My Sophomore Year By George Mysh

               This has been one of my most interesting years of school so far. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I made new friends throughout this year, but most importantly I learned many new things. I first came in thinking, "Wow, another year of hell". It was quite different this time except for a few things. Almost all my teachers were phenomenal and I'm not saying this just to suck up to the one that is reading this(Mrs. Kopp), but they all brought their own thing to the table. Mr. Brennan was hands down the funniest teacher I've ever had, but at the same time taught me so much. Mrs. Kopp helped me perfect my works so I could get the grade I wanted and I would choose her class over any other class during the day(Excluding Gym). Mr. Brady was also a character with an outstanding intelligence in chemistry. But enough about my teachers because I want to talk about interesting learning experiences. My essay ability greatly improved this year thanks to Mrs. Kopp and I feel ready to move into AP next year. I basically took two math classes this year since Chemistry and Math are all equations and graphs. History was a train ride this year because what is taking notes if Mr. Brennan isn't making fun of you every day. Russian was just your average language class until Olympiada came around the corner. This was such an interesting event since almost our whole class got to visit a college to get judged for our Russian abilities. I walked out especially happy since I got a gold metal and certificate. There is more to get into about this year, but that would take up a few pages so I made it simple.

Participants of the Russian Olympiada 

All About Caitlin Scarpa

All About Caitlin Scarpa

6 Reasons Why Caitlin Scarpa Hates Summer

By Cynthia Loh

#1 The Beach

When I asked Caitlin Scarpa why she hates the ocean, she replied, "SAND! I HATE SAND. I also hate the ocean, it's terrifying." As a fellow beach hater, I can relate to where Caitlin is coming from. Whenever I go to the beach, sand gets in places where sand shouldn't be. Also, there are showers on the beach to wash the sand off your feet and legs, however, to leave the beach, you need to walk back across sand. It is an endless cycle of sand and water and sand. Another one of Caitlin's many fears is of the ocean. She fears the slimy, disgusting creatures in the sea and you don't know when you're gonna get eaten by a shark. Not to mention, the ocean is filthy, according to Caitlin, "There is an entire island made of garbage in the middle of the ocean."

#2 The Outdoors

If you didn't already know Caitlin is an indoor person. Being in the same gym class as her, I have first-highhandedly seen Caitlin's struggle with being outside and physical activity. As quoted by Caitlin, "I can't sports ball." She would rather stay indoors and paint or watch Netflix or read than to do stuff outside.

#3 Barbecues

Something I noticed throughout my life is that Americans love their barbecue, especially during the summer. However, for Caitlin, this is just another reason to hate Summer. For those of you who don't know, Caitlin Scarpa is a vegetarian. "I love animals," explains Caitlin, "and I don't want to support the murder and torture of innocent animals." She doesn't eat fish either. Although, I find this a bit ironic because I'm eating sushi and a Philly cheese steak at the same time I'm writing this.  

#4 She Can't Tan, She Only Burns

I'll be honest, the first time I saw Caitlin I thought, "Jesus Christ, this girl is really pale." As I got to know her more and more, that thought still hasn't changed. She is still really pale. To Caitlin, there is nothing beneficial about the hot sun during summer, she already hates the heat and the outdoors. When she is exposed to sunlight,her skin just gets really red and eventually fades and her skin reverts back to her pale self. I think its impossible for Caitlin to get tan without a spray tan. 

#5 She Doesn't Get to See Me 5 Days a Week

I only really became friends with Caitlin this year but I think we are pretty good friends. I force her help me with my homework and I like to make fun of her New York accent by calling her random words she says differently, such as ask, coffee, ambassador, etc. What else are friends for? So I can say for certain that Caitlin will miss me during the summer. I mean, who wouldn't?

#6 She's A Vampire!!!

