Rought Draft

It is not done, I just want to know if I am heading the right way...

Volleyball has been a big part of my life since I was born. Going to watch my dad’s volleyball games that he either played, coached, or even refereed. Volleyball will always be with me. I first started playing volleyball at the age of eight. Not really playing on team or anything, but playing with my dad. As I got more into playing volleyball, I decided to join a team. My first volleyball team that I played for was the Police Athletic League of Pauoa. I played for this team for about two years, and then it was off to playing for my middle school. I played for my school for 4 years. Playing for a small school not knowing much about the sport, but yet it was a good experience for me. When high school year came around in freshmen year, and going to summer practices for volleyball, I didn’t realize what a competition it was going to be. Watching all these girls who have played club volleyball before, I realized that I would have to join a volleyball club if I would want to make the volleyball team sophomore year. So that is when I join Hilina’I Volleyball Club. Sophomore volleyball year, I did make the team again, but it was because I was more experienced since I played volleyball all year long.

It is now the ending of sophomore year and volleyball season is coming around soon. I am in my second year of being part of Hilina’I Volleyball Club, and I realized that volleyball is my passion. I didn’t realize this till February 2010. Watching my videos that my parents had filmed for me, I realize that this is something that I would like to do for the rest of my life. Before it was just to keep me occupied, but now it is more then that.

To make it to the top, I have to be the top. That means improving on my volleyball skills. To be able to do this, I looked through magazines that many college coaches and professional volleyball players give tips on how to improve on certain aspects of volleyball. Normally you would look for only tips on the one position that you play, but my coach, Raymond Patcho, says that no one can play only one position; you can play all positions if you put your heart and soul into the sport.

In the game of volleyball, you have different steps to go through. You have the serve that starts the game, then onto the passer passing the ball to the setter. Once the ball is passed, the setter will then set the ball to it chosen hitters (left-front, middle, or right-front), and then the hitters hit the ball over the net while the other team tires to block the ball. What I want to get out of this project is tips on how to play all positions in volleyball so when it comes to season, I will be ready for anything.

In starting the game of volleyball, a player is to serve the ball over the net. Serving the ball is like a way of saying, “Okay, here’s the ball show us what you can do with it.” Also, serving can be the most easiest way for a team to score a point, but to be able to get that point, you have to be a good server. When serving the ball, you have to have the “perfect” swing. According to April Chapple, a former USA National Team Member and Volleyball Professional, to be able to have that perfect swing, you have to keep your elbow high above your ear when you serve. For practice, when you pull your elbow back before you toss the ball, stop and see if you can look underneath your elbow. Once you have checked and everything is to where it is suppose to be, repeat the steps before hitting the ball. To make sure that your swing is the same the entire time, practice while looking at yourself in the mirror to check. Many players like to fake out their opponents by facing one way and serving to another. Apparently, that doesn’t always work. “Face your target! Facing your target will help you to make sure that your serve will go to where you want it to go. Facing in one direction and serving in another rarely “fakes out” the opponent. Just keep practicing on serving, and then eventually, you will be serving in different directions with no problem. Just remember that the ball is in YOUR court, “ says April Chapple.

Serving is just the beginning of volleyball. Once the serve is made, players now have to pass the ball. To be able to pass, you put your hands together with your forearms facing upward. Also, your stance should be where your legs are a little more then shoulder with apart. As you are passing, face your target so the ball can go to them. Steve Aird, TCA Coach, does drills with his players to help them with their passing. He has his players who play back row stand in their positions where they play (left-back, middle-back, and right-back). A coach or player can toss the ball to them. Then, the passer should pass the ball off the net (five feet off the net and 10 feet in the air would be an ideal target). Passing the ball to this distance and height helps the setter get the ball to where it has to go. Passing the ball to close to the net can cause the setter to have a hard time set the ball or where the other team can attack the ball.

My coach would always say, “The setter is the quarter back of the team.” When he told me that, at first I didn’t understand want that meant. Once I asked him, he said, ”The setter leads the team on offense. Just like in football. The quarterback runs the offense. While in volleyball, the setter runs the offense. ” The setter’s job is to take a ball that is passed from a passed and set it to a hitter. Setting is a very important position in volleyball because the better your setter is, the more efficient your offense can be, and the more opportunities your team will have to score points.

