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What Is Reach a Student?
Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
At a young age, I was fortunate to be able to attend a STEM after school program with one of my teacher's Mr. Falcionie. In school, Mr. Falcionie's science class was always my favorite because the class allowed me to work with my hands, critically think, and stimulate my deepest creativity. I was blessed to have access to this after school program, which allowed me to further my interest in the STEM field. I realized at a young age, this was something I wanted to work in for the rest of my life. This year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Riverside Elementary, a Title 1 elementary school. I helped mentor 4th and 5th grade students, predominantly younger girls, on their LEGO robotics team afterschool. This opportunity allowed me to impact the next generation of learners and spark their interest in STEM - just like Mr. Falcionie did with me. I built a team of female STEM students to aid in providing individual mentoring.
As a group, we got to mentor and work with individual students. We taught them the benefits of trial and error and the concept of analysis. As mentors, our job was to foster independence while supporting them in learning STEM skills. Furthermore, we taught the students valuable skills such as communication, teamwork, and responsibility, which are all vital to success in STEM.
The most powerful moment for me was not seeing the complete robot, but seeing the robot take its first steps and fall. The kid's faces did not waver through this mishap, showing me their determination and their ability to problem solve. Leading up to that day when parts would break and mechanisms failed, the students would get frustrated. We took these opportunities to show them how to work with a failed result. Instead of letting their emotions get the best of them, they learned to ponder why the robot failed at its mobility and how to come up with a solution. The moment when the robot fell is one that I will always cherish because I could see the students actively applying our teaching.
Furthermore, the experience of mentoring was truly rewarding to me and it can be for you too. It is a great way to make an impact and help others. In order to gain experience in mentoring, tutoring can teach you how to work with all different types of people and also valuable skills you can utilize as a mentor.
Football can be considered the most popular sport in America; almost every high school in the U.S. highlights the sport. What is not usually highlighted is the group of people behind the scenes, assisting the players when they are on or off the field, the people who make the athlete's health their number one priority.
What the audience sees is a few girls carrying water racks at the football games, handing the athletes a bottle of water when they ask for it; what people don't see is the enormous responsibility that is placed on these students.
Every day, these students go to school and go throughout their day as any other high school student. When the bell rings, they rush to the Athletic Training room and get everything prepared for that day's practice. They tape writsts and ankles for the athletes that need the support. After that, they start filling up coolers with ice cold water, bring the coolers to the field, and fill up every water bottle to the brim.
They stand in the heat, making sure the athletes stay hydrated throughout their practice. The trainers often stay after practice just to make sure that everyone has made it off of the field safely and that there are no injuries. If the athletes do sustain an injury, however, they stay until their treatment has been completed. Most days, they stay for over 3 hours just making sure the athletes are in their best interest.
Every Friday night, the team plays a competitive game against another school, which everyone wants to do their best in. In order for the athletes to perform their absolute best, they need the assistance of their peers, who put their performance and health first.
Every injury sustained in a sport is treated by the Athletic Trainer, who is assisted by the Student Athletic Trainers. Every player is the student's responsibility: everything from bandaging a wound to rehabilitating an athlete who suffered an injury.
Not everyone can become a Student Athletic Trainer. In order to be considered for the responsibility, you need to be trustworthy, responsible, and dedicated. Learning the techniques needed for the part include taping wrists, fingers, and ankles for games. They need to become first aid and CPR certified so they are prepared for anything and everything regarding possible injuries.
High School Mathematics is often perceived as a polarizing subject. This is because while it might come naturally to some students, there are a larger number of students who continue to struggle with it even after years of consistent learning. While 9th Grade Extended Level Mathematics was relatively straightforward, 10th grade extended Level Mathematics is a major step up in difficulty in every way possible. I'm here to share some tips and thoughts on how to prepare yourself and succeed in the class.
Structure of Questions:
First of all, the questions in 10 grade extended level mathematics are structured in a format that mimics IB Questions. While these questions aren't necessarily as hard as regular IB Questions, the framing of the question can easily throw students off. One thing I've learned the hard way is that these pre IB Questions are very rarely taken directly from the homework. While the overall concept is present 10 EL questions are designed to measure your ability to think and process information, not memorize questions.
Other Resources:
This brings me to my next tip relating to resources. While doing the homework is very important, you might need to rely on outside resources to guarantee yourself a high grade. Resources I recommend are Khan Academy, YouTube videos from "The Organic Chemistry Tutor", and most importantly your teacher. In order to excel in 10 EL Mathematics, you must understand the basic concept and apply it in various situations. Going after school and asking questions in class is a smart way of doing this.
An Open Mindset:
If you are someone who has excelled at mathematics in the past and then suddenly notices an alarming portion of marks off in the first few tests, don't get discouraged. 10 EL Mathematics is meant to prepare students for both IB Standard Level Mathematics and IB Higher Level Mathematics which means it's going to be harder than usual. If you keep telling yourself that you just aren't capable of doing math then it will simply prevent you from going over your mistakes and learn from them. On top of that, if you demonstrate to your teacher that you are trying everything in your power to succeed in their class, they'll be more inclined to support you with whatever problems you have.
Dance marathon is a movement that has swept the U.S with the goal of raising money, spreading awareness, and showing the power of dancing and fun. WPS held our first dance marathon last year, called Lakerthon, and we raised over $35,000. It was an absolutely amazing experience, and we are hoping to make this event grow every single year. As most people don't know everything about Lakerthon, I figured I would summarize what Lakerthon is, the benefits, and how it makes a positive impact on our community.
Lakerthon is a fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals that raises money for sick and injured kids. We raise money specifically for Arnold Palmer and Winnie Palmer here in Central Florida, so you know exactly where your money is going. We fundraise throughout the school year, leading up to Lakerthon night, which this year will be on February 1st, from 5-11 in the WPS gym. We have a bundt cake fundraiser, poinsettia sales, a spirit week, and so many other opportunities to raise money. It is an all school event and we try to connect the LS, MS, and HS in order to make the biggest impact.
