I just want to say that I am amazed by how talented this class is.  I have enjoyed my time with all of you and am looking forward to seeing where you all go! Thank you Ms. Serensky for all you've taught us, you have really made an impact on all of our lives.  Congrats everyone!

Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

All my time is froze in motion
Can't I stay an hour or two or more
Don't let me let you go
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well


Here's To the Night by EVE 6


As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
From whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever


Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly


Graduation by Vitamin C


Suddenly you’re wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on... 


100 Years by Five for Fighting

Singing forever young, singing songs underneath that sun
Lets rejoice in the beautiful game,
And together at the end of the day.
We all say

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a wavin’ flag

Waving Flag by K'Naan

So give it up, throw your hats in the air
And change just as they land
You’re saying, "We'll get out of here"
Something tells me that you’re too scared to go

Give it Up by the Format

It's a shame how the time goes past 
Movin so fast 
Its like im movin at lightspeed 
Slow down 
You need to slow down 
Every once in a while sometimes 
You'll see how the world goes round 

Lightspeed by Grieves

Farewell Blog

Dear AP English 12,

                It is madness that we only have a few short days left.  Despite all the late nights and tiresome work, the years did, as many warned, fly by.  It is a bittersweet feeling to know all the excitement waiting ahead of us but how this chapter of our lives is forever closing.  Although we have learned a lot of information, I think the most important thing to acknowledge is how it has shaped us as people.  In reality, English, and school in general, is not necessarily about the information.  You will not always remember the audience and purpose of a poetry paper, or the grade you received on an essay, but you will remember the how the work changed you.  Whether it be learning to speak up in a discussion or how to preserve through an in class essay, something will stick with you.  It is hard in the midst of the hectic school year to always keep in perspective what truly matters.  Sometimes we put too much emphasis on the grades we get on assignments rather than appreciating what we accomplished or how we improved.  I think that English has taught us that success comes in more ways than one.  As long as we give everything our best effort, take each challenge one step at a time and to keep working till the bell, we will reach our goals.  This is a class which we will remember years from now and see that all the hard work paid off in ways we cannot imagine now.  Just in two short years we have transformed from naïve, frightened juniors to intelligent, confident seniors.  We have been prepared and have acquired the skills needed to leave Chagrin and succeed, although I would really appreciate a couple more days.

See you in class,

Kathryn

Why AP English?

10. To overcome the fear of a graded discussion.  Sophomore year English classes try it out a couple of times but you will not understand a true graded discussion until you get to AP English.  Frightening at first but you become accustomed to them and learn to actually learn enjoy them.

9.  Eleventh grade final exam.  Reading a choice book and creating a movie about it is extremely enjoyable.  While other classes review and study for a final, you will instead enjoy your time making absurd videos.

8.  Receiving a sticker.  Getting a paper passed back and seeing a sticker on it is one of the best feelings.  You know that you worked one hundred percent for it and deserve it.

7.  The multiple choice game.  A fun and competitive day where your group works together to win extra credit points.  You will develop extreme hatred for some people during it but it only adds to the fun.

6.  Quote sheets.  You will look forward to them at the end of every quarter.  Usually the quotes capture the students’ stupidity but they are hilarious.  

5. Data sheets.  I hate to say it but completing a data sheet is a reason in itself to take AP English.  The feeling of accomplishment when turning them in makes it worth it.  Then when it comes time for the AP test seeing that there is a point to them and all the hard work was worth it.

4.  You enjoy writing essays and shouting out random quotes.

3.   It consumes people’s lives.  People who do not take AP English state that it is like a cult.  We constantly talk about it and think about it all the time.  You do not want to be on the outside of the elite cult. 

2.  You become smarter.  It happens.

1.  Simply, Ms. Serensky

The AP Test

McMurphy-“I’ll be d***** if I ever saw anything so slow” (249).

Jack-“I fear there can be no possible doubt about the matter” (48).

Rodney- “Why is it a problem?  I don’t understand” (132).

McMurphy- “The day’s half gone already” (105).

Jack-“It is a terrible bore” (9)

Rodney-“I don’t understand why it’s important that we talk about what’s going on” (135).

McMurphy- [Looking an answers] “Come on now, what is this crap?” (118).

Jack-“There’s a sensible, intellectual girl!” (18). “You never talk anything but nonsense” (19).

McMurphy-[Pointing out an answer] “Oh, I’m a thinker all right” (107).

Jack-“Your vanity is ridiculous” (30).

Rodney-[Addressing McMurphy] “Actually…I don’t think that’s true at all” (128). 

Jack-[Laughing] “What a…sad, sad blow”(26)

McMurphy-“I’m tired of looking at you bunch of old ladies…I’m gonna nail the door shut behind me.  You guys better stay behind” (122).

Rodney- “I’m also not as stupid as you think” (129)

Jack-“I know nothing” (12).

