Support Your Cheerleaders!

Come out and support those who support you! Your Alden Varsity Cheerleaders will be competing in two competitions for basketball season. If you think you’ve seen it all by watching them cheer at games and perform at half time then you are sadly mistaken. Competition is much more intense because the girls love to compete, therefore they are able to really get into the routine and give it there absolute all. After all, competition is everything that these cheerleaders work for. Don’t you appreciate and enjoy when fans come out and support you at your supporting events? Well the same goes for cheerleading. Everyone loves to have someone there cheering for them to win and to do their best. This helps to boost confidence, and also motivation as well. When there is a large crowd of people watching you perform your routine, you suddenly become very determined to give it all you got and to do your best. When the ones you care about most come out to support you, this also pushes you because you are working so hard to impress them and to not let you down. If you are interested in support the Alden Cheerleaders, they will be performing on Sunday, January 30^th at a competition held at Iroquois High School. The competition starts promptly at 9:00 am, the exact performance time of the girls has not yet been determined, however it will be sometime right when it begins due to the fact that they are competing in small division. The teams in small division always compete first. This competition will simply be used to prepare these girls for what they are really looking forward to, the ECIC Competition. The date of this competition is Saturday, February 5^th and it will be held at Williamsville South High School. The competition will begin at 9:30 am and just like the previous competition they will be performing in the morning hours; however the exact time is yet to be announced. There will be food and refreshments available for purchase at both competitions as well as keep sake, such as t-shirt and hooded sweatshirts. If directions are needed to either competition, don’t hesitate to ask Coach Puntoriero or captains Kelsey Osucha and LeeAnn Dorminy. They cheer for you, and they would love and appreciate if you could come out and cheer fort them!

Cheerleading 101!

Want to get the 101 on what being a cheerleader is all about?! Well, there are many aspects of cheerleading that many people are unaware of. Each team that is competing is expected to create a routine that is no longer than 2 minutes and thirty seconds. In this routine all of the following are required, stunts, jumps, tumbling, a dance, a cheer, and a pyramid. However, that is not even half of what cheerleading consists of. For stunts, there must be a single legged stunt and a pyramid, which is a mount where the flyers are always touching. The skill chosen for the flyers to conquer are up to the team members themselves, and they are scored based on how well the stick the stunt they choose to perform. As far as jumps goes, in order to receive the maximum amount of points a triple jump sequence is required, which means three jumps are hit right in a row without stopping in between.  Tumbling is always good to have because it helps bring in the extra points and adds pep to the routine. Tumbling can consist of something as simple as a forward roll, or range to something as difficult as a back hand spring or a back tuck. The dance segment of the routine can be whatever style of dance and for any amount of time. The girls are judged and scored on how sharp and difficult their movements and motions are. Basically the same thing goes for the cheer. They are scored on how tight the hit each motion and how in sync they are as a team. Projecting your voice is also very important during the cheer portion of the routine because you want to be as loud as you can possibly be and just blow the crowd away. On top of all that is required, each girl has to be sure to walk tightly to each formation and make sure that everything they are doing is neat and precise. They also have to make sure that they constantly have a smile on their face and are adding spunk in order to spice things up and make themselves interesting to watch. Cheerleading is a sport that requires many different skills and techniques.

Cheerleading takes dedication!

Cheerleading is an activity that is constantly in debate. Some people argue that cheerleading is not a sport, and others beg to differ. I am in fact one of those individuals that highly disagrees.  As cheerleaders, we put in just as much time and dedication as any other sport. We practice very often and put in many hours of hard work every week. We even have practices on the weekends quiet frequently in order to benefit ourselves. Cheerleading takes strength, flexibility, endurance, memorization skills, determination and so much more. While performing, perception is a key component. If one girl messes up the counts, it throws the entire routine off and will confuse all of the other team members. It may seem simple and as though anyone could easily pick it up, however this is not the case. We practice frequently for a reason, and that reason is because just like any other sport, cheerleading takes practice. Our job as cheerleaders is to motivate the athletes and to pump up the fans, whether it is for football or basketball.  We love the fact that we are able to be there for them and help cheer them to victory.  However, competition is what every cheerleader really looks forward to every season; it is everything that they work for. Competing allows cheerleaders the chance to get competitive and show the judges what they have to offer. Each team is put into a division, small, medium or large and then proceeds to compete against the other teams in their division for first place. Most athletes have hours to win it and prove their abilities; cheerleaders have strictly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. After completing a routine, although it is such a short period of time, you feel as tired and worn out as you would after sprinting a long distance. I am sure that if everyone who refuses to classify cheerleading as a sport tried it for one week; they would completely change their minds. Just like any other sport, we cheer, because it is something that we love to do and enjoy dedicating our time to!

