Week 1- 2-4-25 Mode: Classification Topic: Healthy Friendships Healthy friendships are important and necessary for healthy youth. Having a healthy friendship means having a place to share your feelings and thoughts with no judgement, and to find connection with others. For instance, when you have a question about something important, having a good friend that you can use as a sounding board or get good advice from is great. One of my friends is great at listening without judgement. Sometimes I feel silly asking seemingly stupid questions in class, but I know that I can turn to this friend and she will answer my question and not shame or judge me for having this question. I asked her a question about something the other day that I should've known, but I didn't understand it. She explained the concept to me without causing me to feel bad for this question. Another facet of having a healthy friendship is recognizing what the relationship is built upon. If the friendship is built about a negative foundation, such as a common distaste of math, then that will be the center of the relationship, when in reality the foundation should be based on a love for each other. Week 2- 2-10-25 Topic: Failing A Class There is an issue that many students face- failing a class. This can occur for a variety of reasons. One thing is not attending your class. Failure comes as a result of not doing assignments, and if you don't go to class, you can't do the assignments. Another thing that could cause you to fail a class is poor performance. This ties into the assignments aspect. If you don't do well on assignments and tests, you won't pass the class, as it is based off the work you do. A final cause of failing a class is just not caring. If you don't care, you're not going to try: to do assignments, to show up on time, etc. Week 3- 2-24-25 Topic: Fall is the best season Fall is the best season. In Spokane, it is a perfect temperature. The air is crisp but not cold, just refreshing. Along with that crisp air comes a crisp scent. There air smells clean, not stifling as it does in the summer. Around Spokane, there is a variety of fun activities for all sorts of people. One popular attraction is Greenbluff. There they have animals, crops and good food. Spokanites rave of the pumpkin donuts, when you bite into them, a comforting explosion of pumpkin and cinnamon sugar greets their mouths. The gentle rustling of a fall breeze lifts hair and sends leaves falling. While still on the trees, the leaves boasts a beautiful variety of colors. For me, football and cross country make the season. The feeling of running in the cool air and taking in the bounteous beauty of the tres lends to a feeling of peace like no other. There's also nothing like sitting down, turning on the TV, and watching a good game a football. It brings a great sense of excitement. Fall truly is the best! Week 4: 3-3-25 Topic: Junior v. Freshman Year Junior year is very different from freshman year. To start, freshman year there are all sorts of new experiences to behold. There's clubs to join, sports to play. To contrast with junior year, most people find what they like and are active in the clubs they like. Junior year is more settled and less flashy due to the experiences that were once surprising but are now commonplace. As a junior, there is also the ability to drive. There's games and activities to go to, and as a junior you can go with friends or take yourself, and your parents don't have to drive you. As a freshman, it's rides all the time. One similarity is most of the the school and friends stay the same. You can have the same friends and have that support system still. One of the biggest differences can be the difficulty of classes. Most students take the hardest classes their junior year. This can lead to great stress, but it can also be the most fun. Sure, there are hard classes and the stress that comes with it, but junior year also brings a feeling of settlement and enjoyment in the activities and opportunities that one haves when they can drive. Week 5: 3-10-25 Topic: Cross Country Cross country is a fun, fall sport. Cross country involves racing a 5k. For high school cross country in Spokane, we have league meets every Wednesday, and invitationals most Saturdays. The training for cross country involves running almost everyday, and doing workouts a few times a week. As for college cross country, it involves training almost everyday and workouts a couple times a week. For college it it even faster and they race 10k for men, and 6k for women. For professionals, they have both national and world championship races. The cool fall weather and beautiful leaves makes fall a wonderful time for cross country. Week 6: 3-17-25 Topic: Tasting something super spicy It was mid-March of 2024 in Renton WA. The air was cool, but it felt refreshing after being in the minivan that drove us to our destination. My teammates and I spill out, our stomachs rumbling. I walk through the open door of the Korean fusion restaurant, and a plethora of smells greet me. Spicy, sweet, and warm. The hostess guides us to our seats. We take a seat and hungrily look over the glossy menu. Soon enough, we have decided what we will have. "I'll have the Mango Habanero Wings" I say. My mouth waters thinking of the sweet, slightly spicy sauce dripping down my fingers as I take a bite. After seemingly waiting forever, my wings arrive. I dive right it. The first taste: sticky, sweet, and a slight spice. After a few seconds, it begins to burn. My tongue feels like it's on fire, my lips swell and my nose runs. Regardless of this uncomfortable situation, I continue to eat. While my lips burn and my nose runs, all I can think about is that sticky, spicy, and sweet sauce. Week 7: 3-24-25 Topic: Making bread My family has the most delicious recipe for bread. The key piece is taking your time, using precise measurement, and enjoying it! First, you must gather all the ingredients and equipment. Once you do that, pour the hot water, oil, salt, half the flour and sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, measure the warm water and yeast exactly and let sit. The resting time is key and allows the yeast to bloom. Then combine the yeast water with what's in the mixer. Mix it thoroughly and do a little spin as the dough begins to spin around. Once mixed, cover with a towel and let sit. This allows the ingredients to begin a bit of the rising process before it actually rises. While letting it sit, precisely measure the remainder of the flour with a spoon and knife to level it off. Add this flour a little bit at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides. Let it rise in a bowl for an hour, then transfer it to the bread pan. Run a knife across the top in any pattern you would like to allow for the dough to rise more fully again. While the bread is rising, preheat the oven. Once the bread is risen, slide it in the oven. Let it cook, and then cool, then enjoy! This process yields delicious bread made with patience and joy. Week 8: 3-31-25 Topic: The power of looking to serve rather than to serve yourself This cross country season I had a rough season. I didn't PR the whole season, I had race after race of frustration. To most people, it would seem like a bad season. But to me, it was a success. The season was successful because talked to everyone, I supported all my teammates, I shared my words of wisdom and inspiration, and I made sure everyone on my team was known and loved, and had a friend. While I had my own struggles, focusing on being there for my teammates through their struggles and success helped me learn how to love others. It turned a rough season into a season of growth and inspiration. I could've very easily just seen my struggles and be upset about it, but I chose to look to how I can help my teammates. This shift helped me see my season in a better way, and also helped bring light to the seasons of my teammates. Week 9: 4-14-25 Topic: Social media to a grandparent Social media is like a small town. When something happens to someone in town, the whole town hears about it. Eventually, this news gets buried by more exciting new gossip. But the people of this small town will never forget what happened. It may take some prying, but the people of this small town remember everything. This is similar on social media. News spreads quickly, and people obsess about it. But eventually, it leaves, in a way. People can delete posts or comments, but like in a small town, it never really is gone. The internet keeps track of everything, so with some digging, things can be found. It is necessary to always be wary of what you are putting online, as it never really goes away.