dance. This song’s a good time waiting to happen. Golden’s mixture of vibrant instrumentals and pensive lyrics is perfect for this occasion.

Never Seen Such Good Things - Devendra Banhart

Aaaand back to the melancholy tunes. The lyrics alone - “never seen such good things go so wrong” - prove that this song is worthy of a solemn movie-montage moment. It’s one of those songs that makes you think about the good times and ponder over what has led to the bad. It’s reflective. Perfect for those times when you just need to stare out the window and think.

Assignment 24 - Bring On Senior Year - Jordan Grady

Wow. In some respects, this past year has flown by. In others, it felt never-ending. We’ve reached the final stretch - AP exams are right around the corner, and I am thanking my lucky stars for the lack of final exams. Academically, I’ve been consistent (mostly) in following through with my goal to not leave assignments to the last minute, and overall I’m happy with the consistency in my grades as well. Another success of this year was staying involved in clubs and volunteer groups. It’s often said that Junior year is the hardest, so I feared going into it that this would hinder my ability to participate in multiple extracurriculars - it did not. As far as failures go, I wish I had maintained the same drive to learn, work, improve as I had in the school building. Now that we’ve switched to NTI, it’s become easy to slack off on studying. Going into senior year, I’m hoping that the return to a more traditional approach to schooling will bring me out of this study-slump. With college applications right around the corner, I hope to get started on them as soon as possible to remove that stress from the first semester. Overall, this year has been a beneficial learning opportunity. I can only hope that next year will provide a valuable wrap-up to my highschool experience.

Assignment 20: How to Win the Presidential Debate | Evan Winkler

Becoming the president is a task that takes great skill and precision, and the best way to show it is in the presidential debates. However, many candidates make certain missteps and misjudgments that end up costing them the election. Sometimes, being forced to stand and talk about politics for two hours straight without moving causes some people to lose their composure. However, American citizens will never vote for a man with anything less than perfect charisma. Therefore, there are some things you must never do if you want a future in politics.

1) Don't feel sick. Weeks before the first televised debate in 1960, Republican candidate Richard Nixon sliced his leg on a car door and had to be hospitalized until just in time for the debate. Because he was still recovering, he came under visible physical stress during the debate, and viewers were convinced that Kennedy was the winner.
2) Don't Sweat. Because Nixon was still dealing with the effects of an intense laceration, he still had something of a fever, and sweated under the heated incandescent stage lights, wiping his face with his handkerchief a few times. Viewers were underwhelmed by Nixon feeling the temperature of the room, compared to Kennedy's spectacular ability to have no fever. So if you ever feel sweaty on the debate stage, be a man and hold it in.
3) Don't answer loaded questions. During the 1988 debate, the moderator asked Democratic candidate and longtime opponent of the death penalty, Michael Dukakis, "if [your wife] were raped and murdered, would you support the death penalty for the killer?" Dukakis made the mistake of being consistent with his answers and sticking to his principles, and answered "No." Viewers took his response as too cold and not sad enough. His decision not to make an exception to his beliefs for his wife cost him the election and secured victory for Republican candidate George H.W. Bush.
4) Don't look at your watch. During the 1992 election cycle, it was George Bush's turn to be too honest. During the first debate, he looked at his watch multiple times, which many viewers saw as disrespectful. Remembering his schedule and thinking about other parts of his life were too much for viewers to tolerate, and Bush lost the election to Bill Clinton. Whenever you run for president, be sure not to get bored at two hours of old men talking about taxes.
5) Don't sigh. The Bush family would get their revenge when the former president's son, George W. Bush, faced off against Clinton's VP, Al Gore. During the debate, Gore sighed a few times while taking notes, which is something that no normal person would ever do during an argument. Bush, on the other hand, pretended to never be frustrated once, and won the debate and the election.

And, most importantly:
6) Come up with witty one-liners. Whether you pre-prepare it or do it on the fly, nothing shows the soundness of an argument more than a profitable bumper sticker quote. In 2016, Jeb Bush was unable to compete with lines like "I'm at 42 and you're at 3" from Donald Trump, and Ronald Reagan blew the crowd away with lines like "there you go again" and "I will not exploit my opponent's youth and inexperience." Remember, the average American has no idea what an "entitlement projection" is or where the "Senkaku Islands" are, and need creative catchphrases to feel informed when they vote.