When you are an outside hitter the most important thing is your hitting. The way you approach and hit the ball determines on what the outcome will be. Some drills that Raymond Patcho does with his players are for them to stand on high blocks along the net. Coaches toss the ball in front of the player and the players hit the ball. This drill helps the players to work on their swing. When hitting, a hitter has to worry about their approach and timing of way to jump to hit the ball, while keeping your arm swing correct. Swinging your arm the wrong way or just uncontrollable can cause the ball to go out or into the net. That is something you wouldn’t want. So doing this drill, players are able to work on their swing. Also at the same time, players can work on placing the ball in different areas on the court. To be able to hit in different directions on the court, the player just needs to adjust their shoulders. The shoulders are the key to where hitting the ball.

Journal#3(Reflective Journal):

Essential Questions:
How do you know if you have the "perfect" serve swing?

According to April Chapple, formeer USA National Team Member and Volleyball Professional, all you have to do is keep your elbow high above your ear when you serve. To make sure that your swing is the same all the way, look at yourself in the mirror it will help you.

How do you know if your elbow is high enough?

When you pull your elbow back before you toss the ball, stop and see if you can look underneath your elbow. Once you have checked if your elbow is high enough, repeat the steps again before you toss the ball.

What if I want to serve the ball to a different position on the court. What do I have to do to accomplish that?

"FACE YOUR TARGET!" Facing your target will help you to make sure that your serve will go to where you want it to go. Facing in one direction and serving in another rarely "fakes out" the opponent. Consistent practice will help you to improve your serve in no time. "The ball is in YOUR court."-April Chapple.
What can players do to get their communication on the court loud?

Gary Sato, USA Men's National Team Assistant Coach, has warm-up drills to help his team communicate. For this drill, you allow for a maxium number of quality contacts. Be sure your the players are talking before and especially during the drill.

Raymond Patcho,Hilina'i Volleyball Club Head Coach, has his players pass the ball to each other. By when during this, the person passing the ball calls the person's name who is receiving the ball. By doing this, the players know each others name and at the same time, they all know who is going to get the ball.
What can a player do to get the "perfect" pass?

Steve Aird, TCA Coach, does drills with his players to help them with their passing. He has his players who play back row stand in their positions where they play (left- back, middle-back, and right-back). A coach or player can toss the ball to them. Then, the passer should pass the ball off the net (five feet off the net and 10 feet in the air would be an ideal target). Passing the ball to this distance and hight helps the setter get the ball to where it had to go. Passing the ball to close to the net can cause the set to have a hard time to set the ball or where the other team can attack the ball.
Why is the setter called the "quarterback" of the team?

According to Raymond Patcho, Hilina'i Volleyball Club Head Coach, the setter is known as the quarterback of the team. The setter leads the team on offense. The setters job is to take a ball that's passed from a passer and set it to a hitter. Setting is a very important position in volleyball because the better your setter is, the more efficient your offense can be, and the more opportunities your team will have to score points.
What are some drills that you can do to help you with your hitting?

Raymond Patcho, Hilina'i Volleyball Club Head Coach, makes his players stand on tall blocks along the net. Coaches toss the ball in front of them and the players hit the ball. This drill helps the players to work on their swing. When hitting, you have to worry about your approach and your timing of your jumping and then the timing of when to hit the play, but breaking it down to parts helps the player to get a feel for their swing. When working on the player's swing, you can see a difference in their hitting. Doing this drill, players are able to work on their locating of hitting the ball. You wouldn't want to always hit the ball the same area. So doing this drill players are able to work on facing their shoulders in a different direction causing the ball to go a different area.
When is the "perfect" time to block the ball?

Beverly Oden, a starting blocker to the Atlanta Olympics, shares some tips on being a middle blocker. The starting position of being a middle blocker is to stand along the net with your hips and shoulders square to the net. Your feet should be slightly shoulder-width apart. If you bend your knees slightly, you would be able to move more quickly in either direction. Once you have your stance, hold your arms up, elbows out, palms facing the net at about eye level. Keeping you hands here at this level whenever the ball is on the other side, will help you in case the ball comes over anytime. You would need to be ready if it crosses accidently.

Timing is important when blocking. Jumping to early can cause the ball to go right over your head. In order get your timing right, you watch the hitter that you are blocking. What you have to do is jump a few seconds later them. Also, watch their shoulders. The hitters tell you where they are going to hit the ball. The way they turn their shoulders will show you if they are going to hit line or hit angle. By watching your hitter you can also tell how they are going to hit. Either tip the ball or slam the ball right down. Watching your hitter is important for a blocker to do.

