Graduation Speech

Graduation Speech

(For safety reasons, I am going to be censoring the school name with ¨(school name)¨)

Hello, (school name), my name is Rafy and I am really happy to be graduating from (school name). Like most people in the grade, we will all be going to (high school name) next year. If you think about that, it has a lot of meaning. I've known some of my classmates since I was 5 and I'm still friends with some of them. We've been through so much together and now we are taking another step in life together. I like to think of all this stuff as a video game, as I do love playing video games. preschool is like the tutorial, elementary school is like the first level, middle school is like the second level, high school is the third, and college is the fourth. After that, its real life, and the objective is to get a good job and start a family. And I hope that I'll still be friends with some of my current companions even then. Also, I would like to thank my teachers for helping me. Not only have you made me smarter, but you've also taught me respect and good behavior. When I got that ODR back in 5th grade, it taught me what the lines are that I shouldn't cross. I would also like to thank my friends for helping me with my problems and sticking up for me when I'm feeling down. Most of my friends know that I get a lot of stress from projects and other school stuff. Thanks for helping me with it. You guys hang out with me, and make me laugh. I do the same for my friends because loyalty is key if you want to keep your friends. And I would like to thank my family. Especially my mom. She's the reason why I never got a second ODR, a detention, or a suspension. She's also helped me with plenty of my projects and supported me. She also encouraged me to do the best I can in school. My biggest goal is to make my teachers, friends, and family proud of me. I hope I've achieved that goal.

A letter To My 5th Grade Self

A Letter To My 5th Grade Self

   Dear 5th Grade Rafy,

                                          There are many things I wish I could have went back in time to change. Spend more time with Morusek. I'm not going to spoil what happens to him, so just do it. Also, get the best out of Minecraft while you can, because it gets boring and you will end up quitting it in mid 2016. Also, why the hair??? I know my hair is bad now, but come on! I looked at pictures of myself when I was 10 and... No offense, but you should really change it. Also, you should start befriending more people. It is kind of lonely here. Also, I know you hate Mortal Kombat because people compare it to Street Fighter, but trust me. Those people are right. Mortal Kombat is way better. And way more gory and bloody. You should play it. Now let's talk about school stuff. You need to study a lot more. I wish I studied more when I was younger. My grades would be so much better. Also, watch out for your glasses, man! Quit dropping them all the time, because that happened a lot and they ended up breaking and I had to get new ones. Also, to prevent the ODR you get in November of 5th grade, just don't even say anything in Math class. Trust me, just don't. And be careful who you're friends with. They might backstab you at the end of 7th grade. Also, you should start watching The Walking Dead. It's a really good show and I wish I started watching it when I was younger. And the biggest things I regret doing in 5th grade was when I was doing the cringiest things imaginable without knowing that they were so badly done. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Don't try to do "crazy" things to try to impress people. It just ruins your reputation even more. Take this advice.

                                                                                             From,

                                                                                                        8th Grade Rafy

                                                     

Beginnings And Endings

Beginnings And Endings

Stories, shows, books, and real life all have something in common. They all have beginnings and endings. It can get really emotional if you think about it. In the beginning, the main settings and characters are introduced and you get to see them evolve throughout the story. Take the characters from The Walking Dead for example. In the beginning, they were terrified because their world was being taken over by zombies. Now they are fearless, awesome people who kill zombies in style everyday. Same goes for the Harry Potter characters. It started out with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as eleven year old kids who were just beginning to learn magic. In the end, you see them as young adults who battle valiantly against Voldemort and his army. The worst part is when your favorite character does not survive the series. Take Glenn from The Walking Dead as an example, he was a fan favorite who was there since the first episode (also my favorite character), and they just killed him off pretty recently. Same goes for Sirius Black from Harry Potter, he was one of the most interesting characters and he was also killed off. Both of these characters´ deaths were very sad and they will be missed. However, it is really good when your favorite character survives. You get to enjoy their moments and look at how they evolved throughout the story. I personally hate endings of books because I do not know what to read afterwards. I hate endings of TV shows because I don´t get to see my favorite characters on screen again. However, you can use your imagination to create a sequel. It is still not as good, though. Beginnings are okay because you do not have to worry about looking for another good source of entertainment, but they are not the best because you do not really know what you are in for, and sometimes the beginnings can be the most boring part of the story. Beginnings and endings both have a lot of meaning to them, with beginnings introducing the main character and giving you some information, and endings are the part where the story is over. I dislike sad endings that do not have sequels because usually no one wants the good guy to lose.

