This cut means that some of our teachers, including some of our favorites, being laid off. This also means that the average class size of 27 students may be raised to 35 students per classroom. Imagine your classroom having 35 students. Can we really learn in this environment?

If you’re a freshmen or softmore sports-lover, be prepared for the worst. There are major cuts being made to non-varsity sports, and some sports all-together, like water-polo. This only gives students the chance to catch a college’s attention for a scholarship in two years. This is no time at all. Kids who can’t afford college and who were depending on a sports scholarship now may not be able to get their college education.

Many people state wide are calling for a tax increase to help gain revenue to help save our schools. Sure, we can’t personally vote in the state Senate or House of Reps, but we can make a difference. To draw attention to the issue, on May 5th, hundreds of students from six different schools marched to the Board of Education to protest. They even all took the consequences that came with it.

I’m not saying to go out and march during school, but you can help make a difference. To find your state representitives and senators and send a letter, go to http://www.noto37.org/. We can help to save our education. For once, us the students are affected, and so we need to help save our own schools.

It gives me great pleasure to stand here today, before such an astonishing and miraculous country – a country that has stood up against economic crisis, tyrannical threat, and terrorism, and continues to do so daily.  There are several individuals who recognize the marvelous liberty bestowed upon them through the sacrifice of millions of lives and painful atonements.  They take advantage of their God-given freedom by chasing their passions and racing towards their dreams.  However, there are also many people that simply watch their lives deteriorate, unaware of the ticking bomb deep in their souls.  This TNT is waiting to be touched – to explode. However, due to the laziness of society and the allowance of idleness in our culture, this bomb will never detonate, and its flames will never be lit.

In the 1700’s, America was “the little country that could.”  Although the population was scarce in comparison to the countries in Europe, the founding fathers were passionate about reaching full-fledged liberty, and were willing to spill their own precious blood, sweat, and tears in order to achieve that.  They endured the agony not only for their own benefit, but for us, so that we could be inspired to fight for our own passions without limitations being set upon us by the government.  Nowadays, however, other countries associate Americans with the word lazy.  Americans seem to have lethargic views on life, simply coasting along with the comforts of television, computers, and iPods.  Over 20,000 teenagers drop out of high school each year.  40% of Americans are free from having to pay income tax, some of whom are simply too lazy to work and are therefore being rewarded for their sluggishness.  Although we were set free hundreds of years ago from the bondage of the state, people continue to set limitations on themselves, keeping them from their destinies.

There is so much more to life than rotting in the seat of contentment.  You were born with vast potential and passions.  I understand that as you have lived your life, things may have started to suppress your ambition, but why be weak and allow those things to have power over your life?  Will you allow fear of failure to gain a chokehold on your destiny?  Shall the ghosts that are behind you shadow your future?  Or, will you take the reins and allow your heart’s desires drive your life?

Close your eyes and remember that moment where sparks ignited your soul.  The second you learned your first dance move, the time you spent with a paint brush in your hand, or the book you read on a topic that made you soar with excitement.  Recollect that instant where you thought, “I want to do this forever.”  Where is the object of your zeal?  Is it being exercised, or is it collecting dust on a shelf?  Furthermore, what is stopping you from jumping into the vivacity within your dreams?

You have one life to be lived, and the amazing thing is that you have the power to live it!  You are not destined for failure, but to leave a legacy that resonates through the hearts of succeeding generations.  How are you to shake the earth off its axis with no driving force? Your zeal is the gasoline that can fly you to the moon despite all the gravity trying to keep you down.  If you have enough enthusiasm, other people will see it from far away, and catch onto it. Passion is contagious!  Rekindle the flames within you, and ignite a fire that will catch on to the rest of the world.

To me, love would seem to be when you are ready to share your whole life with a person, let them know all of your secrets and express yourself in ways you yourself didn’t even know how.  So I want to know, what is true love?  How do you know when you have it?  How do you to look for it?  Is love something you may come just across once in your lifetime?

But there were some topics I was sure my class could handle.  As I was presenting, I came across the term “mental retardation”.  To me, this is a serious matter that is not a laughing matter.  But of course , there were kids who laughed.  Not only did they laugh at that term, they laughed at pictures of people who have genetic disorders.  I showed the Elephant Man and someone with Down Syndrome.