Volleyball is a fast game, what kinds of drills can teams do to help with getting to the right places at the right time?

Bill Ferguson, USC Head Coach, shared some drills that he uses with his team to get them to where there are suppose to be when the ball is coming over as a fast pace. He calls this drill the Trans-Routes. This drill helps the players to work on their transition to attack the ball after the player digs the ball. So this drill is mostly for the hitters in the front row, but at the same time it helps the passers in the back row to get where they are suppose to be able to pass the ball to the setter once the ball has come over the net. To do this drill, the players start in base defense. Base defense is where you have all the players in the places where they are suppose to be. The hitters along the net spread out and the passers all behind the 10 foot line. For the middle back player, they are to stand a little more back, close to the back of the court. Once everyone is their places, the coach will slap the ball and blockers get to their spots at the net, while diggers get to their spot back row . The coach will then either slam the ball or tip the ball over. Once the player digs the ball, players work on moving into their respective transition routes. This drill can help all players, even if it is focusing on attacking the ball after it is over. The blockers can block the ball as the coach hits the ball over the net, can help the back row players work on transitioning to the right spot for where the ball is going. It helps the hitters who are not blocking, to practice on getting the tip balls that the blockers are unable to get and lastly, it helps the setter to work on their setting the ball.

Journal #2 (Essay: Data and Information Gathering)

One resource that I have for my information gathering are volleyball magazines that I have received. These volleyball magazines give you tips on how to transition into hitting the ball, tips on how to improve your passing, improve in communicating on the court, and many more.

Volleyball Magazine (November 2009 issue):
USC Head Coach, Bill Ferguson, shared two Drills that he uses to take the Trojans Men's Program to a new level.
The first drill, Trans-Routes, helps the players to work on their transition to attack after the a player digs the ball. This drill helps me because I play an outside and opposite hitter. To work this drill out, the team starts in base defense. Then the coach slaps the ball and blockers get to their spots at the net, while diggers get to their spot back row (I have video footage that I will show of how to run this drill. To know what the players are doing, I will have voice overs in my video). The coach will then either slam or tip the ball over to a predetermined player. Once the player digs the ball, players work on moving into their respective transition routes. This drill can help all players, even if it is focusing on attacking the ball after it is over. The blockers can block the ball as the coach hits the ball over the net, can help the back row players work on transitioning to the right spot for where the ball is going. It helps the hitters who are not blocking, to practice on getting the tip balls that the blockers are unable to get and lastly, it helps the setter to work on their setting the ball.
The second drill, Cross-Court-Pepper, is like Trans-Routes drill, but this time you are playing with players on both sides of the net. This drill is the help hitters control their hitting. What is control hitting? Control hitting is when the outside or middle blocker hits the ball in a certain area. This is to help them with their form of swing and to get their hitting consistent. So hitters should hit the ball with a controlled swing (roughly 70%) at area 5, also known as left-back, on the opposite side of the court. Once they have the hitting down, then hitters may increase their velocity in hitting as the rally progresses.

Volleyball Magazine (December 2009 issue):
TCA Coach, Steve Aird, shared tips on how to improve a player's passing. Passing is a crucial part of volleyball. Without a pass, you can't have a set. Without a set you cant have a hit. Without a hit, you don't have a high chance of scoring.
To work on passing, have the player pass the ball from the spot that they normally would play (left-back, middle-back, or right-back). 1)Either a coach or another player can toss the ball to them. Then, the passer should pass the ball off the net (five feet would be an ideal target). Balls to close to the net or overpasses can turn into points for the other team. By passing the ball of the net, pressure is taken off the passers and now there is a 50-50 chance that either side will get the point. 2)Keep the ball in front of the setter. By passing the ball to the setter's zone (approximately between the middle blocker and opposite hitter, areas 2 and 3; middle-front and right-front), pressure is taken off the setter to move the ball a great distance. It is much easier for the setter to move forward to set a ball. 3)Make one move. The pass doesn't need to be perfect, but last second moves or swinging motions from passers can cause errors and/or overpasses. Players often make errors by trying to be "too perfect." Coaches should train their players to make one move to the ball, eliminate extra movement, and to trust their angle. 4)Players should face the ball and angle their platform. By doing this, more often than not, if players miss the area to pass the ball, they will miss in front of the setter and the team has a chance to score. 5)Shuffle to move, stay relaxed, and in a balanced position to pass the ball. In an unbalanced position, there is a high chance that the ball will be shanked, passed in an opposite direction. 6)Don't play balls that are out. Leave them alone! They are free points. Some coaches, like mine, say to play the ball if it's close to the line because you may never know if it is in or out. Also, if your not sure if the ball is in or out, go for it. You may never know where the ball is going to land. The turn of the ball may cause it to drop in instead of out as you predicted.
A few drills that you can use to work on passing are the Butterfly Drill, Triangle Passing, and Servers vs. Passers. One drill that my club uses is having the ball bounce between your legs. This drill is to help you know where you have to be when passing the ball.

