Summer Approaches

2 more blogposts to go. 1 month of school to go. We are coming to a close, my friends, and I will miss this little reflection space for the summer moths. Luckily, I am happy to announce that I will be returning to blogging for junior year. That means I will be back for another exciting, busy SMA year. Still, this year is not completely over, so let me talk about the past few weeks. After a few long weeks of campaigning, we finally had elections for ASB and the class officers for the 2014-2015 year. I always enjoy seeing different campaign themes. They range from Bruno Mars to bananas to New Girl to All State agencies. A variety of people with a variety of likes, dislikes, and ways of life. I ran for class officer with a Ferris Bueller theme. I was extremely nervous, but once I started my speech, I felt calmer. I ended my speech with "it's not what ARE we going to do, but what AREN'T we going to do Junior year" (my campaign slogan). I had a great time with the process of campaigning and am extremely excited to be representing the junior class of 2015. Congratulations to everyone who ran. It's extremely nerve racking to put yourself out there in these types of situations, but all of the candidates should be proud of their hard work.

This past Sunday was one of my favorite days to celebrate, Mother's Day. I always feel like I don't thank my parents enough for what they do for me, so this day is a designated reason to appreciate our loved ones. I started the day off by taking my mom on a trail run, followed by a large Indian buffet at her favorite restraints, Swagat. It was delicious, but we both felt a little sick for the rest of the day. Next, we relaxed at home and she watched her favorite shows, while my brothers, my dad, and I got her presents together. We made her a card, and bought her a massage bar, a box of her favorite chocolates, and a Fitbit Flex. Then, we had sushi for dinner. Overall, it was a great day for all of us. Another day that we celebrated was teacher appreciation day, in which we bought our teacher advisor a hat. Every day is a day to show appreciation and love to one another.

You're almost there. See you next time!
Emma 

Spring is Here

Hello everyone,

Wow. The year is flying by! It feels like just yesterday that I was getting my locker, buying new pencils, and meeting my teachers in September, but we're already past Easter! I always use Easter as a milestone in the school year. It marks the beginning of the end, a time for reflection and celebration. It's like the final few miles of a marathon. All of this work is pushing you forward. It's not a time to take a break, but a time to finish the school year off strong.

Even though many have their sights set on June and the beginning of Summer, St. Mary's is continuing exciting activities. Many students are going to be counselors at Outdoor School, running for class officers or All Student Body representatives, or pushing themselves on the sports courts. A few weeks ago, I travelled to Bend with the tennis team to compete in a large tournament. We got fourth place in the tournament and had a great time spending the weekend in sunny Bend, Oregon. The only thing that I would have changed is putting on more sunscreen...especially on my scalp!

Another activity that I was involved in was Poverty Awareness Day committee. This is a day dedicated to educating SMA students on different set topics. This year's theme was medical and health issues throughout Portland and the world. My group focused on the Philippines. We lead groups in making cards to send to the children and sold bracelets made by the victims of typhoon Haiyan. During the day, students went from group to group and learned about various issues and organizations. We also watched a documentary on female health issues in Africa and held a bake sale. The entire day was a huge success!

I'm so excited for these last two months together and am looking forward to an amazing summer, Emma Rosenthal

Spring Break Fun

Hello followers of my blog,

Welcome back from spring break. I hope you all went on intriguing adventures, ate exotic food, and rested from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. Personally, I slept in everyday and binge watched Netflix movies. But I also went on my list of things that I have been wanting to do for a while. I finally read The Great Gatsby and saw the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. I can't say I was disappointed because I liked the movie, but it was nothing like how I imagined the book. Especially with the way characters were depicted. For example, I thought Tom would be younger and more attractive because I didn't sense that there was a large age gap between Daisy and Tom. The party scenes at Gatsby's house were super impressive. Afterwards, I looked up that they had a budget of $105 million. That's insane. I love film making, so hopefully, I'll be able to make a movie with a fraction of that budget. 

I am not the only one crossing things off of my bucket list. A few days ago, my brother finished the fourth Harry Potter book. The fourth is easily one of my favorites, so we decided to celebrate in various forms. First, we bought a large amount of celebratory food. We bought cherry Coke, popcorn, peanut butter pretzels, and the new Peanut Butter Fudge Core Ice Cream. It was absolutely delicious, but something was missing. I remembered that a few years ago, I went to a candy shop in Multnomah Village, called Sweets Etc., that had Harry Potter Candy, such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans and Chocolate Frogs. It was a great night and it brought me back to my childhood, when we had to wait for the books and movie to come out. Now they have them at their disposal! 

Before spring break, I went on Sophomore Retreat with my fellow classmates. I can't say too much about it because it is supposed to be a surprise for the freshman and other incoming students, but I had a great time. The food was great, the venue was fun, and our entire class bonded through different activities that the leadership classes planned. I hope everyone can experience the amazing retreats that SMA has to offer and am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such an exceptional group of students.

I hope you all had a wonderful spring break!

Emma Rosenthal    

Spring Break Approaches

Hello readers,

I can't believe it's almost Spring break! Mostly because it feels like just yesterday there were piles of snow wherever I looked, but that's Portland weather for you. Speaking of Spring, one of the most exciting aspects of the season are the roses. The flowers and their scents, the attitude around the streets, and of course the Rose Festival Parade! This past week, Annette Holgado was named princess for St. Mary's Academy. She is an amazing representative of our school and I can't wait to support her at the parade and see where she goes after high school. 

