Tag: Class

School

brownbeansLeave a comment

I know the schedule is supposed to be random, but it is not. I have all of my hard classes on day twos and my day ones are so easy. My day twos are: AP Stats, AP Lit, AP Psych, and yearbook. I love yearbook, but it is so hard having to edit all of the pictures that go in the yearbook and having to make like twenty million pages at the same time. It is essentially another class with a bit more homework, but without any tests or studying. My other classes during day two are very reading-based and have to be studied intensely. It is even harder because volleyball has at least two games every week, so I have less time to do my homework, and I’m super tired from traveling all day, making it difficult to even think about homework. I have a severe disdain for day two.

Day One, on the other hand, is the most blessed ever. My classes are Gov, Journalism, AP Computer Science Principles, and Free block! I love gov, I wish I had gov every day because it is so fun, and it is what I want to pursue in the future. I also love the teacher, and she is always willing to discuss current events with me after class. Journalism is so chill, and the class is so good. AP Comp Sci Principles is so funny. I sit with my friends and we spend all of class laughing. I think the teacher thinks we are crazy. Finally free block, I sleep, do homework, and eat snacks. It is a nice break from dealing with people and allows me to relax before going back to school. The contrast between the two days cannot be any more different; one day I look forward to, the other makes me so sad and stressed.

credit: Pinterest

A New Addition!

raining17Leave a comment

Out of date, rusty and constantly in need of repair, Alvarez’s beloved stapler has finally been retired. In its place is a brand new eco-friendly stapler, bought specifically for the classroom by his wife, Tracy.

The old office supply was a hindrance to the classroom – causing anxiety for history and journalism students alike. It always failed to staple papers together, which did happen to be its only job. It survived years of battery and was even recently stolen.

Sick of constantly having to borrow a stapler from others, Alvarez finally invested in this fine piece of equipment, which he has skillfully labeled with his name. Copious amounts of tape was used to brand this item, however it is for good reason. There will never be any confusion as to whose stapler it is, and if it is ever missing it will be easy to find.

Although the tape is contradictory to the fact that the stapler is eco-friendly, the stapler itself is a huge improvement, not only to the classroom, but to Alvarez’s well-being.

Photo Credit: http://www.teachersdiary.com

 

Unison

indigoshellLeave a comment

You stay up late the night before, preparing a presentation for that class you hate.

Everyone has to present. Everyone was assigned one section of a rather specific topic, and was told that they would be presenting on that specific day.

So the day comes and all your classmates quietly meander in, as if reciting the material to themselves.

Then the teacher comes in and starts the class.

You exchange a glance to the classmate to your left. What about the presentation?

The person to your right catches your eye. Did I read the homework sheet wrong? Were we not supposed to present today?

Eyes wander the room and relieved grins are held. Everyone almost telepathically nods at each other, thinking in unison with each other, you say nothing, I say nothing, we will all say nothing.

And thus, the presentation deadline has been extended.

Camping

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

This past weekend the Juniors went on their class camping trip. Personally, I love camping. Some of the best memories I have are of camping with my family and friends. So of course I was excited for this trip.

We were told it was going to be cold before leaving, and so me being me, I packed my ski clothes. That was probably the one time I’ve over-packed and it’s been a good thing.

We left school Friday afternoon and drove up towards Mammoth, California. The minute we stepped out of the vans after our five-hour drive, I was glad I had stuffed my bag with extra clothes until it was bursting at the seams.

That night, we struggled to get our tent up in the dark. The tent poles would numb our hands, forcing us to take turns trying to set it up. It also didn’t help that the four of us had no clue how to set it up. But with help from our teacher, we were eventually able to get it standing.

The next day we took a trip to the local fish hatchery, which was apparently one of the largest rainbow trout hatcheries in the West. Or something like that. From there, we continued to a much needed trip to the natural hot springs.

Definitely the highlight of the trip right there.

There were two different pools – we called them the party pool and the senior pool. In the party pool they did belly-flops and covered each other in mud. My friends and I were not a part of that. We went to the senior pool (which wasn’t actually a senior pool, we just decided to relax and enjoy it) instead. It was so nice sitting in the hot water and looking at a stunning view, even if the water wasn’t exactly the cleanest.

After the hot springs we headed back to the camp and another freezing night. We attempted to make beef stroganoff for dinner, which didn’t work out too well. As soon as dinner was over we all crawled into our tents and sleeping bags and huddled for warmth.

The next two days we spent hiking. We hiked quite a ways the first day, and the second day we made the short trek to the Devil’s Postpile, and then continued on to Rainbow Falls, which was amazing.

The night after our hike to Rainbow Falls was our last, and we froze our toes off yet again. In the morning, we woke up, packed our bags, and loaded into the vans.

We took a small detour to Pie in the Sky up the road, and had some 0f the best pie I’ve ever had. The Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie was to die for.

After our detour, we loaded back into the vans for the five hour drive back to school – and some much needed showers.

Overall, the trip was fun. We may have been cold and hungry, but the things we did and saw were really cool. We also grew much closer as a class. It was definitely worth it.

Daph

A.P. World History

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

For those of you who go to the Ojai Valley School, you will have heard of Mr. Alvarez. For those of you don’t, Fred Alvarez is the Humanities, A.P. World History, World History, and Journalism teacher.

The double faced mug sitting on the bookshelf in the corner of his classroom, printed with both “Mr. Muffin” and “Mr. Evil,” says it all. Mr. Alvarez’s classes are among the hardest.

Last year, I was in the Freshman Humanities class. He tortured us, assigning a reading journal almost every night. Extra Credit was rare, and when it did come along, it was in the form of fishing or writing a song.

Humanities is that class you talk about, complain about, go to sleep thinking about, and secretly love.

A.P. World History is very similar. At the beginning of the year, Mr. Alvarez warned us of the insurmountable amounts of reading we would have as homework.

He was not kidding.

The majority of class stopped reading after Chapter 4. We are now on Chapter 12. Every Wednesday is “Essay Day”, where we assigned a prompt and given a little over an hour to complete an essay, which will then be picked apart, criticized, and graded by the class. Public humiliation at it’s finest.

Despite the ridiculous amounts of reading and essay writing, I learn the most from those classes. I walk in the door excited about the next 45 minutes, and I have fun. A.P. World History challenges me to do the best I can.