Volleyball Magazine (January 2010 issue):
Communication plays a big part in volleyball. Without communication, players can get hurt or a team can lose a point. A crucial communication is when players call out for the ball by either saying "mine" or "I got". Without saying this players can either bump into each other and get hurt or the ball can fall in between them because no one called for the ball.To get his team to communicate on the court, USA Men's National Team Assistant Coach, Gary Sato, comes up warm-ups and drills to help his team communicate. WARM-UP DRILLS: Mini-Games: allow for a maximum number of quality contacts. Be sure your players are talking before and especially during and after plays. Pepper: Go full speed and stress quality contacts. Make sure the players are getting after it and going hard.

Drills that my club do for communication is we call out the person's name who is getting the ball passed to.

Volleyball Magazine (February 2010 issue):
Former USA National Team member and volleyball professional, April Chapple, shared three tips to focus on to optimize a player's serving form in volleyball.
Tip#1: KEEP YOUR ELBOW HIGH ABOVE YOUR EAR WHEN YOU SERVE. How do you know if your elbow is high enough? When you pull your elbow back before your toss, stop and see if you can look underneath your elbow. Once you have checked if your elbow is high enough, repeat the steps again before you toss the ball.

Tip#2: TOSS THE BALL THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME YOU SERVE. Create a ritual that you perform each time you serve so you don't rush. That ritual can be bouncing the ball three times in a row, then taking a breath and pointing your foot in the direction you want to serve before serving.(My ritual is standing at the far right corner of the court, then bouncing the ball five times, and last aim to where i want to serve.) Work out your ritual so that you do the same thing every time, whatever it may be.

Tip#3: FACE YOUR TARGET. Facing your target, will help you to make sure that your serve will go to where you want it to be. For the float serve, show everyone in the gym where you intend to serve. Facing in one direction and serving in another rarely "fakes out" the serve receive.

Consistent practice will help you to improve your serve in no time. "The ball is in YOUR court."-April Chapple

To practice serving, April Chapple, shares three drills that you can do. 1) A warm-up drill is for a player and her partner to each stand across the net facing each other with their feet on the ten foot line. Using the correct serving technique, each player takes turns serving to each other. After each player gets a feel for it, both players should then take 2-3 steps back and repeat what they were doing. Even though they are farther apart, their serving technique should be the same. The goal of this drill is for both players to serve to each other and maintain ball control. 2) This drill is for you to do at home. Practice your arm swing at home in the mirror. Doing this drill will help you to get use of bring your elbow back and behind your ear. Later you will find yourself doing it automatically. 3) When practicing your serving and your alone, practice serving to certain spots on the court. You can practice serving to your weakest point or if you want to practice serving float serves. This drill can help you with your serving.

Journal #31-What is your passion?

I have two passions. One for sports.....
1. My passion is to get a scholarship for college for playing volleyball and/or basketball.
2.My experiences with this passion is playing basketball for the school and outside leagues. For volleyball is playing for the school and playing for a volleyball club. In late June and early July, we will be going to Arizona for a volleyball festival and there will be college scouts, watching and looking for players.
3.For basketball, if I am able to contiune playing and reaching to the top, I hope to make it into the WNBA. I would like to work hard on this passion. Contiune with what I am doing, but each day work harder and put more effort into it. For volleyball, I hope I would be able to take this to the farthest that I can go with volleyball. Go all the way! I want people to remember me or when I walk in the streets, people will recoginze who I am.

and one for school.....
1. My passion for school is to be the best I can be. As in, getting good grades and ending my high school year leving with a smile on my face, and having no regrets.
2. My experiences with this as of right now, is not all that great. After experiencing a horrible spring break because of how my efforts in school wasn't my best (espically in math), i realized that it is time for me to straighten up and get my work together. No more being lazy!
3. I would like to take this passion to ending my senior year with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Also, if I am able to get my grades high up and keep it there, get a scholarship for any college.
(This doesn't seem like a passion, it seems like a goal, oops!)

