1. The film, The Power of One, was very moving. I liked it a lot. I learned a lot of new information on the apartheid laws in Africa. I learned that the apartheid laws were very cruel and racist against the black South African citizens in the mid twentieth century. I also learned that the apartheid laws restricted the colored South African citizens from living wherever they wanted. The apartheid laws made it so that the colored citizens had to live in their own separate communities. The colored citizens living conditions were no where near as good as the British or Dutch people’s living conditions. They were dirty and often up to twenty families would live in one single room of a so called house. The bathroom access was also very limited and cruel. There was one bathroom or better yet, outhouse for ever two-hundred and fifty colored citizens in a community. Before watching the movie, The Power of One, I had no idea these apartheid laws had ever even existed. I thought it was very inspiring to see how the main character stood up for his friends, and for all South African colored people, or as they were called in the movie, Afrikaans. The film showed the main character or P.K. standing up for all the mistreated people in South Africa throughout his entire youth, up through his early adulthood. I enjoyed the film The Power of One very much and I would love to be able to see it again sometime. I thought it was a great film to show in global ed. and I think it is definitely one of my favorite movies we have watched in global ed. so far.
2. The holidays are a very special time for my family and I. My whole extended family on both my mom and dad’s sides gather together on Christmas Eve and Christmas day to celebrate another great year spent together. My family has many traditions. One of my favorite family traditions is that on the day before Christmas Eve my mom, my dad, my two brothers and I go the Greenfield Village holiday nights and lights show. When we go to the Greenfield village holiday nights we always get hot chocolate from the village candy store and take a ride on the Model T cars that they have at Greenfield Village. We also watch the civil war soldiers perform military drills. On Christmas Eve my mom’s side of the family, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and all my cousins, come to my house where we play cards and games and eat a delicious meal. We open presents from each other after we eat. Then afterwards my mom’s side of the family goes home and we wait for Christmas morning. On Christmas day my family opens gifts and eats a breakfast that my mom makes early in the morning. Then my family packs up our things and heads to my aunts house on my dad’s side of the family where we spend Christmas day opening more gifts and playing many tournaments of hearts and screw your neighbor card games which I almost always loose at, before eating and setting off to bed normally at three a.m. I love my family’s traditions. Especially on Christmas day when more than forty of my family members gather at my aunts house. That’s a lot of Snyders for one house!
3. I rang in the New Year with one of my best friends Katy. We had good food and lots of fun watching the ball drop and watching movies afterward. I will definitely miss 2009 and all the wonderful things the year brought to me. I had many unforgettable moments and great times with friends and family. My 2009 contained one of the greatest summers I have ever had, the breaking of some very dear friendships, my fifteenth birthday, the loss of an amazing uncle, the start of my freshman year in high school, and the one year anniversary of the loss of a close friend. I am not happy to let 2009 go, but I am looking forward to fresh starts in 2010. I don’t want to let go of all the wonderful things that happened to me in 2009, like the forming of many new great friendships, whether they were in dance, or in school, but there are some things I would like to leave behind and to be able to tell myself that I lived through them. I am looking forward to the forming of new friendships in 2010, and hopefully to another great summer with memories to last a lifetime. I am not ready for my freshman year of high school to be over in 2010, but I am also looking forward to the start of my sophomore year in 2010. I am most looking forward though to new beginnings and a new clean slate in 2010. I am hopeful that the New Year will bring the strengthening of my friendships and good health and happiness to my friends and family and me.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
10 Things I’m Thankful For
1st hr.
Erin Snyder
My Family: I am thankful for a family who takes care of me and is always there when I need them. My brothers are always there to make me laugh when I’m feeling down. My mom is always there to drive me around and to listen when I need someone to complain to. She can always make me feel better when I’m not in a good mood. I am also thankful for my dad who provides for me and my family and is always there to joke around with.
My Friends: I am thankful for my friends who are always there for me when I have no where else to go. My friends can always make me feel better when my life seems too hard to handle. Whether it’s my friend Katy who will listen to me complain into the middle of the night when I come over at ten thirty and wake her up because I had a bad night at dance, or it’s any of my other friends who are always there to make me feel happy and laugh.