Snow White*

For my choice blog I am going to write about the day I got my first car and the entire thrilling experience that came along with it. When it started to come closer and closer to that time to choose a car, I was very interested in an SUV. I always said there was no way that I was getting a car, that I had to have an SUV. I was just not into cars and I wanted something bigger, mostly because then I would not have to worry about driving in the snow. I never searched for any cars, nor online or just when I was out. Then, one day about one month from the day I was going for my road test, my mom called me and said that she had found the perfect car for me. I did not even want to listen to anything else that she had to say after she said the word car. However, the forced me to go look at it and planned on buying it because I didn’t really have a choice because they said it was perfect for me. So they dragged me along in the car to see it. I instantly fell in love. As soon as I inspected the outside, checked out the inside and took it for a test drive, I could not stop asking my parents if we could buy it right then and there. My parents took the woman up on her offer because it was such a good price for a car with such low miles. It was also in mint condition which made the deal even better! So now, I drive a white 2003 Pontiac Grand AM which I love. Never did I ever think that I would end up driving around a car, I thought for sure that I would drive an SUV. I even named my car snow white because she is white and I bought her in the winter. Getting my first car was a very exciting experience.

Super Bowl Sunday!

My Super Bowl Sunday has been spent the same way for as long as I can remember. Every year we have a party at my house and all of our family friends come over. Yes, this does mean that I get to spend time with my BFF Morgan Elizabeth Jude Dulski. Of course, I don’t think that we have ever actually watched any part of the game before. Usually the parents are all up stares where the big TV is watching the football game, while the kids are down stairs with the game on but doing other things that are more fun. The adults always put money in for their bet about who is going to win, at the end it is always entertaining to see whomever one freak out with excitement and hear everyone yelling at each other. Mostly all of the teen boys at my house are interested in watching the game, the girls usually not. For example Morgan and I normally talk about way more important things rather than watching the game. This year we will probably battle each other in the Wii since how we just got it for Christmas! Every year it never fails, my mom will come down stairs and make kids come up to watch half time with the parents. We never care about half time either, to us it’s nothing special and we would much rather be having our conversations, which are much more important.  The best part of the entire occasion is the massive amount of delicious food. Every family that comes brings a dish to pass and they are always amazing dishes. I don’t even eat a main meal all day because there are always so many dishes to snack on. Super Bowl Sunday every year is always a good time, due to the fact that I am able to hang out with all of our family friends and enjoy my time with them!

FB!

Social networking has had a significant impact on my life. The main social networking that I use is Facebook. I used to be a member of Myspace when I was in middle school; however I never use this social networking site anymore. Facebook is the most current and popular networking system. It is a very good way to get informed with all of the new drama that is going on in Alden. It is also very entertaining and fits into my schedule almost as a daily activity. It’s like a routine, go to school, go to cheerleading, come home, and then before bed check my Facebook. When my friends and I have sleepovers, Facebook is always right there with us! I can’t remember the last time that we have had a sleepover and not gone on Facebook to check everything out and see if anything new was happening. I don’t have many negative views on this social networking site. Yes, I do spend a portion of my time a day on this website; however I find it to be highly beneficial. I feel that it is so cool that I am able to be friends with people on it from across the world. Because of the creation of Facebook, I am able to easily stay in contact with my relatives from out of state whom I normally wouldn’t. Occasionally I text my cousins, but Facebook allows me to stay in contact with my aunts and uncles as well, and to see right away what they are up to and if there is anything new and exciting going on in their lives. I also love Facebook because I am able to more frequently keep in touch with my best friend who moved to Georgia, due to the fact that she doesn’t use her cell phone. Facebook has most definitely taken over a part of my life whether I realize it or not, however, I do not necessarily find this to be a negative impact. Social networking in general has impacted many individuals’ lives.

2010!

