Fifth Sponsor Meeting

Yesterday I went to go see Mr. Barna and Ms. Rearick for my fifth official meeting. Last week I couldn't go because Mr. Levitan came down from New York to tell us about our presentations. When I got there I told Ms. Rearick about my answers from one of the advisors, that I had gotten right before I left the school. My handwriting looked like chicken scratch because I was interviewing Maggi instead of Hoopes because I knew Maggi had more experience with prom organizing (and because I didn't have time to look for Hoopes). Maggi had given me really good answers that could help give my article more 'umph', so I was really glad that I had decided to interview Maggi instead. Ms. Rearick said that my hasty handwriting was fine because she knows from experience how it is to get down every single word that a person is saying. I remember her saying something about shorthand but I couldn't really make out what she said. She also asked me when my prom was and when I told her, she said that it could be a problem because it's so late (it's May 29). She told me that I could write my article in my p.o.v. but it would have to wait until after my prom and it would be in a column (which is soo cool!). When she found my notes on the computer, which is conveniently named "Prom Notes", I had gotten right to work with typing up my answers. While I was doing that, Mr. Barna had to leave because of some emergency, which I believe it was a family one but I'm not too sure on that. After I got finished, there wasn't anything left for me to do since Mr. Barna had left and didn't give me anymore instructions to continue on with my progress, so Ms. Rearick said I could leave, so I did. I still need to interview a student about prom, but I'm trying to think of a student that I don't talk to much that had gone to prom before, instead of asking the juniors. It's going to be a little tough but I can manage.

To The Beach!

This past weekend, I went to Wildwood beach with the Softball team, the manager TJ, and Sam. We had decided to go in the middle of last week, and made plans with everyone to go if we didn't have practice on Saturday, which we didn't luckily. So we all met up at the Super Wawa on the White Horse Pike at left once everyone had gotten something to eat and some gas. I was in the car with Aliccia, so we were the first car leading the way, and when we were on the highway we left Jamie and Natalie way behind us! It was so crazy because Aliccia said she was driving "slow" which wasn't very slow at all but they finally caught up to us and we were all on our way (together) to the beach. When we got there we had a lot of fun. We played football and named our different teams. My team, or better yet Sam's team because she was captain, we named ourselves K.I.D.S, which stands for Keep It Deadly Son (or whatever other word that sounds cool and starts with an S). Aliccia's team was called The Untouchables, which was true because they didn't catch the ball at all. We stayed there for a while longer, waiting for Tina, Kasey and Ashley, who was still in Lindenwold because Tina had a job fair. A little while later, these college guys from La Salle University, came to the beach and we kind of hung out with them for a while until Ron and them came. Finally Tina and the others had came and when they got there, we were starting to pack up and leave! It was getting cold along the beach and so we all got redressed and took pictures to give to Maggi for the senior thing. After that we had packed up and left after exchanging goodbyes with our friends. I had a lot of fun that day and I'm glad that I went with them.

Old Childhood Memories

Today, all of my friends brought in old pictures from the Middle School years and the Elementary School years and it was soo hilarious! I've seen people in my first grade and second grade classes that I did even know was in there! Like Bosh and Sam P, people that I thought I met in like eighth grade, but in truth I've known them for like all of my life, which really surprises me. It was so funny seeing people that look so mature and older now, and see them as young kids. For example, Bob DiClementi, seeing him in first grade, with his big glasses and pointy ears! He looked like a little goblin but in an adorable way. Danny Mitchell, I've known him for a while so it wasn't as surprising but he still looked soo cute as a little boy. The ones who brought in the pictures was Abby and Bonvincent and even Saraphina brought in pictures from middle school with her. I, myself, brought in pictures from freshman year, when Mrs. Bubb's class went to DC on that English trip, and two pictures from my first sleepover. In one of them, Quiana was there and she looked so much smaller from how she is now, and younger of course. Her boobs were still bigger than the average fourth grader but they aren't as big as they are now. Haha. It's just so weird seeing everyone so young when they look completely different from how they looked then but still the same now. I called everyone I saw "baby" whoever, because of the fact that they were so young but we were all so cute at that age! When we were reminiscing I kind of wanted to go back to those days when everything was so much more simpler and we didn't have very many worries except for the "deadly cooties", which weren't very deadly at all. But now that I think about it, even though I miss them I'm glad that I went through everything that I did and learned from them. I know that I'll always have these memories but it's time to make more new and exciting ones in the future.

