Tags: cheerleaders, Orchard Farm, Orchard Farm Elementary School, Orchard Farm High School, Orchard Farm Middle School, varsity
February 2009
Monthly Archive
Cadet program provides many opportunities for teens
By Nikki Meyer
Amp writer
Every Monday night at the National Guard Armory in St. Peters, you can find an amazing group of young people practicing military drills beneath the glow of orange streetlights.
These young people belong to the Civil Air Patrol, also known as the CAP. It is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. The Civil Air Patrol’s mission is to teach cadets about aerospace and emergency services using cadet programs that allow youth to grow and become better people.
(more…)
By Cynthia Zhang
Amp writer
In children’s fantasies, candy shops are places where magical dreams and deepest wishes come true.
The reality is not quite so fantastic. But walk through the doors of the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company in St. Peters, and you will swear there must be Oompa Loompas in the back room.
(more…)
I’m going to make a wild guess and say that at least a few of my fellow AMP writers keep a personal journal or diary. Some people write in journals every day, some write only once in a while. But many writers enjoy having their own place to store their thoughts.
I keep a personal journal (quite a few, actually), as sort of a record of my life and a place to store my memories. I write about feeling happy, sad, satisfied- angry, frustrated, stressed- all the emotions come out on the page. When I look back I can see how I reacted to certain events; it shows me how much I’ve grown and matured, both as a person and a writer.
Sometimes, paging through an older journal, I’ll read about events I completely forgot about. I don’t always record dates, so sometimes I have to do guesswork about when it took place. Sometimes an old photo is tucked away between the pages.
When I was about seven, I filled a whole journal with memories from the house I had recently moved from. The move was a big event in my life, since I was leaving everything and everyone that I knew. Into it I put stories of my old friends, and descriptions of them and their pets. I talked about the games we played and drew a map of our little house. I talked about how sad I was to leave it and how I felt when my best friend moved. Writing comforted me even then and helped me keep those tearful memories tucked away, which I can laugh and smile over now.
My journals are filled with memories, some of them sad. But it’s also filled with good things- stories of things I did with old friends that never fail to make me laugh. I think keeping a journal is a good way to remember things…someday you may be glad you wrote them down to keep.
So soccer try outs for my school are on Monday. I’m freaking. I’m a sophmore and I love soccer, although I prefer indoor, out door is fun. Last year I was going to try out but I fell down a flight of stairs and sprained my ankle so I have no idea what to expect…
I play soccer for fun, I love the game and I enjoy exercising while playing a fun sport with my friends but I’m no pro. It’s different playing on a club team, there’s not a lot of pressure. High school though… some of the girls are hard core players, wanting scholorships for college. I feel like even if I do make the team I would be letting them down by not being the best.
Not only that, I can’t drive, so that means my grandpa has to pick me up every day from practice and I feel bad… I can’t do anything about it but I still feel guilty.
So why try out? I’m the kind of person who regrets things. I regret not doing my absolute best freshmen year. I regreat not being the best soccer player I could be. And I know I’d regret not trying out for the soccer team. So even if I don’t make the team, at least I can tell myself that I tried.
The phrase “teen starts charity” results in over two million hits in Google, ranging from Alex’s Lemonade Stand (a children’s cancer society founded by a four-year-old) to Teenangels LA (a charitable fund raising community started by 15-year-old Remy Greeno). Where are these children finding the strength to found their own charities when most adults refuse to even share some kindness with a homeless person?
In fifth grade, I loved to read—I read anything I could get my hands on, from book series to the newspaper. Over Christmas break, I read an article about some foster kids in the newspaper. The article asked for some supplies for the kids, like clothes and toys. I thought for a moment about a book I was reading that featured a child of foster care; then it clicked. Had these kids ever read a great book? Did they have an escape from their stressful lives, away to a land where anything could happen? I wanted them to have that.
After talking to my parents, I started collecting books. At first, it was just maybe twenty books from my own collection that I deemed the best. Then, I got some from my friends. Word got around to my school and soon my bedroom and basement were piled with hundreds of books! I had everything from dusty tomes to Calvin and Hobbes comic books. My parents collected books from people at work, and we drove around garage sales to ask for any books that were for sale. After a few months, I had collected at least one thousand books of every shape and size. We gave the books to Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, a home for abused children.
My question is, what makes kids different from adults? Does their innocence make them naive to the harshness of the world? Or should we all try to be more like them? Maybe the world would be a better place if we could reflect their enthusiasm in serving others.
Loading ...