I grew so much in high school, and I learned a lot, both in and out of the classroom. I loved high school so much, and it was so hard saying bye. Looking back on high school is like seeing life in pink. Those were the best years of my life, without a doubt. Everything I experienced in high school has contributed to who I am today:
Academically:
I made straight A’s, qualified for the National Merit Scholarship, was vice president of the French National Honor Society after four years of French, and was secretary of the National Honor Society which involved running the peer tutoring program. My GPA was a 4.32 and I ranked 9 in a class of 400. My SAT score was a 1230.
Seminar Classes: Chemistry and Physics
Electives:
- 4 years of French
- Intro to Art
- Studio Art 1
- Photo 1 and 2
- Writer’s Workshop
I really enjoyed my senior year of writer’s workshop. It was a fun class, but it greatly improved my writing skills and creativity through poetry and short stories. My teacher was enthusiastic and inspiring, and my classmates always had good feedback. I have always been a strong writer, but I think this class strengthened my love of writing. Here is just one example of the many poems I wrote. It is a paradelle, which is a demanding French form of fixed poetry. In the first three six-line stanzas, the first and second lines as well as the third and fourth lines, must be identical. The fifth and sixth lines must use all of the preceding words from the stanza, and only those words. The fourth and final stanza also consists of six lines, but they are made up of all of the words from the preceding stanzas:
Paradelle for a Mourning Dove
On a blanket of snow, in quiet solitude.
On a blanket of snow, in quiet solitude.
You remained calm as I drew near.
You remained calm as I drew near.
Quiet as snow, I drew you in a blanket.
Near of you, calm solitude remained.
I held you close in the palm of my hand.
I held you close in the palm of my hand.
Your humble eyes reflected beauty and peace.
Your humble eyes reflected beauty and peace.
You, the palm of peace, in my humble hand.
I held close your beauty and reflected your eyes.
Your delicate wings once carried you high above.
Your delicate wings once carried you high above.
Where soft clouds faded misfortune below.
Where soft clouds faded misfortune below.
Clouds below carried your once delicate misfortune.
Above you where soft wings faded high.
As quiet snow drew misfortune near you.
Close I remained and your solitude faded.
A soft blanket of calm held you in my palm.
Below humble beauty reflected once on high.
Where in your eyes the delicate hand of peace.
I, your wings, carried you above clouds.
And here is my Graduation Poem:
Reflections
The boy stood alone in the pool by the wood
Watching sunshine sparkle on surface serene.
As golden leaves whispered of memories past
He wondered how the years floated by so fast.
Rivers of reminiscence surged through his soul
Carving canyons of longing where echoes danced.
Like beauty revealed in winter branches bare
With years gone, he saw all he had become there.
Time mirrored ever clear in the water
But the visions blurred as tears veiled his bright orbs.
The sweet salt kissed his lips and hesitated
Filled with fear of a fall unmitigated.
Drawn by gravity, the tear softly landed
Pulsing with new life in liquid rings below.
When the second hand tugged at his heavy heart
From this familiar place he knew he must part.
Underfoot shifted rocks sculpted round with age.
Likewise smoothed with knowledge and wisdom accrued,
The young man wandered away through the weathering wood
While in the pool of reflections forever he stood.
Extracurricular Activities:
I took hip-hop classes outside of school, throughout high school, and I played the piano until my sophomore year. I enjoyed the piano and had been playing for about four years, but I just couldn’t find the time to practice. That’s one thing I regret. Maybe someday, I’ll have time to pick it up again.
During my sophomore and junior year I was on our school dance team. We danced in parades, football games, and basketball games. It was fun, but I never really felt like I fit in very well. Then everything turned around in my junior year when I quit the dance team and joined the track team. It was hard work, running every day after school, but I improved a lot and made lasting memories and friendships. We all worked hard together as a team, so we bonded. I really felt like I belonged, and it was so rewarding. I continued with cross-country in the fall of my senior year, indoor track, and then outdoor track in the spring. I had so much fun at the meets and on the bus rides, and I learned a lot of self-discipline. I lived for that feeling of relief and triumph after finishing a race. Knowing that I did my best and pushed myself to the limits was so satisfying. I loved hearing the cheers of my teammates and encouragement from my coach. I ran not only for my team, but also for myself. Looking back on it, running was a type of freedom for me. Of course, I’m sure I wouldn’t have said that if you asked me in the middle of crawling up a hill on the last leg of a cross-country race.
Here are some links to pictures of me running the 800 meter relay: (I’m the one in the red East uniform)
http://www.brandywinedigital.com/20040428 East-Henderson Track Meet/4x800 Relay/pages/124F1296.htm
http://www.brandywinedigital.com/20040428 East-Henderson Track Meet/800m/pages/124F1625.htm
And my boyfriend: (The next few are of him also if you click on ‘next photo’)
http://www.brandywinedigital.com/20040428 East-Henderson Track Meet/4x800 Relay/pages/124F1323.htm
Community Service:
Every year, I helped out with our school’s Christmas Project. Each homeroom was responsible for getting the items on the Christmas list of a family in need, and then around Christmas time, we delivered the gifts to the families’ homes.
One project that my friends and I organized on our own was making and delivering Easter baskets full of goodies to the children of an orphanage. We had a lot of fun, and it felt so nice knowing that we brightened the holiday of those poor children.