Laugh out Loud!

• You are about 1 centimeter taller in the morning than in the evening!
• The can opener was invented 48 years after the can.
• More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world!

A Few Brain-Numbing Questions

If anything is possible, is it possible that nothing is possible?

Why do you park on a driveway but drive on a parkway?

How does Hawaii have an interstate?

If a convenient store is open 24 hours a day seven days a week then why are there locks on the doors?

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones that CARE

LINDSEY: Five little ways to save:

1. Know your priorities: Avoid making a huge Target or Wal-Mart run before you leave for school. Bring only the necessities and make a list over the next few weeks of what you really need. After I got to school, I realized that some of my must-haves, like a printer and a desktop mirror, weren’t necessities at all.

2. Make the most of your meal plan: At the end of my first semester at school, I still had 50 meals that I hadn't used, which made me regret all those trips to Chipotle and McDonald's. Many dining halls offer take-away lunches that you can use instead of buying lunch on campus or picking up snacks at the grocery store.

3. Identify local student discounts: Many college town businesses, such as local shops and restaurants, will offer great savings if you show your student ID. When visiting my friend at the University of Tulsa, she managed to score us half-price breakfasts at a restaurant near campus by using her student discount.

4. Skimp on the small stuff: When it comes to school supplies, pretty floral notebooks and sets of 24 highlighters may be tempting, but these can be double the cost of more basic items. During my freshman year, I stuck with 87-cent notebooks and made my own note cards out of regular printer paper.

5. Know when to say "no": It's a hard pill to swallow, but you can’t buy every last t-shirt, baseball cap, or tote bag that your club or organization offers. In my sorority this year, I had to make a conscious effort to buy only the apparel that I loved—and even then I ended up regretting some of my purchases. Limiting yourself is also a great way to keep your closet (and that tiny dorm room) clutter free

What Leader Would You Invite to Speak at Your School?

Seniors at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan recently created a YouTube video to try to entice the Knicks star Jeremy Lin to speak at their graduation. And students in Chicago had the opportunity recently to be taught by Nobel Prize winners as well as other world leaders and celebrities. If you could invite any living leader – in politics, science, religion, entertainment, sports or anything else – to speak to your class, whom would you invite and why?

I’m planning on coming home from college every weekend to see my friends and family, but my teacher doesn’t think that’s a good idea.  What do you think? 

I think your teacher is right, and I think you’ll feel differently before Christmas.  Either way, you need to start connecting with your new environment, get to know new people, do new things…  This doesn’t mean leaving behind the people at home, only adding to your support system and expanding your experience.  Students who ‘get connected’ at their new schools are more likely to stay in school and be more successful there.

Claremont McKenna College, in California, acknowledged this week that for six years, an admissions officer had fudged its SAT scores, used in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. The reporting of falsely inflated scores is believed to have raised the college’s rankings. Do rankings matter to you? Why do they play such a large role in admissions? When you think about prospective schools, how much do you care about their rankings?

The mixed feelings in the academic world were summed up in a report last year by the National Association for College Admission Counseling: Most college admissions officers and high school counselors have a low opinion of the U.S. News rankings, yet they use the published material, whether to gather information about other schools or to market their own.

Students: Tell us how you feel about college rankings. Are they a significant factor when you are considering a college? Would a high average SAT score, for instance, deter you from applying to a college? Do you think numerical data matter more than other factors like a school’s overall reputation? Why are rankings so powerful? Should the system be changed?

Happy Friday!

• President George W. Bush was once a cheerleader!
• The inventor of the Waffle Iron did not like waffles.
• There's a Hello Kitty-themed hospital in Taiwan.
• Take your height and divide by eight. That's how tall your head is!

Enjoy!

 April 20th, 2012...Everyday is a Holiday!

• Cuckoo Day
• Look Alike Day
   
• Make A Quilt Day
   
• Holocaust Remembrance Day
   
• National Pineapples Upside Down Cake Day
   
• Volunteer Recognition Day

Traits of a True Leader.....

What defines a true leader? Can leadership skills be learned? Well, given below are a few traits that all leaders have, which can be defined as leadership skills. We will touch on a few today and I will add more during the week......

