A reflection on childhood

When did being a kid become uncool?
As toddlers, we lived in a state of eternal bliss, unaware that our lives had any schedule beyond wake up, eat, play, and sleep. We were sent outside, where we allowed our imagination to turn us into everything from Batman to a monkey. No one cared if we felt like humming to ourselves for an hour straight, or colored the sky purple and the ground orange. We were encouraged to be whatever and whoever we wanted, and to not care what anyone thought.
Then elementary school hit. Dragged kicking and screaming from our sleep-deprived parents, we learned everything we needed to learn for the rest of our lives: colors, numbers, and to not go around putting worms in people’s hair because you wouldn't like it if they did that. 
Making friends was never easier than in elementary. Show a kid your toy trucks or Barbie dolls, and 90 percent of the time you’d be BFFs within ten minutes. Of course they could always just call you a fart-face and push you into the sandbox, but there were thirty other kids in your class who appreciated the subtle beauty of Hot Wheels. 
Sure we felt like we were growing up, but elementary school was really our last immature hurrah. After elementary, our childhoods screeched to a halt and our imaginations were packed away into airtight shipping crates.
Middle school took everything elementary school taught us about how to make friends and chucked it out a high-rise window. If you went up and showed a guy your Hot Wheels, you’d basically be signing your name on a list called “Please Pick on Me Every Chance You Get.” Barbie dolls were basically the same, but middle school girls can think of some names that put “fart face” to shame.
I recently had a chance to observe seventh graders in their natural habitat (as a reluctant chaperon for a middle school dance), and there were a few times where I thought I was watching “Jersey Shore: The Early Days.” Hair had been flat ironed into submission, push-up bras peeked out to say “howdy-doo,”and the so-called “shorts” they wore contained less material than an average pocket. Oompa-loompa makeup jobs abounded, and I’m pretty sure most of them would need a shovel to take it all off.
The guys were no better. I’m not sure if the dance had a “skinny jeans, Vans, flat brims, condescending attitude” dress-code, but if so, they were dressed to the nines. A large pack congregated in the back, occasionally shoving one poor soul forward into the gyrating maw of the girls, only to have him retreat in shame when he realized he doesn't know how to dance. 
Watching a guy and a girl dance was like watching two people trying to get out of one straight-jacket (except during slow songs, when the walls, ceiling, and floor became the most interesting things in the world to stare at as you and your lucky date sway awkwardly from side-to-side, a minimum of two full feet apart). I verged from hysteria brought on by trying not to laugh to absolute disgust. 
But beyond the actions of the tweens, the most surprising things were what they said. From my perch by the pretzels, I had to spend my entire night listening to guys talk about how they “did so much beer last night” and girls calling “dibs” on guys (including one very entertaining moment where two girls “dibbed” the same guy and one said, “He’s mine! We talked for like, five minutes, and he said he liked my hair.” Truly a deep, meaningful connection). 
I didn't think much on it, until I walked down our hallways and listened in to a few conversations. A group of senior girls were debating furiously whether Captain America and Iron Man made a better team than Superman and Batman- and which would win in a wrestling match. A boy in my History class made a speech about Obama and Romney’s health care plans, then was heard telling a group of his friends that “Toy Story 3” made him cry- to which his friend pointed out that “Up” was WAY sadder. Choir kids spend their time either talking about musicals, or singing Disney songs in large groups.The other day, I saw a boy thoroughly entertained by a Razor mini-skateboard (and making “whoosh” sound effects while jumping with it).  
When did middle schoolers decide that it wasn't “cool” anymore to enjoy being thirteen years old? When did middle school just become an excuse to practice everything you think you needed in high school- and did they base their impressions on purely from “Glee” and “90201”? And, more importantly, if they could see us, would WE be “uncool”?
These are the last years of our lives that we can still claim to be kids; mature kids with stubble and drivers licenses, but kids nonetheless. Don’t spend it trying to grow up. Just step back, pop in a Disney movie, and savor the moment.

Open publication - Free publishing - More carlmont

'Wallflower' brings laughter and tears

For fans of the best-selling book, the movie adaptation of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a fantastic version that is sure to make even the most stoic of seniors grow nostalgic. For those who haven't read it, the movie should still not be missed.

The story follows Charlie (played by an unbelievable Logan Lerman), an incoming freshman who has suffered from depression and painful shyness all throughout middle school. Upon entering high school, he is taken under the wing of two seniors: the music-savvy, philosophical Sam (Emma Watson, in her first role after Hermione) and the spontaneous, flamboyant Patrick (Ezra Miller- I'll be talking about him later).

