This week my family and I decided we wanted to come up with a new plan to organize our dinner schedule better. My parents mutually agreed that the older kids are capable of doing more around the house, so they decided it was our turn to make dinner every night. Therefore, my mom made a separate calendar and we are all now being required to sign up for a day each week to make a meal of our choice. At first, we were up to the challenge because we all love to cook. We play cooking games all the time and it's a lot of fun. However, as for right now, this plan has been a disaster because my sister and I have already had an argument over Taco Tuesday and Fajita Friday being in the same week. On a more positive note, my parents are getting out of making dinner every night, so I suppose this plan has been more beneficial for them than it is for me and my siblings.
The other topic of discussion at the moment is whether or not my brother Beckett is allowed to make gross food for dinner. He claims that since my mom said we can make whatever we want, he is allowed to make grasshopper casserole (yes, this is a thing in his deranged mind). However, my mom claims that Beckett is allowed to make whatever he wants, so we will be having grasshopper casserole on Tuesday.
Believe it or not, my dad completely regrets agreeing to this plan. I made homemade ravioli for dinner last night, and everybody thought it was delicious. Everybody except for my dad, that is. He spit it out immediately and went out to get pizza. He also didn't like my sister's burgers or my other brother's chicken and waffles. He tends to be very opinionated when other people make dinner. Personally, I think this is unfair because he only knows how to make breakfast and barbeque foods.
Although this idea is turning out badly, I'm still hopeful that everything will turn out alright. Even Beckett's grasshopper casserole.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Sydney Week #6 Christmas and Dogs
So as many of you know my siblings came back to PA for the holiday season. It was strange at first to have so much commotion in the house again since I’ve grown used to it being pretty quiet with just me and my parents around, but luckily I got used to it quickly. It was also pretty fun to constantly have something to do since there was always one sibling that was itching to do something.
Another great part of having my siblings come was the fact that they brought their dogs Sandy and Haru. We had to set up gates in order to separate where the dogs could and couldn’t go. This however did not last long because Sandy quickly learned how to jump over the gate anytime she became lonely. The only other problem with the dogs was that they were allowed upstairs and unfortunately my family was not very good at hiding our Christmas candy. This lead to two instances of Haru and Sandy eating some chocolate which made them a bit sick for the rest of the trip (they were ok though).
The only real complaint I had about my siblings coming was the fact that I got kicked out of my room. Luckily it was only for a few days and once I got my room back I got frequent visits from Haru and Sandy so I would count that as a win.
Overall, I am very glad that I was able to see my siblings again since I only get to see them for a few weeks a year with them living so far away.
Another great part of having my siblings come was the fact that they brought their dogs Sandy and Haru. We had to set up gates in order to separate where the dogs could and couldn’t go. This however did not last long because Sandy quickly learned how to jump over the gate anytime she became lonely. The only other problem with the dogs was that they were allowed upstairs and unfortunately my family was not very good at hiding our Christmas candy. This lead to two instances of Haru and Sandy eating some chocolate which made them a bit sick for the rest of the trip (they were ok though).
The only real complaint I had about my siblings coming was the fact that I got kicked out of my room. Luckily it was only for a few days and once I got my room back I got frequent visits from Haru and Sandy so I would count that as a win.
Overall, I am very glad that I was able to see my siblings again since I only get to see them for a few weeks a year with them living so far away.
(Left Haru, Middle Ivan, Right Sandy)
MeiLi Van Hise 6- Cars and Gas
A few months ago, I was running errands with a friend. He had to run to Dicks Sporting Goods to exchange a jacket he had gotten for Christmas. On our way home, he needed to stop for gas, so we pulled into Wawa on our way back into town. He opened his door and hopped out of the car. I sat in the passenger seat freezing my butt off for the ten or so minutes it took to fill up his car while he stood outside watching the numbers go up and up and up. When we were done, I looked at the gas pump which read $64.82.
Now, you're probably wondering where I’m going with this. As a teenager, getting your license and putting gas in your tank is a right of passage. The type of car you drive and the gas mileage it gets determines how much of your time and money you spend outside of a gas station, but all teenagers have to do it at some point. I drive a Toyota 4runner and every week, sometimes twice a week depending on where I'm going, I spend around $50 on gas and 10-15 mins outside pumping it. Well, that's a lie… Normally I lock the pump and sit in my car. So when his gas bill came out to be around $65 in his truck, I wasn't that surprised.