My house: I’m thankful for having a house and a bed to sleep in every night, because I know a lot of people are less fortunate than me and don’t have a place to sleep every night.
My clothes: I’m thankful for having clean clothes to wear every day and never having to worry about getting too cold during the winter.
5. Dance: I am thankful for dance because of all the friends I have there and all of the life lessons I learn there. Dance helps me learn that I can’t always have everything I want in life and there is always going to be someone better than me at things in life, and I have to learn to do my best and showcase my strengths and work at what I am not as good at.
Ms. Joanne: I am thankful for my dance teacher, Ms Joanne. Ms. Joanne is like my second mom. She always understands and is always there for me to talk to, even if it has nothing to do with dance. Ms. Joanne is always ready to make me laugh and to make sure I have fun at dance. She is always ready to give out hugs when needed, and she’s always prepared with a shoulder to cry on when you’re having a bad day.
Food: I’m thankful that my house is always full of food, and that I can be sure that I’m never going to go hungry. I know that I will always have food to eat even if it isn’t always what I want to eat.
Music: I am thankful for music. Listening to a good song can always cheer me up or just make me laugh. I’m thankful for my iPod that’s full of good songs that I can listen to when driving in the car or riding on the bus.
Skip: I’m thankful for my dog skip. I’ve had my dog for almost nine years now and he’s always been my true best friend. He’s always ready to play or go for a walk when I want to.
Summer: I am thankful for summer. Summer is my favorite season when I get to see all my family and cousins when we go on a huge camping trip. Summer is also when I get to see all my best friends from camp who I get to see once a year. I am thankful for the warm weather that summer brings, and no school.
1st hr.
Erin Snyder
My Family: I am thankful for a family who takes care of me and is always there when I need them. My brothers are always there to make me laugh when I’m feeling down. My mom is always there to drive me around and to listen when I need someone to complain to. She can always make me feel better when I’m not in a good mood. I am also thankful for my dad who provides for me and my family and is always there to joke around with.
My Friends: I am thankful for my friends who are always there for me when I have no where else to go. My friends can always make me feel better when my life seems too hard to handle. Whether it’s my friend Katy who will listen to me complain into the middle of the night when I come over at ten thirty and wake her up because I had a bad night at dance, or it’s any of my other friends who are always there to make me feel happy and laugh.
My house: I’m thankful for having a house and a bed to sleep in every night, because I know a lot of people are less fortunate than me and don’t have a place to sleep every night.
My clothes: I’m thankful for having clean clothes to wear every day and never having to worry about getting too cold during the winter.
5. Dance: I am thankful for dance because of all the friends I have there and all of the life lessons I learn there. Dance helps me learn that I can’t always have everything I want in life and there is always going to be someone better than me at things in life, and I have to learn to do my best and showcase my strengths and work at what I am not as good at.
Ms. Joanne: I am thankful for my dance teacher, Ms Joanne. Ms. Joanne is like my second mom. She always understands and is always there for me to talk to, even if it has nothing to do with dance. Ms. Joanne is always ready to make me laugh and to make sure I have fun at dance. She is always ready to give out hugs when needed, and she’s always prepared with a shoulder to cry on when you’re having a bad day.
Food: I’m thankful that my house is always full of food, and that I can be sure that I’m never going to go hungry. I know that I will always have food to eat even if it isn’t always what I want to eat.
Music: I am thankful for music. Listening to a good song can always cheer me up or just make me laugh. I’m thankful for my iPod that’s full of good songs that I can listen to when driving in the car or riding on the bus.
Skip: I’m thankful for my dog skip. I’ve had my dog for almost nine years now and he’s always been my true best friend. He’s always ready to play or go for a walk when I want to.
Summer: I am thankful for summer. Summer is my favorite season when I get to see all my family and cousins when we go on a huge camping trip. Summer is also when I get to see all my best friends from camp who I get to see once a year. I am thankful for the warm weather that summer brings, and no school.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
American and personal culture paragraphs
Erin Snyder
1st hr.
