Grade Request Update-Mr. Nic

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that I have read all of your columns and will be emailing you tomorrow with your grades. It has taken me longer than anticipated to read and assess all of your columns, but I can say that on the whole they have been wonderful and I think that most of you will be happy with the grade that you receive. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them, all 110 columns! In the future, so that we can continue to do these assignments with some regularity and so that you can share your writing with your classmates and in turn read their work, but so that I can continue to maintain some semblance of a life outside of school (yes, teachers have a life too!) I will read and comment on the columns, but will not assess them. You will get the full points for writing them, as you did with your first writing assignment about your essence. You will still get assessed on your unit papers as well as the occasional in class essays that we will do, now that you have tables to write on. This way we can continue to write on our blogs and you can do so without worrying about your grade, you can write for the pleasure of writing and sharing your incredibly insightful and mature opinions with me and with each other.
Mr. Nic

upps :O

the one below is mine :)

zola

Music,Music, Music

To me music is not only a combination of rhythm, beat, and very talented people, but it is a feeling of emotion. Music to me is important in my culture because it often soothes my everyday stress. Each and every song played brings to mind a memory, a dream, an ambition, or a hope. For example, when I listen to an upbeat song about friends, I often find myself thinking of a school dance or a happy friendship, while at the same time I try my attempt at a few cool head shakes with simultaneously moving my feet (talent). Music’s culture to me will always be chilling with the cool crowd. No matter what, music will always be “in”. Not only is music important to me and the people that surround me, but also to people all over that I don’t know and whom don’t know me .
To me and to many others, music is much more then just a song. Music in my mind is always a story or a part of a story that, is almost always, inspirational. Music is the art of sound. When I think of the culture of music I often think of life, because really without life music would not exist and really either would we. Anyway because of the mess ups, tragedies, revivals and love (etcetera), that are included in life, music is what it is. To me the life in music is really what makes it so great. Music shows the imperfections of human life in the most perfect ways possible. Naturally when thinking of the life of music I lead myself into thinking about my life, and how lucky I am to have the people I know in my life.
Music’s culture of being, is not only one that brings joy to my feet when it gives me the urge to dance, but it also brings and adds joy to the time I spend with my friends and family. The joy of music carry’s emotion that none can bring to the table. Music helps me to walk to my own beat, free of judgment, and in a world of my own, where my soul and mind can become carefree. Music’s beat and bounce impacts my life through the emotion it inspires within me, whether it be of happy or of sad. I will always love music, it is one of the only things in life that will never fail me.

One Proud Teacher

I just wanted to take a quick moment to commend all of you for the time, effort, passion, creativity, and energy that you have put into this assignment. I had high expectations for this, but you have exceeded even those, and I just want to say how proud I am to be able to work with you, and how much I am looking forward to this school year. I will be reading through the columns and comments that you all posted over the next few days, and hope to be caught up on my reading and grading by the end of the week.

I will discuss in class how you will be graded on these, and I do take some time to grade them as I read and reread them carefully, so be patient with me as I know I don’t get you immediate feedback. What I lack in timeliness I will try to make up for with depth in my assessment of your writing.

Remember, I am looking for, in order of importance, the quality of your ideas, your writing style, and the fundamentals of your writing. In other words, what you have to say, how you say it, and that you say it in the proper fashion. I really enjoy reading good creative writing, and to that end I welcome you to challenge yourself and to try different things with your writing. I would rather you take some risks and fall short than to play it safe and give me the standard 5 paragraph AIMS essay, and I will take all that into account when grading and assessing you.

Again, thank you for being such wonderful students and for giving so much of yourselves. I will always do everything I can to live up to the challenge and the honor of being one of your teachers here at ASA.

Mr. Nic

Elements of Culture

Throughout history, we have adjusted our culture through the addition, subtraction, and evolution of certain elements. These adjustments affect all of us. In my life, I have found three cultural elements without my life would be exceedingly dull. Those three are music, school, and friendship.

To me, music serves as a sanctuary. I can retreat into a small corner or the top bunk of my bed with my Ipod just to escape life. There I will listen to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, even The Lion King soundtrack, just to get away from the world. I begin, end, and spend much of the time in between with my music. Finally, music serves me spiritually. Through music, I can reach my soul. I can feel it and let the music reach the deep corners of my mind.

Part of my accessibility to music, however, is due to school. School is my preparation for the future. Whatever I will need later in life I can obtain at school. Not only is it my preparation for the future, it is the representation of the future. It serves as a reflection of life, for in life you must work hard and learn from your mistakes in order to obtain a reward that you cannot see. Only when you are near the finish do you realize what great a reward it was and only then can you see the reward you have been given. One of the greatest gifts you obtain from school, however, is the random things you pick up on the way.

