To our fellow readers-

We all want our voice to be heard, and for some that is easier than others. This blog was meant to give a voice to the students of TrekNorth-- to those who have a strong voice and strong ideas, and to those whose voices are meek, yet ideas bold. I applaud those of you who put your heart on your sleeve and wrote about what mattered to you, what you wanted the world to hear. I applaud those of you who wrote (and rewrote) your blogs because you had to even though -the entire time- it felt like you were walking on nails.  Not only do I applaud all of you, I thank you.

As you read this blog, please find it in yourself to be tolerant, understanding, accepting. I believe you all have the right to be heard and to comment,  but if you can't comment anything nice, please don't comment at all. Or, at least make sure your comments matter so much to you that you sign them with your own name.

Now, I leave you with one of my all-time favorite quotes: "I may not agree what you have to say, but I will fight to the death for you to say it." - Voltaire.
So, write on, read on, and comment on!

-elh.

Who Is The Best Player In The NBA?

There are several basketball players on our planet, but there are few who play in college, and even few who play professionally.  The NBA is the world’s biggest basketball company ever to be created and will be the big boy in the basketball business until basketball ends.  The teams have to create an enormous amount of physical and emotional endurance to push through the season, but the leaders that lead the team are the ones with the most skills.  Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James are the only players in the NBA with these qualities and the statistics to back them up...  They are the elite of the elite.

Dwayne Wade is a 6’4’’, 220 pound guard that plays for the Miami Heat, a title-contending team on the East Coast.  Wade has the ability to cut to the paint with ease, which is a rare quality in guards, especially in the NBA.  This combined with his uncontested athleticism makes him a force around the basket despite being half a foot smaller than players who lurk down there.  His jump shot could improve, but it miraculously seems to improve in situations full of tension and pressure.  All of these attributes of Wade’s game has earned him the one NBA title under his belt, and he is hungry for another this year.

Kevin Durant is the youngest player in the NBA who can contend with any other player in the NBA.  This 6’9’’, 235 pound forward is the best scorer in the league at only 23 years old.  He has two seasonal scoring titles under his belt.  Durant has led his young franchise, the Oklahoma City Thunder, into winning records three years in a row.  Even though he is young blood, Kevin Durant has already made a name for himself in the most challenging basketball league in the world.  His scoring overshadows his defense, though.  He has trouble defending other stronger, more experienced forwards.  But if he improves this, he will go down as one of the best players in history.

This next player is something special, as if he was crafted by the basketball gods themselves.  LeBron James has been in the NBA spotlight since he was a mere 17 years-old.  NBA analysts said he could have done well in the NBA with the skillset he had as a junior in high school.  James stands at 6’8’’ and weighs 250 pounds.  His offensive game is one of the best in the NBA, being able to score from everywhere on the court.  But the thing that sticks out is his defense.  James is the only player in the league who can defend all five positions, a trait that some would kill to have in their arsenal.  Even though he is the most hated player in the NBA, he is also the best.  

These players have honed their skills since they were in elementary school, so they definitely deserve what they have.  Wade, Durant, and James have endured much to get to where they are now.  But, there will always be critics that will pull apart their games.  Opinions also exist, however.  And my opinion is that these men are on the road to greatness.

~Chamalmy

The Dreamer!

Have you ever had a dream, and when you woke up it never seemed to go away? And, even though you have tried so many times to make it a reality and it never worked out, but you just couldn't bring yourself to forget about it? Many people will tell you that it'll never come true, and that you are crazy to think that something so amazing could ever happen to you. Those are the people who lost sight of their dreams and are willing to crush others.  So, if you haven't noticed many people at TrekNorth applied of the Mentorship Grant, a grant to have the chance to improve in an art form, which can be any where from visual art to drama. What these young artists hope to achieve through their one year mentorship is to become a pro at what they do and be able to present it to their community and maybe even world wide. The mentorship grant gives $600.00 to the young artist that is anywhere from 8th grade to 12th grade. The money that they have reserved is goes to their mentor and art supplies that they may need ($550.00 goes to their mentor and the $50.00 that remains goes to to art supplies).  When the youth of our community applies for this grant, they must hand it in by the due date and wait to hear if they had passed to the next round which is the interview. In the interview, the student will be asked to present their work and explain why they believe they deserve the grant and why it is so important to them.  Every TrekNorth student that had applied for the grant has reserved it, so congratulations! Use your time wisely, and please don't take it for granted!      By now you are probably wounder why my blog is tittled the dreamer and why I have mentioned the mentorship program the reason is because I had applied of the grant last year and didn't reseave it. When I got the letter in the mail letting me that I hadn't raved the grant I was devastated thought I was never going to do art ever again. But after I got ahold of my scenes I seen it as an opportunity to become a better artist and try even harder next time I applied.      This year when I applied for the grant I decided to think more deeply into every word that I typed and chose my art pieces wisely having everything that I needed to improve on in the paper. After I was done handing in my paper (I had a couple people proofread it prior to handing it in), I asked a very inspiring teacher to help me go over the things I would say in the interview. After she gave me some very helpful tips, I was on my way and confident. The night before my interview seemed like forever, I had laid awake for a couple of hours before falling a sleep even though I knew that I needed my sleep for the next emotional day.   When I woke up the next morning, pretty early, I told myself I was going to be just fine although I didn't believe a word that I was saying. I told myself to go with it. By the time my mother was driving me to my interview, my nerves kicked in and I couldn't shut-up if my life depended on it. My mother acted like she didn't notice that I was jumping subject to subject while talking her ear off.  As we drew near the building, she had helped me rehearse what I was going to say. Before my interview had actually started, I had become extremely calm (if I didn't know any better I would've pronounced myself dead). When I was called for my interview I just repeated this in my head: Make yourself a promise... Be tough, only tougher,  Be strong, only stronger, Be you, only better.  When I was talking about my art and why it was so important to me, it felt like I was going to die because I was so scarred that I wasn't going to get the grant again ... and lucky for me the council couldn't smell fear and if they had they would of riped me to shreds.  As the two weeks of waiting grew near, I had became very worried because some people in my school where already getting accepted! On top of that, I had discovering the changes in how many people where actually getting the grant. I started to freak out in fount of my teacher, but she told me that every thing was going to be just fine.  That night, right before sections (it's a big meet in track and field), I had received a package regarding my grant.  At first when my mother told me that I had gotten something in the mail, I begged her to read it first.  Then I saw the package. I hugged my mom so hard, and she said that I hadn't even read it yet, but I didn't need to because I was told what it would look like if I had gotten it.