2010 has been a very successful and thrilling year for me. Although it has had its perks, like anything else I experienced multiple down falls. Right after the new year I signed up for my driving test. Although I was about to pass out while I was driving, I thankfully passed my test on the first try and was now a free woman to roam around with my friends.  In the beginning of the year the basketball cheerleading team was very successful at their competitions, which was a great way to start the year off. I also fortunate enough to go on vacation in the month of April to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with Mike and his family. This was a very memorable experience that I am so happy I was able to be a part of. During this year I was also fortunate enough to be on the Prom Court. Prom itself was a great time in my life that I have experienced. In 2010 I also became the President of Student congress. This was such an honor to me because it was something that I really wanted and knew I would enjoy being involved with. 2010 was also the year that I completed my junior year and was ready to move onto my final year of high school.  After high school in the summer I got my first job at the Alden Recreation Program. I loved this job because I was able to be around children and entertain them, so that they would have a memorable summer. During the summer I also enjoyed spending quality time with my friends who were seniors and were going off to college. After summer was over and we returned back to school I was accepted into two colleges of my choice, Daemen College and Medaille College and was given the Presidential Scholarship to both. I experienced so many other memories and great times that year. All in all, 2010 was a year to remember.

*Christmas Break*

For my choice blog I am going to write about my Christmas break. It was filled with some calm days, but also very adventurous ones. I started my break out celebrating the holidays with the ones I love most. On Christmas Eve, my mom’s side of the family all gathered at my house to celebrate Christmas. This was a very enjoyable family event where we all enjoyed our meal, opening gifts, playing ping pong and just spending some time together. On Christmas day we started out the day by opening gifts and having a nice breakfast together. I then went to Mike’s house to spend time with his family. After that we traveled to my grandmother’s house to be with my dad’s side of the family. It was a very enjoyable Christmas day. The rest of my break, during the mornings I just hung around and relaxed which was very much needed. I was able to catch up on my sleep that has been greatly lost because of waking up for school every day. Wednesday I had to wake up early however for cheerleading practice which was very successful. Two nights out of the week I did a sleepover with my best friends in the whole wide world. At our sleep overs we played the new Just Dance 2 game. I advise you to play this game Mr. Currin you would enjoy it. Then we went to people’s homes late at night and tapped on their windows to scare them, that was a ton of fun too. Other than going to the mall and hanging out with my friends, I also spent a lot of time with my significant other Mike. We had a lot of fun playing with my new ping pong table and watching movies. I really enjoyed having time off of school and being able to do that I wanted rather than being stuck in school all day!

2011!

The year 2011 has a lot of new things in store for me. This is the year in my life where I will be experiencing many new changes. This is the year that I will finally graduate and move out into the real world. All of your life up until graduation is mainly the same, with not many major changes. You do not have much independence or freedom, there is always someone there guiding you through the beginning of your life. This will be the year where I gain independence and start to realize what life is all about. However, before I graduate I must complete my senior year. I am having an excellent time so far my senior year and I am sure that the rest of the year will continue to be filled with lifetime memories and success. The majority of my summer for 2011 will be spent with my high school friends and celebrating our graduation. Once September rolls around I will enter a completely new world. New drive to school, new schedule, new classes, new friends, the fall of 2011 will be life changing. It is going to be a tough time in my life but I am very prepared and ready for it to come. I am ready to move on with my life in hopes of meeting new people and experiencing different surroundings.  In 2011 I plan on really buckling down at either Daemen College or Medaille College and focusing on my studies in order to maintain a high GPA. However I want to live up my college life and hang out with my new friends. Due to the fact that I love to cheer, I really would love to be able to cheer during college. Not necessarily at the college of my choice but for an All-Star team. 2011 will be a very challenging and adventurous year that I am greatly looking forward to!

Bestie for LIFE!

Out of all my friends in this world, Morgan Dulski is my best one! Although the majority of the time she loves to stalk people and creep on everyone, I still love her. I have known Morgan for basically my entire life. It’s so strange to look back on old pictures that we have of us from the intermediate school. We first got to know each other from our parents because they are also super close friends as well. We have even been on a few vacations together. We have gone camping with our families at Jelly Stone State Park and shared many laughs together. I have also gone camping to Allegheny with her family. In Allegheny we were able to literally come within 25 yards of a black bear! As Morgan started to run away I pulled the back of her shirt so that she wasn’t able to go anywhere and I ran past her, what a good friend, I know! Also, a couple summers ago her family took me on another vacation to Lake George. In Lake George, Morgan was even hypnotized and told the crowd that her name was Bethany? I am fortunate enough to spend countless memories with this crazy girl. Together we are like two peas in a pod. That’s what our mom’s tell us. Not only have I spent many vacations with Morgie Porgie, we have also spent several holidays together, now that’s true friendship! For starters we have spent Easter nights together twice. After our family gatherings we would get together for some fun girl time! Same goes with Thanksgiving. There have been multiple Thanksgiving nights that we have spent together. Morgan and I have also spent New Year’s Eve together for as long as I can possibly remember. All in all, Morgan and I have been best friends ever since I can remember and will be for the rest of our lives! I love Morgan Elizabeth Jude Dulski!