I have a theory that Caitlin Scarpa is actually a vampire. First, piece of evidence is in how pale her skin is and we all know that vampires are pale. This would explain why she never gets tan. Its because she's a vampire. Vampires are supposed to burn in sunlight, or sparkle like they do in twilight. however I think the sunlight just weakens them. This would explain Caitlin's hate toward being outside and why she needs sunglasses every time we go outside to for gym. Vampires aren't supposed to get sick but she does because of her often exposure to sunlight. Not to mention her long, sharp claws, that she passes off as her nails. Those things are like 3 inches long. Although, it was previously mentioned how Caitlin is a vegetarian, she can't possibly be a vampire, but she can. I believe this is a cover to lead people away from suspecting her of being a blood-sucking demon. No one has ever seen fangs in her mouth but I believe they are retractable. Also, if she wanted to make two bite marks she could just use her ridiculously long "nails" to poke two holes. Caitlin Scarpa is a vampire. 

Harry Potter vs Star Wars

Caitlin is a big fan of Harry Potter while I am a fan of Star Wars and we have gotten in arguments of which one is better. I texted her before why she likes Harry Potter more and why it is better than Star Wars and she replied with this super, long text which I will type out.

"Harry Potter has a much deeper story, with millions of spin-off stories and theories. Star Wars is just about space and huge machines and technology no one understands. People can also relate to harry potter with the numerous characters. Hermione is a nerdy girl who was bullied for how she looked and because she was smart. Some little girls can relate to her and find comfort in seeing how she dealt with it. She is also a strong feminist icon. Draco Malfoy was born into an abusive household where he was told to hate all "muggels" and "muggle borns", he eventually learned that he doesn't have to be who his family wants him to be. Harry's father, James Potter, was a bully, but he learned not to be an a**hole. Harry Potter teaches friendship, love, loyalty, and respect. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all work together to defeat Lord Voldemort after he wages war on Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school, and hundreds of children were killed in this battle. Lavender Brown, Fred Weasly, Remus Lupin... blah blah blah... were all people killed in this battle. Lily Potter, Harry's mother sacrificed herself to save Haryy's life, this love was so powerful that it kept Harry safe whenVoldemort tried to kill him. There are thousands of mythical creatures..................." (She just goes on and on and on. This is only halfway through the text.)

"I could go on, but I'm tired of typing"

I'm tired of typing too, Caitlin. Of course, I will never believe what she says until she actually sees at least one Star Wars movie. So until then, Star Wars is better Caitlin. 

Fire by Lomaani Ranasinghe

In your eyes there was fire

burning bright it was

I remember looking the first time

upon first glance it was a galaxy of stars

it wasn't long until it belonged to my universe

In your eyes there was fire

a fire that had grown each and every time i looked into them

a fire that i believed would never die

In your eyes there was fire

but one day

it just wasn't of the same kind

it had died down

in the dimmed darkness

i only saw loneliness and loss

in the faded darkness all i could see

was a reflection

of none other than

myself

In your eyes there is no fire

and no matter how hard i try

there's nothing i recognize

what was once a galaxy of stars has evanesced

leaving me blindly searching for a fire

i wish i hadn't burn out

The Things I Know I Don't Know

the things i know i don't know

by julia loewen

As sophomores, most of the students in our Honors English class have proven themselves as "writers", but now Mrs. Kopp has introduced a new way of writing that has the majority of our class doubting themselves; Poetry. I could write endless argumentative, narrative, or persuasive essays, but a poem? I seem to have absolutely nothing to write about. To help our mind blocks, Mrs. Kopp gave us a method on getting started with our poems. She told us to start by figuring out five things we know for sure, and then base our poems off that.

1. I am in Mrs. Kopps classroom right now.
2. I am sixteen years old.
3. I ate cereal for breakfast.
4. My name is Julia Loewen
5. It is raining outside.

It was hard for me to write poetry when I have the imagination of a dark grey cloud. I kept asking myself question after question about what on earth I could write about, and each time I said "I don't know". That is when my question was answered. There are plenty of things that I do know, but what I know that I don't know, is even more interesting. This time, I made a list of Things I Know I Don't Know.

