End of School Life

So we tried our hand at making a coil gun today.  It reminded me of most of my school experiments since it was a total failure.  I didn’t expect anything less (it was Dietrich teaching it), but I did realize I have a really bad habit.  Whenever our coil gun would fail, I would just hand it to Patrick and go run off to do other stuff.  I goofed off with Jacob and his flash, talked to Sam about his inability to blog, and attempted to steal Anh’s camera parts (she didn’t leave an archer to defend them).  When things get rough, I end up ditching them until I feel like I should get back to work.  I guess I should work on that, but on the other hand VNA was becoming super frustrated because he couldn’t get the soldering iron to work.  

When to lunch and debated on if I should do my senior handprint.  Feeling of my belly being full vs. having a handprint that nobody will care about.  Amazingly I did both.  Had to run around a lot, but I got it done.  In English I left and went to work on my valedictorian speech.  I don’t want to appeal to the masses as Jessie wants me to do.  I would rather fill it with random inside jokes and humor only a few friends would get.  Hopefully Mr. Nelson will not look at it and say it is horrible.  I’ll leave ‘nav to explain all the “good” things about Sherando.  

Went to history.  There Mrs. Andrews gave each of us a card with a message she wrote for us.  Picture should be included in post.  Expand it as you know how to (just follow Anh’s instruction on her handwritten blog posts).  At the end of class, she gave the four students she has had for four years (Elizabeth, Amber, Jessie, and I) a book.  She seems to really understand us.  Book pictures in blog too.

How True

Note!

  

Love that Bookmark

Another Note

Then later today at 6, our history class had a dinner party at Butcher Block.  There we chatting with Mrs. Andrews, culminating in us giving her a scrapbook we worked on.  It included pictures, quotes, messages, random drawings, everything a scrapbook should be.  Mission success, we got her to cry (in joy of course).  Good day.  

Scrapbook

Wow I'm Graduating...

“I Shelly Andrews, hereby leave to Tomy, Jessie, and Elizabeth the understanding that it has been one of the great honors of my career to have worked with you four different years (6, 9, 11, and 12)!  You are wonderfully capable and empathetic young people.  I wish you nothing but happiness.  To my seventh period AP World class: You made my day 1, every day 1.  You will be missed.  Carpe diem, bon voyage and see ya on the flip side”  

I was told there was something in the school’s newspaper I had to read, but I didn’t expect this.  I almost cried in anatomy class after reading this.  Mrs. Andrews really has been a base for my whole school experience.  No matter how different each year seemed, I knew I had someone who I could count on as my teacher.  As the will says, yes I had her in 6^th grade, the only year she taught in middle school.  Though I don’t have that many memories, I remember analyzing pictures and trying to discern the hidden meanings. I guess she was training us from a young age.  

In high school I had her in World History 1.  I don’t know how she put up with me as a smart aleck freshman.  I know for a fact I tested her nerves many times, but she persisted and made that class awesome.  I had her again for U.S. History, which I have to say is what I consider my true history class.  World I knew most of it before, but I knew nothing about the U.S.  I talked before about how she taught me about themes, which plays a vital role in my thinking.  When I learned she was going to teach AP World History, it was one of my absolute requirements for senior year.  I had to walk up to guidance and explain to them why I would deviate from my path just to take an “unnecessary” class.  

WHAP was a class filled with pretty much her handpicked favorite students.  This alone made us realize the year was going to be awesome.  Barely anybody was in there for a diploma or AP requirement, just to have another year with her as our teacher.  Zach, who should be reputed as one of the greatest skippers, refused to skip WHAP.  

This respect and appreciation didn’t go one way, she had the same feeling for us.  One day I was absent and, since I’m not used to being absent, forgot to tell Mrs. Andrews.  I heard later she ran to the office to make sure I was ok since it seemed only some horrible event could have stopped me from coming to her class.  I was so touched, apologizing profusely the next class period.  When I learned that we would be taking AP tests in a room with tiny desks that didn’t help left handed people and told her, she went up to Nelson and told him off, telling him to plan better next year so the problem would not arise again.  She came to our Academic Team matches to cheer us on, sometimes even becoming impromptu judge.  She was always willing to listen to our problems and give us advice about our futures, especially helpful for me since I’m going to UVA.  Maybe I should ask her for her letter of recommendation to see what she wrote about me; Elizabeth read hers and loved it.  

The feelings in her will are mutual.  Elizabeth, Jessie, and I are blessed to have her as our teacher for four years.  She was compelling as a teacher, and caring as a person.  She made history not a chore and one of my favorite subjects.  She took the time to know us as individuals and be flexible with us.  As Elizabeth says “The first thing I’m going to do after graduation is add Mrs. Andrews on Facebook.”  Our teacher and friend, Mrs. Andrews will always be my first memory when I think about my happy times at Sherando. 

Cool Class

So in English two students performed their DI (duo interpretation for those you don’t know forensics).  Maybe I should clarify that.  DI has two performers.  They have to perform a piece in 10 min, they cannot touch each other, look at each other, lay on the ground, sing for more than 30 seconds, be separated by more than a hoola-hoop’s distance, and must have an intro to the piece. 

So the two students performed the piece and it was pretty good; they are going to NCFL (national catholic forensics league) on Saturday so they have talent.  Ryan, a random former student who was in the class and previous forensics student, gave some tips, but thought the piece was pretty decent.  Cody, our impromptu coach (yes I said impromptu, I made a forensics joke ok) nitpicked the whole performance.

Cody was also a former forensics student and is really amazing at performing.  He went through a few exercises and tips.  One of the girls needed to act like a little girl, so he demonstrated how little girls walk and coached her to do the same.  Another tip he gave was how to create a deeper voice to play adult males.  I didn’t realize how important vocal exercises were until he explained how braces destroy our natural speaking ability and we have to re-train ourselves to speak properly.  

Other than that, he also added comments to make the piece funnier.  In the beginning one of the girls is cutting food with a fake knife and swings the knife at the other girl accidentally.  Nobody understood this the first time so Cody changed that part to the girl evilly sharpening the knife and staring at an audience member, adding to the humor later.  Each person says their line and then the other person speaks theirs, but Cody wanted them to make subtle sly comments in the middle of each other’s talks.  Not only comments but also facial and hand gestures.  This added to the humor and believability of the emotion.  We took 50 minutes to memorize what is usually taught in a semester.  I didn’t realize how much effort goes into acting.  Cody knew what he was talking about and really helped them become way better performers.  It was one of the best English classes I have had in a while.  Hope those two do well at nationals.