10 Days

10 Days.

I can't believe it. Only 10 days left until I find out if one of my dreams has come true. Please USPS, don't delay.

One Geek,
Grant

Commitment, College, and Coolness

HEY Y'ALL.

I'M BACK.

Well, not for good... YET.

My Early Decision application results for Swarthmore come out in the next 12 days, and I'm crazy excited. I've decided that if I get in, I'm going to do at least a weekly post to keep track of my last few months in high school and in sunny Southern California.

I'm getting a little misty eyed thinking about the future. In a little over a week, my four year high school career will finally be bridged to college. It's kind of a big deal. My love for Swarthmore cannot really be conveyed in such a short post... but if I get in, I'll post my "Why Swarthmore?" essay to accurately convey these strong emotions. But let's not jinx the decision! I'll keep this blog updated with what happens!

Until next time!

One Geek,
Grant

Writing

So, I am trying to write everyday. Whether it is an essay or an anecdote, I am trying to enhance my writing abilities. And so far, I believe it is working. New ideas come into my head hourly, hopefully I will be able to share some of these with you very soon!

Once I write a few final drafts and decide I will not be using them for anything else I'll be sure to post them here. I just wanted to check in and let you know everything is doing great. Musical workshops start this week and we'll be learning audition songs for "Little Shop of Horrors", or, as I will call it, "Little Shop".

It's bound to be a crazy year ahead with musicals and college admissions just a year away (some of my friends find out about schools in just a few weeks)! I hope you are excited to follow me on this journey!

One Geek,

Grant

Editorials

I think I might have just written a fantastic editorial. You know when you get in those moods where all you want to do is write? Well I just had that happen to me! And I would write another blog right now about the play and Thanksgiving.... but I've exhausted all my writing power for the night working on my editorial! So if you want to read it, it will HOPEFULLY be posted tomorrow at WHS Smoke Signals, my school newspaper! In the meantime, read some articles and SUBSCRIBE!!!!

One Geek,

Grant

Eagle Scout Project: Prep Day

Hello again! You may be saying, "What!? You wrote a new post two days in a row?" Well, my response to that would be, "Yes. Yes, indeed."

So my Eagle Scout Project is this weekend! I am going to be renovating/painting a mural on/cleaning my Drama Room and surrounding spaces. So today I began to outline the mural and it's actually looking pretty great.

As the weekend approaches I am getting more nervous, but more confident as well. If that makes sense.... I'm finding small cracks in my plan but I am quickly repairing them too. So although I realize my pre-planning might have been a bit shaky, the project gets stronger as we get closer.

So tomorrow my day is PACKED! Rehearsal and TYC and maybe an ASB Mixer....... CRAZINESS! So that was a short post, but better than nothing!

One Geek,

Grant

This Blog

So today I was scrolling through all my posts and I realized that my blog goes all the way back through my high school career.... a sort of diary. I suddenly feel enormously grateful for all the posts (no matter how seemingly frivolous they may seem) that are here. I can look back on 9th grade and see how much I've changed.

On a side note, today is Halloween! I'm going out with my friends to Trick-or-Treat :) And don't worry (because I know you were!!!), the next "Most Intense Year Ever" post will be on its way very, very soon!

One Geek,

Grant

Stereotypes

On the first day of school I was walking around with The Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy of the same name, and one student came up to me and asked “Why are you reading that? Isn’t that ‘Chick Lit’?” Chick Lit is basically the book equivalent of a Chick Flick. But before judgments can be made, let me give you some background. For those of you who do not know what The Hunger Games is about: it is not another Twilight. No sparkly vampires or lustful werewolves are present in the dystopian country of Panem. This book pits 24 randomly selected children against each other in a harsh battle to the death. Does this sound like a “Chick Lit” story to you? Me neither. This question caught me off guard. Why am I reading it? I didn’t know I was constricted to reading only certain books.

But more importantly, where am I going with this? I want to talk about stereotypes: judgments that are derived from observation and expectation. This offhanded remark led me to question why such things even matter? Who cares if a boy wants to read “Chick Lit” or a girl wants to play football? It all comes down to one thing: stereotypes. Gender stereotypes define what “normal” boy and girl activities are. For example, the “traditional” male often depicted on TV is shown as a star athlete whose main goal in life is to chase women. Similarly, the “traditional” girl is depicted as an airhead who cannot live without a caring man to take care of her. In the rare occasion any character strays for the “norm” they are often outcasts and misfits. So why is there such a large emphasis placed on gender stereotypes? Can anyone say for certain?

Let’s take me for example. Males in musical theater were often thought of as effeminate and possibly even gay. Well, I’m in musical theater. And I took it even one step further: I was apart of the dance department last year. TWO activities classified as “feminine”. I must be gay, right? Not so fast. This isn’t my coming out story, and yes, I do in fact like girls. Everyone, me included, has had the thought run through their head, “Is that person gay?” or “That kid is really weird.” Why is it? Why is it that first thing that comes to our minds are rushed judgments? It is because we see someone who strays from the “norm” and does not fit into the tight stereotypes assigned to them by society.

And gender stereotypes are not the only ones present here at West High. We stereotype people using the classes they take, the sports they play, the clubs they are apart of and the friends they have. Would it be fair to say that all football players are idiot meatheads whose sole purpose in life is to womanize cheerleaders? Of course not because that is not even close to reality. Can I say, without backlash, that those of you taking 4 or 5 AP classes are video game nerds and have no life apart from your computer and homework? Probably not.

It is hard at the beginning of the school year to not form judgments but I believe it is essential to do just that. Walking into situations with an open mind will help you achieve your goals faster. Has stereotyping someone ever helped you? Probably not. In fact, it has probably hurt you a lot more in the long run than it has helped.

My purpose right now is not to criticize teenagers. I just want everyone to be aware how detrimental it can be for some when they are consistently judged for doing things they love. Do not write off peers for their quirks, but embrace your similarities. Think of everyone as a potential new best friend. Everyone you have previously written off has more to them than meets the eye! Why call someone weird, when you are, in their eyes, just as weird.

Taken from my "Oratory Presentation" in AP English Language and Composition