On the actual Lakerthon night, there is dancing, food, games, and hearing from miracle families who graciously tell us their story. Everyone at the event stands for the whole night as a symbol for kids in hospital beds who can't stand. "We stand for those who can't". We commonly use the phrase #FTK, which means "for the kids", meaning that everything we do is for them, and all money raised goes towards helping them.
We raised $35,000 last year, but our goal this year is $60,000. This isn't possible without all of our miracle makers and the support of our community, both inside and outside of school. We encourage anyone and everyone to participate in Lakerthon, because there are so many ways that you can make a miracle in a kid's life.
Taking notes is an incredibly important part of learning especially in high school. Although I did not attend WPS for middle school, I have heard that it was pretty easy. At my old school we would often just get an outline or notes already taken for us that we would review in class a lot so we didn't have much to study at home.
Notes are used both in class and at home studying and without them you will not know what to study. Almost as important as the content of the notes is the layout. Notes should have everything you need to make the connections content wise but I find that having a good set of colored pens, markers, or highlighters can help a lot. Not only will your notes look better but when they are neat and structured well, they will be easier to study.
Some teachers are really good about taking structured notes for you copy down from the board, a slide show, or a google doc. If not following a few of my tips listed below should get you off to a good start.
Title :
At the top of the page have a detailed yet concise title that is larger than the rest of the text on the page. It should be about the topic directly.
Subtitles
These should be larger than the rest of the writing that should follow it. They should also be concise. The content of a subtopic should be something along the lines of an essential idea to the topic or a description of the topic.
Headings:
This should be the name of the subtopic.
Subheading:
Slightly smaller than a heading, this could be a sub-category under the subtopic.
Sub Subheading:
The smallest of the headings and can be anything like a word that gets defined directly after. Something less "big picture" than the topic, subtopic, or subcategory but more important than a regular sentence.
Normal text:
This should be the descriptions of everything that is listed above.
The style of your notes in completely up to you but underlining important words in sentences, highlighting topics, using different colors for different sections and including diagrams will really help with note taking.
Although it is "old fashioned" it is definitely helpful to take your notes by hand. It is scientifically proven that taking notes by hand helps to remember what you wrote down plus you want to always be able to take notes and some teachers no longer allow computers to be open during a lecture and handwritten notes don't need wifi.
Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? When we apply to college, many of us pick a major with a career path in mind. One of the best ways to experience different careers while in high school is shadowing.
My first experience shadowing was in the field of cardiology with a Dr. Dinesh Arab. I had seen the patient side of going to the doctor but I had never seen the doctor's perspective. The day was fast paced, with the doctor moving from room to room seeing over 20 patients in a day. I marveled at the doctor's ability to remember every patient's specific details and conditions. I asked Dr. Arab how he was able to do this and he told me, "Every patient has a different story and when you learn a little of that story you can easily remember who the person is and what has happened to them." He saw his role was more than fixing the physical ailments but also anything else bothering the patient. He also made it a part of his job to create a personal relationship. This reminded me of my own pediatrician who always said, "When you are talking to a patient they are 50% telling the truth and 50% lying, unless you create a personal relationship you won't be able to allow your patient to feel safe and talk to you openly." I saw the applications of this in Dr. Arab's office as he was always able to openly converse with his patients on any subject. I aspire to one day have similar doctor-patient relationships.
This shadowing experience taught me about patient care and allowed me to see a different aspect of medicine. A majority of the job is being able to communicate face to face while also being able understand the symptoms and deduce the issue. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Dr. Arab, and it reconfirmed my decision to go into medicine.
Try shadowing and see if that is what you would like to be when you grow up!
Recently, I had the opportunity to do some research at UCF ( University of Central Florida). This experience gave me the opportunity to work in a more formal setting and see what the STEM field looks like at the college level. I worked with a UCF graduate student on noble metal dichalcogenides, NMDs. These are the combination of the noble metals andchalcogen groups. The combination of these elements can be used to create advanced parts in electronics. Much of my time spent there was reading and analyzing papers, along with, working on projects involving the creation of graphene. If you would like to see and experience what it is like working at the next level in STEM, then becoming a volunteer in a lab is a great place to start. If you reach out in March/April, many professors will be able to help you set up a project for the summer.
Linked here is a presentation I created about NMD's. If you have any sort of questions regarding research or professors please don't hesitate to ask.
My third year playing under Coach Wood was one to remember and was one of the peaks of the program. With our entire team returning we could pick up exactly where we left off and this led to us being extremely successful. As we played harder teams and played more public schools we saw that we were one of the best teams out there. Our rankings in the state rose to 6th among 3A Florida public schools. Our continuous work and effort allowed us to gain a spot in the playoffs. Not bad for a 0-12 team 2 seasons prior! Our apex was winning our district championship, a crowning achievement for our team. Reflecting back on this season I credit my team for helping me grow in maturity, selflessness, discipline, responsibility, confidence and trust. Go Lady Lakers!
Windermere Prep offers a wide variety
of choices in their Fine Arts department - you can focus on traditional art,
dance, drama, or band and orchestra music. I know that sounds daunting,
especially if you're first entering high school. It can be hard to choose,
especially if you think that you're not particularly good at any of these. But
I'm here to tell you that innate talent should not guide you in your decisions,
at least in the art program.
High school is the time when people
really start to learn more about themselves. They learn what they want, what
they're good at, and how to become more independent. They also learn to
challenge themselves, and to try and learn new things that they've never done
before.
Many of the students you see that blow
you away with their sheer talent in art? It didn't come to them just like that.
They dedicated time to practice and work on their skills because they genuinely
wanted to learn. That's why the teachers are there: to help you learn and
practice. They don't look at a student and think, "oh, they're good at dancing,
I'm only taking them in my class." They look at a student and consider their
potential.
There's no real way I can help you
choose what you want to do in the Fine Arts program; that's all up to you.
Think about what you want. Consider these questions:
Do you want to try something different and new?
Do you have a passion for something in the arts department? Do you want to stick with it
Do you want to challenge yourself?
Answering these questions will make it
easier to make the decision, and hopefully it will leave you satisfied with
whatever choice you make.
