Oxbow High School

It's an interesting thing, ignorance. It's more of a choice than a condition. Obsolete ideas are clung to because people are afraid of questioning their beliefs. They're afraid of considering the unknown, or afraid to understand certain problems because then they have no choice but to act. I see it all the time. I have witnessed conversations in which someone clings to an idea or a system, no matter how disproved their key points were. Some people just can't bear to progress, because progress means change, and change can be unsettling. This is a problem. Not only because it hinders progress, but it allows corruption TO progress. If we choose to ignore our problems, immediate or long term, they will only grow in strength and size. Ignorance is bliss, but it is also destruction. That does not mean bliss is destruction, as counterintuitive as that may sound. Bliss can be achieved, but as the saying goes " it's gonna get worse before it gets better." With social, economic, environmental, and foreign issues, as a nation, we cannot afford to be ignorant and uninformed. With the internet, we have a virtually unlimited source of knowledge at our fingertips. We also are lucky enough to have the right to free speech, when some cannot say as they are censored and suppressed. Read more »

            Stories, roads, songs, rainstorms, relationships, and many other things eventually come to an end. The only thing that seems to outlast time is time itself. There will always be another story to be a told, another game to be played, and another generation to come. There is always a tomorrow.

            For some, the end does not come soon enough. For students who stare at the clock in math class, or office employees who impatiently wait for their long day of work to come to an end, time seems to slowly lag on. They ask themselves when it will all end. The truth is that it’s not the end that they are craving, instead, they are just looking for a change. People who want the end to come are people who wish to leave, take a break, or go in another direction. A change is the only thing that can make those things happen. Read more »

The dead end sign made a long, painful screeching noise as it folded in half under the pressure of my car’s bumper. I tried to stop in time, but my brother was distracting me, whining about how if I moved one more inch to the left I was going to take out the big SUV parked next to me. All I could see as I craned my head back toward the rear view window to assess the damage was a sideways sign with a big “DEAD END” warning that hopefully wasn’t referring to my driving career. I was actually pretty lucky, because the bent sign was the only thing between my car and a steep hill that bordered my friend’s house, the last one on the road. Read more »

The journey seemed too long and too rough for it to end like this. I stared blankly at the bright yellow sign that read ‘DEAD END,’ but didn’t know how to react. I looked behind me, remembering how long it took to get here and how much I had given up just to reach this point. My journey couldn’t end here, could it?

I've been walking the same road for so long

The same old dirt road

The view here is beautiful

But it is all I have ever known.

I've just reached the end.

The end of this road.

The end of this experience.

The end of this view.

I will not turn around.

But I will make a road where none has existed.

I will see something new,

walk a path I haven't walked before.

It's time for change.

It's time for opportunity.

That old sign that tells me this is the end.

Is a liar.

This is not the end.

My life has only just begun.

I looked up

and saw the end.

There was a peaceful quiet

that surrounded the night,

like flower petals Read more »

It was a cold and windy night when Jay left. He was sick and tired of having his parents ground him for receiving a grade lower than a ninety-four. He was done blaming himself for things that his parents reprimanded him for. He decided to run away, and just get away from all of the negative energy. With his backpack stuffed to the brim, he stated walking. Of course he felt some remorse and guilt for leaving without warning, but this was something he was doing for himself, finally. He walked and walked and walked until he arrived at the bus station. He got his ticket and sat down on the curb, leaning up against a sign. Leaning back and taking a deep sigh of relief, Jay looked up to the sky. He saw that he was leaning up against a dead end sign. He started to laugh and when he turned to the right, he saw his bus was arriving. After taking one look back at his dead end, Jay took off to start his new life. 

