Winter Break

Hello readers, 

St. Mary’s is officially off on winter break, but before we leave for the holiday season, let’s recap what has been happening in the past month. December, the month of cold weather and Christmas decorations, is my favorite month of the year. Not only does it give me an excuse to drink exorbitant amounts of hot chocolate, stay up late watching holiday movies, and wrap myself in blankets, it is also the month of my birth. On December 1st, 1997, I was born. This year, I turned 18, which was much more fun than I was expecting. At SMA, we always decorate each other’s lockers and shower the birthday person with gifts. In each block, the teacher and all the students will sing birthday songs until you feel thoroughly embarrassed. It’s a rite of passage. So the month of December was off to an amazing start. 

December is also one of the shorter months in the school schedule, so it zips by. Many of the classes are finishing up units and tying together final projects and tests before the break, which may be a stressful time for many. If you stay on top of your work and manage your time effectively, then this time is less stressful. At SMA, keeping track of your assignments and allocating your time to what needs to be done is key to your success in high school and the future. In English, we finished reading Hamlet and wrote our final essay. In Chemistry, I took my midterm and finished two labs on LeChatelier’s Principle. In Biology, I created a project comparing an animal cell to St. Mary’s with my friend, Nicole Panet-Raymond. In Theology, I presented on Phyllis Trible, a biblical theologian, with my friend, Camille Sullivan. In PE, we went bowling! As you can see, the classes don’t fizzle out before break, but remain on task and interesting. 

Spreading the holiday spirit with our Christmas families.

St. Mary’s is a community of giving. Each year, the different TAs are assigned families for which they buy gifts, food, and other items. Then, we deliver the gifts to the various families and are able to meet the people who we are helping. Each year is very different. For example, last year we had a family of 8, while this year it was only a family of 3. Some families have single parents with children, while others only have a single person. Regardless, SMA students work together to bring the holiday spirit to the families through gifts, letters, and love. 

Well, that is all for now. I look forward to writing you again in 2016!

Emma Rosenthal 

Thanksgiving

Hello readers,

Thanksgiving break has come and gone, so let’s recap all of November. This month started out with the fall dance, which you can read more about in my past blogpost. Then, of course, there were many early college deadlines for November. Luckily, SMA has an amazing support system for the senior class. Moreover, the college counseling unit has been extraordinary throughout my time at SMA. During freshman year, students are introduced to college in a distant sense. You focus on developing a strong sense of work ethic through challenging classes, but also balancing your work load. During sophomore year, the counselors focus on challenging the student in coursework and adding extracurriculars that the student may be interested in. Junior year is all about researching your possible interests and college matches. Although junior year is considered challenging by many, it is all about finding a balance between your coursework and your outer life. Senior year is about solidifying that list and working towards the goals we set during junior year. As a senior, it is exciting that we are in the midst of the application phase. It is also exciting that we are almost past that phase in our lives.

Thankful for college preparation.

It is also a time for thanks. SMA gives thanks through a thanksgiving prayer service. At the service, each class presents a prayer for the coming year. This year, I was given the honor of writing the prayer for the senior class. Here it is:

The Class of 2016 gives thanks for the love and support we have received throughout our time at SMA. With loving friends and caring faculty, St. Mary’s has become a home to all of us. We have been blessed to grow both individually and as a class, deriving strength from one another in times of difficulty.  As we progress through this period of transition, we pray that we continue to support one another through our victories and our grievances. We pray that we can remember how far we have come and look forward to the futures that await. We pray that we continue to love each other not as classmates, but as family. Amen.

Thankful for friendship.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Emma Rosenthal  

Halloween

Halloween is here and along with it comes costumes, pumpkins, and Christmas music on the radio. October 31st marks the end of first quarter. I still can’t believe this is my last first quarter at St. Mary’s Academy as a student forever. Time really does fly when you’re a Lady Blue.   

October is dominated by assemblies, tests, and fun. Founder’s Day is one of my favorite masses all year. This year, as a member of National Honor Society, I had the opportunity to escort one of the alums to her seat in the auditorium and her place at the luncheon. Founder’s Day is a time to remember our founders and the privilege we have as St. Mary’s students, but also to bring the current students together with past students. I think for the majority of the senior class, the mass reminded us that we will be alums in less than a year! It’s always fun to speculate about the Founder’s Day that honors your class—Who will show up? will SMA still be in the same building? Will we still be in touch until then? The future is mysterious, but also very exciting.

That brings me to college applications. SMA students, along with students across the world, are submitting early action applications by November 1st. For me, the November 1st deadline is nerve-racking, but also exciting. The college process should not be scary, but a journey of discovery. Through researching different schools, filling out applications, and writing essays, I feel as though I have a deeper understanding of myself and what I want in my life. St. Mary’s has done an amazing job in assisting the process of self-discovery before filling out the applications. This is an important piece of the college search that is often overlooked. How can you apply to schools without reflecting on what you want? How can you pick the “perfect” college before truly understanding who you are? 