As you transition from middle school to high school, you start to
get more work with due dates closer together. It's important to know the best
way to study for tests and the best way to turn in assignments. One important
tip is to know your teacher and figure out how they do the tests. Some give you
practice tests, and for some, you may have to go up and ask the teacher. I have
both of those cases this year as a freshman and it's important to know your
teachers, tests and the material. Another important study tool that I learned
is to not over complicate the question and just break it down, really
understand it.
An important study tip I learned, is to also prioritize your time.
This helps especially because if you have a very tight schedule and you think
very little time to study for tests or work on assignments its very important
you prioritize your time. Something I have learned this year is when I am
stressed, the 2 hours that I have to do homework, I need to shut off my phone
and just go and get it done. If you really try and just sit there and focus for
a solid 2 hours, you could get the work done you would typically do in 5 or
more.
Our goal at Reach a Student is to help the students at Windermere as much as possible by providing tips and help from a student's perspective. Answering questions is a great way for students to connect and share with one another, however, the knowledge shared is limited by the questions asked. Blogging allows students to share their thoughts more freely and anyone can provide their peers with whatever information they think would be beneficial.
Since I believe that every student has some kind of insight that could be useful to others at WPS, anyone can contribute their own personal entries to the blog. I can even make your entry anonymous if you choose to. I also believe that the WPS teachers have valuable experience from when they were students (for example, how they faced and overcame an obstacle that a student might be facing today), so I reach out to all WPS faculty and hope you will contribute to our blog.
I am very lucky to have known my maternal Great Grandmother, Moti Dadi. Her selflessness allowed my family to come to America. She followed her four children to the United States, and practiced customary Indian tradition by living with her eldest son. Unfortunately as she got older, they were unable to provide her the standard of care she needed. So at the age of 89, Moti Dadi, was moved to an assisted living care facility.
My family and I went to visit her as often as we could. I looked forward to our chats, which while she was in pain always started with her asking me, " How are you?" with a beaming smile. One of the last times I was able to sit with her - instead of her asking how I was, I got the chance to ask her. She told me about the hardships she faced: from large issues such as not being able to communicate with the staff to small issues such as her socks never making it back to her room. I wanted to reciprocate the care she had always shown me and asked my parents to write words in both Gujrati, our native language, and in English so whenever she needed help she could point at the English word and get the assistance she needed.
She mentioned how her socks always seemed to get lost in the dryer and she struggled to stay warm. I wrote her name on them with a Sharpie but this didn't solve the problem, after a couple of washes the letters began to fade. So then I embroidered her initials on the sock! After I left her with several pairs of embroidered socks, she called me to tell me that she was receiving all of her socks. I was so happy to provide her a little more comfort.
While talking to other residents at The Commons, I told them about my great grandmother and her story. Many of the residents had similar stories where they left their home countries to come to America in search of a better life or just to be closer to their families. I noticed while they were speaking many of their socks were miss matched and they also expressed a similar situation to my great grandmother's. So I began to make embroidered socks for each of the residents.
This experience has been a reminder of how small gestures can also be impactful. If you are interested in helping the local community, the assisted living care facility is a great place to start! The community is welcoming and always open to talking.
I have always had a sweet tooth and love making cookies even more, especially at Christmas time. One of my fondest memories growing up was when my whole family would put on Santa caps and decorate the tree. My mom would hand me and my two brothers ornaments to hang up while my dad videotaped us. During the holidays, I always looked forward to not just the decorating but the sweets. While holiday music played and we finished decorating the tree, my mom would make us a batch of chocolate chip cookies and peppermint hot chocolate (two of my favorite things). I was luckily to always be assigned the role of "taste tester".
While doing my monthly visit to The Commons senior care center I noticed many of the residents were not in "the holiday spirit." I asked them about why they were feeling so mellow, and they expressed how they missed their families during these times. When I heard this, I could not even begin to imagine what it would feel to spend the holidays without my own family. To cheer up the residents, I decided to bake them homemade cookies and ask them about their own holidays and traditions. I heard from different residents who spoke about how their families did similar things to mine. We bonded over these similarities even though we were from different backgrounds. They spoke with such a reminiscent tone of the times they enjoyed. Many missed caroling, so I took them caroling to their fellow residents' rooms and we ate my homemade cookies together. We created our own holiday traditions which I plan to experience with them next year, come join me and spread some holiday cheer!
In the IB Diploma program,
I am taking Psychology at the HL level. This course fully revolves around
real-life events, and there is a focus on biological, cognitive, and
sociocultural levels of analysis. In addition to learning about these aspects,
we need to know and understand many studies - which could be experiments,
observations, correlations, and etc. These complex studies are used for short
answer questions (SAQ) and Essays. Although a SAQ requires one study and an
essay requires three (most of the time), students need to know much more to be
fully prepared for an exam. From my experience, here are some of the things
that I think are helpful.
Understanding will help you memorize: This course requires a high degree of knowledge on the material taught. In order to know such a multitude of background information and those "studies," I have to start studying one to two weeks ahead of time. In this way, I would retain (and understand) the information for a much longer time and I would be more confident about it. This is also a way for me to have questions in mind to ask the teacher. Usually, cramming might help you for a one-day exam, but it won't help in the long-run.
Outlines: For the SAQ's AND Essays, writing an outline for each prompt (or most of them) is highly recommended. In this way, the format is easier to remember, especially since the organization is a big part of the writing requirement.
Making Connections: Try to connect levels of analysis to your daily life. Psychology is all around us, and comparing what you learn to your personal experiences will help you understand the material even better.
Talking to the Teacher: Asking questions to the teacher and reviewing over certain sections can be very helpful. Ms. Isley is very kind and is always happy to help:)
Review: It is important to know that the IB Exam in May of your senior year is a cumulative exam. I would recommend reviewing previous material from time to time, especially since lots of material can be forgotten with the breaks.
If you're a junior, you know that practically everyone has begun
breathing down your neck about college. 11th grade is the year where you
research, visit and begin to decide upon which colleges you want to apply to.
The college search process can be daunting, especially when you don't know
where to start. Here are some tips from a senior who just applied to three
schools today!
