Writing portfolio

Susie Bradshaw

Printed 2015

WolfPack Pushes to Victory over Pitt

After a disappointed loss to Cincinnati on Tuesday, NC State entered the game against Pitt yesterday with a motivation to not have the game end in embarrassment like the nonconference game on Tuesday. Since Pitt’s recent joining of the ACC, the panthers have had competitive matchups against NC State. Last year Pitt beat the Wolfpack at home, then NC State went on to win in Pittsburg later in the season; both of these games were huge points in the teams’ 2013-2014 seasons. With this history, the teams entered their first game of 2015 with enthusiasm and both desperately wanting to win.

Pitt took the early lead to start the game. After this lead however, Pitt did not get back on top. The first half was very close, both teams playing impressive defense made for a low scoring half. The teams started the second half with NC State in the lead and a score of 27-20. NC State shined in the second half, outscoring Pitt 41 to 30. Trevor Lacey Scored a game high of 19 points helping the team reach victory but the player with the biggest impact for the WolfPack was senior, Ralston Turner who had 16 points. Turner had been in a slump in recent games, but was able to break the streak and help NC State win over Pitt. NC State held Pittsburg to 33 percent shooting, and edged out the panthers for number of rebounds. Jamel Artis had 13 points for the Panthers but it wasn’t enough for Pitt to get their second win over the Wolfpack at PNC Arena. The win gave NC State an 11-4 record overall and a 2-0 ACC record.

Pitt will play away again on Tuesday against Boston College where they hope to get their first ACC win of the season. NC State will play at Virginia this Wednesday.

January 4 th 2015

Free Trade in the United States

To encourage trade between countries, a country will reduce or eliminate tariffs.

Restrictions on tariffs is referred to as free trade. Protectionism however is quite the opposite.

Protectionism is the practice of shielding a countries domestic industry from foreign

competition by taxing imports. In my opinion I believe that though in some situations

protectionism may seem beneficial to the U.S., ultimately the economy of America and other

countries will do better with free trade.

Many people think that by using free trade, countries are competing but, I think that

when countries work together to import and export goods, this is in fact cooperation not

combat. Free trade allows countries to get goods they need but cannot produce themselves,

without having to pay so much for the imported goods. 97% of all clothing sold in the U.S. is

imported. This is not by mistake; other countries are currently able to produce these products

cheaper and more efficiently. The money saved in production is then transferred to the

consumer. Other countries have more of certain recourses that the U.S. does not, so they are

able to have greater production.

Since free trade is more positive for a nation, there is no reason to try and preserve

production and limit it to just within a nation. This act is protectionism, protectionism fails

domestic industries because it delays and weakens their response to market forces. According

to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Each dollar of increased

protection leads to a drop of 66 cents in gross domestic product. What this means is that

protectionism has a negative impact on a country’s GDP and can also hurt the nation’s

economic growth. Protectionism is far more expensive and it is very unnecessary for a country

to spend that money. By limiting production to only within a country, limits are put on what can

be produced, and what can be used. Production will often take longer and it is not cost

efficient.

I’m from…

I’m from

Gummy bears at the movies

Saturday morning cartoons

And Lego’s spread across the floor

I’m from

Blue jeans

Family dinners

And my favorite playlist on repeat

I’m from

Flip flops on the beach

Singing to the radio

And early mornings before school

My memories hide

Deep in my pockets

Surrounded by smiles and laughter

Susie Bradshaw

The Determination of the Masses for the Individual Substances within a Mixture of Sand, Salt, and Iron

Purpose: To separate a mixture of sand, salt and iron. Find the Mass of substances and find the percent error.

Procedure: (Percy)

1. The mass of an empty beaker was found

2. The beaker was filled with the mixture

3. The mass of the filled beaker was found

4. The magnet was slowly moved over the mixture to remove the iron.

5. The mass of the mixture without iron was found.

6. Water was added to the mixture

7. A circular filter was placed into a funnel

8. The mass of the evaporating dish and lid was found

9. The mixture was poured though the funnel to catch the sand, to allow the evaporating dish to catch the salt water mixture.

10. With goggles on the water and salt mixture was heated in the evaporating dish with the lid on, using a burner.

11. Once the water had evaporated and no water droplets were left on the lid, the mass of the evaporating dish with the salt left was found.

Data and Observations:

Masses of Individual Substances

Mass Percent Error Empty Beaker 32.10g ± .05 gBeaker with substance 34.60 g ± .05 gMixture without iron 34.40 g ± .05 gEvaporating dish and lid 77.30 g ± .05 g

Evaporating dish with salt 77.40 g ± .05 g

Observations of Changes in the Mixture

Substance Observations Original Mixture Many light tan particles with fewer white

particles and even fewer black specks. Magnet with iron The black specks of iron stuck to the magnet,

leaving behind a mixture of just tan and white particles.