Some of those random things are not things at all, but people. These random people, or to be exact, friends, are the third element of my culture. My friends are my allies, who see me through my tough fights. They make my life and my learning fun by sharing it; replacing the “me” with “we.” They are also my guides, leading me into the social world. With them I can get away from my troubles for a time, and without them I would not be who I am.

These three elements of music, school, and friends make up a large portion of my culture. I use these elements as tools to get through life with the preparation, the support and the peaceful mind it takes to survive. In other words, they are my connection to my mind, my world, and the people around me.

Gabbie's Essay

The culture of the United States of America is formed by numerous factors, such
as literature, language, and even cuisine. Nevertheless, the element that I believe is most
crucial to any culture is the music that is from that country. America’s music reflects on
the country’s multi- ethnic population. Rock, hip-hop, rap, country, jazz, and techno are
only a few styles that show how all sorts of people from divergent ethnic groups listen to
either the same of different types of music. Furthermore, music impacts the lives of the
American people by expressing feelings that its citizens can relate to.

Music that is created from the United States of America usually associates itself with the aspects of America’s social and culture identity, which includes the conditions that various ethnic groups go through. For instance, most rap music illustrates the brutal hardships that the majority of lower class communities cope with. On the other hand, country music is primarily linked to the blissful memories of an artist’s geographic identity. An example is the song, “Sweet Home Alabama,” the lyrics of this song is specifically about the artist’s pleasant memories of his childhood in his home town. The economic, social, and of course, ethnic groups separate and classify American music into consisting a mixture of audience members as well as creating contrasting styles of music.

In addition, music is the universal language for mankind. Now this may sound a ittle cliché, but it bluntly is the truth. Artists communicate their beliefs or something they are passionate about through music. Instead of writing a speech; singers write lyrics, add a rhythm, and let their voice be heard! Moreover, this is exactly how music impacts people’s lives. Disparate styles of music communicates to different types of people. In fact, for some people, music even influences their political and religious beliefs. Artists express their feelings through music, people connect with that emotion or experience and enjoy the song. For instance, when someone has a dreadful day they may put on a soothing song to make them self feel more at ease or just simply for comfort. Music also impacts people’s lives because it is constantly heard. Whether you are listening to the
radio, watching a movie, or hearing somebody hmm a tune, music is all around. If you hear something repeatedly in your daily life, then soon enough it becomes a habit. For example, if practically every song you hear has a negative statement on the society you live, then most likely you will gradually believe that the culture that you live in is repulsive. Artists express their experiences through music, people connect with the song, and sometimes it even brings people together!

The United States of America is a diverse culture with countless factors that define what it precisely is. The element of music reflects on country’s multi- ethnic population and shows how America’s music relates to not only its own people, but the
worlds. After all, music is the universal language for mankind!

Culture of Music

One subject that defines America is the musical culture. Over the centuries, music has changed from different musicality to different styles. My favorite style is rock. Music is my passion, and the type of music I listen to defines me. There are many people out there that believe classic rock is the only music out there. They believe that some music styles such as rap, hip-hop, and alternative are all crap (excuse my French but it’s the truth). There are many other people that listen to rap, hip-hop, etc. and believe that classic rock is something of the past. Then there are people that listen to a little bit of everything and respect all styles of music. I am one of those people.
Music can describe the culture of a nation or time period. Between 1825 and 1900, there was a period called the Romantic period. It was named that because the music had a romantic turn and was supposed to make you cry because of the emphasis the composers put into it. Music defined that era of time because of what an impact it had o the world.
As of today, rock and the other music styles I mentioned earlier have not impacted the world as much as orchestras have. There is a part of me that says that orchestras will still impact the world, but rock music and other styles will impact it even more than they have today. As technology gets better, and more techniques discovered for the instruments, the styles of my generation can only have a greater impact.
In my opinion, what you listen to is a part of what defines you. Just like how it’s not the inside that counts, it’s your actions that people take notice to that count (yay for Batman Begins). When you listen to hip-hop and pop, you try to keep up with all the latest fashions. When you listen to classic rock, you tend to refer to back to the 60s and 70s for inspiration. When you listen to alternative, you don’t care what others think about you and if they don’t like it, who cares. These are just some of the styles of music that can impact a person’s life.
To end my blog, I just wanted to ask a question about whatever happened to MTV andVH1. Those channels used to be giving tour updates, interviews with bands, and nonstop music videos. Now it seems that all that’s on is publicity stunts such as “Parental Control” and other shows. Please write comments…