If you follow these guidelines, you will surely be one finger away from that world-ending button as soon as you start your campaign.

Assignment 25- Sam Ederington

It's really hard to think about what is truly core to yourself. There's a lot to people, and its hard to tell what makes you you. For me, I like to think that it's the way I think. I almost never create mental images, I simply describe them in words. When I read a book, I recite the words in my brain, I can't picture the scenes they describe, or whatever is happening. If someone shows me a drawing or sketch to demonstrate how something works, I translate it into words. When I think of people, I think of their names, not what they look like. To remember who someone is, I describe their appearance to myself. I was originally surprised when I learned other people did most of their thinking in images, and I remember the first time I learned that, I tried to think in such a way. Whenever I try to do so, I can't figure out a a background or a thousand little details and it all falls apart. I don't fully understand how significant such a difference in thinking actually is, but I find it really interesting.

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Assignment 24 - Peter Marino

Junior year was pretty interesting for me. It was easier than any other year for me. I really didn’t feel like I had to try my best at any point. That’s why it was probably the most fun for me at this point. I feel like I learned a lot though. Not just academically either. Every day for the past three years I have been waking up fifteen minutes before the late bell and rushing my way through the morning. Because of this, I have been able to go to sleep a lot later than normal and still get a good rest. However, I have learned that it is probably better to just get up early. I have a chance to sit down and eat. I can go for a morning run to wake me up. I can do homework. There are a lot of reasons. The most important to me though, is that at the end of the day I just feel better. That’s probably the most important thing I learned this year. For this coming summer, I actually have no idea what I’m going to do. I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this virus.  I don’t know if camp will be canceled. Or GSP. Or my vacation. But I will definitely be fishing a lot with my friends. In the end, if I can hang out with my friends, that’s all that matters to me. And for my senior year, I just hope I can breeze through it like this year.

Assignment 23 - Peter Marino

For a short car ride 

1.“Take It or Leave It”
This is a song by the Strokes from their album Is This It that was released in 2001. This is one of my favorite albums ever, and I chose this song because you don’t really have to listen to it. While driving, I don’t really want to have to think about anything. I like alternative rock songs for car rides, and I am going to fill this playlist with them because I like their vibes in the car.
2.“The Man Who Sold the World”
This is a song written by David Bowie, but I prefer the Nirvana version. I think the guitar playing is better and this is why I chose this version. I don’t want to actually pay attention to the lyrics. I want to listen to the beat and the vibe.
3.“On Melancholy Hill”
Again, this is for the vibes of the song and nothing else. This is a song by Gorillaz. I’ve been listening to this band for a couple of years and I think their music is pretty good. In particular during long car rides and falling asleep.
4.“Scar Tissue”
Besides “Californication”, this is the most cliche Red Hot Chili Peppers song. But I don’t really care because it’s a good song. It’s a nice mellow song that goes along with the other alternative rock songs.
5.“My Sharona”
This is a song by The Knack. It’s really the only song I actually enjoy by The Knack. It doesn’t really fit in with the other songs in this playlist. The only reason I chose this one is because I really like the guitar solo at the end to finish off the playlist right.

Assignment 24- Sam Ederington

For me, this school year is has been broken up into three parts. Firstly, was the part during marching band, where time disappeared too fast for me to keep up. Since I was the clarinet section leader, I learned several things about leadership, an communication. I also learned a lot about time management, keeping track of multiple homework assignments alongside my marching work and how the section was doing.
After marching band ended, came the normal school period. I suddenly found myself with hours of extra time, and so I took a chance and joined the school's League of Legends team, hoping I wouldn't spend the season on the bench. Instead, the risk payed off, and I was a starter. During this time, I also made sure to help maintain good grades, and spent more time on schoolwork.
Suddenly, the Corona virus hit and we were doing NTI work. This taught me a lot about flexibility, self-motivation, and that having my hair grow out sucks. However, I've had many successes, in quickly establishing a daily routine, to organizing and creating a group recording of Pomp and Circumstance for the graduating clarinet seniors (link below).
I really hope that next year is much more normal, and I can do marching band as per usual. Over the summer, I'm doing a virtual writing camp and planning on trying a few online courses. I'm also going to do a lot of clarinet playing, and figuring out assorted plans for marching band if worst comes to worst.

