Sam Ederington- Assignment 20 (stellaris tech species)

Paradox Interactive makes extremely complicated video games, which I spend to much time playing. Stellaris is a grand strategy game where you take an empire from its newly discovered FTL technology to galactic dominance over other aspiring species and empires. Before you start the game, you can either choose a pre-made empire, or make your own. If you make your own, that involves designing your species, which is incredibly important. I usually make extremely tech focused empires, so this guide will be on how to make a strong tech based species. To do this, first select "New Game," then a list of species pops up. Click "Create New," and then it opens up the empire creation screen. For appearance, select "Fungoid" and then pick your favorite mushroom before clicking next. Why would you ever go with anything but mushrooms after all? For the next tab, its up to you to decide how much work you want to do, you can either click randomize or make up all of the names yourself. On the next tab, select Fungoid 4 so you can get your good old Glorp Starfleets, and then we get into the good stuff. For species traits, the essentials are intelligent and either natural physicists or engineers. You will then need to take a bad trait to even out the points, I suggest sedentary or deviants. If you want to you can take both and throw in a rapid breeders or a traditional in as well. If you're planning on using a lot of robots you can also take weak instead of sedentary.


264 words

This raps up the species creation, if anybody actually gets the game and wants me to do another thing like this on the empire creation part I can make another guide.

Assignment 19- Sam Ederington

The greatest piece of advice I have ever received is to fake confidence. I often have no idea what I'm doing, but I know that if I appear to do it confidently, people won't question it. And a good deal of the time, its just doing something that helps the most with accomplishing tasks. Not only that, been eventually you get good enough to fake yourself out. Band auditions have gotten so much easier, not because I am less nervous, but because I can tell myself I'm not nervous. Playing confidently in band, even on hard, technical areas, not only shows me exactly what I need to work on, but makes my mistakes sound more akin to accidents, and my other section members raise their level to support me. Unfortunately, the easiest way I can develop that confidence is through arrogance, which is part of the reason I can appear so prideful at times.

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Assignment 18- Sam Ederington

1. Make all-state honor band
2. Figure out what I want to do with myself
3. Retire

I have auditioned for all-state the past two years. It's a two-cut process, and i made the first cut as a sophomore but failed this year. Since I've always made all-district, I've gotten lazy at practicing for the all-state audition, so my goal is to fix that and make the band. Unfortunately, there is a degree of luck when you're playing clarinet, and there are five-hundred other people also trying out on the same instrument.

I have very little idea of what I want to do. I think I want to be a professor in whatever it is, but I'm still very unsure of what field, and I'm not positive I want to be a professor either. By the time I'm done with college, then I hope I have an idea of what I want to do with myself, or else my life may not be the best. The problem is that I like to have as many options as possible, which of course makes choosing a lot more difficult.

One thing I hate about America is its business practices. Companies here do their best to exploit the workforce, but the workforce doesn't fight back. As soon as I reasonably can, I want to get out of this exploitative system. I hate it when I feel other people are taking advantage of me, and I also don't like to work hard. I can motivate myself to do so, but its very exhausting, and I want time to relax in my life.

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Assignment 17- Sam Ederington

For more fun for this assignment, I decided to watch Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and compare it to the commonly known as greatest one, The Phantom Menace The Empire Strikes Back. The biggest difference between the films, for me at least, was the climactic confrontation. The Empire Strikes Back featured a highly trained professional warrior completely fallen to the dark side against a semi-trained warrior in the act of falling to the dark side. Unsurprisingly, Darth Vader won. Now, compare this with The Rise of Skywalker, where, we again see a highly trained professional master of the dark side, but this time against a pretty much completely untrained person who should have fallen to the dark side a few years ago. Unsurprisingly, with Disney at the helm, training is a sure means to failure. Another problem, which The Rise of Skywalker didn't really have to deal with, is respecting the expanded Universe. Since Disney has been shifting which parts of it are cannon constantly, this is liable to change, but there is no way Palpatine could have built the biggest fleet in Star Wars so long as Rakata remains cannon. In a fleet building competition, Darth Revan will always win.

202 words.

Assignment 21- Madison Underwood- Yes, I Wrote Another Blog Post About Spain.

My time spent abroad was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I believe I was able to grow so much because I was able to overcome so many obstacles. The most obvious was the language barrier since I had signed a pledge to only speak Spanish for four weeks and while I was mildly proficient in the language at the time, I was diving head first into a pool of new vocabulary and phrases that I had never heard before. There were many times that I felt overwhelmed and frustrated because I couldn't always communicate to others. For example, the first time we had to turn in our laundry, my roommate and I misunderstood our monitor and ended up spending a week without linens. I also faced a mental block where I felt like I was letting my family back home down. My family made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to go to Spain and I sometimes felt like I wasn't taking advantage of every moment. Now, looking back at my trip, I couldn't be prouder of myself and all that I had learned and accomplished. Not only did my Spanish improve immensely, but I also learned to be more independent and self-reliant. However, it wasn't until I had a true heart-to-heart conversation with my monitor that I learned the greatest lessons of all. She was able to see how much I was stressing myself out and she was the first person to whom I had ever really opened up to about my struggles of putting too much pressure on myself. If it weren't for my monitor, I wouldn't have learned to live life in the moment, nor would I have learned to open up to people and be vulnerable, and that it's even okay to shed some tears along the way.

Assignment 21: OB-STA-KELS – oh Brother Where art Thou (College)

We love obstacles.  When other people are facing them that is.  But where and who would our heroes be if they didn’t face any obstacles.  The same can be said for us.  Our obstacles shape who we’ve become and who we are becoming.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

OR

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 8 at 11:59 pm

March 29 is the last day to make up blogs 20-22

Assignment 20- Madison Underwood- ¿Hablas Español?