FuzzyWuzzicans

Elements of Culture

A major part of culture today is language, communication is essential to how a society functions. America has affected almost all other cultures, English being the most spoken language in the world, but we often overlook is how other cultures affect our own. Some people immigrate to America and bring their culture with them, others come to distance themselves from their own cultures and adopt the American one. There are two people in my life that are examples of both of these, my Grandma, who immigrated here from Germany about thirty years ago, and my close friend Elvisa who came with her family to escape the war.
Elvisa immigrated to America with her mother, father, and brother 10 years ago to escape the war in Bosnia Herzegovina. Elvisa learned English quickly; it was required for her to speak fluently for school. Her parents on the other hand never fully learned to speak English because they never had to. When Elvisa’s family came to America, they joined the large Bosnian community in Arizona that was formed mostly by refugees. These communities are all over America, formed by many different immigrants. Because of these communities, many immigrants, such as Elvisa’s family, do not feel the need to learn English because they live and get jobs within their own community. Because of this, Elvisa has grown up speaking English at school and with her friends, while speaking Bosnian at home with her family.
In contrast to Elvisa’s situation, when my Grandma immigrated to America, there was no German community to belong to. For my Grandma, it was very important for her children to assimilate in to the American culture, so when my mother struggled to learn English, my Grandma stopped speaking German in their home. My Grandma speaks five different languages; she learned two from different parts of Germany, French, English, and Spanish. I myself grew up learning about German and French culture by the languages, through books and songs, without ever speaking either language.
America is a melting pot of all different cultures. Just as America has affected all other cultures, all other cultures have affected America. For example, it is now more useful to speak Spanish as a second language in America. Even within the American culture, language differentiates based on things such as location, family, or ethnicity. Culture is an extremely broad topic, but language is an essential aspect, without language, we would not all communicate differently, and that is what makes our cultures unique.
-shelby

Literature: My Escape to Other Worlds

Looking at the list of things to write about, I found it extremely difficult to pick a topic. There are so many things in life that I feel an immense amount of passion for, and to pick one or two things is almost torturous. What made me finally decide is when I realized that almost every one of those subjects fit in to literature in one way or another. When reading a book, you can encounter many different aspects of life, which is why I love reading so much. Another thing I love about reading is the way that a book can be so entirely fictional, so much that there is no possible way that it could be real, yet the reader still finds themselves rapped up in the world of the book. The last thing that I love about reading is that there are so many different types of books, and they can fit all moods of life. It is nice to escape from the world and find yourself in another, whether you like the unreal world because it is perfect or because it makes you feel better about yourself. Reading is the perfect solution to every one of my problems.

Although people rarely think of it, it is not the books themselves that readers must give credit to but the authors behind them. This statement seems incredibly obvious now, but if you are anything like me, you will find that while sucked in to the world of a fabulous book, you think nothing of the writers, but you simply imagine that the book is real in its entirety. The ironic thing about this is that the greater the author, the less a reader credits that author. I say this because the better the book, the more you are enveloped in nothing but the book, and you don't want to think about the mechanics behind it. However, if the novel is poorly written, it is extremely hard for a reader to lose themselves in it. So when you think about, being a good author must be extremely emotionally unrewarding.

Although everything I have said in this assignment is something that I find interesting, the most intriguing thing to me is that a good author can make you believe something that you would have never believed before. I'm not just talking about the plots of the stories, but the political and religious ideas as well. For example, if a good author wrote a book in the perspective of a murderer, if that author wanted to, they could make the reader feel sympathy for someone who would otherwise be shunned. For those of you who are movie lovers and can relate better to that, think of the movie series “Hannibal”. In this movie, the viewer can't help but feel sympathy for the brutal murderer. The same things can be portrayed in novels.

Taking all of these things in to consideration, I can't help but have enormous pleasure in reading books. Whether it be horror or fantasy, sci-fi or action, I love to read and my passion for books will never stop.