Draft of "This I believe..."

"Please give me a second chance." These are the words that I'm sure everyone has used at least once in their lives. In relationships, friendships, or just to their parents. I know for sure that I have used so many times in my life. Most were for my parents, but one time I used it, was a time and mistake I can never forget.

It was a late afternoon and I was at volleyball practice, working hard and doing my best. When it was water break, I looked at my phone and saw that I got a text message from my best friend. When I opened the text, I knew that was it. The end of our friendship. One mistake can ruin a friendship. As I went back to practice, all I could think about was how could I have done that to my best friend, after everything she has done for.

For many months, this problem between me and her has never been fixed. Since that day we never talked. Until one day, I asked if she still had my sunglasses. Out of all things I could have talked to her about, I asked for my sunglasses. How dumb was that! After one word responses, I finally had the courage to say sorry. Sorry for what I have done to her and hurting her feelings. Yes, she did forgive, but it still wasn't enough. There was more that I had to do for her to fully forgive me.

As club volleyball season started, you could feel the tension between her and I. We walked past each other like we didn't know each other. Yes, we were okay, but the friendship still wasn't there. I knew that the friendship we had before, was never going to be the same. Not like before.

Then one day, we ran into each other at the mall. I will never forget this day. This was the day, I got my best friend back. After many tears and apologies, she finally gave me a second chance. A second chance to be her friend again. Most people wouldn't give a second chance to their friends for the mistake I have made. I know that this was a once in a life time chance that I am given and I can't mess it up, again. I am a Sophomore in high school and I believe in second chances.

Final Allusive Poem & Graphic

Hi'iaka, goddess of hula

Carried by one, cared by all
With family all around me
Pleasing their needs and dreams
As I delight, I find
Something I love

Could it be?
A passion I want to reach
Watching family do it too
Everywhere I go,

The love for it grows

Watching as my sisters do

Hoping one day I can be like them

Maybe higher then the top

The goddess of it all

Gracefully dancing my way to the top
Chanting my voice out so everyone can hear
Moving to my own rhythm, no one else's
Could it be? My love for hula?

Draft of Allusive Poem

Hi'iaka, goddess of hula

Carried by one, cared by all

With family all around me

Pleasing their needs and dreams

As I please, I find

Something I love

Could it be?

A passion I want to reach

Watching family do it to

Everywhere I go, the love for it grows

Gracefully dancing my way to the top

Chanting my voice out so everyone can hear

Moving to my own rhythm, no one else's

Could it be? My love for hula?

Brainstorm for Allusive Poem

I am thinking of writing my allusive poem on a Hawaiian goddess. I was thinking of writing about Hi'iaka goddess of hula. I chose her because i love to dance hula. Also, I want to compare how well i am related to Hi'iaka.

Journal#20 Pro/Con Fireworks in Hawaii

Something is in the Air

Once you hear the sounds of fireworks in the air, you know that New Year's Eve or 4th of July is close by. People in Hawaii have the privilage to pop fireworks legally on New Year's Eve or 4th of July unlike the rest of the states. Unfortunately, Hawaii has been taking advantage of that privilage. Every year, it seems that the popping of fireworks are worse. Each year, more people are popping illegal fireworks and are causing many frights in Hawaii. This past New Year's, where I was celebrating New Year's, people where popping illegal fireworks non-stop. Also, each time it seems that as the bombs kept going off, the louder it got. Living on a small island, the sounds echo througout the island. This isn't good for people you get scared easily and may cause them to have a heart attack. I thing, popping fireworks on New Year's Eve or 4th of July should be limited to keep Hawaii in a safe place.

Parent Response/ Portfolio Reflection

My portfolio is all about "Santa's Things To Do." Each trait relates to what I think Santa does during the Christmas season. I feel that I picked the right examples to each trait well because of what I thought matched.

1. What I liked best about Samara's portfolio was how she gave good examples for each of her traits. I understood why she chose those examples for the traits. What I would like to see her improve on in her portfolio, other then a better layout, is to give more reason and better description on her examples. I feel that she could do a better job on make her portfolio and giving more description for her examples.

