English11;

Reflective Cover Letter Draft*

2009-12-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
12/12/2009
Reflective Cover Letter

After much deciphering I finally decided on which four papers I would like to include in my portfolio. I deiced to use the most recent assignment on analyzing a trend, my proposal essay, my application essay, and my first essay for English 11 the This I Believe piece. I decided to use these papers in my portfolio because I feel they have the most potential, and can still be improved.

When I began to write my essay on analyzing a trend I became extremely discouraged because I felt that I couldn’t find a trend that was worthy enough to write about. After much research I decided upon my topic of the rising suicide rate of college students. The assignment asks to clearly state a thesis identifying the trend, to document through the use of statistics facts and expert opinion that the trend exists. It asks to analyze and discuss the causes and effects of the trend, and document those causes and effects through evidence, and logic. I was advised to discuss more of the effects of the trend, to stay focused throughout my paper, and to begin my paragraphs with my own topic sentences instead of a quote. Taking all of these suggestions into consideration I feel it was easier to improve my paper.

My proposal essay was also one that I had much trouble coming up with something to write about. I finally got to thinking about what has been affecting me and I came to the conclusion of writing about credit card debt because it is a growing problem for me. This assignment asks for a statement of the important problem, context and background, a possible solution, and an analysis of the costs and benefits, also an in-text citation of sourced used and a listing of those sources. It was suggested to me to try to identify the reader right away, fix punctuation and the use on my citations in MLA style. I have attempted to meet all of these expectations and more. I believe I have improved my paper in all of the ways suggested to me.

My application essay came easy to me considering I picked a passage asking me to write a narrative basically on my life. The assignment asked to consider your purpose, and audience, to give evidence that you understand the prompt, to focus the essay on the addressed topic, to be persuasive, develop ideas sufficiently, and to try and capture the reader’s interest. It was suggested to me to simply fix my punctuation in this piece, and possibly to be more creative. I have gone on to fix all of my punctuation, and tried to add more creativity to this piece before placing it in my portfolio.

The final piece I have chosen to add to my portfolio is my first essay. I choose the piece simply because it was my first essay and I believe with what I have learned so far from this course I have put into improving this essay. The assignment for this essay asks to tell a story about your belief, be brief in you explanation, to be positive, and be personal. It was suggested to me to possibly explain more of my belief or more clearly. Throughout all of the suggestions thrown my way throughout the semester I feel confident to present my portfolio with the following piece that I feel I a presenting to the best of my ability.

Analyzing A Trend: 2nd Draft*

2009-12-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A12
12/9/2009
Project 6: Analyzing a Trend
2nd Draft

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. “In the past fifty years, the suicide rate for those age 15-24 increased by over 200%.”(Martindale) With the pressures of becoming an adult, being overwhelmed with debt, trying to balance a full time school schedule along with a full time work schedule, leaving friends and family to go away to school, and trying to build new relationships, suicide could seem like your only way out. These are the realities for most college students. It’s a wonder the suicide rate has increased so much within this age group with the price of tuition rising, and the economy crashing, times are tough.

Imagine being in such a tough time, and feeling like you have nobody to turn too or even that nobody can help you this can be extremely discouraging to anyone. “Major life transitions—such as leaving home and going away to college—may exacerbate existing psychological problems or trigger new ones. Add leaving family and friends to this can deepen depression and/or increase anxiety.”(Martindale) The attempt of suicide is usually committed by somebody who feels overwhelmed, helpless or hopeless, and committing suicide seems like an easy way out, or the only way out. “The attraction of suicide is that it will finally end these unbearable feelings. Intense emotional distress however often blinds people to alternative solutions…and there are always other solutions available.”(Campus Heath Services)

It is a fact that men commit suicide more than women; however women have been known to make more attempts. “Men commit suicide more than four times as often as women, but women attempt suicide about three times as often as men. For young adults ages 15-19, five times as many males as females commit suicide. For young adults ages 20-24, seven times as many males as females commit suicide. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death for American men. It is the 19th leading cause of death for American women. Suicide by firearm is the most common method for both men and women.”(Martindale) It has not been proven as to why men are more likely to commit suicide more than women however it has been stated that women may be more likely to get help, or are more capable of opening up to somebody they do not know so well. Where as men may be more restricted and not able to admit something is wrong especially to someone they do not trust, they would rather “handle the situation themselves.”
Suicide Rates of College Students (per 100,000)
Age Women Men Total
17 - 19 1.2 5.7 3.4
20 - 24 4.5 9.0 7.1
All Students* 4.5 10.0 7.5
(Campus Health Services)

The above chart shows the suicide rates of college students. The overall rate of student suicide is 7.5/100,000 which makes up half of the national suicide rate (15.0/100,000) the largest number of suicides for both male, and females was in the 20-24 year age ground which is 46%, among graduate students 32%.