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https://youtu.be/hkFdkDNE4M8

Assignment 24- Madison Underwood- I Learned More Calculus This Year

This year surely has been interesting to say the least, but I don't want to focus on the last few months, I've had a lot of time to do that on my own recently. Yes, junior year was by no means easy and we all faced hardships along the way, so here are some of the lessons I have learned this year. First, I learned the importance of having friends who support you and build you up. My neighbor has been there for me every step of my junior year and I always know that through thick and thin, we can count on each other always. She has taught me to look at things more positively and that it's okay to show your goofy side sometimes. I also learned the importance of teamwork. Dance is a big part of my life, it's my escape from the stress of school. This year, we all learned to come together as a team like never before. We built so much trust in each other and created such a positive environment, and we were able to grow so much together. Lastly, I learned that it's okay to not be okay all of the time, and that it's okay to ask for help. This year I began to lose the mentality that I have to be perfect at everything and I accepted that I have strengths and weaknesses. Typing this out it sounds like common sense, but for my whole life I've been fiercely independent, overly competitive, and too much in-my-head. I needed the struggles this year to show me that it's okay to not be perfect and to seek out help from those whose strengths are your weakness.

Assignment 23- Sam Ederington

My playlist will be history themed songs to inspire my world conquest in Europa Universalis 4.

1. Waterloo by ABBA
2. Pompeii by Bastille
3.  Wavin' Flag (Original version) by K'naan
4. Over There! by George Cohan
5. 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky and performed by the 2018-2019 Henry Clay Wind Ensemble

1. This song is about Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, so I know to make sure to limit the number of countries I'm fighting at once. And also to try not to fight at Waterloo as the French.

2. This song might be about a Volcano, but it encourages me to compete with the natural disaster. After all, if a volcano can wreck so much havoc without letting loose the dogs of war, then what can my armies do plundering the countryside?

3.  This original version is about Somalia's and other underdeveloped countries' struggles with refugees, and even though its not exactly the most world conquest-y, its still my favorite song ever, and it reminds me to push on.

4. A good old WW1 propaganda song to help the U.S. draft soldiers. It fits in very well in a game about sending soldiers all of the globe to colonize and establish trade companies.

5. To end with a literal bang, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture is an epic tale of Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, from the Russian perspective, so its music fits right in home. Especially the cannons at the end. And since I played, I have to choose my performance of it, don't I?

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Rob Gilligan - Assignment 24 - Year in review

Junior year really is basically over now. The school year has been effectively shortened, and we were whisked away from school not knowing it wouldn’t be until next year that we (hopefully) return. It’s really hard to evaluate what I succeeded at, and what I failed at. Relationships I was building with people are essentially cut off. There were a lot of my classes where I either did not have a ton of friends in, or didn’t sit near them. As a result, I was forced to make new friends, or be miserable all year. Luckily, in every single class I found people that I really enjoyed talking to. I guess it would be considered a failure that those friendships have fallen to the wayside during the quarantine, but that is not wholly my fault. Academically I would say my year has been quite successful. Assuming grades won’t change this second semester, I’ll maintain my 4.0 average through high school. AP tests are yet to come, but I feel confident in the ones I’m taking. Athletically I only got to have one of my seasons. I was able to get my 5k time under eighteen minutes and qualified for state individually, but the time did not make it. Obviously, track season was cancelled. Over the summer I have a lot of camps and programs lined up that I’ll hopefully be able to attend. Only time will tell. I also will continue to work on the youtube channel I made. Next year, my goal is to remain sane pretty much. Applying for college is really stressful and scares me. It’ll be a year long journey and that’s my focus.

Rob Gilligan - Assignment 23 - Playlist of emotion

Music is so diverse in its applications. Going to the gym? Loud, fast music. Sad? Melodic, slow thoughtful songs. Going through a breakup? There’s plenty of tracks for that! But what do you listen to when you aren’t really feeling anything at all?  You know that midafternoon feeling where you just want to relax, but know you have things to do. Or a lazy weekend morning when it’s time to get started with the day, but you have nothing forcing you to get to work. It’s not being lazy, but it’s not boredom either. I guess it’s somewhere in between. So I’ve created a playlist to get those emotions flowing, and get you going.

