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ASSIGNMENT:
USE ROOT WORDS IN A STORY Set of Greek Words: Microphone, Photograph, Physical, Tripod, Thermostat, Polymelia, Psychopath, Pyromaniac, Telescope, Theology, Telephone
The Best Concert Domingo Torres 3/20 The MICROPHONE’s blaring and the singing is non-stop. The concert overall is going great. The lyrics are about past PHOTOGRAPHS and Polaroid aesthetics. The feeling is mutual and the mosh pit is getting a bit too PHYSICAL. The TRIPODS are shaking from the heavy bass and the whole crowd was jumping up and down and up and down and up and down. The more they jump, the hotter it seems and I think that I need some kind of THERMOSTAT because I am sweating so much. Great thing I brought water :) I glance and see a child with POLYMELIA and feel bad but then I see a poster on stage and it states that this concert is donating to charity, which is really nice. Meanwhile, these PSYCHOPATHS in the mosh pit just keep shoving and pushing. The dirt is being kicked up and I think one of the psychos is a PYROMANIAC because every 5 minutes he is lighting a cigarette. Then again, he might have had an addiction. The people all the way in the back are using TELESCOPES. It’s weird but I guess it works. Mind you this is a rock concert and the music that is playing completely opposes THEOLOGY and theologists because they believe there is no God. People are on their TELEPHONES texting their friends about it and recording the concert and I can't blame them because I, too, am recording this amazing performance. Overall, this concert has been the best experience. Set of Greek Root Words geo gon graph, gram hemi, semi hydro, hydra hyper kilo mania mech mega My Short Story Edgar Morales 3/20 What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? And why am I stuck indoors on a beautiful day learning about geometry? Does anybody find this useful? Besides the teacher of course since it is her job, but what about the students? When do we need to find the angle of polygons? Or write a graphing table on the sudden temperature changes in the southern hemisphere. Now I understand, it is a big interest to SOME students but why should we all take the fall if it isn’t our strongest subject or passion or even something remotely interest in our future career. So sometimes instead of doing work, I day dream in order for me to pass time. Or I simply hydrate myself with soda and eat candy in order for me to become hyper and crash out. If I can get to dreaming, then I would have done my job. If it were the other way around, I’d consider myself pretty much a maniac if I ever enjoyed doing geometry. Fortunately, I have this game being downloaded in about 52 megabytes remaining, but wait; let me use what I learned to find how many kilobytes are in 52 megabytes. Using my brain’s mechanism led me to the answer of … it doesn’t matter because there rings the bell which means it is time for me to go. Set of Latin Root Words (sent, sens/spect/struct/sub/tempo/tain/tract/trans/uni/vac/vid, vis/volv, volut) My Short Story Edgar Morales 2/20 Something is wrong, I can sense it. “The last guy is hiding in a corner right next to that subway station!” I quickly say. “Victory” pops up on my screen soon after my friend manages to kill the last enemy with his revolver in Search & Destroy. It was a good thing I was able to be a spectator for my friend or else nobody on our team would have seen the last enemy and we surely would have lost. Now, after playing a great game of Call of Duty Modern Warfare with the boys, it’s time to call it quits and head on to bed. 4 hours later I am wide awake after it felt like my bed was moving aggressively from side to side. It felt too real to be a dream; or perhaps it was a moment similar to jumping wide awake all frightened in your bed after dreaming of yourself falling from a great height. Whatever it was, the last thing I wanted to think about was a demon trying to take control of me and yet I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, that. I had to distract myself from being scared until a long buzzing sound came from under my pillow; it was my phone. I quickly picked up only to read a message; a message not sent from my friends, but instead a message from the city. It read, “Emergency Alert! 