College

Curfew is a law that has been disputed ever since it was implemented. The Illinois curfew law states that an individual under the age of 18 must be home by 10:00 on weekdays and 11:00 on weekends. It was only a couple of years ago when curfew used to be 11:00 on weekdays and 12:00 on weekends. Only after a sudden spike in teenage car crashes and deaths did the state heighten the curfew. Not only did they increase curfew, they increased the amount of driving hours one must have to complete in order to receive their license. These strict laws I feel are very unnecessary and not fair to the average teenager because they should not be punished for another kids wrong doing. I believe that as a licensed driver, that I should receive the same exact rights as each and every other licensed driver.
 When I am hanging out with my friends and we are having a lot of fun, only for it to be 11:00 and I have to go home is very irritating. Another example is when my friends and I want to go and see a movie. The latest movie we can see is at 8:00 if we want to be home by curfew. I feel that this law is too strict. I say that if you are coming home from a friends house, a movie, or a set destination that if you are going home, that it should not matter what time it is.


I believe that curfew should not be implemented on kids that fall under certain criteria. For one, if a teenager is not known for and has not committed any crimes, and is also a good student, and has not gotten in trouble in school. Another qualification which I stated earlier is that as long as the teenage isn't just driving around doing nothing then they should be allowed to not have a set curfew

Curfew

College is supposed to be the best time of your life. However, getting there, can drive a man crazy. As a senior, you have to deal with so much on your own and it makes it very stressful due to the fact that you have to worry about if it's the right college and if you have all of the documents required and getting all of your counselor and teacher recommendations in on time. What makes college searching hard is that you have to take into account many factors, such as the school's location, overall size, class sizes, athletic systems, school spirit, environment, Greek life, and financial aid. For me education plays a huge role in my choice in colleges. I'm not going to just go to a Big 10 school or a D1 school with 40,000 just for the sports and the parties. I need a close relationship with my professor and small class sizes so I can recieve the individual attention. A large 40,000 school with every class in a lecture hall just can't give me that personal education. Another factor that plays in is the student enviroment. College is a time to meet life long friends and build relationships with other people. I want to go to a very social school and yes of course a school that throws some parties. However I believe that choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions in your life and I trust that I will make the right decision.

Speech Codes on Campus

After reading the article on what happened at Auburn University, and seeing the pictures first hand, I am deeply disturbed. That fact that these students thought that what they were doing what acceptable is awful. They purposely and deliberately discriminated African Americans by creating stereotypical outfits that depicted a cop with a night stick beating a man with black face. Another was people dressed up as a slave owner and a slave with a rope tied around his neck. I personally don't even see the point in dressing up like this. I firmly believe that their actions should be banned and outlawed on every campus across the United States. Their actions are not protected because Auburn is a private school which means that they can implement their own rules and regulations that do not need to coincide with state regulations. In that case, the university can in every way possible punish the students who committed these actions.
   The school that I looked up was Miami University of Ohio. Miami got a rating of yellow. The university acknowledges an individual's right to free speech, however if it endangers, threatens, or infringes upon a student's well being and safety then corrective actions shall be taken. As a possible future student I believe that their rules are correct and are fair yet still protect the safety and the rights of the student. I believe that a university does have the right to infringe on a students right to free speech because they accepted you into their school, and they can kick you out just as easily. In my opinion I think that Miami would agree with the other parties actions.
  I think that FIRE is a very good website because if a student like me who is currently still searching for schools to attend for next year, I believe that it is a good thing to know what the school you're applying too what it's view on free speech is. Free speech is a complicated right. It's not all black and white, there are a lot of gray areas and exceptions.

