Cheerful

“There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love art, and knowledge,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.

He is absolutely right.

We must be cheerful, because if were not life will be dull and boring. And when we are cheerful we must embrace it with a very strong will power.

It is one of the most beautiful things we can have in life. Happiness. Imagine not having it. We would be nowhere without it.

Embrace, embrace or find it in yourself because that will make all the difference.
~LIZ

Bright & Bold

Be bright and bold! Don’t ever dull you sunshine for anyone. Do things the way you want to do them. Don’t be like everybody else because them you would fade in.

Be bright in a way that is contagious. Be happy and shine your light. Shine bright like a diamond in the sky. Okay, I guess I went a little overboard there. (Note to self, don’t quote Rihanna).

Bold. Do something that defines who you are. The world says it itself. Stand out. Because if you like the rest then you’ll be as successful as the rest. Don’t you want to be better, be more successful?

~LIZ

Ambition

These two quotes will inspire you today.

Barack Obama said, “We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don’t want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their potential,” and Salvador Dali said, “intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

Why is it that almost everybody wants everything and wants to do nothing to deserve it? As our president says we want those nice new cars and nice clothes to show off, but we want and want and never want to move a finger to get them.

We the people need to clear our minds and find a new perspective. We need to work past our limits and then with all that sweat that we shed we shall righteously receive what awaits for us. Do yourself a favor and find potential in yourselve. And when you find it, use it t make yourself better.

Intelligence is nothing when you don’t use it. It just doesn’t work when you only have intelligence; you have to have ambition to join in with that. With finding profound ambition in something, strive for it and then use your intelligence to succeed.

Ambition is something that I will certainly use throughout these school years.

Attitude

“Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is gong to determine how your going to live your life,” said Joel Osteen.

Attitude can beak or make a deal. It can determine your future. And everyone should know that. Everyone should flash that attitude that turns heads for incredibly good reasons.

I for one will try to have a better attitude. I will try very hard not to complain even when there is something or someone forcing me to do something that I don’t want to do, but is required. I will be more extroversive and never be in that awful melancholy mood, even when the world feels like it’s on my shoulders.

So I ask you, the public to bring those frowns upside down, flash that beautiful attitude that is waiting to burst out. Because I know I will.

~LIZ

Who Am I?

Up to this moment I have noticed that you no nothing about me so here’s the scoop.

The name on my birth certificate is Lizeth Andrade Gonzalez, but almost everybody calls me Liz. I live in this small and quiet town called Porterville and like many others I have big dreams. I plan to go to college and become a lawyer of very high standard. I found myself in profound obsession with law enforcement because I thirsted for justice and making a difference in the world.

I am the eldest child of the family of six and I am incredibly devoted to set the example. I want at least one of my siblings to look up at me and say, “I want to be just like you.” Looking behind me, I wish to have absolutely no regrets and if ever making mistakes I will make sure not to go down that road of that blunder again.

I am absolutely not perfect, but nor do I wish to be. Someone who has never failed or fallen down, has never tried. And I want to try; I try so hard to be the best of them all. I want to be the five foot two, Mexican girl that achieved her dreams.

~LIZ

It Could Be Alot Worse

   This Thanksgiving I learned that life could be a lot worse.

   I was in the living room with my friend, Viri, when my sister rushes in through the door and looks directly at Viri and says, “Your brother is so nice.” We looked at her not putting two and two together. My sister says, “I was out at the party and was coming home with Raphie when he stops me and tells me to turn around. He said, ‘Look at the lady looking through the trash across the street.’ Raphie said to go give her the plate of food in my hands but I was too scared to do it so I gave him my plate and he agreed to go give it to her.”

   "What happened next," I asked her. She responded,"I don't know, I left right after he turned around to give it to her."

    The minute Raphie took a single step into my living room we all attacked him with questions. He took a seat and cut us all off with one hand motion. He said, “I gave her the plate of food and she hugged me and said, ‘Thank you I haven’t eaten in days, happy Thanksgiving.’ She turned around and left.”

   I sat there in astonishment and said nothing. That woman was in hunger and I’m in here sitting with a full belly and playing with my phone. Even though I never saw that woman nor heard her voice she inspired me to be forever thankful for the things I have in possession.

   I have a complete family while others have the absence of a father or mother. Even more wonderful that my family supports me through thick and thin and would never turn their back on me. Unlike some parents who will abuse, put down their children, or even more tragic; they will throw their own children in the trash the first days of their life.  I have the opportunity to get an education, go to college, and acquire a job that I love. However, some people do not have that opportunity; possibly because of their ethnicity or situation.

   So on Thanksgiving day, appreciate what you have and the people who no matter what love you. Because one day they will not be there.

~LIZ 

 

I've been giving myself an arduous time. My only wish is to play basketball for our amazing high school Granite Hills, but because I already play for the city, I cannot do so. So I have created a battle field in my head. The wanting part of me fighting with the sensible part of me.

