Junior Humanities with Ashley Carruth
Energy and Place
Essential Questions:
How does energy production impact place?
How does your sense of place, environmental ethic, and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions regarding energy production?
How does energy production impact place?
How does your sense of place, environmental ethic, and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions regarding energy production?
Sense of Place Writing Piece
Abstract: Sense of place is a person’s spiritual attachment or sense of belonging to a specific place, area, or state of mind. The attachment is sometimes unexplainable and is indestructible even through hardship and tragedy. My sense of place is more mental than physical and I find that I can escape from everyday chaos to my place: “This is my vision. Just the thought of it slows my heart to steady beat. As I sit here, grappling with the ideas to write this essay, the deadlines, alarms, and reminders, which constantly reverberate through my brain, finally fade away.” I believe that the most important concern we can have as humans is one, which glorifies sustainability and leaving behind a better future: “This is a place of solace for me; this is a place where I wish to return year after year. When the time comes, I wish to return to Lake Powell with my children and their children to frame new golden memories.”
Cake Doesn’t Work Without Frosting
When I think of Lake Powell, I think of the endless days bathed in sunshine, the expanse of water as blue as the deepest spot in the ocean lapping up on the orange sandstone that crumbles underneath your toes as you walk on shore. I think of the impromptu waterfalls that are formed on the burnt red canyon walls when an inland hurricane invades the lake. When I think of Powell, I think of sporting fuzzy black mustaches and itchy straw sombreros for a Mexican fiesta, and layering on greasy sunscreen, whose smell itches my nose each time the lid is popped open. Perhaps my most prominent memory is of gliding on a water ski on the glassy surface of the lake, weaving in and out of the boat’s wake, weightlessly flying through the canyons.
To see more, click here.
Abstract: Sense of place is a person’s spiritual attachment or sense of belonging to a specific place, area, or state of mind. The attachment is sometimes unexplainable and is indestructible even through hardship and tragedy. My sense of place is more mental than physical and I find that I can escape from everyday chaos to my place: “This is my vision. Just the thought of it slows my heart to steady beat. As I sit here, grappling with the ideas to write this essay, the deadlines, alarms, and reminders, which constantly reverberate through my brain, finally fade away.” I believe that the most important concern we can have as humans is one, which glorifies sustainability and leaving behind a better future: “This is a place of solace for me; this is a place where I wish to return year after year. When the time comes, I wish to return to Lake Powell with my children and their children to frame new golden memories.”
Cake Doesn’t Work Without Frosting
When I think of Lake Powell, I think of the endless days bathed in sunshine, the expanse of water as blue as the deepest spot in the ocean lapping up on the orange sandstone that crumbles underneath your toes as you walk on shore. I think of the impromptu waterfalls that are formed on the burnt red canyon walls when an inland hurricane invades the lake. When I think of Powell, I think of sporting fuzzy black mustaches and itchy straw sombreros for a Mexican fiesta, and layering on greasy sunscreen, whose smell itches my nose each time the lid is popped open. Perhaps my most prominent memory is of gliding on a water ski on the glassy surface of the lake, weaving in and out of the boat’s wake, weightlessly flying through the canyons.
To see more, click here.
Artist Statement
My piece has two parts and both work to show my perspective that the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, AZ should stay in place. I believe the economic benefits of the dam far outweigh the slim environmental downfalls. Also, because I hold such a deep emotional and spiritual connection with the lake, it is difficult for me to advocate for the destruction of the dam that has made all of my memories possible. Lake Powell holds great personal value with me, and my first piece focuses on these emotional arguments to leave the dam in place. This is illustrated through a collage of numerous pictures of my previous trips to Lake Powell. The second piece of my project is an Info-Graphic, which focuses on statistics and evidence-based arguments to support the presence of the dam. Both of the pieces work together to convey my ultimate message as seen in my essay.
To see more, click here.