In more school news, I took the PSSS (a practice SAT) this past Saturday. It was harder than I thought and I am definitely going to start studying for Junior year. Even though they don't affect me, I wonder what the changes to the SAT will be and how they will affect students' scores. 

Also, happy late International Women's Day! March 8th is celebrated around the world as a day to celebrate the appreciation and love toward women for their achievements. It is also a day to bring awareness on the struggle of women throughout the world for their political and human rights. I found out that each year is given a theme by the United Nations. Some include "Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future," "Women and HIV/AIDS," "Women in Decision-making," and "Investing in Women and Girls". This years theme, "Inspiring Change," fits 2014 very well. Women like Malala Yousafzai, Camila Batmanghelidhj, Mary Barra, Hillary Clinton, and so many more are defying stereotypes, helping the world, and inspiring girls everywhere. I am so happy to celebrate International Women's Day and can't wait to see the amazing things that women will do in the future.

Hug a woman today,

Emma Rosenthal

Fun Things in February!

Hello Portland,

It has been a while ride since we last spoke. You were covered in snow just a couple of weeks ago and I'd like to thank you for giving me a nice mini winter break. I spent the time baking and eating, sleeping, and watching a variety of movies and shoes on Hulu and Netflix. It was extremely therapeutic, but I was happy to get back to my normal routine with school on Tuesday. Oh wait. It wasn't a normal routine because it was my favorite week of the year...Doernbecher Week! A week where our various costumes, exciting raffles, entertaining competitions, and SMA spirit contribute to making a difference in raising money for important organizations. This years organizations were Doernbecher Children's Hospital, FINCA (The Foundation for International Community Assistance), and Gale's Creek Camp. This year, I was actually on the community which helped plan the week. My group focused on the educational part of the week, so we planned an assembly to educate students and staff on the organizations we are supporting and the true purpose of the week: charity. I had a great experience and am definitely joining again next year.

Forecasting is coming up this week, which I always look forward to. I love looking through the booklet and imagining which classes I will be taking next year. Along with new classes, the Spring musical is coming up. This year, SMA is putting on one of my favorite musicals of all time: Beauty and the Beast. Many of my friends are in the production, so I will definitely be attending on Friday, February 18th at 7 PM in the St. Mary's Auditorium!

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day! I spent my Valentine's Day in the most romantic place in the world...the district swim meet. Aside from the lack of roses, there was a lot of chocolate and I had tons of fun ending the season with some of my favorite people. The swim season has been a tiring, exciting, and overall extremely rewarding experience. Now it's time to get ready for tennis in the Spring. :)

See you next time,

Emma Rosenthal 

Finals and Formal

Hello everyone,

Portland is wrapped up with a stormy grey sky, the rain begins to pour, and you realize you forgot your number 2 pencil. It is finals week. Luckily, we have passed that stressful time and moved on to happier things, like winter formal. Our Northern Lights themed dance took place on Saturday night at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. Even though I only went with three close friends, the entire group ended up dancing together. It's always fun to dance, eat good food, and take pictures at the photo booth with your closest friends. Sadly, this years venue did not have a chocolate fountain, but it did have an amazing campfire outdoors. It was cold outside, but the night sky was really beautiful, and you could hear the pounding bass from the DJ inside. I will definitely be attending next year!

Also, before all of this, we had our MLK assembly. At this event, we honor the different cultures that SMA cherishes in our diverse community. Students and staff give speeches about the discrimination in their lives and their hopes for the future. It is always very inspiring and I love getting to know people better through their words.

In my personal news, I have just started drivers ed. I was nervous at first because I had never driven for, but after a crammed week of squeezing in driving practices with my mom during finals, I was able to pass my first drive! Note to future self and possible New Years resolution: stop procrastinating.

See you next time!

Emma Rosenthal 

New Year for the Blues!

Hello 2014! 
St Mary's brought in the new year with an all-school mass. The masses are a time to reflect and think about the theme of the mass. I looked back on 2013 and realized what an amazing year it has been. The Cronut was invented, Miley Cyrus twerked on MTV, breaking bad ended, north west was born, Lorde broke out, the Boston marathon was bombed, and the pope took a selfie with some teenagers. There was a lot more to 2013 than that and overall it was an amazing year. As we say goodbye to 2013, we look forward to another amazing year at SMA!

So far 2014 has been just as busy as 2013. We are preparing for a week of finals, and then on Saturday we will be having our winter formal. The theme is Northern lights, so I'm excited to see the decorations! The highlight of last years dance would either be getting ready with my friends or the delicious chocolate fountain. It is the best way to celebrate the ending of the semester and the end of finals!

Recently, we had an event called The Scoop for all 8th graders looking at SMA. This year was different because there were more activities to choose from and Ben and Jerry's catered the event. I remember being unsure before coming to SMA, and this event really got me excited and made me want to experience St Mary's. It was cool to be an ambassador at the event because it was casual and we were able to connect with the new students. Different activities were in different rooms. These included the board game room, the spa room, the craft room, twister in the hall, the cookie decorating room, minute to win it, the ice cream buffet, and Just Dance. It was the first time I had played Just Dance, but I absolutely love it. It is number one on my wish list!

2013 was a blast, but 2014 is looking good so far. I hope you all had a lovely new year!
Emma Rosenthal