“Suicide and suicidal behaviors come from a complex interaction among social (family, peer group, cultural), individual (psychological, genetic, biological), and environmental (e.g., firearm availability) factors. These factors can be divided into two categories – risk factors and warning signs.” (Martindale) Risk factors make an individual more into suicide thinking and behavior, warning signs may signal that an individual is suicidal. Some risk factors to consider are: history of suicidal behavior, mental health problems like serious depression or substance abuse, easy access to lethal weapons, isolation, antisocial aggressive or impulsive behavior, and a history of family violence. Common warning signs of suicide could include: talk of suicide or having no reason to live, having trouble sleeping, or performing normal rituals, drastic changes in behavior, stops being with friends and withdraws from any activities, loss of interest in schoolwork, hobbies, work, increase in substance abuse, loss of interest in personal appearance, relationship difficulties, financial trouble, and an unwillingness to connect with somebody who can potentially help.

Suicide on Campus (ACHA)
Total (%)
Very Sad 80.9
Hopeless 63.1
So depressed, could not function 45.1
Seriously considered suicide 10.0
Attempted suicide 1.4
(Campus Health Services)

”The American college Health Association (ACHA, 2006), in a survey of over 46,000 college students across 74 college campuses, found that 10.1% of students reported that they seriously considered attempting suicide and 1.4% reported attempting suicide in the prior year."(Campus Health Services) According to this chart it is not uncommon for college students to feel very sad, hopeless, and so depressed that they were unable to function, also the consideration of suicide, and actual attempts.

It has been proven why suicide rates among college students are so high and continue to rise. The pressures of moving away from friends and family, trying to build new relationships, and dealing with financial work and school relating problem can be too much for anyone to deal with. This can lead to students feeling extremely depressed or hopeless, which are risk factors of suicide. Be sure to watch out for the warning signs if you feel yourself, or a friend is at risk, and make sure to get help for them or yourself.

Work Cited:
"Campus Health Services - Being Aware of Suicide Statistics." Campus Health Services - Home. The University of North Carolina at Capital Hill, 19 Dec. 2007. Web. 07 Dec. 2009.

Martindale, Gayla. "Suicide and Suicidal Behavior Among College Students - StateUniversity.com Blog." Online University Degree Search - U.S. University Directory - State Universities and College Rankings. StateUniversity.com, 25 Jan. 2009. Web. 06 Dec. 2009.

Analyzing a Trend: Draft*

2009-12-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A12
12/03/2009
Project 6: Analyzing a Trend
Draft*

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. “In the past fifty years, the suicide rate for those age 15-24 increased by over 200%.” (1.) With the pressures of becoming an adult, being overwhelmed with debt, trying to balance a full time school schedule along with a full time work schedule, leaving friends and family to go away to school, and trying to build new relationships, suicide could seem like your only way out. These are the realities for most college students. It’s a wonder the suicide rate has increased so much within this age group with the price of tuition rising, and the economy crashing, times are tough.

Imagine being in such a tough time, and feeling like you have nobody to turn too or even that nobody can help you this could be extremely discouraging to anyone. “Major life transitions—such as leaving home and going away to college—may exacerbate existing psychological problems or trigger new ones. Add leaving family and friends to this can deepen depression and/or increase anxiety.”(1.) The attempt of suicide is usually committed by somebody who feels overwhelmed, helpless or hopeless, and committing suicide seems like an easy way out, or the only way out. “The attraction of suicide is that it will finally end these unbearable feelings. Intense emotional distress however often blinds people to alternative solutions…and there are always other solutions available.” (2.)

It is a fact that men commit suicide more than women; however women have been known to make more attempts. “Men commit suicide more than four times as often as women, but women attempt suicide about three times as often as men. For young adults ages 15-19, five times as many males as females commit suicide. For young adults ages 20-24, seven times as many males as females commit suicide. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death for American men. It is the 19th leading cause of death for American women. Suicide by firearm is the most common method for both men and women.” (1.) It has not been proven as to why men are more likely to commit suicide more than women however it has been stated that women may be more likely to get help, or are more capable of opening up to somebody they do not know so well. Where as men may be more restricted and not able to admit something is wrong especially to someone they do not trust, they would rather “handle the situation themselves.”
Suicide Rates of College Students (per 100,000)
Age Women Men Total
17 - 19 1.2 5.7 3.4
20 - 24 4.5 9.0 7.1
All Students* 4.5 10.0 7.5
(2.)

The above chart shows the suicide rates of college students. The overall rate of student suicide is 7.5/100,000 which makes up half of the national suicide rate (15.0/100,000) the largest number of suicides for both male, and females was in the 20-24 year age ground which is 46%, among graduate students 32%.

“Suicide and suicidal behaviors come from a complex interaction among social (family, peer group, cultural), individual (psychological, genetic, biological), and environmental (e.g., firearm availability) factors. These factors can be divided into two categories – risk factors and warning signs.” (1.) Risk factors make an individual more into suicide thinking and behavior, warning signs may signal that an individual is suicidal. Some risk factors to consider are: history of suicidal behavior, mental health problems like serious depression or substance abuse, easy access to lethal weapons, isolation, antisocial aggressive or impulsive behavior, and a history of family violence. Common warning signs of suicide could include: talk of suicide or having no reason to live, having trouble sleeping, or performing normal rituals, drastic changes in behavior, stops being with friends and withdraws from any activities, loss of interest in schoolwork, hobbies, work, increase in substance abuse, loss of interest in personal appearance, relationship difficulties, financial trouble, and an unwillingness to connect with somebody who can potentially help.