2. From my point of view, the trait that Samara attainments is "voice." I can hear what she is saying. She speaks out what she is thinking, but the promblem she has with writing out her voice is putting it together on paper. She is always repeating herself, but overall, her "voice" is her strongest trait.

3. The trait I would like for Samara to focus on mainly is her word choice. I believe that Samara needs to chose better words when writing her paper. She doesn't quit explain herself. Also, she has a tendency of writing like an 8th grader. I think if she is able to get better at these traits, she will become a better writer.

Angry Letter

Dear Department of Education,

I am a sophomore at Moanalua High School. I have been living in Oahu, Hawai'i for 15 years, my whole life, and what I would like to say is that i love it here! There is nothing that would make me change my mind. Although to my understanding, the school year has become longer by cutting down the breaks that we have between each quarter and semester. And now, with furlough Fridays, the school year has become shorter again.

After doing some research, I came across that Hawai'i is ranked 46th in the nation in academics. To me, that is a horrible thing. I would like for Hawai'i to at least be ranked in the top 20, but that will not happen if students are not able to enhance all the materials that teachers are giving us. I my self, is having a hard time with my education. Before I was at least getting a GPA of 3.0 or higher, but yet this school year I haven't been able to get to a 3.0. This year as become harder for me, not just because of all the sports I play, but also how furloughs have taken an effect on school days.

With shorter school weeks, I realized that I have to have a better time managing schedule. This past quarter, my school only had four days of school for the whole quarter. This made it harder this quarter to maintain my grades. I feel that everything is being rushed and that I need to catch up with everything. This may help me in the future when entering into the real world, where everything is all business, but for now, I am asking that if furlough Fridays could be ended so that Hawai'i's students are able to understand what they are learning. Also, maybe Hawai'i would be able to rank higher in academics.

Sincerely,

Samara Hoe

Journal#18 (Angry Letter)

For my angry letter I planning on talking about how Obama agrees to abortion and is letting it pass where women can have abortions. I think its not fair for the baby being born. Yes the baby isn't born, a baby has life the minute the sperm and egg come together. As a Christian, I believe that it isn't right for women to have abortions. It is a life that they are killing.

But yet, I'm not sure if this could be a good topic to do any agree letter on.

Journal #16

Teens with eating disorders should attend organizations to get an understanding and the importance of having a healthy body and a level weight. The organizations can help the teen with what they are going through. Some teens start having eating disorders because they are things going through their mind that makes them think that they have to starve themselves, keep eating because it is a way to get things off their mind, or their body has to be this certain size. Organizations can help teens with their problems. It is said that only 1 in 10 people receive treatment. If more teens attend treatment, there will be a great amount that more will recover greatly.

These organizations may cost a big amount of money, but it's worth sending children with eating disorders to the organizations. Parents should just send their child to the organization to get treatment because the worse the child gets, the worse they will become. Also, parents should get involve with the organization. The more the parents understand with is going on with their child, the more they can help. If parents know the symptoms of the different types of eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating/Compulsive Overeating), then they can help the child.

A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5-10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30-40% who attend treatment will ever fully recover. Also, 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications, including suicide and heart problems. The study also says that the mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of all causes of death for females 15-24 years old.

Statistics show that an estimated about of 8 million Americans have an eating disorder- 7 million women and 1 million men. With all of these statistics, I say that people should start attending treatment. They are able to get help and live a longer and healthier life. Teens with eating disorders should attend organizations to get an understanding and the importance of having a healthy body and a level weight.

Journal #15

Thesis: Teens with eating disorders should attend organizations to help them realize that they need to eat because their body is perfect the way it is.

Cons: Teens should go to eating disorder organizations, but they are expensive to pay for. Also, what if the teen does not want to attend the organizations.

Pros: Yes it is expensive to send teens to eating disorder organizations, but it will help the teen with their eating habbits. The organizations will help teens realize that what they see in a mirror, is not what people see. Teens should go to the organizations. These organizations will help teens find a better way to still have a weight they would like, but still be able to eat. Even though it is expensive, parents should get involved with what is happening with their childern and care for them.

