Hey, my name is Nicolas C., or more preferably, my nick name…Nick. Well what else can I say? I’m thirteen, I have big bushy hair and I love reading and writing. They are my passion, and while my writing may not be the best in the world, I still do a lot of it. I just love reading as well, so much, in fact, that I can spend hours in front of a book and take no notice of time and the outside world at all. It just it takes me to a place far away from this one, a place that seems a lot nicer than the planet Earth, and there are always happy endings (well most of the time).

   I’m probably not the best person to tell you what life in an international community is, as I’ve lived here my entire life and I don’t know what life is outside these borders, but I suppose I’ll give it a shot anyway. Lets see, first off, you get to meet way more people from different countries and cultures. If you ever thought someone from a different country was violent or weird, you can prove that that is completely false when you live in an international like mine. Not only that, but you actually get to learn something from a different culture, and it could give you a lot of insight on how you view your life. Adding to that nice little package, you get to experience what sort of people you might meet, so it gets you more prepared for life.

   Ok, enough about that just the cultural stuff. Living as a teen in an international community can be quite fun, actually. Well, I wouldn’t know any better, but just because there isn’t an abundance of people from the same country as you doesn’t mean it’s a living nightmare. People from halfway around the world almost act the same as your best friend does. Really. We all talk in some form of slang, we pretty much all speak the same language and we’re all just teens. There’s really no big difference.

   Anyway, I just want to get down to the main point and tell you all about some of the issues that really disturb me and I want solved. Animal cruelty. I just hate it. You’d have to be one of the most cold-hearted people  to purposely mistreat or misuse animals. They don’t understand our ways, and they don’t know why we kick them or starve them or abandon them. How can they? I even comprehend how people could do that. It’s like doing the same thing to a small child. They don’t get it. Sure, the situation has improved with animal police everywhere, but don’t you almost alyways see an abandoned starving dog or cat roaming the streets when you go out? It has to stop. It’s not their fault. Who ever thought of having pets? We did. And now their dying right infront of our eyes. We are doing nothing.

 

By Nick C.

Hannah B.

And Daniel N.

We created a “commercial” using certain symbols, images and sounds to create something that would tell people about the true horrors of the Holocaust. Here we’ve described them:

Symbols:

Barbwire: symbolizes that the Jews had no freedom in the concentration camps as this barbwire surrounded the entire camp. Barbwire also symbolizes the concentration camps themselves in which many Jews suffered and died.

The dove:  the universal sign for peace and harmony but we felt that it should also symbolize hope, as we did not have a symbol for hope.

The Star of David: symbolizes the Jewish religion and also the persecution of all Jews in Europe at the time of the Nazi occupation. This symbol is both good and bad as it represents the Jews being persecuted but it also represents a religion that some people were very proud to belong to.

Images:

The Jewish persecution is symbolized with the Star of David the Jews had to wear. This image is portrayed in not a very graphic way but it still has a meaning that will show us how wrong we were to treat these people like that.

Death is symbolized by the concentration camps in which most Jews were killed. It is also symbolized by the mass graves that the Germans had the Jews dig before they were killed and buried with hundreds of others.

The Final Solution is symbolized the death in the concentration camps. Hitler called this the final solution because his dream of a final solution was to have no more Jews left in
Europe.

Anne Frank is a symbol of hope to all. She gave hope that they were going pull through. She symbolizes this because of her bright, optimistic character and her belief in the good inside of her.

Sounds:

We used two pieces of music. One had singing, but it was wordless. This was better because it was more of a universal song. It was also very depressive and sad, and at the same time reflective. The second song we used was a song by Enya that had a lot of meaningful words and that went with the last few bits of the “commercial” well. Both were composed by Enya and conducted by Howard Shore of the LOTR the Return of the King album.

Most powerful:

After comparing all of our symbols, images and sounds together, we’ve come up with some of the most powerful. We believe that the most powerful symbol we used was the dove. It was powerful because it was something white and pure amidst the black background. It’s also so powerful because it known world-wide and needs no explanation. The most powerful images we think we used were the concentration camp pictures. These images were filled with death and the horror that was the Holocaust. Those pictures were the real eye-poppers of the “commercial”. And finally we believe that the first song we used was the most powerful because it was universal and it all flowed smoothly together. Because it was wordless, people could really use their own imagination and put the words in themselves, or just listen to its beauty and its sorrow.