This really got to me.  I started thinking that day why they would laugh at such things.  How could they be so mean to laugh at people who have to go through life being made fun of lots of times.  But then, I thought maybe no one taught them not to be so harsh because it could have been them with the disorder.

I had never eaten Russian food before so I was unsure of what to expect.  I, along with five other ladies, dressed up and were excited to try something new.  When we arrived, we were seated and immediately served.  Beginning with bread, I was fascinated by the rose-shaped butter.  The bread was different than what I was used to but still tasty.

From that point, large plates of food were being brought from the kitched to our table, seemingly never ending.  The food was delicious!  From caviar, to potatoes, to different types of salad, everything was different to what I am accustomed to.  Still, I enjoyed every bite!

As the name advertises, tea time was next.  There was a large array of teas from which to choose.  I am a devoted tea-phile, and this part of the night was my favorite. Rose Black tea pleased my tastebuds and very pleasantly swam down my throat, alongside the delicious cakes that we ordered.

I highly recommend that you go to Russian Tea Time.  Chicago offers a taste of different cultures on practically every street and it would be a shame not to take advantage.

Like many girls, I love romantic movies especially the Nicholas Sparks movies.  From “Message in a Bottle” to “The Notebook” to “A Walk to Remember”, my heart soars and throbs.  For that reason, on the opening night of “Dear John”, my best friend and I squeezed our way into the packed theater to watch the movie with high hopes.  Unfortunately, these expectations were not met.

When the movie began, I was intrigued.  The characters were well-developed and there was an instant chemisty between Channing Tatum, who is definitely not a bad looking fellow, and Amanda Seyfried.  However, after the climactic turn, it was all downhill.  I don’t want to give anything away but the movie disappointed me.  It simply did not have an ending.

I understand that many times a writer may want to leave the fate of the characters to the imagination of the viewer.  But this case is just ridiculous.  I felt incomplete after watching “Dear John”, probably even hopeless.  It was neither jaded nor optimistic in regards to love, but somewhere in the adiaphoric gray between the two.  I prefer movies that take a definite opinion on the subject of love – whether it is worth fighting for or not.  There was no overall stance in this movie.

I would not suggest that anyone spend their money on this film.  It is not even worth the time.  It wasn’t all terrible, but it certainly did not leave me optimistic, inspired, or enlightened in any way.

Living without both of my parents is a struggle.  My brother and I have to travel from place to place and it’s kind of challenging. My parents are divorced.  Sometimes, I wish that it never happened.  Sometimes, I think it was all my fault, but I know it isn’t.  But I really don’t understand why they divorced.

This is a serious matter that everyone should recognize because it seems to be happening to every happy couple I know.  Some days, I cry because it’s like half of my heart got sucked in by a deep, dark, black hole.  It’s crying out for help but no one can.  It’s REALLY hard!  Here I am now, crying, writing this story.  Some people don’t know how much it hurts when I see a family of four when my family only has three.

It hurts the most when you meet a new member of the family.  It feels like your parent forgot about you and isn’t trying to help you to get out of that deep, dark, black hole.  You may think it’d be fun to have different families, but to me it’s not.  I love them all but sometimes I wish things could go back to normal.

I want strong families to stick and stay together…forever!!!!  Love them like I love mine.  Trust them like I trust mine.  Be nice to them like I am to mine.  And always, always hold on to them and don’t let them get sucked into that deep, dark, ugly, dull, black hole.

The other day during school, I went up to my friends and exclaimed, “Yu-Na Kim was pretty awesome last night!”  I was met with an awkward silence and a timid, “What?”

How do kids my age feel about the Olympics?  Personally, I love watching them.  They inspire me to work hard for the things I really want, and are just fun to watch.  But as I asked around, I found that some of my friends didn’t even watch the Winter Olympics.  Curious, I began asking other Olympic-related questions:

Do you watch the Olympics?

“Of course, I do.  The Olympics give me such a sense of hope and love.  Watching them always makes my day.”

Why?

“Well, the things the athletes do sometimes give me the feeling that they’re superhuman.  It’s like watching stunts in a movie.  I mean, Sean White was AMAZING!!!  His half pipe tricks are just mind blowing!  And to top it off, he is beauuutiful.”

What is your favorite thing about the Olympics?

“The fact that the world can put aside all of its troubles, and just have some fun.  I believe that the Olympics help to establish peace.  You get to see the best of the best performing.  You’re able to watch the limits the human body be pushed to a point no one has ever gone before.  And I get to see it on my TV for free!”