That is until I started riding around with my friend who drives a Toyota Corolla. She didn't have a credit card, so she’d go up to the little booth or inside the store and ask for $25 or $20 worth of gas. And the entire time, I thought she was only filling up her tank half way because it was however much money she had on her at the time. I didn't realize that not all cars cost outrageous amounts of money when it comes to filling up the gas tank. I also didn't realize that some cars get up to 50 miles to the gallon on the highway and only need to be refueled every two weeks. I knew it was higher than my measly 19, but still, 50? How is that fair??? It was a little bit of a shock, a blonde moment if you will, when I finally put all the pieces together.
Now, you're probably wondering where I’m going with this. As a teenager, getting your license and putting gas in your tank is a right of passage. The type of car you drive and the gas mileage it gets determines how much of your time and money you spend outside of a gas station, but all teenagers have to do it at some point. I drive a Toyota 4runner and every week, sometimes twice a week depending on where I'm going, I spend around $50 on gas and 10-15 mins outside pumping it. Well, that's a lie… Normally I lock the pump and sit in my car. So when his gas bill came out to be around $65 in his truck, I wasn't that surprised.
That is until I started riding around with my friend who drives a Toyota Corolla. She didn't have a credit card, so she’d go up to the little booth or inside the store and ask for $25 or $20 worth of gas. And the entire time, I thought she was only filling up her tank half way because it was however much money she had on her at the time. I didn't realize that not all cars cost outrageous amounts of money when it comes to filling up the gas tank. I also didn't realize that some cars get up to 50 miles to the gallon on the highway and only need to be refueled every two weeks. I knew it was higher than my measly 19, but still, 50? How is that fair??? It was a little bit of a shock, a blonde moment if you will, when I finally put all the pieces together.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Julie 6: NIQs
The weekend after Christmas was big for me. I had my U19 Nation Indoor Qualifiers (NIQs) for field hockey. What qualifiers do is help root out the best teams, out of indoor club teams, in a region to go play at National Indoor Tournament (NITs). Each team is guaranteed to play four games no matter the turn out of each game. Though only a certain percentage of teams are allowed to qualify. Specifically, the top eight teams at my tournament would qualify out of 14 teams.
While looking over the schedule a few weeks back, I had a really good feeling about qualifying. We would have faced teams that were our level, maybe a little weaker or maybe a little stronger. Two days before our tournament the schedule was changed due to two teams dropping out. Then our chances of qualifying plummeted. The teams we were going to face changed to teams that were well known for always placing high at NITs. The teams that we were evenly matched with turned to teams that far outreach the level of my team.
On December 29th, I woke up at 4:30 to go to The Sportsplex in Feasterville. Though it is only an hour and a half away, my team had one of the first game slots at 8:00. My entire team, including myself, was excited at having a chance at qualifying. even if we were faced with slim odds. In the first game, we lost eight to zero. In the second game, we lost six to zero. In the third game, we won four to three. In the fourth game, we lost four to three. In the fifth game, we lost three to two. It was a very rough start, but towards the end, we faced teams closer to your skill level.
Throughout the day my team fought to the very end trying as hard as we could to have a chance at qualifying. You could see that each loss took a hard hit on the team’s morale, but we still fought tooth and nail against some of the best teams in the region. I am proud of the progress we have made since our first tournament. We have grown as a team and after many tournaments and practices, we have grown to work very well together. I am proud to say I am part of Marajoka Purple.
While looking over the schedule a few weeks back, I had a really good feeling about qualifying. We would have faced teams that were our level, maybe a little weaker or maybe a little stronger. Two days before our tournament the schedule was changed due to two teams dropping out. Then our chances of qualifying plummeted. The teams we were going to face changed to teams that were well known for always placing high at NITs. The teams that we were evenly matched with turned to teams that far outreach the level of my team.
On December 29th, I woke up at 4:30 to go to The Sportsplex in Feasterville. Though it is only an hour and a half away, my team had one of the first game slots at 8:00. My entire team, including myself, was excited at having a chance at qualifying. even if we were faced with slim odds. In the first game, we lost eight to zero. In the second game, we lost six to zero. In the third game, we won four to three. In the fourth game, we lost four to three. In the fifth game, we lost three to two. It was a very rough start, but towards the end, we faced teams closer to your skill level.
