Class of 2016

     There are only 5 days until my graduation....5 days stand between me and my next step in my life!

I feel like it was not that long ago that I was sitting in my kindergarten classroom learning about the pilgrims around Thanksgiving and dressing up in colonial wear with big buckles on our shoes. Wasn't just last week my first day of middle school? I was a scared 6th grader, walking into a large unknown building, with my older sister by my side leading me to my first class. 

And now, its all coming to an end. My journey from a Sherwood Superstar to a Carver Cougar and now a Parkview Viking has been very rewarding, confusing, and emotional. But now I am beyond ready to start college and get into the profession I have been interested in for so long. There won't be the same kids I grew up with all around me anymore, or the familiar faces of the teachers who have taught me for 4 years. Now, I'll have strange professors, and fellow students from all over the world.

This fall, I will be going to The University of Arkansas, majoring in political science/Pre-law. I might be minoring in criminal justice, but I haven't decided on that yet. Next week, I pick my dorm and my roommate. It's all happening so fast but I have been waiting for this for 13 years, and I couldn't be more excited! It still hasn't sunk in that I'll be moving away from the familiarity of Springfield in 3 short months. My life is about to change pretty drastically! I won't be able to call my dog's name when I get home from class, and hear the jingle of his collar as he runs up to me. I won't be able to just walk into my parent's room and talk to my mom face to face. I won't be able to just drive from one side of town to the other and know the streets and side roads by heart. I won't be able to call up my best friend and tell her that "I'm on my way over, lets hang out girl."
Deep down, I know that I am ready for the change and I will adapt well to Fayetteville, but I also know that not seeing my mom and dad everyday, not seeing my dog, not being able to hangout with my best friend whenever I want.....is going to be hard.

My cap and tassel are hanging on my dresser, and my gown is ironed in my closet. By this time next week, I will be a graduated Springfield Public Schools student! It seriously doesn't feel real yet. 

"What would you do?"

     I think watching these episodes of "What would you do?" is an interesting insight into our societal and cultural norms. It shows us how people react to everyday situations. Our faith in humanity is either let down or restored after watching these.
     The episode with the male couple and the pregnant woman made me very angry. This person in the diner with them thought that she could just intrude on their business. No, that is not okay, and what was going on between the couple and the mother was none of her concern. She was trying to persuade the mom to not give her baby to a same-sex couple, just because of her personal opinion on homosexuality. If two people (or maybe even one person)-regardless of age, gender, relationship status, culture, or identity- are willing and able to take care of a baby, then who is to say no?? This lady was just sticking her nose in their lives and that is one of my pet peeves.
     If I were to get pregnant right now, I have full confidence that I couldn't give it the life it deserved and I would probably want to give it away. I don't have the financial capacity to provide for it. If a male couple or a woman couple were wanting to adopt it then I wouldn't have any problem with it. Some might call this being non-discriminatory, but I call it being humane.

紓緩

       I loved having the MSU exchange students here at Parkview! In our group, we only had one student named DouDou. She is majoring in wine making, which I didn't even know was a major!
My word was "relaxed" and in pinyin it is "fang song do".
DouDou was really excited to see our school, since this was her first time in an American high school. We took her to the theater, showed her the animals in the science classroom, and even took her to the wood shop class. She looked kinda terrified at all the power tools in that room, so we left quickly! We also showed her the darkroom up in the photography room, and she really thought that was cool. I asked her how going to MSU was different than her school in China. She replied saying "less pressure on us from the teachers, and we have more freedom in between classes."
She added all of our group on facebook, so we can still keep in contact with her!

           I hope they can all come back and visit us soon before the seniors graduate! I would like to get to know some other of the exchange students too. 

1984- a metaphor

"Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time."

It is really hard to explain this book, so I took the description right from the Barnes and Noble website, haha. Reading this was an extraordinary experience. Once I finished it, I was overwhelmed with thoughts about how screwed up our society is. I think that is exactly what George Orwell was wanting when readers were done. I like to study political theories...and this is a work of political fiction. Imagine a government that is trying to limit you range of thought by creating a language where forming an opinion is impossible. Horrible, right?? That is the reality for Winston, the main character.

Overall, this book is an 11 out of 10 and along with recommending this book, I'm going to suggest you read Animal Farm by George Orwell if you didn't sophomore year.

Color

Haikus

ginger peach is warm

the color of a sunset

smooth, fuzzy, and bright

honey nut maple

crunchy like the golden leaves

burned like a candle

autumn harvest moon

pumpkins and thanksgiving time

color of a squash pie

Acrostic 

"Backcountry Green"

Backpacking

Along

Cliffs

Kayaking

Canals

On

Utah's

Natural

Territories

Rigorous

Yellowstone

Great

Ravines

Entice

Exploring

Nature

My thoughts on color...

Colors are more than just what you literally see with your two eyes. There can be deep stories behind a color, your own personal significance to it, and when you look back at the color it takes you back. I personally love all the colors in nature. Purple flowers, green grass and trees, blue skies, orange sunsets, white clouds, and turquoise waters. Color is all around us, you just have to stop and look sometimes. Take in the beauty of color that God created. For me, light blue is a significant color to me. It reminds me of my room at the house I grew up in. It was the color I chose after getting tired of my "pink princess" room. It marked a transition in my childhood of growing up, I was no longer playing with dolls or playing dress-up, I was doing homework and playing sports. Thus, I chose a light blue that was peaceful, calming, and grown up.

