The Graduate

I believe Rockwell chose to place the graduate in front of the news paper to give us an insight into his life and his future. The headlines are very relevant. The headlines indicate what is going on in the world. The young man just graduated and he has to look forward to a possible draft, the war or going straight into the job force. The young man's posture and expression shows hopelessness and confusion. He doesn't exactly know what to expect or whats to come for his young life.

The Frio

I can’t imagine spending my summer vacation anywhere else in the world than on the Frio River. The clear skies, sunny days, and cold waters keep my family and I, as well as thousands of other Texans, coming back year after year to the Frio.
The day begins with Mom yelling “Breakfast! Come and get it!” from downstairs of our country style cedar cabin located just 75 yards from the river. I walk down the spiral staircase where I join the line of hungry campers for some French toast and bacon. I eat my golden French toast with maple syrup on an old picnic table with names carved in the middle of hearts which sits directly in front of our cabin. My family is evenly dispersed in three identical cabins, side by side along with three travel trailers. Over fifty family members, four generations of the Adams’ attend the annual family vacation on the Frio. I sit there and remember the bonfire from the night before that still smolders with morning dew, and recall how clear the starry sky was. The hill country is entirely different from my hometown, and it’s a place that I don’t ever wants to leave!
I can see the guys down on the edge of the water casting out their rods and reels time and time again. The men started their day early to go down by the river and fish. Of course they walk back empty handed because my uncle has a strict “catch and release” rule on the Frio. No matter how large or small the fish, they are always returned safe and sound back into the swift water.
After I finish my delicious breakfast, I hurry inside to get my swim suit on for the first river run of the day. We load up a dozen rubber inner tubes in the back of a white Ford pick up truck and a red Hummer. The adults cram inside the cab of the trucks and the kids jump on back, hold on tight, and try not to burn their bums on the steaming hot metal of the beds of the trucks.
When we get to the low water crossing, about 2 miles from our cabins, we all jump out onto the warm, smooth river rocks just steps from the clear waters. I grab my tube and burn my arm from the scorching hot rubber. I dash towards the waters edge and dip my big toe into the ice burg-like freezing river. The river was up about 10 more inches from when I left it last summer! I can recall last year when the river was low. But like the Texas Country singer says, “that only means you go real slow, and you take the time to enjoy the finer things in life!” (Roger Creager, “Fun All Wrong”).
At that point, I look back and see my family. They are all so happy to be spending this priceless time together. I know we all share the love for the Frio and we each look forward to this time together each and every summer. The river has been bringing my family together for many decades. That is what makes the Frio river so beautiful.

Small town education

I'm from a small town in south Texas. What really bothered me about my school district was their priorities. At the beginning of my senior year a large amount of money was donated the my school. Instead of buying new computers for the classrooms or even BOOKS for each student, it went to the football team. I know we live in Texas and football is a high priority for most (don't get me wrong I do love it!), but if I had to choose between a Algebra books for my students or a mega scoreboard for the stadium...I think I would go for the books!! If the quarterback is lacking in his classes because he doesn't have the materials he needs to succeed in the subject, then he won't have the ability to play football by UIL standards. Even though I have already graduated and moved on from that school district it still eats at me!

DECA

This is a picture of our DECA team from ALICE HIGH SCHOOL. The five of us made it to state then Michelle and I made it to Internationals in Orlando, Florida with our E-Commerce Business.

(L-R) Michelle Fitch, Veronica Nino, Cassie Perez, Brittany Gold, Cassie Bunch

The Days Go By

For me in high school there wasn't any specific person, event or course that formed who I am today. It was more of a collective effort of numerous teachers, classes, jobs, and of course my parents. Throughout high school I was involved in a wide variety of programs starting my freshmen year as a soccer player and a football trainer. As the years went by my interests changed and I discovered many new talents such as my love for advertisement and small businesses. I started a job at a local tanning salon my junior year and soon decided that in the future I would too run my very own business someday! I joined the DECA club (a work studies program where you compete in different categories usually dealing with business, advertising, etc.) at school and soon took us all the way to Internationals in Florida for our E-Commerce Business. Getting this far in competition was not only the effort of my partner and myself, but my teachers, my personal work experience, and the morals I learned from my family. I went to a majority of my teachers for advice on my written paper to how to produce an informative but persuasive speech. I basically had to sell my product and thats where my personal work experience as a saleswoman came in handy. When times got tough and it didn't ever seem like we would get that trophy, I didn't let myself quit, because Mom always said, quitters never win and winners never quit! DECA was only one of the many programs I was involved in during my high school career, and they each had their own significance in those four years. But all of them put together have formed who I am today and if I could go back, I wouldn't have changed a thing!