My piece has two parts and both work to show my perspective that the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, AZ should stay in place. I believe the economic benefits of the dam far outweigh the slim environmental downfalls. Also, because I hold such a deep emotional and spiritual connection with the lake, it is difficult for me to advocate for the destruction of the dam that has made all of my memories possible. Lake Powell holds great personal value with me, and my first piece focuses on these emotional arguments to leave the dam in place. This is illustrated through a collage of numerous pictures of my previous trips to Lake Powell. The second piece of my project is an Info-Graphic, which focuses on statistics and evidence-based arguments to support the presence of the dam. Both of the pieces work together to convey my ultimate message as seen in my essay.
To see more, click here.
Project Reflection
We began this project with content and learned about several different environmental ethics and nature writing. We also learned about the ethics of nuclear power and the extraction of natural gas through fracking by reading several articles. Also, we investigated how different artists, poets, and authors are expressing their opinions about energy through their work. One significant assignment we completed in the time leading up to the exhibition was the Inspiration Journal assignment, which sparked ideas for my sense of place essay and visual. We practiced different aspects of nature writing and wrote about specific places where we feel at peace. Then, we read examples of projects from last year’s classes to get an idea of what type of writing and visual piece we would like to do. Finally, we began the difficult process of defining our sense of place and environmental ethic to begin drafting our writing pieces and creating visuals.
To see more, click here.
We began this project with content and learned about several different environmental ethics and nature writing. We also learned about the ethics of nuclear power and the extraction of natural gas through fracking by reading several articles. Also, we investigated how different artists, poets, and authors are expressing their opinions about energy through their work. One significant assignment we completed in the time leading up to the exhibition was the Inspiration Journal assignment, which sparked ideas for my sense of place essay and visual. We practiced different aspects of nature writing and wrote about specific places where we feel at peace. Then, we read examples of projects from last year’s classes to get an idea of what type of writing and visual piece we would like to do. Finally, we began the difficult process of defining our sense of place and environmental ethic to begin drafting our writing pieces and creating visuals.
To see more, click here.
Happiness and Meaning
Essential Questions:
1. What is the purpose of your existence?
2. What is happiness and what makes you happy?
3. What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
4. To what extent can literature shape your personal philosophy on happiness and meaning?
1. What is the purpose of your existence?
2. What is happiness and what makes you happy?
3. What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
4. To what extent can literature shape your personal philosophy on happiness and meaning?
Link to project description:
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/file/d/0B5ktO3NLUDlcems1NU1kbjZudWM/edit)
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/file/d/0B5ktO3NLUDlcems1NU1kbjZudWM/edit)
Personal Project Reflection
PART I
Over the course of this project, I gained insight into my personal beliefs and explored other philosophies on happiness and meaning. Coming into this project, I thought that happiness was mainly derived from success. However, over the course of the project, I realized that although success is important to me, I find much more happiness in following my passions and cherishing the simple things in my life. I made this realization mainly through the reading of "The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones." I connected to the main character of this short story because he enjoyed the journey he had while he was following his passions. It was after reading and analyzing this source that I noticed how much happiness I derived from laughing with my friends or spending time with my family at night. In class, we listened to podcasts on NPR and TED and heard different opinions on how the pursuit of passion should be handled to optimize happiness. While one speaker believed it was necessary to work in your passions to succeed, others did not. These podcasts helped me realize how important it is to me that I work in a field that I am passionate about and gave me insight to the variety of opinions that exist in the world. After completing this project, I am more attentive to the simple moments in life and am giving more thought to my career path, as I would like to pursue a career in a field that I am driven in and passionate about.
