Happy Monday! This may be the only time I ever put the words ‘happy’ and ‘monday’ together, but since we only have two days until Thanksgiving break, I am happy! We are blogging on a Monday today because Ms. DeSimone wanted us to be able to reflect on the video we watched in advisory on Friday. I will talk about my thoughts on the video and the lesson later on.

For my senior mastery, I worked on making a Poetry Out Loud poster, as well as one for our submission contest. I am excited to announce our contest because I think it will draw a lot of attention to our magazine and encourage more students to submit work. Mr. Flip and I are discussing some other ways to encourage and motivate those who have joined the classroom but have not submitted to do so. I think a contest with a money prize is a good way to start.

I mostly spent last week working on my micrography. I decided to do a photograph of Albert Einstein. Before doing this project, I did not know much about him, but after researching quotes and biographies to use as the words, I got to read a lot of interesting stuff. He was truly an incredible human being and I find him very interesting. After trying a few different micrography techniques, I found that making a shape then using a path to fill it in with text was the best way to convey his facial shadows and highlights. Henry also showed me how to use a clipping mask to get more details, which was really cool.

Back to advisory. For the past couple weeks our advisory classes have been discussing compassion. There seems to be some incidents of bullying going on in our school, (I know, surprising) so some teachers feel that we need to focus on our behaviors towards others. I think compassion is always a good thing to remind people of. Kindness is the best answer to any conflict. We watched a video that highlighted the diversity we have in our school and how to respect others and their differences. In my opinion, the video was really good. I think it did a great job of being serious, yet carry a light hearted mood to make sure no one felt like they were being accused of anything or in trouble, but just as a reminder to be kind and respectful. I know all major kids will say that coming from a base school we know how valuable a school full of kids and teachers this accepting and nice is, and I could not agree more. My time spent at a base school wasn’t awful, but I did face a lot of negativity that I didn’t always handle well. That is why when I came to AAST, I was so impressed at the positivity that radiates through the halls. This school really is an amazing place, and I hope the discussions about compassion and kindness help to keep it that way.

Continuing my bragging on AAST, a school this special is what I am thankful for this holiday. I am beyond thankful to have had the opportunity to come to a place where I feel comfortable and safe, as well as motivated and supported to do my very best. I am also so thankful to my family, friends, and all the blessings I have, even if I don’t always seem like it.

Happy Thanksgiving!