Introduction: Here are the four so called semi-long, semi short chapters layered out of every single class of my high school career. It’s sort of a mashed up, roll of emotions and genres filled with facts and expressive thoughts. You got the comedy, the horror and of course, the drama. There’s laughter, cries and everything in between. Everyone has gone through the experience as I did but of course, it’s not particularly the same story. This is the story of my life in San Gorgonio High School. Author’s Notes: Due to technical and physical difficulties, I cannot recall, relive, and remember every moment of every year and I will try my hardest to remember the best that I can. There might be insults that I’ll say but know that they are all of no offensive meaning interpreted towards them. In other words, no offense. To them, I mean. Chapter One: Freshman I was 15 years. Like all freshmen, I was nervous and excited at the same time. I had seen all my friends from my schools and even the ones that I haven’t seen in forever. By that time, I was more relaxed but still nervous. It took me a while to find my schedule and when I did, it looked like this: 1) P.E. – Mr. Clark 2) Cadet Corps – Lt. Ryan 3) English – Mr. Carranza 4) World Geography – Mr. Amos 5) Physical Science – Mr. Reisenhoffer 6) Algebra 1 – Ms. Martinez Freshman year marked the first time I actually had P.E. since elementary school. In Serrano middle school, for both years I was in cadet class and so for my second period, at least by then I have had two years worth of experience, which is no big deal. The rest of my schedule looks like easy cake but it’s the teachers I was wondering most about. I was greatly disappointed when I saw that we had no lockers, except in gym. I’ve seen in media that all high school has lockers but unfortunately, San Gorgonio is not one of them. First Period Let me tell you something. I’m not exactly a fan of it but only because of the fact that for some oblivious reason, teachers are mean. I’ve seen it in movies, shows and books and I never thought it is actually true in real life which sucks because no offense, but Mr. Clark isn’t exactly an easy teacher to get along with but nevertheless, the activities that we did over the year have been easy. In fact, for the rest of the half year, we just went swimming. I ended up getting a “C” which is fine by me but seriously, I thought I deserved more than that. Sure, there are times that I don’t do every activity-like soccer, and such-but still, I have done everything I was assigned to do. Second Period Cadet is basically just like a military version of P.E. It requires no discipline. Does it make you strong or army strong? Sarcasm. Like first period, I’m not a fan of this class either. In fact, it’s probably the most boring class in my freshman year. I have my reasons but I think I speak for everybody when I say that the uniforms are not only embarrassing to wear but also, it’s kind of unnecessary, you know? What I do like about it however, is that it helps you become more motivated and have greater strength and knowledge of the corps. I got an “A” from the beginning to the end of the year. Third Period English is my best and favorite subject. Has been ever since, but do I like the teacher himself? Short answer: Kind of; So-so. Mr. Carranza is exactly a good looking teacher. He looked nerdy and bizarre. But despite this, he was a good cop, bad cop type of teacher. He was often nice and often mean but at most times, he was sarcastic. For example, when asked by his students if he had food, he replied, “Yeah, go look under the desk. There’s all kinds of flavors in there.” I wound up getting an “B”. After then, I found out that he longer teaches at San G and now teaches at a different school for a higher raise. Fourth Period By far, my most favorite class taught by my favorite teacher, Mr. Amos. World Geography is ironically, my favorite subject but the class itself was convincing enough for me to change my mind. We would watch Globe Trekker, which is a very interesting educational show because whatever country the hosts go, we would learn and observe what they are experiencing. I have first lunch as a freshman and me and my friends would go get our lunch and we were allow to eat inside Mr. Amo’s class as long as we clean up our mess. In the class, we watched whatever Mr. Amos had rented. Fun time, I tell you. Fifth Period Mr. Reisenhoffer is arguably the best teacher I’ve met in my freshman year. I’m not too big on science but he teach it in a way where we became so captivated by science. He was a young looking teacher, in his late 20s presumably but what I like about the class is that we would watch Ghostbusters and like my third period, we would learn and observe. One time, he had this electric ball looking thing that when you touch it, you get shocked. So when he asked all of us to connect our hands, we all got shocked. Sadly, he no longer teaches the class. Sixth Period Math is actually my second best subject but the truth is, it