#minaise

AP English (English Language and Composition); Huckleberry Finn/Walt Whitman Essay

March 1, 2011

Aaron DeVera, a junior at Foothill High School, snuck a peak at his AP English teacher’s annotated copy of Walt Whitman’s Democratic Vistas.  He paid special attention to the underlined paragraphs, indicated them on his own copy, and laid it back down on the front desk as if nothing happened.  Upon telling a fellow InFlight student journalist of his adventure of the day, his friend winced and stated what he knew she would: she could never do something like that – “It’s just not me.”  Of course, Mr. DeVera simply shrugged.  “Do something morally ambiguous. You’ll learn something.”  While Aaron DeVera did not literally mean to tell his classmate that she too should violate her English teacher’s privacy, his words disclosed the truth.  At one point or another, one must impulsively do what he or she feels necessary, eschew the conscience gnawing at the back of the mind, and let moral growth take flight.  That encompasses what America stands for as a whole: overcoming problems, ethically improving, and altogether unknowingly finding an American unity in that flourishing state of mind – the same type of unity Walt Whitman called for in Democratic Vistas.  Mark Twain answers that call with his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the ways his characters deal with certain situations reveal the American overlap of overcoming hardships coinciding with moral growth.

InFlight, Opinions

May 2, 2011

On Friday, April 15, next year’s We the People team gathered around in B-14 to receive the news they hoped would never come: federal funding for We the People had been cut. The future of the program is now uncertain on so many levels.

Unfortunately, no one knows what to think of his or her acclaimed title as a member; next year will not be like any of us had imagined it in the past, especially those who’d wanted it since Freshman year.

We the People lost federal funding because it was classified as an earmark to an education bill. Because of the growing financial issues, government officials considered cutting earmarks.

As a student who’s taken too many electives, the budget cuts are familiar. But this issue is much more of a problem to me than ever before. It’s personal to so many people.

We the People is not just an elective or ordinary history class. It focuses on educating students in civic involvement in hopes of raising a generation of willing and proactive individuals. It is so ironic that congressmen eliminated such an important bill that could raise future politically active individuals.

We the People Coach Jeremy Detamore says that the situation is “still up in the air. Local Bay Area teachers are coming together in May to discuss the program’s future. Every teacher that has done We the People consistently will continue [the program as best they can] for now.” Detamore is optimistic that if California WTP teachers have their way, there will indeed be a state competition as close to normalcy as possible. “Hopefully that will happen.”

Pleasanton Patch, Blog Column

May 4, 2011

With education budget cuts in full swing, here's one high school student's take on the overlooked effects of California's financial crisis.

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I am on such good terms with the Latin program as a whole because of my initial friendship with some of the students; I’ve known some since the seventh grade! Checking in on friends turned into saying hi to the beloved Mr. Heinitz and listening in on review sessions. I became a groupie, and it’s been more rewarding than I thought.

I’ve known Latin students since my freshman year of high school, even though I am a fourth-year Frenchie. Foothill High School proudly stands by its Latin program, a rara avis (Latin for “rare bird”) these days, especially in California public schools. Not even our rival school, Amador Valley High School, can boast about their high tanking Latin students – their class is nonexistent. We, however, can boast and see no shame in doing so.

And we do have a right to boast, as our program is one of the most successful I know. This year, the Latin students participated in their first statewide Latin Convention. At the convention, Foothill won second place (in their first year!) among small schools by producing many students and teams whose individual success propelled Foothill to success. A Foothill student scored higher than any other convention participant on the convention’s Roman History exam, and other students placed among the top honors in other tests like mythology and grammar. Furthermore, Latin III Certamen team placed second statewide. Certamen is a quiz-bowl style game that tests students on their overall knowledge of Latin and Roman life. As this is their first year in the Convention, these students surely have potential to place first in years to come, if not next year. Likewise, on the National Latin Exam, a prestigious standardized Latin test, numerous students also achieved gold and silver (that is, making very few mistakes). Three students received perfect scores within the past two years, one of them two years in a row. The Latin program is raking in too many honors to count!

It’s tough to deny that the Latin program is a gem among Foothill’s many. And now I must come to a sad ending to an otherwise encouraging story: Foothill’s Latin program is facing serious obstacles next year. Foothill projects Latin’s four levels will be forced into one class size, jeopardizing the future success of the program, and any extra funding will be cut out. This is just one example of California’s harsh budget reality. How exactly do we tell dream-chasing students that their efforts have been flushed away?

Cue the long sigh and typical teenage eye roll. It’s sad that my inquiry has become a rhetorical question due to its unanswerable nature. When someone can fix aspiring students’ problems, let me know. I’ll be the girl waiting in the currently missing light at the end of the tunnel, as that light has dimmed out to a mere flicker due to budget cuts.

Bay Area News Group

May 2, 2011

Bay Area News Group

March 2, 2011

Bay Area News Group

December 20, 2010

As we decorated our Christmas tree a couple weeks ago I started thinking about what I wanted for Christmas. Asking for a new laptop could wait until senior year, my closet is pretty up-to-date ...

I could've asked for some expensive items that my parents would be willing to get me. They always seem to be searching for something to surprise me with, but fall flat every year because they start shopping late. But it's also partially my fault - I never ask for an iPhone or an e-reader or the BCBG dress that catches my eye. I'm not entirely sure if I even want these things. This year I even wrote a bit of a sarcastic Christmas list, asking for sleep, no homework and Starbucks instant coffee.

My parents never put much focus on the gifts aspect of Christmas. I always knew Christmas as a time to go to church and an excuse to have giant potlucks at friends' houses. And after seeing the documentary, "What Would Jesus Buy," I'm glad I never got too caught up in the buy-buy-buy mentality of the season.

My English class watched the film before Thanksgiving break. All debatable and/or subliminal religious connotations aside, it really showed us that our holiday season is consumed by, well, consumerism.

All we do is buy and spend until we grow tired of waiting in long lines. Our gifts are deemed worthy based on their prices, and the amount of gifts we receive and feel obligated to buy per year grows just as steadily as our dissatisfaction.

The class found watching the movie uncomfortable but that's probably because most aspects of the film's message were true.

Instead of refuting Reverend Billy's message in the film, my friends and I found ourselves spending long hours discussing his philosophical premise. We questioned our own past habits. It was like a therapy session - for Christmas addiction.

I took the opportunity to turn what would usually be a New Year's resolution into a holiday season resolution. I vowed to focus on finding gifts for my family that I know they'll use, buying small presents for only the closest of friends, finding creative ways to express appreciation to my teachers (who are probably the most deserving of Christmas gifts in the first place) with well-written cards and surprise deliveries of homemade desserts, and to simply spend less time at the mall.

I would love to buy only charity gifts for all my friends and family, but most of them are out of my budget. (Babysitting doesn't pay a lot.) However, I am interested in looking into a unique charity to donate any Christmas money I'm gifted.

So far, the shopping tactics are working fine. I don't go into the mall without knowing exactly what I want to buy. My time spent at the mall is minimal anyway due to items on my to-do list such as writing this column. I'd much rather spend my time contemplating word choice than falling in love with a pair of shoes I don't need.

Maybe Reverend Billy's blunt message to "Stop Shopping!" isn't the easiest rule to follow. While it may be cliche, it's the truth: Spending more thought than money on a gift will help us learn more about each other than anything else. That's a revelation I'd be happy with any time of year.