1. Leaders are Emotionally Mature
School, Workplaces, and other areas in life, can often be fraught with stressful situations. Facing tough situations is an inevitable factor of life. Usually, most people react to a tough situation either by displaying frustration or by bursting out in anger or an emotional flare-up. However, leaders always display emotional maturity in every kind of situation they face. They have the skill of holding in their feelings of anger and frustration, and instead displaying calmness and emotional maturity.

2. Leaders Display Assertiveness
Leaders are characterized by their firmness and strength of purpose. They know what they want and need, and go about achieving it assertively. They are never daunted by the challenges that they have to overcome on the path to achieving their goals. They have an unwavering attitude towards the obstacles that come their way. A leader has the skill to demand and get the cooperation of his/her team assertively in order to achieve the goals set.

Never give an order that can't be obeyed."

— General Douglas MacArthur

Students will be required to provide the name of their attending high school during registration.  Once SAT registration opens for the 2012-13 school year, registrations submitted without attending high school will not be processed.

Students will be required to submit a current, recognizable photo during registration that will be included on a new photo admission ticket.   Students registering online will be required to upload a digital photo.
Students registering by mail will be required to enclose a photo with the paper registration form.

Students who want to take the SAT at a different test center than the one designated during registration will be required to request such a change prior to test day. Test center changes will no longer be permitted on test day.  
Students who want to change the type of test they intend to take (i.e., SAT rather than SAT Subject Tests or vice versa) must do so in advance. Test-type changes will no longer be permitted on test day.
 

For more information go to collegeboard.org

Long a symbol of new-found freedom and a quintessential rite of passage, many teens dream of obtaining their drivers’ license as soon as they are eligible. Does that describe you? Do you have–or want–your license? Do your friends? If you live in a big city or other place where few people have cars, are there other independence-related rites of passage that compare to getting one’s driver’s license? Has their relevance changed over time?

Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  The mind must believe it can do something before it is capable of actually doing it.

The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.  Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on the next positive step forward
 

Today in News History: March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Which colleges do high school students dream of attending? Last year, it was Stanford University, but they've been knocked out of the top slot by Harvard, according to a new survey.

The Princeton Review asked college applicants where they would go to school if money and acceptance were not factors. They've released the results in their 2012 College Hopes and Worries survey.

In addition to applicants' top picks for college, the survey found 86 percent of respondents say financial aid will be "very" necessary and 75 percent reporting the state of the economy has affected their college choices.

            Top 5

1. Harvard College
2. Stanford University
3. Columbia University
4. New York University
5. Princeton University

44th First Lady Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is the wife of U.S. president Barack Obama.  She is the first African American first lady.  She studied sociology and African American studies at Princeton University (B.A., 1985) in New Jersey before attending Harvard Law School (J.D., 1988). Michelle Obama is a lawyer and a former Chicago city administrator and community outreach worker. Reared in a blue-collar home on Chicago's South Side, she was an associate at a law firm when she met Obama; he was a summer intern and she was assigned to advise him. She has worked in the offices of Chicago's mayor and its planning commission, headed a career-training program for young adults and directed community affairs for the University of Chicago and its medical center. She caught the eye of a national audience at her husband's side after he delivered a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and then was elected that year to the U.S. Senate. In 2007 she scaled back her own professional work to attend to family and campaign obligations during Obama's run for president. She took her turn as a speaker on the opening night of the 2008 Democratic convention, and her husband was elected president on 4 November 2008. She became First Lady with his inauguration on 20 January 2009.

As first lady, Michelle is involved in various causes, notably supporting military families and ending childhood obesity. Let’s Move! will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country.

In 2011, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden together launched Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned, and to raise awareness of  military families' unique needs as pertains to employment, education and wellness.

As First Lady, Mrs. Obama looks forward to continuing her work on the issues close to her heart — supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family, encouraging national service, promoting the arts and arts education, and fostering healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country.

Michelle and Barack Obama have two daughters: Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10. Like their mother, the girls were born on the South Side of Chicago

 When you imagine college, what are you most excited about?
 

1. Pursuing a career interest
2. Living on my own
3. Campus social life
4. Playing sports
5. Learning new things
    

Take Our Poll

Are skinny jeans to blame for failing grades?

One school district seems to think so.

The Meriden School Board of Education in Connecticut is weighing a proposal to ban jeans and leggings that they say are too form fitting and distracting to other students, WFSB-TV reports.