Suicide on Campus (ACHA)
Total (%)
Very Sad 80.9
Hopeless 63.1
So depressed, could not function 45.1
Seriously considered suicide 10.0
Attempted suicide 1.4

(2.)

”The American college Health Association (ACHA, 2006), in a survey of over 46,000 college students across 74 college campuses, found that 10.1% of students reported that they seriously considered attempting suicide and 1.4% reported attempting suicide in the prior year.” (2.) According to this chart it is not uncommon for college students to feel very sad, hopeless, and so depressed that they were unable to function, also the consideration of suicide, and actual attempts.

It has been proven why suicide rates among college students are so high and continue to rise. The pressures of moving away from friends and family, trying to build new relationships, and dealing with financial work and school relating problem can be too much for anyone to deal with. This can lead to students feeling extremely depressed or hopeless, which are risk factors of suicide. Be sure to watch out for the warning signs if you feel yourself, or a friend is at risk, and make sure to get help for them or yourself.

Annotation 2nd Draft

2009-11-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
11/29/2009
Project 5: Annotating A Scholarly Article
2nd Draft

Jouriles, Ernest N., Cora Platt, and Renee McDonald. “Violence in adolescent dating relationships.” The Prevention Researcher 16.1 (2009): 3+ Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodid=AONE&userGroupName=mlin_s_bristcc

In this article Ernest, and others analyze the violence in adolescent dating relationships. They define the measures adolescent dating, and dating violence. Ernest explains two types of dating violence as physical, and psychological. Also providing much statistics to support the argument, and gives a vivid explanation on the prevalence of violence. It concludes with the prevention, and intervention of violence in adolescent teen relationships.
Ernest is a professor in the Department of Psychology, and Co-Director of the Family Research Center at Southern Methodist University. Another author Cora Platt is a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University. Renee Mcdonald Ph.D is an Associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Co-Director of the Family Research Center at Southern Methodist University. These authors had the purpose to simply inform with there many supporting statistics. There use of ads, and charts prove to provide rock hard evidence in this piece. They completely avoided any bias statements, and left out any personal opinions. It was published less than a year ago in February 2009. It is obvious these authors worked hard and put much thought, and effort into the article, and construction of it

Annotation draft*

2009-11-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
11/27/2009
Project 5: Annotating of a Scholarly Article
Draft*

In his article Ernest, and others analyze the violence in adolescent teen relationships. They define the measures adolescent dating, and dating violence. Ernest explains two types of dating violence as physical, and psychological. Also providing much statistics to support the argument, and gives a vivid explanation on the prevalence of violence. It concludes with the prevention, and intervention of violence in adolescent teen relationships.

Ernest is a professor in the Department of Psychology, and Co-Director of the Family Research Center at Southern Methodist University. Another author Cora Platt is a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University. Renee Mcdonald Ph.D is an Associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Co-Director of the Family Research Center at Southern Methodist University. These authors had the purpose to simply inform with there many supporting statistics. There use of ads, and charts proved to provide rock hard evidence in this piece. They completely avoided any bias statements, and left out any personal opinions. It was published less than a year ago in February 2009. It is obvious these authors worked hard and put much thought into the article, and construction of it

Proposal: 2nd Draft

2009-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11
11/7/2009
Project3: Proposal
2nd Draft*

2008 was the worst year for yet for America concerning debt and job loss. The unemployment rate still continues to rise throughout 2009. College students are hit hard by this economic crisis. Students are struggling to pay for textbooks, student loans, and other college fees. Students now face the difficulty to find a part time job since not many are available, and are affected by their parents being laid off meaning they are not able to help with any expenses. “College students have long been an attractive demographic to banks because they have few financial ties. Banks compete to provide students with credit cards and bank accounts in hopes that students will come back to the banks when they need mortgages and car loans.”(USA Today) Last year for Christmas I felt that it would be a good idea to apply for a credit card to afford Christmas gifts for my family. Clearly nothing forced me into applying, but I felt the need to apply, and succeeded to get a Capital One credit card. Mostly all teens my age in these tough times have a least one credit card. It could be a major credit card like Capital One or a store credit card like Express or Macy’s. Credit cards can be a great help financially, and also in terms of building a good credit score for later in life when possibly purchasing a house, or a car.

The problem with students receiving or applying for credit cards is they don’t read the “fine print”. Interest rates are a huge factor when applying for a credit card which is not something the sales associate mentions when you are checking out of a store, and they ask if you would like to see if your eligible for there credit card and that you can save an extra 15% for opening one today. The fact is that most credit cards these days have an interest rate of at least 20%. For example say you purchased a new coach handbag from Macy’s and the sales associate asked would you like to open up a Macy’s charge account and that will save 20% on your first purchase. The first thing that would come to my mind is: This is great! I save 20% on my new handbag and I don’t have to pay for it until almost a month from now. This is true, however when you receive the bill a month later lets say the money that you had saved to buy your handbag you used for something else so you pay the minimum amount on the card which is usually $10. There is nothing wrong with this either but lets say your new coach handbag cost $250 you saved 20% at the register so it was actually $200. You paid the $10 on your card leaving $190 left so you would figure that next month you can maybe pay the rest off, or pay off a little more. This is where the problem comes into play. On that $190 that’s left over you will be charged lets say an interest rate of 22% this means that next month instead of your bill being $190 it will be $231.80 because the company is charging you 22% of what you did not pay. Now it is almost as if you made no dent in your payments at all, and instead of saving 20% on the handbag you have only saved 10% and the $10 you paid counted for nothing.