Ok so Spanish has been one of my biggest passions for the longest time, and the present tense is something that has been drilled in my brain for a very long time. So today, I will teach you how to conjugate an -ar verb in the present tense.
First, you should know what I mean when I say an -ar verb. In Spanish, there are three verb endings:
-ar (as in hablar), -er (as in correr), and -ir (as in abrir). For now, we will focus on the basic conjugations of -ar verbs.
Second, there are six different subjects to choose from: yo, tú, él/ella/Ud., nosotros/as, vosotros/as, and ellos/ellas/Uds. which translate to I, you, he/she/you(formal), us, y'all, them/y'all(formal) respectively. 
Thirdly, to conjugate a verb, you must "chop off" the -ar ending and add the proper ending that corresponds with the subject of the sentence. For -ar verbs, the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, áis, and an. So, to conjugate the verb hablar which means to talk...
yo hablo (I talk)
tú hablas (you talk)
él habla (he talks), ella habla (she talks), Ud. habla (you, formal, talk)
nosotros hablamos (we talk), nosotras hablamos (we, a group of females, talk)
vosotros habláis (y'all talk), vosotras habláis (y'all, a group of females, talk)
ellos hablan (they talk), ellas hablan (they, a group of girls, talk), Uds. hablan (y'all, formal, talk)

Swazey S- Assignment 18- Oh boy

1. There's not much I really want to do in high school, for me, this is kind of just the last step in the tutorial of life. It's required, but I honestly just wanna skip it, since I got the general gist of everything important to me. But, if I had to choose a couple things that I think would be fun to do would be these.
- I want to help the Esports team win a season
- I want to pull a (harmless) prank on a teacher who I know can take the joke
- I want to sing a rock song at a choir concert (in actual rock singing, not a choir version of a rock song)
- I want to go on a weekend trip with some friends
- I want to learn how to do wood working
- I want to get a sticker on a test from Mrs. Dewees

The main thing I wanna do is win a season with the Esports team. League is a game that all of us have invested quite a bit of time into even before the team. It's something that brought us together as friends and gave a small sense of community and competitiveness. And seeing as it's the only competitive team sport any of us really play, I want us to win so we can have that memory together, I want us to be proud of ourselves and our friends.

2. Now seeing as I don't plan on going to go to college, this bit is going to be the 4-8 years after high school bucket list.
- I want to publish my own tabletop game
- I want to go on a massive road trip/cruise with some of my close friends
- I want to learn how to mix alcohol (I can't drink alcohol but mixology has always interested me as an art form)
- I want to get back into parkour/street running
- I want to pick up guitar again

This one is generally obvious. For me, my ideal job is producing board games, so the publishing of my first board game would be huge, especially straight out of high school. For the rest of my life plan to work, I need my business up and running, and this game published. It's the way I want to live, so it all revolves around those early years.

3. I haven't thought too far ahead into my life, the future is something that honestly, I can't fully comprehend. The fact that I'm close to graduating, when It feels like not to long ago I met my best friend in kindergarten, boggles my mind. So there are only a couple things on this list, just cause I don't know what I want to do in the grandest of schemes.
- I want to be a guest at gen-con
- I want to have a game library in my house
- I want to visit Scotland, Germany, and Ireland
- I want to design my own house

Kind of self explanatory, If I was to be a guest at gen con, the biggest table top gaming convention in the country, it would mean I would've succeeded. I would've made enough quality games to be able to go in front of people and show them new things and have them be excited about the things my company and I would've created.

Assignment 19 - Beppy Badgett - Thanks Abby :)

One piece of advice that was given to me recently by my friend Abby has really impacted how I live is someone else's gain is not my loss. At an FCA meeting a few weeks ago, Abby spoke about her life and struggles with comparison, she mentioned this piece of advice and it really stuck with me. I try and be a generally positive person but sometimes I find it hard when such great things are happening to the people around me, and my life seems to stay the same. Once I realized someone else's gain was not my loss, I was able to be happy for my friends and celebrate with them. This advice also reminds me other peoples decisions don't affect me and that I am in control of my own life. Over the past few weeks I have thought about this a lot, and I am a much happier person because of it, still being happy for other people but not worrying about how their lives affect mine.

assignment 19- ava nielsen

i think one of the best pieces of advice i've been told is something along the lines of "don't think of what could go wrong, think of what could go right". i don't really remember who told me this or where i found it but it was probably somewhere on the internet during the whole inspirational quotes era on social media. i found this piece of advice particularly helpful because it reminds me not to overthink(which is a big problem for me) and instead to live in the moment and be bold sometimes, because it could potentially lead to great things, and also to live without regrets.

Assignment 18 - William Begley - Goals I Will Maybe Achieve (50-50)

1. Goal I want to complete before I finish High School:
Before I finish High School, I want to learn how to do a standing backflip. I've always wanted to learn how to do a backflip and I think I have the skill but I don't have the nerve to go for it. I think if I really tried I could get it in a couple weeks but I'll give it time so I don't die.

2. Goal I want to achieve before I finish College:
Before I finish college, I want to win a sanctioned car racing event. By this I don't mean a boring drag race, I want to compete on a track with other cars and win. Racing cars has always seemed so fun to me and winning a race seems like a fitting goal.

3. Goal I want to achieve before I die:
Before I die, I want to do something meaningful that will help a lot of people or at least be remembered by people. I don't know what it would be but anything that affects a lot of people or helps advance society is the best thing you can do.

Assignment 18- Ava Nielsen- bucket list

high school bucket list- there are quite a few things i'd like to do before i graduate, but i guess one of them would be getting into a good college. while i would be okay with going to an in-state school like UK, i also think it would be a really cool experience to go to school overseas.

college bucket list- one of my big goals is to be able to travel. before i graduate college i think it would be fun to visit many new places.

life bucket list- while it might seem generic, i guess my overall goal is to be happy, which i think is a pretty good life goal. i'd also really like to get married and have kids, which is kind of a recent development since i used to not like children all that much.