Anyways, I am just excited about all of the possibilities for the future and grateful for all of the experiences I have had during my time at SMA. I constantly have to remind myself that I have time left at St. Mary’s, but it’s going by so quickly that it’ll be graduation before I know it! 

Have a safe and sugar-filled Halloween, everyone.

Emma Rosenthal

Spirit Week

Hello St. Marys,

What a year it has been. In just a few short months, I feel as though our school has grown as a community and as a family. September flew by and it’s almost Halloween! I feel as though stores push you to the next months quicker than you are ready to go because Christmas decorations are all over the malls already. I guess that is a conversation for another post. :)

Spirit week was late September/early October and what an amazing week it was. As I’ve mentioned in my past posts, each year there is a theme for the week. This year, it was “SMAmily road trip.” Each day, there was a different theme that related to the “SMAmily road trip.” Monday was Tourist Day, Tuesday was Boy Day, Wednesday was Middle School day, Thursday was Senior Staycation (grandparents day), and Friday was Family Reunion (class colors). I always have a great time dressing up with friends and seeing the people who really put there best effort forward when creating costumes. For each day, there was an activity planned at lunch. Students earned points for their class by attending the activities. The senior class officers planned a great lip sync battle for one of the activities. Each class had a group that lip-synced to songs including “No Air,” “Boyfriend,” “Nobody’s Perfect,” and “Party in the USA.” Three members of the staff judged and the sophomore class won that competition. On Friday, there was a student vs. staff dodgeball game and the students came out on top. The game was the highlight of my week because all of the students truly came together, regardless of their individual grades.

Seniors dressing up as seniors!

Lip Sync Battle

Hula Hooping Competition

Middle School Day!

Sophomore Class Officer Lip Sync Battle Dance

Boy Day at SMA!

In the end, the freshmen won spirit week with the seniors coming in second place. Even though my class didn’t win, the week was still amazing and brought the school together as one community. In fact, it brought me back to my freshman year when the freshman won spirit week! It was definitely a week I won’t forget and I am so excited for the rest of the year. Hopefully, we can keep this level of enthusiasm going!

STUDENTS WIN!

See you next time,

Emma Rosenthal   

Senior Year is Almost Here!

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. My life has been extremely busy with AP testing. This year, I am taking tests for US History and English Language and Composition. Also, last Saturday was a chaotic mix of the SAT and Prom. What started out as an early, and somewhat stressful time ended up with a lovely dance filled with fun photobooth pictures and a group of great friends. That next Tuesday, I ran for class officer. Five people are elected from each class to lead their class in various activities. I was a junior class officer, so I planned prom. Senior class officers are in charge of the senior wall, winter formal, and the senior assembly. Class officers are also a major part everyday life at St. Mary's. We work on bulletin boards, help make decisions with the administration, and act as role models for the school and our class. Anyways, I ran this year and my theme was Awkward Family photos. I photoshopped my face onto the Awkward Families and my slogan was "Join this Awkward Family!" I am so excited to represent my class next year and we are meeting to choose the theme for the Senior wall on Monday. I will let you know what it is when we figure it out.

See you all very soon,

Emma Rosenthal  

Spring Break!

Hello readers,
St. Mary's has been such a blast lately. In English, we just finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We watched films about the controversy the book brings to many high schools around the country and examined the themes within the plot. We are also preparing for the AP test in May. I am nervous, but I feel very well-prepared. In Pre-Calculus, we are learning about logarithms, logarithmic graphs, and logistic graphs. I am still working through the computer programming on teamtreehouse.com. I am learning how to code in Swift, which works on Apple products. Hopefully, I will be able to share my final project with all of you. In Social Justice, we are exploring different topics, including mass incarceration and the education gap. With AP US History, we just studied our WWII unit. In French, we learned the future tense and in economics, we watched a film on Enron.
My classes have been great, but spring break was a great rest from the work and weekly routine. Over the break, I played lots of tennis. Spring sports began in March and, so far, we have had lots of fun in our new sports league. Then, I went to Seattle with my mom to visit colleges. I went to University of Washington and Seattle University. If you ever go to Seattle, you have to see the "gum wall" near Pike Place. It is covered in grafitti and gum. It's crazy to think that I will be leaving St. Mary's in a little over a year, but it is mindblowing that I will be leaving my family. Time flies and it's important to be thankful for everything you have today.
See you next time,
Emma Rosenthal

