Senior's $10 Back On Permits

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Batesville High School.

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Refund Senior's $10 for parking permits.

The graduating class of 2012 should not have to pay $15 for a parking permit that last one year, while the sophomore and junior classes must pay the same amount for a permit that last them two or three years.
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Sincerely,



Nathan Edwards Jr.

Junior to Senior

Going from a Junior to a Senior will be a major change...acutally not really. Being a senior will be the exact same as every year of high school. I don't have a lot to say about it so...have a great year.

Anthem

Ayn Rand has written some very powerful pieces of literature, and "Anthem" is no exception, though it is on a different level than most of her works. First off, it is much shorter than, say, "The Fountainhead" or "Atlas Shrugged" which are both long and intense reads. "Anthem" applies the same principles of objectivism that are found in others of her works, but in a more condensed version. If you haven't read Rand before, I would definitely suggest starting off with this one before moving into one of her 1000-page works; it puts all of her beliefs and ideas into a nutshell and prepares you for the real thing. It is in itself a good story; the story of a man without a name in a society where everyone has a place, whether they like it or not. It is a futuristic world, but not in a sci-fi sense; rather, while the calanders have advanced the world has gone backwards. It is a very insightful look into the dangers of one of the most noble ideas, communism, and a nice introduction to the Ayn Rand mindset.

Night

Night is a terrifying account of a Nazi death camp that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family... Night awakens the shocking memory of evil at its absolute greatest and carries with it the unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again.

Thirteen Reason's Why

If you like books that make you rethink the way you act; you will like Thirteen Reason's Why by Jay Asher. This book has a lot of depth inside the pages. The characters go through struggles, and I went through them with the characters. This book drew me in and really made me think about how I treat people.

The plot of this book is dripping with sorrow and emotion. Clay receives cassette tapes. When he listens to the tapes, he hears the voice of Hannah Baker, the girl he had feelings for, and also the girl that committed suicide very recently. Clay is baffled and can't really believe what he hears. The tapes were made to tell thirteen people why they had a hand in her suicide. This causes Clay to rethink every detail of his time with Hannah, but he can't figure out what he had done to make her want to kill herself. Clay learns a lot about Hannah through the tapes. The reader also follows along with not only Hannah's story, but Clays emotions as well.

While Clay listens to the tapes, he struggles to keep control. There are times when he is grieving, when he is angry, when he wants to cry, and also there are the times when he remembers a good time with Hannah. Clay struggles through the whole book because he thinks he could have kept Hannah from killing herself, if only he would have said something. The reader also sees Hannah's struggle. She wants someone to notice, but she distances herself. Hannah's main struggle was with herself.

After reading this book, I really considered how I treated everyone. This book taught me not to be selfish. Thirteen Reasons Why also made me appreciate people more and made me want to become a better person. Anyone who reads this book will question how they interact with others and if there is a Hannah in their lives.

Jay Asher did an amazing job. Thirteen Reasons Why is not a book for younger readers. This book was made to take a deep look at teenagers’ lives and how some things can change one girl’s life forever. One thing can set off a chain reaction. Jay Asher helps us realize this.

2011 Theme Word(s) (A True Leader)

What makes a leader a true leader? You could ask any person on earth that question and you could get millions of different opinions. Well my English teacher has told my class to choose a theme word for the 2011 school year, and told us to blog about it, so here is my blog about my theme word(s).

A true leader to me has many different "good" qualities. If the leader is a General in a war, and he saves a life by sacrificing himself for that person, then that is a true leader because he is leading by example.

A true leader is a type of leader that does more good than bad for his or her country, but only if they do it rightfully and try not to hurt anyone in the process. A true leader would gain a country freedom for their citizens without a massive war or killing spree. But a leader can also be a true leader doing bad things, such as Adolf Hitler. He was a true leader to his people until he became mad with power and tried to take over the world.

The reason I chose (a true leader) for my theme word(s) of the year is because, here in modern day there are not many true leaders. People do not care enough to be a true leader, most would like to take the easy route rather than do the right thing. I think that people should try their best to try to become the best "true leader" that they can be.

The Giver

Jonas lives in a perfect society--no pain, no crime, no unhappiness. But when he receives his life assignment to be the Receiver of Memories, he discovers secrets about the past, and the terrible choices that make this world possible.
In the perfect future world in which Jonas lives, twelve-year-old children are given their life assignments at the Ceremony of Twelve. Jonas is shocked when he is chosen to be the new Receiver of Memories, a mysterious position of honor held by only one person at a time.

He is trained by the previous Receiver, now called the Giver. The training consists of transferring to him memories of a past (before the imposition of Sameness) that the others in the community can't even imagine, in which there was war, hunger, and disease, but also color, weather, and strong emotions. Gradually Jonas comes to understand, and resent, the choices that had to be made to create his world, and the terrible secrets behind its perfection.

Together he and the Giver create a plan to change the way his world works, but before they can carry it out Jonas is forced to make a decision that may destroy them all.

The Titan's Curse (pgs. 312)

Can a Goddess be kidnapped? Well in the third book of Percy Jackson's life, Artemis has just proven that question right. Artemis has been missing for some time now, and Percy with some of his friends must find out what happened.