First: Jocelyn Flores - XXXTENTACION 

This track has a pretty short runtime coming in at under two minutes. But it’s packed full of emotion. The soothing beat juxtaposed with quite depressing lyrics about a woman whom the artist loved that has taken her own life creates a stew of emotions in your stomach. This track simultaneously makes you calm, yet sad. No one could listen to this song and claim it didn’t impact their emotions. If you’re looking to feel something, this is a great place to start. 

Second: Good News - Mac Miller

This song, with context, is one of the most emotional I’ve ever heard. Few songs have created a physically emotional reaction within me, but this one managed to make my eyes water. Mac, usually known for his rapping, took an entirely different route with this album. This track in particular is a tour of his psyche as he deals with addiction and struggles to get help. With lines like “It ain’t that bad, it could always be worse,” and “I heard they don’t talk about me, that’s the problem with a closed door,” it makes it even harder to learn that he wrote this song in the depths of his addiction, likely only weeks or days before he passed from an overdose. Listening to someone struggle, and cry for help only when it’s too late is a hard thing to hear. The song is long, but once again forces you to feel.

Third: Long Time - Intro - Playboi Carti 

I know I’ve probably made you quite sad at this point, and I am sorry. However, that was the goal. Create strong emotions. This next song deals with those feelings of intense emotion. The titular line “ I ain’t felt like this in a long time” Carti may be saying that he has reached his peak, feeling great about himself, but I think it can just as easily be applied to sadness. The production on the track creates an emotional limbo, it’s not upbeat or downbeat. The song presents the listener with options: embrace the ambiance of the song, or ignore it. Once you embrace it you can accept those downtrodden emotions the previous songs have created, and prepare you for the rise to inspiration that hopefully follows. 

Fourth: The World Is Yours - Nas

One of the best songs from one of the greatest albums of all time, Nas takes the time to reassure listeners. As opposed to the previous songs, this one has a faster tempo. Nas makes it hard to not want to start moving as the infectious rhythm overtakes you. The lyrics speak about his daily life and don’t really follow a narrative or story. The words are laced with a message of action on the part of the listener. It’s time for them, and for you, to get started with what they need to do. 

Fifth: Alright - Kendrick Lamar

The standout track on the critically lauded To Pimp A Butterfly. We continue our journey into faster and more upbeat songs. Described by some as the song of the decade, Alright is a comforting, righteous track that promises “we gonna be alright.” Kendrick talks about cutting off those who take advantage of him. He’s taking advantage of his time to live, shaping his life in his own image. The purpose of this track is to display to the audience that nothing happens unless you take action. 

Sixth: DEVASTATED - Joey Bada$$

Contrary to the title, this is not a sad song. In a similar vein to the previous song, Joey urges the listener to take action. He claims he “used to be so devastated” thinking he would never make it. But now he’s “on [his] way to greatness.” He instructs you to remain patient and do what is asked of you. This track is another upbeat one as we climb that metaphorical ladder to happiness and energy.

Seventh: Motiv8 - J Cole

The reason this song is here is to… well, motivate you. In the case of the song Cole flexes his wealth and esteem, asking the listener to take this motivation to feel alive and reach for their goals. Many times throughout the song the beat fades out and back in in a crescendo that, true to the title, is motivational. Hopefully by now, you’re a bit more energized and ready to move.

Eighth: Icon - Jaden

I really like this song because of the production and Jaden’s flow. He’s clearly taken after his dad, Will Smith, and his ability to craft earworm songs. You don’t have to think during this song. It just provides energy for you. 

Ninth: Proud of U (feat. Young Thug) - EARTHGANG

We’ve reached our peak. Not as fast paced or energetic as the past few songs, this song is here to let you be proud of yourself. We’ve reached the apex of our journey, and hopefully you’ve taken the initiative to start on whatever you had to do. 

