softball!

The new school year is definitely in progress; sorry I haven’t updated in a while I have been so busy. I just came back from Florida where I played in a College Showcase for softball. I recently joined a travel team and Florida was our big showcase where almost every college is out recruiting players for their season next year. I had a few schools looking at me, and this summer is the most important time for any softball player interested in playing softball in college.

Speaking of Florida something new is happening at Union Catholic. Our girls Varsity softball team will be going to Florida this coming Spring break. We will be going to Disney for spring training. I for one am so excited because I never thought this would ever happen. We have decided to fundraise all the money needed for this trip, so that means lots of bake sales, canning, and any other fundraising ideas we can think of. Time is not on our side so we have to start this weekend already! Spring training is supposed to help your softball team become better physically and mentally. But this isn’t all about softball we also have to become involved in community service in between games. I think this will be a great thing for girl’s softball and hopefully give us a winning season!

Jr/Sr Trip’09 to Washington DC

Hey everyone! This past weekend was the annual junior/senior trip. There were about 200 of us, including students and teachers, traveling to Washington DC for 4 days. We left school at 1:15 on Thursday in four buses and drove down to Dave and Busters in Maryland for dinner and gaming that night, then proceeded to the hotel for the rest of the night. I was rooming with two of my friends, Jenna and Jenna. Our curfew was at 11, but until then, we all hung out in our friends’ rooms. Friday morning, we woke up to pouring rain and cold weather. Nonetheless, we went to Mount Vernon and remained there until after lunch, walking through Washington’s house and along the grounds. We then went to the White House and took pictures in front of it. Returning back to the hotel that afternoon at 4:30, everyone had an hour to get ready for the Dinner/Dance cruise that night. The cruise was a lot of fun. Everyone was dancing as we sailed up and down the Potomac River. Saturday was a very busy day for us. We woke up at 6:30 and took the bus ride up to Arlington National Cemetery. We went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and had the chance to witness the Changing of the Guards. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because even in the pouring rain, those men are standing out there guarding the tomb of their fellow soldiers who never came home. People train extremely hard for 2 years and only a few are selected for this honor. Everyone was completely silent and respectful while the Changing of the Guards was occurring, and the rain just added to the moment. We also stopped at the Kennedy familys’ graves. After getting back on the bus completely soaked, we went to the Capital building for a tour. The rooms were really pretty looking. In one room, my group stood on the spot where Thomas Jefferson’s desk was positioned. Our tour guide went to the opposite side of the room and started speaking and we could hear him perfectly clear; as he moved towards us, we heard him less and less. He said the sound waves did that due to the shape of the room being like a Greek amphitheater. There were statues and everywhere and it was great to get out of the rain for a while. We then went to the Hard Rock Café for dinner followed by Madam Tussauds Wax Museum and a night tour of the monuments. We went to the WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials. I really liked seeing them at night, the lights and the rain giving them a really beautiful effect. Finally, Sunday morning we went to 10:30 mass at a beautiful church called the Basilica of the Natural Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was the most gorgeous church I have ever been to. Despite the rain and the cold, it was an overall great trip and I think everyone really had a good time. People are already talking about next year’s trip!

Fall Open House

Hey readers. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and our SMAC (Student Movement Against Cancer) club had a special pink and white tag day on Tuesday, and all the proceeds went to an organization SMAC works with. Almost everyone had on pink or white in support of this cause.

Tonight is our Fall Open House, beginning at 7 pm and everyone is buzzing with excitement. I encourage anyone who is interested in looking at the school to come and check it out! Tours by our student ambassadors begin at 6. Teachers, faculty and students will be around to give you a chance to be a part of the Union Catholic Community for one night! :]

Junior Year

Hey everyone! Welcome back to school. The school year just started and there is already so much going on. Last week, we had our back to school dance. It was great to see how many freshmen came out and are beginning to get involved. This year, being my junior year, is by far the most important year of high school so far. This year is packed with SATs, beginning to look at colleges, and the first experience taking AP (Advanced Placement) classes. This year, I’m taking 3 – Biology, English and Government and Politics. It has been a huge amount of work so far and will continue to be, but I know working hard will bring good results. At the end of the year, all the AP students will take the AP test to try to get college credits.

We have a Philippino club here at Union Catholic and this week they are having a bake sale to raise money for the victims who were affected by the floods in Manila in the Philippines. This is a great example of the UC community reaching out to people in need.