School seems like a lightning bolt. Each moment goes by so fast and I can’t believe were getting closer to the end of the semester. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping to get that 4.0.

My heart is pounding so hard against my chest for that fact that I actually got picked to be a Law, Justice, and Education ambassador! 

~LIZ

Over the Hill of Freshmen Year

Hey guys this is Mary! Well it's almost the end of the school year and I can't wait till summer break! This year is going by so fast. I can't believe it! At the beginning of the year I was listening to all the seniors talking about how high school went by so fast. Of course I didn't believe it when they said but I'm a believer now.


I know next year the same people may not be here but this year would not have been the same without the people I have met. I am thankful to have people that are going to be around next year also and I am super excited for next year. I can't wait to be a sophomore and meet new people.

          Hey guys, Sarah here! You wouldn't believe all the things I have been busy with! For starters, softball has begun! Softball is definitely my favorite sport. Not only is it my favorite sport, but my passion. I made the varsity team, and let me tell you, being a freshman on varsity is insane. I definitely get teased way more because I'm a freshman. People underestimate me, but when they see me play they don't have anything else to say. 


          Not only is my life insane with softball, I'm also in 4-H. 4-H is a program outside of school. It's great for staying involved in community service, and you can also do certain projects that interest  you. I am in the dog and horse projects, and the 4-H fair is tomorrow! I've been in 4-H for seven years, so this is nothing new, but I always get a little nervous before showing.


          Another thing I am involved in is band and we have performances coming up. I am in the marching band and the jazz band where I play the alto saxophone and the tenor saxophone. I get a little nervous for performances only because in jazz band I have a solo on my tenor. Other than that, it's pretty much nothing new for me. 


          Oh and one more thing Jed failed to mention in his last update. He and I were both awarded at the last school assembly for having the highest GPA of a 4.0. Besides me and Jed, there is just one other person on campus who is still capable of being valedictorian.  Her name is Heidy Martinez, she is a friend of mine. I met Heidy when I played basketball last season. She's a really nice girl and a great friend.


Well I guess I'll keep you posted, talk to you soon!  


~VEHRS

Jed here! OK so it's been awhile since I posted last. Let's see whats gone on....... band... band.... tennis.... more band.... and did I say band? Yup, band seems to have taken over my life. But tennis has too. I think it's pretty good thing I got going on. Winterline is really great, then again taking first place at our competitions seem to help make it fun too, but so do our little missions. Let's just say shuffling in adiddas and saying "get some" around complete strangers are the two worst things you can do in Bakersfield. 

And our show is completely awesome, killer clowns, laughs, and then to go with it, our colorguard has Alice, and all them are amazing.

So nothing much in LJE or school.... so laters.

Mary

Hey guys! It's Mary!

Well the school year is more than half over! I can't believe how fast this year is going by. I bet the rest of this year is going to fly by like nobody's business. I'm a little excited and scared for next year. I mean I still have a few months to try to adjust to the thought about next year. There's going to be new classes, new teachers, and new people. It's going to be so different, but I guess everyone just has to adjust. 

If you are reading this as an incoming freshman, I have a little advice. You need to work hard! You need to join  sports, clubs, and whatever else because it will make your high-school life so much better!Well I think that's it! Talk to you later! BYE!!!

Go On An Adventure!

          Hey guys! It's Kaylee, once again. I know it's still kind of early tto say this, but SCHOOL IS ALMOST OVER! We still have a few months left, but itt's going to fly by. That's the thing about freshhmen year; it goes by so quickly. This year has been amazing. All of the teachers, clubs, sports, classes, people, just everything has had some sort of inspiration or experiance of its own. So for all of you incoming freshmen, here's some more advice. Join stuff!!! Whether it's a club, sport, or class just join something! You'll never be bored, and you'll get to experiance so many amazing things; things I can't even begin to describe.
           For example, I'm in band, where I play the flute. Just this last Friday, we went to our CMEA festival and took an excellance for our perfomance. It was a lot of fun to go and perform for those judges, and even though I've taken part in the CMEA Festival for the past three years, each year it seems to get better! I never would have gotten to experience that day if I had not joined band. I mean sure, the choir goes but it's a different environment when your amongst singers when you can't sing. So just go for it! Whatever you want to do, do it and don't let anyone tell you not to.
                                                        Bye guys! :)                                                                   
                                                                                                - Kaylee                                 

Hey everyone, my name is Sarah Vehrs. I know you haven’t heard much from me so I’ll just start by telling a little bit about myself. I am a hardworking country girl who lives on a ranch far away from any of my friends in town. All I’ve ever known about school was a small K-8^th private school in the city. So small you might not even know it exists. I went to a school called “St. Anne’s” with a graduating class of 17. Oh, and I can’t forget the uniforms!

