This Is My Freebie!

A Significantly New Perspective (SSR)

Day by day, hour by hour, we live consumed by our daily routines and worries. To each individual, we believe our lives posses a great significance; however, how often is it that we realize what minuscule lives we truly live? Take into consideration the boundless infinity of the universe. In comparison to the farthest point of the universe currently known to man, the light emitted from Earth does not even register, and is lost in the sea of galaxies and constellations. Carl Sagan, a famous astronomer and astrophysicist, once described the earth as,"A Pale Blue Dot" and continued with an description of the phenomenon of the universe. (Sagan's Pale Blue Dot speech is in the video below)

When put into perspective, the way society has evolved is incredible, yet humbling. Sagan describes how, "everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was" has lived their life here on Earth; a statement so simple, however in context of the universe, is astonishing. Think of all the planets, all the galaxies man is oblivious to, yet we are confined to the human race as the only known intelligent species. To us, this is it. We are all each other has. Yet, even with this knowledge in mind, we choose to exert hatred and violence on to each other in order to,"become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot." With this description of fame, Sagan prompts us to ask ourselves, is it truly worth it? Is it truly worth it to take the only civilization we have, the one we created, and destroy it? Is it truly worth it for humans to pit themselves against other humans in order to obtain power? Fame and domination are only temporary. Individuals fight, inducing permanent consequences, in order to gain a title that is simply an illusion of our society. Outside of Earth, this title is insignificant. Other than the individuals on Earth, no being will acknowledge the existence of a "great leader" who fought and killed other humans to deem themselves significant. We must shift our perspectives off ourselves and focus on the collective prosperity of society. In order to succeed, it's necessary to learn to consolidate.

Sagan urges the human race to recognize,"our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another." Again, the only beings we have to reconcile with are other humans. This being, it is necessary we understand how to succeed together, rather than succeed against each other. Let us work to be more understanding, more generous, more forgiving. We each receive one chance to live our lives on Earth, so why not offer the highest consideration possible to each other? With the obligation of compassion in mind, we may move forward as a productive society that produces a unified significance, opposed to individual significance on this pale blue dot we call home.

"Sorry, I Can't, I Have Rehearsal" (PB)

Eight shows, thirty performances, hundreds of rehearsal hours, one love: performing. There's something almost enchanting about being on stage and allowing the audience to be immersed in a well prepared performance. Acting, and performing in general is an experience that is so unlike any other aspect of life. Here, you are given the opportunity to portray and essentially become another individual. It's almost as if you're defying the philosophy that an individual has only one life to live; with acting, one can live as many lives as they wish. Now, I wouldn't say that preparing a performance is entirely enjoyable. From years of experience, I can say that there have been days where I contemplated if all these hours of work was truly something that I wanted to continue to pursue. But, when the show finally assembles and the curtain is preparing to open, I know this is where my passion lies.

From my first show, to the show I'm currently in the process of preparing, I've always been able to learn and grow as an individual from the multiple aspects of a performance. For instance, the characters I've played have given me new perspectives on people in various points of their lives. An angel, an elderly woman, a young daughter, a mother, all characters at different stages in their lives who have endured different life paths. I'd say one of my most challenging roles was portraying an elderly woman from the 1930s (and it wasn't just because of the awful amount of stage makeup I had to put on). I had to think not from my young, modern day perspective, but from that of a woman who had not been married her entire life, but secretly had feelings for her employer whom she had been working under for almost 30 years. As a sixteen year old girl, I can't say that I know what it's like to have been in love for that long, let alone live for that extent of time. From this experience, I was able to gain a greater understanding and respect for those who have lived a long life and came to the realization how how small of a portion of my life I have actually lived. Although portraying this role was challenging, I was able to gain a new outlook on a generation of people, which in turn has helped me with understanding and communicating with those of that age.

