"We can shoot rockets into space, but we can't cure anger or discontent." -John Steinbeck

    I feel as if Americans should invest more into mental health than space travel because of importance. I believe that the mental state of a human is far more important than getting someone onto a different planet. Space travel doesn't affect anyone's way of living. It could be important to someone because it is their career or they just find it fascinating, but that doesn't affect the way we live. While mental health is something that is priority in people's lives. If someone has bad mental health and doesn't enjoy their time on earth, that could be a major issue for them and the people around them.

I'm Getting Bored

      The first thing I am going to do when my state reopens is make plans with my friends. Even though I have been staying connected with them through social media, it just isn't the same. I miss being able to make memories with them in person. I really hope that we don't have to be quarantined during the summer. I have been super excited and have been planning to hangout with a bunch of people over the summer since last year, and I don't want all of that planning to go to waste. Hopefully everyone is free and able to hangout the second we are let out of quarantine.

      Another thing I hope to do when my state reopens is shop. I love shopping, whether I am actually buying things or just browsing different stores. I have been doing some online shopping of my own recently, but I never have luck with online shopping. For example, I ordered a swimsuit last year and received something that looked nothing like the picture on the website. I tried again this year and ordered another swimsuit, so we'll see if I have any luck. I wish I could just go to the store and do this process in person, but anywhere I would go is closed. So hopefully stores can reopen soon!

      In general, I am just so ready for all of this to be over. I haven't been the same person since the beginning of April. I haven't been focusing and completing my schoolwork on time, and I just haven't been in a good mood. I hope to return back to my normal self soon!

Coronavirus is Killing Me, and I Don't Even Have It

      This break is driving me almost insane. The coronavirus has caused me to become one of the laziest people alive. I am still keeping myself active by running every once in a while, walking around town, and hitting my volleyball up against the side of my house, but I am also wasting my day away doing other things. Before online school began, I had been sleeping in until around noon. That is very unlike me. On any other day, I would be up by 6:30 to get ready for school. But there is no need to do that anymore with the virus spreading. I then waste the rest of my day away by staring at my phone screen and taking small naps. 
      Now that online school is starting, I need to start getting better sleeping habits so I can be ready and refreshed for a day of working on my computer. I truly hope we can somehow go back to school on May 1 for many reasons. I want to see and hangout with my friends, I want to begin my (very short) track season, and I want to have an eighth grade promotion. I have been looking forward to the promotion since I was in sixth grade, so it'll be a huge slap in the face if it were to just be cancelled. I wished there would be an alternate date for it like the high school graduation, but I guess not.

New Year's Writing

                Last year was definitely the year of confusion. There were points where I was feeling great about everything, there were points where it felt like everything was going wrong, and there were points where I was plain confused.

                

      My favorite part about last year was every part of the summer. Throughout the summer, I was hanging out with friends, running and keeping myself in shape, and travelling with my family. That was definitely the highlight of my year, because I was the happiest.

               

      My most successful part of last year was when I made it to state for track. When I was informed that I had made it to state at sectionals, I felt like I was being lifted off the ground. I have always dreamt of going to state, and I finally accomplished it. The whole experience of being in Peoria and running on the track was a blur, but I made sure to bring it all in and enjoy the experience.

               

      If I were to describe last year in five words, they would be “I did kind of good.” I would say this, because I feel like 2019 wasn’t really a crazy good year to remember, but I still had a lot of fun and accomplished a lot of things.

               

      This year will hopefully be the year of accomplishment. 2020 is the year that I advance into high school, and I don’t want to take advantage of it. High school will hopefully bring a bunch of new opportunities to me. Like last year, I also hope to make it to state again in May.

               

      To improve my life for the new year, I need to put more effort into things. I want to start running at least two miles every other day, so I have to actually do that. I can’t just put off certain days just because I “don’t feel like it.” I also need to start putting more effort into completing schoolwork, so I can get good grades and bring home a good report card.

              

        If I could celebrate the new year anywhere, it would definitely be in Times Square. Every year, my family and I gather in front of the TV to watch the huge celebration held in New York. Everyone’s energy in the huge crowd of people seems like something I’d want to be a part of and be able to experience.

