Graduation Speech

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln.
Whenever you try or are forced to do something new, your life has millions of new paths to take. I came to the Golf 67 District in 4th grade, having to start with a completely new slate. With the help of my kind teacher and wonderful friends that I met that prior summer, I was able to adapt to, in a way, my new family.
The 4th grade went by quickly, and I was soon going to be off to middle school. I didn’t really know what to expect, so many different things could happen - it’s the butterfly effect. One meager decision you make could dramatically affect your future.
Before I talk about my experience in middle school, I’d like to take a moment to really appreciate everyone within this school district and connect with the audience. If you truly think about every person in the Golf District that has helped you, a lot of names would come up, whether you’re a parent, student, teacher, or staff. I mean, consider this: no matter who you are, all of the above have helped you directly or indirectly in some way, whether it was helping you, your child, or your friend. Thank you, honestly, to all of the people in this family, for helping myself, and, of course, everyone else, become who we are today.
Moving forward, I’d say that my experience in middle school had it’s ups and downs, like any other. I’ve learned to treasure each moment, whether pleasant or not. It’s important to embrace each memory, because they make and complete who we are. One day, I hope to look back at these four years and think, “wow, I’m so glad ‘this or that’ happened,”, which ties into my opening quote, said by President Abraham Lincoln.
I thank all of the people who have chosen to stay right by my side through this experience, whether student or adult. In these four years, I’ve had the opportunity to be taught by 14 or so teachers, and I appreciate each and every one of them.
My friends have been there for me to pick me up when I fell, and to provide me with endless laughter. My parents, I don’t even know where to start. Parents are the root of who you are, they’ve raised you! Imagine, they need to praise the wonderful tasks you complete, and get you back on track when you mess up. The love of a parent is unconditional, and they’ll always be with you. Thank you to every mother, father, or guardian in this district.
I probably speak for many students to say that these years have been overwhelming. I, for one, walked into Golf thinking that it would feel like ages before I’d reach the 8th grade, yet, here I am. Here we are, the whole graduating class of 2016, standing together for some of the final moments before adventuring off into the vast ocean that is high school.
I wish each and every classmate and pier the best of luck as you grow into the extraordinary people you’ll be.
Yet again, I thank the whole Golf 67 District for this amazing opportunity. Always remember moments in life, for you’ll truly discover who you are.

PARCC vs. ISAT ♥

     No matter where you live, chances are that you've had to take some kind of standardized test. Two examples of incredibly tiring tests in my area are the PARCC Test and, what came before that, the ISAT Test. Comparing two major evils isn't going to be easy, but here goes.
ISAT TESTING
-Pros
  -The multiple choice questions didn't require much time and were effortless
  -The passages were much shorter
  -For extended responses, there was just enough space, not too much or too little
-Cons
  -Extended responses, for math, felt really unnecessary and stressful
  -The science test was based more off of general knowledge, instead of reasoning based on already existing knowledge
  -Poorly timed
  -Didn't feel challenged
PARCC TESTING
-Pros
  -Questions did require more thinking, but there were less of them
  -Passages had much more information in them
  -Timing was better
-Cons
  -Insufficient space for responses
  -Questions AND answers poorly worded
  -Too many passages
  -Requires much more thinking, becomes too overwhelming and tiring

     So, overall, there are components I feel like the ISAT and PARCC could merge, to make the ideal test, in my opinion. Though the ISAT was too easy, timing and spacing was perfect. I felt like the PARCC Test had to lay off a little bit, three long passages in a row are VERY consuming and tiring.

Happy testing season!

When a Scene Ends, a New One Begins ♥

     With Summer Break approaching near, students are either completely ecstatic or brutally terrified. Excitement or panic all comes from only 37 days to either perfect their middle school experience, grades and all, or fear of what may come in high school after the three months of break.
     Personally, I hope to end and leave middle school successfully and remembered. I do feel that I've made a mark on my school, whether it was with the community or the actual school itself. These four years have been filled with amazing memories and stupendous grades, of which I'm both proud of. School life has had its ups and downs, with drama and all, but overall has been wonderful.
     Now, what do I look forward to next year? Just about everything. I'm looking forward to meeting new classmates and teachers, learning new things, sharing my passions with a new environment, and having a clean, fresh, new start. I'm a little bit nervous about experiencing the new ethics, but I'm sure I'll be well-accustomed to how things work soon enough.
     Although, in the middle of an abrupt ending and a sudden beginning, there needs to be a pause. That very pause is Summer Break! During this time, I'll be recapitulating my years in middle school, what I liked and what I didn't, and taking that information into thinking about what my high school experience should look like. I will also spend the break with, well, a break! Video games, Netflix, food, and music all day! I'll finally have a chance to truly kick back and relax, without any stress cluttering my mind.