American Culture
American Culture is very diverse. There are many different types of different cultures that make up American culture. This is not to say that Americans don’t have their own culture though, because we do. One of the most prominent types of American culture is the American Folklore. Americans have many stories that we tell. These stories are written in books or just told by memory. Some of these stories include, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and many other fairytale stories. Some songs that we sing to almost every child in America are also part of our culture. For example, almost every child around America knows “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, and “Old MacDonald’s Farm.” These are just a few of the many examples of folklore in American culture.
Irish Culture
My family is from Ireland. My grandmother’s great grandparents came from Ireland. They came to America on a boat when they were young. My mother’s side of the family is very Irish, because of this. Much of my culture though, has drifted away throughout the generations. Our family doesn’t really celebrate anything specifically Irish. My family does celebrate Christmas, by setting up a Christmas tree, and decorating the house with lights and Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning we also wake up to find presents under the tree, and our stockings that we hung the night before above the fireplace, filled with candy. We also celebrate Easter; we decorate eggs, and wake up on Easter morning to go find our hidden Easter eggs and Easter baskets full of candy. We celebrate these and a few other religious holidays just like many people from the Irish culture. Overall though. We are just like any other American family; we live by the American culture.
1st hr.
American Culture
American Culture is very diverse. There are many different types of different cultures that make up American culture. This is not to say that Americans don’t have their own culture though, because we do. One of the most prominent types of American culture is the American Folklore. Americans have many stories that we tell. These stories are written in books or just told by memory. Some of these stories include, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and many other fairytale stories. Some songs that we sing to almost every child in America are also part of our culture. For example, almost every child around America knows “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, and “Old MacDonald’s Farm.” These are just a few of the many examples of folklore in American culture.
Irish Culture
My family is from Ireland. My grandmother’s great grandparents came from Ireland. They came to America on a boat when they were young. My mother’s side of the family is very Irish, because of this. Much of my culture though, has drifted away throughout the generations. Our family doesn’t really celebrate anything specifically Irish. My family does celebrate Christmas, by setting up a Christmas tree, and decorating the house with lights and Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning we also wake up to find presents under the tree, and our stockings that we hung the night before above the fireplace, filled with candy. We also celebrate Easter; we decorate eggs, and wake up on Easter morning to go find our hidden Easter eggs and Easter baskets full of candy. We celebrate these and a few other religious holidays just like many people from the Irish culture. Overall though. We are just like any other American family; we live by the American culture.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Freshman Topics.
Erin Snyder
1st hr.
Thurs. Oct. 22 2009
Old Friends, New Friends
In my first year of Stevenson High school, I have made lots of new friends. I have kept my old friends as well. Lots of my new friends are from my global Ed classes, such as, Sarah, Dan, McKenna, Alex, Pat, Taylor, Kassidy, David, Morgan, Lexi, Bridget, McKenzie, Paige, Audrey, Chelsea and many others.
SHS Activities Attended
So far at Stevenson I have attended only a few events. I went to the Invisible Children movie and Night on the Field. Night on the Field was really fun, my friends and I sang karaoke, and watched a movie on the war going on in Africa. I have also attended a varsity football game. I plan to attend more activities as the year goes on.
Funniest, Weirdest, Scariest Moments
By far, the scariest moment of my high school experience so far, was coming to school on the first day. Walking in to my first classes was super scary, I didn’t know what to expect. My first day ended up going really well. I was very surprised that it went a lot better than I expected, my teachers were really nice, and I didn’t have any problems at all finding my classes.
Hardest, Easiest class assignments
By far, the hardest assignments I have gotten yet this year have been Mrs. Berjeski’s news quizzes. My math class is also hard. My teacher, Ms. Bjorklund, makes it fun and interesting, but it’s still hard. My other hardest class has been my English class with Ms. Van Horn. There is a lot of writing to do and quizzes, and I’m not used to writing a whole lot. But overall my classes and assignments have been pretty easy so far this year.