What Should Matter in The Search Process?
The school you attend will be your home for the next four
(possibly more) years. You'll want to consider whether you'll be happy there.
One factor you should consider is the location and atmosphere of the school.
How far away do you want to be from home? You have the opportunity to move
somewhere completely new. Do you prefer living in the city or in a more
traditional style campus? You'll also want to consider the people that attend
that college and the professors. Could you see yourself making friends and
lasting connections there? Also, consider the dorms that the school offers.
Would you feel comfortable there? Another factor you'll want to consider is
majors and academic programs. You are going to college to learn, after all.
You'll want to look for a school that offers the program or major you're
interested in and research exactly what that program entails. Even if you are
undecided, are there a number of majors or programs you could potentially
choose later on? In addition, you'll want to consider if the school has any
athletic programs or extracurricular activities that you are interested in.
Even though you are there to learn, you won't spend all of your time on
academics so you'll want to look for somewhere where you can also enjoy
yourself. Some additional factors that might come into play in your search
might be internships in the area, study abroad programs, leadership programs,
etc).
What Shouldn't Matter in The Search Process?
There are many misconceptions about what to look for in a college.
Just because a college is popular or has a good reputation, doesn't mean that
you should apply there. I'm not discouraging you from applying to those
schools, just be sure you are applying there because you could really see
yourself there and not because the college is a household name. Also, just
because a college has a lower acceptance rate, that doesn't mean it is any
better than a school with a higher acceptance rate. Don't apply to a school
simply because their acceptance rate is 10%. Apply to that school if you feel
that it is a good fit. An acceptance rate should not be a deciding factor, it
is only important in showing you your chances of getting into that school. You
don't want to apply to a college based on a reputation, so make sure you like the
school enough to consider going there if you are admitted.
What Should You Consider?
There are many factors you should consider in the process. One of
these factors, as mentioned before, is location. Do you want to stay instate or
do you want to move out-of-state? My advice is that you should apply to a mix
of both, if you are unsure. Another factor you should consider is the size of
the school. Size of schools can range anywhere between 2,000 students to 50,000
students. The social dynamic is going to vary depending on the size of the
school, so you should consider whether you want to be a part of a smaller,
closer-knit community, or a larger, more diverse community? As mentioned above,
you should also consider majors and programs. Some majors may be more rare, and
not all colleges may offer that major. On the other end of the spectrum, some
majors are offered at almost every school, so you should search for a program
that stands out to you (in a good way). Lastly, you should consider the cost of
the school. This is something you'll want to discuss with your parents later
on, but you should be aware that depending on whether the college is private or
public and whether you are paying in-state or out-of-state tuition, cost is
going to vary greatly.
Where to Start Looking?
Now that you are aware of what to keep in mind during the search
process, you are probably wondering where to start. I recommend starting with
one factor on the list above and using Naviance or Google to find colleges that
potentially fit one of those factors. If you know of a college that you're
already interested in, research that college and see if you like what they
offer. Later on, you should start to look into the requirements for the
application process and plan to visit the campus if you can. Visiting the
campus will give you a better feel for the atmosphere and the people that
attend the school.
Even though you don't need to start looking for colleges until
second semester (summer, at the latest), it isn't a bad idea to get a jump-start
during the first semester. Don't stress out about finding the perfect college,
you only need to find a list of schools that you are interested in. Most
students apply to somewhere between four to eight schools, but your interest
list can be much longer than that. You'll be able to narrow down that list
later on when you start to apply.
If
you have ever heard of APUSH (AP US History), you probably heard that it is one
of the toughest classes at Windermere Prep. Compared to other schools, WPS offers
this course at 9th grade, while other schools offer it at 11th and 12th. I am
just going to flat out say that if you aren't willing to work hard and put in
the time, then this class is definitely not for you, as the work never stops.
Now as a former survivor of APUSH, I know a few things about how this class
works, and what it takes to succeed.
Outlines
The
first part of this course is outlines. Every night, you basically summarize a
part of a textbook chapter in a specific format, which Mr. Zoslow then checks
the next day. Every outline is a total of 3 points, so as long as you complete
it, you should get full credit. Of course it depends on how many pages your
reading is for that night, but my outlines were around 10 pages, give or take a
few pages. You might be stressing out during your first outline, and it might
take you a long time, but just know that they get easier as you continue on
throughout the year. My advice to you is to use every minute of the day for
outlines. Even 5 minutes at the end of another class can get you a few
paragraphs outlined. Don't worry about making everything perfect, because
honestly Mr. Zoslow just scrolls through it, and doesn't actually read
everything word for word.
KBATS
KBATS
are just a bunch of vocab words that you think are necessary to study for the
unit exam. The catch is that Mr. Zoslow doesn't give you a vocab list, but you
have to come up with the words yourself and then write definitions for them. My
suggestion is to either underline or highlight your KBATS while you are
outlining so you can go back and know which words you thought were important.
Some won't agree with me, but I found it easy to complete my KBATS while I was
outlining so that way I didn't have to worry about them later. You will just have
to determine what works best for you. Make sure you are only doing definitions
for words that are necessary, or you will end up with a couple hundred words
for each chapter. Lastly, DO NOT procrastinate these. I guarantee the last
thing you want is to have to complete a couple hundred vocab words in one
night.
EDQs
EDQs
(essential daily questions) are a necessity in this class if you want to
succeed. You get a specific question based off of your reading from the night
before, and you have to answer it in the form of an essay. When you come to
class the next day, there are usually 3-4 readers depending on time, and you
get 10 points for reading your EDQ, even if it is completely wrong. It
definitely takes a lot of courage to read in front of your classmates, but just
know that your classmates really don't listen to the EDQs. Even though you may
think that Mr. Zoslow isn't paying attention, he definitely is, so don't try to
slide in some wrong information or information from a different topic. There are
three main components that you have to include by the end of the year; thesis,
contextualization, and synthesis. You will gradually need to do all three, but
the first quarter is just composing a thesis. After you read your EDQ, Mr.