Evaporating dish with salt and water while being heated

Water rose to the top of the lid of the evaporating dish, many droplets formed on the lid and then went away with time.

Evaporating dish after being heated Dry salt was left at the bottom of the evaporating dish and white rings had formed around the sides of the evaporating dish.

Results and Analysis:

Mass of iron:

Mass of filled beaker: 34.60 g

-

Mass of filled beaker without iron: 34.40g

=

Mass of Iron: .20g

Mass of mixture:

Mass of filled Beaker: 34.60g

-

Mass of Empty Beaker: 32.10g

=

Mass of Mixture: 2.50g

Mass of Sand:

Mass of mixture: 2.50g

-

Mass of mixture without sand: .10g

=

Mass of sand: 2.40g

The results and calculations showed that the majority of the mixture was made of sand with less iron and less salt. The theoretical masses of the mixture showed that sand should have been the biggest percentage which this data agreed with; it also shows that the percentage of salt should have been greater than the percentage of iron which this data disagreed with because the experimental calculations show the iron as a greater mass than the salt. The theoretical mass said the iron should be 10 percent of the mixture or .30g however the experimental mass was .20g making the percent error 33.33%. The theoretical mass for salt was 30% or .90g however the experimental mass calculated was .240g making the percent error 88.88%. The sand had a theoretical mass of 60% or 1.8g however the experimental mass was .10g making the percent error 94.44%.

Conclusion:

The purpose of this experiment was to separate the three substances: sand, salt and Iron, out of a mixture and to calculate the mass and percent error of each. Once the three substances were separated it was found that sand had the greatest mass, that iron had a greater mass than salt and that salt had the smallest mass. The mixture changed in form and in appearance as each substance was removed. The mixture evolved from a dry heterogeneous mixture of small particles to eventually becoming just dried salt.

These changed occurred after the iron was removed with a magnet and then a wet mixture of salt and sand was poured through a filter to allow the salt water to pass through but for the sand to be filtered out. These steps allowed for the individual substances to be separated which made it possible to find the individual masses of each. With the masses it was then possible to calculate the percent error of each mass using the theoretical masses provided along with the experimental masses that were found.

Knowing how to separate the components of a mixture is especially important for environmental engineers because the separate components expand the potential uses beyond just what the whole

Mass of salt:

Mass of evaporating dish with salt: 77.40g

-

Mass of Empty evaporating dish: 77.30g

=

Mass of salt: .10g

mixture is capable of. A mixture may not be able to be used for something but if one of the components within the mixture can be used, the environmental engineers can separate the mixture to utilize just that one component. An example of this is how tar sands can be processed to be used for oil (PEIS).

Error analysis:

The percent error of iron was 33.33%, the percent error for salt was 88.88% and the percent error for the sand was 94.44%. The large percent errors were due to the inconsistent distribution of the substances into the mixtures. Some mixtures had more or less of particular substances so the theoretical masses could not have matched every one. Another cause of the error could have been water left in the beaker or not all of the salt water making it through the filter. All of these possibilities could have contributed to the differences between the theoretical and experimental masses. To decrease the amount of error the mixtures should have been equally measured out with equal amounts of each substance.

Engineering extension:

The amount of iron recovered from the experiment would be worth 2,000 dollars. If 1 barrel is equal to .01g and worth 100 dollars then the .20g recovered through this experiment would be worth 2,000 dollars.

Work Cited

"Tar Sands Basics." Tar Sands Basics. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

"For Teachers." Science Alive: Percy Julian. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

"Separating Mixtures: Can You Design a Device to Do It?" Separating Mixtures: Can You Design a Device to Do It? N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Are Expectations Getting in the Way?

From such a young age girls and even boys are told that some day they will meet their “other half” and fall in love. What’s not as emphasized is what they are supposed to do and accomplish before then. The pressure of fulfilling this expectation of finding their “soul mate” can consume young people’s minds and can prevent them from pursuing successful careers, there’s a need for women in math and science careers simply because many young girls don’t have a drive or interest in the subjects. Could the lack of interest be due to this expectation of love put into their minds? How could girls who see love and marriage advertised everywhere not view finding that special someone as a main focus? With such a heavy importance placed on love and finding this person it’s hard for anyone to view a career as having nearly as much importance. With this example in mind, the question of how expectations are getting in the way of the futures of young people is raised. Even though it’s implausible for the continuation of humanity, think about if this type of expectation was totally taken off the table. What if instead of watching movies about a princess searching for here prince charming, young girls learned about having a career and making advances in today’s world. What if instead of reading about the latest celebrity couple, teenage girls took time to learn about current events and their effects? Though this will never be the type of world we live in, it seems like things may be very different if it was and the world may be better off. Now by mentioning this, I’m not trying to communicate that the idea of love and having a soul mate should be obsolete because I realize how valued this is among many people all over the world, I just think that more efforts to get people motivated for a successful career should be put into place. It will be interesting to see how values evolve as the world continues to progress.