to meet anne frank...

The planet Earth is home to billions of human beings, each one with their own style, personality, and outlook. Out of all of these people, past, present, or future, Anne Frank is the person I would treasure meeting. Anne Frank has a sort of draw, to me, something that I've always felt. I admire Anne because of her beliefs regarding human beings, her superb writing abilities, and also for her story.

Anne Frank had a certain belief that humans are not truly bad, and that inside, every person is truly good. This outlook is so impeccable because it came from a teenaged girl in a period where she was discriminated against. Through all the horrid, wretched things that Anne was put through, she had a strong insight, an orb of luminescence thrust up into an abstract world of sheer darkness and cruelty – a seemingly rare characteristic in some people.

Aside from her outlook, Anne certainly had a way with words. She had an impeccable writing talent. It has provided inspiration for many people, including myself. I love writing. Words seem to come to me, pouring, flowing, instantly appearing in my mind. They rush like a waterfall, roaring and spilling out, creating sentences, paragraphs, entire pages of my creation. The ability to write is a gift, and it was anything but absent in Anne. Anne was able to describe two years spent hidden away in an Annex in a wildly engulfing manner, the words wrapping around the reader, carrying them to the Annex. While conveying the emotions filling her setting, Anne was able to convey an internal conflict. She was transitioning from a girl to a woman amidst a world torn apart by war. Her story was told during a part of her life where she was beginning to understand the world, but also was forced to understand.

Anne was thrown into a world of damage, death, and hatred. Her family and others she cared about were murdered because of their religion. She was in no paradise. She was in a torturous, cruel, hell. What Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did was vulgar and horrid, an experience to which no common American teenager could relate. Living through that terror had to be demeaning and terrifying. People stood by helpless as their friends and loved ones were slaughtered or sent to the deadly gas chambers. They stole to keep themselves and those they cared for alive. People were lied to and greatly mistreated for things they didn't do, and Anne had to go through this as a young teenaged girl.

The main reason I would like to meet Anne Frank is to hear her story from her. To hear her voice, with real emotions and real words. I want her perspective, with her insight as rare as an iridescent blue moon. Anne Frank had the ability to inspire generations, and that's exactly what she did. She inspired me. To hear her voice, her story, loud and true, first-hand, I believe could move a nation, and that experience would be a gift.   -hs

A Day in the Life of Ben Rudnick

 You may think that being Ben Rudnick is easy, oh but it is not as easy as it looks. Usually I will wake up at around 7:45- do you know how hard it is to keep a body like this looking good in the morning? It consists of picking out whatever clothes I feel like wearing, and who knows what I want to wear- Hollister? Or ...well that's really about it, I guess. Who knows though what color boxers I want to wear in the morning- stripes or just a random color? Sweatpants or jeans? What ever the body feels like wearing. Then, at about 8:00, it's time to go to school. My mom will drive my brother and me. I usually get to school at 8:10 and when I get there, I hang out with friends for the 20 minutes before the bell.  

First hour I have Algebra 1- my least favorite. I just hate math. I'm pretty bad at math and the only good thing about that class is I have good friends in the class. 

Then comes second hour- one of the best classes of the day because it's quiet study.  I get to do my homework, which I don't have to at home. Also in quiet study I hangout with friends- maybe even play basketball. Then third hour, which is my favorite class. 

Finally comes lunch, which is the best part of the day because I get to sit and eat with all my friends- and just take a break from school. Then after that it's fourth hour - painting, which is a blast because I can talk the whole time as long as I'm doing my work. Kristin is the best art teacher I have ever had. 