PART II
Over the course of this project, I gained insight into my personal beliefs and explored other philosophies on happiness and meaning. Coming into this project, I thought that happiness was mainly derived from success. However, over the course of the project, I realized that although success is important to me, I find much more happiness in following my passions and cherishing the simple things in my life. I made this realization mainly through the reading of "The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones." I connected to the main character of this short story because he enjoyed the journey he had while he was following his passions. It was after reading and analyzing this source that I noticed how much happiness I derived from laughing with my friends or spending time with my family at night. In class, we listened to podcasts on NPR and TED and heard different opinions on how the pursuit of passion should be handled to optimize happiness. While one speaker believed it was necessary to work in your passions to succeed, others did not. These podcasts helped me realize how important it is to me that I work in a field that I am passionate about and gave me insight to the variety of opinions that exist in the world. After completing this project, I am more attentive to the simple moments in life and am giving more thought to my career path, as I would like to pursue a career in a field that I am driven in and passionate about.
PART II
- What career path am I most passionate about?
- How can I optimize my happiness everyday?
- How can I improve other people's happiness based on my actions?
- How does the seriousness and pressure of my sports affect my overall happiness?
- Can I find a career that both satisfies my passions and pays the bills?
Korematsu vs. the United States Mock Trial
Project ReflectionIn preparation for a mock trial that would be acted out in a county courtroom, my class was split into two teams: the prosecution and the defense. Each team researched the case we were to reenact (Korematsu vs. the United States), by reading court rulings from when the case appeared in front of the Supreme Court in 1944 and learning about the Japanese internment camps and the events leading up to the enforcement of Executive Order 9066. The teams worked together to develop their strategies and goals and to divide witnesses evenly between themselves. Then, each lawyer, both defense and prosecution, crafted their witness questions for direct and cross examinations, focusing on using the witnesses to prove their team’s exact points and to destroy to the other team’s argument. The class also learned about courtroom etiquette, how to submit evidence, and how and when to object. On the day of the mock trial, the appropriately dressed and costumed students traveled to the courtroom, abided to the judges every order, delivered opening statements, examined their direct and cross witnesses, and helped each other draft their team’s closing statements. As a defense lawyer, I worked to prove that Executive Order 9066 and Civilian Exclusion Order 34 were unconstitutional because the internment camps didn’t pass the three tests of strict scrutiny.
I worked with four other defense lawyers and three witnesses to compile a case. Due to the fact that each lawyer was assigned different witnesses, the amount of collaboration during class time was surprisingly low. However, we still discussed time management, deadlines, and strategies together. After solidifying our team strategy, each lawyer spent the majority of their time researching or working with witnesses to create examination questions, which was the most challenging part of the project. The witnesses helped me gather a deep understanding of what they contributed to the case and helped me craft questions to communicate exactly what was necessary to win the case. At some times, however, the witnesses didn’t completely understand what about their witness was necessary in their testimony and what wasn’t. This made it difficult to incorporate what they thought was important, even if I didn’t believe it would help the case. For the most part, the collaboration throughout the lawyer team and between the lawyers and witnesses went smoothly and efficiently. The biggest revisions I made were in relation with my discovery of Munson’s second report, given in December of 1941. This report discussed filial piety, which had been proposed as a less restrictive means of controlling the Japanese Americans than the mass evacuations of the Japanese Americans. After I learned about the suggestion proposed in the Munson Report, I immediately incorporated it into my examinations in order to prove that the Japanese Internment Camps did not pass all three tests of strict scrutiny. This was a very important revision because my team’s previous argument was relying mainly on disproving the presence of a threat to national security and the prosecution was prepared to destroy our case. However, the addition of the evidence suggesting a less restrictive means strengthened our case and gave the judges more reason to rule in the defense’s favor. I added this argument to my direct examination of Munson and my cross-examination of Carter. Even though this project was stressful at times, I enjoyed using my knowledge of the Japanese internment camps in an applicable way. It was challenging to research a case and then have to ask myself how I can use that information to prove a certain point. It was equally as intriguing to have to think about how the other team would use the same information to destroy your case. If I could redo this project I would focus more specifically on finding evidence that shows the internment camps failed all three tests of strict scrutiny. At some times, I didn’t feel like I knew what I was trying to prove. I would also try to be more aware of the other members of my team’s witnesses because we could have worked together to make a stronger case. The first time I heard my peers’ examinations were at the actual mock trial. I also struggled at the beginning of the project because all of the other members of my teams were working on their examinations, but my witnesses’ biographies weren’t available to me yet, so I felt behind. It would be helpful if Ashley split the witnesses up between the lawyers so that everyone had at least one to work on during the beginning of the project |
Witness Examinations
The Morality and Politics of Justice
Essential Questions:
How should the government balance security, liberty, and equality to create a just society?