My idea of school was seeing the same group of kids in one classroom every day. The biggest difference of school here at Granite is not really getting to know your classmates. At St. Anne’s I knew everyone very well. I have to say that is the highlight of going to a small junior high. I knew everyone in my class so well I could tell you everything from what their middle name was down to what their parents’ first names were.

The next thing I know I’m being expected to go straight into a huge high school. I had to suddenly transition to full classes of about 40 kids I knew nothing about. Nothing prepares you for that! No one from St. Anne’s was going to Granite with me so I was alone. At first I was very scared but it could have been worse. My sister is a junior at Granite so she led me around the first couple of days. Also I already knew a few people from other clubs I am in like 4-H.

I feel really comfortable here at Granite now. I am in band and sports. Band is awesome because we are all a huge family and we have a lot of fun. Also, I love sports! My main sports are Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball. Right now I am playing Softball which is my favorite out of the three and I’m having a great time. You meet new people through the activities you get involved in so I suggest join as many programs as you can! Thanks for reading, I’ll talk to you again soon, bye!

Jed here!

Ok so with the rain we have falling lately, I just had to take time and remember last year at Springville. Last year, we would turn the lights off as the rain would fall and just listen to it hit the metal roof, watch the fain fall out the spout on to the ground and just relax. It makes me smile at all the fun times I hold from last year.

That would probably be one of the things I miss the most from last year; the rain falling on to the school and listening as the hail would fall hard onto the roof and smell the fresh asphalt and grass. What was even better were the soccer games we had after the rain stopped on the slippery fields. So many fell and slipped, and some got muddy, but still, memories are memories no matter what.

Another great memory is the lunches we had inside our homeroom class. Since I had science first period, we ate in the science class. We had Bob, the dummy showing off his organs, the fish swimming in front of the window, and even Rosey, the rosey boa, eating her mouse.

The one thing that sucks though, is that those are just memories from last year. I hardly ever see my friends from last year, but then again that's ok. I saw some of my best friends crossing the street from PHS to the Chinese place across the street. It made my day to see them and just smile and wave at them.

So that's what goes on in this freshman's life. Laters.

      Hey guys this is Kaylee! Well I'm a freshmen this year, obviously, and to tell you the truth I love it. I mean sure starting a new school sounds scary, but I found it to be the exact opposite.I was worried that I'd hate high school, but after the first week I was so comfortable there it felt like I'd been attending Granite for years.
     So I'm just going to help you out with which rumors I found to be true, and some that aren't. The first thing you'll always hear is that the older kids will pick on you or "trash can" you. Now I can tell you right now that that's a rumor that's not true...at Granite anyways. The next rumor you'll hear about high school is that the classes are too hard. This one is actually kind of, sort of true, but I mean come on. School is there to help us and challenge us. It's not meant to be a walk in the park, you're going to have to work at it.
     In high school you'll meet a bunch of new people as well. Don't be afraid to go talk to people you don't know, or start up a conversation with a random person because that's how you meet new people! Most of my friends this year are people I just met. Mary, Jed, and Sarah are examples of that! I still have my old friends and I'm not saying you need to just dump them, but meeting new people and making new friends is not a bad thing.
      So I hope my stories and advice helped some of you soon-to-be freshmen. I'll talk to you guys later, bye! :D

So this is Mary Schofield. You more than likely have reads recent post and now you are reading mine! Soon you will be reading more posts from Kaylee and Sarah! We will be alternating posts so you won't be hearing from me in a little bit.


Ok so once again this is Mary! I grew up in Porterville. I went to John J. Doyle Elementary, then on to Pioneer Middle School, and i just finished up my first semester at Granite! All I can say is WOW! The transition from a little school to a big school is quite dramatic! The schedule changes, class changes, and everything else was a crazy and fun change. 


I have met so many new people, lost some friends but right now I wouldn't change anything! The transition from a small school where everyone know each others names to a big school where you barely know anyone, is not an easy one! But I realized that everyone goes through it. Wow, Did that help? I have made some great friends this semester and don't regret it one bit! Well that's about it! BYE! :)

The Beginning of a New Adventure; Jed Hackett

Ok so... No idea where to start. But why not start in the beginning, good as place as ever. But introductions seem better first. My name is Jed Hackett, and I'm going to be sharing this blog for the rest of the year with my classmates Kaylee Murillo, Sarah Vehrs, and Mary Schofield.

Well our first semester as freshmen has come and gone. For me it was an... interesting experience to say the least. It was a big change for me to come to Granite. I came from the po-dunk rural school in the mountains. Small school to, my graduating class was 47 kids. But the even bigger challenge of transitioning to a much larger school, was transitioning and getting along in a much larger school with no friends from last year. It was difficult for me at first because all of my friends that I had known for the past like nine years of my life had gone on to the school we're supposed to go, PHS. I can literally count all the people I knew at this school on one hand.

But now a semester later I've made so many new friends that I think I can get along with the adventures of high school just fine with seeing old friends at least once a month.

Well I guess I'll finish the rest of my story later.