Swazey S- Assignment 19

I don't really get into a lot of trouble, how can I? I don't really do anything. That's left me with not a lot of instances in need for advice, instead these words of wisdom come from my moms' (usually Krisi's) mistakes from when they were younger. Small things that can't really be put into any meaningful context tend to be the norm. But, on one very specific occasion, I learned something I still apply to this day. I don't remember the exact wording, but it's along the lines of  "Know what you're good at and make sure to use it ." Now, while the first thing you think of might be some terrible bank robbing or some illicit scandal, for me, it's much more practical. For instance, I like to think of myself as a very creative person. My entire life I've been making things: games, stories, art, songs, I've thought of it all. So, when I need to do anything where I have some freedom, I find ways to turn it into something. I always try to make my speeches read more like a novel or something fun and bouncy than something boring and static, it makes it easier for me, and so far, I've scored some points for it. Math and science problems are like storyboards for me, they're foundations of ideas, and I can work through them so well because I can see them as a form of art.

Assignment 19 - William Begley - Nobody Cares

I don’t usually think about advice I’m given, but a piece of advice I can think of that I actually care about is my dad telling me in a coffee shop while we were waiting in line. It was that “no one cares about you.” He didn’t mean this as a way of saying that nobody likes me or that nobody cares about my well-being but rather that if I’m in a room full of people, no one cares what I’m doing so there's no need to be nervous about being myself. I think about this pretty often whenever I’m out in public. It usually just helps to get out of my comfort zone because nobody cares about what I’m doing, they only care about what they're doing. It’s a pretty eye opening thing when you realize that being nervous to do something is completely irrational and nobody really cares about what you do.

Assignment 18 - Beppy Badgett - Things I Want to Do

To be honest this list was kind of hard for me to make because I don't really like to plan ahead. If I really want to do something, I normally do it. But I do understand some things take time so here are a few items on my bucket list

Before I finish high school I really want to learn how to do a standing backflip. I can do one on a trampoline, but I think it would be really cool if I could just do a backflip whenever I wanted. Another goal I have before I finish high school is get an A in spanish. I have always not been very good at spanish, and I don't think I will be able to accomplish this goal, because I am not taking spanish next year, but I will try.

Before I graduate college I want to have traveled with friends and go skydiving, I hope I am adventurous in college and am not afraid to try new things.

The bucket list for the rest of my life consists of wanting to go to all 7 continents, I think I can accomplish this goal and am very interested in learning about new places. Before I die I would also like to meet a famous person, but only if they are a nice famous person, this goal may be harder to accomplish. Most of all for the rest of my life I want to be spontaneous and not worry about following lists.

Assignment 19: Tag Howard

In middle school one of my teachers told me that I should always look to the future, think about what the truly long term magnitude and impact of any action will be and apply that knowledge. Thanks to that advice I always try to keep in mind not just the short term repercussions of making a particular course but what could (even improbably) ten, twenty, even thirty years from now. It is that thought that has kept me from making a number of potentially bad decisions, and from ones that seem good in the short term but could be dangerous in the future. Of course the same applies for the reverse, but I will be the first to admit that I do not always apply it like I should, namely in school by not showing the proper level of dedication or care to my work, leading to struggling grades across the board. But hopefully soon I can apply this advice ore evenly and that that application will be rewarding in the long term.

Assignment 18: Tag Howard

Before I finish high school I hope to go out with somebody, I know that is obviously stereotypical but it is something that I feel is a quintessential part of the high school experience. Not only that but having somebody I can talk to and express myself to would be cool.

In college the biggest item on my bucket list is to create some kind of coding project that I can show to future employers, hopefully some that I develop relationship with during college, maybe co-op. By creating something like that, not only will it hopefully be fun, but I can also use it as an application for many jobs.

In life all I really want to do is to leave a mark, something, anything, to leave the world different than how it would have been if I were never even born, without that there isn't much a point in any of it.

Assignment 19-Katherine Henson-Advice

The best pieces of advice I've gotten are from my dad, mostly wisdom from his time in the military. Here are three of my favorites. The first is "do something even if it's wrong" which he was told in boot camp. This is really applicable to any situation if you ever feel stuck or clueless. I think the root of this is to make yourself look busy to please the higher-ups and comes from the same vein of Larry the Cable Guy's slogan "get er done." The next advice is "never pass up the opportunity to use the bathroom." Although it's funny, it is actually really good advice. I learned this the hard way when I passed on using a nice indoor restroom on a hiking trail and ended up having to use a porta-potty. My Dad also says "when you assume you make an ass out of you and me" which makes me laugh. But it's also a good reminder not to overthink and make assumptions about other people.

Assignment 17 - Beppy Badgett - Little Women

I had heard a lot about Little Women before I saw it, from friends that had read the book to people that had already seen the movie 4 times in one week. I went in expecting a cinematic masterpiece and was not disappointed. The variety of charming characters provided every viewer with someone they could relate to. Each with their own well developed personalities, you may think it would be tricky to truly explore everyone in 2 hours but the director did a fantastic job. Little Women chronicles the lives of four sisters over about a 10 year period, and instead of playing the story chronologically, the movie is arranged connecting moments from the girls childhood to their adult years. You may think this constant switching back and forth would be confusing and hard to follow, but the production team made it clear by aging the characters and displaying events from the girls childhood with a warmer filter and events from later on with cool tones.

I saw this movie with friends and we all throughly enjoyed it. They both cried at points and we all really appreciated the choice of actors.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_women_2019

Assignment 19- Eli Dyer- Problems

The one piece of advice that's stuck with me through my entire life is something my mom said to me. I remember this advice, partly because of its impact on me and partly because my mom repeats it every time she gets the chance.
"We don't have problems."
I don't remember the first time she said this to me, but she's been saying it for as long as I can remember. Every time I'm upset about something, whether I'm in the right or the wrong, she repeats this phrase. This piece of advice puts everything in perspective. As a white, American man, I'm truly lucky. There are billions of people who have it far worse, who experience hardship every day.
This piece of advice remains with me, and it serves to remind me I shouldn't be upset over small issues.