ESLR’s:

While doing this project, I believe we improved on some of the ESLR’s. The first ESLR we improved on was the Self-Directed Learner ESLR. We identified our needs and applied appropriate learning skills, or in other words, we took the time to figure out what we needed for the project and we did it. We also took creative risks in developing untried ideas by communicating our ideas correctly and creatively. However, we didn’t demonstrate competency in organizational skills because we all didn’t exactly know what we were doing until Saturday, and even then we were still debating and bickering. We would give ourselves a B+ for this part of the project because of our lack of organization. During the making of this “commercial” we were also definitely hitting the Critical Thinker ESLR. We built meaning and understanding using prior and new information. We achieved this skill by using new signs and old images and sounds to make a project that communicated meaning and understanding. We would give ourselves an A- on this ESLR. Unfortunately however, we didn’t demonstrate very good Concerned Citizen skills. We didn’t show responsibility in active decision making because we couldn’t really ever agree on anything. We switched from commercial to memorial to commercial again. On the other hand, we did exhibit awareness for the religion of others, which was quite a big part on this project. We did this because we didn’t reveal any images, sounds or symbols that in any could offend someone because of their religion or race. For this, we would give ourselves an A. The next ESLR we achieved was the Effective Communicator ESLR. Of course, we did have our occasional fights, which meant that we weren’t demonstrating the skill of effective collaborators, but despite all this bickering, we also incorporated technology as a tool for communication. We used the internet and our thumb drives to get our information to each other and we even used PowerPoint to convey our ideas better. We also wrote this reflection, which shows that we were able effectively communicate how well we thought we did. Anyway, we would give ourselves a B for this ESLR.

Individual work:

Working as a group was not a difficult task for us. We just did not find the right way to organize ourselves. Every one contributed fairly to the project. Nick did the entire PowerPoint presentation while Daniel and Hannah split the write up in two. Four bullet points for each person on the checklist.  Then later on Nick checked the write up to see if it was ok.

Summary:

We created a short “commercial” in order to commemorate the victims of the holocaust or remember Anne Frank. We incorporated specific images, sounds and symbols that would give the audience a deeper understanding and get them thinking. We went through the process of planning, arguing, switching, arguing some more, then switching back again, and then doing the actual project and write up. Group wise, we think we did ok, even though we had our little occasional argument. But project wise (write up included), we think we delivered a great project that incorporated relevant symbols and images and good music to go with it. It was meaningful and it makes you reflect a while before going back to your daily life. Because of this, we think we deserve an A-.

The wings of an angel

Are as fragile as a beating heart

 

Because for every time we cause it grief

It begins to tear itself apart

 

Lighter than a feather

And as white as their tears

 

Nothing can destroy the wings of an angel

Nothing but our fear

 

But this is the reality

For a fear has become a truth

 

Because all of our angels

Have disappeared

 

We have committed an unspeakable crime

An irreversible theft

 

We have stolen the wings of our angels

And now they have nothing left

 

Some will never forgive our evil

And wingless they will always remain

 

But many have pardoned our mistakes

They simply want to end the pain

 

They wish to find their wings again

To once again take flight

 

To soar through the skies high above

And touch the stars at night

 

But this is only a dream to them

A fantasy if you will

 

Because they know what we are

They know we will never be still

 

We will never stop

Not until the seas turn to blood and the sky to fire

 

They will watch as history repeats itself

As the world attempts something dire

 

But their wings have already been stolen

Their lives now only remain

 

But in the end, this is you

And this is me

We are one the same

 

We are the ones that will watch and suffer

And at the same time agree

 

We will accept full responsibility

And yet we will deny it and say we were led astray

 

Because such is the way we live

To always look the other way

 

But it was not always like this

The lies and deceit

 

Once we were angels

Once we were complete

 

But now things have changed

A greater evil has rooted in our minds

 

For we have stolen our own wings

And we have lifted the clouding blinds

 

This world was never meant to save us

But was never meant to die

 

But when it does and takes it with us

We will never be able to fly

-Nick C.

 

There I go again, me and man, criticizes him in all my glory. Anyway post your comments and by the way, either you guys having been doing nothing all break or you don’t know how to post on my blog! Click on the little words that say “No Comments” or X number of comments right below the title of the post and click on it! Then you go to the bottom and type in your comments! Jeez people!

P.S You  don’t have to believe in angels or be religious at all to understand this poem, it’s just metaphorical (I hope I spelled that right)

P.S.S This is the first time I’ve written a “P.S” or a “P.S.S”

 By Miki and Nick C

(Scene starts off with Stephen locked inside his room and Tom on the other side) 

Tom: Open this door right now!