Little Red Wagon

One time in middle school, Morgan and I decided that we wanted to have a sleepover. We therefore decided to call Amanda Munn and invite her to our slumber party! Once she arrived we went to tops to buy a very heavy pound bag of candy. However, we thought that it would be entertaining to take Morgan’s Disney Princess walkie-talkies along with us and run around tops like fools with them. Of course, that plan failed. So when we got home we had another great idea to dress up like babies. We dressed ourselves in footie pajamas and put our hair in pigtails on top of our heads. We then proceeded to get Morgan’s old red wagon out of her garage. Amanda and I designated Morgan to be the one that we would pull in the wagon. After we got ourselves all prepared, it was time to hit the road. Morgan lives on Sandridge road, which is a fairly busy road. Amanda and I pulled Morgan a pretty good length down the road and we thought it was the funniest thing, and now I have no idea why it was so funny. Cars were driving by honking their horns and waving to us which made our little adventure even more entertaining. Anyways, as we were walking we realized we were pretty far down the road and decided that we should turn around to head back. As we started to cross and were in one of the lanes, it then occurred to us to check and look for traffic, and of course there was a big white van coming straight for us. Without thinking Amanda and I ditched Morgan and ran across the road into the ditch. We completely forgot that Morgan was in the wagon and was unable to run also. We then had to run back and grab the wagon and pull her into the ditch with us. We laughed so hard that Morgan even peed her pants. Yes, I will repeat. Morgan Dulski peed herself straight through her pants! This occurrence was one of the most memorable times that I have spent with my best friend Morgan.

summer job !

Over this past summer I was a worker for the Alden Recreation Program. Last year was my first year and many are yet to come. I absolutely loved my job. I was hired to basically spend time with children all morning and entertain them. This was a fun way for parents to keep their children entertained during the summer and it was also a chance for their children to meet and make new friends. The parents would simply drop their kids off and sign them in and then the rest was up to us. From 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. we had a group of very young children ranging from ages 3 to 5. Then at 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 a.m. children from ages 6 to 8 would come. The entire hour and a half was also filled with excitement and never really got boring. Every morning first thing we would read a book to the children and then have one of the kids count how many of them were there. We would then play a game such as a tag game or sometime even play on the playground, until it was time to make a craft! Every day there was a new craft ready to be made and the kids were always looking forward to making them. After the craft was over we would then continue to play some more games and if they were lucky enough they would even get a popsicle at the end to the day. Each day was the game for both age groups. I absolutely loved my job, mostly because I adore children and spending time with them. I also loved how I was able to form many close relationships with the children and even their parents. I was even invited to one of the girls 5^th birthday party with all of her friends in October which was a lot of fun. This was the perfect job for me and it fit my personality so well that I will be returning to this program every summer. Another perk about this job was that I never had to work on weekends and always had the remainder of my summer days free. Working for the Alden Rec Program helped me to truly realize that I would love to pursue a career that involves working with children.

Friendship

Friends

A friend is someone we turn to
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure
for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives
with beauty, joy, and grace.
And makes the whole world we live in
a better and happier place.

- Jean Kyler McManus –

I chose to write about this poem because I feel as though friendship is a very important aspect of life. Without friendship I honestly do not know where I would be. Whenever I need someone to talk to, I always know just who I can turn to. My best friend Morgan Dulski is someone who knows anything and everything about my life because there isn’t anything that I keep from her. She is the one that I turn to when I just need someone to vent to and share my secrets with. Morgan and I have been very close ever since we were little. Even to this day we remain just as close, if not closer to each other. We are also very fortunate because our moms are best friends. This is a huge bonus to us being friends because at every family friend party we get to be together! This poem truly reminded me of the friendship I share with my own friends. I always turn to my friends when I am down because I know that they are able to lift me back up again. When I am with them, they never fail to put a smile on my face. Friendship truly is a gift. They are the ones who understand you most and will have your back until the end. Mostly everyone’s early years of life are spent with friends for the majority of the time. We are with our friends all day at school, and on the weekends. Therefore they are the people who most of our memories are shared with. Everyone needs a true friend. Someone to lean on, share your memories with, to tell your dreams and someone to be a major part of your life. I liked this poem because I was able to easily relate it to my life due to the fact that I feel all of the same things about friendship. It helped me to appreciate the friendships that I have even more than I used to. It also made me realize how valuable having friends in your life truly is.