I have been here in this bed many times, but there is something different tonight. I am so exhausted, yet I cannot fall asleep. I toss and turn, trying my hardest to find a position that will comfort me and allow me to sleep. I close my eyes, turn over again, check the time, and try again. Shortly I realize that an hour has passed by and I have yet to sleep. I finally just force myself to bed, no tossing, no turning, and no checking the time. This time it works, but not for long. As I approach my dreams, I am suddenly woken up by a rustling noise coming from the floor. I sat up and looked around the room ... Nothing. I think nothing of it the first time and close my eyes again, this time much easier to fall asleep. Then the noise starts again, this time I started to wonder what it was, but again ignored it and tried to sleep once more. As my mind drifted off to a sleep, the noise got louder and I became more curious than before. Why had the noise occurred only when I fell asleep? Was it just a coincidence, or is there something more ... ? As I sat in bed contemplating all the possibilities this noise could be, I knew there was only one way I could find out. I tiptoe out of the sheets and across the room to the light. As I turned it on, my eyes quickly searched the whole room, again there was nothing. I looked closer, seeking every crack and corner yet I could not find what was making the noise. I became paranoid so I sat back on my bed, thinking of the next place to look. Read more »

I stare ahead,
into the open space.
The rippling water shines.
The darkness of the skies
takes over the entire world.
The small section of light gleams into the pond.
I stand on the edge.
If I take one step, I am gone.
One more leap, and I am lost.
Lost from the world,
lost from my past,
lost from my future.
I am scared.
Scared of what could happen.
This gives me a chance to think,
to think of what to say next,
and do later.
I am alone.
Alone in my life,
separated from everything,
and everyone.
I don't know what to do.
I am confused.
Confused on what to follow;
my heart,
or my head.
I just cannot decide.
Following my heart
has brought me here.
Following my head
has got me here.
If I follow either,
I am whole.
If I follow neither,
I am gone
It is best to do what is right,
what I need,
what I want.

I keep staring,
staring into the darkness
that is this pond.
I finally realize that,
I am this pond.
I take in everything,
and let go of nothing.
I am open,
but filled with depth.

As a student athlete, I have found that it is extremely important to be strong both mentally and physically. Softball and basketball have been my passion for many years. Both sports contain many bruises, bumps, and scars. I have found out the hard way that if there is no pain, there is no gain. Practices are always tough, especially the feeling in your legs the next morning when you feel like you have to crawl just to walk up a flight of stairs. During games of softball when you (at least once a week) take a ball off the shin to prevent a run from scoring. Or even during a basketball game when you have to let a girl ten times bigger than you crash into your body as you fall hard to the ground, just to get the offensive foul. Being physically strong is a huge part of these two games that can make a huge outcome to whether you win or you lose. Containing physical strength is not the only strategy to winning or losing, being mentally strong plays a huge role too. Being a junior in highschool, I have played in many games that required me to be mentally strong. There has been games where there is a minute left, you are playing your rivals, and it comes down to your foul shots which determines the outcome of the game. This is where being mentally strong takes place. During softball, when it comes down to extra innings and the next run wins. Defensively, not a ball can sneak by you. Offensively, it’s immensely important to somehow get on base. Read more »

As if freshmen year of highschool was difficult enough for a person that was new to the school, family issues just made it twice as bad. My grandfather had been struggling with memory loss and shakiness for a few years prior of my freshmen year at Oxbow High School. When he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, I was unaware of the strong effects the disease took on the individuals who had them. With the next couple of years, my grandfather was falling on a weekly basis, and could not remember where his caregiver was (even though she would be sitting right next to him). When the year 2011 began during my freshmen year, things turned for the worst. My grandfather was now falling on a daily basis. He would leave the house when my grandmother, who was his care provider, was in the other room. In May, he was trying to walk up the road from where he was living, up to my house. He fell in the middle of and had to be rushed to the hospital by my father. If my neighbor had not been outside, and seen him lying in the middle of the road, he would have been hit by a car, since we was too weak to stand up by himself. After going to the hospital, my grandfather was able to return home. Only a few hours after returning home, he had fallen again. Read more »