1. Where I will be next year, in 5 years, 10 years, and so on...
2. What my parents were like at my age.
3. How the universe works
4. 7.135 billion people on this earth
5. How to do laundry

Thinking about my life's mysteries not only opened ideas for me to write about, but ideas I enjoy writing about. I was incapable of writing a poem about my name and the classroom I was sitting in, so I began to write about what I don't know about myself quite yet, or what is outside of the school I sit in and the places it will take me. There is nothing more mysterious than ones teenage years, so instead of writing about the fact that I am sixteen, I will write poetry about the hopes, dreams, fears, and wonders of a sixteen year old.

The Longest Poem -by Abraham LaBelle

The title of this post might be misleading; I am not going to write the longest poem.

Instead, I will spread knowledge about the longest known epic poem, called the Mahābhārata.
This monster of literature has been called "the longest poem ever written", and apart from its name, which is already long enough, the Mahābhārata has more than 200,000 verses and about 1.8 million words.

The Mahābhārata is actually only one of the two major Sanskrit epics of India. The other is called the Rāmāyaṇa. The author of the Mahābhārata is Vyāsa, a revered figure in Hindu traditions. The epic is estimated to be written around 500 BC. It is no wonder why this epic is suggested to be at the same level as the Bible, and Shakespeare's works.

Vyāsa

If you are interested in learning more about the contents and themes of the Mahābhārata, you are welcome to read it. Front to back. All 1.8 million words.

The 4th Dimension

The 4th Dimension
Beck Gozdenovich

As we all know, or should know, is that we all live in three dimensions. We represent these dimensions in axes, we have the x-axis (forward and backward), the y-axis (up and down) , and the z-axis (left and right). We are not bound by these dimensions. In other words, we can move left, right, up, down, forward, and backward, and none of these actions are permanent. What is permanent, however, is time.

 When you think about it, we actually use four coordinates in our everyday life compared to the three that are represented in our dimensions. For example, in a meeting in New York City, there are 4 coordinates that are imperative to the meeting. You need the street name, the building number, level/room number in which the meeting will take place, and finally the time the meeting will take place. You don’t give the place of the meeting without the time, and likewise you don’t give the time of the meeting without the place. Knowing this, it is not unrealistic to believe there is another dimension, that being time.

 Going back to how we can move freely in our known three dimensions, it is impossible to move freely in the dimension of time. We are forever locked in the present, and we have no access to the future or the past. If we were able to step above our dimensions, and use the dimension of time like the way we use our three known dimensions, we could choose any part of time itself and relive it.

Linkin Park: One More Light

Linkin Park: One More Light
Beck Gozdenovich

One More Light is the seventh studio album from the 5-time Grammy winning Rock group, Linkin Park. They took a completely different direction with this album than they have with any of their others. They branched away from their hard rock/nu metal roots of  Hybrid Theory and most recently The Hunting Party. The songs on this album are far more upbeat and don't include any hard rock guitar riffs or drum solos. It sounds much more like a modern pop album with almost every song including a variety of electronic synths and the like. If someone with no prior of Linkin Park was to listen to One More Light and Meteora back to back, they would have no clue that both albums came from the same band.

Although many people are disappointed with the new album and proclaim LP as sellouts, I think the album is very good. I would rather listen to this album on repeat for a year than listen to a single Chainsmoker song. If it truly is classified as a pop album, at least it's good pop with character and variety. You have to give Linkin Park some creds for doing something completely out of their comfort zone, and doing it well.

Rating: 3.7/5
Top Track Off Album: One More Light/Sharp Edges
Album Ranking: 6 out of their 7