The Real Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones

Sometimes the best lessons in life come from the most unexpected people. These

lessons can come from family members or neighbors or even complete strangers. Langston

Hughes shows how true this can be in his short story “Thank You Ma’am.” In this story a young

boy named Roger tries to steal the pocketbook of a stranger named Mrs. Luella bates

Washington Jones. Instead of calling the police, Mrs. Jones decides to take him back to her

house to teach him a lesson. Even though she doesn’t really know Roger, she takes care of him

and proves to be trustworthy, determined and motherly.

To act as a mother towards someone does not always mean that person is your child.

Mrs. Jones proves this statement by showing she is motherly towards Roger. After she takes

him back to her home she treats him as her son by feeding him a meal she cooked herself. “She

heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa and set the table”.

(19) Mrs. Jones cooks this meal to feed Roger so she can make sure that he is well nourished,

much like how a mother would do to her own son. The relationship Mrs. Jones and Roger form

over a short period of time is strong and Mrs. Jones wants to make Roger feel like he can look

up to and learn from her. She does this by sharing some of her personal experiences with Roger

to help him learn. She sits down and tells Roger…”I have done things too, which I would not tell

you, son- neither tell God if he didn’t already know” (19) Once again Mrs. Jones proves she

cares for Roger by relating to him and teaching Roger a lesson like a mother helps her son. Over

and over again Mrs. Jones proves to be motherly even though Roger is not her own son.

Fighting For Fairness

Before I begin to tell you about my cause I would like to ask you each to do something for me.

Think back to a time that you or someone you know was made fun of, hurt, discriminated against or

suffered from unfair segregation. These are the types of things that a group of people in India have to

live with everyday. The individuals that are in this group are classified as “untouchables” or “dalits”. The

untouchables are the lowest class of people in India; in fact they are not even considered a class at all.

The caste system in India has four layers, five if you include the untouchables at the very bottom.

Now let us go back to the thought about being hurt, discriminated against, etc. Usually when

these things happen it is because the person who is trying to hurt you or make you feel bad about

yourself feels that they are higher or better than you. This is exactly what is happening in India. Everyday

untouchables are abused by the upper classes. Untouchables face violent crimes everyday and are

segregated from the other classes. Dalits are not allowed to drink for the same wells, attend the same

temples, or even wear shoes in the presence of people of the upper class.

Citizens of India and even other countries outside of India assume that the number of

untouchables is small so their actions towards them aren’t affecting many people, but this is incorrect.

More than 160 million people are considered untouchables and over 95% of them are illiterate. You

may say that it is each individuals responsibility to make good life choices so that they can have a good

life or that everyone in this group of people have made bad choices that have lead them to being an

untouchable but once again I disagree. Everyone who is an untouchable at this point was born an

untouchable because of their parents and ancestors. Why should the people of today have to be

treated as if they meant nothing just because of their family’s past? Untouchables are illiterate because

they are not allowed to attend schools or become educated. Depriving people of an education is a cruel

punishment.

Imagine having no education, knowing nothing except fear. The fears that you may accidently

walk into the neighborhood of an upper class and are beaten or killed. The fear that at any given

moment in time someone, anyone can come and pull away from whatever life that you live and force

you to do what they say because you are uneducated. Imagine. So tell me, do you think this system is

fair?

How to be happy: in 5 easy stepsA 2013 poll said that only 1 and 3 Americans are considered happy. With these types of results it’s hard not to wonder why this is. It’s obvious that most people want to be happy, so why is it so hard? Could it be that just 5 steps can improve someone’s happiness?

Step 1: Be Healthy. It’s much easy to be happier when you feel good and your taking care of your body is very important to feeling good. Eating healthy can help you to have a clear mind and will give you more energy, both key aspects to being happy. Another part of being healthy is exercise. Endorphins are released during and after a workout, endorphins allow you to power through discomfort and make you feel exhilarated. These emotions and the release of these endorphins promote happiness. From the pure science of it, it’s clear that eating right and working out are important parts of having a healthy and happy mind.