     How do you want to end this school year and begin the next? What do your Summer Break plans look like?

My Millennium Park Field Trip ♥

     Allow me to tell you a fabulous story about my fabulous self in the third grade. The date is June 3rd, therefore my birthday. I was super-duper excited about this date because my classmates and I were going to go on a field trip to Millennium Park in Chicago! Honestly, what's a better birthday gift than skipping school to go to an amazing place?!
     Anyways, being my nerdy, young self, I didn't have any phone or camera to take pictures. Would you like to know what I took with me? Be prepared to cringe or laugh. I took my DSi. Yep, I was that one geeky kid. Oh well! I took some pretty amazing pictures on that thing, considering it wasn't any type of "professional" camera. Go photographer Mer! (For those wondering, I had a blue one).

     After the painfully long bus ride of anticipation, we exited towards boats, which would take us to the park. Passing by people waving definitely boosted the morale of the group, making us all even more excited to arrive at our final destination. 

     Now, I don't have that many memories of this lovely day, unfortunately, so I'm just going to describe the four that I remember.

1) Taking a Photo Under the Bean.

     For those of you that don't know what the Bean is, it's a huge statue of this metallic-silver bean at the opening of the park. My friends and I wanted to take pictures, under, not next to it. It was a truly beautiful and trippy experience, especially when I accidentally bumped my head! Oops! Clumsy, 10-year-old me. 

2) The Face Fountain

     The next amazing attraction at this park was the Face Fountain. Needless to explain, it's literally a giant screen that displays portraits of people spitting out water. Now that I think about it, it's kind of gross. But who cares when you're 10 years old? You want to play in the water with your friends! That's exactly what I did. 

3) Matching Tie-Dye T-Shirts

     The day before, all of my classmates and I skipped some classes to make tie-dyed t-shirts. My wonderful friend and I decided to make matching ones so we could always find each other and be the coolest twins ever. I still have the t-shirt to this day, and it's dyed red and yellow. 

4) Buying My Own Ice Cream

     When you're 10 years old, chances are your parents buy things for you. With just the point of a finger, you could get a  delicious candy bar or shiny, new pencil. Buying something on your own was a huge step into what we used to call "being an adult", and my mother gave me some money to buy my own ice cream cone. It was a pivotal moment in my life, seeing that I was able to order my very own cookies and cream cone.

     That's all for today, my friends! Tell me about one of your field trips!

Dear Diary ♥

     Monday, March 7th, 2016.
Dear Diary,
     Between last Friday and today, my English/literature class watched a documentary called "I'm Still Here" (creepy title, ikr), reading the diaries of Jewish Holocaust teenagers, whether they survived it or not. We were told to take a couple notes on each person, so we remember who they were, and what they were like. It was very interesting to see how each person lived their lives, and what they wrote about in comparison to others. I thought I'd talk about a couple of them, if not all (they inspired me a lot!)
     The first boy's name is Klaus. He wrote a lot about the segregation of Jews and many other people. He also gives details about Kristallnacht, the night of the broken glass. For those who don't know, on November 9th and 10th, 1938, Nazi storm troopers (no, not like Star Wars) went through towns and murdered Jews in their own homes or workplaces. They also boycotted Jewish stores by breaking the glass windows, and burned down synagogues (places of Jewish worship). Klaus finally talks about the time when his parents got arrested, and how his family departed.
     The next person who talks is Peter. He dedicated his diary to his parents, and seems to have a very hopeful tone in his writing. He mentions that he was baptized as a Catholic but still considered a Jew, so he went into hiding and wrote to his parents every day. Suddenly, his parents stopped writing. In the end, Peter escaped a tragic death.
     Now, we hear Elisabeth. For being a girl, I found that she was very defiant and courageous. She states that she's not afraid of the war and bombings. She calls the whole situation "unfair". She lost her mother when travelling, but then found her. She warns the reader of how cruel the Germans are.
     Next, Dawid's diary is read. Yes, his name is correctly spelled, for those wondering. At the beginning of his diary, he explained that watching soldiers pass through his village was fun, but he later finds out how evil they were, causing him to live in fear, along with the rest of the town. He also reports news around him, especially of people dying for no reason.
     This diary entry is getting awfully long, I'll pick up where we left off tomorrow.
~Mercedes

Erika's Quote - Daniel's Story ♥

"We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place. And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and that we can go to our deaths in dignity... I want you both to live... And to remember... You must choose love. Always choose love."

~Erika , to Daniel and Rosa, Daniel's Story (by Carol Matas)

  This powerful quote is from a historical-fiction book, that takes place during World War II, Daniel's Story. In a quick sentence, the short book tells a story about a Jewish boy, Daniel, and his family persevering on with the struggles of being a Jew, concentration camps, and many more hardships. Erika is Daniel's younger sister, and Rosa is Daniel's "girlfriend".