Zoslow will ask you to repeat your thesis. Don't worry about not knowing how to
write one in the beginning, but just make sure you know what you are talking
about. Don't try to make up information that isn't true or accurate, because
Mr. Zoslow will ask you about it. You want to make sure that you get your
readings done as soon as possible. When you get to the end of the quarter,
everyone is in the same boat as you, and then there are too many people and too
few days for everyone to read and get their points. At the end of the year for
me, there was a huge waiting list everyday for reading your EDQs, and some
people emailed 2-3 weeks in advance for a spot to read. You want to complete
them every night and not procrastinate doing them, because you will eventually
have to turn in an EDQ packet at the end with all of your essays. It is
definitely harder to write an essay and remember the information from a month
ago, rather than just writing it the night you learned the material.
Unit Exams
I'm
not gonna lie; the unit exams you will take for APUSH will SEEM very
impossible, but they aren't. After your first few tests, you learn what Mr.
Zoslow is looking for, and what it takes to get a good grade. When studying for
these exams, don't focus too much about the minor details, but make sure you
know the overall picture. You have the whole class period to complete the test,
so right when you walk in the door, make sure you already have your pens and
highlighters in hand. Trust me: every minute counts. There are 55 multiple
choice questions, and there is no possible way that you could get all of them
right. I would recommend to spend about 10 minutes on the multiple choice
because the essay is where you get the most points. When you get to the essay,
make sure you do a little 2-3 min outline of what you are going to write,
because that alone can get you 5 points. You get a point for everything you get
right, but a point off for something wrong, or even more points if it is a
really dumb answer, so just right everything that you know. However, if you are
unsure of a date or a specific detail, don't write it, because you may get a
point taken off for it. Make sure you frame the narrative, and for every person
that you introduce, make sure that you describe him/her and not just simply
write their name. If you are given documents, you MUST use all documents or
else you will get points taken off. Keep reminding yourself that you are in
APUSH, so make sure you don't find yourself focusing too much on other
countries. Lastly, sleep is the most important thing. If you don't get enough
sleep, your brain can't properly function, and you won't be able to remember
any of the information.
Grading the Unit Exams
All
of the APUSH tests are curved, which means that points are added on to your raw
score. Your raw score is the actual grade that Mr. Zoslow got from your exam,
but the curve is made based on how everyone else does. If everyone did really
good on the test, then the curve is going to be lower, but if everyone did bad,
the curve might be higher. There is what is called a floor, which is the lowest
possible score someone could get. If you get lower than the floor, then the
floor score is the one that shows up in the gradebook. For example, if someone
got a raw score of 20, the curve was 40, and the floor was a 65, then they
would get a 65 in their grade book. If someone got a raw score of 80, and the
curve was 40, then they would get a 99 because that is the highest grade you
could get. Just know that your first probably won't be the score that you
wanted, but it will get better from there.
Study tips
Use
your friends for resources, because they are going through the same struggles
that you are. Collaboration is key in this class, because there is so much
information that you can't possibly remember all of it. Use your prep book, and
watched jocz production videos. Before tests, look up practice essay questions
and write out a brief outline just to practice to ensure you know the
information. Take notes during class so that you make sure you are paying
attention and can later use them for a review resource.
The AP Exam
At
the end of the year, you will take the nationwide APUSH exam. It includes a
DBQ, a long essay, multiple choice, and short answer questions. Your grade is
given on a scale from 1-5, but don't expect that you are going to get a 5.
Remember that you are going against juniors and seniors, and a 5 is really hard
to get. I would definitely study a lot for this exam because you want to get at
least the passing grade of a 3. Also, at the end of the year there is a US
history subject test that is required for some colleges, so I would recommend
taking it so that way you don't have to worry about it when you are a junior or
senior.
One
thing to know about this class is that it never stops, not even during breaks
or on weekends. Even when you finish an outline, you always have one for the
next day or another assignment you should be doing to get ahead. Despite all of
the work that you have to do, it is really hard to do badly in this class, as
long as you complete all of the necessary work. Even if you get the floor on
every test but complete all of your EDQs, KBATS, and outlines, then you might
end up with a B. This class is very independent, and it teaches you how you best
learn and how to manage your time better. One thing to steer away from is
comparing yourself to other people. Don't panic if someone already had their
outline done for tomorrow when you haven't even started. Everybody works at
their own pace and in their own way. By the end of the year, you will be
thinking and working 10 times faster than you were in the beginning of the
year. Just know that at the end of the year, you will finally be able to say,
"I survived APUSH", and trust me, it's a great feeling.
After participating in the Special Olympics and WPS football
clinic and watching the Ray Lewis interview, I want to send a word of thanks to Shailee
Shroff on a stellar job! It was a
once in a lifetime event to have the Hall of Famer - Ray Lewis participate with
us in teaching football skills to Special Olympics athletes on Saturday at WPS. Not only did it build up the WPS Football
team, but we had a great time teaching these great kids about a sport we
love. I especially loved seeing
all fun personalities on the Special Olympics team from areas as far as Vero
Beach and Lake County. It was crazy how excited and hyped up they were to meet Mr. Lewis! Your tenacious and persistent nature
helped to get Mr. Lewis to attend – I am sure this was not an easy task. The questions you asked during the
interview helped me realize that he is a caring guy who is much bigger in life
than the sports figure on TV. He
gave some great advice and showed the power of dreaming and believing in yourself. Thanks for inspiring me Shailee!
This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at my local hospital in Dr. Phillips. My job, as a volunteer in the ICU, was to answer phones, transport blood capsules, and organize medicines by patients' names. After finishing those tasks, I was left to observe the environment around me. On one of my weekly visits after I had finished my assigned tasks, I saw a doctor struggling to communicate with his patient. The patient was an elderly man who only spoke Spanish. His family also spoke very little English. The doctor tried to communicate with the family but he realized the patient's family couldn't understand him. He stepped out of the room to place a call to the translator line to help him. After twenty or thirty minutes, a translator came to the room to help the doctor and the family understand what was happening. I was shocked at the length of time they waited and asked my dad, a physician, if this was a usual occurrence. He told me "oftentimes, doctors can not speak the same language as the patient and aren't able to provide the best care they can because of the language barrier." Additionally, doctors struggle to convey emotion and empathy in the same way they can with their English patients because many are forced to use Google Translate if they cannot afford to wait for a translator. This unfortunate circumstance showed me one of the major problems plaguing the healthcare community. I researched translation programs which would allow doctors to provide a similar level of patient care.