What is justice?
How should the government balance security, liberty, and equality to create a just society?
What is justice?
Op-Ed Article - The Equality Fund
In Ethiopia, ten-year old Amaretch is doubled over under a hefty bundle of firewood. She is heading home to deliver her load of kindling, which will be sold so her family can eat tonight. In Addis Abba, Ethiopia, Amaretch is one of many children who labor to pay for food. In an interview with BBC News, Amaretch said she would “prefer to be able to just go to school and not have to worry about getting money,” a privilege many children across the world take for granted every day.
To promote international equality, affluent individuals must give charity-based humanitarian aid to improve living standards throughout the world.
On July 4th, 1776, fifty-six newly liberated individuals signed the Declaration of Independence. With this Declaration, fifty-six people agreed, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Yet, in 1948, as the United Nations constructed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world still struggled to constitute these rights worldwide. And still, more than sixty years later, inequality still exists prominently in our world.
There’s a drastic difference between the lifestyle of citizens of first-world countries and third-world countries. Despite miraculous technological and medical advances, between one and three million people still die of malaria every year (Flintoff). William Easterly, a professor at New York University, argues “Money meant for the most desperate people in the world is simply not reaching them: $600 billion in aid to Africa over the past 45 years, and over that time period there's basically been zero rise in living standards." How can we let diseases that can be prevented by a twelve-cent pill kill millions of people every year while we sit in our warm houses texting on our iPhones and worrying about our weight? How can we say international equality exists if we know someone is dying of a preventable disease right now?
To see the full version, click here.
To promote international equality, affluent individuals must give charity-based humanitarian aid to improve living standards throughout the world.
On July 4th, 1776, fifty-six newly liberated individuals signed the Declaration of Independence. With this Declaration, fifty-six people agreed, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Yet, in 1948, as the United Nations constructed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world still struggled to constitute these rights worldwide. And still, more than sixty years later, inequality still exists prominently in our world.
There’s a drastic difference between the lifestyle of citizens of first-world countries and third-world countries. Despite miraculous technological and medical advances, between one and three million people still die of malaria every year (Flintoff). William Easterly, a professor at New York University, argues “Money meant for the most desperate people in the world is simply not reaching them: $600 billion in aid to Africa over the past 45 years, and over that time period there's basically been zero rise in living standards." How can we let diseases that can be prevented by a twelve-cent pill kill millions of people every year while we sit in our warm houses texting on our iPhones and worrying about our weight? How can we say international equality exists if we know someone is dying of a preventable disease right now?
To see the full version, click here.