Step 2: The next step to being happy is to be grateful for the positive things in your life. As humans we tend to focus on what we don’t have, this can lead to a life that never seems good enough, a life of desire, and greed. In order to be happy it is important to focus on what you do have, to be thankful for the good things in your life and to enjoy your life instead of constantly wanting more.

Step 3: The next step is to set reasonable goals for you. When you reach these goals it will help you to be happy and you can continue to progress in your life. It is important have reachable expectations for yourself so that you don’t feel worthless because you can’t reach a goal that is not obtainable. Reaching goals gives you satisfaction which leads to a happier mindset.

Step 4: The fourth step to be happy is to have self acceptance. As time goes on self confidence and self esteem issues seem to be growing at an unfortunate rate. To be happy, one must be confident in who you are and have a positive self image. Remember your self worth and value your traits as positive attributes. In order to have a happy life you must first be happy with you.

Step 5: As the fifth step, it is important to help and serve others. Though we’re focusing on making you as an individual happy, helping others is a big part of that. When serving others it makes you feel like you have a purpose, doing good in the world makes you feel good so you’re not only benefiting others but also yourself. These feelings allow you to feel important and happy.

Commencement Speech

So here we are. You’ve been looking forward to this day for many years now, probably your entire life, but why? This is the day that has been in the back of your mind each time you started a new school year, each time you took a final exam, each time you sat down to write a paper and were completely unmotivated to do so, but why? Why is this day so important? Why is the day that your entire school career has been leading up to? Today is the day you graduate from college, the day that you’ve been waiting for, the day you are forced to grow up. Many of you see this as a finish line, many of you are looking at your peers saying, we did it, and we made it. But that’s where I think you’ve gone wrong. Yes by graduating from Princeton you have done something amazing, but what you are going to do has yet to be done. This isn’t your finish line, yes you just ran a race so long that you probably feel like you can’t breathe, but you cannot stop. This is not the point where you quit running an stick a 26.2 bumper sticker on the back of your car, this is the point where you take a sip of water and you keep on running because what you are going to do has yet to be done. When I graduated I thought that my biggest achievement was now behind me, but my multimillion dollar company tells me otherwise. So graduates, as I speak to you today I ask that you keep the mindset that this is just the beginning.

In the past years you have works so hard, you have already taken many steps towards your futures, you graduated from high school, moved away from home and from your families, you started a life on your own and you worked hard so that you could be sitting right here today. The steps you have already taken are not to be ignored; you have done so much already in your young lives. We know the work that you put in here at school was not easy so just surviving these past years is something to be very proud of, but not only did you all survive, you are here today, not only did you survive, you are graduating.

You are graduating, isn’t that something? Now, I talked about how what you are going to do has yet to be done but don’t let that mean that today is not an amazing achievement because it is. Look around, you are graduating. That gown you are wearing and the cap on top of your head, that’s a beautiful sight. I want you all to look forward to your futures but don’t forget to live in the present. The present is an amazing thing, because it’s happening right now. Celebrate what you have accomplished, this is a onetime thing and it’s incredible that you get to experience this.

Don’t let any moment pass you by, but don’t lose sight of where you are going. Your future is not just what you’re going to do; it’s who you’re going to be, where you’re going to go and how you’re going to get there. Many of you know what career you’d like to peruse and that’s fantastic, following your dream and accomplishing your goals is going to take you very far

in life, but my best advice to you is to strive to be the best you. Don’t change to fit the job you think you want, focus on being the best you that you can be and everything else will fall into place with hard work.

So if you haven’t listened to a single work I’ve said today, this is where you need to start listening. I’m going to tell you three things, first I want you to be proud of your pasts, celebrate right now, and look forward to your futures. Second I want you to remember that even if you feel like you can’t breathe, you’ve got to keep running, stay motivated this is only the beginning, and lastly I have a few final words for you, thank you for allowing me to share this occasion with you, and for giving me this great honor, and also congratulations, I hope you are all as proud of yourselves as I am of each and every one of you. You are here, you are graduating, you are running in this great race, congratulations.