Unit 8 by Kate Fontes

I honestly can't believe it, but we have finally made it to our final English unit of our sophomore year. I don't know about you guys, but for me, this year flew by. It feels like just yesterday I was meeting all my teachers, and freaking out over the long year ahead. However, here we are, with less than a month to go. I really like the assignments we have been given this unit, and so I thought I'd explain a few of them and what I've chosen to do. My personal favorite is the Journey Journal. For this assignment, we have been given 20 days to embark on our own personal journeys, and write about it. Some ideas included trying something new everyday, or working out everyday, or becoming more involved in class. However, I chose to go 20 days without complaining. Boy, has that been hard! But, I love this assignment, because it has opened my eyes to an aspect of myself that I would like to better, while helping me do so. Another cool assignment of this unit is called The American Teenager. For this assignment, we are required to upload an image of ourselves, following a small blurb about who we are. At first, I thought this would be almost impossible. How are we supposed to write about ourselves in only a few sentences? I soon realized that this is what makes the assignment so interesting. We have the chance to go in so many different directions. I chose to write about my passion. Additionally, we have photo narratives, which are stories based on images that we have taken, and memoir podcasts based on books that we have chosen. I have not started either of these yet, but I am excited. Finally, all of the Honors English classes are working on a book filled with original pieces, that we will eventually publish. How cool is that! I haven't decided what I'm putting in there yet, but I'm going to make sure it's something great. I am thrilled to wrap up the year.

Cinquains by Julia Flake

As we have been on the topic of poetry recently in class, I decided to try to write some poetry of my own. The following are cinquains, which are only five lines with a specific structure.

IPhone
Small, Bright
Addicting, Entertaining, Exciting
Destroyer of activity 
Technology

The first line is a noun that will be the subject of the poem. The second line is two adjectives that describe the subject. The third line is three -ing verbs that have something to do with the subject. The fourth line is a phrase that is 8 syllables. Lastly, the fifth line is a noun that is similar to the subject. Here is one more example:

Summer
Warm, Wet
Swimming, Eating, Boating
No more school work to stress about
Freedom

These are just five simple lines that do not take that long to write. Poetry can be easy if you let it! Try out some poetry of your own!

an anonymous story from an american teenager; by Sarah Dioneda

We are talking about the American teenager in school, and the stories that they tell. I'm not ready to tell mine just yet, but I like to make up ones. Here is one of them.

~

 My father and I are telepathic.

When I was younger, I would reach my hand for his, and at the same time

they’d meet mine.

He would give me a piggyback ride when I wanted one without even asking

and I could always count on him to make my favorite dinner when I got home from school.

 Being young was fantastic.

In the morning,

my father whistled as he made banana chocolate chip oatmeal in 90 degree weather,

somehow defying all odds and making it unhealthy.

My mother would stand over his shoulder, shaking her head at his concoction, as she ate Greek yogurt,

and my brother, with his hands in his jumper, meandered towards the kitchen table,

half asleep, eyes still groggy,

but fully awake as soon as he smelled the sweet aroma coming from the kitchen stove.

Mornings like that were quiet, all of us sitting there with the sound ABC News playing softly on the kitchen TV.

We were thinking of nothing.

Recently,

days like these have spread out thin like plastic wrap.

That TV is broken now.

I have not heard the soft boiling water in a while, but instead

the sound of the blender, as I make my own breakfast

for the health of it.

Mornings consist of my mother working,

my father sleeping in from staying late at work,

my brother asleep in someone else’s bed

and I’ve come to find that

routines are hardly ever concrete. 

Especially in life.

Yesterday,

My father’s logic and my emotions clashed,

we were two oceans knocking into each other

like a mess of salt and water.

Arguments happen like

a pressure building up on my back

until I explode like a Supernova

and leave a molten residue on our kitchen floor.

My mother is in another room

My brother, in another country.

Growing up was not as easy as I imagined.

Leave the worst in the past, they say

but what if the best is there, too?

How hotheaded we are,

filled to the brink with teenage angst.

There are days when life gets to hard, gets too hot,

and I like to think of the past.

It always seemed so much 

kinder, 

softer, 

less political, 

less angry.

Today, 

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping and pressing heat from outside my window, 

my father was whistling 

as he made oatmeal in 90 degree weather.

I went downstairs and hugged him 

despite the humidity and lack of air conditioning. 

He doesn’t say a word, but smiles.

As soon as I eat my breakfast

with all the bananas and chocolate chips,

I look at him

from across the kitchen table.

I smile. 

We were both thinking the same thing.