Mr. Levitan's Visit

Two days ago, Mr. Levitan and his companion Mr. Paul, came to our school to tell us more about the end-of-the-year presentation regarding our projects. They told us to be prepared by studying and practicing with our mentors before our presentations, gather as much data as we can, and to catch up on our blogs/journals as soon as possible. They told us to start figuring out what we are going to say during our presentations because we have to fill at least a 45 minute spot. The only problem is is that I'm afraid I won't be able to get as much stuff to take up 45 minutes. I could probably only take up at least 25 minutes to a half an hour just by saying everything I went through during this time. But now that I think about it, I could probably fill up that hour by focusing on my journey to get where I am. They said that we could focus on two main categories, so if I focus on my journey and my progress with becoming a better writer, I could probably take up the whole hour and have to need more time. I could take pictures and show them to everyone, tell them of my failure of as a fiction writer at the moment but then tell them how I was enlightened with the discovery of the joys of journalism. Anything! I'm kind of scared to do this presentation, or that I might not have enough material to fill an hour, but I'm going to try my hardest.

Fourth Sponsor Meeting

Last week, when I went to go see my sponsor, I received a bit of a surprise when I arrived there. The woman, whose seat I was occupying, finally came back to work after about two weeks of being M.I.A. Her name was Kristie Rearick, and she was the head of the "Prom" department. We were introduced, and Mr. Barna told me that Ms. Rearick would help me out if I needed it. However, the angle that I was going for, which was Prom Weekend, came to an end when Mr. Barna wanted me to start focusing on the cost angle of proms. He wanted me to find out the total costs of proms, and if proms were more a business instead of a fun thing. I was to come up with questions to ask and call a lady from the Delsea School District and ask her questions about ow Delsea's prom is, where it is located, how much did it cost them, how many tickets do they sell, etc. And surprisingly they were good questions and I received really good answers. I was told to also ask one of the people in charge of my prom and I decided on Hoopes because she is my first period teacher. And I had to ask a student about how much did/will they spend on prom, which includes hair, nails, transportation, dresses, shoes, tuxes, tickets, everything that comes with prom. I'm a little bit more excited to write this article each day.

Letter To Mrs. Carroll

Dear Mrs. Carroll,

As the end of the school year quickly approaches, the pressure of choosing a project for Senior Project has rained down upon us. Many of the students in the class have chosen a project that has reflected their time spent observing and getting hands-on experience during those times. My own project, however, does not reflect the time spent with my sponsor because I do not have the same amount of experience as the others do. I have just found my sponsor, only about 4 weeks ago, and I do not have much experience with the journalism world. However, my project is a written one, given to me by my sponsor, but I decided to use it as a product of my project, if that makes much sense. I am going to write an article, given to me by my sponsor, about Prom. He gave me this assignment, told me to choose an angle, and the angle I’ve decided to go for is the cost of Prom. There isn’t much visual details that will make you awed but I hope that my writing skills will be good enough to make the English teachers cry with joy. My project is unique and separate from the others because it is a written project, and it helps me improve my writing abilities as well as my problem with deadlines. This will fit into my presentation because I will be spending my time at a newspaper office, honing my skills as a writer, and I will accomplish something I’ve never thought of doing before. I never wanted to be a journalist, thinking that the things that they write about wasn’t for me, but the more time I spend there, the more I get excited about writing this article, and the more I start to feel that journalism might be for me.

When I complete this project, I will come out with better writing skills and more appreciative of deadlines. I hope to learn how to write better by being around those who love to write just as much as I do. I have already started my research for the project, interviewing fellow high school students about their experiences and thoughts on Prom Weekend. My sponsor, who is the editor, will be the main person helping me do my project. I still have my mentor helping me, and some of the journalists who work there, helping me as well, so I feel that this article should be a good one. I anticipate very few obstacles in my way because I have so many people helping me do my project. But I feel as though, I, myself, will be the main obstacle in my finishing of the project, but with a lot of help, I will get it done.

Sincerely,
Brionna Bell-Scotton

Third Sponsor Meeting

Yesterday, I went to go see Mr. Barna earlier than usual because I had an away game, or so I thought but I found out that it was changed to home because of the boys' field. I really got a move on my prom research, as I finish contacting the schools, expect Woodbury, who did not answer the phone, and I started thinking of questions to ask the students about prom. I came up with a few good ones that would help me out with the actual writing of the article, but I still have to show Mr. Barna and see if he approves of my questions. If he doesn't, I hope he can help me with making up good interviewing questions that'll help my research. There wasn't much going on during my time there because I was only there for an hour and 15 minutes, but there was a technical problem when I first got there. The phone, where I was located, wasn't working! I mean, come on phone! I kind of freaked out, and I thought that my mind was just playing tricks but it wasn't. The phone really was not working. I told Mr. Barna and he came over to check it as well, and when it was confirmed, he went over to the tech guys, I'm assuming, and he said they'll check it out. So, I had to use the phone in the cubical next to the one I was in. I found out that one of the schools, Gloucester County Technical School, does not have proms! What is that?! I mean, I'd be very upset if our school didn't have a prom. Proms are supposed to be a special night, where the students can be mature and elegant but have a lot of fun at the same time. I feel sorry for them, they're missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime high school event that really means something.

