Friday Night Lights

We will not lose this game. This will not be my last game and it will not be yours. I refuse to lose!

It was halftime during the Churchill Bulldogs vs. Whitman Vikings football game on November 6^th 2009. In the locker room my friend, my teammate, my linebacker, my captain, yelled at us after we heard the scores of the Paint Branch and Springbrook game. Paint Branch beat Springbrook which meant that in order to make the playoffs we needed to beat Whitman.

Bam; 20 minutes of playing time, 2 quarters later, the football chapter of my life was done. Our season was over and for us seniors not playing college ball, we would never play again. The second half began with Whitman scoring a touchdown on the opening kickoff. We blew our lead and Whitman never gave theirs up. Watching them celebrate on my field was painful, but not as painful as the fact that we were self destructive. I broke down into tears on the field as they took a knee to run the clock out. I knew it was over. It struck hard and I spent the last hours of my 17^th birthday on the field thinking about what could have been with my teammates.   

Sitting at 7 wins and 0 losses through 7 games, we were looking at home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The atmosphere was great, practices were light, conditioning was down, coaches were lenient, and senior year was seemingly perfect. We controlled our own destiny and blew it. We were blind of the ramifications that these great times posed.

These words will forever stay in my head, “For one last time boys, loud and proud, Bulldogs on 3…1 2 3. BULLDOGS”

An Upside and Downfall in My Education

Chemistry, one of the hardest classes at our school, served as my best educational experience. No, it was not fun and it was not easy, but I gained the most out of this class than any other class I have ever taken. Ms. Boppanna, my teacher, made sure that she made our lives a living hell. Everything was graded for correction. In her dictionary there was no such thing as a curve or a completion grade. Homework was assigned every night. She not only implemented the periodic table in our head, but also instilled a sense of urgency to accurately get things done in a timely fashion.

Word Count: 107

Throughout my whole life writing has been my strongest subject. Even if I have had some poorly written papers, I actually enjoyed writing them.  My junior year, my English teacher found it in our best interest to construct a group essay. Although many people would be relieved at such a concept, I was appalled. Relying on someone else to get a good grade was not what I wanted. My group went on to receive a C; my first and only C on an English paper. I, along with every other student should be accountable for my work and my work only.  

Word Count: 102

Communication: A Golden Skill

Even though people do not realize how important it can be I believe communication is the most important skill any person can possess. Communication is vital for anyone of any age, even from our early years in elementary school to being able to deliver in a job interview years later. Communication may not necessarily be verbal, but it must be there. Being able to communicate bridges gaps between people, answers potentially important questions, delivers an argument, or makes a point.
Growing up, my parents made it a point that I needed to be able to communicate with people. This was an issue for me as I was shy. I was hesitant to ask questions or to say anything when I was unclear about something. Noticing my inabilities, my parents signed me up for international symposiums on my own religion, hoping that this would take away from my shyness. I wrote papers and presented then in front of crowds of people. It did help, and it also aided in public speaking. With time I grew out of my shy personality and now find myself more outgoing than ever. With that, I know that when I need to, I can ask a question and will ask it when necessary.
 Being able to communicate results in a better understanding of various things, it gives off a strong and assertive personality, and also ties the bonds of people together. I believe communication is a big component of a person’s path to success.
Word Count: 248

A Lethargic Generation

My generation, known to many as the “Echo Boomers” is extremely lazy. Internet Chat takes away from social gatherings and keeps us in our rooms or on our sofas, exercising nothing but our fingers. Video games are better than ever. They are the reason that you will find less pickup basketball games at your local courts, less football games at the field, or less kids playing at the park. For high school students, upperclassmen must have cars. They cannot make the walk to the bus stop and ride the bus, the more sensible thing to do. Thus, our generationdefines lethargy. 

Word Count: 101

A Case of the Mondays Solved at the Mall

Shopping malls are popular, useful, a source of entertainment, and more importantly, a big part of my life. They are perfect for past time activities and also No, I am not a “Shopaholic”, and no I do not go on shopping sprees; I am the average male who goes shopping when necessary. Yet, one of the places dearest to me is Westfield Montgomery Mall, located off of Democracy Boulevard in Potomac, Maryland.

This mall served as my diner for nearly all of my senior year of high school, it is my hardware store for when my iPod breaks, the place where I get my phone fixed or replaced when broken, and the place where I get my new clothes from. It was where I got my three dollar burritos every Friday at Q’doba. Not only does it come in handy when I lack something, but it also brings back memories from the ever so enjoyable senior year of high school.

With an open lunch, all of our seniors ate our lunch at the eatery in this mall. Whether or not we packed a lunch or were buying, we had to leave to school campus to eat at the mall with our friends. It turned a school lunch into a social gathering.  All the little things equated to joyous times.

Aside from the social gatherings were the stores. I buy everything besides groceries from this mall. This mall is always packed, a clear indicator that everyone finds it ideal and useful. Therefore, a mall is a place that in fact, matters.

Word Count: 260

Place Matters: Draft

No, I am not a “Shopaholic”, and no I do not go on shopping sprees; I am the average male who goes shopping when necessary. Yet, one of the places dearest to me is Westfield Montgomery Mall, located off of Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda, Maryland.

This mall served as my diner for nearly all of my senior year of high school, it is my hardware store for when my iPod breaks, the place where I get my phone fixed or replaced when broken, and the place where I get my new clothes from. Consequently, this mall has great meaning to me. Not only does it come in handy when I lack something, but it also brings back memories from the ever so enjoyable senior year of high school.