Its Complicated

Its Complicated

If I had to choose something in my life which is extremely complicated and dealing with it sucks, it would have to be puberty. Puberty sucks. Your mood changes every 5 minutes and its nonstop arguing with people. Also, do you like how your face looks? Well good, because puberty will take your face and add a bunch of pimples all over it! Now do you like your face? Me neither. The one benefit of puberty is that my voice doesn't sound like Alvin the Chipmunk anymore. My voice used to be so high pitched that its just plain embarrassing. Puberty did only one good thing which is making my voice much deeper. Other than that, it sucks. Also, for boys, some of us (including me) grow mustaches and even some beard hairs at very young ages. I've started shaving a couple weeks ago because of how it was going. Lots of people were joking about it to me, most of the time in a good way, though. I still didn't like it. I say I look better without any facial hair. Another con about puberty is the change in your emotion. Now this applies to both boys and girls, because we all hate arguing with friends and family. Unfortunately, this happens very commonly when you go through puberty. One second you're happy, next minute, you're upset. I also go through so much stress every day due to homework and other school stuff, that its too much for me sometimes. Now, let's get to my least favorite part. Pimples. The reason why I grow my hair longer than a good amount of boys in my grade is so they can cover most of my forehead is because I want them to cover the pimples so no one sees. Its works really good, but I want to be separated from humanity for the first few days after I get a haircut.

The Pros and Cons about PARCC

The Pros And Cons About The PARCC Test

I just finished taking the PARCC test the day before yesterday, and I used to think that it was the worst test ever, but I have changed my mind. I am going to talk about the highs and lows of taking the PARCC test. One of the cons is that the students barely benefit from it academically. Neither colleges nor high schools look at the results of the PARCC test, and this causes students to not try their bests. The results only benefit the school, and not the students, so we sometimes wonder ¨Why do we have to try our best on this test if we get nothing out of it?¨.  Another con about it is that they give us too much time. Sure, the test is a bit time-consuming, but two hours is way too long. It usually takes my whole class about an hour or so to finish each unit. However, the PARCC test has its perks, too. The best one? We don't even get any homework, which is awesome! For me, no homework equals no stress, which makes life awesome. Also, it was awesome that our school let us just chill out outside when the whole school was done with a unit and needed a break. I know that barely any schools did this, which makes us all the more lucky. To be honest, the PARCC test is underrated. People complain about it and say it is very stressful, but I consider it as a break from homework.

A Picture of Tina (my dog)

Tribute

Tribute To My Grandpa

(Warning: This post is more serious and emotional than the other ones)

If I had to pick the most warm-hearted person in my family, it would have to be my maternal grandfather. I am writing this tribute because my family currently worries about him because he is in a nursing home, but we always come and bring him home every weekend. But first, I want to explain his story from the beginning. Zbigniew T. was born in Poland about a decade before World War II begun. When Germany and Soviet Russia invaded, he got separated from most of his family, and escaped with his older brother, Tadeusz (Ted in English). They managed to survive until they found a base full of former Polish officers trying to form a resistance. Zbigniew was too young, but Tadeusz was qualified to join, and he accepted the offer. My grandpa and his brother found the rest of their family after the war, and everyone was alive. About 60 years later, he came to America with my mother and my older brothers. Even so much later, he was still suffering from the memories of his home country getting destroyed by Soviet Russia and Germany. My mother noticed this, so she got him a dog. The dog was named Morusek. The decision my mother made was extremely smart, Morusek cured the depression my grandpa had. Morusek was always very energetic and made everyone happy. A year later, I was born and this made my grandpa even more happy. My father had left my family just after I was born so my grandpa decided to become my father figure. He took care of me more than anyone else in my family ever did (except for my mother, of course). Unfortunately, most of his brothers and sisters had died by this time. Tadeusz and a few others were still alive, though. All of his siblings were back in Poland. My grandpa made annual visits to them over the years, but the numbers of siblings remaining had been dropping, until Tadeusz passed away just a few years ago. Then, Morusek had passed away two years ago and it was the saddest day of my life. A few months later, we noticed that my grandpa was losing his will to live. In response to this, we adopted another dog from the same shelter which we got Morusek. We named her Tina. She was exactly like Morusek and she made his depression go away. Last summer, he had pneumonia (lung disease caused by old age), and the doctors said he would not have much time left to live. Luckily, the doctors were wrong. He is still with us. But due to dementia, we had to send him to a nursing home not far from our house. He will always have a special place in my heart.