My Passion

      I walked into the small building on Main Street and set down my bags in front of me. I glanced around at the big mirrors on the wall and the seemingly-loud speakers on the floor. I inhale deeply, taking in the smell of lavender air freshener and worn out shoes. I feel a welcoming presence come onto me. My mind starts to empty itself from all the problems of the world and starts filling itself with what matters- dance.

      I was only 3 years old when I first started dancing. I remember thinking that it was so weird to wear thin black shoes and do random motions that didn't even make sense to me. Now that I have been dancing for so many years and have gone through so many different levels of skill, dance feels almost natural. Looking back, I have realized that I have put a lot of my time and effort into dance. I go to dance once, maybe twice a week, giving up around 2 hours of my free time. That is almost three full days of nonstop dancing every single year. This may seem like a lot to you, but it only feels like seconds to me.

      I believe that dance has had a great impact on my life. It has stepped me out of my comfort zone and into a new world of freedom. I have been performing in front of a crowd of approximately 800 people for almost 12 years. Not long ago, I even performed in front of a crowd of over 500,000 people in Chicago. Doing these performances have led me into the right direction to become more confident in everything I do. If it weren't for these experiences, I probably wouldn't be able to present school projects to my classmates with the confidence I have now.

       Dance has formed me into the person I am today. I would have never thought that one hobby would completely change my life around. I have a place to feel at peace with myself, a place to escape my mind, a place to feel unjudged, and a place to feel at home.

Christmas

        Christmas is a very important holiday in my eyes. Christmas is a time to give, celebrate, and visit with family.
        Christmas is a time to give and show gratitude. It is a time to show how thankful you all are for each other. We give on Christmas to show that we care about each other. I give to people on Christmas to people that mean a lot to me. They have all impacted my life in someway throughout the year, and I feel as if I should repay them. It makes me feel like I have done something good towards someone.
        Christmas is also a time to gather with family. On the week of Christmas, kids are let out of their schools early for a reason. It is to be able to have extra time to spend with people they love. It is important to see these people, because it makes them feel like you care about seeing them and that you want to see them and chat for a little while.
         All in all, I believe that Christmas is an important time of the year that I feel everyone should celebrate in someway, or their own way. It is a time to show respect and kindness to people you know, or people who may be complete strangers.

Story Made With Emojis

        The craziest thing happened a few days ago. I had went into town to run some errands, and I was feeling very impatient that day. I don’t know why, I just woke up and didn’t feel like dealing with anything. I was cruising around town when I came to a stoplight. But not just a stoplight, it was a traffic jam. There were around 11 cars in front of me. Honking, yelling, and pounding were the only things I could hear. I didn’t bother looking at what the hold up was. Instead, I reached over to the other seat and grabbed a handful of french fries that I had bought from McDonald’s earlier. They were still burning hot, but they’re better that way.
        As I was waiting, I was going through a list in my head of what I wanted to do today. I wanted to go to Walmart to pick up some groceries, and then hopefully get my hair trimmed. Little did I know, that my favorite salon had been shut down a couple of days ago, due to it ‘not being sanitary enough.’ That made me a little sad, only because I had been going there for almost my whole life. Five more minutes passed, and I got kind of bored. I decided to plug my aux cord into my phone and listen to music. I rolled my windows down and turned it up as loud as it could go. Because of the loud music, I couldn’t hear the upset drivers complaining in their cars.
        After a little while, I noticed something really strange. I turned down my music and peeked my head out of the car window. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. At the very front of the traffic jam, there was a horse and a carriage! It must’ve been what was holding up the line. I watched as the horse trotted forward, going kind of slow. Since the horse was moving, cars started moving as well. I heard whoops and hollers from thankful drivers behind me. I’d say that was one of the strangest things I have ever experienced in a traffic jam.

Veterans Day Essay

Starting on September 16, 1940, all men over the age of 18 had to register to be drafted. If you were drafted, you would automatically be chosen to serve for our country. And if you refused, it would be considered a crime. This goes to show that World War II was a tough time. Anyone could be taken away from their families and friends unexpectedly to serve for our nation. This had a great emotional impact on these shocked men. Therefore, veterans from this time and many others should be given the recognition they deserve.

                 “A day to honor those who served our country war or peace- dead or alive” is the definition of Veterans Day. I believe that this is a great description. In different wars like the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Korean War, many soldiers lost their lives fighting for their country. They put their own lives on the line, just to give their home country the freedom it deserves. Without them and their service, the United States of America might not have been the country it is today. So, for that, we thank our Veterans.