Throughout the day my team fought to the very end trying as hard as we could to have a chance at qualifying. You could see that each loss took a hard hit on the team’s morale, but we still fought tooth and nail against some of the best teams in the region. I am proud of the progress we have made since our first tournament. We have grown as a team and after many tournaments and practices, we have grown to work very well together. I am proud to say I am part of Marajoka Purple.
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| Last practice before NIQs |
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| During one of our many tournaments |
Stephan 6: Trying New Experiences and Taking Opportunities
Over the weekend, my friend had suggested that I try one of her odd ice cream combinations. It was a mixture of cotton candy ice cream and mint chocolate chip ice cream from Friendly’s. It was not really my favorite, as it was a weird blend of textures and tastes, with Pop Rocks and chocolate chips all mixed together. Even though I didn’t really enjoy it, the most important thing was that I did was try it. Now granted it was a rather small thing to do; I only tried a new food combination that I did not enjoy, but what it represents is bigger than that. Trying new things in life is extremely important, as it can open you up to new experiences, perspectives, and ideas that you may never have thought possible.
One example of this was an experience I had in Jamaica. While we were there, we had gone cliff jumping. I figured that I would not really enjoy it at all, as I was never really a fan of jumping from heights. At first, I was a bit apprehensive, as the cliffs were 30 feet tall, but I soon found out that it would have been a mistake if I didn’t. It was just an extremely fun thing to experience, the rush I got and the feeling of being weightless was really cool. if I had never taken that chance, I would have missed out on a great experience.
Trying new things is not just limited to thrilling tasks though. It’s important to go out and experience everything that comes your way. If you do not, you can miss out on life-changing experiences or chances. One such example of this could be picking colleges. Deciding to not visit a college when you have the chance could be a massive missed opportunity. By not visiting that college, you may never know if you’d enjoy it, maybe even missing out on the chance of going there. This is one example of why you should always explore your options. No matter what, you should at least try something once or take the chance given to you. You will never know what happens until you do.
One example of this was an experience I had in Jamaica. While we were there, we had gone cliff jumping. I figured that I would not really enjoy it at all, as I was never really a fan of jumping from heights. At first, I was a bit apprehensive, as the cliffs were 30 feet tall, but I soon found out that it would have been a mistake if I didn’t. It was just an extremely fun thing to experience, the rush I got and the feeling of being weightless was really cool. if I had never taken that chance, I would have missed out on a great experience.
Trying new things is not just limited to thrilling tasks though. It’s important to go out and experience everything that comes your way. If you do not, you can miss out on life-changing experiences or chances. One such example of this could be picking colleges. Deciding to not visit a college when you have the chance could be a massive missed opportunity. By not visiting that college, you may never know if you’d enjoy it, maybe even missing out on the chance of going there. This is one example of why you should always explore your options. No matter what, you should at least try something once or take the chance given to you. You will never know what happens until you do.
Liam 6 Pit Orchestra
Pit Orchestra
Today marked the first of many pit orchestra rehearsals. Band is my thing. The highlights of my year are marching band in the fall and pit orchestra in the spring. This will be my second year playing with the pit orchestra and I have been waiting for this moment since last year. Pit orchestra, like marching band, resembles a family more than anything else. We all struggle through challenging music together while having a great time. When we finally start working with the cast, we spend more time watching them rehearse and having a good time than we play. Pit is a unique experience because it is part of the show. Being in the pit orchestra has downsides. It is as big, if not bigger some weeks, of a commitment as marching band - not an amazing thing when your academics are less than stellar. Despite grades being important, I foolishly - according to my parents - do activities like pit orchestra. They constantly tell me to focus on academics and that band is only a hobby that won’t get me into college, but the more I think about it, the more I find that I don’t want to devote all of my time to academics, yet I want to major in engineering. So far, Junior year has been a huge struggle between band and academics over the little time I have. Anyway, Pit orchestra is sure to be a great experience in the next few months. If you haven’t heard this years musical is On the Town from 1944.
Owen 6: Touring the Midwest
Over Christmas break, I was fortunate to see and tour many states the comprise the midwest including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. My trip began on December 26th, 2019 and went until January 2nd, 2020 so a total of a week. Throughout the whole week, I got the whole Wisconsin experience from my cousins who live there, tour downtown Chicago, visit South Bend, Indiana to visit the University of Notre Dame and stay a night with some family friends in Cleveland, Ohio.