Artist StatementMy political campaign poster represents my view on Humanitarian Aid, which is that in order to create international equality, prosperous individuals must give to charity-based aid to improve living standards throughout the world. My poster is rhetorically impactful using pathos (emotions) and ethos (credibility.) I used pathos in my poster in two places. First, my poster says, “Don’t just stand there. Give. Save.” This was meant to make the audience feel guilty if they weren’t giving and convince the audience to contribute more to charity-based aid. Also, I specifically chose the picture in the center of my poster because it represents the people around the world who are impoverished and in need. Poverty is an issue everywhere, even though it is commonly linked with poor African countries. I chose this picture specifically because the sad, hungry, sick children trigger more emotions in possible donors. I incorporated ethos in my poster by using a quote from the Declaration of Independence. When an observer sees that the Declaration of Independence backs up my opinion, it is bound to make them trust the perspective and be more inclined to donate
My poster is a Call to Action poster, meaning it inspires many people to believe in Humanitarian aid and contribute to Humanitarian aid. One of the most significant decisions I made while creating my poster was writing “Give. Save” in red letters. The difference in color helps makes the words stand out, and emphasize my main message. I made “Save” even larger to highlight that contributions, no matter how small, can save a person’s life. I put “All men are created equal” at the top of the poster and in larger letters to help the audience see that people’s rights are beinig violated.. I went through several drafts before constructing my final product. My first draft was too busy; there were too many words on the poster and I felt like my message was being disrupted. In my second draft, I streamlined my text, keeping only the words that contributed to my message. Then, I changed my quote to add to the ethos of the poster. Before, I had a quote from an author who had studied humanitarianism extensively, but was not widely known. I changed the quote to a famous passage from the Declaration of Independence to highlight the credibility involved in this issue and how widely accepted it is that everyone has the same rights. I focused on adding pathos to convince the audience that international equality doesn’t exist and that it’s our obligation to fix it. |
Project Reflection
The purpose of this project was to research how controversial political issues should be resolved. Instead of approaching issues from republican and democratic viewpoints, students investigated political issues with the goal to create a just solution. As a final project, students wrote an op-ed article briefly describing the issue and their proposed solution, and a visual campaign poster that communicates their belief. To prepare for this project, we learned about several moral philosophies, including Libertarianism, Deontology, Utilitarianism, and John Rawls’ Justice as Equality. While libertarians believe every person has the right to do what they wish with their bodies, deontologists believe that people should only act on what they personally believe is their duty. Also, utilitarians believe in sacrificing some for the greater good, but the philosophy John Rawls’ Justice as Equality believes that there can only be justice is everyone is treated equally. Also, we learned about stop-and-frisk during class and practiced developing viewpoints for political issues based on moral philosophies and evaluating issues based on the Constitution.
This project has helped me realize how important it is to evaluate political issues beyond the perspectives of the democratic and republican parties. It is important to judge political issues based on the Constitution and moral philosophies because they offer different perspectives on how situations may be justified. This project has also helped me understand how ethos, pathos, and logos contribute to a visual’s message and made me more aware of rhetoric use in advertisements. It has made me a smarter consumer and voter. I used a lot of refinement during this project, especially on my op-ed. Ashley’s main piece of feedback on the first draft of my essay was that I needed to speak specifically about one type of humanitarian aid. This was a very extensive refinement, requiring additional research and thorough refinement. I also refined my draft for my visual piece many times, adjusting the placement of text, quotes used, amount of text, and the picture used. The first and final drafts of my visual are completely different products and I’m very satisfied with the final product.
Based on the rubric provided for this project, I believe my op-ed article is the strongest in moral and political philosophy content and not as strong in evidence. Humanitarian aid connects strongly to John Rawls’ Theory of justice as Equality because humanitarians advocate for international equality. In my op-ed, I made a very strong and clear connection between humanitarian aid and the Veil of Ignorance. I also quote the Constitution to prove that we have believed in equal rights for everyone for centuries and that humanitarian aid is necessary to improve equality throughout the world. Although I use evidence in my op-ed, my op-ed would have been stronger if I used several types of evidence. My essay has strong logos and pathos, yet lacks ethos. My essay would have been more effective if I had used more quotes from credible philosophers. My political campaign visual has a strong perspective, but could have been more refined. My poster is concise and communicates a clear perspective because I used short quotes and catch phrases, which embody the perspective of my essay. Although my poster is clean and organized, there was room for refinement, especially towards the end of the project. When I was finished writing on my poster, I applied mod-podge to the poster to create a more refined look. However, when I brushed on the mod-podge, it smeared some of the text, making it appear blurry and unrefined. This was disappointing, but I attempted to fix the problem. Overall, the poster looked a little blurry, but it wasn’t extremely noticeable or problematic.