Stephen: Mind your own damn business! Why do you have to breathe down my neck all the time?

Tom: Hey, watch your language! I have the right to know what’s going on because I’m your dad!

Stephen: Yeah? Well maybe I don’t wanna be your son. It’s not like I had the choice anyway…

(Pause)

Tom: Stephen…

Stephen: Forget it, just don’t say anything.

Tom: Just open up Stephen! Now!

Stephen: Go away; I don’t need your stupid therapy. You treat me like the rest of your patients!

Tom: That’s not true Stephen. All I wanna know is what’s going on. You’ve been like this for weeks. You’re snappy all the time, you barely eat, I can’t get you to engage in a conversation with more than 3 words, and your grades are dropping. What’s wrong?

Stephen: My grades are fine and nothings wrong, not that you’d care. Just leave.

Tom: Look, ever since mom died-

Stephen: You’ve done absolutely nothing! It’s like you’ve forgotten her, as if she was some bad memory you could just leave on the sidewalk of your life.

Tom: Stephen, I loved your mother a great deal more than you can imagine, but life goes on. It’s just the way things go.

Stephen: Mom has nothing to do with this, ok? So put it out of your stupid equation. It’s just a bit of pressure from school, that’s all.

Tom: A bit of pressure is making you act like a zombie? I doubt it. There has to be something-

Stephen: There isn’t, ok?

Tom:  Watch it. You better start treating me with a bit more respect, ok? Now come on, I’ve got some cold pizzas in the fridge, and while you’re at it, clean up your room.

Stephen: Fine, whatever.

(Stephen starts throwing stuff onto his bed and then unlocks his bedroom door and they both sit on the floor and begin eating pizza.) 

Tom: So, how’d your midterm exam go?

Stephen: Fine, just great.

Tom: That’s good. So how’s school been lately? I remember back when I was in high school. Worst and best years of my life. I was quite popular, you know? But that last year… oh well, forget it.

Stephen: Define good. My algebra teacher has kept a grudge ever since I accidentally mixed y with b, my science teacher, Ms.Pattil, is the most boring person on the face of the planet and could get you to fall asleep in seconds, my social studies teacher seems to always be waiting for me to screw up and all the rest of my teachers really seem to hate me.

Tom: You know, maybe if you tried a bit harder, then your teachers wouldn’t hate you so much.

Stephen: God! Can’t you just stop it? You’re always like this! Can’t you give it a rest?

Tom: No! Because I want you to be an honest person and an honest worker, not some petty low-life living off trash. 

Stephen: You know what’s petty and low? You lying to me, because I know you weren’t at mom’s funeral, and I trusted you enough to believe that you were!

 (Pause) 

Tom: I had mountains of work to do, times were hard back then-

Stephen: And you couldn’t even spend a miserable minute of your life to see your wife before she died?

Tom: Don’t you get it? This isn’t about her. If you keep going on like this, you’ll be expelled. At your age, I shouldn’t be telling you what to do anymore, and now you’re gonna flunk school before you get to college.  Get it in your head Stephen, you’re gonna screw your life if you don’t start acting now. Stephen, answer me.

(No reply, Stephen just stares angrily at Tom)) 

Tom: That’s it Stephen, you’ve forced me to do this. Everyday, from the moment you come home, you will do your homework, go to your room, come back down for dinner and-

Stephen: No! That’s it! I am so tired of you! I swear that if you make one more demand I’m going to walk out of this house and never come back!

Tom: Then do just that! I wanna see you walk out of my front door!

Stephen: You’ve taken everything from me! Mom, a decent childhood, my possessions and now my life. You’ve made me into something hollow, something that doesn’t feel. I never wanted that, but you made sure that I became as unfeeling as you. Were you like that with mom? Were you? She must have been so happy when she died, getting rid of a useless piece of crap like you.

(Tom slaps Stephen hard across the face)

Tom: THAT IS ENOUGH! Don’t you dare talk to me like that! This whole business about school has nothing to do with stress or any of the other damn lies you’ve made up. This is has everything to do with mom! You’re blaming me! You think I wanted her to die!

 (While Tom is talking Stephen is reaching into the back of his pants and then pulls out a gun) 

Stephen: Maybe I want the same for you.

Tom: Easy, Stephen. You don’t wanna do this. I won’t even ask where in the hell you got that but just please put the gun down. You think killing me is going to bring mom back? You’ll just make things a lot worse if you do this.