My trip first started with a 15-hour continuous drive to a small town called Spring Green, Wisconsin. The population comprises of about 2,000 people and is about a 45-minute drive to the state capitol of Madison. This is where my cousins live. While I was there we toured around Madison, visited a beautiful winery, and spent family time bowling, walking around the city, and back at home.
From there we drove about 3 hours south to the city of Chicago, and to put it shortly I loved it there. It's a very big city with many things to do. My family and I started by eating lunch at a famous Chicago hot dog franchise called Portillo's then walked around downtown, walked out to Navy Pier and rode a big Ferris wheel, and then topped it off with authentic Chicago Deep Dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. Although this was only a one-day excursion it was my favorite of the trip.
At this point it was New Year's Eve, so we decided to celebrate like any other person. In a small hotel just outside of South Bend, Indiana.. oh wait that's not how anyone would decide to spend there New Year. Anyway the next day we woke up and walked around the University of Notre Dame. It was really cool here but I still like Penn State and Ohio State campus more.
Finally, we ended our trip by staying with some family friends the day before our week-long tour of the United States Midwest!
My trip first started with a 15-hour continuous drive to a small town called Spring Green, Wisconsin. The population comprises of about 2,000 people and is about a 45-minute drive to the state capitol of Madison. This is where my cousins live. While I was there we toured around Madison, visited a beautiful winery, and spent family time bowling, walking around the city, and back at home.
From there we drove about 3 hours south to the city of Chicago, and to put it shortly I loved it there. It's a very big city with many things to do. My family and I started by eating lunch at a famous Chicago hot dog franchise called Portillo's then walked around downtown, walked out to Navy Pier and rode a big Ferris wheel, and then topped it off with authentic Chicago Deep Dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. Although this was only a one-day excursion it was my favorite of the trip.
At this point it was New Year's Eve, so we decided to celebrate like any other person. In a small hotel just outside of South Bend, Indiana.. oh wait that's not how anyone would decide to spend there New Year. Anyway the next day we woke up and walked around the University of Notre Dame. It was really cool here but I still like Penn State and Ohio State campus more.
Finally, we ended our trip by staying with some family friends the day before our week-long tour of the United States Midwest!
Adria 6: What Are the Odds?
As I mentioned in my book talk, I am one of two in vitro fertilization babies in my family-- first me, then my brother. And I have always thought so much about this considering it is the way I was conceived. But it is not the mind-blowing fact that science is able to do such a thing that blows my mind; it is the probability that I would even be here. Normally, the first fertilized egg is the winner-- yes, the odds are low that that specific combination would be created, but with in vitro fertilization the first fertilized egg has even more obstacles to make it through. They must first be fertilized (improbable in and of itself). Then they must be chosen out of hundreds in a group of around 18. From there they must be one of the two or three chosen to actually be implanted. And then they must survive, which is very unlikely. In my case, I was one of the two embryos implanted, and the other one did not survive, otherwise we would have been twins. That exact case happened to my cousins, actually, who are five-year-old fraternal twins. So technically my brother and I were conceived at the exact same time, he was just frozen for two years until my parents wanted another child. He could have just as easily been implanted instead of myself, and I would be 14. But, as my observation proves, the odds are low for either of us to be here.
I’m not sure why it is always on my mind, though. Almost every day I think about the odds that I am here. But, in a way, I think it makes me slightly more appreciative of life. On the days I feel unimportant or as if I have no purpose, I remind myself that if I made it through all of the hoops I did as an embryo, I can make it through so much more today and defy the odds of life as I did the odds of science.
Kadison 6 - Seasons
People often ask, “What’s your favorite season?” as an icebreaker and always look at me funny when I say I don’t have one. I think all of them have their own unique quirks that make them great in their own way, and I find that trying to choose a favorite season is difficult.
I love the cold. I absolutely love the feeling of snuggling up and get warm underneath a blanket or sitting by the fire and watching TV. I do not function nearly as well when it’s hot out, whether it's in sports or just trying to relax outside. I am one of those people who just runs hot all the time. Even in the winter, my fan is on, I keep the heating vent in my room closed, and my dad and I have an unspoken battle with the thermostat. The winter also usually involves snow, which I love. Not only is it gorgeous, but it can also lead to a two-hour delay or an extra day off from school. Although I love the cold, it can also make me more lethargic. I have a habit of taking naps a lot more in the winter than any other season, which I’ll blame on the constant darkness. I do not appreciate the sun going down at 5:30.