Teacher Pay in AmericaWhen Americans think of high paying jobs we may say,

doctors, lawyers etc. A teacher would not be mentioned in that conversation because in our country the salary of a teacher compared to these jobs is much lower. However in other countries teachers are held to the same prestige as a doctor or lawyer. In places like Denmark, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia the average salary for experienced teachers trumps the Unites States’ average by nearly 18,000 dollars. It makes sense that the teachers are being paid the high salaries because they have a huge impact on the future of the country by teaching and inspiring the next generation. So why isn’t this the standard in the United States? Many teachers in the U.S are underpaid leaving many having to work another job as well. When teachers’ time is spent spread between two jobs just to make ends meet the class is affected. Students deserve teachers who are dedicated and who can take the time and care to help the students learn. Also there is a lack of teachers in some areas in the U.S. simply because not many people are interested in pursuing teaching as a profession due to the low pay. Many of the teachers that do teach still aren’t what the students deserve because they aren’t truly dedicated to teaching young people or putting in the amount of effort that is needed. There are teachers however who are dedicated and who do a great job of teaching their class, keeping students engaged and giving kids the time and attention they need, but it is unfortunate that these teachers are becoming less common because of the lack of good pay and benefits. The good teachers deserve better conditions and higher pay which will also encourage people who are interested to pursue teaching as a profession to make for a higher number of good teachers. The issue at hand isn’t something that will blow over, or something that can be ignored. Teacher’s play a huge role in the future of many kids as well as the future of many communities and our world. Students deserve good teachers, and teachers deserve good pay. Hopefully someday soon teachers will be viewed at the rank in which they deserve and the pay will reflect their importance as well.

A Day in the Life

Scene 1

Narrator: Zach and Josh, twins from Manhattan have always been very close but continue to live two totally separate lives. Lately instead of their usual high jinks and video games, the teens have been fighting nonstop. After hearing enough of the bickering, their mom decides to end the fighting her way.

The twins are yelling in the background

Mom: That’s enough! Boys come in here!

Zach and Joshua walk into the living room of their house where their mom sits

Zach: what is it mom?

Mom: I’m sick and tired of hearing you two fight all the time. You don’t appreciate each other or the separate lives that you live, that is why tomorrow you will switch places and spend a day doing what the other does. Josh you will go to the set of Zach’s TV show and see all the work he does, and Zach you will spend a day in Josh’s classes at the university to see the kind of work he deals with everyday. Maybe then you will appreciate each other.

Josh: No way, I’m not going to that stupid TV set.

Zach: It’s not stupid, what’s stupid is how you think college classes are hard wait until you see the real world.

Mom: You two stop, this is exactly what I’m talking about. There will be no further discussion, get to bed you’ve both got big days ahead of you tomorrow.

The twins sigh and walk to their separate bedrooms.

Morning comes and the twins are seen driving off in separate directions.

Scene 2

Josh: Hey I’m Zach; do you by chance know where I’m supposed to go?

TV show producer: um yeah Zach, I know who you are. You’re the star of my show, and after 4 seasons you should know where to go. Just head on over to the makeup trailer right there.

Josh walks into trailer and sits in a chair labeled Zach, makeup is put on Josh who looks very uncomfortable. Josh is rushed out of the trailer and seen being escorted to the set where he reads off the script and remains uncomfortable.

TV show producer: Cut! Alright that’s enough for today, let’s pick back up tomorrow and hopefully have some more success. Zach come see me before you leave.

Josh walks over to the producers chair.

Josh: Yes sir?

TV show producer: Sir? I’ve never heard you say that before. Is there something going on with you kid?

Josh: No sir

TV show producer: You’re acting today was not as good as I know you to be. Get some rest and when you come back tomorrow I hope you’ll be back to normal.

Josh: Yes sir.

Josh leaves.

Scene 3

Zach is sitting behind a desk in a classroom at the university

Teacher: Good morning, today we will be discussing if China is a threat to Indian IT industry. To start us off I’d like to get the opinion of one of our star students. Josh would you please tell us your thoughts on today’s topic.

Silence

Teacher: um Josh?

Zach: Oh right that’s me. Um well I think that China isn’t a threat to the Indian thingy.

Class chuckles

Teacher: and would you care to explain why this is your belief.

Zach: umm I don’t really know

Class laughs louder

Teacher: Let’s pretend that didn’t just happen. Katie why don’t you give us your opinion?

Zach slumps in his chair embarrassed while Katie gives a 4 minute long opinion and Zach struggles to keep up as he takes notes. Many other students talk and the teacher lectures while the class takes notes.

Teacher: That’s all the time we have for today, see you tomorrow.

Class packs up and leaves

Teacher: Josh can I see you for a minute.

Zach: Yeah?

Teacher: You’re one of my best students. What happened today?

Zach: I don’t know.

Teacher: I hope you’ll be back to being an engaged, smart, hardworking student tomorrow.

Zach leaves the classroom

Scene 3

The twins walk into the living room where their mom is sitting

Mom: So boys how were your days?

