I Am Thankful For....

   In the world today, especially the United States, it is often hard to see the things that we need to be grateful for.  There are many things that seem "normal" and we tend to take them for granted. For example, I am thankful for the freedom of religion.  I do not know what I would do without my beliefs and if they were illegal, I think that I would be a completely different person than I am today.  In other countries a person who shows their beliefs in public could be imprisoned or in most cases even killed for what they believe in, but here in the states, we are free to believe and practice whatever religion we want to.  I am also thankful for the family that I have, because I know that when I get home, there is no hatred, and I know that I will be loved unconditionally even though there is the sibling rivalry at times.  I am also thankful for the freedom of speech.  This is a huge thing that most people in America take for granted, because in other countries the people there will be imprisoned if they speak out about their government, or in some cases they will be killed as well.  I am thankful for the home that I am able to live in, and for the food that I get to eat, so that there is no way that I will ever starve and go hungry.  I am also thankful for all the friends that I have, because even though I may be in a bad place, I know that I can count on them to be there for me, and I hope that they find me to be a shoulder to cry on as well.  I am thankful for all the teachers at Skyview who are always going to be there when I have a question, or I am just not catching onto something.  I know that it is hard not to take certain things for granted, such as family, or even food, but when it is shown that other countries or even fellow Americans do not have the basic things that we have, it becomes clear that we need to be grateful for everything that we have.

Our School is Most Definitely Different

       At Skyview Academy, we the students have a different mentality about school than most other public or even private schools do.  When a student walks into SVA, they may still have the grogginess of being tired and may not want to be there in the morning, but as the day progresses onward, the sleepiness starts to fade away and the student begins to enjoy the school atmosphere of laughing, talking to friends, etc.  At any other school, a student that walks into school typically enters their school with the same tired eyes, and will leave school with the same emotion.  At the other schools, usually the huge schools, students do not have the same family type atmosphere that we have at SVA.  At our school, if we are struggling with a certain subject, we know that we will be able to be helped by our teachers, we will receive smiles from people that we may not have classes with everyday, and our teachers know us by name, even if we are the quiet students that like to sit in the back of the classroom.  At other schools, the teachers just pass different classes and hope that they do not have to see these students again, because certain students have to repeat a grade, but at SVA the teachers genuinely want to see you succeed in school.  The students at Skyview Academy even have a different view on school.  We know that our job as teenagers is to be a student, and that in order to succeed in life we need to do well in high school, and then get into a college that will help us get jobs in the real world and become responsible adults.  The students at our school also know when something is wrong with another student, and will try and find a way to make that student feel happy again, whether it be as simple as smiling at them when they pass each other in the hallway, or they will sit and talk with them until they have to sprint to class.  Students genuinely care about each other here, and that is something that no other huge school has.  Other schools will have big-time bullying and no one to stand up for another when it occurs, but at Skyview nothing of that sort happens.  The SVA students also have a huge encouragement and support system.  At home sports games, huge amounts of students come and support the teams.  Outside of sports, students will encourage other students in homework, projects, and even when it comes time to vote for student council.  We the students will also celebrate each other when they have done something great, such as getting good grades on tests, homework, or also in completing a community service project.  This makes Skyview Academy different from all other schools, and that is why students here succeed in school and in life.  We can take our school mentality into our community by simply smiling at the people that we may pass everyday, we can do many different community service projects, such as volunteering at soup kitchens, donating unused or unwanted clothes to a homeless shelter, etc.  It is not that hard to bring our school environment to our community, all we need to do is act out our mentality, and then we, the students at Skyview Academy, will truly succeed as students, but also as citizens of the United States.  

From Bellbottoms to Skinny Jeans

   Looking back into the depths of 1970s fashion, Bellbottoms were the bomb diggity of the time. Nowadays in the 21st century, Americans look back at that fashion and say "wow, people actually wore that?" It's the truth, our world has changed its fashion choices since the 20th century. The fashion in Hollywood now tends to be skin-tight jeans with belly shirts and stiletto heels, whereas the celebrities in the 70s were proud to strut their Bellbottom jeans and block heels (male and female). As for guys the fashion has changed as well from the disco era. During the disco, guys would wear really short shorts and T-shirts, or the famous mega flare jeans.  Now guys are afraid that their pants are going to be too short, so they wear shorts down to their knees and pants that have their waists at their knees, because they are afraid to wear a belt.  As for every day life for the average American girl, the fashion is skinny jeans, which can come in multiple colors such as green, bright blue, pink, etc., pioneer styled boots, and a cute sweater to go along with it. Guys on the other hand, will also wear either baggy pants or skinny jeans with shoes that are three times bigger than their feet.  All of this comes to show that fashion culture has changed over time, some for the better, and some for the worst.


Source:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=1970+Fashion+for+Women&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail&id=633D30D57E3DC9D6C156F6C26B397C97D6A9C2D1&selectedIndex=52