With an open lunch, all of our seniors ate our lunch at the eatery in this mall. Whether or not we packed a lunch or were buying, we had to leave to school campus to eat at the mall with our friends. It turned a school lunch into a social gathering. It is where I strengthened my bonds with my closest friends and made new ones as well. It was where I got my three dollar burritos every Friday at Q’doba. All the little things equated to joyous times.

Aside from the social gatherings were the stores. I buy everything besides groceries from this mall. This mall is always packed, a clear indicator that everyone finds it ideal and useful. Therefore, Westfield Montgomery Mall is a place that in fact, matters.

Walking Into an Alcoholic Society

Reef Sandals represent just how much our generation drinks today. Although one would never assume that such topics would even relate to one another, Reefs sandals now promote drinking. As bad and illegal as it is, the new cool thing to do is drink.  When people look for fun at party’s alcohol is the answer, either at house parties or clubs. The most popular sandal, Reefs, promote such a concept. 

The issue with these sandals is that the new Reefs now have bottle openers at the bottom of them. Many kids in my own high school wore them and often showed them off. Gaining popularity and turning into a “Brand Name” company, Reefs are selling well while helping to promote drinking, a growing concern.

Sandals for years have been worn for leisure, beach wear, and even now for some formal dressing in female fashion. Although people may still wear them for the same reasons, Reefs have given sandals a new “meaning and use.” People argue that it can open any bottle, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be used on just beer bottles. However, let’s be practical, what drinks still use bottle caps? The only ones are vintage coke or root beer cans which are rarely sold or bought. Selling these bottle openers to adolescents under the age of 21 indirectly promotes underage drinking.

This reflects upon our alcohol consuming generation. It shows just how motivated people are to drink alcohol. Just by wearing sandals, people can be ready to pop a bottle open at any time and at any place. Such a fashion trend would be deemed dull and brainless in years past. However, with our society moving in the direction it is, the bottle opening concept only helps the sales of the Reef Sandals. People fail to realize the ability of the Reef sandals as all they see are another pair of comfortable sandals. Many people on our campus sport these bottle openers. It’s a popular product that has become part of America’s latest fashion.

Word Count: 340

Unlocking Secrets to Our Culture

A simple necessity in most of our lives has become a big part of today’s teenage fashion. The key to unlock our door or the keys we use to get in to our homes has now become a decorative piece in our wardrobe. Contrary to the past, when displaying our keys would be considered unique and awkward, it is now an everyday part of “American Teenage Apparel.”

Surfing through the pages of UMBC’s Skipjack, not one lanyard, keychain, or key chain clip hanging from one’s jeans was shown. Rather than having a lanyard hanging around a neck, the women would have necklaces or lockets whereas the men; nothing. Dressed with the bold yet semi – formal clothes, very little jewelry was worn. Showing the simplicity in the fashion of the 1960’s, times have changed dramatically as now someone dressed without jewelry of any sort is seemed bland and boring.

As trends change and new fads come up the lanyard has become very popular. They are typically seen either worn backwards around a guy’s neck, or hanging out of one’s jeans. As it reflects our personality, the way we display our keys has a lot to do with stereotyping. The lanyards worn around a guy’s neck normally represent what people call “Laxer Bros”. The connotation of a “Laxer Bro” is a cocky and boastful lacrosse player. Then on the other hand, there are the hip people who like to hang their lanyards out of their pockets to either show their school or to “rep” a certain brand. Also, some people like to hang their keys from their jeans with a key chain clip. Typically and according to society’s standards, ones who are rock music fanatics or in bands do this.

Such a fashion statement reflects our culture today for the simple reason that it reflects upon our personality. The personality of a person correlates to a person’s lifestyle. Our culture is defined by our way of life. In fact, our style, our wardrobe, our fashion, and even our keys, say a lot about the American Culture.

Word Count: 350

My TV Guide of Literacy

Watching a Redskins Game with family and friends.  

Similarly to instant messaging, watching TV has now become one of the most popular past times in American Culture. Whether it is the newest upgrade to your cable service, a new video game console, or a new video game, there is always something to keep you attached to this so called “idiot box.” With watching TV comes many ramifications. There are some positive effects that come out of watching TV, but the negative aspects greatly outweigh them. From personal experience, I can say that watching too much TV has greatly affected my reading skills. For the latest news, I would drop the front page of the Washington Post in order to grab the remote. I would watch the 5 o’clock Fox 5 News instead of reading the front page. At the next commercial I'd immediately change channels to an MLB, NBA, or NFL game, and if none were on, I would watch one of my many shows that I followed. Watching all this TV not only proved to be the reason of my glasses, but also the reason that I read so slow today. Growing up, I read far less than I should have. This seems to be a re-occurring and growing issue in the homes of many Americans today. As entertaining as watching TV may be, a book is far more beneficial. As I now read more, everyone should change the channel of their lives from watching TV to a novel.

Word Count: 242

My Story

Born and raised in America, as a Sikh, I have been on a quest to hold my own and fit into society in this "Melting Pot.” The early stages of my life took place in Rockville, where I only went to elementary school until third grade to attend Wayside Elementary school. Afterwards, I attended Hoover middle school and eventually Churchill High School. Churchill is where I joined a program that has shaped me into the man I am today. I tried out for football and got cut freshmen year. However, with motivation I made the team sophomore year and went on to become a captain senior year. With football, I gained both physical and mental toughness, and developed a resilient personality. The principles I learned in football apply in life as well; it’s the same game, just a different field.

Word Count: 140

Ishar Singh # 52 Churchill Football 2010: 7-3