All of these numbers may seem confusing but they are facts that most teens don’t realize. When applying for things like student loans I have witnessed a close friend just simply accepting his loan without even acknowledging when it would have to be paid back, or the interest rate or anything. The fact is that banks and credit card companies try to sound as appealing as possible so they can gain your business. “Banks are getting more aggressive — and creative — in their efforts to pitch credit cards to college students by hawking cards near college campuses and striking exclusive partnerships with college alumni associations, according to a growing body of research.”(USA Today)

My simple solution to this problem is that students need to pay more attention. Having a credit card isn’t always bad, they can actually be a great help if they are used wisely. I suggest that everyone reads the "fine print", and if you find anything hard to understand then ask for a better explination, or help from a person who has expierience in this area. When applying for a credit card, or asked to apply ask for a pamphlet, or do online reasearch, and pay attention to things like card limits, interest rates, and annual fees. If applying for a student loan always pay attention to again interest rates and also when you have to start paying back the money or how long it will take etc. All of these details are very important because if you are aware of them it is easier to avoid problems.

WORK CITED:
>Chu, Kathy. "Credit cards go after college students - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 30 Mar. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .

Proposal: Postwrite

2009-11-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
11/10/2009
Project 3: Proposal
Postwrite

So far I feel that my paper has potential and I like the direction I am going with it. I feel more confident thats this paper has better flow, and is better put together than my last piece wich was the news story. I feel i still need to go through the whole piece, and weed out the unnessecary information because I feel my Proposal is possible too wordy. Also I want to really pay attention to my grammer and speeling because these are thing I have'nt been paying much attention to in my previous assignments. The questions I have for my readers would be to you think this proposal is easy to read, and understand? Do you find any parts not needed informations, or hard to understand and feel they should be easier explained?

Proposal: Draft

2009-11-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11
11/7/2009
Project3: Proposal
Draft*

The year of 2008 was the worst year yet concerning debt and job loss. The
unemployment rate still continues to rise throughout 2009. College students are hit hard by this economic problem. Students are struggling to pay for textbooks, student loans, and other college fees. Students now face the difficulty to find a part time job, and are affected by their parents being laid off, and not able to help with any expenses. “College students have long been an attractive demographic to banks because they have few financial ties. Banks compete to provide students with credit cards and bank accounts in hopes that students will come back to the banks when they need mortgages and car loans.”(USA Today) Last year for Christmas I felt that it would be a good idea to apply for a credit card to afford Christmas gifts for my family. Clearly nothing forced me into applying, but I felt the need to apply, and succeeded to get a Capital One credit card. Mostly all teens my age in these tough times have a least one credit card. It could be a major credit card like Capital One or a store credit card like Express or Macy’s. Credit cards can be a great help financially, and also in terms of building a good credit score for later in life when possibly purchasing a house, or a car.

The problem with students receiving or applying for credit cards I believe is they don’t read the “fine print”. Interest rates are a huge factor when applying for a credit card which is not something the sales associate mentions when you are checking out, and they ask if you would like to see if your eligible for there store credit card, and that you can save an extra 15% for opening one today. The fact is that most credit cards these days have an interest rate of at least 20%. For example say you purchased a new coach handbag from Macy’s and the sales associate asked would you like to open up a Macy’s charge account with us you will save 20% on your first purchase. The first thing that would come to my mind is: This is great! I save 20% on my new handbag and I don’t have to pay for it until almost a month from now. This is true, however when you receive the bill a month later lets say the money that you had saved to buy your handbag you used for something else so you pay the minimum amount on the card which is usually $10. There is nothing wrong with this either but lets say your new coach handbag cost $250 you saved 20% at the register so it was actually $200. You paid the $10 on your card leaving $190 left so you would figure that next month you can maybe pay the rest off, or pay off a little more. This is where the problem comes into play. On that $190 that’s left over you will be charged lets say an interest rate of 22% this means that next month instead of your bill being $190 it will be $231.80 because the company is charging you 22% of what you did not pay. Now it is almost as if you made no dent in your payments at all, and instead of saving 20% on the handbag you have only saved 10% and the $10 you paid counted for nothing.

All of these numbers may seem confusing but they are facts that most teens don’t realize. When applying for things like student loans I have witnessed a close friend just simply accepts the loan without even acknowledging when it would have to be paid back, or the interest rate or anything. The fact is that banks and credit card companies try to sound as appealing as possible so they can gain your business. “Banks are getting more aggressive — and creative — in their efforts to pitch credit cards to college students by hawking cards near college campuses and striking exclusive partnerships with college alumni associations, according to a growing body of research.”(USA Today)

My simple solution to this problem is that students need to pay more attention. Having a credit card isn’t always bad they can actually be a great help if used wisely. I suggest that everyone reads the fine print. When applying for a credit card or even a student loan always pay attention to things like interest rates, annual fees, and how long you have before you have to start paying money back on a student loan. All of these details are very important because if you are aware of them it is easier to avoid problems.

