With only a week left of school in 2008, I cannot believe how fast this year is going. While the homework, tests, and papers make each week go by slowly, the months themselves are speeding by. Although I wanted to be finished with college applications by this time, homework and extracurricular activities — as well as procrastination and the need for sleep — have led to a slight delay. For those of you still working on your applications, pay careful attention to all deadlines. Some schools have early deadlines for applicants who want an alumni interview in their hometown. My experience with interviews has been really positive. It’s best to come prepared to talk about your interests and accomplishments and your reasons for applying to that particular school. Try to relax, be yourself, and keep the ‘likes’ and ‘uhms’ to a minimum.

In school, my mock trial team met for the first time last Saturday. We received our case and started thinking about legal theories. This year’s case is very interesting: a school principal is accused of inappropriately changing a student’s grades to make the would-be salutatorian, the valedictorian. The principal’s accuser is a student journalist who broke this story in the school newspaper. The principal denied the allegations and is suing the student journalist for libel. So far, my assignment is to write an opening for the defense side, which I usually favor, so I’m excited. Each member of the team will then deliver an opening statement at practice and we will choose the most compelling portions to weave together one statement for our competition. We will work through both winter break and January to prepare for our first competition in February.

For Student Council, we are starting to plan our senior prom. We picked a “Black and White Affair” theme and we are in the process of choosing our song. Last night, I worked at “Kid’s Night Out,” an event that our school coordinates for elementary school children. It was fun seeing the little kids scream, run around, and enjoy our holiday games.

It’s hard to believe that this is my last blog for the year of 2008. So much has happened: the Olympics, the election, the surge of teen Disney stars, gas prices skyrocketing and then falling, Britney Spears making a comeback…

Make sure you enjoy the last month of this year. Stay in with a blanket and hot chocolate or go out and play in the snow. Or, if you aren’t lucky enough to have snow, spend some time with your friends and family and be thankful you aren’t cold! I get two weeks of vacation this year. I’m excited to have time to relax, watch movies (the Dark Knight just arrived) and celebrate the holidays. For now, I’m trying to think of a New Year’s Resolution I can keep. I hope all of you have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year! I’ll talk to you in 2009!