Day Translation: This is a medical translation service in which doctors can call and a HIPPA certified translator will translate and convey more meaningful information to both parties - doctor and patient (family). With live translation tones, pauses and dialectics are expressed more effectively than a robotic translator.
iTranslate: This is an app which will allow the doctor to speak into the phone and hear themselves speak out loud in the language they desire. This app seems to allow for a quicker method of communication while also allowing for more complex discussions and hopefully more empathy and emotion.
These two programs allow doctors to provide a similar level of care to their non - English speaking patients. Since Windermere Prep is partly international boarding students these same applications may be extremely useful to teachers as well. To promote camaraderie in and out of the classroom students should use these apps to get to know boarding students better!
I remember when the first day the Turning A Page project was introduced to me in 8th grade I was
nervous. I wanted to end middle
school strong and so I decided to do something unique. I wanted to do something that no one
had ever done before, and so I chose the topic of fortunetelling and
mysticism. I recommend to students
who are looking to challenge themselves to choose a topic out of the
norm. By not choosing a hobby or
something that I was familiar with, I learned new things. For example, I learned how to read
fortunes and I studied the culture of gypsies and fortunetellers. I think that choosing a topic that you do not know well adds a completely new meaning to this project.
Many students may believe
that they can start working on the project only a few weeks before their TAP presentation. I think that it is really
beneficial to start working on TAP as soon as you can because it takes a lot of
time to make your presentation the best that it can be. It gives you time to ask the teachers anything that you may feel
concerned about.
Before you start writing
your TAP script, start by writing out an outline. I personally preferred making a list. I numbered the
list from 1-10 and then I wrote the class subject and explained how my
topic could be connected to the subject. It helped to color-code the different class
topics. For example:
1. Edgar
Allen Poe (A Dream Within A Dream): Explained connection #1
2. Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven): Explained connection #2
5. The Giver (Conformity): Explained Connection #5
6. The Giver (Colors): Explained Connection #6
After you make your
outline, you should show each of your teachers the connections for their class
to make sure that they will accept all your connections. Also, it may be helpful when thinking of connections, to refer to Edmodo and look at all of the folders for each
class. For math I went through the
textbook and read the word problems because they can help for inspiration.
While you are thinking of
connections, come up with your visual aids. You can make certain connections by using visual aids. For example, on my topic of fortune
telling, I used items such as candles, a crystal ball, and tarot cards. Visual aids are extremely helpful if you
know how to use them to your advantage. I made numerous connections to what I read on the different tarots cards. For example I had written:
In the picture of the sun tarot card, you see the planets
revolving around the sun. Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist, astronomer,
engineer, and philosopher, proclaimed that the Earth and the planets in our
solar system revolved around the sun – a controversial idea at the time as the
common belief was that the planets revolved around the Earth. He was also known
for throwing two rocks of different sizes off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to see
if the heavier rock would hit the ground first. To his surprise Galileo
discovered that the rocks, no matter the weight landed on the ground at the
same time. As a result of his findings, Galileo theorized that objects of
different weights and masses would have the same amount of force pushing them
down.
It might be helful when starting to write out
the rough draft of your script, to print out your outline. While you type
different connections into the script, cross them out from the outline. By doing this you are making sure that
you include all of your connections into your presentation. When you are first writing up your
script, don't worry about making your writing perfect, just type an outline of
your presentation just indicating how each connection will be used. Once you finish the outlining, then go
back to finalize and revise it. With your finalized script, it is really important to time
yourself as you read it out loud to make sure that your presentation will fit the 15 minute time
frame. At first, my script was too long by several minutes and it took a long time to shorten my it down.
One VERY important thing
that I learned while making my script is that it is more about making the
connections than going extremely in depth on your actual topic. I struggled a lot with time because I
had long sections where I talked about my topic and very detailed connections. If you are struggling with time like I
did, first simplify the descriptions
of your topic before making big changes to your connections. Remember that you are being graded more on
the connections, than how detailed you were in explain the topic.
In your presentation, be
sure to think of a way to interact with the teachers. Your teachers do not want to hear a 15-minute long speech;
they want to feel as if they are being transported into the setting that you
have created. Think of how you can use the space that you are
given to your greatest advantage. Decorate your
presentation area by making it authentic to your project. For example for my fortune telling
topic, I decided to make a tent with a lot of gypsy fabrics and lanterns. I researched my topic to see how
gypsies decorated their space for fortune telling. I think the visual appearance was one of the biggest contributions that made my project different.
When you are at the final
stage of TAP where you are practicing the presentation, and you find it difficult memorizing the order of your script, it may be helpful to make a
few note cards with generalized bullets that will prompt you to remember what
to say next. Try to
separate your script out into different sections and take some time every day
to memorize each section one by one, this will make memorizing quicker. For memorizing, I found it helpful to read each section over and over again until I could say the written words without looking at the
script.
If you've ever found yourself floundering to maintain your grades, barely
getting by the first week of school, follow these tips and strategies I have
cultivated over my past two years as a high school student at Windermere Prep.
Time management and
Organization
When school, sports, and other extracurriculars
get crazy, time management is key to maintain a good learning experience. As a
high school student, or a student of any grade, you need to recognize what
needs to be done urgently and what can wait. The best way to do this is by
finding a system of organization. Whether it be a planner, Google doc, or a
notebook, find a place where you can organize everything that needs to be done
into categories: mandatory work, extra work, questions you might have, due
dates, reminders, notes, etc…This will let you know exactly what you have to
do, when, and what's coming up.
Talk to your Teachers
As much as you don't want to believe
it, your teachers are here to help you! Don't hesitate to ask them for help
after school or during SRT. A key piece of information worth remembering is
that when you actively invest in your education, your teachers will notice this
and think of you more often, finding ways to help you and always keeping in mind
what you might need. They will come to you with more detailed suggestions and
resources.
