US Student Newsletter
May 2022
Spring is in the Air
Calendar
Monday, May 9: AP Calculus AB Exam
Tuesday, May 10: AP English Language and Composition Exam
Wednesday, May 11: AP Biology Exam
Thursday, May 12: AP World History: Modern; AP Physics 1 Exam
M.S & U.S Soccer- End of year celebration
Friday, May 13: No School; Teacher Work Day; AP Music Theory Exam
Saturday, May 14: Theatre Festival
Tuesday, May 17: NHS Officer Meeting ITS/NAHS Induction
Wednesday, May 18: Q4 Progress Reports
Thursday, May 19: US Summer Play
Friday, May 20: MS/US Band/Chorus to Carowinds
Saturday, May 21: Kingfisher Flag Football Tourny
Wednesday, May 25: NHS Officer Meeting
Friday, May 27: Kingfisher Cup (U.S Boys and Girls Soccer Game)
Monday, May 30: No School- Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 31: NHS General Meeting
Friday, June 3: Fine Arts Showcase
Wednesday, June 8: 1st Period Exam
Thursday, June 9: 2nd Period Exam
Friday, June 10: 3rd Period Exam
Monday, June 13: 4th Period Exam
Tuesday, June 14: 5th Period Exam
Wednesday, June 15: 6th Period Exam
Thursday, June 16: 7th Period Exam
Friday, June 17: Make-up Exams; Q4 ends
National Days
May 10 National Clean up Your Room Day
May 11 National Eat What you Want Day
May 13 National Blame Someone Else Day
May 15 National Chocolate Chip Day
May 16 National Piercing Day
May 20 National Pizza Party Day
May 22 National Solitaire Day
May 23 National Lucky Penny Day
May 24 National Scavenger Hunt Day
May 26 National Paper Airplane Day
May 27 National Road Trip Day
May 28 National Hamburger Day
May 30 National Creativity Day
PROM
Spring Gala
Gift Giving Guide: For Mother's Day and Beyond
By Kinsey Parker
Mother’s Day may be over, but that doesn't mean you should stop showing your mom how much you love her. Here are some ways to help you continue to give to your mom (or just a guide to giving gifts in general). The best way to give gifts and show appreciation to someone is to play to their love language. It's a great way to show them that you care and actively want to make them happy. Here are some things you can do to make your mom's life better even after Mother’s Day has ended considering their love language.
If your mom's love language is Acts of Service, you can do things to help your mom out. If your mom cooks dinner every night, try cooking dinner instead. If your mom is usually doing chores around the house, then try helping her or do some chores for her. You could do things like fill up her gas tank, make her lunch in the morning before work, or make her morning coffee to help her wake up. These small little acts can make a world of difference and show your mom love and appreciation!
If your mom's love language is Words of Affirmation, then leaving little notes about how much you appreciate her around the house, telling her how thankful you are for all she does for you, etc… can mean a lot to her and show her how much you care.
If your mom's love language is Quality Time, then try to spend time with her doing the things she likes. If your mom likes to watch movies, go watch a movie with her. If she likes gardening, go garden with her. If she likes going for a run or going to the gym, go exercise with her. Even spending time with her doing mundane tasks (like the dishes or laundry) can be quality time. Spending your time enjoying the things and hobbies she likes will really show her how much you love her.
If your mom's love language is Physical touch you can do things like give her a hug before you leave for school or before you go to bed. Little high fives when things go right and little signs of affection like that can show that you care.
If your mom's love language is Giving Gifts, then you can do things like buying her a new movie or book you think she would like. You could try purchasing her favorite coffee or snack, a piece of jewelry or a new blanket, or even small items like pens, notebooks, or chapstick. These small gifts can show your mom how much you love and appreciate her.
To conclude, any day is a good day to show your mom how much you love and appreciate her, and while these gift giving tips are meant for mom you can still apply them to the many other special people in your life!
Did you Know? History of Earth Day
By Emily Christen
In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. 20 million Americans, 1/10 of the US population at the time, joined together across the nation to raise awareness. This led to the following changes:
- California Environmental Quality Act
- National Environmental Education Act
- Endangered Species Act
- Clean Air and Clean Water Act
- Occupational Safety and Health Act
Earth Day was founded to help teach about the importance of protecting the environment and is now celebrated in 192 countries around the world.