Object Inspired writing

My pearl ring is one of my most prized possessions. I wear this ring every single day, I’m kind of too scared to take it off. It has a special meaning to me since I was given it by my grandmother. Once she passes away, it will hold even more of a special meaning. I remember the day that I was looking through her jewelry, like I often did, and came across this ring. I really like pearls and so I asked her if I could wear it. She ended up telling me to just keep it. The top of the pearl has lost some of its luster, but it’s still beautiful! I get compliments almost everyday on the ring and it makes me really happy. The pearl is surrounded by 3 diamonds on either side and it all rests on the gold ring. I would really like to restore the shine to the top since that would bring it back to its original state when I got it, but I don’t know how! If you have any tips, let me know! My grandma is the best woman I know. She is the matriarch of our family, always keeping us in line at family gatherings! Her full name is Bonnie Bell Bennett Price, and I plan on getting “bonniebell” tattooed on me someday to pay homage to her. She will be 87 this year, and has lived an extraordinary life. She bounces back from injuries quicker than myself! Every time I look at the ring, I am reminded of her beauty, grace, and bravery.

101 things about me...

1. My middle name is Jayne, named after the Jayhawks
2. I will be 19 on September 3rd
3. Born in Shawnee, Kansas
4. I have a pitbull/boxer named Cooper
5. My favorite color is navy
6. I am above average height and I love it
7. I love sushi
8. Kai and Panera are my favorite restaurants 
9. Zios is another favorite restaurant
10. I like roadtrips
11. I have to have coffee everyday
12. I prefer Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks
13. I have a tattoo of a globe and the word 'explore' on my shoulder
14. My next tattoo will be something with arrows
15. I have lived in Springfield since I was in kindergarten
16. I LOVE to travel
17. I went to Chicago over Christmas break
18. My favorite baseball team is the Royals
19. My favorite basketball team is the Kansas Jayhawks
20. I am very close with my mom
21. I'm going to be majoring in political science
22. I was waitlisted at my dream school, Georgetown University
23. I'm waiting to hear back from Vanderbilt and Florida State
24. I was accepted to U of Arkansas
25. If everything goes as planned, I will end up working/living in Washington, DC.
26. I oversleep a lot
27. I'm currently watching That 70s Show again on Netflix
28. I have 7 ear piercings
29. My favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio
30. My favorite actresses are Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway
31. I wear a pearl ring everyday given to me by my grandmother
32. I met Vanilla Ice on the street in New York City 
33. I want to go to Europe
34. I am really interested in the death of Kurt Cobain, I believe that he did not commit suicide. 
35. Nirvana is one of my favorite bands 
36. I like crime shows and watch them almost everyday
37. I protect my phone like a newborn child
38. I love to be outdoors (hiking, kayaking, swimming)
39. Table Rock Lake is the one of the best places in Missouri
40. I resemble my mother a lot
41. I like all types of music 
42. The perfume I wear everyday is Ralph Lauren 'romance'
43. I have an older sister who is 20 and a younger brother who is 13
44. I don't like being a middle child
45. I'm saving up for spring break and summer vacations
46. I don't like not having nail polish on my nails
47. Bath and Body works candles are one of my favorite things
48. My closet is color coded
49. My hair is really thick
50. I like wearing fuzzy socks
51. I've worked at outback steakhouse since October
52. Pumpkin flavored things are really really good
53. I am Native American
54. My heritage can be traced back to Chief Bowles of the Cherokee tribe
55. I like to shop
56. I'm on Parkview's speech and debate team
57. I've been in the choir since sophomore year
58. Mr Grega is one of my favorite people
59. I have really bad vision
60. I wish I would have graduated at semester
61. Law, government and politics are my specialties
62. I carry around a 'pocket law dictionary' 
63. I'm late to school a lot
64. I wish I could have lived in the 70s and 80s
65. I don't like the cold
66. Summer and Fall are my favorite seasons
67. I can't wait to leave springfield
68. I have 7 ear piercings 
69. I want a husky 
70. I'm thinking about being a nanny this summer before I leave for college
71. I drive a Volvo
72. A t-shirt and nike running shorts is probably my favorite outfit
73. I hate tomatoes and onions
74. I really love Kansas City
75. I like to wear watches
76. I don't know if I want to have children
77. I'd like to live in London for at least a year of my life
78. I go over my data limit every month
79. My planner is very important to me
80. I have my read receipts turned on
81. I love Law and Order SVU
82. Dexter is one of my favorite shows and I've watched it 3 times through on Netflix
83. One day I want a lake house and a beach house
84. I'm really bad at procrastinating
85. I have been to Los Angeles and Hollywood
86. I like to do yoga
87. It's bittersweet thinking about graduation
88. I find myself spending hours on Pinterest 
89. I own many monogrammed items
90. I'm overjoyed that tomorrow is my first senior snow day
91. I either want to bungee jump or skydive before I die, or both!
92. I HATE math
93. Hockey is my favorite sport to watch
94. My eyes are hazel
95. I got my tonsils taken out December 2014
96. I can't fall asleep without it being completely dark and silent
97. I am really excited to vote
98. In my ideal world, I get to stay up late and sleep in late
99. My favorite subject is History and English
100. I wish i could play the guitar
101. I miss playing volleyball