Online Publishing

Since the beginning of this course I have discovered many new things about myself as a writer. I have found out that I am much more creative than I have ever imagined and that coming up with story ideas isn’t that tough to do. As far as my writing process goes, I don’t exactly have one. I just type whatever comes to my mind as I am writing a blog or an article. If there are important things that I know I want to mention later on in my writing, I will type it at the bottom of my paper so that I will not forget. I generally like writing and don’t mind it at all. However I prefer to write about something that I myself can relate to. For example, I like to write about a past experience that I have encountered or a club or activity that I am involved with. I feel as though this makes it come easier to me because of the fact that I am familiar with the topic and feel most comfortable writing about it. I do not like to write about things like current events, or essays on a book and things like that, because I am unable to relate myself to them in any way at all. This class has had a major impact on my writing. I am now more confident with it and feel as though it comes easier to me. Being an editor I feel has also helped me to become a better writer. It helps me to know what mistakes to look for with my own articles. I am now very confident that I even offer to read over Mike’s college papers to make sure there are no errors. I am also able to provide him with advice if he needs it about his papers. Online publishing has definitely helped me to become a better writer and to also enjoy it more!

Beauty...

Beauty has a stronger meaning behind it than just the term in the dictionary. Beauty can be both internal and external. External beauty is what a person appears to me from the outside, which could show nothing close to the person who they really are. Beauty is something that is natural and not being fake. An example of fake beauty would be dying your hair, wearing fake nails and tanning, just to make yourself appear to be more beautiful. And I am sure we are all guilty of fake beauty but who isn’t. Unfortunately almost every one out there first judges people by their outer beauty, and not by what really matters. Internal beauty to me is having a sweet and sensitive soul.  Internal beauty is really what defines each and every one of us as a person. Having internal beauty is something that comes naturally to people. An individual in my life that portrays true beauty would be Morgan Dulski. Not only is she absolutely stunning to look at, she is also a warm hearted girl. I know this because we are so close I may know her just as much as she knows herself. She is such a good friend and I know I can trust her with everything. She is always very caring about sensitive situations and is always there to talk. Morgan is most definitely an individual that has beauty, inside and out. Beauty does not only have to be about people, but about life in general as well. Life itself is beautiful and we are all very fortunate to be able to be here. Every memory made and every laugh shared has a personal and beautiful story behind it. Nature is also beautiful as well. Whether it is the bright sun shining down onto a lake or the sparkling white snow trickling down from the sky, all aspects of nature are beautiful in their own ways.

Gnome!

One afternoon I was sitting on my front porch enjoying the sunshine. When I was absolutely shocked to see my neighbor Bill’s garden gnome walking straight towards me. I was rubbing my eyes and pinching my skin in disbelief. He just walked up to me as if nothing were unusual about the situation and told me that he had something very important that he felt he had to tell me. He proceeded to tell me that as he was sitting in Bill’s garden on the front lawn he saw something that completely shocked him. He said that he watched my other neighbor Sam creep up to my house in the middle of the day while everyone is either away at work or school. He then told me that he walked right up to the windows and started looking inside very carefully. He knew that something was not right with this situation so he hopped out of the garden and followed Sam around to the back of the house. Sam then casually opened the back sliding door as if it were his own house and walked inside. About twenty minutes later, Sam came out of the same door with his arms full of money and gold jewelry. So no one could see he ran to the fence that separates the houses and threw everything to his side of the fence. The garden gnome told me that he felt as though this was very important for me to know. I was very thankful that the gnome had shared this information to me. That night I called the police and peered out my window as the officers approached Sam’s door. Needless to say, my money and jewelry was sitting wide open on Sam’s kitchen table to I was able to get back what was mine!

Barney ROCKS!