Did you know? Cinco de Mayo
By Charlotte Fisher
Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army’s defeat over France during the Franco-Mexican war (December 8, 1861 – June 21, 1867). Commonly mistaken to be Mexican Independence day (which actually occurs on September 16), Cinco de Mayo commemorates a single battle during the war--the battle of Puebla. During the Franco-Mexican war, the French believed they could have an easy victory over Puebla, for Mexican troop numbers were small (they only had 2,000 soldiers) compared to the 6,000 French soldiers. However, despite the difference in numbers, the Mexican army won against the French, losing less than 100 soldiers while their enemy lost over 500. Although the victory was not the most strategic, it holds the most symbolism in Mexican history, and helped to strengthen the resistance movement in Mexico.
Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated by many people, and is marked with huge parades, Mexican folk dancing, traditional food, parties and mariachi music. Within Mexico, most of the celebrations can be found in Puebla, where the unlikely victory occurred; but, other parts of the country also take part. Here in America, some of the biggest festivals are held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston.
Life & Nature
Nature offers a lot of benefits both physical and mental. It's been proven to help with stress levels by lowering blood pressure and reducing the amount of stress hormones produced in your body. It can calm your nervous system and improve your immune system. It can do a lot to help improve your overall health by offering not only stress relief, but also by helping to increase self esteem, improve overall mood, bring a sense of well being, and improve things like anxiety and cognitive ability. It was found that in order to achieve these types of benefits 2 hours a week should be spent in green spaces (areas filled with vegetation and plant life). It doesn’t matter if the 2 hours are spread out throughout the week or all at once the results remain the same. As long as the time spent is at least 2 hours, then you can reap the benefits.
However, there are some simple ways to put nature into your daily life to help boost your mood, improve your focus, and help calm you down in some minor ways if you can't get as much time outside as recommended. Here are some ways you can bring nature into your life utilizing your 5 senses:
If you really want to FEEL nature, then you can rest in the shade, feel the breeze outside or just hang out in the sun, which is a great source of vitamin D. Chilling outside in the sun or shade doesn’t require you to do anything so you can do things like read, work on homework, or study while enjoying a little bit of nature.
If you want to SEE nature,then you could bring small houseplants into your life and set them all around your home. Put a vase of freshly picked flowers in your home to add a nice pop of color to any given space. Natural looking house decorations, like fake plants if you can't get real ones, natural patterns with leaves, animals or using a natural color palette full of greens and blues and tans throughout your home. Put Artwork of nature like paintings, photographs, maybe make your lock screens something nature themed etc. where you can see images of nature throughout the day. Follow social media’s accounts dedicated to showcasing the beauty of the natural world. Watch nature documentaries and even having a little mini garden can help increase the amount of nature you see in your daily life.
If you want to SMELL nature, you can use things like oil diffusers with scents like citrus, cedar, lavender, cinnamon, sandalwood, etc… or natural smelling candles/ wax melters and perfumes can help bring the many wonderful scents of nature into your home.
If you want to HEAR nature, then you can do things like listen to soundscapes while you work or as background sounds to your everyday life. Make a nature inspired playlist. These are all good ways to help you really hear the sounds of nature when you don't have the opportunity to experience or feel them first hand.
If you want to fully envelop yourself in nature you can do things like gardening, Go for a hike, or experience the wilderness first hand. Enjoy the local nature center or nearby zoos and see the plethora of animals. Visit the local arboretum or botanical gardens and see all the colorful plants and flowers. Try birdwatching and search out for colorful birds. Go for a nice picnic outside in nature. Go camping and spend a night under the stars and enjoy nature during all parts of the day cycle. Go for a drive on the parkway and see the mountains. These are all good ways to fully bring yourself into nature and make you really feel the natural world around you.
In conclusion, experiencing and feeling nature offers a host of benefits and can improve your mental and physical health and well being. That's why it's important to incorporate nature in your daily life to help improve your overall health and well being. So why wouldn’t you enjoy the outdoors and all the wonderful benefits that come with it.
Sources:
https://runwildmychild.com/incorporating-nature-into-daily-life/
https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health
Opinion: Should You Take AP Classes?
By Mykenzi Ward
Since it is AP test season, and next year's classes are around the corner, I wanted to consider the question: should you take AP Classes?