If I had one more week to work on this op-ed, I would focus on incorporating several types of rhetoric. I would try to bring more ethos and credibility into my essay to make it more rhetorically balanced. This would make my essay more convincing for the audience and make my argument more believable. For my op-ed, I would use Photoshop to create a collage of pictures of poverty throughout the world. The message of my essay is that international equality is necessary, but the picture currently on my poster represents inequality in Africa. Poverty is commonly associated with African countries, yet it’s an international issue. This is often overlooked and I think it’s important to communicate the size and importance of poverty throughout the world.
This project has helped me realize how important it is to evaluate political issues beyond the perspectives of the democratic and republican parties. It is important to judge political issues based on the Constitution and moral philosophies because they offer different perspectives on how situations may be justified. This project has also helped me understand how ethos, pathos, and logos contribute to a visual’s message and made me more aware of rhetoric use in advertisements. It has made me a smarter consumer and voter. I used a lot of refinement during this project, especially on my op-ed. Ashley’s main piece of feedback on the first draft of my essay was that I needed to speak specifically about one type of humanitarian aid. This was a very extensive refinement, requiring additional research and thorough refinement. I also refined my draft for my visual piece many times, adjusting the placement of text, quotes used, amount of text, and the picture used. The first and final drafts of my visual are completely different products and I’m very satisfied with the final product.
Based on the rubric provided for this project, I believe my op-ed article is the strongest in moral and political philosophy content and not as strong in evidence. Humanitarian aid connects strongly to John Rawls’ Theory of justice as Equality because humanitarians advocate for international equality. In my op-ed, I made a very strong and clear connection between humanitarian aid and the Veil of Ignorance. I also quote the Constitution to prove that we have believed in equal rights for everyone for centuries and that humanitarian aid is necessary to improve equality throughout the world. Although I use evidence in my op-ed, my op-ed would have been stronger if I used several types of evidence. My essay has strong logos and pathos, yet lacks ethos. My essay would have been more effective if I had used more quotes from credible philosophers. My political campaign visual has a strong perspective, but could have been more refined. My poster is concise and communicates a clear perspective because I used short quotes and catch phrases, which embody the perspective of my essay. Although my poster is clean and organized, there was room for refinement, especially towards the end of the project. When I was finished writing on my poster, I applied mod-podge to the poster to create a more refined look. However, when I brushed on the mod-podge, it smeared some of the text, making it appear blurry and unrefined. This was disappointing, but I attempted to fix the problem. Overall, the poster looked a little blurry, but it wasn’t extremely noticeable or problematic.
If I had one more week to work on this op-ed, I would focus on incorporating several types of rhetoric. I would try to bring more ethos and credibility into my essay to make it more rhetorically balanced. This would make my essay more convincing for the audience and make my argument more believable. For my op-ed, I would use Photoshop to create a collage of pictures of poverty throughout the world. The message of my essay is that international equality is necessary, but the picture currently on my poster represents inequality in Africa. Poverty is commonly associated with African countries, yet it’s an international issue. This is often overlooked and I think it’s important to communicate the size and importance of poverty throughout the world.
This I Believe
Essential Question: What do I believe and why?
This One's For Coach
What if I told you that achieving your goals won’t guarantee your happiness? Throughout my life I’ve been taught that if I set goals and work hard to achieve them, I will find happiness. Recently, I have discovered that this formula does not guarantee happiness.
Making the Varsity volleyball team has been my dream since the fifth grade. Varsity wasn’t just special because it was Varsity, it was special because of Coach Oliger. As I watched my sisters succeed in the Durango High School Volleyball program, I became more excited and more determined to succeed. I worked my way through club and school volleyball programs, putting forth 110% effort, striving to achieve my goal: Varsity with Coach Oliger.
As a freshman, I found success by making the Freshman team. Although I wasn’t on Varsity, I was excited to be in the DHS Volleyball program. My efforts resulted in achieving my goal when, as a junior, I made Varsity with Coach Oliger. I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait for the season to begin. Less than a week into the season, the volleyball community was shocked and devastated to learn that Coach Oliger had been fired. The happiness I found in achieving my goal had been taken away from me and from the entire team.