As YouTube star Tyler Oakley once said, "there's no glory in the process." While my love for performing is undeniable, the process of preparing a show is tiresome. It's come to the point where I'm unsure if I spend more time in the Lakeview Auditorium or at home. For my current show specifically, I spend at least eight hours a week in practice, sometimes with extra rehearsals on the weekend. Then I have my individual responsibilities of learning all my lines and songs by certain deadlines. Remind you there are still six weeks of rehearsals left; this is just the easy part. Once the set is constructed and painted, all lines and music memorized, the crew in place with their jobs secured, the musical orchestra assembled, and costumes and makeup decided upon, THEN, the show is almost ready for opening night. A week before the show the performers enter tech week (read: death week). This is when all cast, crew, and orchestra slave for hours, running and rerunning scenes in order to reach near perfection and clean up any rough spots in the show. It is advised that all members of the show have coffee available at all times, as little sleep will be allotted. Then, finally, after weeks of work and practice, it's showtime. The smell of hairspray and anticipation fill the dressing rooms as the performers prepare for the first show. Before the show the director says a few encouraging words and the rest is up to the performers. The audience fills the auditorium, the lights dim, the curtain opens, and the long awaited show begins. These factors combined create the marvel of a play performance. Although the end product of an excellent show is a phenomenal feeling, assembling the multiple aspects of a performance is laborious.

Performing is an experience that cannot truly be explained to another individual until they experience it themselves. Through my performances I have been able to reap the benefits of being in shows and learn from the roles I've portrayed. While not everyday as a performer has been the most exciting, without it I would not have the same character, knowledge, and friends that I obtain today. My adoration for performing is a love that I hope to kindle for the rest of my life.

The Grading Scale: An Effective Evaluation or Instigator of Student Stress? (PB)

The grading scale, although intended to be an accurate interpretation of a student's grade, is not a universal system throughout schools in the United States. While some schools base their grades off of a ten point scale where 90-100 percent is an A, 80-89 is a B, etc., some schools, such as Lakeview Local Schools use a seven point scale where 93-100 is an A, 83-92 is a B, etc. Although educators can assert that the seven point grading scale encourages students to excel more and achieve higher than those students who base their grades on the ten point scale, there are several disadvantages of this system. While I will agree, having the higher grading scale does push students to work harder to achieve the grade they want, it also hinders those students who work exceptionally hard to earn A's and B's, but just fall short of the grade percentage cut off. In addition, when students are applying for college, it's unfair to those who have a high grade point average, but are based off of a different grading scale, compared to those who have a lower grade point average, but a more rigorous grading scale. A scale that has the purpose of measuring the accuracy of a student's intelligence, but is a different system from one school to the next, in my opinion is a flaw in the education system.

Speaking from personal experience, the grading scale has been a nuisance to me throughout my high school career. In several instances, when my grade was calculated for my report card, my grade has come out to be within the 90-92.4 percent range. Upon receiving these grades, I would always feel upset, as my grades just missed the cut off point for an A. This, of course, reflects on my grade point average, which will be sent to colleges on my applications when I apply next year. With the thousands of applications that will be sent into colleges every year, it is unlikely that the admissions counselors will take the time to look at my grades and grade point average and convert them to the ten point scale grading system. This causes my grades to appear less than satisfactory, compared to a student who has a 4.0 grade point average, based off a ten point scale. In addition, some schools even inflate their students grades with a weighted grading system. This allows students who are in advanced classes, such as an Advanced Placement Class, to earn a higher value grade, due to the rigor of their class. These factors combined could hinder a student who is applying for college and scholarships.

Although Petersons.com states that colleges, "might" accept students with lower grade point averages, based on their school's grading scale, they more so advise students to excel in different areas such as extra curricular activities and more rigorous classes, opposed to dwelling on the state of their G.P.A. I believe that in the future, the grading scale should become a universal system across the United States, in order to more effectively evaluate students on an even scale. This will not only benefit the students in relieving their stress pertaining to their G.P.A. but also to college admission counselors who will have the burden of converting grades and grade point averages removed. I believe it is important to evaluate the grading scale system in order to amend a flaw in the education system and produce multiple benefits for both students and educators.