Assignment 17- Ava Nielsen

I've watched quite a few movies as of late, but one of the most memorable was Little Women. At first I was worried that I would find it boring because 19th century settings usually aren't my cup of tea, but it was definitely the opposite. While I haven't read the original book, I can say that the storyline was really good and overall I really enjoyed the movie. My favorite character was Laurie, who was played by Timothee Chalamet, who is also my favorite actor. I'd definitely recommend this movie if you haven't seen it!

Assignment 18- Katherine Henson- Goals

My main goal in high school is to get more sleep. Right now I do a really bad job of getting enough sleep to be present and awake when I need to. Even on days when I could go to bed early, I do waste time and go to bed really late. I want to prioritize sleep and healthy living by the time I graduate high school. I want to graduate college debt-free, and throughout college, I want to maintain longtime friendships.  I have many friends I have known for my entire life and I think that connection and history is so special and it would be really sad to lose that. Before I die I want to get married and start a family. It is a dream of mine to have two kids and be a stay at home mom, and I would love to devote my life to my family.

Assignment 18- Eli Dyer- Bucket List?

High School
In my remaining time in high school, I aim to achieve an A in every remaining class. I suppose that's a rather boring item on a bucket list but it is what is. I also hope to pass the rest of the AP classes I'm required to take. Again, boring. But the main item on my list is to figure out where I'm going to college. I have next to no idea of which colleges I want to attend, or even apply for, and I'll have to figure that out soon.

College
I hope to do reasonably well in college, but I have no specific goals or things I want to do. I guess I just want to have fun and enjoy everything I do. I wish I could say I had specific goals I want to achieve, but unfortunately I don't think that far ahead. So I guess I'll continue to wing it.

Life
Considering I don't have a clue about a bucket list for college, it's absurd for me to even imagine what I want to do with the rest of my life. Again, the most important thing for me is to enjoy myself, so I guess that's the top priority on my list, boring as it is.

I'll be honest, I've never really liked the idea of a bucket list. Making a plan for what you'll do for fun takes all the fun out of it. There's nothing more boring that knowing exactly what you're going to do for the rest of your life, which is why I think about my life as I'm living it, not before.

Assignment 17- Katherine Henson- Robert Luketic

I am going to review two very different movies by director Robert Luketic, 21 and Legally Blond. Legally Blond is a classic chick flick that stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a ditzy blond who goes to Harvard to win back her ex and becomes a successful lawyer. Elle Woods' innocent and bubbly personality makes the movie enjoyable and fun to watch. Legally Blond and 21 have very different vibes. 21 is about a group of students and a teacher from MIT who count cards in blackjack and frequently go to Vegas to win crazy amounts of money. Because counting cards is illegal, the threat of pit bosses makes this movie an action thriller. Both movies are set at elite Northeastern school, and both put the main character in fish out of water situations. Malibu Barbie at Harvard, and nerd in Las Vegas. However, the direction of Luketic was very different for both movies. I enjoyed and highly recommend both films.

Assignment 17: Tag Howard

This is one of those movies that I had always meant to go see, but never got around to it until I finally saw it on Netflix. After watching it, I wish I had seen it before; with such a convoluted plot that at times I forgot what level the characters were even in. The level of complexity that the writers had to develop to create such a convincing world is what really drew me into the movie as one of the things that I love most in any work of fiction is understanding the world its set in. Therefore one of my big requirements for a good movie is great worldbuilding, something Inception did both literally and figuratively by not outright revealing too many details but still giving us enough to go on the establish a clear idea of the world we are witnessing. Because of that level of development I would definitely call this one of the best and most well developed plotlines I've ever seen/read.

Assignment 17 - William Begley - 1917

On December 25th, the WWI film 1917 came to theaters with an exceptional opening and will likely go down as one of the best movies of the entire year due to not only a great story and incredible acting but some of the most interesting cinematography of any movie in recent memory. 

One of the largest draws to this movie was the news that it was filmed in a “single shot.” This news is not technically true as the movie has dozens of shots but due to the thorough editing, the film appears to play continuously as if filmed in a single take. This allows for a smooth flow of action and plot. 

This film has a plot designed perfectly for this type of cinematography as it follows a journey by two friends tasked to save a group of soldiers that are following faulty information. The two friends, one of which has a brother in the endangered group, trek across no man’s land and then enemy territory in an effort to rescue the company of soldiers.

This films cinematography, that focuses on following the main characters, is only possible with great acting by these main characters. George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman lead the movie and create likeable and deep characters. George MacKay’s character, Lance Corporal Schofield, is one of the most impressive displays of acting talent during this film. MacKay effectively shows the deep brotherhood soldiers share when in similar situations and the lengths they’ll go to in order to help one another.

The Oscar-nominated score for this film was created by Thomas Newman and brings to life many of the otherwise silent scenes in the movie. The score brings together classic war music and slower classical music to create uniquely slow but triumphic tones through the movie. Newman aimed to avoid writing music about the tone of the movie and aimed to instead bring life to the movie. Newman successfully accentuated the single take idea of the film by blending moods and created music that doesn’t get tired as the film proceeds.

Overall, 1917 is a great film that has earned its six academy awards with a good balance of acting, directing, and musical skills.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1917_2019

Assignment 17- Eli Dyer- Frozen 2

Nov 22, after six years, Disney released the long-awaited sequel to Frozen. It’s a well known fact that sequels are almost never better than the original, but Frozen 2 may have achieved equal standing through its excellent soundtrack and innovative humor.

The most iconic and popular song from Frozen, “Let it Go,” instantly stood out among the other songs in the movie. While the other songs weren’t necessarily bad, they were clearly inferior to “Let it Go,” which received mainstream praise, including an Oscar for best song.