I carried my suitcase up the metal stairs. Thump, thump, thump, keeping time with my heart. The lady who just had welcomed me to the Governors Institute for the Arts was friendly and nice, the teenagers who were wandering around looked sort of approachable, and I was all ready for my two-week stay at Castleton college for an art camp that was supposed to be fun, interesting, even life-changing. But all I wanted to do was get back in the car and go home. I didn’t want to stay at a college campus where I knew absolutely no one. I didn’t want to be away from my family, even though I complained about them most of the time. I especially didn’t to share a small, uncomfortable looking room with a girl who looked like an evil barbie, and acted like one too. As I left my stuff in the room, hugged goodbye to my mom, and walked to the initiation building, all I could think was escape. Read more »

    The date was December 13th, 2008, and my family was having a pre-Christmas dinner with close family friends. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit since it was coming up soon and my family just wanted to relax. My dad was making stuffed shells and other delicious smelling appetizers in the kitchen as mom sat at the living room table talking to my dad and I. It felt like one of those nights where everything was going well and nothing could interrupt the peaceful evening. As day turned to night my family waited for our guests to arrive. I cannot remember what time it was when my sister called my dad but everything that happened after that phone call is ingrained into my memory. We heard the phone ring and my dad looked at the collar ID, saw it was my sister, picked up the phone, and turned it on. My mom and I waited patiently as my dad talked to her and after a couple of minutes, my dad told us the worst news that I have ever heard in my life. My brother, Bo, had committed suicide. I sat on the couch crying until I couldn’t cry anymore. Read more »

The world is a place of wonder. Filled with creatures of every size and strength and skill. Humans are but one species in this gigantic melting pot we call Earth. Humans are not the main ingredient, but merely a spice that adds something unique to this world, so why do we act like it's ours for the taking? At a turning point in human history, humans went from hunter-gatherer nomads to static civilizations. This transition led to new technologies ranging from primitive tools, to agriculture,  to modern day super-computers and atom smashers. So, an increase in technology, an increase in power, and an increase in human understanding. It sounds great and all, but there is a cost that is even greater. It has put current generations in an extremely difficult situation. Difficult, however, does not mean impossible. Read more »

        It was a sunny, yet cool day and I was riding my leopard appaloosa. He was feeling good and we were walking around the field and having an enjoyable time. As usual, when we reached the hill I asked him to trot. Obviously thinking he could go faster, he broke into canter. As a result of going towards the barn, and the excitement in the air, my horse thought it would be best to just ditch me and book it to where the food was. So he threw his shoulder down and quickly shifted his weight to one side. Consequently, I lost my balance and started to fall off. Mind you we were cantering which is quite a fast speed and it is hard to control your balance when falling off a large horse. Not wanting to fall and hurt myself I used all of my strength possible to hang onto his neck with my legs and arms. I probably looked like a possum hanging from a tree branch. It was so hard not to let go. Obviously freaked out that I was clinging to his neck he stopped short. I let go and started to laugh. I laughed so hard because I was tired from hanging on so tight. It amazed me at how much strength it took to hold on for that long. I don't believe there could be another time where I used all of my strenght possible to hang on for dear life. 

I woke up that June morning, because I couldn’t sleep. Knees shaking, I reminded myself today would be the first championship game I played in. That was all it had come down to. When I stepped foot out on the field I had to leave it all out there. Our lacrosse team was only one of two teams still playing for the d-3 title. I knew I couldn’t let those seniors down. I was a puny freshman on a varsity team. We had played every other game there was to play that season. Unfortunately we were playing a team that we had lost too, the only team we had lost too, to be specific. It was the first day I had to mentally and physically strong for someone other than myself. I would of never pictured us there and somehow we were. Read more »