News Story 2nd Draft*

2009-10-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A12
10/25/2009
Project3: New Story
2nd Draft

The Fall River Spirit
Falcons Cheerleaders Are Ready For A Fight!!

The Pop Warner Fall River Falcons team is back! Last year there was a shortage of girls and boys willing to play football and cheer, forcing the Fall River team to join with the Sakonnet Schooners(another Pop Warner team in the league). The Falcons have made a full recovery this year with four football teams and two cheerleading squads. The Mighty Mite football team and Cheerleading squad range from ages 6 to 8. The Jr. Peewee football team ranges from ages 8 to 10, depending on the weight of the child, and the Peewee football team ranging from 10-12, also depending on the weight of the child. The oldest group is the Midgets, the football team and Cheerleading squad range anywhere from ages 11 to 15. The Midget cheerleading squad, with such a wide age group or cheerleaders was said to be a challenge for everyone to come together and work hard as a team. The girls have a huge coaching staff. The head coach, and two assistant coaches have been cheerleading for most of there lives. They also have Coach Dorie 37; a dedicated coach who has been in with Pop Warner for over 7 years. From practicing everyday in the month of August to only three days a week in September and October the coaching staff is pleased with the progress the team has made so far and can not wait for there skills to be put to the test.

The squad is anticipating an upcoming RISMA competition on October 26th 2009. RISMA stands for Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts which means the Falcons will be competing against squads from all over these two states. If the team places 1st or 2nd in this competition they will move onto a Regional Competition competing against a wider range of teams who have also placed high in there local meets. Its crunch time for these girls with only a few practices left before the big Competition. The following is an interview with one of the Midget Fall River Falcons cheerleaders for the inside scoop.

Courtney Cabral, Age 12 of the 7th grade in Morton Middle School, Fall River,
This would have been Courtney’s third year cheerleading for Pop Warner but was forced to take a year off when the Fall River Team was joined with Sakonnet.
Courtney was asked how she felt when she was told that Fall River was back to having there own Pop Warner team again.
Courtney Responded: “I was excited to finally cheer again, I love cheerleading and I was very disappointed when I couldn’t cheer last year.”
She was then asked how she feels about the teams overall progress
Courtney Responded: “I think the squad has come a long way especially myself, It is hard with the older and younger girls mixed together but it is great when we can work together, and teach each other.”
“Are there any arguments between the girls, and lack of cooperation in terms of taking things seriously.
Courtney Responded: “The teams does have problems some of the girls don’t always come to practice or are always joking around, and being silly it’s not fair to the girls who are there because they want to look good, and place in Competition.
“How do you feel as a cheerleader your team will do in the upcoming RISMA conference”
Courtney Responded: “I think our team has come a long way girls have gotten hurt, girls have quit but in the end I think we can all pull together and put on a good show we have the potential and the routine to place its all in how we sell it”

The RISMA conference will be held at Portsmouth High School, in Portsmouth, RI on October 26th, 2009 at 4:30PM if anyone is interested in going and supporting the cheerleaders.

News Story Postwrite*

2009-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Writing a News story, I did find somewhat difficult as I am usually quick to add my opinion to anything or write a simple narrative. It was hard for me to write as if I was a reporter, and not add my comments or thoughts. Considering I picked a topic so close to me it wasn’t weird to interview one of my cheerleaders because I am the coach however I wrote the article as if I was on the outside looking in, and did not connect myself to the story only as a news reporter which almost made things even harder. So far I feel my paper is a working progress, I know exactly how I want to sell my story I’m just not exactly sure on how to sell it. I am also not exactly clear on the correct punctuation for quotations. I feel that I still need to work more on a concluding statement something clever I just have not come up with it yet. For readers I would ask if my story interest them. I was going for an interesting story that would hopefully appeal to everyone even if it is on cheerleading.

News Story draft*

2009-10-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A12
10/21/2009
Project3: News Story
Draft*

Falcons Cheerleaders Are Ready For A Fight!!

The Pop Warner Fall River Falcons team is back! Last year there was a shortage of girls and boys willing to play football, and cheer forcing the Fall River team to join with Sakonnet Schooners. (Another Pop Warner team in the league) The Falcons have made a full recovery this year with four football teams and two cheerleading squads. The Mighty Mite football team and Cheerleading squad range from ages 6 to 8. The Jr. Peewee football team ranges from ages 8 to 10, depending on the weight of the child, and the Peewee football team ranging from 10-12, also depending on the weight of the child. The oldest group is the Midgets, the football team and Cheerleading squad range anywhere from ages 11 to 15. What most interested me was the Midget cheerleading squad. With such a wide age group or girls it must be a challenge for everyone to come together as a team. The girls are lucky enough to have a huge coaching staff. The head coach, and two assistant have been cheerleading for most of there lives. They also have what I’d like to call a veteran coach who has been coaching cheerleading for over 7 years. From practicing everyday in the month of August to only three days a week in September and October the coaching staff is pleased with the progress the team has made so far and can not wait for there skills to be put to the test.