Affixed to Music

Listening to a well composed piece of music is something very close to state of euphoria to me. Every time I listen to a song I hear something different. It’s easy to pick out and isolate different elements that are interesting to follow. Honestly, I could count music as a hobby of mine. It’s interesting and fun to search for and find all new genres, bands, and songs. It sort of feel likes something I collect. I really like adding any song I enjoy to my ever expanding library of music, which is currently over one thousand different songs. I must have already spent over two-hundred and fifty dollars in iTunes gift cards this year! I even find some kind of twisted joy in organizing my music, keep in mind I am generally not an organized person. I like to look up and learn the lyrics to any song I hear that really grabs me. Sometimes singing along to those lyrics can be enough to send butterflies into my stomach.
The music that I’m listening to sets the mood to what ever I’m doing. I’ve created a couple playlists that I use depending on my mood. For example, one is titled “love love” and another is titled “SCREAM”, I have fun with my titles. Music is always there to cheer me up, get me motivated, or calm me down. When I’m all by myself I can just turn on a song that relates to whatever I’m having issues about, something that I’m sure will brighten my mood, or even something with a load of screaming to help me chill out. The worst though is when I put all of my music on shuffle. My already unpredictable mood becomes even more turbulent! It’s a little amusing really.
I take every chance I get to listen to the music I love. I’m listening to music as I type this! In the morning it wakes me up, and while I’m getting ready it helps me stay awake. When ever I get in the car I’m sure to have my iPod with me, to keep me entertained on boring drives. I listen to music while I read, use my computer, do homework, and when I fall asleep. Whenever I’m not listening to music I’ll usually think of a song I discovered recently or start singing one of my favorites.
As you can see music is one of my passions in life. The ultimate would definitely be creating music to make people all over the world as happy as I am.

-Sabrina

“Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.”–Helen Keller
Literature is the base of our culture. In fact, it has been documented as early as 2600 BCE (Before Common Era), which means that people have been trying to teach and learn different aspects of life through writing for over 4,500 years. People can learn many things through the miracle of literature, anything from cooking, history or even just some good old-fashion fiction.
While I think that literature is an amazing aspect of our everyday lives, some people disagree. Some people think that other aspects of our culture are taking over/replacing literature. They would rather watch the movie instead of reading the book, or they will pick up Cliffs Notes instead of a classic novel. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that Cliffs Notes can help you to understand a book, but it will never replace the novel.
So far I have been talking about how literature contributes to our society, but now I am going to talk about how it affects my life. Very few things can make me as happy as I get when I am reading, maybe some sunflowers, or a really rainy thundering night. But it’s a rare occurrence when all three can happen at the same time. Those nights are when I feel the happiest, when I have the pleasure of looking at the words of literary geniuses and smelling the sweetness of some sunflowers and listening the beauty of thunder and raindrops hitting the roof. Those nights are the memories I cherish the most. The nights where I am alone but I am not lonely because I feel comfort in the books.
Growing up I learned to read when I was three, and this allowed me to read multiple books every night until I was old enough to read larger and more difficult books. Even as my reading level grew I continued with the tradition of reading every night. So for me literature is not just an escape from my crazy life, but a reminder of my childhood when life was a little easier. As a kid you do not have to worry about whether or not you look pretty, and you do not have to deal with emotional pain because you don’t truly understand what is happening. Yet even as a young adult, I find that when I don’t want to deal with all the insanity I can just retreat into an easier time.

-Emily

Music: The Center of My Universe.

I have a bad feeling that out of the some 22 people in my history class that have to write this paper, 20 of them are going to choose to write about music. But when I think about it, this would be because we all have this in common. After all, we do go to an arts school. So I figure, what the heck, this time I will go with my first choice. Music is not just a part of my life. It is not something I do in my spare time. It is the center of my universe.
It seems that I always have a song stuck in my head, and where ever I may be, I want to sing it. I sing at the most random times and places, and honestly, I don't care who hears me. There is a song for everything; every situation, mood, thought, word. Anyone can relate to music. Thats why I love it so much. It's amazing to think that out of the 12 notes and limited rhythms we are given to work with; billions of songs have resulted from it. (Though, as one may discover, several songs have the same basic chords of "Pachabels Canon in D"). There are so many different genres, it is an incredibly universal subject. It is a way for human beings to connect. Back when we didn't have television, radio, or MTV, ancient humans would dance around a camp fire beating drums, playing hand made instruments, singing, and chanting. Music was not discovered, it is a part of our DNA.
I believe music is something that can't be analyzed, you can't really go wrong (I'm talking melodies, not lyrics). I have discovered that alot of people say, "I hate the lyrics. But I like the melody." This is because it isn't really possible to hate a melody. Lyrics can make a song have more of an impact on us. Whether that be relating to the words, hating the words, dissagreeing with the words; lyrics, or poetry, can create songs that have more meaning to us. (However, I find that whether or not you think it, you can relate to a song with no lyrics).
Music is a huge part of our culture. We have thousands of magazines dedicated to it, several artists that devote their lives to it, we have charts, number one hits, myspace profiles, and people who make it big because they "kissed a girl". Sure, there may be songs we don't like. Yes, there are songs that everyone has heard. But everyone can relate to music in some way, everyone has a favorite song. I have never once in my lifetime heard someone say, "I hate all music." and if I did, I would smack them across the face, have a serious chat with them, then give them an iPod with all the music in the world and say, "Sit down and listen until you find something you like." Because whether or not we realize it, there is a genre, a song, and an artist for everyone.
-Sierra

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

Over the last decade, our culture has experienced the greatest and most anticipated series in literature; indeed, a book that everyone can relate to. Harry Potter is the boy wizard who rocked the world, and changed the way we look at literature. Though some people think badly about the Harry Potter books, notable people who believe that it is simply a children's book, it has changed my life dramatically.