It was fall. It was the afternoon before the halloween dance. My dad, brother and I were heading home. We were driving up the hill before my house. My sister was following us in her new car. My sister had gotten that car roughy two or three weeks before this day. We were driving, singing have fun. And all of a sudden, that changed.
I was looking forward, singing along to the song on the radio. Out of nowhere my dad screamed! I looked around, not sure why. I looked into the side window. I had never been so scared. It flipped and flipped, flipped some more. My sister and her car, in mid-air flipped over. I saw everything. The image is impacted into my brain.
We pulled over immediately. The car behind my sister just flew by. Why didnt they stop? Why didnt they help? My dad jumped out the car, and sprinted to my sister. I didnt know what to do. I just kept crying, and crying. I didnt know if this was real. I grabbed my phone and was about to press 911, but my fingers, shakig uncontrollably, just couldnt press them. I get out of the car, fall to my knees. Tears pouring out of my face. By the time I got down to where my sister was, she was out of the car, crying but not physically hurt. Her car was totalled. It was taken to the garage. I knew I couldnt cry because that would just upset her more. I had to be strong, emotionally.

A week before, she took her car to Hannafords. She got some groceries and was about to leave the parking lot. A man tried to take her. She was almost kidnapped. Read more »

    In the New York Times, there is an article by David Leonhardt that states and explains why low-income students, who do well in school, don’t apply to elite colleges. The article says that “elite and private colleges, despite a stated desire to recruit an economically diverse group of students, have failed to do so.” Low-income students, who score highly on their tests could get into a good college if they desired to do so. Read more »

In a recent New York Times article, “Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Strivers,” David Leonhardt recognizes that students who are performing well in school and are receiving the top SAT test scores, but are from lower-income families, are not applying to the top colleges. This issue, in part, falls onto the laps of the college admission board’s that have a “desire to recruit an economically diverse group of students,” but are failing to do so. Whoever is to blame for this issue is unimportant. Leonhardt, instead, focuses about which statistics that the majority of the public is obviously uninformed. This is an issue that more people, specifically low-income students who are about to apply to colleges, should be aware of. Read more »

           In the New York Times article “Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Strivers,” the author David Leonhardt reveals that many high achieving students from low income families are not applying to top colleges----simply because they don’t know that they can. “Qualified but unaware” is how Leonhart describes the young people who are top students from low income families and often rural areas. The ironic part is that elite colleges actually need these students and the diversity they bring; our country needs a diverse generation of well-educated men and women to prosper. Read more »

      I recently read the article, "Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Strivers" from the New York Times. The author, David Leonhardt, talks about how low-income students who achieve high grades and receive the top test scores are not applying to top colleges. He states that essentially colleges want "an economically diverse group of students," but the problem is that most low-income students are not aware of opportunities for financial aid that could help them pay for a better education. The cost of college is the frontrunner in a student's mind when applying to college, and not knowing about all of the opportunities offered to them is a big issue. Read more »

Shiver. Shake. Wait for rescue team.

The ball arcs...hold breath...goal!

Buildings burn, people watch in terror.

Homework piles up, watch TV anyway.

  Read more »

Sometimes it comes right when you wake up on a weekend morning, sometimes it comes when you open a window after being inside and feel the fresh air wash over your face and into your lungs. Sometimes it comes when you are taking a walk, or when you're with someone who means the world to you. Inspiration is like that, you never know when it will come, but it does come. Here I will share one of my personal inspirational experiences.

It was about six o'clock in the morning on a saturday. It was totally freezing out, I believe around 15 degrees below zero ( Fahrenheit of course). I put on my compression shirt, a hoodie, and my running shoes. I walked out the door and the cold hit me like a wall. It took my breath away.  Read more »

In a recent article called “Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Strivers” in the New York Times, the writers discuss how many low-income students that have good grades and good test scores do not attend the nation’s best colleges. Due to this, it is creating many issues economically and also for the colleges. This is a topic I agree with. Throughout the article it mentions how low-income students are unaware of the financial aid they can get if they apply and get into a top college. This is a big part of the reason why although the students have the best test scores and grades, they do not apply to top colleges. Many of the colleges that low-income students attend do not give the same opportunities as the top colleges do. This gives these students less of an advantage. These intelligent students not attending top colleges in the nation presents many issues. Read more »