Pros: The organizations will teach parents the signs and effects of knowing how their child could be having problems with eating. Once the parents know the signs, they can stop their child from continuing on with their eating problems so the parents don't have to pay for treatment and it won't cost as much.

websites:http://www.castlewoodtc.com/eating_disorder_org.html

http://www.casapalmera.com/treatments/eating-disorders.php?cpao=111&cpca=EatingDisorder&cpag=Eating_Disorder_Treatment&kw=treatment_of_eating_disorders&_kk=15512347-929b-4c8c-92ec-3a03767d5ffa&_kt=1999484477&gclid=COPvlPSGgZ4CFQgtawodDQUUqQ

http://www.bulimia.com/client/client_pages/links_helpful.cfm

Journal #1

Hi Mrs. S,

Im sorry that this is really late. I just have not been able to blog this journal for a while.

Anyways, I am reffering to your comment on my writing pre-assessment. I need to start working better on my organization and voice structure when writing. At times I do get confused on what you ask for us to do with the papers that you give us. I think I might need some help with them. So I'll come to you and ask you for help when I don't understand what you are askng for.

College Application Essay (Journal#10)

*Boston University-Any topic I want to talk about

(Topic: Special Moment in Life, may change later on has life goes by)

Everyone has a special moment in their life that happend to them. Either first love, being able to surf for the first time, or when a woman has her first child. For me, my special moment was in Feburary 2009. It was the Oahu Interscolatic Association (OIA) Junior Varsity Girl's Basketball Championship.

I was on the Moanalua Na Menehunes Girl's Basketball team. It had been a long a stressful season. Our record was 11-1, eleven wins, one lost. That one lost was a put down in the our season, but went looked pasted it and ended up becoming the OIA East Champions, by flipping a coin since we weren't the only team with a record of 11-1. They were the Farrington Governors. The one team that was the hardest to beat. Now, we were going to face them again. This time, for the top, to become the champions of the OIA Junior Varsity Girl's Basketball Teams.

It was Feburary 9, 2009, 7:00 pm. The game was held at Moanalua High School, so we had a home court advantage. The crowd was the biggest crowd we ever had all season, with family and students coming out and supporting us, it was all up beating. Hearts pounding, nerves shaking, and getting to the point of becoming champions. As the game was ready to begin, my teammates and I were ready to defeat the Governors and so were they. This was the game that showed who was at the top. Since both teams lost to each other, it was now the tie breaker.

With three mintunes left in the fourth quarter and our team losing by 8 points, we knew that it was time to push our selves. Our coach called a timeout. He told us that if we really wanted this, we had to show it because no one was just going to give it to us. With those words in our head, we told each other, we have to push, and that is exactly what we did. With three mintunes running down, we were able to get 11 points on the board. Once it came down to the finally mintune, we knew that we had to keep the lead. No mistakes, no bad passes, no fouls, nothing. Just keep the ball in play and let the clock run down.

The last ten seconds was the longest seconds I have ever been in. With the ball keep going out of bounce and timeouts being called, it took forever to run down. With Farrington having the ball and down by three points, all they needed was a three pointer and they would win. What we had to do was keep them from scoring. We did all that we could, keeping our hands up to not cause any fouls. Now clock running down to three seconds Farrington having the play worked, the last shot being at the three point line, as the shot go up, all we could hope was that it misses. You hearing the crowd counting down, three, two ,one. When the buzzer hits zero, and the shot was missed, we knew at that moment we won! We where the 2009 OIA Junior Varisty Girl's Basketball Champions! With the crowd running onto the court shouting and cheeering. This has been the greatest moment in my life, for me. Even till this day I can remember every detail that happend that game.

Journal #8 (College Choices)

I would like to go to a college that gives a course where I would be able to learn more about film editing and graphic design. Also a college where they have a good athlectic department. Here are some of my choices.

PLATT College: http://www.platt.edu/
Shillington College: http://www.shillingtoncollege.com.au/
PJ College of Arts & Design: http://www.pjcad.edu.my/
Boston Unversity:http://www.bu.edu/cfa/visual-arts/prospective/undergraduate/design/

Journal # 9 (Perks of being a wallflower)

This novel is a "coming of age" story because the writer of the letters, Charlie, talks about how he is growing up and his life in high school. Hanging out with his friends, Patrick and Sam, going to parties and football games, doing drugs and smoking, and having fun. Normally in high school is when teens get into a lot of pressure. Charlie is also starts to have feelings for his friend Sam who is older then him and having dreams about her that he doesn't want to have. Towards end of the story, Charlie has changed since the beginning of the story. He starts off in the beginning as a goody good boy into a teen that does drinking and drugs and a lot of other things that is bad, but something that teens would do in high school.