First of all, Harry has inspired me to no end. He sparked my imagination, without which I would never be able to write as I do, nor compose music with the passion I have. I am so grateful to not only Harry, but to Jo Rowling, because whenever I crack open a Potter book, its contents spill into me without hesitation or preamble and the words Jo has combined in the elegance only she can induce send my imagination a crystal picture of what happens in Harry's world.

Secondly, the corresponding movies have brought those images that are in my mind to life, so that I am only able to thank what the fantastic team of cast and crew alike have done. Though the movies have disappointed me thoroughly, the things that have been created are beyond what I could ever have invisioned for them. I believe that Potter films, though slightly inaccurate representations of the saga, have a rightful place in history alongside the books.

Finally, in has been the massive fandom surrouding this series that has truly impressed me of everything they have added to the series. Notable people in the fandom are Steve Vander Ark, head of the Harry Potter lexicon (www.hp-lexicon.info), Melissa Anneli, webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron (www.the-leaky-cauldron.org), and Emerson Spartz of Mugglenet (mugglenet.com). Potter fanfiction and fanart is a huge part of the fandom, and express variation upon the world Jo has created. Don't even get me started on Wizard Rock, and how much time I've laughed myself stupid listening to it.

I love Harry Potter for the unique phenomenon it has created in history. It has captivated the world, and I find that incredibly inspirational.

Music to My Ears

There are very few things in life that I enjoy more than music. Time spent with loved ones, a fiery sunrise, a peaceful sunset, and a big old tuna sandwich on sourdough are a few, but music is one of my favorite things to experience. When I listen to good music I am taken away to another place, I become almost oblivious to my surroundings. Whether I’m in my car banging out the drum solo on the steering wheel or strumming the guitar line on my center consul, or at the gym with my iPod and mouthing the lyrics while keeping time with my feet, I get to a place where I don’t even care if people are looking at me funny or what they even think because I’m in the middle of a great tune and nobody can touch me.

Some songs bring back memories of certain times in my life, sometimes sad memories but mostly great ones, as my life has been made up of mostly wonderful people and great experiences. I can hear a song and it will take me back to a certain time and place, usually accompanied by a big smile on my face as I remember high school days spent cruising up the esplanade at the beach at sunset, or sitting in my buddy’s car in front of my house, him doing the lead and me doing the backup vocals.

When I hear great music I get emotional. I get goose bumps at some music, and some music is just so good that it brings tears to my eyes. Not because I’m sad, but the opposite, I just feel so good to be alive and so fortunate that it humbles me and brings tears streaming down my face, and I’m old enough that I don’t care anymore if that seems unmanly so I just let them fall. I also come to tears at movies, plays, and musicals, again not even at a usual tear jerker moment, like when Old Yeller died or when ET wanted to go home, but just when something moves me.

My tastes in music have expanded over the years, but I still love all of the musical styles that I have been exposed to since I first fell in love with music as a little kid. When I was only 2 or 3 years old I used to listen to my record player so much that as a punishment my parents would take my record player away. It did the trick because I didn’t want that punishment again.

Growing up my parents made a decision to not have a TV in the house, so in addition to reading a lot, I spent countless hours in my room, lying on the floor and listening to my albums and to the radio, which back in the days before corporate radio dominated the airwaves was really enjoyable. From Elvis Presley records that I listened to and Sam Cooke records that my grandparents had in their collection when I was a pre-schooler, to heavy metal, which I started listening to in junior high, to new wave or alternative music that I listened to in high school, to the classic rock that I got turned on to in college, to jazz which I also fell in love with in college, to classical music that I used to listen to when studying for exams but have come to greatly appreciate in recent years at any time, to opera, which I fell in love with only last December watching the performance of La Boehme at the Orpheum theatre, music is something that enriches my life and gives me great pleasure, and it is something that will always be a major part of who I am.

