Earth Day

To me, Earth day is just like any other day.  It's not a big deal for me. Here are some interesting facts about Earth Day.  Earth Day

was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1970.  Senator Gaylord Nelson started Earth Day in the U.S.  In 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan on Earth Day.  To help celebrate, plant a tree, maybe plant two trees.  Anything that you do helps.

Spring Break

My spring break was pretty uneventful.  The most interesting day was Easter because people visited us.  There was a huge breakfast that was delicious.  Then we were bored so we decided to do an egg hunt, which made me feel like breaking something by the end of it.  I am never letting my uncle be in charge of that again.  That was about it though, I really need to do more next year.

National Pencil Day

The modern "yellow pencil" was made in the 1890s.  They were painted yellow to show that the graphite used in them came from China.  There are many people that helped to create what we use today, a some of them being Joseph Dixon and Eberhard Faber.  I prefer pencils over pens because they make it easy to fix any mistakes you may have made, sure graphite smears easier, but in my opinion, it is superior.  I mean, just look at that awesome picture!  I have only one question.  Why is National Pencil Day a thing? There are too many holidays...

information from
http://pencils.com/why-are-pencils-yellow/
http://pencils.com/pencil-history/

GPA

Today I feel like talking about GPA.  For the few people who don't know what that is, it stands for grade point average.  The other day, my class got our transcripts, which had our GPA on them.  Right now, I am tied for second.  My friend Jacob and I are tied at 3.98, while the person in first has a 4.0.  That's all fine and dandy, but why is it set up this way?  Why is it out of four? Why is it that having one A- can reduce your grade and ruin your chances of being top of your class?  Why is it that I am currently in Pre-Calculus, a class that is definitely harder than the class the person with a 4.0 has, yet I am not being credited for that? Right now, there can be someone in geometry and someone in Calculus in my grade.  Yet they will have the same GPA.  They are very clearly on different levels, but they have the same score.  Yes, they fix this problem for those who take advanced classes by allowing you to get up to a 4.2, but that is only for certain classes.  There is still a difference, but they have nothing to show for it.  This is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Portrait Pictures

A good portrait picture can be difficult to get.  You want good light levels, the right area has to be in focus, there is more that goes into it than many think.  You have to carefully stage things, make sure that the camera is set correctly, it takes more than just a few seconds to get a "professional" look.  I believe that the two images that are included are examples of good portait pictures.  Their faces are well lit, they are in focus, and most importantly, they look good.  This is what a good portait picture looks like.

Cheating

Cheating is not a great idea.  If you get caught, guess what, you just got a zero.  I think it would be better to get a poor grade that was your own.  On top of that, if you don't get caught, you're going to have to live with knowing that you're a cheater.  When it comes to catching a cheater...I find it entertaining to write down the wrong answers so that they get them wrong and change them to the correct answer later on.  Hopefully they will have learned their lesson from that.  If you decide to cheat off of me and I see your wondering eyes, then you should expect to do poorly.  As they say, cheaters never win.

Tests

Let's talk about tests.  Tomorrow is the day that the ACT begins, which, for those of you who don't know, is a very big, very important test.  Your score on the ACT is a big factor in what colleges you can get into.  Beginning tomorrow, every junior in the state will be taking the ACT.  I knew that this would happen, and i was prepared to take it next year.  Then I heard something that could change a lot.  According to several credible sources, next year I will be taking the SAT instead of the ACT.  That is not a good thing.  The SAT is a harder test than the ACT.  I'm not sure why this change is a thing, or why they picked then of all times to do it, but apparently it is a thing.  What are your thoughts on the subject?