Magical Meeting

Magical Meeting

If I had to chose three real or fictional, dead or alive characters or people to spend an afternoon with, I think I would have to pick Tony Stark (aka Iron Man),  Ed Boon (Creator of Mortal Kombat), and my dead dog, Morusek. There are a lot of things I would do with these three. I would play with Morusek and show my family that he's back (Tina, my current dog, would get jealous and my grandpa would freak out from the happiness overload),  I would ask Tony Stark to teach me how to build robots and exo suits, and I would give Ed Boon all of the millions of ideas I have for the Mortal Kombat 11 storyline, which is in the making right now. Tony Stark teaching me how to be a superhero would be AWESOME,  Morusek's return would make my family beyond happy because we had such a strong connection with him and he was with us for 13 years (which is a long lifespan for a labrador). Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with the storyline for Mortal Kombat X (a majority of players, including me, thought the story mode in Mortal Kombat 9 was better). Feedback from fans is essential when it comes to making a sequel, so I would help Ed Boon make Mortal Kombat 11 the best fighting game of all time.

Field Trip

Favorite Field Trip

My favorite field trip ever would have to have been the time I went to Camp MacLean in 7th grade. Everything about it was outstanding, and I am so excited that we are going back there this May. Everyone had to bring a pillow, blanket, toothbrush, etc. because we stayed the night over there. I am really happy that I brought my camera there, and I recorded a lot over there and took many pictures. I got to stay in a cabin, and a couple of my closest friends were in the same cabin as me, too. The food was pretty good. The activities and things we did there were awesome. We got to do archery, fishing (I didn´t catch anything), teamwork course, and best of all - the rock climbing course. In the time gaps between each activity, we got to roam around the camp with our friends and talk, and we also got to play gaga ball. I got to record a couple of our games, and I recorded myself rock-climbing. The best part of it was when we did boys vs. girls capture the flag in the middle of the night. It was so cool! My best friend and I kept sneaking into the girls team to look for the flag, but we didn´t have any luck. One of our teachers broke the rules and told our team where the girls flag is, and we won. After the long 2 hour game, we all had to go to sleep. Our teacher had to leave my cabin, so we all played games in there and told scary stories. When we saw him through the window, walking back to our cabin, we immediately raced to our bunk beds and fell asleep. I had so much fun over there and I am more than excited to go back there in just a couple months.

Movie Post

My Favorite Movie Genres and My Favorites of Each Genre

I have 3 favorite movie genres. Horror, comedy, and action. My favorite horror movie would definitely be ¨Lights Out (2016)¨. It´s purpose was to revive the audience´s fear of the dark that they had when they were little kids. It´s about this evil dark entity named Diana terrorizing this family, but she can only live in darkness. If you are in the light, you are safe. If you are in a dark area, she will get you. However, she can also destroy the lights that the people have. And unlike most horror films these days, this movie is not just cheap jumpscares. It actually made the hairs on my arms stand up at times! I´m not going to lie, I wanted to put a night light in my room after watching Lights Out.