The Oblivious Cook

Sometime in you're life you might meet a professional chef, one who does the fancy casual toss of the frying pan where the food does a neat ten-foot summer-salt in the air and pipes buttercream roses on a wedding cake in less than five minutes. They'll say, "Oh, me? I’m a cook.” With a slight smug grin or an air of superiority. Of course, not all cooks are like that, in fact, most everyone is oblivious to themselves. It could be a TV dinner or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, people around the world have taken it upon themselves to take food and create something out of it.
To me cooking doesn’t have to be fancy, but it also isn’t made incredibly easy to make myself feel better. No, I love to cook and bake, and find food more enjoyable when you work for it. Not that it wouldn’t be cool to learn how to toss something in a frying pan and have it actually land back in the pan; It’s comfortable to know that across the world people are learning more about enjoying food and other types of it in their own kitchen.
I like to learn of other countries traditions of cooking and eating, and attempt to cook it as well. Different food has been spread around the world, coming to new parts of the continents and sharing their culture with new and curious people. Then that food is altered to the new country’s liking, tweaking it here and taking something out there because we don’t want to use that in the stew lets use something else . . . until eventually it is re-mastered and deemed a fast-food chain restaurant. Good-bye originals it’s the twenty-first century. Again this is just one of the many options that could happen in our world today, and that is another form of cooking that is fast and reliable for people on the go. People now have a better understanding of what kind of food is out there, and have more options of what to make their own food out of, although it isn’t very good for countries to rely on other countries for imported foods, If something were to happen to one of the exporting countries.
At times it’s easier to follow the direct and exact measurements of a recipe when cooking, and at other times to be creative and add whimsical and random ingredients of your own. Either way I like to cook anything I find interesting, tasty, or new. I think that when you can cook, you can also do it with anything in you life. Adding different ingredients to make one whole thing is what many people do on a daily basis obliviously.

Welcome to Dance Mania!

In today's culture you'll find the music lovers, the computer freaks, and the video game nerds. Today however, they will not be mentioned, instead, I want to talk about the dancers. You'll find this group at their studio twenty to thirty hours a week, but many ask "why do you keep going?" and " you must be really tired?". The truth is in your culture we like to be in front of something, to have someone do something for us, but dancers we just want to move. So we might get tired and we might just cry because we're injured, but everyday we wake up hoping that the first class was dance class. Not to say that we don't ever have our bad days when we get angry because our triples aren't perfect, but that's what makes it challenging, you can never be perfect at it. Dance can sometimes be a negative part of our culture because it can distort your image of beauty. You can watch a dancer like me who doesn't have a ballet body, but I dance from my heart and hope that I can portray the story the music is telling me. Then you can see a dancer who is the typical ballet body, but her heart is not in it. The dancer with no heart has an easy task to fix, put your heart in your dancing. The other dancer has a task that can eat her up inside, her body type. This flaw in dance can bring about the worst in people, but if you dance for you, you'll find that no one can take away your passion and heart for this athletic art form. Dance can also give a child confidence, make them feel all special inside. If you start at a very young age, like me for example I started when I was 2 and a half. I loved to be the kid who did something different. When other kids went home to play outside, I was at dance class learning discipline and structure. When people asked me what I was doing everyday I'd proudly say, I go to dance class. That's the other thing about dance, like any other sport or art it takes a lot of sacrifice. I've gone to only two of the middle school dances, I've never been to one cafe or diner night, and I rarely hangout with my friends on the weekends or after school. So maybe you don't get to see your out dance friends a lot, but if you ask any dancer about their friends at dance, they'll say their like their family. You can tell them your secrets; you get them Christmas gifts, stuff like that. You probably sped as much time with your dance family as you do your real family. If you were to ask a dancer "why do you keep going?" They'll sigh and say..." I don't know what to do without dance it's my heart, my soul, and my life."

- Ashley

dance, DaNcE, DANCE!

Dance is my number one all time favorite thing to do, mostly for two reasons. One is because I dance 20 hours a week, sometimes even more. The second reason is because when I watch a dancer, whether it be modern, ballet, or jazz, I get so inspired it makes me want to get up on stage and dance myself. Also when I see someone perform it makes me wonder if I can do what they are doing. Thus, I try everything I see. Sometimes it isn’t the best for me but I still get inspired. I wish I could see a ballet every week because most of the time, I really don’t believe in myself, and when I see a dancer do something it makes me believe I can do anything I put my mind to. It inspires me to work harder and do more. And when I’m in that type of mood, there is no stopping me.
Something I find funny about dance is people see a ballerina do echappe, pirouettes, pique pirouettes, brise en avant, grand cabriole, pique arabesque, penchee, and releves in attitude and say that it’s easy, when really it isn’t. Most people probably don’t even know how to pronounce half of those words. Dancing is something that takes years of training and is much harder than it may seem. And that is another reason I love to dance. Because dancing is such a challenge, (not just to me but everyone, at least at one point) and I like a challenge, I love it even more. Not everyone can dance. It is my whole life. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not the best dancer in my class. When I dance, I dance for me. Not because the teacher wants me to do something but because I want to do it. When I dance I feel like I can do anything, and I feel free. Without dance I feel as if I have nothing to do in life. It’s such a big part of who I am, I don’t know what I would do without it. I have so much passion for dance I hope to do it for the rest of my life. And the next time you see a ballerina do a triple pirouette and think it’s easy, you better think again.

