Senior Moments

So far, my senior year has been about as memorable as the other years of my high school career.  There have been sad moments, funny moments, boring moments, and nerve-racking moments.  As far as school work goes, I have had to worry my way through my first Calculus test, two Economics tests, two experiments in Chemistry 2 with semi dangerous chemicals and several essays for English IV.  As far as accomplishments, yesterday I found out that I won the election for NHS Treasurer, which I was really hoping for.  The fun moments have been hanging out with my friends.  Since my friends and I make up the TSA film team, we've been spending A LOT of time together planning everything out for our competition piece this year.  We've been to the UTPA library and several fast food restaurants until about 8 o'clock on weekends discussing all the details for our film.  It's hard and it takes a lot of work, but some of the things we come up with are hilarious.  If the rest of the year is similar to what it has been like so far, that definitely wouldn't be too bad. 



http://www.squidoo.com/Class-of-2011-TShirts

A generation of nincompoops?

I think people's opinions of today's younger generation depends on who you ask.  Some people from previous generations think that we are missing out on learning the most basic of skills.  Others admire us for our extensive knowledge in other areas, such as technology.  From an objective point of view, I would have to say that, while I do believe that technology is important, I also think that it is being taught at the expense of other important life lessons, such as how to address a letter, how to write a check or even how to do simple calculations in your brain instead of relying on a calculator.  However, from the point of view of a member of the generation being targeted, I would have to say that the older generation also has some changes to make.  They have to accept that some things from their time are being replaced.  There isn't a need for ice cube trays anymore, so why should we know how to use them?  Eventually, the entire postal system may be old and outdated, so why do we need to know how to address an envelope?  Furthermore, there are a great number of people from the older generations who have no idea how to send an email or put together a powerpoint presentation, skills that seem just as important to us as the previously mentioned ones do to them.  Ultimately, there are two sides to every opinion, and this one is no different.

Photo by Patrick Whittemore

Wheelock College student Sheena Witkum uses her laptop to access the laundry room’s Web site, which indicates when the machines are in use and sends e-mails and texts when loads are finished.

For the full article, go to:  http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_05_16_Get_a_load_of_college_s_wired_laundry_room!/ 

What's Good on TV?

I have several TV shows that I watch obsessively and I pretty much have a favorite for each category of TV shows.  First of all, the only reality show I watch is Dancing with the Stars, which is on ABC on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Secondly, my favorite doctor show is Grey's Anatomy, with House coming in as a very close second.  My favorite law-related show is Castle, which premiered on Monday night, and my favorite sitcom as of right now is Melissa & Joey on ABC Family, but I've only seen about two episodes of it.  Sadly, local and national news programs come in last on the list of programs I like to watch.  I usually only watch them early in the morning or late at night when I have free time, which hardly ever happens. Then there are all of the new shows coming out this week, which I don't really pay attention to because I already watch too much TV.  I'm looking forward to all of my favorite shows starting again, but it might not be a good thing in terms of my school work.  Luckily, I have a DVR, so I can record all of my favorite weekday shows if I have too much homework and catch up on them on the weekends.  My advice to you if you don't have a DVR is to GET ONE!  It's the best invention ever.

Photographing Concerts

I would like to see and photograph a Brad Paisley concert.  I've been to two of his concerts before and there was so much to see.  He has dozens of guitars, all specially designed for him, he puts together animations that are put up on the screen behind him, and does a lot of different types of tours.  For example, he was here a couple of months ago on his H2O Tour, which involved a mobile water park set up outside of the State Farm Arena.  After getting these photographs, I would probably just keep them for myself.  However, if I was able to, I would like to create an online photo gallery or even post them on my blog so I could share them with whoever wanted to see them.

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A Day in the Life of Elizabeth

Early Morning Free Time.  Elizabeth, 17, has an animated conversation with her friends in front of school before the morning bell rings.

Competitor.  Elizabeth looks over information for a documentary competition during a meeting with her film team members.

Brainstorming.  Elizabeth writes ideas on a chalkboard at the UTPA library during a TSA film team meeting.

 

Yard Girl.  Elizabeth handles a weedeater as part of her weekend chores at home.

Hats off.  Elizabeth takes a nap during a free period at school.

If You Had the Power...

If I had the power to change just one thing at my school, it would have to be all of the little things that happen in and around the building.  For example, right now the entire school is freezing cold for no reason and other days the temperature is so high that it's actually cooler outside.  Then there is the continuous construction.  Last year, it was the gym remodel and the covered walkway.  This year, it is the reconstruction of the entire front parking lot and walkway.  I know that they have to be done and that there were reasons why they couldn't be done during the summer, but there must be ways to limit the amount of inconvenience they cause.  These problems have little to do with my education or my classes, but when you spend seven and a half hours, five days a week, nine months out of the year in the same building, the little things really seem to add up until they seem like a major problem.