The squad is anticipating an upcoming RISMA competition on October 26th 2009. RISMA stands for Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts which means the Falcons will be competing against squads from all over these two states. If the team places 1st or 2nd in this competition the will move onto a Regional Competition competing against a wider range of teams who have also placed high in there local meets. Its crunch time for these girls with only a few practices left before the big Competition, I interviewed one of the cheerleaders on the squad for an inside scoop.

Courtney Cabral, Age 12 of the 7th grade in Morton Middle School, Fall River,
This would have been Courtney’s third year cheerleading for Pop Warner but was forced to take a year off when the Fall River Team was joined with Sakonnet.
I asked how Courtney felt when she found out that Fall River was back to having there own Pop Warner team again.
Courtney Responded: “I was excited to finally cheer again, I love cheerleading and I was very disappointed when I couldn’t cheer last year.”
I asked Courtney how she feels about the teams overall progress
Courtney Responded: “I think the squad has come a long way especially myself, It is hard with the older and younger girls mixed together but it is great when we can work together, and teach each other.”
I asked “Are there any arguments between the girls, and lack of cooperation in terms of taking things seriously.
Courtney Responded: “The teams does have problems some of the girls don’t always come to practice or are always joking around, and being silly it’s not fair to the girls who are there because they want to look good, and place in Competition.
I asked “How do you feel as a cheerleader your team will do in the upcoming RISMA conference”
Courtney Responded: “I think our team has come a long way girls have gotten hurt, girls have quit but in the end I think we can all pull together and put on a good show we have the potential and the routine to place its all in how we sell it”

The RISMA conference will be held at Portsmouth High School, in Portsmouth, RI on October 26th, 2009 at 4:30PM if anyone is interested in going and supporting the cheerleaders I wish the best of luck to the girls, and hope to report on the results of the competition.

Application Essay 2nd Draft

2009-10-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A112
10/11/09
Project2: Application Essay
2nd Draft

Prompt: Write a narrative about your life. This should include information about your accomplishments, family, educational expierence, and outside activities. Be creative rather than philisophic. Rememeber you are writing for a reader who knows nothing about your background.

I was standing just behind Mr. Howeyack, the announcer of the 2008 graduates of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. The next name out of his mouth was mine; "Cassie Ann Lyne" he announced finally. I could hear my classmates, and family cheering as I walked across the stage to receive my high school diploma. I paused so the photographer could snap a picture and was rushed along so they could continue and call the next student. As I was left the stage I remember thinking that this is the end, the end of one chapter in my life but the begining of another.

Graduating from high school was a significant accomplishment made in my life. Moving forward and going to Community College was also in my opinion another significant accomplishment not mention a huge change from high school. I have learned that accomplishments are almost like stepping stones in the path of my life because they all play an important role in getting my to my ultimate career goal. Simple accomplishments like winning a cheerleading competition along with my team, or even getting a perfect score on a test or quiz have also had an impact because they have all brought me to where I am today.

Family is a very important part of my life. I have a large family. I live with my Mother, Stepfather, and little sister who will soon turn 6. My grandparents, who I am very close to live in the in law apartment attached to my house. My father hasn’t always been a huge part of my life but I can’t say he doesn’t make an effort. I am closest to my grandfather, more than my mother or father. He has always been there for me to encourage me, and remind me to be the best I can be. I would say he is somebody I look up too, and can always go to for advice.

Throughout my education I would say I have been somewhat indecisive. During senior year in high school while everyone was filling out college applications I was focusing on my hair, cheerleading, and boys. I knew I wanted to go to college I just had no idea what for, or where I wanted to go. Later it was too late for me to apply to any other schools, and I ended up at my local community college. I have recently realized this was a good decision for me because it gives me these two years to figure out what I really want to do. I suppose you could say I am still somewhat indecisive however I am definitely more focused. I am now in the business transfer program which means after my two years at community college I transfer to a four year college to finish my last two years focusing on a certain business major like accounting, or marketing.

Other than school I have a part time job at Sky Lounge witch is a restaurant until about 11p.m then late night turns into more of a club/ lounge. My experience working there has allowed me to meet new people who have different perspectives of life because most of them are older than me. I have also always been really into cheerleading. It started when i was about 8 up until last year I was on an All Star Team. Now I unfortunately can no longer cheer myself, so I have taken the responsibility of assistant coaching a Pop Warner cheerleading squad of girls ranging from 11 to 15 years of age.

Throughout my life; my experiences, my accomplishments, my family, and my outside activities, all of these things have formed me into the person I am today. I believe the same is true for everyone through time the best experiences, and the worst make you who you are. When you make mistakes always know you can learn from them. I would like to finish by saying I think my life experiences so far have made me a well rounded person. I believe I am easy to get along and work with. I am more focused on my goals, and responsibilities. I have most of my priorities straight but I know I am still learning.