Review, Review, Review!
The best way to lighten up on studying
for a final, midterm, or even a test or quiz, is to constantly review. Create a
system where you review your classes, whether it be 15 minutes daily for each
class, or a couple hours on the weekend. Doing this keeps the knowledge fresh,
which will ultimately help you study effectively for big cumulative tests or
exams. This will also keep you from cramming, giving more time to process the
information. When you do this, studying is truly just review, not relearning!
Prepare for Classes
Another great way to stay on top of
classes, especially challenging ones, is to introduce the next topic to
yourself with some light textbook (or whatever resource is best for the class)
pre-reading. This sets up the unit for you and puts you at an advantage. Don't
worry if you don't understand at first, when you begin learning with your
teacher and other students, your questions will be gone! This gives you more
time to understand and process the concept.
Make use of your
Resources
This might be obvious, but don't
overlook any resources your teachers give you! These resources are an
opportunity, use them wisely! The most accessible and best ones are those added
by your teacher on Canvas. One of the best and most useful resources I have
found is the canvas calendar. With all your future assignments and tests
listed, you can see the exact workload for the upcoming weeks and plan
accordingly. If you still find yourself struggling with the class, ask your
teacher for more practice or good websites. You can also do your own research
and find websites and books to help.
Take Good Notes and be
an Active Student
Arguably the most important of these
tips is to be an active member of your class. If you have questions, ask them!
They are most likely legitimate questions that everyone else also has. They
also might bring up a good argument or sub topic that needs to be addressed to avoid
confusion later. You might just be doing everyone a favor when you ask
questions. You should also try to make connections and share ideas to the
class, as this could facilitate a well-rounded discussion with your peers.
Lastly, take. good. notes. Find what works best for you and stick with it. This
could be hand written notes, flashcards, typed notes…anything! Good notes does
not necessarily mean copy every word down. Good notes are ones that summarize
main ideas and include key details. You might also want to analyze the
information you have and apply it in different ways to test your understanding.
Learn, do not Just
Study
Make sure your priorities and reasons
for studying are well-intentioned. Do not just study to attain the "perfect
grade". Understand the information given to you, and be able to apply it. This
is how you truly make use of what you learn in school.
Recognize the
Importance of your Education
As much as we think the things we learn
in school are useless, and while we might not remember them or use them later,
that doesn't mean we shouldn't learn them! The benefit of learning something
"useless" is not in its content, but in the skills developed and used. These
classes teach us to think critically, analyze the information, and apply it.
Attaining knowledge at our level is an opportunity, so seizeevery minuteof it, whether you think it minuscule
or not. And perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give you, do it
for yourself. Do it for your self-improvement, for your enrichment, and for
your enjoyment. Find what makes you love learning and pursue it, no matter if
it isn't the safest bet. Be a reasonable risk-taker. No matter what you pursue,
if you do it whole-heartedly, you will find your way to success. Enjoy what you
learn and do it to become the best version of you, to become a well-rounded and
worldly citizen. And remember, grades are not the final and only measurement of
intelligence. As long as you are trying, improving, and working hard, your
grades will reflect that. If they don't, there might other aspects of an
education that you are stronger in, and those are just as important!
Learning a new language is not all about memorization, but it is
more about being passionate and creative.
Why be passionate? People cannot memorize things that they do
not like because those things will not be impressive enough to them in order to
be taken into their memory. Before learning a new language, you should have positive
feeling towards that language and ask yourself why you want to study it.
Your reason for learning a new language can be simple. For example, you may want
to learn Korean just because Korean dramas attract you. When you know your
purpose, you will be able to better identify your passion. The ability to like
a language so much will make the difference in the process of learning. Also, if
you are passionate about something, you will spend your time on doing it
frequently, thus you will improve more quickly than those who are impassionate.
After you know your passion towards the language, it's time to
accomplish your goal- use the language fluently. In order to succeed in this
area, you should be an active learner, not the passive one. What does it mean
to be active? You should manage your own plan as well as your own method to
learn. There are many ways to learn a language, and not everybody will have the
same ways, the same plan. You should find the way that is suitable for you so
that you can learn comfortably. Here are some tips:
For the beginner, you should know the basic vocabulary first,
this can be accomplished by using the website www.quizlet.com, or you can write
down words on notecards and stick them where you can see easily and frequently.
These places can be on the wall at the desk, on the door, or even neat the
toilet- as long as you see it frequently.
When you know the basics, you should learn how to apply you've
learned in daily life. When looking at something, try to reflect on related
vocabulary that you have just learned. By doing this, it is hard to forget the
vocabulary since it is already a part of your daily life.
Furthermore, you can watch movies in the language that you are
learning with subtitles so that you can practice listening skills as well as
your vocabulary.
For writing skills, you can write things that you like in that
language and find teachers or tutors who would be able to edit them for you. By
having people correct your writing, you will be able to remember your mistake
and avoid making it again.
Know -> learn -> apply. These three steps are important
and useful to learn a new language.
These are my tips. I hope that it can help you to accomplish
your goal in learning a new language!
Having effective study habits can reduce time and stress that
comes with schoolwork. Here are some way that can make your life easier:
#1- Learn
the Way You Learn
Everyone is individual with the way
that they learn. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic are the three different ways
of learning. Knowing what type of learner you are lets you study the
information in a better way. You will find better results when you personalize
the way that you study.
#2-
Deadlines and More
After receiving an
assignment, creating a schedule including deadlines and extracurriculars will
help you prioritize tasks. With less procrastination more sleep and less stress
will come. Having everything in the same place, like planner or calendar will
make life much easier.
#3- Teachers
Learning
how to talk to your teachers can be very beneficial. Most teachers are more
than happy to provide extra help. Not only will this help you on your further
assignments and tests, it also shows that you care about your academics. Some
grades are given though work ethic so talking with your teachers can also a
major grade booster.
#4- Studying
for the Test
When studying try not to think of
everything thing that has ever been said in class, this will add even more
stress. When you start to study, focus on the most important topics. Once you
have those topics and are confident with them, if there's still time before the
test, you can then move on to the smaller details.