My Favorite Poem

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

---Maya Angelou
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

This poem by Maya Angelou is probably the only poem that I really like. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. You know how you like something or dislike something so much and you never know why? Well, this is how I feel when it comes to this poem. Maya Angelou is such an influential poet and writer, and all of her poems have a deep meaning to them, but this one, it really cuts the cake. This blog is just a spur of the moment-type blog, but it means something to me none-the-less. Whenever I think of this poem, an unrecognizable feeling overwhelms me and I cannot stop my mind from thinking about it. It's kind of like a love feeling but not love, because my heart beats faster thinking about and reading this poem but it's not the love-type of heart beats. This feeling is so queer that it scares me, but I'm not afraid of it, instead I embrace it. It's weird, I know, but I'm a weird person and this strange feeling is a part of me and I'm okay with it. My thoughts are so jumbled right now but it's all focused on one thing.

Remembering Emmitt Till

Today in history class, we watched a movie on the brutal murder of Emmitt Till, a 14-year-old boy who was visiting his family in Money, Mississippi, for the first time. He was a northern boy from Chicago, who didn't understand the rules and regulations of the South, and he had "whistled" or said "bye baby" to a young white woman in a grocery store, as he was walking out of the store. He had only did it as a dare given to him from the local boys, but he didn't know that the dare would cost him his life. Two days later, Emmitt was kidnapped from his home, held hostage at gunpoint from two white men, one was the husband of the woman in the store (Bryant), and the other her brother-in-law (Milam). Then two days after that, Emmitt Till was found in the Tallahatchie River, with a cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. His face and body was so mangled that they couldn't even recognize him, except for the ring on his finger with his initials on it. During the two days that he was missing, Emmitt was tortured in Milam's barn then they drove him to the river, told him to undress, and then shot him in the head. When Emmitt was found, he had his right eye missing, no teeth, a gun shot wound on the side of his head, and a broken nose. His body was shipped up north to his mother, Mamie Till, where she held an open-casket funeral, so the world could see what they had done to her son. It was horrible, his face was so disgusting to look at, it looked like he was bloated from being in the water, his skin looked stretched out and black, his lips looked like burnt fish lips, it was just too disgusting. And it was so sad because he was just a kid, visiting his family for the first time, and he was killed because of a dare. The men, Milam and Bryant, were the main suspects and were sent to court for the murder of Emmitt. However, the prosecution did not have enough good evidence to send the men to jail, and the jury was all white, so the men were acquitted. Then a few months later, the men committed to the crime and told a magazine that they had actually killed the boy, but the police couldn't do anything about it because the men couldn't be tried for the same thing, so there was no justice for the death of Emmitt Till. But karma crept up on the men who murdered him because in 1981, Milam died of cancer and in 1994, Bryant died of cancer too. It's sad when a boy's murderers are acquitted and are allowed to go on living their lives happily while he had barely begun his and it ended too early.

First picture: Emmitt and his mother
Second picture: Emmitt in his casket, unrecognizable

Second Sponsor Meeting

Yesterday I went to go see my sponsor again. When I got there, Mr. Barna, introduced me to a female worker named Kalya, and told me first thing to start writing about Prom. He gave me many ideas, in which I could write about, but he said that I'd be a better candidate to write about Proms because I'm going to one. He said that it'd be better because I'm experiencing high school now and I'd have a better perspective. I decided to write about Prom Weekend and what students do after prom. He told Kayla to give me a computer and help get me started on my new topic, and gave me a booklet of all the schools in the Gloucester County area. I was really excited because it was my first real meeting and I was already assigned a topic to write about. So, when I was seated at a computer, I got started right away, calling many high schools like Paulsboro, Woodbury, Kingsway, and Williamstown, and asked the secretaries when the proms were. It was kind of boring to say the least, but I guess in the long run it'll be worth it. Mr. Barna asked me to find that information out because he wanted a side column with all the schools' prom dates in it, so either way I'd have to do it. Some schools didn't even answer the phone and others had these confusing machines where I didn't understand which button to push. But it's okay, when I go back again next Tuesday, I'll finish what I started and possibly get started on interviewing fellow high school students who're planning on going down to Wildwood for Prom Weekend.