On the flip side, I also love summer. The freedom to hang out with friends all the time and focus on non-school related things is amazing. I am lucky enough to have a pool, and I spend a lot of time swimming in it and getting tanner. I love the sun and the energy it seems to give me. My birthday is also in the summer, which is a huge plus. However, my summer always ends up being pretty packed schedule-wise. There is a lot of pre-season field hockey events and family visits going on. Because of the way my dad’s work schedule falls, we don’t usually take a long vacation in the summer; it’s more of an occasional weekend out of town here and there. This isn’t to say I mind being busy; I would not be happy if I had nothing to do all summer, but the busyness often leads to the summer going by way too fast.
This is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but Halloween is my favorite holiday, trumping even Christmas. I love the spooky atmosphere and all of the cool decorations. I also don’t jumpscare very easily, which leads to me laughing at my friends when we go to Dorney Park’s The Haunt or a haunted house. This is one of the reasons I love autumn. The weather during this season is also my favorite; the crisp smell and the cool breezes feel the best to me. I can practically feel the coolness and change to winter in the air, especially at night. Unfortunately, fall also represents when my “work” picks up. School starts and I don’t have nearly enough time to get things done compared to the summer, and I have to readjust to waking up early and getting less sleep.
If I had to pick a least favorite season, it would probably be spring. I don’t like how wet and muddy it gets, and bugs start coming back, which I definitely don’t like. The end of spring is often stressful with teachers cramming in assignments before finals. However, lacrosse, my favorite sport, occurs during spring which is great. I also admire how beautiful all the trees and flowers look as they regrow, and how green and alive everything is. Spring, like all the seasons, involves change. Without change, who knows where we would be.
I love the cold. I absolutely love the feeling of snuggling up and get warm underneath a blanket or sitting by the fire and watching TV. I do not function nearly as well when it’s hot out, whether it's in sports or just trying to relax outside. I am one of those people who just runs hot all the time. Even in the winter, my fan is on, I keep the heating vent in my room closed, and my dad and I have an unspoken battle with the thermostat. The winter also usually involves snow, which I love. Not only is it gorgeous, but it can also lead to a two-hour delay or an extra day off from school. Although I love the cold, it can also make me more lethargic. I have a habit of taking naps a lot more in the winter than any other season, which I’ll blame on the constant darkness. I do not appreciate the sun going down at 5:30.
On the flip side, I also love summer. The freedom to hang out with friends all the time and focus on non-school related things is amazing. I am lucky enough to have a pool, and I spend a lot of time swimming in it and getting tanner. I love the sun and the energy it seems to give me. My birthday is also in the summer, which is a huge plus. However, my summer always ends up being pretty packed schedule-wise. There is a lot of pre-season field hockey events and family visits going on. Because of the way my dad’s work schedule falls, we don’t usually take a long vacation in the summer; it’s more of an occasional weekend out of town here and there. This isn’t to say I mind being busy; I would not be happy if I had nothing to do all summer, but the busyness often leads to the summer going by way too fast.
If I had to pick a least favorite season, it would probably be spring. I don’t like how wet and muddy it gets, and bugs start coming back, which I definitely don’t like. The end of spring is often stressful with teachers cramming in assignments before finals. However, lacrosse, my favorite sport, occurs during spring which is great. I also admire how beautiful all the trees and flowers look as they regrow, and how green and alive everything is. Spring, like all the seasons, involves change. Without change, who knows where we would be.
Liz 6: New year, New me?
Every new year, the phrase “new year, new me” can be found just about everywhere. And every year, people make resolutions that they usually give up on by mid-January. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am one of those people. However, here I am, January 6, with a list of things I’m trying to do to make my 2020 better than 2019. So far, I’ve been good about keeping up with them, but who knows how long it will last.
One thing I’m kind of ashamed of, however, is the fact that my resolutions are like every other resolution you hear: eat healthier, work out more, try and be more positive, etc. I feel though its stuff I really need to work on. Over the summer, I started eating healthy and honestly I just had more energy and physically felt better. However, once the school year started, all I eat is quick processed snacks and meals, if I even eat at all. With working out, it was the same deal; at the end of last school year, I would work out right when I got home from school almost every day. It made me feel energized, and honestly less insecure about my body. However, when depression hits and you eat really crappy food all the time, it can be hard to find the energy and motivation to work out. Because of these two factors, and all the stress I’ve had recently, it’s been really hard to stay positive. So far this year though, I’ve been choosing healthier food options when I can, and this morning I got up at 5:30 am to work out before school (cause I literally have no other time to do it). I’m really proud of myself, and hopefully, I can keep this up for longer than a couple of weeks.