Taken from recent statistics, there are around 18.2 million veterans alive in the United States as we speak. That’s obviously a large number. It shows that being a veteran is an important title. Veterans are a backbone to our country. Without them and their service, there would be no life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness in our home country. Without their service, there would be no way to ensure that our country would continue to be the “Land of Opportunity”, as it is known today. It doesn’t even matter who you are. All veterans have the same importance. Veterans come from all walks of life- mothers, fathers, children, neighbors, friends, and even people you wouldn’t even expect. And although war was horrid, veterans were there to protect our country and values, and still do as we speak. Veterans were afraid, but they answered their call of duty and rose up to fight for our nation.

Veterans have shaped our country into what it is known as today. The ‘land of the free’ wouldn’t even apply to us if it wasn’t for their bravery and courage. So today, make sure to thank a Veteran. Tell them about how thankful you are of their service, or even just shake their hand. Even small gestures can make the veterans feel important and respected. We thank them for their service by honoring them on Veterans day.

Photography

In class the other day, my classmates and I took a trip outside and took different photos using our phones or cameras. We wandered all around town taking pictures of things such as trees, leaves, flowers, or our classmates. Here are a few examples of those.

Picture #1- This picture was taken in the downtown part of our town. We were walking when I noticed vines growing on the side of a building. I was immediately intrigued by the artistic look of it, and I took a picture of it. 

Picture #2- This is a picture of me. I was walking with my classmate Lexi when I noticed a small area with only grass. I thought of pictures I had seen taken of other people, and I thought of this idea. I had Lexi literally stand overtop of me and take a picture with me in the center.

Picture #3- This is a picture of Lexi. I had her do the same thing that I had done, because I had thought it looked cool. In this specific picture, I like how the sun is glaring only on the top half.

Don't Get Copyrighted

In class, we have been learning about getting rights and permission to using different pictures. I learned that if you don't ask for permission to use a picture on a website, you could get in trouble, and even get sued. I already knew this, so none of the article was a big shock to me. But, it reminded my classmates and me that we need to be aware of what we are posting, or else we could get in deep trouble for it.

Meme Making

We have been working with run-on sentences, and different ways to avoid writing them. Our teacher asked us to create three different memes; each containing a sentence that shows a different way to avoid run-ons. Each meme's sentence must connect to the meme.

The memes below were created by makeameme.org

All About Me

                Hi, I’m Skyler, and this is an introduction to who I am. I am thirteen years old (almost fourteen on October 9^th) and I am in eighth grade. I go to a very small school called Chadwick Junior High. Compared to other schools in the area, ours is maybe 1/10 the size of them. At my school, I am a part of many different extra-curricular activities, including softball, volleyball, track, student council, and quiz bowl. I would say that I am excelling greatly at these things, too. I went to state last year in track for the 1600-meter run, I am an outside hitter and a starter in volleyball, and I am the secretary in student council.

                Outside of school is a different story. I live with my mom in Milledgeville with her boyfriend, my older sister, a cat named Babycakes, a dog named Gizmo, and a bird named Peep. I am there most of the time, unless I am at my dad’s every other weekend. Ever since school started, I’m not really home. I am normally practicing for sports, at dance, or hanging out with friends. When I am home, I am normally completing homework (and sometimes giving up and saving it for study hall the next day), sitting around on my phone, or watching TV or Netflix with my family. So basically, I am a pretty lazy person when it comes to staying at home.

                Some people can describe me as a very introverted person, but others may describe me as very outgoing. When I am with people I am not very familiar with, a word you could use to describe me is awkward. I never know what to say, I can’t keep direct eye contact, and sometimes I speak straight nonsense. While when I am with my friends and people I am quite used to, it is almost the complete opposite. I’ll speak my mind about anything and everything, even if it doesn’t make sense. I’ll also do anything with these people, like go to haunted houses or hang out at football games. If you aren’t one of these people, you could probably expect a lame excuse, trying to get myself out of the situation.

                To sum this all up, I guess you could describe me as a very complicated person. I could sound like an athlete, an outgoing friend, or just a complete loser.    

 

Student Blogging Challenge

Hi, I'm Skyler. I am excited for the Student Blogging Challenge.