The sequel, however, has no song that immediately jumps out at me as the best. However, this is not due to a lack of strong songs, but rather an abundance of strong songs. Foremost among these songs are “Into the Unknown” and “All is Found”, both of which are as good as, if not better than, “Let it Go”.

The thing that surprised me the most about Frozen 2 was how funny it was. Frozen was funny in a childish way, mainly featuring silly jokes from Olaf. Frozen 2, on the other hand, is legitimately one of the funniest Disney movies I’ve ever seen. On numerous occasions, the entire theater would burst into laughter after a comment by Olaf. The difference is that in the new movie, Olaf’s jokes seem to be geared to a larger and older audience, rather than just children.

However, there were downsides to Frozen 2. The excellent songs and humor came at the expense of the plot, which often felt rushed. The whole thing felt somewhat contrived and coincidental. There were several scenarios where the plot seemed to advance too quickly at the expense of the watcher’s understanding.

However, the slightly lackluster plot didn’t interfere too much with the overall movie, as the plot was never meant to be the defining feature. Due to the sequel’s superiority in humor and music, it seems to be a slightly better movie overall, but definitely a more entertaining one.

Movies such as Frozen 2 have achieved such support from the teen audience due to the nostalgia factor. These animated Disney musicals are similar to movies released in the 2000s and earlier, and remind teens today of what it was like to be a kid.

Assignment 19 - Ethan Scott - Advice From my Father

The best advice I’ve ever heard comes from my father. When I’m going through rough times or great times my father always reminds me that “things are never as good as they seem and things are never as bad as they seem ''. This advice not only helps me stay humble for when everything in life seems to be going right. What I find really helpful though is the other half of the phrase which helps remind me that when things are tough they could always be worse and that my perspective on the situation is probably worse than the reality due to how I feel in the moment and my overall perception of the situation. This advice had helped me many times throughout my life and it is something I hope to pass on to my friends and future family as well. I will always cherish this bit of advice and I know it will continue to help in the future.

Assignment 18 - Ethan Scott - Buckets!

For my high school bucket list item I want to perform a solo trumpet recital. I have already performed trumpet solos twice for solo and ensemble festivals but to have my own recital as a high school student would be an incredible experience and honor to me. Before I’m out of college I want to travel out of the country, it’s always been something I’ve wanted to do as the large majority of my traveling has been only to Florida since I have so much family there. I would also like to travel out of the country before I begin a career because once you are out of college life seems to become very limited in terms of what you can do outside of your home life. Lastly before I die I would like to travel to Alaska. I’ve always been very intrigued by the state of Alaska due to its beautiful vast wilderness and strangely its isolation compared to the typical tourist locations.

Assignment 17 - Ethan Scott - 1917: More than a movie

1917. Not only was it an incredible war film but it was a film about brotherhood, sacrifice, and perseverance. Going into the movie I had heard many great things about not only the story but the incredible cinematography as well so I knew to expect a good film but it turned out much better than I expected. From beginning to end the suspense of the characters creeping through corridors and Schofield running from Germans, Sam Mendez captivated my attention and left me wholly invested in the plot. If I had to choose my favorite moment from the movie it would easily be the the moving rendition of Wayfaring Stranger as Schofield finally found the Devons, this scene gave me chills and an emotional experience unlike any other a movie has given me before. Overall this movie was one of the best I have seen in years and left me in awe multiple times.

Assignment 17- Madison Underwood- Everything Everything... But Nothing Lives Up to the Book

Throughout middle school, and to this day, one of my favorite guilty-pleasure books is Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. It is the epitome of a sappy teen romance- the kind that builds unreasonably high expectations in middle schoolers walking into high school. In 2017, this book was released as a movie and I just so happened to get around to finally watching it! I reread the book over winter break and, today, mustered up the motivation to sit through an entire movie (which is something I have trouble doing with such a short attention span). While my neighbor loved the movie, she had not had the pleasure of experiencing the story with the enhancements of her imagination as I had through reading the book first. Don't get me wrong, I loved the way that some scenes were brought to life with added animations and inserted text, but some of the book's most memorable moments were failed to be incorporated into the movie's plot. The general premise of the story is that a girl is diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) at a young age after the death of her father and brother and begins to fall in love with her new next door neighbor. The book created a relationship between Maddie (the main character) and her nurse, Carla, that was underdeveloped in the movie. Moreover, the movie had Carla's daughter befriending Maddie which not only never took place in the book, but also takes away from the feeling of isolation that Maddie felt which is vital to the plot of the story. Overall, I would definitely recommend reading the book, but despite my criticisms of the movie, I would also recommend watching the movie for a nice escape from reality.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/everything_everything_2017

Assignment 19 - Thanks, Dad - Jordan Grady

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received was from my dad. I’ve always been a planner. From a young age, I found myself planning out my future - where I’d go to college, what career path I’d take, even what my house would look like. Despite all of this, as I’ve matured and my interests have changed, it has been worrisome coming to the realization that no amount of planning in the world will prepare you for the course you will end up taking. While discussing this realization and my fears of college, the future, etcetera, my dad explained to me that no matter what the decisions are, they’re yours, and you have to make the best out of them. In other words, tread lightly, yet don’t be overly cautious because regardless, everything will sort itself out. Keeping this in mind, it’s easier to leave the future in the hands of fate, knowing that worrying about making missteps will only prevent me from making the right ones.

Assignment 18 - Bucket List - Jordan Grady

1. High School - academics, academics, academics

Like most of us, I hope to finish high school with straight A’s, improve my ACT score, and get into the right college for me. These goals seem attainable, however, I haven't exactly narrowed my interests career/ schooling wise for after graduation, which makes my third bucket list item a little more difficult. 

2. College - find new interests, friends, and experiences

Though it's been said time and time again, I try to live with no regrets. Throughout my time in college, I hope to study something I truly enjoy. In addition, I’d like to find new friends and try to prioritize both school and a social life. With the impending doom of submitting college applications, it’s hard to do so at this point in my life, but I hope to find a healthy balance between the two in the future.