My Rights

This past weekend was homecoming weekend. As a tradition, half way through the homecoming football game (which we won) the seniors go to the intersection of Deerfield Rd. and Waukegan Rd. right in the middle of town. Dressed in black and equipped with whistles the seniors run/leapfrog/craw across the road and the correct time. As a result there are police there to make sure that nobody gets hurt in the process. Overall there were not that many times when we were doing something that was technically against the law. We would cross when the cross light came on and we didn't jay walk. Granted there were a few times when we did go into the middle of the intersection and mosh or lay down but it was for a brief amount of time. Then all of a sudden when everyone was crossing the street this one cop grabs me and two other guys by the shirt and tells us, "you are under arrest for the obstruction of traffic." There were at least 200 kids there and he decides that he wants to arrest us three for something that 197 other kids were doing. He ended up just yelling at us and told us, "either go home, or go to jail." So I walked back to my car and then walked back to where everyone was and that was that. But the cop still grabbed me hard by the shirt and threatened to arrest me for a law that I was not even breaking. I see where he was coming because he might have wanted to make a statement saying that what we were doing was not okay, but none of the other policemen cared and if he was that upset, he could have made an announcement for us to stop. I do believe that the police officer did violate my rights but it was not that big of a deal.

9/11; How it changed America

I remember the day like it was yesterday. Just two weeks before, I was standing at the base of one of the World Trade Centers looking up at what I thought was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I have a picture in my room of me and my mom at the Statue of Liberty with the World Trade Centers in the background. This memory has stuck with me ever since. I remember exactly where I was when I heard that the first plane had hit. Since my mom was in Washington D.C. at the time, my dad decided to take me to school. We were sitting in the White Hen parking lot so my dad could get coffee and just before he was about to leave the car the message was broadcasted over the radio. At the time I was 7 so I didnt think too much of it. But me and my dad were scheduled to fly out to Washington D.C to meet my mom and spend time there. But unfortunately I did not get to go to D.C. and my mom was stranded in D.C with no way out. I always think, what if my dad booked our flight a day earlier, how much my life would be different. I would say 9/11 changed my life a lot. I'm not afraid of flying, in fact flying is one of my favorite things to do. But it's made me appreciate my country moer and not take our rights and freedoms for granted. I have a strong sence of patriatism, in which I would like to serve my country one way or another.
          The documentary that we watched was one of the most moving things I have ever seen. Most of the footage that I saw in the video I had never seen before. One of the scenes that really made an impact on me was when the fire fighters were in the lobby and you kept hearing this crashing noise and it was the bodies jumping from the top floors. The jumping of the bodies was shielded from the news because that was not something the people of America needed to see on such a horrific day. On this 9/11 the same documentary was aired and I recorded it and still watch it time to time. I believe that we should all have that reminder of what happened that day and never forget it. This documentary really shows and emphasizes the loss of all the first responders who lost their lives that fateful day. A lot of the news and documentary footage about 9/11 is all from the civilian's point of view. What was special about this one was that it was from the view of the fire fighters who were first on the scene. Remarkably everyone from Ladder 1 returned safely and unharmed. Unfortunately not everyone was so lucky. Over 135 fire fighters and 25 policemen died that day trying to save  other peoples lives. If that's not a hero then I don't know what is. They will never be forgotten.
         The article that I read talked about how America was impacted by 9/11 event 10 years later. Even after a decade, the affects of the attack are still present. The family members who lost loved ones still don't have their family members back. The families of the fallen soldiers still have that void from where their son or daughters used to be. The 9/11 attacks are something that should never be forgotten.

Colt League

Colt League is a baseball league that is for kids 15-17. It is a house league that is open to everyone. This year we were the green team. Our team was amazing, everyone on our team was my age and we all played travel and high school together. At the end of the year our record was 13-2 winning a 4th of July tournament and the overall Colt League Championship. But this isn't your normal baseball league. It is very relaxed and laid back when it comes to playing. We show up 30 minutes before the game, warm up and the game starts. For the most part we chose our own positions each inning, however we had a set batting order. The best part about the league was that we got to play baseball and have fun with all of our old baseball friends. I ended up having a really good year. My goal this year was to hit a home run, and I almost did this one game against another Deerfield team. I stepped up to the plate and pitcher threw the perfect pitch to me; it was right down the middle, waist high. I stepped and ripped the ball directly to center field. The center fielder ran all the way back to the fence and reached his glove over the 4 foot high fence and caught my ball. I have never hit a home run before and that was my chance, but it got robbed. Nevertheless I was a very fun game and we ended up winning. Colt League was a great experience and was one of the major highlights of my summer.