Top Five Current Events
The top five current events of this semester have been, Iran’s nuclear weapons that have been found, The U.N. met in New York for a meeting. The Supreme Court has started a new term, The State’s budget for school districts has been cut by a lot of money, and President Obama won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Faces in the News
One of the most prominent Faces in the news has been Mahmoud Ahmadinmjad. Mahoud is the president of Iran, and has been in the news because Iran has been found by the United Nations to have unauthorized nuclear weapons in an underground facility. Another face that has been in the news this year has been Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit.
Interesting New Words
So far in my freshman year I have learned a few new words, one being, misogyny which means a hatred of women. I also learned that to ensconce something is to bundle something up, or to conceal something.
Popular or Memorable Songs
One of the most popular songs of this year has been, I Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. This song sat at number one song of the nation for an entire twenty weeks. Another new artist that has come out this year and made a huge name for herself has been Lady GaGa. Her song Poker Face sat at Number one on the nation’s music charts for an astounding nineteen weeks, just barely being beaten out by the Black Eyed Peas.
Popular or Memorable Movies
One of the most memorable movies of the past month or so has been “Where the Wild Things Are”. This movie is based off of the famous childhood book. In this movie a little boy visits an island with all kinds of strange nice monsters that help him on many adventures.
Rumors or Gossip
So far in my high school experience there have been plenty of rumors and gossip. “Who’s dating this person?” “Who cheated on that person?” and “Who did what?” “Who’s in a fight with that person?” All of the rumors have just been a lot of needless high school drama.
Fads and Trends
Definitely, one of the biggest trends I have seen this year has been flannel shirts and skinny jeans. At least half of everyone in Stevenson High School owns a flannel or checkered button down shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans. Every day there are multitudes of teens wearing Flannel shirts.
First Cultural Event
My First Cultural event was on the Plymouth Fall Festival. At the Fall Festival a friend and I walked around and looked at all the different shops and things they had set up. We also watched Irish dancers dancing on a stage set up in the middle of the park. We went to a historical house and learned all about it.
Homecoming
I am looking forward to homecoming a lot. I have already gotten my dress, which is purple with lots of black, and comes to just above my knee. I am looking forward to getting a limo and going out to dinner with all my friends. I am also looking forward to the varsity football game tonight. We play against Churchill. Let’s go Spartans!
Advice for a freshman
My advice for a freshman would be, don’t get overwhelmed. The big high school can definitely be scary at times, but don’t fall behind, because it will just be that much harder to catch up. Also get on the good side of your teachers. You could think a teacher is nice at first, but if you get on the bad side of your teachers they can turn evil. It’s not hard at all to stay on the good side of your teachers. Most teachers hate being mean and would do anything to be a nice teacher, all you have to do, is do your homework, and be respectful when a teacher is talking. Also don’t be late. Teachers hate it when you’re late for their classes an have to interrupt them.
What I’m looking forward to
Coming up in my freshman year, I am looking forward to many things. One thing that is coming up this weekend is Homecoming. I am looking forward to homecoming because I’m excited about the dance and hanging out and having fun with all my new friends. I am also looking forward to the global ed “Haunted High” activity. That is coming up this Wednesday.
Other Noteworthy Achievements or Events
Another noteworthy achievement for me has been maintaining a one hundred percent I’m my art class, also, I got a 195 out of 200 points on my history unit test!
1st hr.
Thurs. Oct. 22 2009
Old Friends, New Friends
In my first year of Stevenson High school, I have made lots of new friends. I have kept my old friends as well. Lots of my new friends are from my global Ed classes, such as, Sarah, Dan, McKenna, Alex, Pat, Taylor, Kassidy, David, Morgan, Lexi, Bridget, McKenzie, Paige, Audrey, Chelsea and many others.
SHS Activities Attended
So far at Stevenson I have attended only a few events. I went to the Invisible Children movie and Night on the Field. Night on the Field was really fun, my friends and I sang karaoke, and watched a movie on the war going on in Africa. I have also attended a varsity football game. I plan to attend more activities as the year goes on.