Assignment 22- Sam Ederington

For me, I love to take walks. Watching the greenery around me unfold is always relaxing, and helps me focus. My current top choice is Haverford College, which is not only so small that it has a red line under it right now, but its campus is recognized as an arboretum. I find that amazing. I'm also versatile, and can do well in multiple subjects. I also really like to learn in all of them, which is why I want to go to a liberal arts college, like Haverford. I also don't like lecture halls from the few times I've been in them, and would much rather do discussion based classes. Due to this, I've tended to small liberal arts colleges, but most of them also have gorgeous campuses. However, Haverford's Honor Code is completely unique from any other school, and I think its an amazing system that showcases the complete trust of the faculty and staff have towards the students.

Assignment 21- Sam Ederington

Problems are really annoying. When you can't figure out how to solve an issue, regardless of how insignificant it really is, you get frustrated. And when you finally find a way around the problem, it is altogether too often just irritating how much time you wasted figuring out a solution for it. But when the solution is rewarding, it is one of the best feelings in the world. When you break down a wall, and unlock an entire world lying behind it, just waiting for you to explore. For me, one of those walls has been passing the "break" on my clarinet. In terms of what you actually need to do, its actually very simple and easy. But doing it for the first time, requires you to entirely shift your perspective on how to play the instrument. This requires a lot of practice, and thinking. After playing it for even a couple years, its surprisingly hard to pull off the first few times. But when you do, your range quickly doubles, and you can play actual music for the instrument. Breaking through that break opens up so many fun things for me to do with my instrument, and the clarinet has another break for me to do it again with! The break helped me learn that the clarinet is the best instrument!

Assignment 23 | Evan Winkler

Last summer, I spent a lot of time playing the video game Grand Theft Auto V. Of course, the game has been out for a very long time at this point, but last summer was my first time ever playing it. From the long list of features in the critically acclaimed game, one that I found able to enjoy when I wasn't playing was the music. Being an open-world game that takes place in a fictionalized version of the modern United States, the game's developers chose to acquire the rights to use real songs by real artists in the soundtrack, specifically for the various fictitious radio stations to which the player can listen when driving a car. The different radio stations each play music from different genres, including funk or pop, and I found myself listening to the game's rock/power pop and classic rap stations the most frequently.

I decided to look up the rap songs featured in the game on YouTube and create a playlist, and after creating said playlist I added more songs from the videos recommended by YouTube (of the same genre, of course, with many of the same artists). I don't know how much of a conventional choice to make that this is, but I decided to listen to the music when I worked out everyday, and to me it seemed to be a pretty good fit. The 'mood' of the music is quite conducive to physical exercise, in my opinion, and the intensity of the music and lyrics are a good distraction from the exhaustion of the routine.

Songs included on the playlist (some of the ones without obscenities in their titles) were:
Songs by the group NWA (I can't say what that stands for here), such as "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Straight Outta Compton"
Songs by 2Pac including "California Love" and "Hit 'Em Up"
"Dollaz and Sense" by DJ Quik
"Who Shot Ya?" by the Notorious BIG (Mr Cain would probably like reading this)

I can't name all of the songs (there are about 50 of them) and my playlist is itself "incomplete" - I consistently add new songs to it. I can never listen to the playlist in its entirety, so I always set it to "shuffle" whenever I listen while exercising for the sake of listening to a different combination of songs each day.

Assignment 26: Help! I need somebody. Help!

I wanna be better in all things.  It's easy for teachers to get stuck and comfortable in patterns and activities that are completely legitimate but perhaps have become stale and even ineffective.  Throughout the semester I've asked that you work hard to prepare for the AP Language and Composition test.  I taught to the test.  I'm sorta fine with that.  As I've said, I believe that the skills the test assesses are important and some of the most important skills you will develop in your lifetime - the ability to think, process, synthesize, and argue.

To that end I've tried to develop every assignment to focus on one element of the test and hone those skills required for success.  Now that you've taken the test - multiple tests (ACT, PSAT, AP) what suggestions do you have?

I'm not asking for what you "liked" or what was "fun" but rather what was effective.  I know not everything connected with everyone and with 100+ students I will get a plethora of responses.  Though I am asking for honesty I'm not asking for a tongue-lashing nor do I expect "all sunshines and rainbows." I know I'm flawed but I also know that I am effective.  I want to minimize my flaws and increase my effectiveness.  I need your help to do that.

Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, May 24 at 11:59 pm

May 27th is the last day to make up blog 26

Assignment 22 | Evan Winkler

I have moved a total of three times in my life, twice to different cities around Los Angeles and the third time to Lexington. My Grandfather and Uncle are both currently working in real estate, and my grandfather has had an extensive career in that sector. My dad has told me that when he was younger, his father would often 'take him with' on visits to different houses, and give pointers on important features to identify in a house for when he reached the age of buying one. When we moved to Kentucky, I remember how my dad would go over his opinion on each house he had looked at in the car after he was finished, and remind us of things to look at that would "be important later."

In 2017, I was the National Geographic Bee Kentucky state champion, thanks to large amounts of research I would do for fun when I was in elementary and middle school. I remember learning about different climates and how local architecture would often be influenced by the situation of the groundwater or bedrock in the area. It was interesting to me just how pertinent these things are today in spite of our ability to alter the climate around us.

I haven't narrowed down my exact "top picks" for colleges, but there's a small chance that I might go to a school known for architectural or real estate-related programs and curricula, considering the amount of insight I have from my own personal experiences.

Assignment 24- A Reflection-Hayden Caldwell

Well the obvious first way to describe junior year is all too short. With the last three months of the school year being canceled as a result of COVID-19, this school year felt incomplete. No first prom, no volleyball season, no final goodbyes to my senior friends. For someone who relies on social interaction and being around people to get along, that kills. It feels like you took a cake out of the oven way too early and forced me to eat it. All the dedication I put into academics, athletics, and the bonds I’ve formed with people have seemingly disintegrated into thin air. While this overshadows any other reflections on this school year, there is lots I can take into next year. I feel like I will never take for granted the little things about everyday life. I am really good at getting down on myself, but this pandemic has taught me to expect nothing and appreciate everything, even things that might seem frustrating. This is the biggest insight I can take into senior year and beyond. I feel like this mentality will help me going forward to become a better person.

Assignment 21 | Evan Winkler

When I was much younger, around 6-8 years of age, I was learning how to ride a bicycle for the first time. My dad bought me a set of 'training wheels' to attach to my bike's rear wheel, but they weren't any help to me because they couldn't both touch the ground at the same time. Riding with them, I would keep swerving from side to side trying to get at least one of them to touch the ground, and I would predictably crash more than made sense for someone trying to "learn on level 1" or "take it easy." What my dad did following our observations was to just remove the training wheels and try and coach me without them, which worked far better than I expected at the time. Sooner or later, I was an aficionado, and we had wasted 20 bucks on a set of training wheels.

Assignment 23- The Perfect Gameday Playlist- Hayden Caldwell

Before the coronavirus canceled school for the rest of the semester, I was eagerly anticipating the second season of Henry Clay boys volleyball to the point where I even created a pregame playlist to listen to before games. So, I guess being able to use it for a blog post is the next best thing.

1. “m.A.A.d city (feat MC Eiht)” by Kendrick Lamar. This song, especially the opening beat, is high-tempo motivation for any game, especially ones against local rivals.
2. “Victory Lap (feat. Stacy Barthe)” by Nipsey Hussle. This is one of three songs in the playlist from the late Nipsey’s last album and since it’s a little slower it provides a great beat for some meditation and envisioning before a game. It’s important to get in the right mindset before I step out on the court.
3. “Run This Town (feat. Rihanna and Kanye West)” by Jay-Z. This song has it all. A good beat, three of the most prominent rappers in today’s culture, and great lyrics. A definite add to any game day playlist.
4. “Dedication (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” by Nipsey Hussle. Another fast-paced song to get me in the game-time mindset.
5. “Pressure (feat. Fenix Flexin and OhGeesy)” by Shoreline Mafia. This group of controversial rappers (including the recently deceased Mac P Dawg) always raps about sticking together as a team and working hard to make money. A great anthem for game time.
6. “Keyz 2 the City 2 (feat. TeeFlii)” by Nipsey Hussle. My personal favorite in the Victory Lap album is saved for last. It’s the best song for walking out of any locker room in my opinion.

The warm-up period ends pretty soon, so this is about all I’ll have time for.