Comging of Age Poster (Draft)

(Journal#6)

How I came up with the design of my poster was by showing some main things of me growing up. For example, I have my middle school logo as my background with Moanalua, high school, logo in front of it. It shows that I've grown up by going into high school, which means a new school for me. Also, I have my middle school basketball team and high school basketball team because it shows that I had get used to not being at the top of the team, since my middle school didn't have such a great team. Then, I have my eight grade class picture and a meneMAC picture showing how I had to make new friends since I wasn't going to the same school as them. Lastly, I have the biggest that shows how I have to grow up is responsibilities. Now that I am older, I have bigger responsibilities and helping out more around the house.

"Last Day as an Eight Grader"

Waking up to the sound of the radio going off, I realize what today is. It's the day of reflection, it's the day of remembrance, it's a day to move on, it's my Last Day as an Eight Grader. Which also meant, Eight Grade Graduation. May 30, 2008, 7:50 am, is when it will all start.

As I am getting ready to head to school, I imagine what it's going to be like. All family, friends, and old classmates gathered to watch a class recivce their dipolmas and graduate. As I arrive at school, I look in the hall, where we all gather before heading to our classes, and realize, it's only one more week from this day that I am going to be graduating from my Elementary and Middle School that I have been at for nine years. Thinking to myself, how am I going to be able to handle this? Graduating, heading off to high school, leaving all my friends. My whole life has been at this school and no other.

Now as we head up to our classes, I walk through the hallways remembering all of the memories. Passing by the classes that I have been in, learning, having fun, throwing surprise parties for my teachers, everything that has happen in those classes. Already, I am starting to tear up, but as I look up, I'm not alone. I see my friend, Kimberly Eder, my number one friend, the one that has been with me all my years at this school, crying. Crying tears that I have never seen her cry before. As I look at her, I can tell that these aren't normal tears. They are tears of joy and sad. The one thing I remember her saying that I will never forget, "Are we going to be best friends forever?" When she said that, I looked at her, straight face with tears coming down,"Always!," was all I could say. When we walked into the classroom, I looked around, seeing everyone having fun, laughing, and all I could think of is, "I hope we will be friends forever."

When I saw that clock read 7:50 am, I knew it was time. As the school all gathered for assembly, tears started to form again. Thinking to my self, this is my last school assembly, my last time I am going to be standing in this hall, with the whole school. When flag was done, our principal, Ms. Kauhane, asked the school to be seated and for the eight grade class to come up to the stage. As we approached the stage, Ms. Kauhane explained to the school that today was the last day for the eight graders. When we were lined up on the stage, our social studies and religion teacher, Mr.Pa'ekakui, started to play his guitar. We started to sing our class song,"Love is Patience." This song has been with our class since the sixth grade.

As we were singing, I looked out and saw all the faces that I have seen for a year and some, more. The one face that stood out for me, was my friend Pomai. She has been like my little sister ever since she first came she to Cathedral, she was in kindergarten and I was in first grade. Once I saw her face, seeing her cry, I started to cry even more. She has been my little sister, for eight years. How am I suppose to leave her? She has always made me happy whenever I was down. She was my little cheerer upper. She was the one I could count on to always be there for me.

Once we were done singing, Ms. Kauhane came up to the mic again. This time she was talking about our class and how this class was different from all the others. Thinking back to all the other classes, I realized, we where a different class. Our class, was very out there. We were friends with all the classes, helped out everyone, and we always helped out with First Friday Masses. When Ms. Kauhane started talking about our class theme, which was "Swim", the six grade class came out with floaties for the whole class, now that put a smile on my face.

When everything was done, the speech, the ceremony, Ms. Kauhane said the final words that just made me cry. "Now let's all say good bye to the Class of 2008." Now I knew I wasn't ready to leave this Elementary/Middle School that I have been at for nine years. As everything is all done, we start saying our good byes to everyone and more tears are formed every second. As I say good bye to everyone, I knew that even though I didn't want to leave, I still had no choice and it was time to move on. Like everyone says, " You can't stay young forever. even though you want to."

As I leave the school, I look back at the school, memories and tears appear on my face. My whole life has been at this school, no other. Now going to Moanalua High School was a big change in my life, something I was not ready for, but with God on my side, I knew that everything would be alright.