8.3 earthquake struck San Francisco, more tremors expected to come.” I don’t live in San Francisco at all, and yet if it shook my bed that strong, how devastating can it be for the people that reside in that city? I was distracted by this thought till I finally reached the remote and turned on the TV and changed the channel to FOX news. There it was; live from a helicopter, a video of what wasno longer San Francisco anymore; everything was destroyed. Not a single structure was left standing. Survivors, families, pets, all evacuating from the devastated city. I had to maintain control in order to not let the fear of what I was witnessing strike me down, too. There are now reports from the University of San Francisco stating that the vibrational frequencies of this apparent earthquake did not seem natural. I had to translate this information to my parents so they could keep up on what was happening. If this earthquake wasn’t natural, then what could have it been? All of a sudden my house started shaking even more; this time stronger than before. I had completely forgotten that the earthquakes stopping were only temporary until the next “earthquake wave” would begin. However, this was beginning to not make sense; there were news reports stating that the earthquake was striking stronger near my area than in San Francisco. It was as if the earthquake was moving, but what if it was? That's when the scariest and strangest sound appeared from what apparently came from underground. I stepped outside the house as fear ran through my body. That’s when everything I ever knew was thrown out the window. Coming out of the ground was something as big as a skyscraper, maybe even bigger. It was no dinosaur; it was far older and scarier. I was looking at a living titan. |
ASSIGNMENT: I WRITE AMERICA
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ENGLISH CLASS PAPERS
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Simplicity/Poverty Experience
Bayu Adji 1/20 Taking a break from technology for a couple of hours seemed like an easy way to receive the extra credit points for my assignment; being entertained through things non-technical is simple, like eating food, which doesn't really work because people in poverty don't have the best diet. But limiting what I eat isn't the greatest option either, because it's not the most ideal way to stay healthy past this challenge. Sleeping is cheating, but if you do it on the street, then sure; again, it's still not ideal to do so if you don't want to end up being sick (though it would look better if you did, because it's a struggle the impoverished have to go through). I wanted something simple, but not too simple; with obstacles, but not ones that might end up with me falling ill; something that I actually wanted to do for a better grade; something that would be a learning experience. So I decided to walk home from Coop right after school ended to the next town over, in West Haven. It's not like I needed to be home immediately, and it was an early dismissal so it wouldn't be dark out, when it would be actually dangerous to be taking the challenge. I wasn't going out on a limb. I had a plan that I quickly thought about right after this assignment was given. I would take a similar route as my city bus ride home, because it's the shortest, and most walkable, way to go. And if I forgot that I would have to cross a dangerous road, then I could always just take the city bus the rest of the way home. The main obstacles would be walking where there would be many vehicles: The Knights of Columbus Museum, Union Station, and especially the ramp to I-95. I added an extra challenge by not using my phone at all to check the time, listen to music, or text anyone. Though one thing I did that was a bit of a cheat was drinking water once in a while along the way, so I didn't pass out from exhaustion. The main thought that came into my head constantly was why I taking this trek, and what answered that question was the C- living in the AP Lang section of PowerSchool. I was motivated and determined to do this just to raise my grade, so I didn't give up when I reached territory I hadn't walked in yet, which was basically everywhere. It was around 11:30 AM when I started walking the route, and it wasn't so bad. It wasn't too cold. It was cloudy but not rainy; there weren't that many people out on the sidewalk, however there were lots of people in cars, so I was mainly walking alone. As I approached the Knights of Columbus Museum, there was a definite contrast between the amount of people driving and walking. I also never realized how barren it is around there, because I always get around by bus or car. There were barely any plants, lots of trash scattered on the ground, and it was very lifeless and dull there. Walking towards Union Station, the vibe felt a little off. It was as if the Oak Street Connector was a portal to another world. Everything still had a dullness to it, not because of the slight amount of plants, but because of the same beige color used on the sidewalk and buildings. There was barely any diversity. A lot of the buildings were very old as well, adding a bit of sadness. Past Union Station was an intersection of Church Street and Union Avenue, which was a very large section to overcome. I was the only person crossing the street, compared to the 10-20 cars waiting for me; the road was so thick that it was like going across a highway. Once I reached the other side, it was another portal to another world; another change in environment and vibe. I'd like to call that section of New Haven "The Suburban Edge" because it's on the cusp of New Haven and West Haven, but also not a typical suburb. This one had