I took the next week day by day, working hard at every practice. Even though Coach was gone, I could still have a successful season. We were the same group of girls and we could still have the same relationships and joyful experiences together. I believed we would overcome this challenge and find happiness along the way.
I was starting to recover, finding normalcy and having fun in practice, when a dive for a ball resulted in a severely crooked finger. X-rays revealed a fracture requiring surgery. I would be out for many weeks. I questioned whether I would be able to play volleyball this season. Could I still achieve my goal? Strangely enough, my reaction surprised me. I didn’t need volleyball to be happy. I found that I was happy without it. I am happy.
How could I be happy without achieving my goals? I am happy because I drive my brother to school everyday, because I go to a great school with people who accept me, and because I leave that school everyday fulfilled. I’m happy because I go to volleyball practice, and because when I go to practice, everyone else is happy to be there too. I’m happy because my dogs chase my car up the driveway when I drive home every night. I’m happy because I eat dinner with family every night.
Happiness isn’t found through achieving goals, it’s found in every moment of every day. I believe that happiness lies in today and not in the promises of the future.
Making the Varsity volleyball team has been my dream since the fifth grade. Varsity wasn’t just special because it was Varsity, it was special because of Coach Oliger. As I watched my sisters succeed in the Durango High School Volleyball program, I became more excited and more determined to succeed. I worked my way through club and school volleyball programs, putting forth 110% effort, striving to achieve my goal: Varsity with Coach Oliger.
As a freshman, I found success by making the Freshman team. Although I wasn’t on Varsity, I was excited to be in the DHS Volleyball program. My efforts resulted in achieving my goal when, as a junior, I made Varsity with Coach Oliger. I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait for the season to begin. Less than a week into the season, the volleyball community was shocked and devastated to learn that Coach Oliger had been fired. The happiness I found in achieving my goal had been taken away from me and from the entire team.
I took the next week day by day, working hard at every practice. Even though Coach was gone, I could still have a successful season. We were the same group of girls and we could still have the same relationships and joyful experiences together. I believed we would overcome this challenge and find happiness along the way.
I was starting to recover, finding normalcy and having fun in practice, when a dive for a ball resulted in a severely crooked finger. X-rays revealed a fracture requiring surgery. I would be out for many weeks. I questioned whether I would be able to play volleyball this season. Could I still achieve my goal? Strangely enough, my reaction surprised me. I didn’t need volleyball to be happy. I found that I was happy without it. I am happy.
How could I be happy without achieving my goals? I am happy because I drive my brother to school everyday, because I go to a great school with people who accept me, and because I leave that school everyday fulfilled. I’m happy because I go to volleyball practice, and because when I go to practice, everyone else is happy to be there too. I’m happy because my dogs chase my car up the driveway when I drive home every night. I’m happy because I eat dinner with family every night.
Happiness isn’t found through achieving goals, it’s found in every moment of every day. I believe that happiness lies in today and not in the promises of the future.
Project Reflection
To kick off the new school year, we completed a project focusing on discovering what our personal beliefs are. The main goal of writing this essay was to discover what we believe and why and explain it through a personal essay featuring a personal experience. We started by creating a list of defining moments in our lives such as sending a sibling off to college or losing a relative to help us uncover the beliefs we have developed through personal experiences. Then, we began brainstorming our core beliefs. We narrowed down this list by choosing to focus on one belief that we could explain through a personal experience. As soon as we had identified our personal beliefs and experiences, we began working on developing skills to write a personal essay. To optimize the reader’s engagement with the essay, we studied narrative coherence to ensure each essay had a logical plot line. We also worked on creating authentic voice throughout the essays to make each piece of writing unique to the author and engaging for the reader. Finally, to paint the bigger picture for the reader, we practiced incorporating communal relevance into our essays, providing the reader with an understanding of how the belief applies to their lives. Together, all of these components worked together to make each This I Believe Essay unique to the author and relevant to the entire audience.