The school day is almost done as I head to fifth hour, which is composition. I suck at English, but Erica makes the class a little bit more fun... but I will probably have to write more blogs and blogs and guess what more blogs, which I feel like no one even reads even though you can find them on the Trek North website. 

And, then, school is over. After school I usually hang out with friends. Then, at around 6:00, I will have dinner.  Most of the time my mom will make something good. Then depending what is on TV that night, I might watch something or if nothing is on I will go outside and play basketball. 

At 11:00 I will brush my teeth and go to bed just hoping for some sweet dreams, which of course I always have. That is the day in the life of Benjamin Scott Rudnick!

My Reaction To: The 2015 ESPNU Terrific 25

Recently, the ESPNU Terrific 25 rankings were released alongside the ESPNU Super 60 and ESPNU 100.  These rankings are released every year around the end of May, setting loose the most accurate rankings on the face of the planet.  The top two prospects, Karl Towns and Mickey Mitchell, may be worthy for the first two spots-  but Diamond Stone as number three?  I don’t think so.  The first three spots are the most crucial, and I will list who I think are worthy of these three spots.

The number three spot of my rankings list goes to Mickey Mitchell.  He is a very athletic 6’6’’, 210 pound power forward who plays for the Prestonwood Lions, a nationally ranked high school basketball team.  Mitchell has a very reliable jump shot while still being able to be a force in the paint due to his size.  But, the most spectacular thing of all is his court vision.  Mitchell can pass like no other freshman in his class, and that has proven to make him a force on the court offensively.  His defensive is also stellar, much better than fellow forwards Jamar Ergas or Kejuan Johnson.

The second best player in the 2015 class is Marcus Lovett Jr.  Lovett is a 5’11’’, 155 pound point guard who has taken over the basketball scene in this past year.  He has just emerged playing for Providence High School in Burbank, California by averaging 33 points per game.  He has a good handle on the ball and can get anywhere on the court with this ability.  Lovett’s jump shot is probably the most impressive attribute about his game.  He has major range on his shot, ranging out to around 24 feet.  With his unique quickness and ability to get into the paint, Lovett could be the best player in his class by his senior year.

Out of all the basketball players in 2015, including myself, Karl Towns Jr., is the best of them all.  Some basketball analysts and critics have been calling Towns the next Kevin Durant, who is a star in the NBA and plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The 6’11’’, 235 pound center is a complete monster on the floor.  He has a huge tendency to block shots, averaging about four per game in his freshman season at St. Joseph’s in New Jersey.  His post game is a huge part of his game also, using his size to push past his defender.  Unlike other centers, though, Towns has range on his jump shot out to 25 feet.  He averaged two three-pointers a game, which is unheard of for young prospects that are almost seven feet tall.  On top of all this, he and his team won the New Jersey State Championship this past year.

The class of 2015 is loaded with prospects that have massive potential to succeed in basketball, but these three players right now have the best potential out of them all.  Mitchell, Lovett, and Towns have put in countless hours of work to make their games undeniably and critically superior to their peers.  If they keep their work ethic the same as it is now, these three young men may be able to play basketball for their careers.

~Chamalmy

day in the life of dallas blevins

After reading a blog written by a young man who goes by the name of Ben Rudnick, I decided to let the world know about how my day goes. After reluctantly get up in the morning at 5:50, I do my hair- and this takes around a half hour. What? You don't believe me? Well, it's not like I just throw up my hair.... Ha! No... After this, I brush my my teeth and get a wet wash cloth for my face. I go back to my room and put on my makeup. This takes up to 45 minutes. When I am done with my makeup, I then pick out my outfit for the day. Jeans or Jeans? Shirt or Shirt? Neckless or Neckless? What ever my body feels like wearing. 

7:15 A.M. I go to the bus stop and wait for the bus, otherwise I get dropped off by my mom before she goes to work. Once I get to school, I take some time to take care of my tarantula or gerbils. Then I hang with friends and more than likely end up going to the store. When I get back to school, its around 8:25 A.M., and I head off to Charlie's first hour. Not one of my favorite hours, but on the plus side, I get to hang out with the oh-so-well-known Ben Rudnick.

Then comes second hour- physical science. Physical science is one of my favorite classes because I actually get and understand it. 

QUIET STUDY TIME! In this hour, I usually don't do homework, but hang out with Kali. I don't think Chance (the study hall dude) like me or Kali for we harass him.

And of course, we have lunch now. Lately I have been eating outside with my peeps enjoying a basketball game. After the lunch, I have my fourth hour- PAINTING! Art, my absolute favorite hour, is the hour I get to relax and talk with friends and do what I love to do, which is anything art related. The famous Ben Rudnick is also in this class, but I choose not to sit by him for he annoys the crap out of me.

Then, finally, Ben Rudnick follows me to my fifth hour class -composition. In composition, we do blogs, and review terms, and other composition like things.

Schools out at 3:10! Woo-hoo! After school, I either ride the bus home or I hang out with Sadie. Around 5 PM, I have dinner at my house, then I go to my room and watch a movie or do some homework. I do not watch T.V. because I believe it's a unrealistic dream for the common American.

Then I go to bed and have the bitter dreams I do.

This is the day of Dallas Blevins!