One thing I’m kind of ashamed of, however, is the fact that my resolutions are like every other resolution you hear: eat healthier, work out more, try and be more positive, etc. I feel though its stuff I really need to work on. Over the summer, I started eating healthy and honestly I just had more energy and physically felt better. However, once the school year started, all I eat is quick processed snacks and meals, if I even eat at all. With working out, it was the same deal; at the end of last school year, I would work out right when I got home from school almost every day. It made me feel energized, and honestly less insecure about my body. However, when depression hits and you eat really crappy food all the time, it can be hard to find the energy and motivation to work out. Because of these two factors, and all the stress I’ve had recently, it’s been really hard to stay positive. So far this year though, I’ve been choosing healthier food options when I can, and this morning I got up at 5:30 am to work out before school (cause I literally have no other time to do it). I’m really proud of myself, and hopefully, I can keep this up for longer than a couple of weeks.
Connor 6: Java Joint
I am only going to reference my working experience a little bit this time, so don’t worry this isn’t a Dunkin part 3. I’m saving that for a future date. For this blog, I want to discuss my first business adventure and the thing that set me on the path of entrepreneurship that I’m on today. For those of you who don’t know, the Library has a small coffee shop in it called, Java Joint, which is open all day. Last year, I joined it because I loved coffee and had an interest in seeing what running it would be like. I then decided to run to be the head of the coffee shop and got it. This year, I have been in charge of it and I’ve loved every second of it.
My first job was at a business that had just opened and was run by two people who have never run a business before. Seeing how much of a disaster that was and how easy it would have been to fix if someone more qualified was in charge, I learned that I had a knack for business. I then took a business management class, joined FBLA, and was running the coffee shop because I had decided that I wanted to run a coffee shop as my lifelong career.
I am 100% biased, but for a High School Library coffee shop, that started off as a Keurig in the back office, Java Joint is a major success. Am I using this blog as a platform for shameless advertising? Yes. Do I feel bad for doing so? No. The cafeteria has become a source of competition for us, so my team and I are on high alert marketing mode.
Currently, we sell a variety of hot and iced beverages as well as snacks and merchandise. As the top person in charge (besides the librarians, but at this point, it’s a ‘ask for forgiveness, not permission’ kind of situation. I have issues.) I’ll give you guys a sneak peek of what’s soon to come. For this month, I am currently planning a mural to be painted above the menu board. I am hoping for it to be a tree with handprint leaves of this year's Java Joint employees, so keep an eye out for that. Next, we are hoping to get a new line of merchandise, with different colored t-shirts with a new logo, and maybe even sweatshirts. We are also looking into new flavors, and have been considering some berry flavors for the iced tea, but are open to suggestions. We currently have caramel, hazelnut, french vanilla, pumpkin spice, peppermint, and mocha. We will also soon be offering a punch rewards card, where after 9 beverages you get the 10th free. I designed them myself and I have to say I am quite proud of them. We also are emphasizing a policy where if you bring your own mug, all hot beverages receive a 50 cent discount. (Iced and Specialty beverages excluded)
All proceeds from sales go directly into the Library’s bank account where it goes back to the student body in the form of books, musical instruments, puzzles, games, craft materials, new additions to Java Joint, video game tournaments, Fandom Fridays, Makerspace Mondays, Book Club, etc. Nearly everything the library provides is funded by Java Joint sales, so supporting it is really like supporting your library, which in the long run supports yourself.
A Java Joint blog was bound to happen eventually, I am actually surprised it took this long. To sum it all up, your high school library has an awesome little coffee shop and if you ever need a quick snack or a drink to pick you up, you should consider supporting it.
My first job was at a business that had just opened and was run by two people who have never run a business before. Seeing how much of a disaster that was and how easy it would have been to fix if someone more qualified was in charge, I learned that I had a knack for business. I then took a business management class, joined FBLA, and was running the coffee shop because I had decided that I wanted to run a coffee shop as my lifelong career.
I am 100% biased, but for a High School Library coffee shop, that started off as a Keurig in the back office, Java Joint is a major success. Am I using this blog as a platform for shameless advertising? Yes. Do I feel bad for doing so? No. The cafeteria has become a source of competition for us, so my team and I are on high alert marketing mode.
