Homeless and Poverty Project

Angie, Madi W., and I chose to help Christian Care. This shelter aims to assist homeless people, victims of domestic violence, veterans, men and women who were in prison, and the mentally ill. They are currently in need of food, clothing, and other donations. They accept fresh, frozen, anc canned foods. Other various items they are asking for include personal care items, cleaning supplies, and paper products. In order to help out this shelter, we plan to donate money, old clothing, and food. We are going to set up donation boxes at our parents' work. By doing this, we hope to raise more money and awareness about Christian Care. The more people that know about the shelter, the better. At the end of this, hopefully we will have raised money and other donation items that will help people in need.

Topics for final writing assignment

The first topic I find interesting is social media. Because this is such a broad topic, there are many problems and issues that can be discussed. One major problem is the fear of missing out. People are constantly checking their phones or computers to see what the latest gossip or news is. While in reality they are missing out on real life experiences. Another big issue is that there are so many misunderstandings and arguments that get started on social media websites. Because we are unable to read someone's facial expression or hear their tone of voice, it is easy to misinterpret what someone might be saying. I think that social media in today's society has gotten completely out of hand. People all over the world are on social media cites on a daily basis, usually multiple times a day. To try to raise awareness, I think the best way is to just show people how much social media has taken over our lives.

Another topic I find appealing to write about is bullying. The troublesome subject of bullying is nothing new to our society. Bullying has been an issue in our country for many years. However, it seems that it is only getting worse. Many kids and adults are bullied everyday. Whether that is physical violence or verbal abuse, the pain is still just as strong. People are trying to start anti-bullying campaigns, but sadly not much is changing. I believe that bullying is a horrifying matter that needs to be put to an end once and for all. We mostly hear about bullying in our country, but the truth is that bullying is a worldwide problem. In order to try to raise awareness on the subject, I could find specific disturbing bullying stories and share with students to demonstrate just how dangerous bullying can be.

The last topic that sparked my interest is our current education system. Kids are merely trying to pass school and get good grades rather than actually trying to learn and comprehend the information. I have been guilty of this before in the past. Our overall grade is the only thing that matters. Our grades establish whether or not we pass a class. Our grades decide if we graduate high school. Our grades ultimately determine if we will get into college. Through all of this struggle to get good grades, are we really learning what we need to know? We may learn the information long enough to pass tests, but I believe students are not retaining the information. It's a shame that our education system has come to this.  Therefore, something needs to be done. As a way of trying to raise awareness, I think that both students and teachers need to be aware of this growing problem. If the students and teachers understand what the problem is, maybe they will try to avoid falling into this continuous trend.

Persuasive Essay Topics

The first topic that interests me is animal rights. Many animals such as mammals, reptiles, birds, and marine life are becoming endangered due to society. Aside from animal testing, there are many other issues that are life threatening to numerous animals around the world. Commercial development is destroying the homes of animals, causing them to wander outside their typical environment. This could then lead to death of the animal. Illegal hunting is another big issue when it comes to animal rights. The government tries to make laws to protect endangered animals, but people knowingly disobey these laws. The government must find a way to strictly enforce the laws that could put an animal's life in danger.

Another topic I found plenty of information on is the privacy of celebrities. It is in our human nature to worship celebrities. However, it can be easy for the paparazzi and even just ordinary people to go over board. There have actually been accidents leading to death due to the paparazzi. Princess Diana died in a car crash that was caused from the paparazzi chasing her vehicle. The media plays a huge part in this as well. The amount of rumors and unproven facts about celebrities is never ending. We do not know the truth about what is going on in a celebrity's life, but that doesn't stop us from judging and criticizing them based on what we hear in the media.

The last issue that interests me is high school sports injuries. It is not hard to see that high school spors are a very big part of a youth's schooling. Sports allow teens to feel as part of a team, get physical exercise, and learn important life lessons. With that, it is clear that athletes will get bruised and banged up. However, athlete's are often pushed too hard which could eventually lead to a serious injury. That single injury could affect the teen for the rest of their life. It has been proven that many high schools are not taking the proper safety precautions to protect student athletes. The schools and coaches will regret doing this when their star athlete is out for the season because of a critcial injury.

