This Week. . .

So this week I finished reading The Alchemist, a book about a young shepherd named Santiago who wants to travel and see the world. He goes through a bunch of ups and downs to fulfill his Personal Legend, his dream of going to see the pyramids, to find the gold at the pyramids. Through the process, he has had to do tons of different tasks, and he has found a way to overcome almost every single one. I have begun to realize that it is not the end of your goal that matters but rather the journey to that goal which is important. I think this a great life lesson for all of us to learn. It is important that we realize how we get there rather than just where we're going. If we do something as simple as this, then we will never take anything for granted. Personally, I believe one should never be satisfied or complacent with what they have, but they should also never take it for granted.

I also am helping out my classmates in finding an agreement with the district to let us use the (unused) tennis courts to build a skate park. This would be the first step in applying for the Tony Hawk Foundation Grant. Others in our class will be working on developing a student store for our high school. I will also be trying to set up a series of concerts and plays to raise money to professionalize the stage. If all goes well, we should have enough money to buy some stage microphones, fix the rather terrible lighting on the stage, as well as redoing the tile floor and the walls.


5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order

events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing,

flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.the plot or develop the theme.

7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or

live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each

version interprets the source text.

1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text

says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining

where the text leaves matters uncertain.

2. Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development

over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another

to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events,

including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced

and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.