Currently, we sell a variety of hot and iced beverages as well as snacks and merchandise. As the top person in charge (besides the librarians, but at this point, it’s a ‘ask for forgiveness, not permission’ kind of situation. I have issues.) I’ll give you guys a sneak peek of what’s soon to come. For this month, I am currently planning a mural to be painted above the menu board. I am hoping for it to be a tree with handprint leaves of this year's Java Joint employees, so keep an eye out for that. Next, we are hoping to get a new line of merchandise, with different colored t-shirts with a new logo, and maybe even sweatshirts. We are also looking into new flavors, and have been considering some berry flavors for the iced tea, but are open to suggestions. We currently have caramel, hazelnut, french vanilla, pumpkin spice, peppermint, and mocha. We will also soon be offering a punch rewards card, where after 9 beverages you get the 10th free. I designed them myself and I have to say I am quite proud of them. We also are emphasizing a policy where if you bring your own mug, all hot beverages receive a 50 cent discount. (Iced and Specialty beverages excluded)
All proceeds from sales go directly into the Library’s bank account where it goes back to the student body in the form of books, musical instruments, puzzles, games, craft materials, new additions to Java Joint, video game tournaments, Fandom Fridays, Makerspace Mondays, Book Club, etc. Nearly everything the library provides is funded by Java Joint sales, so supporting it is really like supporting your library, which in the long run supports yourself.
A Java Joint blog was bound to happen eventually, I am actually surprised it took this long. To sum it all up, your high school library has an awesome little coffee shop and if you ever need a quick snack or a drink to pick you up, you should consider supporting it.
Joe 6: So I Became TikTok Famous. It’s Weird.
Those of you who have AP Lang Block 2 with me may remember my rather interesting entry in our most recent “Smiles and Frowns.” In my own words, “against my better judgment, I made three TikToks over winter break.” While that fact on its own is not earth-shattering, (though if you’d asked me three weeks ago if I would be making dumb 15-second videos on the app I had lambasted for months, you would have gotten a hard “no”) what happened next absolutely blew my mind. Of the three videos that were posted, two of them exploded. 24 hours after posting, my best-performing video boasted two-hundred-fifty thousand views. By now, it has made its way to the eight-hundred thousand mark. My phone has been flooded with notifications of followers, likes, and comments for days on end. Needless to say, my world was rocked.
So, what does it feel like to have that many people rally to a piece of content that you made? Well, for the most part, people have been supportive of the videos. Both of them have some flashy effects that won over the crowds. There is the army of people who have asked for free editing and collaborations, which I have done my best to ignore. Then there is the much larger clan of commenters I will affectionately call the Champions of Correctness (the nerds who love to remind me that I’m wrong.)
In one of the videos, I use a toy lightsaber that, with the power of editing, becomes the real, glowing weapon of the Jedi. Unfortunately, it’s the real weapon of the Jedi in the wrong color. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I made the very-obviously blue lightsaber green. I’m clearly an uncultured idiot who must be made aware of my egregious error. Thank goodness there is a gigantic horde of people who took it upon themselves to let me know the mistake I made. Nevermind that I address it in the comment section 10 separate times for people to see, or the 10 short seconds of common sense it would take to realize I probably did it deliberately. No. It is such a relief to have these reminders. What would I do without them?
All venting aside, I am very grateful for the little sliver of stardom that came knocking at my door at three AM one morning. I’m going to pursue this and see where it leads, so if you guys want to follow me, my username is joe_burke0227. Just leave the lightsaber comments at the door. I have enough loving fans to remind me of the mistake already.
Emma 6: College Visit in Philly
Over the winter break, I went to Philadelphia with my aunt who I only see once or twice a year. She is majoring in anatomy in North Carolina and is going to become a physical therapist, so she spends almost all of her time studying and working. She went to Temple for her first two years of college, so she wanted to be able to give me a tour of the city and her old campus.
I wanted to be able to look at colleges there because I haven’t visited any colleges in Pennsylvania. Last year I was very set on going to California for college, and I went there for my 16th birthday and looked at a lot of them. Although some of them looked like colleges I would want to go to, I recently decided I want to stay close to family while I go to college.
Before visiting colleges in Philly, I thought that I wanted to be able to go to college in the city and potentially live there someday. However, I realized that I don’t actually really enjoy the city as much as I thought I did. I was looking into possibly going to Temple before, but now I am very certain I won’t be applying for school there.