They teach him about friendship, good music, and living life to the fullest. The storyline is satisfyingly complex and simultaneously depressing and uplifting, while the cinematography utilizes some very interesting shots (notably during one scene when Charlie is high on LSD). However, it's the acting that carries the movie along.

Lerman is the perfect choice to play Charlie - he's twitchy, introverted, and has a perfect balance of instability and desperation in his eyes. In other words, he's that one freshman that sits alone at a table during lunch and never speaks during class. It's a nice role, verging on greatness when Charlie begins having a mental breakdown (provoking some looks from Lerman that almost fry the film in the camera).

Watson, on the other hand, has obviously made a conscious effort to take long steps away from her role as Hermione and it works to an extent. She is satisfyingly adorable and American (trading her natural English accent for an American one), but falls flat at times.

The standout cast member is Miller, who takes on a challenge: playing a self-proclaimed "queer as a three-dollar bill" senior who has more underlying issues and snark than a sorority house. He is simply a joy to watch, from his snappy dialogue to moments of loud silence. He is easily the most interesting character, and the movie is worth seeing just because of his performance.

The film does suffer from what I like to call "Underdeveloped Minor Character Syndrome," with a few of Charlie's other friends falling flat. Additionally, the interesting roles of an English teacher (played by the always enjoyable Paul Rudd) and Charlie's older sister (Nina Dobrev) disappear into the mix. But overall, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" is an adorable, touching film that should not be missed (seniors, bring some tissues; those graduation scenes are pretty misty).

4.3/5 stars

http://www.scotscoop.com/22502

An in-depth look at high school English

Sigmund Freud once famously claimed that “sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar,” making the point that some things can, and should, be taken at face value. High school literature, apparently, is not one of those things.
   Overanalyzation is, in my opinion, one of the greatest pitfalls in a subject I am unashamed to call my favorite. English class has always been enjoyable for me; I have no problem with reading thick volumes in a short amount of time, or deciphering complex vocabulary. I even enjoy Shakespeare. My only real problem with the subject is when a great work (i.e. The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet) is turned from a classic to nothing more than homework through a ridiculous amount of overanalysis.
   Why is it that we can never seem to accept the fact that the author may have, in fact, used things such as colors and sounds without giving them some underlying meaning? Take a sentence such as, “The curtains were dark blue to match the drapes.” Now, of course, the author may have meant the color blue to symbolize the deep anguish and anxiousness that the main character was feeling, coupled with the recent death of his father. Couldn't they just be blue to match the drapes? If they had been red, would that change the overall meaning of the book?
   Peter Ravenelle, a senior in AP English, believes that a gross amount of analyzation makes English classes difficult and unlikable- especially for younger students. “I think the upperclassmen can handle going into that much detail, because we’re used to it by now,” he stated. “But freshmen and sophomores should be able to enjoy the books they read, without analyzing them to death. Otherwise, they’ll never like English for the rest of their lives.”
   Senior Emma Smith agreed with Ravenelle, and also pointed out that reading with analysis in mind causes kids to either read too quickly or too slowly for their own tastes. “I read fast,” she claimed, “but when other kids don’t get a small piece of the analysis, or don’t agree with the teacher, we have to go back and read it again, more slowly. It takes whatever fun there was out of reading.”
    If all this analysis makes English so boring and difficult to deal with, is it really necessary to go into that much detail? Well, according to Anne Frost, a sophomore and senior English teacher, analysis is a critical skill not just for English class, but in life in general.
   “For the rest of your life,” she claimed, “you’re going to need to know how to analyze things in detail. You get real-life experience from that, no matter what you’re reading. Plus, it’s a standard that students need to be well-versed in close analysis.”
   According to Frost, having classes at mixed levels (aside from AS and AP) means that reading in class and reading slowly is necessary, as it makes sure all members of the class are on the same page. “Sometimes the language and style of the book is a barrier, or the material is too dry for the student to grasp. Analysis makes sure everyone is getting something out of the experience.”
   Eliza Hunt said that in her past four years at Carlmont, she’s enjoyed the analysis she has done. “If a kid is predisposed to like reading and English,” she explained, “then of course he’s going to hate analysis. I like it, though. Reading books like The Great Gatsby is a lot more enjoyable when you actually know what the author was trying to communicate through symbolism and language.”
   Frost pointed out that, “there will always be those kids who walk in saying ‘I already know how to speak English; why do I need to be here?’ They don’t find the work interesting so the point of the analysis, in my class and others, is to make it real for them.”

Open publication - Free publishing - More carlmont