Aplication Essay: Postwrite

2009-10-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A112
10/02/2009
Project2: Application Essay
Postwrite

I did find the application to be a well thought out assignment. However, I was not fortunate enough to find an application essay for the school I am interested in transferring to next year, and I figured this would help me for when I actually did need to write one. For the students who were fortunate to do this I think this assignment was more in there benefit. I do feel the assignment did benefit me as all of them do in bettering my writing when receiving feedback on how to improve it. Also, with this type of assignment prepare me for an application essay even if it is not the exact one. The question I choose was from the book and though I knew exactly what I wanted to say it was somewhat difficult for me to put everything together as you may have noticed in my first draft. I hope my partner can help me out with this so I can better my second draft.

Application Essay Draft

2009-10-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English11 A112
10/2/2009
Project2: Application Essay
Draft

I was standing just behind Mr. Howeyack, the announcer of the 2008 graduates of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. Finally the next name out of his mouth was me; Cassie Ann Lyne. I can hear my class, and family cheering as I walk across stage to receive my high school diploma from the Superintendent of Schools wait for the photographer to snap a picture and move along so they can call the next graduate. As I was leaving the stage and moving the tassel on my cap to the other side it occurred to me that it was the end, the end of one chapter in my life and the beginning of the next.

Graduating high school was a significant accomplishment made in my life. Simple accomplishments like winning a cheerleading competition along with my squad, or even getting a perfect score on a test or quiz have also had an impact but some more than others.

I have a large family. I live with my Mother, Stepfather, and little sister who will soon turn 6. My grandparents live in the in law apartment attached to my house. My father hasn’t always been a huge part of my life but I can’t say he doesn’t make an effort. I am closest to my grandfather, more than my mother or father. He has always been there for me to encourage me, and remind me to be the best I can be. I would say he is somebody I look up too.

Throughout my education I guess you could say I am somewhat indecisive throughout high school when everyone was filling out college applications I was focusing on my hair, cheerleading, and boys. I knew I wanted to go to college I just had no idea what for, or where I wanted to go. Later it was too late for me to apply to any other schools, and I ended up at my local community college. I have recently realized this was a good decision for me because it gives me these two years to figure out what I really wanted to do. I suppose you could say I am still somewhat indecisive however I am definitely more focused. I am now in the business transfer program which means after my two years at community college I transfer to a four year college to finish my last two years focusing on a certain business major like accounting, or marketing.
I have a part time job at Sky Lounge witch is a restaurant until about 11p.m then late night turns into more of a club/ lounge. My experience working there has allowed me to meet new people who have different perspectives of life. I have also always been into cheerleading so not being able to cheer myself I have taken the responsibility of assistant coaching a Pop Warner cheerleading squad of girls ranging from 11 to 15 years of age.
Throughout my life; my experiences, my accomplishments, my family, and my outside activities, all of these things have formed me into the person I am today. I believe the same is true for everyone through time the best experiences, and the worst make you who you are. When you make mistakes always know you can learn from them. I would like to finish by saying I think my life experiences so far have made me a well rounded person. I think I am easy to get along or work with. I am more focused on my goals, and responsibilities. I have most of my priorities straight but I know I am still learning.

Project 1 "This I Beleive" 2nd Draft

2009-09-27T17:25:00.001-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
9/27/2009
Project 1: This I Belive-2nd Draft

Have you ever heard the phrase “Nice guys finish last”? I for one do not think this is true at all. I believe in Karma, or in other words “What goes around comes around”. I believe that good things happen to good people who deserve them, and no matter what you do wrong, or how serious it might be it will still come back to affect you negatively in the end.

Karma is something I think everyone should consider in everyday life. In general, if you treat people with kindness and respect it is more likely that you will receive kindness and respect in return. Sometimes you are forced to be kind even if you don’t want to be. For Example, I work as a waitress about three nights a week. It is my job to give my customers the service, and friendliness they deserve. This gives the restaurant I work for a good name, and hopefully in the end I will get a good tip. Even if I am having a bad day, or if I am simply not the mood it is still my job to not let my mood show and give good service to my customers. This in my opinion is a good example of karma because if I was rude, and did not give my tables the attention and service they needed then in return I wouldn’t make any money. However, karma is not exactly about doing something to receive a reward of prize in return.

In the dictionary Karma is explained as “The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.” Karma is also related with fate. I believe in karma as not knowing how something will eventually affect you in the end. A very close friend of mine has been in a relationship for almost two years. At first the two were very happy, one night she made a huge mistake while partying with her friends and others in a college dorm. She ended up cheating on her boyfriend, and never told him about it. No matter how awful or guilty she felt she could not bring herself to tell her boyfriend because she knew it would put an end to her relationship. As selfish as this may seem she knew he would never find out and this became just a part of her past that she no longer considered “a big deal”. She is now burdened with a huge problem in her relationship because it is almost as if her boyfriend has pushed himself away from her. She claims he no longer puts his all into their relationship and seems to put everything else before her, and this causes the couple to fight constantly. She knows he still does not know anything about what happened that night, and she has no idea why he recently started acting this way. In my opinion this is a perfect example of karma.