Funniest, Weirdest, Scariest Moments
By far, the scariest moment of my high school experience so far, was coming to school on the first day. Walking in to my first classes was super scary, I didn’t know what to expect. My first day ended up going really well. I was very surprised that it went a lot better than I expected, my teachers were really nice, and I didn’t have any problems at all finding my classes.
Hardest, Easiest class assignments
By far, the hardest assignments I have gotten yet this year have been Mrs. Berjeski’s news quizzes. My math class is also hard. My teacher, Ms. Bjorklund, makes it fun and interesting, but it’s still hard. My other hardest class has been my English class with Ms. Van Horn. There is a lot of writing to do and quizzes, and I’m not used to writing a whole lot. But overall my classes and assignments have been pretty easy so far this year.
Top Five Current Events
The top five current events of this semester have been, Iran’s nuclear weapons that have been found, The U.N. met in New York for a meeting. The Supreme Court has started a new term, The State’s budget for school districts has been cut by a lot of money, and President Obama won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Faces in the News
One of the most prominent Faces in the news has been Mahmoud Ahmadinmjad. Mahoud is the president of Iran, and has been in the news because Iran has been found by the United Nations to have unauthorized nuclear weapons in an underground facility. Another face that has been in the news this year has been Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit.
Interesting New Words
So far in my freshman year I have learned a few new words, one being, misogyny which means a hatred of women. I also learned that to ensconce something is to bundle something up, or to conceal something.
Popular or Memorable Songs
One of the most popular songs of this year has been, I Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. This song sat at number one song of the nation for an entire twenty weeks. Another new artist that has come out this year and made a huge name for herself has been Lady GaGa. Her song Poker Face sat at Number one on the nation’s music charts for an astounding nineteen weeks, just barely being beaten out by the Black Eyed Peas.
Popular or Memorable Movies
One of the most memorable movies of the past month or so has been “Where the Wild Things Are”. This movie is based off of the famous childhood book. In this movie a little boy visits an island with all kinds of strange nice monsters that help him on many adventures.
Rumors or Gossip
So far in my high school experience there have been plenty of rumors and gossip. “Who’s dating this person?” “Who cheated on that person?” and “Who did what?” “Who’s in a fight with that person?” All of the rumors have just been a lot of needless high school drama.
Fads and Trends
Definitely, one of the biggest trends I have seen this year has been flannel shirts and skinny jeans. At least half of everyone in Stevenson High School owns a flannel or checkered button down shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans. Every day there are multitudes of teens wearing Flannel shirts.
First Cultural Event
My First Cultural event was on the Plymouth Fall Festival. At the Fall Festival a friend and I walked around and looked at all the different shops and things they had set up. We also watched Irish dancers dancing on a stage set up in the middle of the park. We went to a historical house and learned all about it.
Homecoming
I am looking forward to homecoming a lot. I have already gotten my dress, which is purple with lots of black, and comes to just above my knee. I am looking forward to getting a limo and going out to dinner with all my friends. I am also looking forward to the varsity football game tonight. We play against Churchill. Let’s go Spartans!
Advice for a freshman
My advice for a freshman would be, don’t get overwhelmed. The big high school can definitely be scary at times, but don’t fall behind, because it will just be that much harder to catch up. Also get on the good side of your teachers. You could think a teacher is nice at first, but if you get on the bad side of your teachers they can turn evil. It’s not hard at all to stay on the good side of your teachers. Most teachers hate being mean and would do anything to be a nice teacher, all you have to do, is do your homework, and be respectful when a teacher is talking. Also don’t be late. Teachers hate it when you’re late for their classes an have to interrupt them.
What I’m looking forward to
Coming up in my freshman year, I am looking forward to many things. One thing that is coming up this weekend is Homecoming. I am looking forward to homecoming because I’m excited about the dance and hanging out and having fun with all my new friends. I am also looking forward to the global ed “Haunted High” activity. That is coming up this Wednesday.
Other Noteworthy Achievements or Events
Another noteworthy achievement for me has been maintaining a one hundred percent I’m my art class, also, I got a 195 out of 200 points on my history unit test!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