My friend Sean is a new blogger for the Upper Classmen, so make sure to check out his blog!

School is back in session; junior year I am still in shock. I hope everyone had a great summer, I know I did. I went to Florida and on a cruise to Canada with one of my closest friends from my old school. Who goes on a cruise to Canada? Oh I know, but it actually wasn’t too bad. The cruise was more than just going on a trip, it was proof that I am in my junior year of high school and can still maintain a close relationship with a girl who I only see on occasion, something I was so scared of coming into my freshman year.

Maintaining this friendship gave me an experience that I can pass on to my “little sister” who is a freshman now at UC who came all by herself (just like me). I passed on all my tips and I always see her with a new friend in the halls. At first she told me that she was shy and nervous but now I see her in the halls with new people every time, obviously shyness is not her thing anymore. Freshman orientation was a lot of fun. 2013 is the golden class because they will graduate when union catholic turns 50. We even had golden donuts!

Classes are in progress and quizzes and tests are already being announced. I am moving up in Algebra which has conflicted with my Government and politics class, which conflicted with my Spanish class, which conflicted with my journalism class. So I am sad to say that I will have to drop journalism. I was so looking forward to that class but seeing as my new college dream is Boston College moving up in my classes is a little more important. I don’t know what class to put in journalisms place though. As of right now my favorite class is English. My teacher is hilarious and he really knows how to make a hard class less stressing. I am excited for the year to progress and oh can I say Junior Prom?!!!!! =)

Half Way Through Summer

Hey everyone! It is just about mid-summer, and I hope everyone is enjoying themselves! In the past month, there has been a lot going on: new movies, camps, vacations, day trips to the beach and much more. The second week of July I was in a golf camp for 9 hours a day for a week. It was much harder than it sounds; the weather was gorgeous almost every day, and extremely hot. I really feel like I got a lot out of it and can’t wait to play some more. That same week on Wednesday was my 16th birthday. I didn’t go to camp that day, but instead went down to Sea Isle for the day because my best friend’s family has a house there. I had such a great day, spending it on the beach with some of my closest friends.

Everyone knows summer means no more school, but it doesn’t mean no more sports. Throughout July, there have been basketball open gyms every Tuesday night and the usual summer league for varsity players. A few weeks ago, soccer stuff started. I don’t know where they have been playing because our turf field is still under construction.

Earlier this summer I went on vacation to Ocean City, New Jersey with my family. It was a fun week, but the weather was not what we were all hoping for. This Friday night, my mom is driving me down to LBI where I will spend the next week with one of my best friends and her family. We both are extremely excited. She goes down there every year, and has a million things planned for us to do. The house we have rented is so pretty, and has its own little beach in the back right on the bay. I know it’s going to be a great week.

Enjoy the rest of summer! Peace out :]

Hello Summer'09 :]

Hey everyone! Finals are finally over, and everyone has jumped full speed ahead into summer. Our finals were very hard this year, but we all pulled through and everyone was drained by the time Wednesday, our last final, came around. On Friday, my friend Allison and her mom picked me up and we went to The Fray concert, my birthday gift from Allison. We left around 2 and planned on tailgating the rest of the afternoon, but when we arrived at the entrance of PNC Bank Arts Center, we were informed that no one was allowed in until 5. We decided to drive back down the parkway and we pulled into a rest stop and stayed there for 45 minutes or so. It was really funny because this one guy was walking around to cars that were getting ready to leave; we didn't know what he was doing but it was pretty funny to watch. We drove back to PNC a second time, and they still wouldn't let us in. Finally, the third time at exactly 5, we drove into the parking lot and started unpacking our stuff for tailgating. About 20 minutes later, we were walking into PNC and upgraded our tickets for $10 from lawn seats to actual seats. Thank God, because the lawn was really muddy. The opening band was fairly new, and Richard Swift was the lead singer, followed by Jack's Mannequin. He was great and the crowd loved him. The Fray played 14 songs, and I knew almost every single one. Everyone was going crazy for them. It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to.

The next day I drove down to Ocean City where I am now for a week with my whole family on my mom's side. We did this last year and everyone had a great time that we decided to do it again. It has been cool and rainy the past 2 days, but today it was nice enough to go to the beach for a few hours. I hadn't realized how much I missed coming here. The beginning of the summer has been great, and I can't wait to see how the rest of it turns out.

16 days until my birthday! :D