The Past by Matt Dumbroff

The Past

Where there once was love there now is hate

Old faces in photos covered up with masking tape

Houses empty

Homes broken

No where to run no where to hide

Simply must go unwillingly for a ride

It seems as if nothing will end their chide

sleepless nights 

endless fights

the sun is setting on my old life

replacing it with one of constant strife 

Around one another they are simply incapable of acting tame

statistics say 50 percent of all people are doomed to this fate

Blue by Joseph Dempsey

It is amazing how one word

Can be used in so many ways. 

In many cases one word

Can have opposite meanings.

For example, the word Blue.

He was feeling blue today,

Her heart was blue,

They had the blues.

On the other hand, 

The warm sun in the blue sky,

The gentle blue ocean

The beautiful blue orchid.

 

But that is the beauty of language.

Such a simple word

can be universally understood.

 

Drive - Phil Christodoulou

Want.
Its a strong word
Many of us want what we cant have.
But that's the best part of it.
In many cases we confuse what we need versus what we desire.
Want is weakness
When we want something so badly, sometimes were wiling to do anything for it,
even though it can be terrible for us.
But sometimes the thing you want most is exactly what you need.
So don't be afraid to want because in then you're never gonna find what you need if you don't want.

Secrets by Briana Cotten

Everyone has their secrets

Now some may be bad others just kept

Personal...

But we shove them in a box

A box so big

You think it's never going to break

It has the capability

To never 

Ever

Let 

You

Down

The one thing you can rely on

After all nobody can really be trusted
You see we rely on socializing
And when we don't have anything to talk about
We tend to talk about other people
Their lives
Who they like
And sometimes
Just sometimes
We spill the beans
Sharing the thing they trusted us with
Marking the end to that pinky promise
But then oh wait no
You realize
Your hands begin to shake
The sweat builds up and sticks to your skin
Like Glue
You try and save yourself
So what do you do?
You say okay so don't tell anyone Okay?
okay.
Hmmm is it really that easy?
No
The same thing happens on a cycle
A domino effect until in the end
It ends up getting back to the person
You know it is your fault
But that is the game
The game of trying to be someone you aren't
An attempt to make yourself feel better
Comparing yourself to others
Tearing them down
Going after their reputation
For what?
That's not right
What justice is it serving?
The truth is all that matters
Well now you try and keep everything once again to yourself
Back into the box the secrets go
But now
There is no more room to hold anymore things of privacy
So you make a new friend
Get let down
On
Repeat
Now this isn't the case for some people
But just know that if this is you
Stop
Find the people who don't care what others think
The ones who can actually learn to
Never
Let
You
Down
Nobody is perfect
People mess up
But
Know it will be okay
Okay?

                                           

The Greygoose Memory Jar- Mikayla Bivona

At my soccer banquet freshman year after closing our season, I watched as our then captain,  Taylor Nolan stood in front of us, telling all of us underclassmen how we need to cherish High School because it would fly by. Of course, just as they said we would, I didn't believe her. Now I'm closing in on the end of my Sophomore year and I'm realizing just how fast High School is going for me. Next year, we'll be Juniors, beginning the rest of our lives by starting to look at colleges, majors, and deciding what we actually want to do.

But all I want to do is stay in High School forever and continue to make as many happy memories as possible.

I knew early on that I would most likely forget most of my small experiences in high school, and I regularly keep a journal, but these entries were too long and I hated reading them over and over again unless they were something that I really enjoyed. But even then, I wasn't writing down all of the small moments happening every day.

What I began doing was keeping a "memory jar." This was a giant Greygoose vodka bottle (don't worry, I had not been the one to drink it) that I had sitting on a shelf in my room. I thought that it looked pretty, so I began to write little phrases on these tiny, purple, ripped up pieces of paper and sticking them in there. Therefore, when I read them, each one would remind me of a small moment that I had most likely not thought about in a long time. My idea was that I would fill this huge bottle with as many memories as possible, and when it was finally full, I would smash it open with a hammer or something and pick through all of the notes and read them.

Obviously, I had not thought through the danger of smashing a glass bottle open, or and the possibility that my parents wouldn't be 100% okay with this.