The answer is not a simple yes or no. There are many actions that you need to take into consideration. For example, the College board. What’s College Board you may ask? The College board is the supreme and most high power in the AP world. If you were to rank superiority from least to greatest it would go: firefighters, service troops, Oprah, and then College Board. They are the ones who write, make rubrics, and judge all aspects of AP classes, especially and most importantly the almighty AP Exams. In other words, some very powerful people…and intimidating! You need to be understanding in knowing that the College Board has all the power and will judge your work.
Another course of action to consider is your class options in general. Of course you don’t have to take an AP class, but there are pros and cons to enrolling. Pros? They add strength to your college application compared to regular or honors classes. There are tons of options for every extra-knowledge you desire (like Spanish, Art, and even Statistics). Plus, for every class -and exam you pass- means you don’t need to take that class in most colleges (because you have received college credit). Additionally, these classes can also boost your GPA. 13 out of a possible 38 AP classes are offered here at IC Imagine, and you can take more than one course a year if you prefer.
However, there are cons! AP. Classes. Are. Hard. These classes require a lot of work ethic in order to get a passing grade. These are not the types of classes where you can sleep every other day and still get a 100 on your next test (unless you’re Einstein, of course). These are writing notes, getting extra credit, and studying hard types of classes. And while all of these details may sound difficult, they are still fun and engaging. Most of the time you have a smaller class size and have a deeper connection to what you are learning. You get to learn topics in a way many regular classes never get to. These classes are especially fun after exams (which are usually much earlier than other finals), where you get to do projects and labs until the end of the year. (Don’t tell anyone I said that, by the way!)
So, take it from me, as someone who has taken three AP classes this year and one last year, take an AP class. Even if you aren’t going to college or interested in all that *extra* stuff, AP classes are still pretty awesome as long as you’re willing to work.
Mrs. G’s Advice on Handling Stress:
By Zefan Delange
With AP exam and finals season coming up, we asked our US counselor, Mrs. Gelineau, what advice she had for students to manage their stress and stay on track. For managing stress and staying focused:
-Unplug from social media.
-Get enough sleep.
-Eat well.
-Move your body and get adequate exercise.
How to avoid procrastinating?!
-Make lists. For Mrs. G personally, creating a visual aid is very beneficial when feeling overwhelmed. The ability to check items off of a physical or digital list can be an efficient way to manage your tasks!STUDENT SURVEY: HOW DO YOU COPE WITH EXAM SEASON STRESS?
Responses:
-"Try to distract myself with a show or movie"
-"Do something to distract myself from the problem. Like take a walk or talk to friends"
-"I listen to music!"
-"sleeping"
-"i sleep or ignore it like i ignore everything. i sometimes even rush to get everything done wich makes it even worse."
-"Music, horses, hobbies, research stuff about hobbies, play with my dog"
-"I don't usually, but if it gets to the point where I can't function/think, synced tapping with my hands or feet works"
-"I eat a whole bunch of snacks and pretend I don't have work to do. Then I freak out and do a bunch of work in a short amount of time."
Social Commentary Cartoon
Night to Shine
By Alyona Logan
Night to Shine is a Nonprofit organization that is founded by The Tim Tebow Foundation, which started in 2014. Tim Tebow and his wife host this event in February every year. People who are 14 and older with special needs can attend. This event takes place in countries all over the world. Night to Shine starts at 6:00 pm and ends at 9:30 pm. The dress code for this event is party formal. From IC Imagine, Upper School students Alyona, Saul, Kaitlyn, and Bina all attended Night to Shine.
During the event, you get to dance and have fun. For 2021, instead of having a real prom, The Tim Tebow Foundation made a Shine-thru where you can go dance, have fun, and get your crown or tiara and get a drawstring bag full of goodies. Then in 2022, The Tim Tebow Foundation had a virtual celebration where you get to walk down a virtual red carpet, get to hear celebrity messages, and of course dance the night away. Night To Shine all started because the Tim Tebow Foundation wanted to celebrate people with special needs.
Night to Shine
A Crowning Event
Strike a Pose
On the Scene By Orwen Tilson
Saluda Art Festival
Baby Goat Yoga
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baby-goat-yoga-tickets-313714557687?aff=ebdssbdestsearch