a little less dullness than by Union Station. It was still a bit lifeless and sad because of the old buildings, cracked sidewalk, and scattered trash. Everyone that I passed didn't have a smiling face, but a face that included disappointment. I recall walking by someone who gave me a long hard stare, maybe because it didn't look like I belong there based on my appearance or how I acted; I'm not sure. After the journey through "The Suburban Edge," I was beginning to reach the town line of West Haven. Similar to the area near Union Station, I had to cross an intersection that had many cars and trucks waiting for only me. The walk from there to my house was tricky, because this was the section that I didn't know had a sidewalk to walk on, and I would have to take the city bus home instead. But surprisingly, there was a way to walk, next to the ramp to I-95. It was strange, but it worked. Next was the bridge to West Haven. I knew it was West Haven on the other side not because of the obvious sign that said "West Haven Town Line" but because of a "safer" vibe. To me, it didn't feel like there was any commotion or stress or poverty. It still had the dullness and sadness of New Haven but West Haven just had a bit more happiness, cleanliness, and money. New Haven is said to be more affordable to live in than West Haven, making it more diverse and impoverished. There are, without a doubt, more visible homeless people in New Haven than West Haven. The walk from the bridge to my house felt more comfortable than the walk through The Suburban Edge, mainly because it was known territory and territory that I've trekked in before. Altogether, I traveled 3.181 miles by foot, something unusual for me. The experience was definitely something different than I expected it to be, but not so much to the point where I started thinking about how privileged I am. Not to sound pretentious or anything, but I don't have to worry about getting asked for spare change, getting exposed to drugs, or even dying in my hometown. My journey was certainly an eye-opener for me, and should be done more often to remember that I should be thankful for I have. |
Reflection: Art Experience
Alexis Annan 1/20 Throughout my four years of being a part of choir here at Coop, I have learned many things and have gained new experiences. During my freshman year, as I entered Coop, I would say that I had a difficult time adjusting to the new teachings by Mrs. Alfred. I already had a musical background from my family and from being part of the United Girls Choir, but it was especially different because this was the first time I had an African American teacher who was teaching music. This had a huge impact on me, because she is a representation of what many schools in this state lack, having an African-American woman be a music teacher. Ms. Alfred is very passionate about her teaching, especially because she knows the struggle of what will come after the high school experience. She works hard and has many long conversations with us because she cares about all our futures. As she would say, “Once you become my child, you are always my child, no matter what." In my sophomore year, I felt myself growing musically. I felt as if I had to be a leader for the new freshman class. I became less nervous when it came to singing. I wanted the freshman class to feel as if we were all family because that is what the choir is all about, working together to make one voice. Sophomore year was a year of confidence and leadership in choir. My junior year of choir was a year of realization. I felt as if I was maturing more within my art; I was receiving more freedom within my art. We were able to collaborate more with our peers and have more group work. We had guest speakers such as Avery Wilson and many other great artists, we had workshops with Broadway stars. During this time I realized that pursuing music just wasn’t for me. I enjoy singing but I didn't want to pursue it as a career. Now, as for my senior year, it isn’t quite over yet, but I can say that choir has helped me grow more as a person. I have learned how to work with others even if we all may not agree on the same things. I have learned how to improve myself when a mistake is made and I have learned how to become more mature within myself. Ms. Alfred is big on our class being disciplined and discipline is one of the many things that our choir needs to work on. But I know that we can all achieve it because the choir has worked so hard to be where we are. Many opportunities have come our way to be able to sing with the Yale Glee Club every year and go to College Street Music Hall. This choir has made me continue my musical career by singing in 3 choirs and being a Sunday school teacher at church. I see the joy that my children have when music is being played or sung and it makes me happy to know that music will always be a part of my life. ENGLISH: Junior English Class Visits Beinecke Library
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