Hard Work Pays Off:Editorial on Declining School Spirit

(11/14/10) This issue of newspaper I am working collaboratively with fellow Senior Editor Nirali Shah to write an editorial about the declining school spirit at Country Day. I am looking forward to the planning and follow through of our writing plan because I feel like this is a highly relevant topic in the country day community and should be an interesting read for the Day Times audience. I think that this follows learning outcomes #3, 4, and 8 because I am working with others to come up with a project (in this case the editorial) that should continue to develop my journalistic perspective and writing abilities.

UPDATE (11/30/10) Nirali and I just finished writing the rough draft and it looks great. I think we used good teamwork to accomplish the task. During the interview portion of the writing process we split up the interviews evenly amongst ourselves (we had to get many different opinions) and made the process a rather quick one. We then combined our notes and had a second round of interviews (either important new people or follow up interviews) which we conducted together in order to form a similar perspective on the story. To make the writing process a speedy one, Nirali wrote the first part of the editorial then I added on and made edits to her work. She then followed up by doing the same things to my writing. I think that we chose an effective plan that allowed us to work collaboratively yet quickly at the same time. I am very excited to finish up the editorial as I think it represents some of my best newspaper work in my four years on the Day Times. Hopefully the school community will take the message of our writing to heart and start showing up to more non-academic school events!

The Day Times Year Begins!

As the Day Times starts to begin layout for our second issue of the year, I have started to become accustomed to my role as a Senior Editor. To be honest, there is more work than I anticipated; I expected more of an advisory role to young, inexperienced Day Timers, but have received actual assignments they need work and much thought. For instance, this issue my fellow Senior Editors and I are responsible for both the editorial on Plum Market and the design of the back page. In order to be successful, I needed to fully embody IB learning outcomes 4 and 5: working collaboratively with others and showing preservance in my activities. As a senior, a bit of “senioritis” has threatened to creep into my formerly diligent work habits. I know the effects will first be seen in an activity like newspaper, where perceived less responsibility would cause me to “slack off” and neglect my duties to the paper. I have to actively remind myself that I still have to serve out the last year of my time on the newspaper and do so with energy and enthusiasm for my love of journalism.

Nirali, Sunny, Nithya, Lulu, and I have put in hard work this issue that we maintain the quality of the editorial and back page to the high standard it has always been kept. Though we suffered some setbacks in regards to meeting deadlines, we got the work done and we did it well.

The Conclusion to My Tennis Career (Written 10/16/10)

I just came back from my final states, which was a bittersweet experience. It was the perfect culmination to a great season with a great group of guys, who I had the pleasure of leading as captain. Though we did not perform up to the high expectations we set for ourselves, the season was a success in my mind because we bonded as a social unit and made some new friends along the way. Winning the tennis matches is only part of the equation when it comes to being a captain; I also need to promote a good team environment (which for the most part I was able to do) where we get along and can count on each other for support about issues off the court.

States started well for us; every flight won a tough match on their way to the semifinals. However, we were not as lucky the next day, with half our flights (including me) losing in tough semi-final matches. To be honest, I saw that coming; our practice habits disappointed me throughout the year and the Cranbrook doubles teams which defeated us worked harder. For this laziness, much of the blame should be attributed to the captains, including myself, who all too often emphasized having fun over being serious (indeed it was a false predicaments we put ourselves in). With that said, I think that all of the members on the team appreciated the family-like atmosphere we instilled. I know that the young freshman on our team made some new, dependable friends which eased his transition into the high school. So while we may not have come in 1st place at states, I know that we had the closest, most friendly team around.

Heredia, Costa Rica - A Lasting Experience (Written 8/1/10)

As my Costa Rican experience comes to a close, I feel as though I have grown both as a person and as an IB student. Coming to Heredia, I was very worried about my ability to speak Spanish and adjust to a culture very different than the American culture. I think IB Learning Outcome #2 "Undertake new challenges" really applies to my trip. I had struggled to speak in Spanish class last year and I was really proud of my ability to put myself out there and feel comfortable making oral mistakes. In the end, I think my Spanish has improved, but more importantly I have a new found confidence in my ability to speak (which should have untold benefits come AP Spanish time).

I have also successful immersed myself in learning outcome #3: “Plan and initiate projects". At many times during the community service portion of my trip, I found myself leading the group and planning how we would accomplish each goal. Though we had a plan the whole time for what we were going to accomplish at Calle Hernandez, I thought I did well to lead us through the road bumps in achieving our ultimate goals.
Learning Outcomes #5 and #8 go hand in hand. I would not have learned all my new sanding and painting skills as well as my teaching skills if I had not stuck with the program and fell back into my comfort zone. I pushed myself into unsure places and came out stronger because of it.