My friend was aware that what she did was very wrong but still, she choose not to come clean thinking everything would be okay. Now consequently her relationship is falling apart. So ultimately in the end it almost seems as if it was fate for their relationship to not work out. Karma can affect you everyday life, or affect you seriously in the long run. No matter which way I am a strong believer in karma, and I think everyone should always consider their actions, and how it can affect others or later affect themselves.

Draft: "This I Believe"

2009-09-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
English 11 A12
9/21/09
Project1: "This I Believe"
Have you ever heard the phrase “Nice guys finish last”? I for one don’t think this is true at all. I believe in Karma, or in other words “What goes around come around”. I believe that good things happen to good people who deserve them, and no matter what you do wrong or how serious it might be it will still come back to affect you negatively in the end.
Karma is something I think everyone should consider in everyday life. In general, if you treat people with kindness and respect it is more likely that you will receive kindness, and respect in return. Sometimes you are forced to be kind even if you don’t want to be. I work as a waitress about three nights a week. It is my job to give my customers the service, and friendliness they deserve. This gives the restaurant I work for a good name, and in the end I will hopefully get a good tip. Even if I am having a bad day, or if I am simply not the mood it is still my job to not let my mood show and give good service to my customers. This in my opinion is a good example of karma because if I was rude, and didn’t give my tables the attention and service they needed then in return I wouldn’t make any money. However, karma isn’t exactly about doing something to receive a reward of prize in return.
In the dictionary Karma is explained as “The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.” Karma is also related with fate. I believe in karma as not knowing how something will eventually affect you in the end. A very close friend of mine has been in a relationship for almost two years at first the two were very happy. One night she made a huge mistake while parting with her friends, and others in a college dorm she ended up cheating on her boyfriend, and never told him about it. No matter how awful or guilty she felt she could not bring herself to tell her boyfriend because she knew it would put an end to her relationship. As selfish as this may seem she knew he would never find out and this eventually became just a part of her past that she no longer considered “a big deal”. She is now burdened with a huge problem in her relationship because it is almost as if her boyfriend has pushed himself away from her. She claims he no longer puts his all into there relationship and seems to put everything else before her, and this causes the couple to fight constantly. She knows he still doesn’t know anything about what happened that night, and she has no idea why he recently started acting this way. In my opinion this is a perfect example of karma.
My friend was aware that what she did was very wrong but still, she choose not to come clean thinking everything would be okay. Now as I already mentioned her relationship is falling apart. So ultimately in the end it almost seems as if it was fate for there relationship to not work out. Karma can affect you everyday life, or affect you seriously in the long run. No matter which way I am a strong believer in karma, and I think everyone should always consider there actions, and how it can affect others or later affect themselves.

Assignment 1 "Kilbourne"

2009-09-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Cassie Lyne
ENG11. A12
"This I Believe"
1:47pm 9/13/09

In Kilbourne’s argument she makes many valid points. She explains the issue of many women feeling overweight when in reality they may be at fine weight, or even underweight. She gives examples with many surveys and explains that even girls as young as grade school are beginning to watch their figure. Kilbourne uses evidence to blame these issues on small wasted fashion models, movie stars, and pop idols. She argues these icons are a huge influence on the female perspective of beauty.
Kilbourne uses evidence from a few different sources. She opens with a survey from Glamour Magazine stating that 75% of its readers are feeling too heavy and only 15% felt right. It also states that nearly half of the women surveyed were actually underweight. She uses another source out of the book Beauty Bound by Rita Freeman. Of a sample of college women 40% felt overweight when only 12% were too heavy. Kilbourne also states that in a recent article in New Age Journal even grade school girls are going to extremes to be thin, and blaming icons like fashion models and movie stars. Another study by a professor at the University of California showed that almost 80% of fourth grade girls in the Bay Area are watching their weight.
I do mostly agree with Kilbourne in her assessment. I believe that the world of pop stars, models, and movie stars play a huge influence in the misconception of what it means to be beautiful. Using myself as an example I idolize stars like Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and even Marilyn Monroe. In my perspective I think these women are beautiful and they are all thin, or in shape which does somewhat influence me to watch my weight. It also doesn’t surprise that girls as young as 4th grade are watching their weight with new stars like Hannah Montana and movies like High School Musical influencing girls as young as five. I have also noticed that in cartoons, and kids TV shows. They usually make the boy or girl that is overweight the character that is made fun of, or the opposite a bully or class clown. I believe this can also have an influence in a young persons mind. However Kilbourne seems to feel so strongly of being too thin she forgets the huge obesity problem in the U.S
I also believe in someways having icons representing that being in shape is beautiful can be a good thing. Many people in the U.S are overweight it has been proven that the obesity rate has dramatically increased in the past 20 years and obesity is a huge heath issue. People who are overweight are more likely to end up with heart issues, and even diabetes these conditions can be serious and eventually lead to death. So being too thin isn’t healthy, but being overweight isn’t good either. I believe society is doing more and more to encourage Americans to exercise, and eat healthy which in my opinion is how things should be. Being healthy should be everyone’s #1 concern, and that doesn’t necessarily mean to be very thin.