depends on what kind of math it is. If it’s geometry, I’ll hate it; if it’s algebra, no problem at all. Luckily, I got algebra 1. This is the class where I laughed a lot and the reason for that is my classmate Anthony who is a jokester. I like the class, I like the teachers (there were two, at the time: Ms. Martinez and Mr. Garcia), and I loved the math problems. This was by far the easiest class for me. I always aced in quizzes and tests. Eventually, I went on to win an award for math: having a solid straight “A” for the whole year. However, sometime in mid year, we’ve been having different subs from time to time. Until Mr. Garcia decided to take over, we learned that Ms. Martinez had become severely sick. She came back eventually but in the end, she was no longer a teacher at San G. So my freshman year was a lot of fun. It was new, exciting and perhaps, memorable. I hated that five of my six teachers were gone. Mr. Amos (and Mr. Garcia as well) remained. Overall, it was a good start to my high school career. Chapter Two: Sophomore Sophomore year is the one year I hated the most. I went from being a straight “A” student to a “B/C” student. I’m not exactly sure what happened but I knew that I had to get back up on my feet, somehow. My sophomore schedule: (NOTE: Due to the fact that my schedule had changed so many times over the course of the year, I just decided to use what I had in the end instead of what I got in the beginning) 1) Cadet - ??? 2) Geometry Standards 1 – Mr. Bancroft 3) World History – Mr. Brock 4) Geometry Standards 2 – Mr. Lee 5) Biology – Mr. Sokeye 6) English – Mr. Hite First Period Ugh, cadet again. At least we only need two years of physical education and luckily, cadet counts as credit. We had a different teacher this year and although I don’t remember his name (probably because I didn’t much for the class) he was a tall skinny asian army man. He didn’t seem like a teacher and at times, it was my classmates who were teaching the class which was complete and utter stupid. I’m not surprised he’s no longer a teacher. He was not a professional teacher. The class felt the same as last year and the only differences was the people and the location of the class. The rest is basically the same. I got a “B”. Second Period I never knew geometry was so hard! In fact, as I learned more about it, the more I started to hate it. The teacher himself was really boring as well as the class. It was a big classroom but yet, there were only fifteen students. And the weird thing is, we all sat in the back. But yeah, it’s not a helpful class at all. I don’t think I’ve learned a lot from the class. It’s sad, because he’s been a teacher for years. Not a fun or particularly exciting class. It could’ve done better though. Because of this, I ended up with a “C”. Third Period Mr. Brock is only one of the coolest sophomore teachers I had. He is a very funny and yet serious teacher and his class applies to his personality. Though again, I’m not strong on the subject but I did learn a lot of the revolutions and historical events. We did maps and worksheets, and we did the daily “P.O.D.s” which was always fun to watch. Though I’ve always worked alone, I didn’t let that stop me from getting an “B”. Fourth Period Damn! Geometry again. Ugh. The difference between this class and my second period was that Mr. Lee was much more enthusiastic on what he was teaching which I preferred but the problem that I had in the class was similar to what I always have. One, I was working alone and two, I hated the subject. There were some times that I did okay but did I survive? Only halfway. I got a “C”. Fifth Period I wasn’t too strong on science but I find that biology was a really interesting subject. With that said, I also had interesting classmates (one whom I went on to be great friends with) and a somewhat interesting teacher, Mr. Sokeye. Mr. Sokeye was a weird teacher, not in a bad way per se but if you notice, he talks slow and he always, ALWAYS uses the phrase, “You’re feeding a dead horse.” I never understood what that meant but we always get a little laugh from it. I got a “B”. Sixth Period This is the only class I’ve always looked forward to. Why? I loved the fact that the location of the class was close to the front of the school (sarcasm), Mr. Hite was a cool teacher, and I met some really great friends. But the biggest reason why I love the class was that English is my best and favorite subject once again. No surprise I got an “A” and during the class, we read some really interesting books like Ayn Rand’s Anthem and the war story, All Quiet On The Western Front. When we read Anthem, it was so confusing and hard to read and understand. But with Mr. Hite guiding us to what’s going on, it all made perfect sense. English, along with World History and Biology, remains as the only classes that kept me sane in my sophomore year. So overall, my sophomore year? Yeah, not as great as my freshman year but at least I managed to survive. Chapter Three: Junior My junior year became a way better year than my sophomore year but, was it as great as my freshman year? Let’s find out. My Junior Year Schedule: 1) U.S. History – Mr. Lambie (now a school librarian) 2) Spanish 1 – Ms. 3) Geometry – Mr. 4) English – Ms. 5) Music Appreciation – Mr. Brandon 6) Environmental Science – Ms. First Period