Beside all of the IB learning outcomes, I enjoyed meeting people from all over the US and all over South America. I enjoyed spending nights talking to my host family just as much as playing soccer with the kids. One of the most important lessons learned is that there is more than one way to live your life. Though the lifestyle in Costa Rica was much different than in the US, the people there enjoy a unique living experience which is just as beautiful and loving as that in the US. More than anything, a respect for differences in culture springboards intercultural understanding and bridges the gap between Latin American culture and United States culture.

Heredia, Costa Rica - Jugando con los ninos (Written 7/24/10)

Today we began the day with a 6:20 wake up and the usual breakfast of eggs and fruit. After a 30 minute bus ride to la escuela, we began our work on the bars (again). I never knew de-rusting iron could be so difficult! As a group, we split up the work and got it done by 2 PM (after 3 and 1/2 exhausting hours of sanding). The work was more enjoyable after we began to converse in Spanish with LPI member and the students. We told funny stories about the Manuel Antonio weekend and continued work under the hot Costa Rican sun. After another lunch of turkey sandwiches, (on a side note, the cooking from Mama Tica has been consistently phenomenal) we spent an hour playing silly games in the storage room doubling as a gym. I was pleasantly surprised with my ability to communicate and understand the students and teachers (though I would like to string more than 10 word sentences together in future). I am surprised at how much I enjoy the children’s' company; I am very receptive to their smiles and attempts to speak with me.

As an IB student, I have begun to recognize the global implications of my work here in Costa Rica. Leaving North America for the first time in my life, I see now how less fortunate people then I need help from those that can offer it. It should be an obligation of those who have had academic and health education to help people in any way possible. Like I have mentioned in previous posts, the most insignificant knowledge that sees obvious to us needs to be imparted on to these people, information that could change their lives for the better

Heredia, Costa Rica - Day 2 of Community Service (Written 7/20/10)

Another great day of community service! While we spent our first day starting the arduous task of sanding the desks and rusty bars on the classroom, today was spent finishing off the bars, a precursor to the painting we will do tomorrow. It took me a while to understand the significance of this painstaking work. I realized that even the slightest aesthetic alteration to the school (whether that be freshly painted desks, non-rusty school bars, or a clean white board) betters the learning environment for these kids. I can tell from my interaction with them during the game and learning time how important school time is to them. Coming from impoverished or violent homes, these young children (aged 5-15) appear so happy despite their tumultuous home life. I realize now how lucky I am to attend a fantastic school like DCDS. I take for granted the clean bathrooms, freshly painted walls, and manicured athletic fields that DCDS has provided for me since Junior Kindergarten. The school has placed me in a safe, sanitary learning environment, which allows me to focus on my school work, not where I am going to take my next bathroom break. This is why every scrap of rust off the bars or every marking of graffiti off the beaten up desks means one little step closer to making their impoverished "Calle Hernandez" school closer to becoming the premium school I have attended all my academic life.

The children themselves are so delightful and eager to meet the mysterious foreigners who get to do the cool yard work. I only hope that a intelligent, polite young girl like Pricilla can beat the unfair odds stacked against her and have success with her academics. The highlight of my day was seeing her smiling face after a funny moment during a game of "Telefono". After giving her candy when we finished the game, she kindly thanked me in English, her second language and pranced off to do more school work. She may learn at a poor school in Heredia, but I know a potential DCDS star when I see one.

A New Year at the Day Times

Last week, the Day Times (our school newspaper) named the new positions for the next school year. I was happy to hear that I will be a senior editor for the 2010-2011 school year. The senior editor position in past years has been known as a “joke position” for seniors who were not named editor-in-chief, however I intent on taking full advantage of my opportunity to help the next generation of Day Timers and imparting the knowledge I have collected over my three years.

The sports section has been my passion for the last three years and I will need to be especially helpful next year because our sports editors have very little of sports in general. I feel an obligation to “give back” to my section, and have already in this last issue begun the process of guiding the way for the new sports editors. I am excited to see the new editors show much passion and efforts towards creating the best sports section possible. Being a year older and wiser, I have found it important to help the new editors become acclimated with sports like last year’s senior editors helped me. This helps me achieve the fourth IB learning outcome: Working collaboratively with others.

Another exciting aspect of my senior editor job is the honor given to us of creating the back page of the newspaper. I have always thought of the back page as the second most important page in the entire Day Times (behind the front page) and it is important to make the best page possible to attract other students to the paper. This less rule bound page has gotten my creative juices flowing, an opportunity I have seldom been given. For this next issue, the other senior editors and I have come up with a great idea which I’m sure the DCDS community will enjoy.