Clearly the Best

When we read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest I was ecstatic.  I loved the book from the minute we read Vintery, Mintery, Cutery, Corn to the final moments of Bromden running majestically away from the ward.  I felt “a happiness so strong [I] knew [I] was going to pay for it” knowing that I could have another Othello lurking in my future.  But my fear quickly faded with Everything Matters! When I saw the book I naturally did the right thing and judged it by its cover.  The title had an exclamation point in it and the cover included pink and blue, my two favorite colors, what more could I ask for?  Then when I actually started reading it became my favorite book. And let me tell you, “there is love, and there is love” (233). I love this book so much that it is not just my favorite in AP English, but one of my favorite books of all time.  For those who feel otherwise, I “feel pity, for … [I] wish they understood, as I do” (302).  I actually looked forward to the mass amounts of reading each night and would enjoy talking about it outside of class.  That, if nothing else, should prove my love of the book. So some may ask, why is this book such perfection?  Well, first of all, I love all the characters, specifically Rodney and John Senior.  Unlike The Namesake or Amsterdam, each character has a likable personality and deals with real problems, sort of.  They do not stress over petty problems, such as their name or writing a symphony, but work on overcoming addictions, money problems and the end of the world.  The book also covered family relationships and the effects of one’s actions, which can be very applicable in everyday life.  Every chapter was a whirlwind of emotions with realistic highs and lows which always kept me on my feet.  There are too many reasons to like Everything Matters! So as Ms. Serensky would say “be smart” and like it. 

Top 10

10. 10^th Grade Research Project.  My group worked tirelessly on our eating disorder research project and even when turning it in still felt that we did not complete everything.  Somehow we managed to receive an A though and it felt very rewarding.  “I felt like I was flying.  Free” (Kesey 324).

9.  First day of high school.  It is an important beginning.  Sitting in all the freshman classes and wondering aimlessly through the crowds of older kids, I felt nervous and excited.  I started planning out everything I wanted to do and accomplish in my time at Chagrin.  Even though it does not seem like a large accomplishment “It does matter.  All of it” (Currie 268).  

8. Finishing summer reading.  Every summer I do not think I can do it.  I spend the first two thirds of summer reading one book and then struggle to cram in the rest.  Yet, I manage to whip them out in the waning days of summer and feel very accomplished putting the last book down after a 24 hour reading spree.  At times I did not want to stick with it and finish the books but I remembered that “more than half of modern culture depends on what one…reads” (Wilde 4).

7. Shaking Mr. Brownlow’s hand about AP results.  He complimented me on my hard work in APUSH and how he enjoyed having me in class.  Not a generally complimentary man, it meant a lot to me, especially from someone who had been “working on this [his] entire life” (Currie 296).  As one of my favorite teachers, I felt happy to have done well for him.  

6.  Receiving my best score on an in class writing.  I received two stickers on it which added to my excitement.   It made it feel like all the hard work was paying off.  I felt that “I was getting so’s I could see some good in the life around me” (Kesey 256).

5.  Winning the multiple choice game the third quarter.  My talented teammates, Mariel, Kelly and Jillian, won the multiple choice game the third quarter after hearing that the so called “Dream Team” came in third during third period.  It was very satisfying as my team announced this in the hallway to them.   It must have been “very painful…to be forced to speak the truth” that our group was better (Wilde 40).

4.  Finishing extensive tests.  Closing the booklet to the SAT, ACT and AP tests is one of the most fulfilling feelings.  After enduring and suffering through long hours of testing I have to can let go.  I tried my best and cannot change anything. I simply turn in the answer booklet feel a sense of relief.  I take a deep breath and forget about testing for a while, I could sit “silent and relaxed” (Currie 302).

3.  Preserving through the dreaded data sheets.  With an older brother and older cousins I knew the pain of a data sheet.  Even before I entered AP English 12, I feared the data sheets and already built them up into a massive obstacle in my head.  But when it came to actually facing these foes I found I could complete them and do quite well on them.  The length and time commitment still served as difficulty but it also added to the sense of accomplishment when turning them in.  I started to feel that “there’s something bigger in…all this mess” (Kesey 192).

2. Being chosen as Rotary Student of the Month for December.  I have always admired all the talented students who were selected both before and after me so I felt very honored to be chosen as well.  I never thought I would receive it, but it “had always been a girlish dream of mine” (Wilde 33).   

1.  Acceptance to Miami University.  I always loved the school and wanted to go there.  When I received the envelope with the acceptance letter I felt that all my years of hard work were worth it.  I look forward to the exciting times ahead, taking with me the knowledge I have gained throughout high school.  They have taught me that “anything, anything, anything is possible” (Currie 302).

Chester

My favorite poem this year was John Koethe’s “Chester.”  It emphasizes simplicity and displays how the smaller aspects of life matter. I like this poem because it conveys a different perspective then modern society generally prioritizes.  It praises calmness and idleness rather than movement and competition.  This theme has been prevalent in many of the literature we read this year, such as Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.  He has the main character, Junior, assess “Does anything I do matter?” (9). Junior comes to the conclusion at the end of the novel that everything does matters, especially the simple aspects of life.  At one moment Junior looks at his child and realizes “She is…happy, still quick to laugh, and that, more than anything is what matters” (287).  The effortless action of laughing serves much more of purpose and lends to a happier life than frantically attempting to get ahead in society.  The speaker teaches him “Everything is all you’ve got-your wife’s lips, your daughter’s eyes, your brother’s heart” (292).  The speaker conveys that these small, sometimes overlooked aspects of life matter the most.  Junior realizes this, too, in his last moments of life.  He does not think of how far he got in his career, how much money he made or of the superficial materials that surround him, but the people and relationships he formed.  This parallels Koethe’s emphasis on the cat in his poem.  He stresses the importance of living happily and appreciating the life that surrounds people, such as the cat does.  Although I do not think it is realistic to live completely as Koethe preached, living completely like a cat with little movement and motivation, I do think that people should take in a small amount of this lifestyle for it will help them keep things in perspective.

  i do not like cats though.