So one night, I was home alone, and I was upset about something (which, today, I don't even remember what it was). So naturally, I look up at that joy-filled Greygoose bottle sitting on my shelf. I think to myself, "It's not full... but I should smash it anyway." And if you're a rational person, you might be thinking, "well that's not a good idea at all," and you're right. It wasn't.

Instead, my rational side kicked in and I decided I couldn't do that and that I needed to think of something else.

For those of you that don't know, Greygoose bottles have a very long skinny top to them; so pulling them out by hand was not going to work. Naturally, I decide the only way that I am going to get them out is by sticking a paintbrush down that long neck, and fishing out pieces of paper, one by one.

It somehow managed to actually work... it might have taken me hours... but it worked.

I got every piece of paper out, opening each one as I went, giving it a small smile or a laugh when I read it.

I remembered all these memories, and they made me insanely happy. I didn't want to throw any of them away. If I did that, I would forget them again just as easily as I had the first time. So I decided to take a small notebook my friend Kate had gotten me a year previous to that and write each of these memories down with an number next to them. As of now, I have 106 happy memories written down, and every time I want to smile or need a happy reminder of all the good times I've had in High School so far, I open that little notebook, and it brings me joy.

It helps me remember the small moments in life that I hope I will remember forever.

--

Another thing I do to attempt to remember things is take pictures, or keep small things (it kinda sounds like hoarding but I promise it's not...).

I have a manilla folder in my room that is slowly filling with concert tickets, boarding passes, polaroids that I've deemed "not good enough" to go on my wall, notes written from friends and family members, and printed pictures from my childhood. I looked through this today and read a simple birthday card from my grandmother and it made me happy. I found a picture of two of my best friends fishing from easter... a boarding pass to disney, a handwritten note from my friends mom when I fell asleep on their couch. Pictures from photo booths at parties, ribbons from my Middle School Track career.

All of these things may sound like junk, but I will probably keep all of them for the rest of my life.

These photos, tickets, and notes are all things that make me happy and bring me joy. They help me remember moments in my life that I one day, might forget.

If you're anything like me, the most bittersweet moment is when you realize how much you're going to miss a moment while you're still living it. So do yourself a favor and write it down, or take a picture and get it printed. Just make sure you'll always remember those moments that you'd thought you'd never forget. Because one day when you have a job and a family, you're not going to constantly be thinking about that time you and your friend went cliff jumping, or rope swinging or the bike ride and dinner.

Write these things down so when you're feeling sad or just nostalgic, you have something you can physically hold in your hand and smile at.

My Top 3 Strangest Places to Read By Grace Becker

Since the day I learned to read, different books would appeal to me in different ways. I am very particular about which books I enjoy and which books I choose to even read in the first place. However, once I find a good book and I begin to read it, there are only a few places that I can really crack down and focus on what I'm reading. In particular, here are the top three (strangest) places I enjoy and focus on my reading the most.

#3- In the Pool- One of my favorite places to read is on a raft in the pool, particularly by myself. When the weather is nice, it is such a relaxing time to do something other than just lay on a raft. And unlike many other people, I find it very difficult to fall asleep on the water for the fear of drowning as I'm asleep. So, what better thing to do while relaxing on your own personal island in the middle of the water than to strand yourself with a good book. 

#2- On a Trampoline- This is another strange place that is very appealing to me as a reader. Being in the middle of a big yard with trees surrounding you is probably one of the most calming, serene locations one can get in their own home. This differs from laying in the grass because the trampoline is a higher structure with a more comfortable bounce to it (and no bugs). And to prevent static on the trampoline, (which is a big distraction when reading), putting a blanket and a pillow down will help contribute to the ultimate peaceful, yet comfortable, reading experience.

#1- On an Airplane- Unusual, I know, but if you think about it, what better place to have complete silence and no distractions than on an airplane. Reading on a plane is my number one place to relax and really get a book done. Having complete silence is of course a bonus, but the idea of reading while traveling really helps me get a book done. In a car there are too many distractions like car sickness, the world around you, directions, but being on a plane removes all of these worries, causing you to be completely relaxed. That is why reading on a plane is my favorite, most ideal place to read.

