Kate S' Junior Year Blog

         The most challenging part of reading “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison has probably been following the different characters and the change of perspectives that happen. Since the book is in the third person narration it requires more focus when reading. It gets especially hard when one character shares their side of a story since the readers don’t actually know if they are telling the truth or if their perception is off. I also think that when storylines are introduced but not explained until later can be hard to follow. For example the first chapter of the books starts the readers off with an unknown man who jumps off a roof. The readers are left with many questions that they have to hold on to until its explained to them.           In order to get through these challenges I have started to annotate for the relationships between characters in order to differentiate them as well as make it more apparent for when there is...

                 My Mom’s side originated from Poland, while my Dad’s side is from England and Ireland. After talking to my mom, I found out that my Grandma came to America in the 1930s when she was 2 years old after her father died in Poland. My grandma and her two siblings lived with their mother in Chicago until she passed away when my grandma was 16. After this, they stayed in the same townhouse and raised all their families. My grandma and my grandpa, who I call Busia and Dziadzi, both grew up speaking Polish, but chose not to teach their children as they wanted them to focus on english and fit in with other Americans around them. I would love to travel to Poland, since we celebrate that side of our heritage the most. I have grown up eating many Polish foods and listening to Polish music so I would love to be given the chance to see where half of my heritage is from.           On my Dad’s side we are ...

During a recent production of Fiddler on the Roof, the play was brought to a sudden halt when an audience member yelled out anti Semitic statements.         In Baltimore, the touring production of Fiddler was showcasing one night last month. The play, mainly based on a Jewish family, whose dad is trying to marry off his daughters with the help of a matchmaker. During the play, a man, identified as Anthony Derlunas, yelled out “Heil Hitler, heil Trump.” The man was shortly removed from the theatre, yet the other audience members remained shaken up. The cast, also deeply effected, as their next stop on their tour was Pittsburgh, a city that recently went through an anti Semitic shooting which killed 11 innocent people.      After being taken to the police department and further questioned, Matthew Jablow, a head policeman on the case released a statement about the charges, “As reprehensible as the man’s words were, they are considered prote...

Technology advancement in our world has brought us things that were once unimaginable. The new advancements being created have changed the lives of many. Recently, google has released a new pair of glasses created specifically for helping children with autism identify facial expressions. The autistic spectrum is a very large one, as it is very true that no two people with autism are the same. But, the majority on the spectrum struggle or lack skills rooted from the same relative area, one being understanding emotions. Facial expressions as well as comprehending ones tone is a very tricky skill that usually takes many years for some to grasp. The most common way for these kids to get help on strengthening these skills is through a therapist. Unfortunately the number of kids needing therapy is much higher than the number of professionals in the field, leaving many kids to be deprived of the very important help they need in order to progress.      Luckily google has...

As research carries on, the more is unveiled about our universe and the potential it has in store. Currently NASA has devoted much time to the exploration of Mars, hoping to one day in the far future colonize it. Their most recent discovery has been the biggest one yet: a large ice cap. Leaving many to wonder about the history of mars as well as the next steps needed to be taken by NASA. The discovery of a large ice cap is a great sign for NASA scientists who are a part of the Mars Exploration Program as water is usually correlated with life. In the Newsela article ( https://newsela.com/read/mars-ice-cap-water/id/45000/ ) they mention how this large ice cap could resemble similar ones on earth, “The detection of a long-standing reservoir of liquid water is thrilling evidence of an idea that first began to be debated three decades ago: that there could be water at the base of Mars' ice caps, similar to what's present on Earth.” Coming from this new information is a wave o...