Do you have what it takes to be a photojournalist?

I think being a photojournalist is like being a reporter with an instantaneous deadline.  If you blink, you might miss the opportunity for a great picture.  Photojournalists have to capture emotions, actions and stories in one frame.  I think it must be a lot harder than just being a photographer or a journalist.  To be a good photojournalist, you have to be curious, independent, decisive, objective and driven.  They have to be willing to risk their lives for the sake of journalism, which is beyond dedication in my opinion.  I don't think I would like to be a professional photojournalist.  Although I really like photography, I like being able to decide what I photograph.  Furthermore, I don't work well under pressure, which is a very important quality to have in all kinds of journalism.

Constitution Day Cartoon

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with citizenship and immigration laws.  This cartoon concerning the current issues with illegal immigrants seems to imply that the U.S. is divided into two groups - those who believe the 14th Amendment works and those who believe a change is in order.  Both groups are supporting a cause for the good of the country, as is implied by the snake on the man's tie.  Living so close to the border, where immigration issues directly affect us, I know many people have strong opinions on this.  Personally, I would not be here if it weren't for the 14th Amendment.  I am the  descendant of an illegal immigrant.  With this being said, I am obviously grateful for the right of citizenship given to me and my parents at birth, but since the times of my ancestors, the problems concerning immigration have grown to enormous proportions and the debate over ways to fix it has become a lot more heated.  I can't say that I completely agree with either side, but I do know that the heart of the problem goes a lot deeper than the 14th Amendment.  

Photographic Fakery

In a post-photoshop world, there is practically no way to tell whether an image is real or not.  Photojournalists' credibility is being called into question.  The news tells of events that its readers would otherwise never know about and have no way of validating, making it very easy for journalists and photojournalists to take advantage of their readers' lack of knowledge.  This is understandably creating a sense of mistrust between the media and the general public.  Since there isn't a way for the readers to know for sure if a photo has been altered, photojournalists should have enough credibility to produce pictures that convey only the truth.  Maybe by doing this, they will eventually build up a reputation of trustworthiness.

Good Luck Fishies

The key to success at BETA is a really hard thing to acquire even as a senior.  As a freshman, succeeding seemed like the most daunting task I had ever been met with.  Now, with all the wisdom that comes from being at the top of the class system of BETA, I believe there are two types of success - social and academic.  My advice to the freshmen of today as it pertains to the first is to join as many clubs as they can possibly handle.  Even if that doesn't make them "popular," they can learn a lot by being a part of something that includes upperclassmen as well as underclassmen.  However, as a freshman, you still have to accept the fact that you are going to be a target.  Just put up with it for one year and before you know it, you will be a sophomore picking on the next group of freshmen.  That's just the way it works.  As for academic success, I would say don't let it overwhelm you.  The work here may be a lot more than what you are used to, but eventually you learn to adjust.  The most important thing to remember when it comes to work is that you have to be willing to make sacrifices.  Sometimes you will have to choose between working to get a good grade and having a social life.  At other schools, it may be enough to just pay attention in class and put a minimal amount of effort into school work.  However, at BETA, just doing enough to get by isn't enough.  Eventually, it will catch up with you.  The one most important piece of advice I can give you is that if you actually want to be here and you want to succeed, you'll find a way to do it no matter what.

The First Three Weeks of the School Year

So far, senior year is not living up to what I had thought it would be.  It isn't horrible but it isn't all fun and games either.  As always, the first few days of school were full of nothing but confusion over the new A and B lunch, class schedules, homerooms and more.  Unfortunately, I discovered on the first day that I have the exact opposite lunch schedule as my best friend.  I was and still am very disappointed about that, especially since it's our senior year.  However, the worst development of all so far is that I can't have a locker in the Senior hall.  : ( Mine wouldn't work and after a week of trying to get it fixed, the front office assigned me a new one in the Junior hallway.  The only silver lining there is that it's a top locker so hopefully nothing will fall on my head.  The homework isn't as hard as it was last year, so I'm focusing more on extracurriculars and the dreaded college application process.  Hopefully that will be more exciting than actual school.  I guess I'll find out.
                                                                                                                     

This year's hot hang out in Ms. Roge's. 



A security guard patrols the hallways during class, waiting to interrogate anyone without a hall pass. 



Underclassmen try their hands at Chemistry by doing simple experiments in Mrs. Camarena's class.