3. Life - travel

Later in my life, I hope to be able to travel all around the world. Getting to see and experiences foreign places and cultures will always be a #1 priority on my bucket list, and I hope that throughout my life I will be able to spend lots of time doing so.

Assignment 17 - Greta Gerwig was snubbed, change my mind - Jordan Grady

One of my favorite movies of the past year has to be Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women. From the scenery to the costumes to the lighting choices, everything about this movie encapsulated the book's core concepts of personal growth and familial support. If you are unfamiliar with the premise of the book/film, I'd briefly summarize it as the journey of four young sisters - Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy - discovering themselves as they grow up in a time where women’s prospects were limited. (SPOILERS) What I most appreciated about this adaptation was how human the characters came across. Sure, Jo may have had a deep, platonic love for her neighbor Laurie, but during the scene in which he proposes, Jo isn’t afraid to hold back on how she feels, describing herself as homely, awkward, and unfit to be a wife during a time when being a wife meant to silence her creativity, her dreams, and to live a lie knowing that she didn’t reciprocate Laurie’s feelings. Similar to Jo’s proud sense of individualism, I also enjoyed witnessing the different dynamics between characters as the years passed. I found Jo and Amy’s sisterly quarrels quite amusing and relatable, as were the many other relationships in this story. Overall, I feel as though this interpretation managed to bring such a beloved story to life in ways past adaptations failed due to how deeply personal and relatable the plot came across. 10/10, would watch again.

Assignment 17- Hayden Caldwell- Movie Review

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games

In elementary and middle school I was captivated by the dystopian fiction of the Hunger Games novels and couldn’t wait to see the movies when I heard they were coming out. Fortunately, this one lived up to my high expectations. Not only was the movie interesting and fast paced throughout, but it kept to the plot line of the book well, a major pitfall of many films riding the coattails of best-selling novels. This allows the saga to continue smoothly just as it did in the novels, setting up sequels nicely. Jennifer Lawrence did an excellent job portraying the teenage emotions of a young Katniss. Her dramatic reactions not only represented the outrageous circumstances she was in but also the apparent lack of emotional maturity of a character such as Katniss. The costumes were spectacular, especially the those of the citizens of the Capitol. The characters looked exactly as I envisioned them from the book. Overall this film nails the action and drama from the first book in the trilogy.

Assignment 22- Abby Shadwick- Perfect College Fit

Colgate, Colgate, Colgate. You are the top choice for me. When I was young, all I wanted was to go big. Big volleyball, big school, etc. But as I grew and matured, I realized that was not ideal. My personality could get lost in a huge school, and it would be difficult to find "my people". I thrive on close knit relationships, always seeking one or two true and meaningful friendships over 10 shallow relationships. That's why your size, Colgate, just under 3,000 is perfect for me. I also can't forget my future teammates, who are comparable to built in best friends. In addition, your opportunities are unmatched. Internships, study abroad, volunteer work galore. In my future, I want to enter into ministry and become a missionary. That's why it is so important to me to travel the world and learn about different cultures.

Assignment #17 - Andrea Dubon - movies!!

Sorry about spoilers but they weren't that difficult to spot. While i may be a tv show person i do enjoy the occasional movie so this was fun to do. The genre i picked was horror, specifically the movies "happy death day" and "Get out". Horror i feel is a hard genre to get into because everything's either been done or budgets aren't big enough to execute good ideas. From both these movies i was attracted because of their individuality in concepts. However i only ended up enjoying one, Get out. With happy death day i only went because of the hype it got on the internet and because i wanted to prove a hunch i had on the killer to my dad. The plot is basically this college girl who is forced to repeat the same day after being killed by a masked figure. The main character is forced to relive this day being repeatedly killed in different ways unless she can figure out the identity of her killer.(SPOILER)
My theory with horror is pay attention to the trailers, and from trailer i got that it was her roommate cause she was the only repeated action in her days and its a cliche that the killer is the first person you think it is. Sadly i was correct therefore this movie didn't meet my expectations for surprise, Get out however did. With get out the movie begins with the multiple disappearances of black men in a suburban town leading to the introduction of the main character( a black man) and his white girlfriend. The main character then goes to the town under the guise of visiting her family where he finds out the truth of what had been happening to those men. While the general ending to this movie was well established, from the reoccurring scenes of racism from the towns people, the movie still managed to leave everyone in the theater with a sense of shock at every event that unfolded. So while these two movies did attempt at a new twist to general concepts of fear i think that Get Out executed it in a more lasting way than Happy Death day did because of the shock factor it provided and the real life events it included.
i'm not good with links but i think i did it.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/978568323/

Assignment #19 - Andrea Dubon - advice?

The matter of the fact is that not everyone has you as a priority, and thats fine, but if you see yourself putting more into the relationship than the other person then it's a good time to rethink your priorities. Now i'd love to say that i have a really cool backstory for hearing this or even that i was told this by someone i really respect but honestly i got this scrolling through twitter and its proven to be really useful for me so here it is,"Not everyone will give back the same energy you give them". Corny as it may be it has helped me get by some questionable people and friendships. By "energy" I don't mean your less touchy friends not being hug people the way you are cause those types of things differ between people. But if your the one who always reaches out or plans things for the group then that's when you should know things are off. Cause one thing's universal among people. silence. If they really wanted to they'd do it. If they really wanted to reach out then they'd send a text or call you. If they really wanted to hang out, they'd plan something. Frankly life's too short for half(you know the word i wanna use)butt-ed friendships, so have i left some group chats dry? yes. Have i unfollowed childhood friends? yes. Cause at the end of the day overexerting myself for people who wouldn't do the same stopped being my priority. So while twitter may still be considered a platform for watching celebrity feuds and dog videos it has provided me with some very helpful advice that for whatever reason has stuck in my head and has made my life significantly better.