Josh: Miserable. I do not belong on a TV show

Zach: terrible, college is like torture

Mom: so do you all see how hard both of your lives are? Do you understand that after spending the day working on a TV set or in a classroom, the last thing you all need to be doing when you get home is fighting to make it worse.

Josh: yeah I get it, I don’t know how you do it man.

Zach: Me? I have a whole new level of respect for you, college is way hard.

Josh: yeah let’s just keep living our own lives

The twins laugh and walk into the kitchen with their mother to have dinner.

The End

Millbrook Survey

Grade: 10

Gender: female

How has the A/B schedule affected you?

It makes me very stressed because it’s hard enough to take care of 4 classes at a time but with 8 year long classes it’s that much harder to handle.

What would be your Ideal schedule?

The block schedule for 1 set of 4 classes then another set of 4 classes however I do like smart lunch to go tutorial.

Do you think Millbrook should keep 8 day?

Yes

Would it be easier if teachers met about test dates and work?

No because that’s not how it works in college, and I want to be prepared.

How many hours do you spend on homework each day?

2-4 hours per day

Do you plan on enrolling in the IB Program?

I have not decided whether or not to do IB however I do feel obligated because it’s offered at my school but I do not like how there are some required classes when you choose to do IB.

Do you think the IB program has a negative or positive effect on Millbrook?

I think it can have a negative effect on kids who choose not to do IB because they are ranked the same as those who do enroll in the program and those who are enrolled have a better chance of having a higher GPA.

Do you feel like the personal project is beneficial to you?

No, it is making it harder to complete work for other classes and is not helping me in any way.

Grade: 10

Gender: Male

How has the A/B schedule affected you?

I like it because it gives me two nights to do homework and more time to study for tests. I don’t like having 8 classes at once.

What would be your Ideal schedule?

I would like to keep the A/B schedule but not have 8 days.

Do you think Millbrook should keep 8 day?

No

Would it be easier if teachers met about test dates and work?

Yes

How many hours do you spend on homework each day?

1-2 hours

Do you plan on enrolling in the IB Program?

No

Do you think the IB program has a negative or positive effect on Millbrook?

Negative, just from what I hear from other students in the program

Do you feel like the personal project is beneficial to you?

No I think it is useless

Grade: 12

Gender: female

How has the A/B schedule affected you?

No effect

What would be your Ideal schedule?

A/B 8

Do you think Millbrook should keep 8 day?

Yes

Would it be easier if teachers met about test dates and work?

Yes

How many hours do you spend on homework each day?

1 hour

Are you enrolled in the IB program?

No

Do you think the IB program has a negative or positive effect on Millbrook?

Positive

Do you feel like the personal project was beneficial to you?

No

Millbrook in the eyes of the students

Each person has their own opinions, whether everyone chooses to let their thoughts be heard is a different story. I know I have my opinions, and as a curious person I wanted to find out if others shared any of the same ideas as me. I needed to choose a topic that everybody knew about, and preferably one that was a bit controversial. Since I have such easy access to so many students at least 5 days out of the week I thought it would be a good idea to interview about something each and every one of us has in common, school. Recently at Millbrook High School many changes have been made. A new schedule was put in place, an IB diploma program was added a few years back, and with these two changes a lot more adjustments were made to the school. With change there are always people who like it and people who don’t, I asked the pressing questions and the results I found were fascinating.

I found that some students like the A B 8 schedule Millbrook have implemented, some students like the A B schedule but don’t find 8 days to be helpful, and multiple students who I talked to said they do not like the current schedule at all and would rather have a block schedule. Students say that the pressure and work load of handling 8 classes at once is too much. The majority of the students who agreed that the current schedule adds more work and more stress than necessary, are students who have high GPA’s and are hardworking students. Many people find that smart lunch is helpful, although the way it works that a teacher only has tutorial every so often makes it difficult to get help when it is needed. Kids are spending more times studying and doing homework on the current schedule, because there are 8 classes going on at once. The underclassman I interviewed were either not planning on entering the IB program or were not sure yet. The upperclassmen I interviewed had chosen not to enroll in the IB program. The responses I got about what type of effect the IB program has had on Millbrook varied between positive and negative. Every student I interviewed said that the personal project is or was not beneficial to them individually.

These results were interesting but not surprising. The A B schedule was a major change so the differing opinions are to be expected. As far as the issue of too much work and stress on students, right now there is no easy solution but hopefully it will be better soon. Smart lunch is well liked however if there was a way to allow students to be able to go to their teachers tutorials more frequently I think that would be very beneficial. With such a large majority of Millbrook students choosing to not enroll In the IB program, it think there should be a heavy focus on making sure those kids are not affected negatively by the program. The issue of is the personal project beneficial is where it gets tricky. If it is a requirement for the IB program it should stay but students should be encouraged to pursue topics that will better benefit them, and they should be given more time in school so it does not act as a heavy burden.