Summer in Costa Rica

As the summer approaches, I am getting excited about my upcoming trip to Costa Rica. During my four weeks in Heredia, Costa Rica, I will be staying with a local family, immersing myself in the Spanish language. After two weeks of study at the local college, I will be doing community service at the local school and environmental center. Of the many activities I will be participating in during my stay in Costa Rica, I am most excited to be helping the underprivileged children at the schools. I have been blessed to have an education which has put me in a prostitution to succeed in the future. I hope to give back when I go to Costa Rica, passing on the love of learning which has been instilled in me during my time at DCDS. This experience will help me achieve most of the 8 IB learning outcomes. I will definitely gain awareness of my strengths and weakness in the realm of leadership. I have never previously worked with younger children for an extended period of time and the time I spend at the school will help me learn communication skills which I can bring back to my local community when I return in August.

Along with working at the schools, I will be helping maintain the environment in Heredia by planting trees and taking weeds out of the soil. Not only will I gain an appreciation of the environment, but I will also learn the value of tough manual labor. This will help me understand learning outcome #5: Showing commitment and perseverance in my activities.

Another important aspect of my trip will be immersion in the Spanish language. I have always thought that in order to show proper respect in a conversation with a person of a different culture, I should be able to communicate with them in their first language. Seeing as Spanish is become of a prominent part of North American culture, I think it is best that I improve my Spanish speaking skills. This is definitely an issue of global political importance because communication cross culturally are severely limited. I hope that putting myself in a different situation and taking myself out of my comfort zone will help me gain self-confidence in unusual situations. Another skill I can use when I return to Country Day next fall.

Gleaners Food Bank

In January I made a trip with a local Jewish youth group to the Gleaners food bank in downtown Detroit. Not only was this my first time interacting with a youth group, but the first time I had been to a food bank in nearly 2 years. The youth group, consisting of 10-15 high school children from around the area, had been working with different organizations (food groups, retirement homes, charities for disaster relief) since their conception 3 years ago; needless to say I was greatly impressed.
Though as a Country Day student we are required to do 10 hours of community service, I feel like I am often too consumed by school work to organize my time doing charity work. When I saw these excited kids very similar to me helping the local community, I asked myself, “What can I do to contribute to the community as much as my fellow high school students?” Here are some solutions I can think of:

1. Waste less time in order to finish school things earlier
2. Put myself out there with youth groups like these to see if they need assistance
3. Find a cause that I am passionate about and work for that cause!

The first cause that comes to mind is tennis; I have a vast knowledge of the sport which should be shared with those who are less fortunate and have not been able to take as my lessons as I have. In future I plan to either do a charity tennis tournament (an idea which I have had yet failed to act upon numerous times) or give free lessons to those in the community who cannot afford them. I think this has important ethical implications; those who are privileged must help those who are not. I have been given many opportunities to learn the sport of tennis and I intend to pass this knowledge on to future generations of tennis players.
Back to the experience at the food bank. The lady who runs this chapter of the food bank told us that there are a growing number of people who cannot afford to buy their own food and need assistance. This troubles me greatly and goes back my previous statement that the privileged must help the lesser privileged.
Our group made bags of food that children would get at school and take home for their family to eat at dinner (there was not that much food in the bags). It looked like donations were running low (perhaps DCDS needs another food drive) and they needed money to purchase fresh meats (a rarity which food banks often struggle to provide). With that said, it was great to see high school kids making a difference. It showed me that regardless of age, people can always make a difference if they put their minds to it.

“It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover”
– Henri Poincaré.

The Logan Experience

The first blog of 2010 is dedicated to a community service venture from 2009: The yearly trip to Logan Elementary School in Detroit. I had heard many positive things about the trip, which I have never been on, and decided that this year I would experience this adventure with the IB group.
We decided that our method of celebrating the holiday season would be to make snowmen and showgirls with the little 4th and 5th graders. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about working with little children. For one, I don’t consider myself to be extraordinarily patient with the little whippersnappers and feared that I would make a little kid cry with a sudden outburst of frustration. I was taken on a new challenge (IB Learning Outcome #2!!) and was ready to test my patience with the children.

As our IB group approached the first class room and I saw the 20-some number of children, my fellow IBers and I realized that we needed to group up to handle the tenacity and energy of the young scholars. Margery Gang and I partnered up and led the children through the activities. We were able to instruct the children with their projects along with entertaining them with fun math games and questions about their favorite hobbies. I thought we worked well together (IB Learning Outcome #4!!) and helped the students have a successful holiday experience.
To my worries of terrorizing the youngsters with my impatience- no such outburst occurred. While there were moments where my head began to ache with all the loud noises in the class room, I was able to maintain my composure and successfully lead the group activity. In this sense I showed commitment and perseverance in my activity (IB Learning Outcome #5!!) by maintain a cool head and overcoming my initial worries.
Overall the Logan experience was altogether enjoyable as I had a fun time with not only my classmates, but the little children who enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed theirs. I am looking forward to another adventure next year!

Another Interesting quote which reminds me of some recent TOK discussions: “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.” – Albert Einstein