Blog #5 Informative Essay Topic

I was thinking for my paper I could write about physical therapy. I want to be a physical therapist when I grow up so learning new information and facts about it will definitely help me. There is an endless amount of research that can be found on physical therapy. Plus, I've had plenty of experience with physical therapy. I have seen how it can completely change someone's state of health. I think it would be an interesting topic and I would be able to find plenty of support and research for it. Some people who haven't needed physical therapy don't understand the significance of it. In my essay I will give examples of how physical therapy has completely transformed a person. I will really just try to focus on informing people that have or haven't needed physical therapy then benefits of it. I will also explain what it is and how it works.

Blog #4 Practicing Informative Writing

Most people throughout the world enjoy sandwiches. A meat and cheese sandwich is a fairly easy concept. Unlike other meals, there is no cooking, heating, or cooling required for this type of sandwich. Preparing a meat and cheese sandwich is simple and quick. It will be ready to enjoy in no time!

First, the bread must be laid out in preparation for the meat and cheese. Next, you can add however many slices of meat you want. You can also choose what type of meat. You could have ham, turkey, salami, and hundreds of other kinds of meat. Then, it is time to add the cheese. Again, there are many choices you can choose from when selecting what kind of cheese. There is American cheese, provolone, cheddar, and an endless amount of other cheeses. Once the main ingredients are on the bread, you can add any extra condiments you want. For example, some may prefer mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and many other things. After you have everything you want on the sandwich, you press the two slices of bread together and bon appetit!

Blog #3 Essay Ideas

1)  The first experience I would like to write about is all of the knee problems I have had. It all started with a few days left of my 8th grade year when I tore my ACL for the first time. At that time I had no idea what I was getting into. Now, about 4 years and 3 surgeries later I am still having knee issues. I have yet another surgery in about 4-6 months. As terrible as it is to have to go through all of this, I wouldn't change anything about it. Ultimately it has made me a much stronger person. My pain tolerance is extremely high and I also have become more emotionally stable. There are times when I catch myself feeling sorry or depressed, but then I remember that there are people that have it so much worse than me. There are people that spend their whole lives in hospitals, or don't even get the chance to fully live their life. At times life may get rough and it could seem like there's no way out, but we need to take a step back and think about others. Even with what I have been through, I am grateful for every part of it.

2)  The other option I could write about was one that I just experienced yesterday. We had to put our chocolate lab down. Her name was Comet, as in "Haley's Comet." She had been growing up with me since when I was in pre-school all the way up to my senior year of high school. She was truly the best dog anyone could ask for and was a member of the family. Going to the vet's office and actually being with my dog as they put her down was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. People that haven't experienced the love of a dog or a pet would not understand why I'm so upset about this. I keep wanting to pet Comet or say hi to her and then realize that she isn't here anymore. It just feels so lonely without her. Eventually, we will move on and get another dog, but I know that I will never forget her.

Blog #2 Summer Experience

After tossing and turning in my seat for about eight hours, I was more than ready to get off this plane.  It was a restless night due to the uncomfortable seats and great amount of excitement.  The pilot announced to prepare for landing.  My heart automatically dropped.  I was thrilled and a little nervous to begin this journey. With my parents back in the U.S., I was under the watchful eye of two of my teachers.  To make this experience even better, my closest friends were also attending the trip.  The plane tilted downward as my ears tried to adjust to the change of pressure.  With a little bit of bumpiness, we were on the ground.  I took my first steps out of the plane and onto this new ground.  I was ready to begin this ten day journey of exploring London, Paris, Florence, and Rome.