Stephen: Shut up. At least I’ll know that the person who made my life miserable won’t be there to do it again.

Tom: What have I done to make your life so miserable?

Stephen: Have you ever made any attempt to comfort me since mom died? No! You just went back to work. I would only ever see you on the weekends, and even then you wouldn’t speak to me because you had work to do. You never made any effort to take interest in my life. You missed out on everything that was important to me and I hated you for that. I’ve hated you all my life.

Tom: I…that is…I don’t know what to say. Maybe I failed you as a father, but please don’t fail me as a son. I just want you to have a future, a life worth living, a life better than mine.

(Tom started edging towards Stephen) 

Stephen: It’s just….I wasn’t there…I wasn’t there.

(Stephen drops into Tom’s arms, dropping the gun at the same time) 

Tom: Shhh, Stephen. It’s ok.

Stephen: Dad, I wasn’t there, I wasn’t there…

   This here is our (as in Miki and me) script. During the Drama exploratory we learned different excecises that helped us concentrate and own the stage when we were on it. I don’t want to spoil anything for future dramatiers, but it did include shouting alot of meaningless words and standing still for a long time. Anyway, we were later asked to plan and create our own script. Getting the basic idea down was pretty much the easiest, but making sure it flowed and seemed real was the hard part. Up there is what our final script looks like, and of course, no props were used (which meant no gun, boo-hoo). We really have to thank Mr.R for taking the time and the effort to go to acting classes and passing that knowledge on. You rock Mr.R!

I recently noticed that I tend to criticize man, meaning our race, a lot. For all of the good things we’ve done, the evil ones out-number them ten-fold. Why? That’s a good question. There are almost always two outcomes. Either you fall or rise to the challenge and defeat it. Men that are on the rising side always profit from it, but what of the people who fell? Did we even take a second chance at the carnage we might of unleashed? The lives of women, men and even children we took? No. Never. Not until it’s to late. I know, it seems like I’m jumping all over the place, but just think for a minute. It would seem that the ones who fell would try and rise to their feet again and take on another challenge. But they don’t. The ones that are already on their feet want to go higher, for there is no limit for them. They want to rise above all else. They are the ones who want the power. And they are the ones who shamelessly spill blood again and again, sometimes (and even most of the time) unnecessarily, only to rise again. But when do we lend a helping hand to the one who was kicked in the dirt? Look at it from a different perspective, and our race is the only truly evil thing that inhabits this planet.

The past our teacher

The present our lesson

 

The future our task

 

We are a generation

Deemed to save the world

 

Yet we do it

In hopes so vainly held

 

You were the soldiers of the past

And now we are the guardians of the future

 

But we were deceived

In ways only time could tell

 

You cursed us

With a thousand dangers

 

Took lives

Without heart

 

And crossed lines

That should never have been neared

 

And after all this

You tell us

We must mend the world

 

How low the eminence of man has fallen

To let this atrocity pass

 

Without eyes or ears

You simple let it slip

Between your fingers’ grasp

 

You tell us to rebuild

A world you destroyed

 

But yet you do nothing

But kill and burn

 

Your past

Is written in blood

 

And in your arrogance

You have killed thousands

 

And unless you do not stop now

Your future will hold the same 

But when will you stop

To help the ones that decide it?

 

How far must we go

To prove that you were wrong?

 

What more evidence do you need

To prove you have put us all in harm’s way?

 

And even when that day dawns

The day you stop the bloodshed and begin anew

 

Those lines

Will not mend

 

Those dangers

Will not disappear

 

And those lives

Will still be taken

 

Because for your mistakes

We must now find a solution

 

Before it comes to an end

To all that we hold dear

 

Behold your abomination

You live it now

 

Must we suffer the same fate

You so cruelly laid out?

 

-Nick C.

Everyone is always talking about it. We are the generation that are supposed to mend and fix the world. But who broke it in the first place? Not us. The generation before us. And before them and before them. This was a poem for them, reminding them how hard they have made life for the new generation, and if the previous one can help fix it too. And by the way, I know I have no sense of layout at all and I sound mean.

To see a world in a grain of sand

and heaven in a wild flower

Hold infinity in the palms of your hand

and eternity in an hour

-William Blake

I just can’t get over this small piece of writing by William Blake. Seriously. If any of you have comments, please, feel free (and by that I mean do) comment on it. It’s just so cool! (sorry for the lack of word choice Mr.R)