I wasn’t originally planning on visiting Arcadia University, but it ended up being my favorite college that I saw. It was the most beautiful college that I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of a castle with all of the old stone buildings and open fields. I really loved how there were gazebos and gardens all over the campus. Statues were etched into almost all of the buildings. Because it was winter break, I wasn’t able to get a true feel for the atmosphere there or talk to any advisers, but I will be visiting it again to make a final decision.
I also visited Drexel and Upenn. I was not a fan of Drexel’s campus because it was intertwined with the city, and there wasn’t enough nature scenery for me. Upenn was better than Drexel because it had walkways through the park and other grassy areas.
After walking around all day, we went to get lunch at the place where she used to work in college. It was a really fun day, and I’m happy I decided to go with my aunt because I got to spend a whole day with her and get more of an idea about what colleges I would like to go to.
I wanted to be able to look at colleges there because I haven’t visited any colleges in Pennsylvania. Last year I was very set on going to California for college, and I went there for my 16th birthday and looked at a lot of them. Although some of them looked like colleges I would want to go to, I recently decided I want to stay close to family while I go to college.
Before visiting colleges in Philly, I thought that I wanted to be able to go to college in the city and potentially live there someday. However, I realized that I don’t actually really enjoy the city as much as I thought I did. I was looking into possibly going to Temple before, but now I am very certain I won’t be applying for school there.
I wasn’t originally planning on visiting Arcadia University, but it ended up being my favorite college that I saw. It was the most beautiful college that I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of a castle with all of the old stone buildings and open fields. I really loved how there were gazebos and gardens all over the campus. Statues were etched into almost all of the buildings. Because it was winter break, I wasn’t able to get a true feel for the atmosphere there or talk to any advisers, but I will be visiting it again to make a final decision.
I also visited Drexel and Upenn. I was not a fan of Drexel’s campus because it was intertwined with the city, and there wasn’t enough nature scenery for me. Upenn was better than Drexel because it had walkways through the park and other grassy areas.
After walking around all day, we went to get lunch at the place where she used to work in college. It was a really fun day, and I’m happy I decided to go with my aunt because I got to spend a whole day with her and get more of an idea about what colleges I would like to go to.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Ryan 6: I Went to a Museum
Today, January fifth, I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with my family. This was my first time ever going there so I enjoyed it a lot. We did and saw a lot, the trip ended up taking all day which was tiring but definitely worth it.
The building itself was beautiful, every once in a while I would find myself looking up at the roof and pillars because of how detailed they were. We entered the building by the famous Rocky stair case where he jumps up and down with his fists in the air. When you enter the building the first thing that catches your eye is the giant statue centered behind the great staircase. This room was very grand which seemed perfect for the entrance to a museum.
The actual art exhibits were in the left and right wings of the building on floors two and three. We started on the third floor and worked our way down. At first, I thought it seemed a little small, but I quickly realized I was wrong. Each wing had two sections with many rooms in each sections. Some specific sections were European art, American art, Asian art, modern art, and a special exhibit room. My favorite section was the Asian art area, all of the art was so detailed with patterns.
Overall, my day trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art was fun and unique. I recommend anyone to go there at least once. We ended up staying in the museum for around three hours. That was a lot of walking, but I was satisfied in the end when I got a Philly cheese steak.
Renee, 6, Preparing For Next Semester
As semester one comes to an end, I've been preparing for the inevitable increase in workload, as my second semester will be much more difficult than the classes I have now. Besides the fact that I will still have two AP courses, I am then adding German 5, Pre-Calculus, and Anatomy & Physiology. I also have no study halls, while I had TWO the first semester. I've been taking it easy this semester in regards to school and have been able to work a lot more because I can balance it. I know that I am going to have to cut back on my hours, as well as working on time management. I've had trouble with this in the past and find it hard to say no to when my coworkers ask me to take their shift, mostly because I need the money for gas and other things, so this will be hard to balance.
The reason I'm nervous about next semester in regards to the actual academics is that I struggle with math and also science even though I like it. I have heard from a lot of people that Anatomy is a difficult class. The only thing I'm excited about in regards to Pre-Calculus is that it will help me prepare for the SAT. On top of that, I haven't taken a German class since this time last year, so I fear I'll be behind in the highest level of that class. I have a teacher that I haven't had before, so that also stresses me out.
This is going to be a big adjustment and will probably confirm the belief that Junior year is the hardest. I am still avoiding this reality and will continue to try not to think about it. After finals, I'll start to worry.
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