Christie For Prom King!

Prom. Prom is silly. It's supposed to be 'the highlight of senior year', but it's just a silly dance. I'm sure it'll be a good time and i'm kinda excited about it, but I don't think it's worth all of the hype and the money put into it. I wonder if now that Governor Christie is destroying everything else in school, he'll take away the funding for prom as well. Hmm, let's get into that a little, shall we? This man, Mr. Chris Christie, is our new Governor of New Jersey. I don't know all of the details, but what I've heard from teachers and students is that he is making a whole big mess in our area. I go to a good school. It's a nice public school in a good district, with good teachers and good programs. The terms that Christie is putting into effect are about to make my school a not-so-good one. Why is he doing it? Why is he attacking education, when that is clearly one of the most necessary structures in our society? I'd like to meet him, talk to him, try to understand his reasoning because right now it just looks silly. Why would someone vote for him? I have yet to meet someone who is happy with what he is doing. If everyone is upset about what he's doing...then why is he our governor? Why didn't they see this coming in his campaigns and speeches? It's just really sad for our teachers. Today was the day that 'pink slips' went out to the teachers, meaning that they do not have a job in this school next year. Most of the teachers that have been teaching for less than five years are not returning next year. Those teachers are for the most part the best teachers that I have had thus far in. The really sad part is that I know of several teachers that left a tenured position at another school to come to my school, and now since they don't have tenure at this school, they're fired. It's terrible. Technically it doesn't affect me because this is my last year in high school, but I still feel like something needs to be done. I really want to interview this guy. I'm interested in knowing what he's really thinking about this. Is he really a cold-hearted, money-obsessed man? Or is he just a guy trying to do what he feels is best for his state? I'd like to tell him how much this is hurting our schools and our lives even. I have friends that now have no source of income for next year, because their parents are teachers and now no longer have a job. I don't know that I really dislike the man, because I feel like I can't judge him when I've never even seen him speak. But I really don't agree with the things he's doing and I feel as though he needs to be told by someone directly affected, just how difficult things are becoming. Education is not a thing to waste, Mr. Christie.

Don't Wait For Someone To Tell You It's Too Late, 'Cause These Are The Best Days.

Senior Trip is over. All five hundred and thirty-something students returned late last night from a four day trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Through plane delays, oil leaks, rainy days, sore legs, waiting in line, and sunburn...It was one of the best trips of my life. So many things went wrong, but it lead to so many funny stories. I was sitting on the plane last night watching the sun set above the clouds and just kept thinking how amazingly blessed I am to be having this experience. I was surrounded by all of my friends, laughing and yelling and singing and being silly, and I just kept thinking man, these are the best days. I'm young and I'm going to be graduating soon and I've got all these friends and all these opportunities and nothing is wrong. I'm starting to realize how little time I have left here as a senior in this town, and I'm not wasting any time being upset or stressed out. "Let's make the best of tonight, here comes the rest of our lives."

Moon Over Bourbon Street

Alright, now about my experience in New Orleans. My group left from Mississippi to New Orleans on the last day in the south. I had never been to New Orleans, but my sister had and I remember her 'warning' me about a street called Bourbon street. For those of you that don't know, New Orleans is like a huge party. There are tons of bars and clubs and rambunctious people scattering the streets, and it's a really fun upbeat atmosphere. However, no one could have adequately prepared me for Bourbon street. When we started walking, I was thinking oh, this is cool, I like all the balconies that line the street. But little did I know that those balconies are used as pedestals to throw beads off of to passerbys below. So I was walking down Bourbon street with the guys in my group, and I see scantily dressed prostitutes advertising themselves in the doorways of buildings, and photos of sexual activities in the windows of buildings, and it's just like a crazy sex-driven street. I didn't even know that was allowed! If women were to expose themselves on the street in my town, they'd probably get arrested. But in New Orleans it was like eh, no big deal, it happens. My mom just kept saying 'sarah, it's bourbon street, that's the way it is'. And so after already being a bit freaked out, I'm walking and all the sudden beads get thrown at me. So I look up at the man who threw them at me and he shouts "Let's see what you look like naked!!"
Like...how does a person respond to that?! I just stood there with my mouth open, trying to decide what to do. Run away? Yell at him? Pretend it never happened? In hindsight, it really wasn't a big deal, and it made for a good story later on. But at the time, I just wanted to hit that guy. Like why would he think that that is an acceptable thing to say to a female walking down the street?
Only on Bourbon Street.