Assignment #18 - Andrea Dubon - Bucketlists

Well obviously the top of the list would be getting into college and passing high schools with reasonable grades but other than that by the end of high school i'd like to learn how to ride a longboard. From my understanding it's basically just a bigger skateboard but since i don't know how to do that either so that'll be a challenge. I don't have a clear plan on doing this but i always have william as a last resort but hopefully tiktok and youtube will do the trick.

Now with college comes freedom, and for me that'll mean the freedom and time to learn asl. I just think it would be a really good skill to have since it's so versatile for jobs but as of now i have zero time to commit to it the way i would like. Hopefully by the end of college i'll show some semblance of fluency or at least being able to properly comprehend it.

For life in general i think i'd like to say that I've built a house. Where? i don't really know maybe here, or in honduras, or maybe another country. Just to clarify i do not mean build it by hand cause that will definitely not happen but i would like to be involved in planning it out.

Assignment 19- The Words of a Role Model- Hayden Caldwell

In elementary school, my favorite class was always gym. Not just because I’ve always been an active person who can’t stand sitting still for long, or because I have always had an unrivaled passion for sports. My gym teacher in elementary school was a woman by the name of Mrs. Duckwall, and she was the kindest person you’ll ever meet. She enjoyed having fun with her students and her class always provided a break from the constant stress elementary school me felt about schoolwork and social stuff (trust me young Hayden, it only gets harder from there). When I first found out she was retiring at the end of my 4th grade year, I was devastated. I couldn’t imagine an entire school year without seeing Mrs. Duckwall at least once a week. She was someone I always looked up to. That is exactly why when she pulled me aside on the last day of school before she left her words stuck with me to this day. She told me to keep on smiling and continue working hard and that she saw lots of potential in me. It meant so much to me to see someone I looked up to validate what I was doing at a young age. I have always tried to keep her advice in mind with whatever I do because nothing beats a smile and a good work ethic.

Assignment 18- Katelyn Rowell- My Bucket List

High School:

-general academic stuff 

-gut my room

-go on one trip with friends

-have fun

Like most people, my top goals for highschool concern academics. I want to maintain a 4.0 GPA, improve my ACT score, and pass all my AP tests while keeping up with all my extracurriculars. I’m hoping to get as much money as I can in scholarships, so doing well in school is pretty important. However, at the end of the day, I want to look back knowing I had fun in high school. I don’t want to become consumed by the stress of applying to colleges and never have any time to do something outside of school work. That being said, I hope to go on a trip with my friends before we all graduate and go our separate ways. We’ve brainstormed a couple of ideas, so it would be really cool if we could actually go somewhere together. In addition to these goals, I also want to gut my room before I move out for college. I watched Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix over the break, and I’ve been inspired to purge all my random junk.

College:

-graduate without student loans

-study abroad at least one semester

-make new friends

One of my biggest goals is to graduate college without student loans. The last thing I want to do is go off into the world in debt.  Whether it’s through scholarship money or a co-op program, I’m really hoping to avoid student loans that follow me through life. While I’m at college, I also hope to meet new people and form long-lasting friendships. It would also be amazing if I could study abroad for at least one semester. I’ve always had the itch to travel, so it would be awesome if I had this opportunity.

Life:

-travel 

-write a book

-do a job I love

In my lifetime, I hope to do a lot of traveling. Although I have a lot of places on my bucket list, I especially want to travel to the Greek islands. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to visit there. I think this obsession might have started when I watched Mamma Mia for the first time. Something about the white buildings against the beautiful water has always stuck out in my mind. In addition to traveling, I think it would be cool to write a book. I have no clue what I want to write about or when I plan on writing it. It’s just something I want to accomplish one day. I also want to find a job that I love. I don’t want to spend my career sitting at a desk, counting down the hours until I get to go home. I want to do something I love and look forward to.

Assignment 19 - Peter Marino

I have one piece of advice that I like to think is pretty helpful. Don’t impose your political views on other people and don’t talk about politics in general. While I sometimes break my own code, it is still good to follow. In my opinion, nothing good comes from talking about politics in general unless you are a politician. People will believe what they believe and it is very rare for them to change their opinion just because you regurgitated something Ben Shapiro or Barack Obama said. This piece of advice is especially important for your friends. I would like to believe that most of my friends don’t know what my political stances are. I like it this way. Politics impedes friendships and the last thing I want is to argue with someone over abortion when neither of us could even have an abortion. You may want to argue with people about stuff you don’t even get to vote on, and that’s okay. But think about it long enough so that you know whether or not you care enough to yell at a person when you could just be chilling there.

Assignment 18 - Peter Marino

1. Before I finish High School, I want to have worked at three places at least. Right now, I am working at Cane’s, but I would like to get more experience elsewhere. Working in fast food can give you some real-world experience but it would be nice to have some retail experience as well. It gets kind of boring serving the same four meals over and over again, so I would like to work at other places as well.
2. Before I finish college, one thing I would like to cross off my bucket list is a cross country road trip all the way to the west coast. I have already been to the west coast, but it’s in between that counts. I want to see the grand canyon and how grand it is. I want to see the endless plains in the fly-over states. I think it would be a great experience.
3. Before I check out the grass from underneath there is one big thing I want to do. I want to buy my parents a Cadillac. There’s no particular reason for this. It’s just in an episode of Seinfeld so I thought it’d be funny to do that.

Assignment 17 - Peter Marino

For my movies, I watched Kill Bill Volume one and two. Both movies were written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Being about the same story, the plots of these movies are the same. The plot of both movies is the revenge story of a woman who was beaten to the point of death. She goes on a journey to kill all who wronged her. The first volume is a slower pace than the second volume. When she was beaten, she was also shot in the head. She somehow survived but was in a coma for about four years. She had to recover from muscular dystrophy to be able to get her revenge. Much of the movie is flashbacks and stories about her past as an assassin and her former partners who were the ones who almost killed her. In the movie, she gets her revenge on the two of the main people. In the second volume, there are fewer flashbacks and it is more about her revenge. She goes to any length to be able to kill those who wronged her. This ultimately leads up to her confronting Bill, who is the main person she wants to kill and the one who put a bullet in her head. 