I decided to take this quote and break it down, piece by piece, and explain what it means to me. It may mean something else to you, and I'd love to hear ideas.
"We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place."
In my opinion, this all means that each and every one of us have a purpose in life. Everyone has a reason for being alive, and living on this planet. As life goes on, we each have an impact on the world, whether it's minuscule or immense. The best thing to do is to change the world for the better, overall.
"And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault,"
If you dedicate your life to doing good, it shouldn't be your fault if you die. The concept of good karma supports this - if you do good, you will receive just the same.
"...that we did our best, and that we can go to our deaths in dignity."
     Of course, you would've tried your best when doing amazing deeds for the world. If you made an impact on the world, wouldn't it be wonderful to leave it knowing that you did something to make a positive difference? This way, you can die with dignity and pride - you didn't waste your life.
"I want you both to live... And to remember... You must choose love. Always choose love."
     Here, Erika is speaking directly to her dear brother and friend. She doesn't want them to die, but she insists on remembering to choose love, over all. I don't necessarily agree with this, I would definitely choose love over any form of hatred, though.

     There you go! Bam! Broken down! I'd love to hear anyone's own ideas about this topic down below!

The Art of, Well, Art ♥

     Before I start this post, I'd like to wish you all a happy Leap Year Day (idk, is it called that?) Also, to all those people whom are either lucky (or unlucky, I guess) enough to have their birthdays on this special day, happy birthday.
     I'd typically write something about how time flies by so fast, but I wanted to discuss something more dear to my heart, art (wow omg that rhymed). Art really isn't just a physical thing. If you have the right mindset to it, it can be more of a concept. Whether you're amazing or terrible, the idea is that you're transforming and molding your thoughts and feelings into something that someone can physically see.
     Another lovely thing about art is that you have an infinite number of mediums (supplies). You can work with anything, from paints to plastic bottles.
     Also speaking about choices, you can draw, sculpt, compose music, etc. All it takes is a thought, image, dream, or inspiration, and something to make it real.

     Now, I could really go into details and details about why I love the concept of art so much, but I'll leave that to you. Yes, you! Imagine and create, my friends!

Suddenly... [A Short Story Based on a Prompt] ♥

[Unfortunately, the picture is unavailable]

     Before I begin, I'd like to tell you a little bit about this weeks assignment. We were assigned to find an interesting picture and write anything you'd like about it. I chose the one above. If you enjoy writing, I encourage you to visit this website and try it out yourself! Anyways, here we go!

-*x*-

     Driving is terrible. It really is. I despise it with a strong passion. Today is a particularly horrid day to be driving, as well. It's 8:00 AM, the sky has just stopped pouring it's heavy tears onto the barren ground. Stick your nose out, and you smell the stench of damp and dank wood. The road is slippery - one wrong move could send someone spiraling off. One needs to devote all of their attention to the scenery in front of them, just in order to survive the gruesome task that is indeed, driving. 

     What is this! I got distracted, and some jerk in a truck carrying lumber cut me off! That jerk! I started off in a bad mood, but this guy passed the drawn line!

     Abandoning all principles of safety, and slammed on the acceleration pedal. My mind went blank and focused on the path in front of me. I was going to teach this guy a lesson. I kept getting closer.

     150 yards.

     100 yards.

     50 yards.

     50 feet.

     At 30 feet, I slammed on the brakes. So much angst and rage swept over me that I hadn't realized some of the wooden logs from the truck had fallen off and were hurling towards me. The brakes didn't help, nor did the slippery road. I braced myself for the worst.

     Then I woke up.

Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides ♥

     Recently, I've been listening to some more of Pierce the Veil's old songs. I found this beautiful gem, "Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides". It is my second favorite song from them, next to Caraphernelia.

     If you like Pierce the Veil, or are interested in listening to them, here's an amazing song to start with. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the music video due to school restrictions, but here's a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlbYEOme7E

Science Class: Meiosis and a Baby ♥

     These past weeks, in my science class, we have been learning about the process of meiosis, and how it compares to mitosis, which we learned the previous year. We used slips of paper to represent chromosomes, and acted out the process of meiosis. Then, with another group, we traded our gametes to make a baby. My group's turned out.... interesting?

     This is Sally. Her characteristics are listed below.
-Circle head
-5 fingers
-2 toes
-Knobby knees
-Round eyes
-Pig nose
-Big belly
-Long arms
-Fat lips
-Eye lashes
-Little ears
-Long neck
-Big feet
-Long hair
-Big thumb
-Eyebrows
-Curly hair
-Horns
-Tail
-Halo

     Sally is rather different. She might get picked on in the future, but I hope she'll remain strong and have a lovely life.