Reading-Related World Records by Julia Young

Reading-Related World Records by Julia Young

While we were discussing our independent reading books, I remember somebody mentioning someone who's read over 300 books in a year. Curious, I decided to find out on my own if there was a world record for the amount of books read in a year. Sadly, this type of record, I discovered, would be extremely hard to police, and therefore there isn't an official formal record. Yet, this did not stop me from learning about various other reading-related world records!

Most Abandoned Book

When I first saw this record on the Guinness World Records Page, I was immediately intrigued... how could there be the world's most abandoned book? Well, believe it or not, "Simon Cowell: The Unauthorized Biography" by Chas Newley-Burden is the book that is most abandoned according to a survey of 452 Travelocities in Britain.

This is a picture of the most abandoned book, according to a survey of thousands of books left behind at hundreds of Travelocities in Great Britain.

Longest Marathon Reading Aloud

Reading aloud in class for even a minute can be extremely intimidating to me. First of all, everyone is looking at the text you are reciting, adding more pressure on making sure that you not only say every word, but also that you say it correctly. Second, in really any form of public speaking, you have to be conscientious of your tone, making sure your words flow and are pleasant to the ear. Now, imagine publicly reading out loud for 113 hours and 15 minutes-- that is the world record for the longest marathon reading aloud, accomplished by Deepak Sharma Bajagain from Nepal.

This is Deepak Sharma Bajagain reading a multitude of books aloud in Nepal.

Most Books Toppled Like Dominoes

When I think of books, I think of stories, reading, and writing... not lining them up like dominoes! Yet there is a world record for most books toppled in a domino fashion. People working for the United Biscuits UK Sales Team successfully arranged and toppled 5,318 Guinness World Record books. Here is a link to the taping of the event: https://youtu.be/WWUPA-xUsFo

Other Book Related World Records:

Youngest person to write a published book- Dorothy Straight, Age 4
Largest book signing- Orwin Woodward's book "And Justice For All", 6,786 signings
Highest earning adult fiction author- E L James, $95million from June 2012-June 2013
Fastest selling book of fiction in 24 hours- J K Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", 8.3 million copies within the first 24 hours
Largest private collection of books- John Q. Benham from Indiana, over 1.5million books

Sources:

guinnessworldrecords.com

Macbeth Performances- Josh Williams

Throughout our last unit in Honor English, our class read and analyzed the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.  The essay which we wrote for this unit analyzed whether or not Shakespeare's writing was still necessary in today’s classrooms.  I argued that it was not.  One of the reasons that I used to support my claim was that his works are no longer properly portrayed.  I wrote that “One of the most compelling arguments against the use of Shakespeare to educate students is that it is not properly taught.  Instead of being given a performance by experienced actors, like intended by Shakespeare, students are forced to read Shakespeare on their own or listen to their teachers and classmates give a tedious account of it.  As Mark Powell, an experienced modern Shakespeare performer, puts it ‘Shakespeare wrote to put money in his pocket, food on the table and fire in the bellies of his audiences, not strike modern teenagers with fear. Most of Shakespeare's audiences were illiterate. His words were chosen to be spoken or heard, not to be read and deadened behind a desk – they wither when performance is removed’ (Powell).  Therefore, it is no mystery why students choose to skim over Shakespeare's works or read summaries on them.”

At the end of the unit, Mr. Johnson had us do something abnormal from normal Shakespeare curriculums: perform sections of the play.  Our class split up into groups and each performed a scene from the play.  The group I was in chose to perform the fight scene from the end of the play in which Macbeth was killed by Macduff (Act V, Scene VII).  Some other notable performances included the witches first prophecy (Act I, Scene III), the killing of Duncan (Act II, Scene II),and the witches second prophecy (Act IV, Scene I).  It was a great experience being able to perform in front of the class.  Both performing a scene and watching other scenes being performed allowed many of us to better visualize and understand Macbeth.  Even though we were not able to see a professional rendition of Shakespeare's work (a movie or play), acting out the scenes was very beneficial, and was a step in the right direction in regards to properly portraying Macbeth as Shakespeare intended it to be.