*(Miss)Information*

Elements of Culture

Movies probably are 50% of me, people who know me know that if I have movies and a DVD player I'm content. I love movies, most of my summer I was watching movies and getting more. I can't really describe what it is that I love about movies, they're just part of me. My first movie that I've seen has to be The Lion King. And to me that was the best movie ever. My parents didn't understand it but then again neither can I. To me movies or being in the movie business would be very exciting. Working alongside great actors would mean everything to me. Whenever I watch a movie, I do what call braking it down, I try to figure out what the theme is or when I watch mysteries what happened. When I watched Casino Royale I probably watched that movie 5 times, trying to brake it down. I could start imagining how a sequel could be made. With most of my favorite movies I form sequels, for example the Bourne Series, ever since the Bourne Ultimatum came out I have been thinking about the sequel and what ideas I had about it. Movies aren't just a bunch of dramatic actor and a director, they are a bunch of dramatic actors a director and with a story to tell. most of the movies I watch I don't like. Elizabethtown (too moody)was not my favorite movie, as well as Napolean Dynamite(lame plot) and others. Some of my favorites are The Bourne movies, TRANSFORMERS, Titanic, the Matrix(interesting plot) and others. I love the classics. Some of my favorite actors are Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Jet Li (his kung fu is awesome!!!) eath Ledger R.I.P. Very good acting acting in the Dark Knight)George Clooney (Oceans 11,12,13) Bernie Mac R.I.P (Funny) the list continues. My favorite directors are Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy/ Ultimatum) Steven Sodeberg, and George Clooney etc. My favorite actresses, Angelina Jolie (awesome in Tomb Raider) Joan Allen, Julia Roberts (great actress)etc. There are jobs in the movie business that are interesting to me, such as movie composers, they have one of the coolest jobs to me. Writing scores for movies seems so hard and they make it so easy. My favorites are John Williams(Star Wars) John Powell(Bourne and Jumper)Hans Zimmer(Pirates of the Carribean), and Steve Jablonsky (Transformers). All of their music is really good. I could just talk endlessly about movies and movie music.

I don't think I've met anyone who loves movies as much as I do : )

-Optimus Prime

Culture Shock

"Be home by dinner!" Does this sound familiar? It was a common rule in the seventies for many American households. A teenager would leave the house and the parents would have no idea where they were or what they were doing until they came home for supper. But soon, this rule was shifted.

In the nineties, a child would no longer be able to roam the streets. In fact, it was soon scorned upon by neighbors to see a teenager out on the street without parental supervision. As the public became more aware of the crime in their neighborhoods the rule was dropped and a new rule put in.

"No leaving the house by yourself and without me knowing where you're going!" This rule is known by all the children in the twenty-first century. Today, children are kept on a tight leash and are not allowed to roam out of sight for fear of what may lie around the next corner. This unfortunate belief is because as time progressed and money was spent by the government, houses for the mentally unstable were closed and all of the people who lived there were turned out onto the streets. Now, those people roam the streets and can't afford their medications. They are forced to carry objects for protection, sell drugs, or steal and pawn to get money to survive. As a result of it all, the crime rates have increased.

The sudden change of what was thought to be safe became a lifestyle for everyone. It has been the subject of fights between parents and children for many years and probably will be for many years to come. But the question still stands, should children be trusted to take care of themselves on the street and is there any place safe enough to roam? The answer is yes and no. If teenagers are armed with knowledge about drugs, alcohol, homeless, and strangers, then the common sense needed to understand what to do in the situation is known. But the information should not stop there, children should know about every danger and risk to be able to face the streets. But a companion on the streets such as a big dog or another friend always adds the security to be confident and allows the parent to relax as well.

The freedom to roam is a skill and a privilege. If students are forced to stay at home they will never gain the knowledge needed to safely face the streets when their older. Teenagers will plan ways to get out of the house. Most of which the parents won't like. So letting the student learn how to be safe when their young allows for a safer student and a happier family.
~classic_rock311

You Are What You Eat

In my eyes food is everything. There is a saying that we are what we eat. What do you eat…? Food brings people together; people can make a profession of it, it makes people feel really good, and on top of all it keeps us, as humans, alive. Real food is everything positive, if it is not abused. It’s all the senses combined. You can taste food; you can touch it, smell it, hear it, and of course see it. My mom owns a restaurant. So that is one of my other reasons why food is a really large portion of my life. 