A Backyard Paradise

Many North Carolinians consider themselves lucky to live in an area where great beaches are so close, and the only time they have to travel far would be if they wanted a more secluded tropical getaway. But what many don’t know is, they don’t have to travel far at all, because there’s a more private beach destination right here on the coast of beautiful North Carolina. Bald Head Island can be reached by taking a smooth ferry ride from New Point Marina in South Point NC to the Bald Head Island Marina. Once you’ve arrived I’m sure you’ll be entranced. Over 55 years ago, when the island had few houses and was run by generators, my grandparents purchased a small beach house on beautiful bald head island. Years later my parents were married in the small Bald Head Island chapel and ever since I’ve been lucky enough to grow up going down to Bald Head every year. Cars are replaced by golf carts, beaches are spacious with few people, and busy work days are replaced with relaxing times spent in a beach chair. The overwhelming sense of peace and quiet makes Bald Head Island the perfect get away.

Depending on which day you will make the trip down to bald Head you will be riding on one of the four safe and fun ferries. You may find yourself on The Ranger, The Adventure, The Patriot or The San Souci.

The Wildlife at Baldhead will not disappoint, dolphins, turtles, great bird watching, and watch out for the alligators in the lagoons!

The beaches on Bald Head Island provide fun, relaxation and a great view!

Photographs By: Susie Bradshaw

Unwanted Secrets

Waking up for school was never easy for me, but on a Tuesday morning in December it was particularly hard and it wasn’t because of the chemistry test I had that day which was for sure going to be a nightmare. It had been a weird year, not only was school getting harder but on top of the stress of grades my home life had been all sorts of crazy. I’m extremely blessed with everything that I have and anyone on the outside might think I have the perfect life. I have amazing parents, a sister who’s like a best friend and a boyfriend I can always count on, perfect right? Wrong.

It’s not uncommon for my entire family to be gone and me home alone, they all work and I don’t, which was fine by me because I love having the house to myself. Yesterday I was home alone after school and was doing some laundry when I stumbled upon something that changed everything. I went into my parent’s room to see if I could steal some hangers from my mom’s never ending closet. There weren’t any empty hangers after my mom’s latest shopping spree but I was in desperate need, my newest sweater needed to be hung, I don’t tolerate wrinkles. With the mentality that desperate time call for desperate measures I decided to take the ugly coat my mom has never worn, off its hanger and use it for my sweater. Reaching to the very back of the rack I pulled it down but before I could get the plastic hanger out, a grey folder fell out of the hideous coat. It was a folder I had never seen before which seemed odd because of all the snooping I do I thought I was familiar with every item within this house. At first I thought it was probably something useless that my mom had accidentally left in the giant pockets of that coat. But wait, when had my mom ever worn that? And how could something as big as a folder just be forgotten in a pocket? I thought about the situation a bit more before bending down to invade my mother’s privacy. I realized that this folder was meant to be hidden, why else would it be in that disgusting coat? She knew my sister and I would never want to borrow it and no one would ever find that folder, but I did.

I sat down on my mom’s closet floor, crisscrossed I picked up the folder and opened it. 5 papers were all that I found, what could be so special about these papers? Examining more closely my heart sank with each word that I read. I saw a date, the names of my parents, my name and the names of my parents. Names of my parents? Why did I say that twice? Because it was there twice but not the same names twice, two different sets, these 5 papers were my adoption papers. I was adopted. My stomach began to ache, this changed everything. The life that I had been living for 16 years was a lie. The parents who I loved and trusted weren’t my real parents, they had been lying to me.

I heard the back door shut, someone was home. I quickly shoved the folder back into the coat and hung it up. Suddenly the need for my sweater to be hung didn’t seem as

important. I left my parents bedroom and walked into the kitchen. My mom was standing at the sink. “Hey peanut” she said refusing to stop using that embarrassing childhood nickname.

“Hi M-“ I stopped myself, how could I call her mom after my recent finding. She continued to talk all about her day and wanted to know about mine but I gave short answers and hurried up to my room. I sat on my bed and looked down at my book bag, how am I suppose to do my history homework tonight when I don’t even know my own history. My head started to fill up with all the lies I had been told my whole life, I never had any reason to think I wasn’t the biological daughter of my parents, I was wrong. My bedroom door started to move, which was weird because my mom barely ever came upstairs, but now she was standing in my door way.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Sure” I replied continuing with my short answers. She came and sat down next to me on my bed.