My favorite childhood television show is most definitely Barney.  As I was growing up Barney was my world. I was pretty much obsessed with this show. I owned every Barney tape known to man and still keep them in a closest along with all of our other movies. When my grandmother would baby sit me and my parents would head to work I always asked my grandma to put in Barney for me and that kept me occupied for most of the day. Barney must have been a pretty good show because my sister was in love with it as well. My grandma would make us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut diagonally and we would be sit on a rug placed literally two feet away from the TV and stare in amazement. I have no idea why Barney was so amazing to me, but for unknown reasons he was. All he did was talk about manners and loving your friends and stuff like that, but somehow I was still obsessed with this show. Talk about a major Barney fan, that’s me. I had Barney everything as a child. A Barney blanket, Barney sleeping bag, Barney stuffed animals, Barney spoon, Barney Bowl, Barney cup, need I continue? All in all, Barney was amazing to me growing up and every now and then I still don’t mind popping some Barney tapes in and watching them. It’s funny now to watch them because and think of how much I used to love this show, but now I realize there was really nothing exciting about them at all. Barney ROCKS!

SPUD!

There were many games and activities that I used to play when I was growing up. However, my favorite childhood game would have to be the game spud.  My dad’s side of the family is very large; therefore I had many cousins to play with growing up. At every family gathering, spud was the game to play. All seven of my cousins and I would start the game off by standing in a large circle and one person would stand in the middle of the circle with a ball. Each individual was given a number 1 through 8, because that was how many people there were playing the game. After everyone picked a number out of a hat, the person in the middle would throw the ball into the air and while doing so call out a number. If you’re your number was called you would have to run and try to catch the ball. All of the other players would run away as fast as they could. Once the ball was caught, the person in the middle would call out spud and that meant that everyone else would have to stop running. The person in the middle could then take 3 giant steps towards anyone they wanted and throw the ball at them. The person who was tagged then becomes the person in the middle throwing the ball up and calling out a number. If the person in the middle missed and didn’t hit anyone with the ball, they then remained in the middle. We would continue to play this game over and over again until we eventually became bored with it. Out of all the games that I have played throughout my childhood, spud would definitely have to be my favorite.

Art..

The word art has a different meaning to all individuals. To some people art is just simply another word, and to another’s art is a way of life. Although I am not the best artist and do not spend all of my time painting and drawing, I do believe that art is in fact a way of life. Art can be physical, such as expressing yourself through dancing and art can be expressed by a pad of paper and a brush. Art is a great way to expression yourself because the sky is the limit. Art can not only express feelings but different cultures as well and each culture has a different way of expressing it. Individuals are also able to let loose of their emotions through art. Just by looking at a painting or drawing, you get a certain feel for exactly what kind of mood the artist was in while he/she was creating their piece. Art is all around us and not many people realize it. Math is a part of our everyday lives, whether it be when baking a cake or telling the time. Just like math, art is also. Mostly everywhere you look there is something that was created by an individual and most creations involve the use of art. Art could basically be anything that tells a story. Therefore, art can also be expressed through photography. For every photo that has been taken, there is a story behind it whether you believe it or not. A photograph is captured to hold a memory, and art can also be expressed to do the same. Some works of art are not able to be understood, however that is what makes the piece special to the artist because it holds a certain meaning behind it that no one is able to figure out. I feel a though art is a beautiful way to express your emotions.  

Starry Night

On a warm summer’s day, a young man named David was going through terrible experiences. He was so down because he knew that his day could not possibly get any worse. However he was wrong. When David woke up, he found his favorite pet rabbit lying dead in his cage. He was more than upset about losing his favorite child hood pet.  After he pulled himself together and headed to school, he was slightly nervous about finding out the results for his class election. He had run for the position of class secretary and was very hopeful about winning. When the announcements were made, David’s day only got worse when his name was not announced for the role of secretary. The day then only seemed to drag on. Once he returned home from school and the sun had set, he decided to go outside in his back yard and just think. As he was staring at the stars and was deep into thought, he thought to himself “if only a shooting star would fly by right now, then I could make a wish!” As strange and ironic as it seems just moments after David’s thought, he was thrilled to find a shooting star passing over his head. He quickly made a wish in hopes in hopes of experiencing better and happier days. After feeling confident that his wish would come true, David went off to bed knowing that the morning he would wake up to would be beautiful and bright. Sure enough, that next morning David arose to sunshine and birds chirping outside his window. David then continued to have an excellent day at school. That day he had found out that he had gotten an A on his final exam for his math class, and also that he had gotten accepted into the college of his dreams. Things sure did turn around for David, all thanks to that very special shooting star.