What’s you’re least favorite thing about the Olympics?

“What I don’t like about the Olympic Games is the fact that there’s only one “winner.”  Every time a skater falls, every time a skier wipes out, I feel their pain.  That’s why I don’t like watching the games.  Even though one person’s Olympic dream comes true, everyone else, who has worked just as hard for just as long, will not be rewarded.  I guess that’s what games are made of, a winner and a loser.  But I wish the other athletes would get some kind of recognition as well.”

Do the Olympics inspire you?

“Most definitely.  To me the Olympics exemplify the rewards of following your dreams.  These people have worked their butts off to get to this point, and are now finally getting what they worked for.  This makes me realize that I can do anything if I really work for it.

If I want it bad enough, I can get an A+ in Geometry, I can get on the soccer team, I can marry Hugh Jackman!”

YES!!!!!!

The latest buzz in Chicago is surrounding the Auto Show.  What’s new?  What’s cool?  What’s really the BEST?  Really, all the companies are fighting tooth and nail to try and get our parents’ business.  With everything from bright, showy colors to unique designs, all dealers show off the best of their best.  But, they all seem focused now on one specific quality: green energy.

Walking into the Chicago Auto Show, I was shocked.  It was so big, wall to wall cars.  With bright, shiny lights on the polished cars, you wanted to go home behind the wheel of any one of the new models.  But, when you start to investigate, you see what’s really lying behind.

I started with Toyota.  I tried to talk to a representitive about the recent recalls, but they seemed very reluctant to answer questions.  (Maybe because I’m a kid?)  They sent me to another group of representives.  They said they were open to questions, but when I asked about how Toyota was planning to move forward after the recalls, they told me I should speak with regional.  At that point, it became too complicated.  I left but noted the display seemed pretty popular.  So maybe Toyota’s recalls haven’t affected their popularity.

The Ford exhibit caught my attention because it featured two robots from their factories.  They were picking things up and moving them.  I was drawn to Volkswagen by its virtual driving course.  To be honest, it was pretty hard.  I crashed in about 45 seconds!  But I think the most impressive display was by Jeep.  They had an entire, rugged course set up where you could take a ride and see what a Jeep could do (driven by professionals).  They even had mini Jeeps for the younger kids to drive around in an enclosed circle.

Althought Toyota wouldn’t even answer a few questions, I did talk to a few other representitives.  When speaking to a rep from Mini Cooper, he said that the cars you are able to sit in at the show are opened and closed roughly 200,000 times a day!  It all takes quite a toll on the vehicles (and there were A LOT of vehicles you could sit in, including a sports car and a concept car with seats like lawnchairs!).

Overall, the auto show was pretty impressive. The selection is very wide from a fancy $100,000 Lotus to a simple, green energy Chrysler.  But it also made me realize something I never thought of.  There is a car for every personality. With such a wide range of cars for a wide range of people, cars can reflect you and your perspective on life.  So, whether these car companies want to make you feel happy or  just want your money, it seems our cars will just keep getting better and better.

Chicago is obviously a thriving metropolitan area.  From the city to the suburbs, we are definitely not lacking in parks, museums, hospitals, and animal shelters.  Each of these places have a common need for helping hands.  Twice a month, I devote my time to a hospital in my area.  I am able to create a comfortable environment for the hospital’s patients and families, and help the nurses with anything they have to do that they just don’t have time to get to.  I would encourage anyone to find an area of interest in which they can volunteer.

There is a satisfaction I get when stepping out of my comfort zone.  I am no longer doing something for myself, or even for my friends, but rather for the people in my community whom I don’t even know.  Somehow, I am able to make a difference in their stay at the hospital, even if they don’t notice.

Not to sound cheesy, but seeing smiles upon the faces of those stuck in hospital beds is very gratifying.  Furthermore, I work in the Maternal and Child Care level of the hospital.  So, I get to ensure that a baby’s first moments in the world are as comfortable as possible, by keeping their cribs supplied with clothes, blankets, diapers, etc. as well as keeping new mommies happy by running errands for them, providing them with snacks and beverages, or baking fresh cookies for them and their guests.

Perhaps volunteering at a hospital doesn’t interest you.  In that case, there are plenty of other places that need your help!  You can volunteer at animal shelters, camps, libraries, museums, and all kinds of places.  I now know it is quite a learning experience that benefits to both you and your community.