They must find Artemis before the winter solace, or else there might not be no war against the Titans. The Titans have been trying to escape their prison for years, and now they have, but some of the Gods have been corrupt for a long time. They must find her, not only because she is a Goddess, but because Artemis thinks that there should be a war, also she is very talented in the ways of war.

Artemis was also a skilled hunter, when she disappeared she was hunting a rare monster that could very possibly destroy Olympus forever.

The Titan's Curse tells more about the Greek Gods and Goddesses than any other book of the series. This book is full of excitement, adventure, mystery, questions, and answers. For all that have read The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, this is a must read!

BOOT CAMP

In the middle of the night, Garrett is kidnapped from his home and taken to Lake Harmony, a disciplinary boot camp for troubled teens. Beaten, humiliated, stripped of his pride, and starved half to death, Garrett is abused almost to his breaking point. He will not be allowed to leave until he admits that his "mistakes" were wrong and repents completely...whether he's guilty or not.

Lake Harmony sounds like a peaceful place, but really Lake Harmony is basically a prison for teens. Razor wire tops the edge of the fence that rounds the whole area, there is a place called TI that is basically solitary confinement, but with fewer privileges. You must lay on the floor face down for weeks, and the only time you get to get up is to eat and use the restroom.

Depending on how much trouble you get into during your visit at Lake Harmony, TI can be an uncomfortable place or complete Hell for a teen. If you speak out of line you get put into TI for a week. If you break a rule you are put in for a week and beaten once daily. If you really mess up... well lets just say that TI is literally a living Hell.

Boot Camp has action that keeps you on edge until the final letters. I do recommend this book for a good read, but be prepared for the unexpected twist at the end.

(Pages: 235)

Book 2: The Sea of Monsters (pgs. 280)

The Sea of Monsters, Percy Jackson's life continued in another thrilling book of adventure and excitement. Percy has had an amazingly quiet seventh-grade year at his New York prep-school campus. Not a single monster has set foot on his campus, but all that is about to change.

Percy and his classmates were playing an innocent game of doge ball, when the game turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants. Also, Annabeth has come to find Percy, and tell him that the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy. If Percy does not find a cure in time, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed by all the jealous Gods and Goddesses.

In the hugely anticipated follow-up to The Lightning Thief, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family-one that makes him wonder if being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor, or simply a cruel joke. Now Percy and a few of his friends must journey into The Sea of Monsters to save their beloved camp.

Will Percy find a way to save the camp, and figure out if being Poseidon's son is an honor or not? Will Percy ever live a normal life? These are only a few questions you will be wondering about when you start reading this amazing book.

The Lightning Thief

Are the Greek Gods and Goddesses real? Could they really blame a twelve year old for stealing Zeus's master lightning bolt? Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief tells of the dramatic realistic adventures of a young boy named Percy Jackson.

Percy, has been kicked out of boarding school ... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook. So how come only he can see them? Why can't his best friend Grover see all the crazy things pop out at him, or can he?

Because Percy has just now been informed by his friend Grover, that he was blamed for the stealing of Zeus's lightning bolt. Percy and his friends must ,within ten days, find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. The complications, that sound almost impossible to complete, really adds to the intensity of this outgoing book.

When the reader reads The Lightning Thief they tend to realize that some of the actions, or events in this story could actually happen. I for a matter of fact have realized that my life has had events similar to the ones read here.

Without a doubt, I would recommend this book to any person who loves Greek mythology, action, mystery, or all the above. The Lightning Thief hits some major points in life, and at the same time tells a great life story of a young boy.

The Not-So-Well Known Side of Chad Kroeger

When the name Chad Kroeger is mentioned, my first thought is Nickelback. Chad Kroeger is the lead singer and guitarist for Nickelback, a Vancouver-based band. What generally isn’t thought of when Chad Kroeger's mentioned is his myriad of other accomplishments. A multitude of diverse happenings also define Chad Kroeger.

To begin with, Chad Kroeger put a lot of work into making Nickelback successful. He taught himself how to play guitar when he was thirteen. According to starpulse.com, Chad was in a band that failed before he assembled Nickelback. After pulling the members together, Nickelback released a demo and a full length record that gained in popularity around Canada. A few years after their break in Canada, Nickelback hit big in the U.S. with their release of “How You Remind Me”. Chad Kroeger was responsible for the majority of the band’s lyrics.

However, Chad did not limit himself to performing with Nickelback. Chad worked with a variety of people. In 2002, Chad paired with Saliva’s Josey Scott to make “Hero”, a song featured on the Spiderman soundtrack. He also was featured on Carlos Santana’s album Shaman, in the song “Why Don’t You and I”. Although Nickelback does not make a habit of covering songs, Chad did a cover of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” with Dimebag Darrell and Kid Rock. This song was featured on the soundtrack for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

Chad Kroeger has not limited himself to performing either. Along with the work he does for his own band, Chad has done production for numerous bands such as; Default, Theory of a Deadman, and Bo Bice. Chad Kroeger also co-founded the Vancouver-based 604 Records in 2002.

With accomplishments such as these, there is really no wonder how Chad Kroeger is doing so well. Many of these accomplishments are made outside of Nickelback, something I was unaware of until I read a biography on Chad Kroeger on starpulse.com.