         The recent article, “Better Colleges Failling to Lure Poorer Strivers,” in The New York Times, David Leonhardt confronts the issues that “238 of the country’s most selective colleges” are facing. Colleges are facing a problem within the schools diversity. Low income, high achieving students are not applying to the top colleges in the country. They do not apply to those tops colleges for many reasons. Some of those reasons include that they think they cannot afford it. They also don’t apply because they do not know enough about the colleges to apply. The kids also are not pushed to apply there, for whatever reason may appear. Read more »

For the low-income students, the possibility of attending an elite school is slim. Even if that student was top in their class and received a high SAT score, the financial issue hurts their chance of attending and ultimately, the schools' diversity. In a recent New York Times article, "Better Colleges Failing To Lure Poorer Strivers", David Leonhart discusses that specific issue and what private schools are doing to fix it. Low-income students are both unable and unaware of all the opportunities they actually have. But now, because private schools are helping those specific students, they are able to have the same education as higher-income. Those students are getting what they worked for and that is huge. Read more »

I wake up in the middle of the night to my alarm clock going off. It can’t be time for school already, I think to myself as I get up to turn the light on. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I know something is wrong. My feet should be feeling my nice, fluffy carpet not a hard, cold, wood floor. As my eyes adjust to the darkness I can see that there is no carpet. Also, everything in my room looks like it’s been taken out and new stuff has been put in its place. I eventually find the light switch, turn on the light, and am stupefied by what I see. I am staring at myself, or at least my face looks almost like it had. The only difference is that it now appears nineteen years older. I search for my phone to see what the date is because when I went to sleep, I definitely didn’t looked like a middle-aged adult. The date on my phone tells me it’s september third, two-thousand and thirty-two and I realize that I am thirty-five years old. This cannot be happening! I pray for things to go back to normal. All of a sudden I hear a knock on the door downstairs and hear a female voice yell that it’s time to go and that I’ll be late for work if I don’t hurry up. Just to ease my curiosity, I throw on some jeans and a t-shirt and race down the stairs. Read more »

This is the funniest story I've ever heard. It might have only been the time and place that made it funny, but it was still hilarious. We were sitting at our campsite when the last person of our group arrived. He pulled up next to my car and came rushing over to the campfire looking slightly out of breath and wired. We all paused and looked to him, prompting him to explain why he was late, he started by saying, "You guys are gonna die when you hear this. It was the most humiliating yet hilarious thing that has ever happened to me." He took a deep breath and then began his story, "so I was driving along I-91 and realized that I was running low on gas, like almost empty low, so you know, I pulled off at the nearest exit ramp to go find a gas station. It took me like 10 miles to find one, which made me use up more gas and I was almost to the point of having to push." He paused and took another deep breath, we all smiled to ourselves thinking "yup that would happen" and then he began again, "so I pull up to the pump and realize OH MY GOSH! My wallet is in dad's car!" Our parents were going to be arriving the next day and his father supposedly had his money, we all started giggling and my friend said "So, what? did you push it the whole way?". He replied, "no, you dummy, I dug around in the car and scrounged up about $1.96 and filled my tank with it." We all burst out laughing while simultaneously trying to ask "$1.96? Read more »

"Ding! Dong!" Grumpily awakened by the sound of a doorbell, I begin to wonder if we even have one. Confused and annoyed, I reach over my shoulder to turn on my lamp, prepared to go down stairs and complain to my parents. I couldn't find my lamp, grabbed my blankets and pulled them off of me, about to hop out of bed. Oddly enough, the blankets felt weird and different. As I re-felt them trying to figure out why I had different blankets on my bed, which seemed a lot bigger, my hand brushed past something. I freaked out.  "Oh my god!" I yelled, and scrambled out of bed onto a carpet that wasn't supposed to be there. I then tripped over something metal, and fell into a door that swung open into a hallway. Yup, none of that should exist. When I finished my freak out and stopped falling into items that should not be in my normal house, I finally realized another WRONG thing about this whole situation. I was bigger, and taller, more...grown up looking. I looked down and saw a different person. This was not my body, I'm only sixteen, I shouldn't look like this. That's when I heard the mysterious thing from my room speak
Read more »