“What’s going on with you?” she questioned me while I stared straight ahead refusing to make eye contact.

“Nothing” I answered.

“Honey, I’m your mom, I know when something’s wrong with you” she said this without any hesitation, lying to me just like she always had.

“You’re not my mom” I mumbled under my breath. She looked confused and then it clicked. She knew that I knew.

Typically I hate having family members in my room because I like to have that space for myself but this time was different. After my sly comment my mom hugged me and told me everything, about how they wanted another child but couldn’t have one, and how they never think of me as adopted but as their own. My mom cried and as we talked and I felt like she was genuinely sorry for lying. Though this conversation didn’t make it any less weird, I felt better and I knew that right in this house with my family is where I belong. I didn’t get much sleep that night and I knew it would take some getting used to, but knowing that I wouldn’t trade the life I have for anything else made it a lot easier.

Prader-Willi Syndrome

History

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare genetic disease; it was first described in 1956 by Andrea Prader, Heinrich Willi, Alexis Labhart, Andrew Ziegler, and Guido Fanconi. Research has been consistent for 60 years and there are many organizations dedicated to finding successful treatments and improving the lives of those with the disease.

Signs and Symptoms

Characteristic of Prader-Willi Syndrome are low muscle tone, short stature, incomplete sexual development, cognitive disabilities, problem behaviors, and a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to excessive eating and life-threatening obesity. There are many symptoms and signs of this genetic disorder. Poor muscle tone and difficulties establishing respiration are very common in infancy. Childhood symptoms include speech delay and delayed puberty as well as obesity. Obesity is also a symptom shown in adulthood along with infertility

Diagnosis

Prader-Willi syndrome is usually diagnosed by a physician based on clinical symptoms. The diagnosis is confirmed by a blood test. A fluorescent in-situ hybridization test can identify the patients with Prader-Willi syndrome due to deletion.

Chromosome mutation

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare genetic mutation. Seven genes on chromosome 15 are deleted or unexpressed.

Treatment

There is currently no cure for Prader-Willi syndrome, however there are many treatments that are directed towards specific symptoms. Patients with this disease should keep a healthy diet as well as maintain a healthy mind. Sex hormone treatment is sometimes recommended for children to replenish low levels of sex hormones, this treatment can also prevent osteoporosis.

How does a person receive this disorder?

Deleted and unexpressed genes are random occurrences and generally are not associated with an increased risk of recurrence in future pregnancies however Prader-Willi Syndrome can reoccur within a family. This trait is not considered dominant nor recessive.

How Common is the disorder?

Prader Willi syndrome is considered rare. Prader-Willi syndrome occurs in one in every 15,000-20,000 live births. Both sexes all races and every ethnic group can be/are affected. Both boys and girls are equally affected. Although considered a rare disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome is one of the most common conditions seen in genetics clinics and this disorder is the most common genetic cause of obesity.

Because this disease is a chromosome error and not inherited, a Punnett square or pedigree would not show how someone would get this disease. There could be no sign of this disease anywhere in the family and someone could still have it.

Information on The foundation for Prader-Willi syndrome

The Foundation for Prader-Willi research was established in 2003 by a group of parents who had children with the disease and saw a need to fundraise and work for a cure. The foundation is very successful and holds many events to raise money, the money raised goes towards all the research that is being done to find treatments and a cure.

Safe Haven Book Summary

When Katie, a young woman seeking safety ends up in South Port, North Carolina some

of the residents are curious about why she is there. Katie tries to avoid building a relationship

with anyone in the town “because being comfortable meant that she might lower her guard,

and she could not let that happen” (52) but she has an especially difficult time avoiding a local

store owner named Alex. Alex is left as a single parent after his wife dies and he spends most of

his time maintaining the store and being with his kids but the new girl in town has caught his

attention. As the book goes on we start to uncover more about Katie’s past and the reason why

she is in South Port. Fearful of her abusive husband, Kevin, Katie has chosen to change her

name and try to get away from her past life. She starts to become closer and closer to Alex but

when Kevin finds Katie and chases her down the relationship between Alex and Katie is tested.

Alex has to choose to protect the girl that he has started to fall in love with. Eventually they

both discover that the only way for them to be safe and happy is with each other. Later, Alex

gives Katie a letter that his sick wife had written before her death. The letter is addressed to the

next woman who Alex fell in love with. The letter revealed that Katie’s friend in town, Jo was

not real at all but was really the ghost of Alex’s wife who looked after Katie and gave her a few

pushes along the way to get her to the point where she could be safe, safe there with Alex.