The school district already has a dress code that requires students not wear anything that would distract other students from learning.

But under the new rules, skirts, shorts, pants and dresses should not be “form fitting” which means that “undergarments and private body areas must not be evident or visible through clothing,” the TV station said.

Do you think skinny jeans should be banned?
 

1. No, as long as it's not incredibly revealing.
2. Yes, kids don't need to wear form fitting clothing.
3. I'm not sure.

"Do Not..."

Do not... undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not... set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not... take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not... let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past
nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.

Do not... give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not... be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances
that we learn how to be brave.

Do not... shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not... dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not... run through life so fast that you forget not only
where you have been, but also where you are going.

What Is Your Reaction to the Trayvon Martin Case?
 

The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, 17, in Florida has spurred a national response that is taking numerous forms, including rallies in multiple cities and active discussion on social media. What do you know about the case? What is your personal response? What questions and issues does it raise for you?

Students: I want to know what are your feelings and thoughts about the Trayvon Martin case. Are you following the story and its fallout? Are you talking about it at school, at home or on Facebook or other social media? What questions do you have about the story? What are the main issues it raises for you — about race, justice, the law and law enforcement, gun violence and more?

Some comments..........

It is not the role of the police to determine if Zimmerman was justified to kill Trayvon Martin. That is up to the courts. NOT arresting Zimmerman in the wake of Martin’s death is the travesty. Consider these facts:

1. Zimmerman was not a cop.
2. Zimmerman disobeyed the police in following Martin.
3. Zimmerman’s pursuit of Martin is what led to the confrontation, which led to Zimmerman killing Martin.

It is incredible for anyone to believe that Martin – who has no police record – after he was clearly concerned about Zimmerman following him (per his phone conversation with his girlfriend), turned around and started following Zimmerman!
— Samir
 

It is shocking that a minor can be killed in America and no trial held to determine the guilt of the killer. Surely it is not the role of the police to decide someone’s innocence in a killing, that is what the courts are for. For the police to act as the judge seems to be overstepping their purpose.
A chiid is killed, a trial should be held to determine the facts and establish whether it was murder.
— Aaron

Limiting thoughts limit your life..."

"What you think upon grows"
Phillippians 4:8

It is very important to pay attention to our thoughts. So many authors have mentioned over and over that if we want to change our lives, we must change our thoughts first; if you want things to go right in your life, you have to start changing all those negative thoughts for positive ones. Thoughts are real things, and one cannot have one kind of mind and another kind of life. You have to stop believing that you cannot do something, that you will never understand math (or other subjects), that you will never have a good job, that you will always be broke, that people are out there to get you, that everyone around you is nasty, etc. You have to start believing that you can accomplish many things and that the people around you will be understanding and willing to help you. You can graduate from High School, you can find the right career for you, you can get a great job, you can have good friends, etc. If you don't change your negative thoughts you will only hurt yourself! You have the power to control your mind - you can certainly control your thoughts. You are responsible for your own thoughts! Put positive thoughts in there and let go of defeating and negative ones, that can ruin your life. Remember, life experiences mirror our beliefs.

"Every thought is a seed. Plant good seeds in your mind ..."

After Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video went viral, logging more than 70 million views in one week — some experts criticized the campaign, calling it dishonest and even dangerous. Others have suggested that campaigns like these give young people a false sense of accomplishment and discourage real engagement in social issues. What do you think? Have you watched “Kony 2012″? Do you feel like awareness campaigns like this stimulate or stunt real activism among young people? 

"The race does not always go to the swift, but to the ones who keep running."

"Hello fellow teachers," a student said to a few colleagues and me as we walked down the hall. "Since when are you a teacher?" one of my colleagues replied.

I was surprised by this response, and thought of Paulo Freire's belief that all of us are both students and teachers. I also thought of my students, who taught me more about how to--and how not to--treat them and teach them than I learned from education courses, in-service training, or supervisors' feedback.

I learned from students who told me I needed to talk less and listen more.

I learned from students who struggled with basic arithmetic but could solve logic puzzles faster than I could.

I learned from students who told me--and then showed me--they were better off in heterogeneous groups than homogeneous ones.

I learned from students who solved problems using different methods than the ones I used.