 My mom, Jennifer, owns a restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, the Mandala Tearoom. It’s an all organic and vegan restaurant, tearoom, and elixir bar.

 Organic is now a rarity of most food in the modern world because the food industries have been consumed in greed and money. They want to produce larger portions and more quantities, so they grow with chemicals to keep bugs and insects off.  Produce is sprayed with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Dairy cows, pigs and chickens are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics. Some even genetically modify which is controversial to how it affects our health. I don’t think people are meant to eat chemicals. Organic is the most pure of foods and it tastes 100 times better.

 I my self am neither vegan nor vegetarian. But, I fully believe and understand the mental and physical reasons why people follow this life style. Some people believe that it is not moral to eat another leaving creature, some people believe in eating really healthy, and some are just allergic to a certain range of foods so they decide to just become vegan or vegetarian. There are different classifications of Vegetarianism. Some eat some fish, eggs, or dairy once in a while for protein. Veganism is the most rigid life style. To be vegan means to not eat any animal products at all. That includes; red meat, pork, chicken, fish, and all animal products such as cheese, milk, butter, and eggs. The strictest of vegans do not use leather or even eat honey, because in fact it is an animal product.

 Even though you may not think that organic is better for your health, or that it is tastier, it is proven that the chemicals, pesticides, hormones, synthetic fertilizers, and mass meat production harm the farmers, the land, the water supply, the ozone, and mother earth.  

Diego

Elements of Culture Instructions-Mr. Nicholas

Here are your instructions for the assignment, in case the time we spent at the end of class wasn’t sufficient to explain what I am looking for.

Choose one or more of the elements of culture that were listed on the board, the list includes the following elements: food, language, literature, movies, music, dance, television, theatre, sports, video games, school, family, friends, fashion, religion. If there is another element that you think would fit this list that you want to write about please do so. If you are unsure, email me and I can let you know what I think. I will try to check my email a few times both Saturday and Sunday. If you have any general questions about the assignment, feel free to ask via email as well.

The main thing is that this is your impression of what the element(s) you choose means to you. How does it impact your life, and how does it add to your experience of the world. Explain what it is and why it matters to you, why you enjoy it or why it is important to you.
There are no right or wrong answers for this assignment, as with much of the writing that you will do for our class. Do not stress about getting it perfect, especially on your first try. While you will be assessed on what you write, one assignment will not make or break your grade, and I don’t expect perfection. So take it easy, think about what you want to say, and then start writing, trust that the right words will come as you begin the process. Just as when you perform a piece of music, or a dance, or a play, you have to trust yourself and get into the moment without worrying about things beyond your control, such as how the audience will react, or how your teacher will respond.

As far as your assessment does go, I am looking for the content and quality of your ideas, the style with which you present them, and the fundamentals, such as spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. I am grading you then as follows, three parts content, two parts style, and one part fundamentals.

I look forward to reading your columns and to discussing your ideas next week in class. Happy writing!

Mr.Nicholas

Welcome to our Class Blog

This site will serve as a place for our class to post a variety of writing assignments that we will partake in during this school year. I believe that writing is a fundamental skill for all students to excel at, and just as when you are performing a musical piece, a dance, or a play in front of an audience, when you write for an audience it sharpens your performance. There is something about knowing that people are watching, listening, or in our case reading what you have to say that motivates you to think more carefully about what you want to say and as importantly how you say it.

I want you to be creative in your writing, try new techniques and styles, don’t be afraid to voice strong opinions about issues when you have them, but always be able to back up your assertions with hard evidence. You should also not be afraid to stay neutral on topics when you don’t have a strong opinion, or when you can see both sides of an issue and are on the fence. Above all, be true to yourself in your writing, develop your own voice and your own unique style, be concise and stay focused on your task at hand. Most importantly, write often and write well, like with any skill the more you practice it well, the better you will become at it. Read good writing and try to emulate what you think works, taking the best of what you experience and synthesizing it to create your own style.

I look forward to reading your columns and pieces, and to seeing how you progress over the school year, and for those of you who are 9th graders and continue on at ASA, over the next two years. Tell your friends and family to read your writing and leave comments, and I encourage you to read each other’s work and to offer comments, praise, and constructive criticism, as all of this will only help to make you a better writer, a better communicator, and ultimately a more well-rounded human being and engaged citizen of the world. Happy writing!

Sincerely,
Mr. Nicholas