Gabriel Arellano 5/01/10 Period 1 Economics During the late 1970s, an employed woman with low minimum wages and poor working conditions revolutionizes the right for better working conditions and becomes involved in labor union activities. Her name was Norma Rae. Norma Rae is the story of a woman who works in a cotton mill factory and struggles to fend off the problems and dangers in her workspace; In the beginning of the film, one of the workers appears to be deaf. This is due to excessive loud noises and later in the film, a man who has arm pains has a heart attack. Norma Rae is an Alabama small town textile mill worker and single mother of three, living with her parents. She has had in the past a series of relationships with men, sometimes married, who have mistreated her; then as the story progresses, she meets and marries Sonny. Her life is quite ordinary until Reuben, a union worker from New York, comes to her mill and tries to unionize its labor force. He persuades Norma Rae to head up the cause at her mill, resulting in severe conflict with management and potential conflict in her own relationship with husband, Sonny. In the process of unionizing, the more she worked, the less time she spends with her family which causes a conflict between her and her husband. She had also received threats and was eventually fired but before she left the workplace, she proudly hangs up a cardboard sign that said, “UNION”. As her employees look and see, they start to turn off the machines. After being recruited to the police station, she breaks down and loses hope. But despite the pressure brought upon her, she and Reuben work together once again to regain the votes of the election from townspeople and eventually in the end, Norma Rae successfully wins the election (despite that more than 300 had voted against it) resulting in victory for the union. Norma and Reuben say goodbye to each other as Reuben prepares to leave back home. So rarely have we seen movies that focus on the impact of employment rights and labor unions that applies for us as of today’s economy. Sally Fields plays the title character, Norma Rae. We see her fear, her disgust, her anger at the mill's treatment of its employees, and the passion she has for what she believes in. After being captivated by a New Yorker Reuben’s speech, she is awakened to the possibilities of life, and, what's more, everything that is wrong with the mill that seems to suck the energy and hope from those who stand there day after day trying to earn an honest dollar. The greatest strength of the film is in one particular scene, perhaps the most famous, when Norma stands on top while holding a sign that simply said, “UNION”. What I liked about the movie was the characters. Each one was superbly well written. Sally Fields and Ron Leibman did an outstanding job. I loved their personalities. Sally plays a character who slowly evolves from an aimless girl into a mature woman who finds a depth and strength that helps her take control of her life and find the confidence to lead which was the “power” she never knew she had and it was all thanks to Reuben, played by Ron, the assertive union organizer from New York who awakens Norma's intellect and propels her into uncharted territory by helping her and guiding her in the ways of what is right and what should be done. In other words, she became independent. Meanwhile, Beau Bridges as Norma Rae's gentle and often erratic, understanding dependent husband stands by his woman despite his not completely comprehending or appreciating the changes that are underway in his wife's character. The only thing I didn’t like however, although it isn’t highly relevant, was the southern accent. Particularly because it was quite difficult to understand thoroughly what they were saying. But despite this, the dialogue was understandable. This is a human story; A tale of real courage, determination, and human will. It doesn't sell politics or make out that unions are the answer to everything; instead it shows through a great story arc and shows that one person's moral compass can make a difference. One of my favorites scenes was the one following Norma Rae's arrest, in which she returns exhaustedly home from prison at night, awakens her three sleeping kids, informs them that their “Mama's a jailbird” and that they're going to be hearing all kinds of stories about her. She admits that she made mistakes, tells each child who his or her father is, and gives each a photo of their dad which she had tucked away. All parents must face that at some point their children will come to realize their mom or dad isn't perfect, and nowhere is this more dramatically shown than in this particular scene from Norma Rae.