My favorite comedy would probably be ¨Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)¨. I´m sure a lot of people would agree with me on this one. This is a Thanksgiving classic. It´s about a man trying to get to Chicago to see his family for Thanksgiving, and he meets a man who is kind of a loser, but has a very kind heart. Its one of those comedies which the main character has so much bad luck for the whole movie, and I teared up from laughing a couple times in it. Even though this movie is rated R because one of the scenes has a lot of F-bombs, my family and I watch it every Thanksgiving after the feast.

I have a lot of favorite action movies, but five really stand out. They are; ¨Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)¨, ¨Captain America Civil War (2016)¨,  "Leon: The Professional (1994)'', ''Thor (2011)", and ''Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)''. These are all amazing films and I have definitely watched them more than once. They have great acting, amazing plots, and if you're a fan of watching professional action scenes, these are the movies for you.

Music

Music

I'm not really a big fan of music, but my family is. They like listening to classical music and rock music. I like rock music myself, but not nearly as much as my friends and family do. Everyone in my family loves Metallica, but I don't remember listening to any of their songs. I guess my favorite song would have to be Chop Suey by System of a Down. I also like the song Seven Nation Army a lot. Lots of people like rap the most, but I really don't see why. Its just someone talking really fast. I used to be OBSESSED with Gangnam Style by Psy back when I was in fourth grade. I used to love the song PPAP a few months ago, but it feels like no one even remembers that song anymore. My least favorite song is Sweatshirt by Jacob Sartorious. It makes me want to rip out my eardrums every time I hear it.

Which U.S. President Do I Admire The Most?

My Favorite President And Why

I think this is a very interesting question and I think my favorite president would have to be Abraham Lincoln. If you really think about it, he saved so many of us. I know there are other presidents who saved the way we live today, too, but can you imagine what life would be like if the Confederates won the American Civil War? It would be chaotic and a complete disaster. Abraham Lincoln succeeded in putting an end to slavery and preserving the Union. By doing this, he saved all of us and this is why he is my favorite president.

School Job

School Job

''If you had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?''  That, in my opinion, is a very interesting and difficult question. I've thought about it for a while now, and I think I could be a History teacher. This is because I've always been thinking how different the world was like hundreds and even thousands of years ago, and I honestly feel like people's lives these days are much less awesome than people from the middle ages. History also has a lot of Geography in it, which I can say is one of the things I am really smart in. I also like learning about wars, it's one of the few things in school that doesn't nearly make me practically fall asleep in class. My answer to this question used to be a PE teacher, but I feel like it's pretty sadistic to watch the non-athletic kids struggle during exercises. History, Spanish, and sometimes PE and English Language Arts are really fun subjects in my opinion, and if I had to teach one of those, it would probably be History. 

Christmas Gift

                                                              Christmas Gift

           It was Christmas Eve of 2016, and I was so excited to see what presents I got! Its a tradition with my family that we open the presents on Christmas Eve. I guess that is a Polish thing. Anyway, everyone just finished eating their food, and, like every previous Christmas, it was time to reveal what all of us got for being good people this year. There were so many nice presents sitting under the huge tree, and there was a big one at the very end with ''For Rafy'' written on it. The curiosity in me was going insane, but I held in me the anticipation. My mom asked ''Ok, so who wants to give out the presents?''. Everyone but me had eaten a LOT of food, so I thought I would be able to do it, I mean, its not that hard at all. No one was volunteering, so I said ''I will''. And as I was reading the names on the presents and passing them out to whoever it belonged to, the anticipation was growing more and more. I was around halfway done passing out the presents, I had already gotten a couple of presents so far for myself. Just a sweater and a bunch of cheetos bags. Then, I got a nice leather jacket. After a few more minutes of giving people their gifts, I was at the end of the row of presents. So, it was time to see what was inside that nice big box. I started opening it... And it... Was.... A PS4!!!!! I wanted one so much! I was so happy with what I got, and it also came with Uncharted 4. Then I noticed, there was a small box that had ''Rafy'' written on it. ANOTHER PRESENT??? This can't be real! And this is the part where I practically have a seizure from the happiness. I got my most anticipated game of all time.... Mortal Kombat XL for my PS4. This sure was the best day of 2016.