Yearbook and Battle of the Books

The yearbook meetings seem to be coming less and less frequently, and even when they do happen they're short. I'm hoping it will pick up the pace a bit, but i guess there's really not a lot to do right now. However, we have started page editing and I've realized i'm really self conscious about my editing skills without a theme.When you have a theme, everyone has to kinda follow the basic rules. No, not every page has to look the same, but every page needs to portray the same kind of atmosphere. So, without a theme everyone is left to their own devices and with he makeup of our group i'm worried. Our committee is compromised of two types of people; the creative, fun and more colorful side and the boring, stuck in their ways and lovers of the color beige. With this combination, i think it's inevitable that some people are gonna want to do their pages with cartoon-y shapes and fun colors and others are going to be like "white, red, the end". So, pretty much i don't think the committee is on the same page and even though i'm one of the organizer leader people i don't feel i have enough power to set us on the same page without looking like a whiny little girl. I think the only person who can is Mr. Toms, but it doesn't look like he's going to any time soon. But, yeah, as i was saying with the page designing i'm feeling kind of self conscious because my page has snowflakes all over it and i'm worried it's going to be too juvenile. Many of the people involved in yearbook are grade twelves and i just have a feeling that they're not going to be impressed with my cute little snowflakes. Well, you never know; maybe this week everything will just work out.

Battle of the Books is a new CAS activity of mine. It's being put on by some students in the grade 12 class and basically you get a team of two or three and choose a book and then debate with the other teams. I think this should be a really great and fun experience, plus it's in support of the Literacy Association. I'm not sure what book we're choosing, but the theme of the debate is What book will be likely to become a classic in 100 years.

Catching Up

I seem to have forgotten about my CAS blog, but not about CAS! So, here's what's been happening lately. Yearbook: I took some pictures on the last day of school before Christmas break and we're starting the cover contest. Not a lot has happened to be honest. Although, I think I'm getting a little bit better with the group; before now each meeting annoyed me because a lot of the people were hard to get along with and just stuck in the past. However, with some optimism from my amigos Emily and Adrian yearbook seems brighter. I just really hope we can get a move on the fun stuff like page design. Dodgeball: it's been officially over for awhile and we didn't even come close to winning, but it was fun being on a real team and part of a school event for once. Buddy Program: I went the first two days, but haven't been able to go since because it interferes with yearbook. On the first day it was really just logistics and such, but on the second day we actually got to do things. However, my buddy is confined to a wheel chair and is unable to speak so it was difficult to really do anything. We ended up just going to the gym and watching dodgeball. Newspaper: since my first article I've written three other articles. One was just a list of some of the top books named by an organization. another was a review on an anthology I read. This article was probably my best so far because for once I didn't procrastinate and I actually like what I was reading. In fact, when I wrote the anthology review I went way over the word limit and had to cut some stuff out. Also, yesterday I wrote a movie to book review on Les Mis which I unfortunately left to the very last minute again. I really have to work on that. Yoga: So, last Tuesday I went to my first yoga class! I've decided to take up yoga for multiple reasons; IB is stressing me out and I need some relaxation, I have no balance and little flexibility, it's way too cold in Canada (it's hot yoga) and of course I really need some action for CAS of course! One Tuesday I went with Mallory, Sawini and Cassy and yesterday I went with Mallory and Sarah. I enjoyed last nights class far more than the Tuesday class. I think it was because on Tuesday I was nervous about starting something new and I was struggling to keep up or maybe because I grabbed the wrong leggings to wear and ended up wearing ones with a rip in them. Yesterdays class was just so much calmer. It was earlier in the afternoon so it was bright outside and I honestly thought it felt more naturel. Since there was a lot of natural light coming in, it honestly felt like a summers day and not an unnaturally warm night. I was also able to keep up better in the class and actually do the stretches so it seemed to be a lot more beneficial for me. A few things I really love about yoga that I hadn't expected was how relaxing it really is and how non-judgemental it is. Usually in classes, on teams or in gym class I feel really self conscious that I'm not doing it right or not keeping up and that everybody is starring at me. However, in yoga it's really a solitary thing; you focus on what you've done and how well you've done it and it doesn't matter if anyone else is there. In yoga I'm able to let go off all my uncertainties and just live. I hope I will be able to keep improving and hopefully make yoga part of my daily life. That's all for now.... I think!

Buddy Program

The Buddy Program is a program where once a lunch each week for half an hour one of the kids with disabilities at our school will hang out with us. Maybe we'll go to the library, chill in the cafeteria or walk around school. I think this program will really make an impact; at the moment these kids sit at their own table and are rarely integrated. I hope that by the end the kids we're being buddied with will fell more included and involved. Tomorrow is the first day. Let's hope it all goes well!