#5-
Distractions Vs. the Quiet
When studying it is
easy to turn on the T.V or your phone and get off topic quickly. Doing this
however breaks your concentration and makes it harder to focus. With less
distractions, more studying can be done and the amount of time it takes to
study is cut down. If there is no place that you can study quietly, consider
studying at the library. Distractions also come from getting up and getting
things that you need to continue studying. Once you sit down to study, make
sure you have everything you need.
#6-Night
Before a Test
It is tempting to
hold off studying until the night before. You might tell yourself that it is
easier to learn more closer to the test in order to remember more. Create a
schedule for a couple days before the test. Take some time review your notes
and re-read important things in the textbooks. It might seem that that is a lot
to do, but that lets the information sink into your brain in a way more natural
way. Sleep is also very, very important. If you are tempted to pull an
all-nighter you will only be hurting your chances of getting an A. With a
proper amount of sleep, your brain will be in good shape on test day.
#7- Stay
Positive!
Positive reinforcement is a very important and
powerful thing. After finishing something for school, reward yourself. Whether
that be taking a break from studying to get some food, or watching some
Netflix, rewards are important. Breaks also can help improve studying, your
brain can only take so much hard work at a time. It will keep your stress
levels down and the information will also have a chance to sink in. With this
new mindset implemented, procrastination can be cut down!
Many students dedicate a lot of their time to extracurriculars,
sports, volunteer work, jobs, etc. I myself have dedicated my entire life to
gymnastics, where I spend every afternoon of every week practicing for
just a few moments of glory every year. Spending all of this time involved in
something like this makes you realize how important time is, especially when
you're involved in the IB program. After all of these years, I have picked up a
few tips and tricks on time management and how balancing your social life,
extracurriculars, and school work can be done effectively. I've finally learned
that balancing my time would help me in the long run and would relieve a lot of
unnecessary stress as well.
Firstly, realizing where your time is going helps you understand
how you could be using your time better and create a more efficient schedule
that lets you control where your time is being spent and how it could be spent
better. Setting priorities helps you focus on activities that are most
important and allows you to categorize the most important to least important
things you need to get done. The best way to manage your time is to stay
organized. I recommend using a calendar or planner and daily to-do list, to
check off items as you complete them. I also recommend doing tough tasks first
while you're fresh and alert and breaking large projects down into smaller
chunks to complete these projects more efficiently. I know my main drawback
when it comes to time management is procrastination. I've learned that the best
ways to avoid procrastination is to set daily priorities, try focusing for
short amounts of time instead of hours at a time, and attempting difficult
tasks at your high-energy time since your concentration will be easier then.
Don't allow interruptions, like a loud room to study or your friend's bothering
you, get in your way or else juggling your work may seem much more difficult
than it actually is and you'll just become more discouraged. These few tips and
tricks may just save you from a sleepless night of studying in the future.
Sports are exciting extracurricular
activities that keep you happy, fit, and engaged. But, there's a variety to
choose from, each fitting different personalities and abilities. It's great to
have an insight on multiple different sports so that you understand the
commitment and qualities used in each one. Many sports seem like barely any
work when watching, but you'd be surprised at how much practice and effort they
put in. I totally recommend playing a sport and trying new ones, but make sure
that don't just do it to play a sport. You want to find one that you'll enjoy
and will be a great addition to your daily routine.
I've put together a list of commitments
required for two fall sports (swimming and volleyball) since they're both very
popular and fun to try! It also includes what it's like to play it. I've gotten
volleyball information from experience, and interviewed a friend to learn about
the WPS swimming program.
Volleyball:
Practices
They are
usually 2 hours long and 5 days a week for JV, 6 days a week for varsity. Practices
usually involve running (as a warm up or if we make mistakes), ball control
warm ups (such as passing), controlled scrimmage, and a few other drills that
vary between practices.
Games
Before
games, players eat team meals together and then either start warming up, or
take a van to the game (if it is away). Each game is best out of 3 sets for JV,
and best out of 5 for varsity. If it goes into the last set, that will go to 15
points, while all the other sets go to 25 points. Varsity must watch half of
JV's game, and JV must watch half of varsity's.
3. Positives
It's an
exciting sport to play with friends and there are many positions for people
with different skills. There are different actions done throughout each game
such as hitting, blocking, setting, serving, and passing. People in the back
row pass (and occasionally hit), while people in the front row, besides the
setter (who sets) hit and block with an occasional pass. That way, if you
dislike one activity, but enjoy the other, you can specialize in your favorite
aspect of the game.
Swimming(Information provided by a brief interview with swimmer, Sophia Hill):
Q: How long are practices?
SH:
Practices for JV are usually an hour and a half, and practices for varsity are
typically two hours long.
Q: What exercises are usually done
during practices?
SH:
Practices involve a variety of exercises such as breathing exercises, relays,
arm and leg movements, and diving practice.
Q: How long and how often are meets?
SH: Meets
during the season are typically once a week, or twice if one is on a Saturday.
Q: What are some positives of doing
swimming?
Swimming has
multiple benefits, such as getting into shape, becoming stronger, breathing
better, plus the overall spirit of the team is very uplifting.
As you can see, they both have many commitments, but also many
benefits that come with them. I hope this helped you get a thorough insight on
these sports and motivated you to consider trying one!
Contrary to my 8th grade year, this year's team was very successful. I was adamant not to give up on playing softball even though the previous year we had was disheartening. We had developed very good team chemistry despite having no wins and we were feeling confident of having a better season. People seemed to sense this and wanted to be a part of our team. We had some experienced players come to our school and join our team furthering our enthusiasm. Having these skilled members, allowed our team to position players by skill not by necessity.
Our team and coaching staff worked together like a well oiled machine. Our compatibility coupled with a desire to win led to a change in our record from 0-12 to 10-6. As a dedicated, experienced member of the team, I was awarded the position of team captain, as a 9th grader. I continued to encourage others around me and I was determined to be the best teammate I could be. To improve my skills, I would take time after practice to do extra drills on the field or in the batting cage.
