We'releaving for Spain!

Today is the day that we leave for Spain! There is 9 students going to Spain, and none of us could sleep a wink last night! We will be getting on a plane at around 4 in the afternoon, and when we get to Spain it will be very early in the morning in America, but because of the time change, it will be time to get going for the next day for the time in Spain. Everyone was too eager to fall asleep, and wanted to try to start adjusting to the time change!

Spain

In 3 days 9 juniors and seniors are hopping on a plane and heading to Spain. The students leave around 10 in the morning to go to the Minneapolis airport, they get on the plane and later will arrive at Amsterdam. From Amsterdam the next flight will take them to Madrid, Spain. In Spain there will be many activities for the students, and sights for them to visit. They will be there for 15 days, and for 5 of the days they will be staying with a host family. The families are in contact with their families and are eager to meet them.

College classes at CAL

College classes in high school may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually a lot simpler then it seems. There is around 6 different classes at CAL that are taught through North Iowa Area Community College. They are: Web Multimedia, Digital Photography, Composition I, Composition II, Animal Science, and Agronomy. The NIACC instructors give the high school teachers an outline of the course, and what the class needs to cover, and the high school teacher pass on the knowledge to their students. Not only are these classes good because you get both high school and college credits, but you also get more one on one time with the teachers, and you can learn more at your own pace. They are very convenient and are usually transferable. In one year I easily earned 15 college credits just learning in high school, like I do in any other class.

Senior Year

Senior year is coming to an end. It is a lot harder to be a senior then I expected. Most kids in the senior class are athletes that participate in more then one sport. For me the hardest thing about senior year is ending sports. The last game of a season is always the hardest game of the season. Ending something that you have been involved in for at least 8 years is extremely hard. Most of us athletes have been playing together since traveling leagues in 5th grade. Almost every single day we are working together as a team. To have such a close connection to the girls that when the season is over, and us seniors realize that we will never get to be part of something this amazing, and a team that we love, is one of the hardest things that I have ever done.

Valentine's Day.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. The hallways were filled with pink and red and balloons and flowers lined the lockers. At CAL when something gets around, everybody hears about it. Well yesterday was the Cadet boys basketball game that decided if they moved on in districts. Because of this event, and the fact that it was Valentine's day the word got around for all the girls to dress in pink, and wear tutus. It was quite the scene to see all the girls prancing around, dressed like 2 year olds. To be honest, I think that most of the tutus were borrowed from 2 year olds!

Seniors '11

There is 21 students in the senior class. All of us are like family. Especially in a brother/sister kind of way, where we only get along because we have to. We might not always be nice to each other, and we might sometimes be a little "cliquey" but the truth is, if you asked almost any classmate they would say that they wouldn't change one thing. Having this small of a class forces us to love each other. Some of us may never talk to each other ever again after we graduate, but for now we remain close. We all have shared laughter and tears together, and now there is only 95 days until we receive our diplomas, makes me realize how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to the family that I have come to know for the past 12 years of my life.

Mock Trial

At CAL many students participate in a program called Mock Trial. Mock trial is where schools all over the state receive a court case with all the witnesses' affidavits. In the spring there is a date set where all the schools involved have the mock court case against each other. Each school is on defense one time, and prosecution one time each playing roles such as witnesses and lawyers. There is actual judges who score you on how well you played your part, asked and answered questions, handled objections, and kept your composer. The best scores in the school move on to state mock trial.