I learned from students who rejected my "you can do it too" speeches, and reminded me that I was there to teach them, not preach to them.

I learned from students who asked, "Why do we have to show our work if we can solve problems in our heads?"

I learned from students who told me my class was boring and why it was boring.

I learned from students who "needed" to go to the bathroom whenever they became confused in class.

I learned from students who disproved widely held stereotypes of low-income urban youth.

I could go on and on because I learned from all of my students (one of many benefits of my student feedback system). And if I hadn't learned as much as I did from them, they wouldn't have learned as much as they did from me.

March 16 is … Everything You Do Is Right Day

Some made music, some made noise, all made a difference. We celebrate 125 women who, during the past 125 years, broke records, broke ground, blazed trails, and suffered trials, shattering ceilings of glass and even tougher stuff. While some are obvious choices and some obscure, all acted to increase our liberty, safety, and prosperity. One of them makes the best lemon meringue pie ever. We honor these matron saints whose work continues to bring pleasure, save lives, and widen the scope of little girls' dreams

 Harriet Tubman  

  Like Sojourner, Harriet was born into slavery and found a means of escape with the help of her abolitionist neighbors. In 1849, she fled her slave life in Maryland and found respite in Philadelphia. There she formulated a plan to liberate the rest of her family by way of the Underground Railroad, a system that involved moving slaves from one safe house to another under rigid secrecy. She was able to free her family and numerous other slaves throughout the years, taking them as far as Canada and helping them find safe jobs. Later, she worked as a nurse during the Civil War and was a proponent of both women’s suffrage and the abolitionist movement.

Procrastination

noun
the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention:

She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment. 

• Listen to your teachers and older students. They have experience and most want to help you.
• Gain as much writing and public speaking experience as possible. No matter what field you are entering, you need to be able to speak and write well.
• Do internships!!!!! You’ll hear this often, but it can’t be stressed enough. Internships give you valuable experience and insight into a field that you might be considering. Employers take them seriously and will hire an applicant with internships over one without. And with an internship, at the very least you can weed out the types of jobs and industries that you don’t want to work for without making the commitment of employment. In the best cases, an internship can lead to job offers after graduation.
• Travel abroad!!!!! You can travel to far away places through school. Many travel programs are equivalent in cost to attending school in the states for a semester. Seek out information from your school’s international affairs office. Learning about a new culture, seeing another part of the world and learning about yourself are only some of the benefits.
• Have some fun. Take a break now and then to avoid burnout.
• Having trouble deciding on a college? Share with other students in our discussions forum.
•  
• Apply for scholarships. The worst thing that will happen is that you get a ‘NO’ answer. It usually only takes a little time to fill out a scholarship application and the rewards outweigh the effort, even if you just get one scholarship. Start early when applying. It has taken me many years to get the system down, but you need to be thinking about the next school year and how you’re going to pay for it by Winter break. Many scholarships have deadlines in January, February and March for the next academic year. You have to plan ahead to reap the rewards.
• Statistically, students change their majors five times while in college and after college people change jobs/careers as many times throughout life. Feel free to explore.
• Enjoy the friendships you develop; most will last forever.
• Network as much as possible. Get involved with on- and off- campus organizations. Volunteer for causes you believe in, join pre-professional organizations and participate in sports and hobbies you enjoy.

College is what you make of it. It is worth the effort.

How much am I really going to have to study in college?  I’ve heard people say they hardly ever study, and others who say they do nothing but study…

The simple answer is that at different times in college, you’ll probably do both.  I think most college students take the opportunity to not study when they have the chance, and they also cram for days at a time when they have to – like during finals.  I like the old adage I was told when I went to college – that you should study two hours for every hour you are in class.  If you were enrolled in 15 credit hours and did two hours for each of those hours, you would spend 45 hours a week on school.  That would be roughly equivalent to a full-time job, and that’s just about right.  Of course you need to remember that is just an average, and some classes, and yes, some majors, will dictate more.

Friday Fun Facts

• If you took a standard slinky and stretched it out it would measure 87 feet.
• In one day an average person will take about 18,000 steps.
• Dell Computers was started by a 19 year old with only $1,000.
• The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.
• Steve Jobs' annual salary was $1, just enough to keep company health benefits.

Enjoy!