Throughout this process, I struggled to connect my core belief to a specific personal experience. I had found a belief that defines how I live everyday, but I couldn’t find the moment when this belief first began to affect me. My essay had two very weak personal experiences, and lacked the personal connection I had seen in essays I critiqued. On the night before my essay was due, I had my mom critique my paper as one last effort for refinement. My mom and I were picking through my essay together when I refined my belief and found a strong connection with a very recent personal experience. Before that night, I hadn’t realized that this recent experience contributed to my beliefs and who I am everyday. The refinement process I went through for this project, especially on the night before the essay not only shows my perseverance, but also strengthened my beliefs.
My greatest strength in my essay was using authentic voice. After my last-minute revisions to my paper, I found that my personality was very present in my paper, especially through my personal experience. This was a great improvement from my previous drafts. I thought my argument convinced the audience of my belief when I shared what makes me happy in my everyday life: “I am happy because I drive my brother to school everyday, because I go to a great school with people who accept me, and because I leave that school everyday fulfilled.” I think this section is powerful because everyone can relate to some of the activities I listed in this section of my essay. This addresses mainly the authentic voice portion of the rubric in stating that the author uses personality, reveals true experiences, and invokes an emotional response in the reader.
If I could revise my essay, I would focus on improving my communal relevance and descriptive language. Both of these topics are very important in having an engaging and interesting essay. My essay is weak in the “so what?” aspect of communal relevance, which may inspire the reader to apply the belief to their life. Secondly, although my essay has an engaging hook, I could still focus on using descriptive language, character development, and other techniques throughout my paper. These two elements would be easy to incorporate into my essay and would have a strong effect on the readers.
This project helped me discover and respect the variety of opinions and beliefs that exist in our community. I respect that people have different beliefs because we have been raised in different families. My beliefs have been strongly influenced by the environment that I grew up in and by the people I grew up around. This project has helped me develop my own beliefs and discover the beliefs I have already developed through my own personal experiences. I think it is very important to know what your beliefs are, what they are based on, and respect other people’s beliefs.
Throughout this process, I struggled to connect my core belief to a specific personal experience. I had found a belief that defines how I live everyday, but I couldn’t find the moment when this belief first began to affect me. My essay had two very weak personal experiences, and lacked the personal connection I had seen in essays I critiqued. On the night before my essay was due, I had my mom critique my paper as one last effort for refinement. My mom and I were picking through my essay together when I refined my belief and found a strong connection with a very recent personal experience. Before that night, I hadn’t realized that this recent experience contributed to my beliefs and who I am everyday. The refinement process I went through for this project, especially on the night before the essay not only shows my perseverance, but also strengthened my beliefs.
My greatest strength in my essay was using authentic voice. After my last-minute revisions to my paper, I found that my personality was very present in my paper, especially through my personal experience. This was a great improvement from my previous drafts. I thought my argument convinced the audience of my belief when I shared what makes me happy in my everyday life: “I am happy because I drive my brother to school everyday, because I go to a great school with people who accept me, and because I leave that school everyday fulfilled.” I think this section is powerful because everyone can relate to some of the activities I listed in this section of my essay. This addresses mainly the authentic voice portion of the rubric in stating that the author uses personality, reveals true experiences, and invokes an emotional response in the reader.
If I could revise my essay, I would focus on improving my communal relevance and descriptive language. Both of these topics are very important in having an engaging and interesting essay. My essay is weak in the “so what?” aspect of communal relevance, which may inspire the reader to apply the belief to their life. Secondly, although my essay has an engaging hook, I could still focus on using descriptive language, character development, and other techniques throughout my paper. These two elements would be easy to incorporate into my essay and would have a strong effect on the readers.
This project helped me discover and respect the variety of opinions and beliefs that exist in our community. I respect that people have different beliefs because we have been raised in different families. My beliefs have been strongly influenced by the environment that I grew up in and by the people I grew up around. This project has helped me develop my own beliefs and discover the beliefs I have already developed through my own personal experiences. I think it is very important to know what your beliefs are, what they are based on, and respect other people’s beliefs.