Em Eye Ess Ess Eye Ess Ess Eye Pea Pea Eye.

So, I just got back from my spring vacation. I went with nine adults and three teenage boys to Mississippi to help with the hurricane relief. It's crazy to think that five years after Hurricane Katrina, the gulf coast of Mississippi is still in desperate need of relief. We worked with an organization called Habitat for Humanity, which takes volunteers and puts them on work sites to build new houses for people in need. It was such an awesome experience, working for Habitat. Not only did I feel accomplished after learning how to assemble and construct a wall frame, I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. It's a great way to meet people from all over the world and hear their stories and what motivates them to spend their free time helping people that they don't even know. When I asked a teen boy why he chose to spend his spring break away from home on a construction site, he shrugged and said "I feel like my life is so much about me, it's cool to do something for someone else." Good answer, eh? It made me think, how much of my life do I spend on me, thinking about me? The majority of it, I'd say. It opened my eyes to the reason I was there and why I loved to volunteer. There are people all over this world that are in need of help, and volunteering to give them adequate and safe shelter makes their struggles greatly reduced. So many people say that one person can change the world, and it's so true. It doesn't take loads of money or perfect skills or extraordinary people, it just takes normal people, like you and me. I feel as though living your life in a way to help others is one of the best ways a person can spend their time. Over the course of the week I met a woman from India, a man from England, a group of boys from Kentucky, and men and women from Mississippi. It's really cool to see people devoted to making a difference in the lives of strangers at no benefit to them. Love is not lost.

Sexting

I think it's funny that everything in a teenager's life revolves around technology. Even being intimate with a boyfriend or girlfriend has been transferred onto technology. But, what's not so funny, is what's going on in the technology. Sexting. Honestly it just grosses me out. Nothing on cell phones or on the internet is ever private- so why would someone risk it? I don't understand why a teenager would take a naked picture of themself and then send it somewhere and expect it not to get around. That is pornography. It's interesting that the families of the teenagers who have taken the photos defend the teens, saying that they're just kids, they don't mean any harm. Well, imagine being that fourteen year old girl after a naked picture of her was sent to every phone in her high school class. No harm done? Yeah, right. They're just kids, they need to learn that they can't do that. They need to know the dangers and the consequences for their actions. About the case in Nebraska- I don't really know how I feel about it. An eighteen year old guy sent a sexual picture to his 14 year old female friend who requested it, and now that boy is registered as a sex offender. So all his life he is going to be looked at as a pedophile because he sexted a willing friend. I think that being registered as a sex offender is too harsh in this scenario. I do believe, however, that this boy should be punished and held accountable, but not to this degree.

That's What Faith Can Do.

Today both of my parents took me aside and told me while crying that a family member heard about how I was in a dilemma about college and so they decided that they want to loan me the money for my college tuition to Gordon. I can't even express how much this gesture means to me. After being so unsure and terrified and upset about what college to go to, this feels like a miracle. After praying about this and feeling like no one heard how upset and scared I was about it, I feel really thankful to realize that God hears me and He's taking care of me.

it Never To Helps To Hear That Things Will Be Okay

A senior girl died yesterday, from my school district. I didn't know her, never met her. I can't even imagine what these students are feeling. She was eighteen years old, just eighteen. We graduate in three months. This is supposed to be one of the best times of our lives, the end of senior year. And now, this girl...she'll never go to her senior prom, never go to graduation, never go to college, never have all the experiences that I complain about. I feel so guilty for complaining about college and school and prom when I am so lucky to be breathing right now. I think it's time to start realizing that no one is entitled to a long life, no one is entitled to life at all. This could be the end, so don't waste it. I wish that the students of this school didn't have to mourn yet another death, and I wish there was something that could be said or done to help the people I know that are hurting over this...but there isn't. I really don't know what else to say.