We landed in a small but nice airport on the outskirts of London.  From there, it was about a 45 minute bus drive to our hotel.  Everything here was different.  The cars were all extremely tiny and exactly the same. There were very few bigger automobiles such as vans and trucks.  After dropping our luggage off at the hotel, it was time to explore the city of London.  Our first stop was the London Eye.  This was a magnificent sight.  We hopped on board a big ferris wheel car where we could see the whole city of London.  This included Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and many other glorious buildings.  We then took a short walking tour of the city.  The next day we took a bus tour.  This was excellent because we were able to see truly all of London.  The buildings and architecture was astonishing.  Everything was big and ancient.  It was all just so old, but in a very good way!  Even though the buildings were centuries old, they were kept clean and in pristine condition.  This was very different from the U.S.  I am not saying that the architecture here is bad, but our country is so new that we don't have any of the ancient and historic buildings like places overseas. After the bus tour, we walked to Buckingham Palace.  Lucky for us, the whole family was home and in the palace.  This was showed by the flags hanging outside.  The building was magnificent and decorated beautifully outside.  The landscaping was luxurious and fit for a queen.  With this being the last day in London, we were given some free time to shop in this big square in the city.  To wrap up London, we took a late afternoon walking tour of the city.  On this tour we saw many of the famous murder sights of Jack the Ripper.  I found this more interesting than I thought I would.  Of course, because I am a Harry Potter fanatic, I remember all of the places where Harry Potter was filmed.  These film sights include Diagon Alley, the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge, and many more famous places from the movie.  I literally felt like I was in one of the Harry Potter movies!

In order to get to Paris the next day, we had to take a train and go under the English Channel.  The train ride was mostly peaceful and quiet due to everyone sleeping because of the early wake up alarm.  Once arriving in Paris, the same rush of excitement washes through your entire body. Paris, the city of love.  Everyone dreams of coming here but few actually make the journey.  We first saw the outside and inside of Notre Dame.  The large cathedral was even more enormous than what it may look like in pictures.  The great stained glass windows were astonishing.  Basically, if someone was to describe Notre Dame in one word it would be huge.  The next and probably most famous sight to see in Paris is of course the Eiffel Tower.  The tower has been described before as not very pretty or kind of plain.  I would disagree completely with these ideas. The Eiffel Tower is the symbol that defines Paris.  It is absolutely beautiful.  However, it is not as tall as you would think.  You can't really see the tower unless you are in the heart of the city.  Yet, it is still one of the most famous structures in the world.  The architecture in Paris was somewhat similar to London.  There were a few differences such as building styles and even little things such as windows.  Paris tended to have longer and more elegant windows.  Truly, the architecture was incredible.

After a long day in Paris, it was time to take an overnight train to Italy.  The night train was a new experience that I will never forget.  Although the train cars were extremely tiny and stacked three fold out beds on each side of your room, everyone slept surprisingly well!  Arriving in Florence was amazing.  The city, yet smaller than the others, was just as beautiful.  This was where most of the shopping took place.  Stores and stands were set up all throughout the city.  After spending just one day and night in Florence, it was time to make our way to Rome.  I was probably most excited for Rome out of all the cities.  I can't even describe how neat and incredible Rome was.  Ancient ruins were all around you.  The list of famous sights and buildings we saw goes on and on.  Just a few of the places we went included the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican, and the Coliseum.  These are all historic places that could take days to see everything.  However, we covered all of these places in one day.  By the time we were on our way back to the hotel, almost everyone had passed out from exhaustion.  Unlike the convenient hotels in the U.S., none of the hotels in Italy had air conditioning.  That was something hard to get used to.  It was especially hard with Italy being the hottest place.  Another minor thing different from our country was that there was rarely any ice in the drinks.  Most drinks were either warm or room temperature.  There were many other little inconvenient factors differentiating our lifestyle from someone overseas, but it was all part of the experience of being in a different country.

While most people were happy to be returning home, I was rather sad.  I fell in love with Europe and all of its cities.  I know for a fact that I will definitely be going back someday.  Who knows, I might even end up living there!  Whatever happens, I know that Europe and I will meet again.  This journey was truly life changing and I am extremely grateful I had the opportunity to do such a thing.