Second Semester Begins

Now that finals are through and we are beginning to get into the groove of second semester, I will give you an update on St Mary's. After finals, we had Winter Formal. I went with a group of friends and we ate Chipotle before. It was lots of fun, but I was so tired at the end from finals and dancing that I slept for the rest of the weekend. Then, second semester started. My new schedule goes like this:
French 3
Intro to Computer Science
Social Justice and Leadership
Pre-Calculus
American History
Economics
English 11
So far, everything has been great. In French, we are learning a variety of new electronics vocabulary. In Computer Science, we are coding with Python and Swift. On the first day of class, we dissected a computer, which was very cool. In Social Justice and Leadership, we are planning the retreat for the Sophomore class, while looking into the social justice problems of the world and America. In pre-calculus, we are learning about imaginary numbers and conic sections. American History is all about World War I and the beginning of the 1920's with Hoover. In Economics, we are trading in a fake stock market and learning a variety of economic terms, such as supply and demand. In English, we are reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and studying for the AP test. So far, second semester has been amazing!
Talk to you soon,
Emma

Cake & Break

This was easily one of the best winter breaks I have every had. Let's start with the beginning...

 My friend, Annie Lee, and I went to see Zoo Lights for the first time. We were quite impressed. Did you know that there are more than a million lights every Christmas for Zoo Lights? My younger brother, Noam, took this picture after we ran around the zoo trying to find this rainbow colored light wall. We promised him an elephant ear for his "good behavior" at the zoo, but the line was too long, so I promised to take him back. Oh, the promises I make. In this picture, we are attempting our best impressions of lions.

A few days later, my family and I met my grandmother from Boston and my cousins from Washington D.C in Orlando, FL. I had never been to Florida, but my dad would go with his brothers in his childhood, so it was somewhat of a reliving of that. I was presently surprised. Walt Disney World was great and we barely waited in line because I used an online touring program that organized the rides we chose in order of the least amount of waiting time (including fast passes). We also went to Universal Orlando, which I preferred because of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Also, their rides are much more...adventurous? I feel like they don't hold back anything, where Disney World does. Also, Butter beer was delicious, but very sweet. Other than amusement parks, we visited the Kennedy Space Center, which was absolutely spectacular. We saw the suits the astronauts took to space, lunar samples, and the launch pad. After that, we went on a swamp tour, where we saw a large number of alligators. I was so scared the boat was going to fall over! 

This is Beze (pronounced like the Zambeze River in Africa). We got her in early December (somewhat in honor of my birthday). She is so energetic and keeps me up all night. There is give and take in this relationship. I have to wake up at 5 AM to let her out to pee and she spends hours, listening to me practice my memorization of "The Gettysburg Address." She's great company.

My birthday was December 1st and my friend, Bridget, had hers on the 2nd. We hosted a joint-birthday party at her house. It was Princess themed, so we took lots of pictures with a brick wall, which was our "castle." Then, we watched The Princess Diaries. It was a "magical" night!

See you all soon!

Emma Rosenthal

A November to Remember

Hello readers,
It's that time of year again. Where the weather fluctuates between rain and snow, every family overindulges on turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and the beginning of gift buying begins. November is one of my favorite months because it focuses on family. I also enjoy having the Thanksgiving break to take a break from everyday life. Aside from the rest and family, November is filled with extremely odd days. These include Cook For Your Pets Day (November 1st), National Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day (November 19th), and National French Toast Day (November 28th). I  have always wondered who comes up with the odd days. Wouldn't that be an interesting job?

Anyways, I spent my break doing many different things. First off, I went through a marathon of movies. I went to the theatre to see Mockingjay with my brother. I liked it, but I felt like there was too much war. That was not the movie's fault because the book is written that way, but I still think Catching Fire is my favorite. Then, I saw Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, which I absolutely loved. It was probably one of the first Brad Pitt movies that I've seen and I always love Morgan Freeman. The movie was very unpredictable and suspenseful. Kevin Spacey was amazing, but I the movie is not for the light-hearted and you have to have a high level of tolerance for gore. The final movie I watched was My Sister's Keeper, which I will never be able to watch again. I could not stop crying during various parts throughout the movie. Cancer and dying dogs are two things that I'll never be able to stop crying at. Anyways, I loved watching all of them because they were all in different genres.

Aside from watching movies, I finished a lot of homework. I love my American History class because the lectures are so interesting and we have to do an assignment called concept cards. The cards can be tedious at times, but they are great for studying and reviewing material. In pre-calc, we are focusing on trigonometric identities. I like them because they are like puzzles, but I have some trouble solving them at times. Lastly, I finally finished The Scarlet Letter. For the reading, we wrote response journals in which we would pick quotes, put them in context, and analyze them individually. I'm sure the journal will come in handy when we write our papers on the book. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but Hawthorne's symbols and metaphors are so blatant that it becomes hard to read. One of my favorite parts of reading is uncovering the symbols and finding my own opinions, not being told them repeatedly. Aside from that, the story was okay and the characters were somewhat uninspiring. I can't wait until we read my favorite classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.   

All is well in the SMA world and I can't wait to keep you updated on the life of a junior student! 
See you soon,
Emma Rosenthal