Winter Wonderland

The rain has finally arrived! The cold weather is setting in along with cozy blankets, hot chocolate, and lots of homework. Luckily, this past Monday was Blues Bridge Walk movie day, so students got to relax while watching their favorite films. The movie options were Great Gatsby, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pitch Perfect, The Perks of Being Wallflower, Monsters University, and Blades of Glory. The students that raised enough money or brought in a number of donations got to watch two different movies and eat free pizza, while students who did not meet the donations still enjoyed a fun day filled with zumba, study hall, and yoga. My friends and I watched Pitch Perfect and Blades of Glory. I had seen Pitch Perfect and thought it was absolutely hilarious, but I had never seen Blades of Glory. I was extremely surprised with the plot of the movie because it was nothing I expected. First off, I thought it had something to do with a war, but I was totally off. Actually, it was a movie about two opposing ice skaters having to team up, after being banned from single ice skating. It was very funny, but also extremely awkward.

 

Aside from movie day, one of my favorite holidays is coming up: Thanksgiving! The whole month of November is a great time to reflect and be thankful, but also to spend time with family and eat loads of good food. It also means time off from school and is a friendly reminder that my birthday is just around the corner. I can’t wait to spend this Thanksgiving with the amazing sophomore class, and of course, the rest of the SMA family.

 

Have a great November!

Emma Rosenthal

Macbeth, Sock-Hop, and more!

Hello everyone!

Winter time is coming so soon! And with it comes winter sports, including alpine skiing, basketball, Nordic skiing, and swimming. Cross country took second in state this past Saturday, and with cross country officially ending, I am so excited to swim competitively for the first time!

Educationally, I have learned so much in the first quarter. I read Antigone and an independent reading book (mine was A Prayer for Owen Meany) in English, learned about the structure of atoms and tie-dyed in Chemistry, and focused on Hinduism and aboriginal people in Comparative religions. I also gave four speeches, including interview, impromptu, oral interpretation, and informative. In history, I learned about prehistory and ancient Mesopotamia. It has been quite an exciting and fast-paced quarter. I am shocked at how much I have learned and how many more topics I get to explore. In English, we just began reading Macbeth. I was nervous about Shakespeare, but so far, I have loved the language! In history, we started a project in which we choose a civilization, take lots of notes on the civilization, write an essay about an aspect of the civilization, and then create an educational board game. I have the Ancient Maya Civilization, which I am very interested in because we didn’t dive as deeply into it in middle school as I would have liked. Also, the ancient Mayans are very interesting because there is so much mystery in their history. In my speech class, we are starting out persuasive speeches, and I am still thinking about interesting topics to write about.

In other SMA news, this past Saturday was the autumn dance! This year we had an amazing sock-hop, where students brought friends and tried to dress in clothing from the 50’s. There were so many unique costumes, including bright lipstick, varsity jackets, and intense poodle skirts. They played modern music, but also some classic songs, like “Hound Dog” by Elvis. It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, “Grease.”

SMA life is just getting busier and busier every day. See you next time!

Emma Rosenthal

Goodbye October!

Hello everyone!

The first quarter is nearly finished, and it is time for hot soups, Christmas decorating, warm sweaters, fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, black Friday, and Thanksgiving. I am especially looking forward to the release of a film creation of the Book Thief. This year has been extremely busy so far and there are three more quarters to go. This past weekend, St. Mary’s students acted in “Twelve Angry Women.” It is a story of a group of jurors given a case about a boy, who may have killed his father. If they unanimously vote him guilty, he will be given the death penalty. Eleven of the jurors agree that the boy is guilty, but one votes not-guilty. The juror who voted not-guilty spends the rest of the time attempting to sway the jurors to not-guilty. The play was beautifully executed and extremely entertaining.

 

Another event that recently took place was the Mount Hood Conference Treble Choir Festival. SMA’s two vocal groups performed their repertoire of songs, along with other schools, such as Reynolds High School. After each choir performed, a professional vocal teacher came and worked with the choir. This was a great learning experience because not only did you get to hear multiple performances, but you could look into a lesson and see different ways to improve as a choir.

 

In the sports area, St. Mary’s Cross Country team took first at districts! We have been undefeated since we joined Mount Hood Conference, 11 years ago. Paige Rice took first place with a time of 18 minutes and 19 seconds. Also, Coach Mike won MHC Coach of the Year. It has been quite an amazing year for St. Mary’s Cross Country. This Saturday, Varsity will be fighting for the state title at Lane Community College!  Go Blues!

 

Now it is time to prepare for Halloween, so I say goodbye until November!

Emma Rosenthal