Assignment 19 - Rob Gilligan - Best Advice

One day in fifth grade at AAU basketball practice we were playing very sloppy. We were missing layups, throwing bad passes, and showing a general lack of hustle. It was at that point when one of the coaches yelled at us to get our heads on straight. After one of the players became upset with the coach for yelling at us, he told the team what I consider the best advice I have ever gotten. He said “if a coach is not yelling at you, it means they don’t care about you.” Of course this applies more broadly than just sports and coaches. As someone who often struggles to take criticism from others, I often remind myself that people are only offering criticism because they care about me and what I am doing. Whether I am writing an essay for school, or not trying hard enough at practice, I always remember that everyone around me usually wants the best for me, and want to tell me how to do things the right way. 

Assignment 18 - Rob Gilligan - What do I want to do?

The number one item on my bucket list before I finish high school, is to finish with a 4.0 GPA. So far throughout high school, I have managed to earn an A in every single class in both semesters. I feel like finishing high school with a 4.0 unweighted GPA would be a great representation of my work ethic, and also be quite helpful for applying to colleges. The number one item on my bucket list before finishing college would be to intern with a professional sports team. My dream job is to be the general manager of a professional team, so becoming an intern at one while in college would be a huge step for me to reach my dreams. The number one item on my bucket list for life is to form a happy, loving family. Although this is a broad goal, I feel like a happy family is the mark of a life well lived.

Assignment 17 - Rob Gilligan - A tale of two films

Two films I have watched recently are Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, which were both directed by Quentin Tarantino. Both of these films are laced with some of Tarantino's numerous tropes, but also contain some fundamental differences. To start with the similarities, both of the films contain the obligatory trunk shot that each of his films contains. There is also an impromptu dance number in both, more notably Pulp Fiction’s “twist” scene. Furthermore, the director continues to force shots of feet throughout his films. The most significant similarity is the non-linear plot. Both movies involve different stories that eventually intersect at crucial parts. There is also the similarity that both films star Samuel L. Jackson. A key difference between the two films is, in Jackie Brown, there is a clear protagonist, while in Pulp Fiction, it is not entirely clear who the hero is. Tarantino has always been one of my favorite directors and these films are two of his best. 

Assignment 20 - Averi Ricks

I had to be on crutches for about a month, so I'd say I'm an expert at using them. I'm gonna teach you how to go up and down stairs on them.

Going up:
1. Make sure you're balanced before you start.
2. Bring your good leg up and step on the step.
3. Step and bring your crutches up.
4. Find your balance again.
5. Repeat until you're up the stairs.
Pro tip: Don't try to go fast even if there are people behind you, you'll lose your balance and fall.

Going Down:
1. Make sure you're balanced.
2. Bring the crutches down and put them on the step.
3. Push down into the crutches with your hands (for balance) and step down with your good leg.
4. Find your balance again (going down is kinda scary because it's hard to keep your balance because of gravity so this is very important).
5. Repeat until you're up the stairs.
Pro tip: Don't try to go fast because when you're going down it's A LOT easier to lose your balance and you'll fall (like me :) ).

Proest tip: If you're going up and down skinny stairs (like stairs to a basement) and there's a railing on both sides, don't use your crutches at all, just use the railing, it's a lot easier. If there's only a railing on one side, use a crutch on the side that doesn't have a railing. Remember to go slow, especially on skinny steps, because balance is everything and falling down a flight of stairs is pretty scary.

Assignment 19 - Averi Ricks

Honestly, this might sound really bad, but I can't think of any advice given to me that's stuck my entire life. My dad is always giving me life lessons and advice which is a good thing, but he gives me a lecture about life at least once a day so of course I don't remember everything he tells me. I remember most of it, but there's not one that I use a lot. I usually come up with things on my own to make me feel better and I live by those things. Last year, I would always get super stressed out after every test I took because I felt like I failed it, but then I started telling myself that there's no point in being stressed out because I can't change how I did on it. So on tests I didn't do very well on, I'd just tell myself I can't change the score so I shouldn't be too upset about it. This has made me feel better about tests in school because I don't really stress about them after I take them anymore I just move on to the next thing.

Assignment 17 - Little Women - Averi Ricks

Over the break I saw Little Women and I really liked it. Before I went to see it I didn't look up an overview of it or anything so I had literally no idea what it was about and I pretty confused in the beginning but it was my fault so that's okay. It kept switching between the present and the past and it was kinda playing catch up to the end because the end of the movie was in the present. I really like when movies switch between time tenses to explain the plot because to me it keeps you engaged because you have to pay attention to the timelines to follow along. SPOILER ALERTS. Okay so in the beginning the main character is trying to sell her story which I understood was the actual book and at the end she does sell it but I haven't read the book so I was confused as to how the actual book went like in the book is she also trying to sell the story? Or was that just in the movie? I tried asking multiple people because they've read the book but they didn't understand what I was asking (understandable, I don't know how to phrase the question) so the only way I'll find out is to read the actual book but, I know I'm not gonna do that so I guess I'll never know. I also didn't love the ending because the main character ends up with a person that doesn't have a huge role in the movie because the guy she was supposed to end up with fell in love with her sister because whenever he loved the main character the main character didn't love him but her little sister did and then by the end of the movie the main character realizes she's in love with him but then she finds out he's already engaged to her sister so then she goes after some guy she didn't really like but he liked her. I know that didn't make sense, but what I'm trying to say is that in my opinion, the relationship between the main character and the guy she ends up with wasn't developed enough for her to decide last minute she loves him. So yeah overall I really liked the movie it was just confusing for me at times but I get confused a lot so I can't blame that on the movie.