NCP: Pepsi Grant!

so, recently, via FC, my school notified me that they were in the running for a Pepsi Grant worth some couple thousand dollars, and i would like to put up this link to help them out (you can vote daily!!)

http://www.refresheverything.com/21cc

our school is getting budget cuts this year, and i will rant about that... right... now.

so, this year, we are more then a few thousand dollars short for funding.

every year, we have our cubby walk, which raises money for the school, but apparently that's not enough. at all.

our JV teams got cut this year, meaning no varsity sports.

many, many teachers will be let go of (i belive it was every one out of four teachers), so our class sizes will get bigger. which sucks, because one of the things i LOVE about NS is that our class sizes are relatively small.

and we were hoping for PCs for the entire school next year--i don't know how that is gonna happen. this year freshmen could choose to have them for an extra couple hundred bucks. and they are placed in their own classes so they do not have a priviledge over other students. nice. and they even use them for PE!!

i would love to get one for school. they would help out so much since i always forget hmwk @ home.

i mean, we seem like a new, rich-people school, but that's just cause our shool is new (it's only 10 years old! it's prob the newest CPS HS!!). that's why.

but our pepsi ranking went from 200th to 46th in a week, and we are far from being close to winning, so i will for sure do my part and vote daily.

it's SO easy!!

APUSH stuyding...aka crammin

sooo.... this week will be ALL about APUSH. b/c

1. thursday i left my txt book @ skool. so i couldn't read chapter 42. so i coursnoted it.
2. so i read chapter 42 today. saturday.
3. i need to move onto chapter 43. and FINISH it b/c...on 4/19 i need to study for the mock exam.
4. so... 4/18 (2morrow) i need 2 study 4 the first DBQ part of the mock exam (4/20).... 1550-end of civil war
5. on 4/22 i don't have skool, so i'll study 4 the multiple choice part of the exam.
6. i need to do the 70s RRJ!! due ON 4/19!! so cruel!! searcy still gave us hmwk when she KNEW we had to cram and study 4 the exam... !! (TT_TT)

ADGENDA......................
4/20: 1st day of mock exam/ AP registration/ chem make up!!/ RRJ due!!
4/23: 2nd day of mock exam
5/7: (two weeks later) REAL AP exam

I herd from my friends JUST NOW that apparently, the Kaplan & Princeton AP Prep Books are the best. when i've been using the Fast Track To a 5 prep book for 3 weeks already. nice. the reason why i chose it was b/c it was the newest one...@ my skool library (2009) (the librarian was like, "We just got this yesterday!") it had quizes on the end of every chapter, it was compatible w/ American Pagent (the 14/15 edition, and i was using the 11th edition, so it's a bit off, but still compatible....)

but the stupid thing w/ it is that it's due in 2 weeks, and non-renewable. i checked it out 5 weeks before the real AP exam. but the librarian was kind enough to extend it 4 one week... still, it's not enough... 10 cents/day... (TT_TT) i'll just have to give them up, or find a new one from my local library... which i hope is well stocked...

last time for mid-terms no one checked out the APUSH prep books, so i hope this time no one checked them out either... as in, "gee, I hope that no local H.S. teaches APUSH...therefore no one would check them out".... but no luck... only one copy left... and i'll only get it if no one else checks it out before i do...(TT_TT) misery...

Open House

So. Today we had open house, and I was one of the tourguides. A lot of my friends were there. What we did was just take a group of interested parents/future-NCPers and show them what we have to offer.

a lot of the parents wandered off during the tour, which disapointed me. a lot of them didn't ask questions, which is exactly what I would have done, except i now realize how much you can get from asking questions. so, it was a bit awkward the entire time... it was just a lot of fact-rattling, but thing is, i really do feel proud of being a northsider.

i would love to do this next year!!

i remember this one azn mother bringing in her 7 year old sons to see the school--talk about wow! it's like getting into standford or ivy league!

but getting into hs in chicago IS like getting into college--applications, grades, reccomendations, tests, entrance exams, registration, rejected credits...

but now that CPS does not enforce the desegregation law as of the next school year (2010-2011), the school will FOR SURE be ruled by asians--30% of it ALREADY IS azn--the same as whites.

i know that this is racist, but i KNOW that a lot of the minority students did not meet academic standards, but they were admitted because of the de-segregation law.

walking around in NS hallways, you know for sure that this is a predominately white/asian hs. you see few and rare african american students.

even on the faculty, you only see a few african american teachers. (but there are also few latino teachers, and a few handfull of asn teachers, so it's not directed towards racism i guess)

the regimine is VERY rigorous here @ NS, but nothing we can't handle.

all classes are honors or AP (except P.E., health, sex ed, & driver's ed)

all-honors sounds SO intimidating, but it isn't. honors is VERY easy.

by junior year, ALL students are expected to take on @ least ONE AP class (**this is only what i feel, not what was expressed by the faculty**)--i say this b/c sophomore year, you can choose wether to take AP or Honors US History, but junior year, you can choose an AP science, AP social science, AP english course--EVERYONE has a chance to get an AP class of their strength.

and by senior year, you HAVE to take all AP classes (**once again, it is what I feel, not as expressed by faculty) since you have SO many oppertunities in every subject to go AP.

NCP: Library.

There are 2 floors to the library.

the 1st floor of the library is on the second floor of the school. THE ONLY ENTRANCE AND EXIT IS THROUGH THE 2ND FLOOR!!!! the third floor doors have alarms on them!!! (which many find out the hard way...it goes off, the librarian (usu. Mr. Pena) takes his time coming up to turn it off...)

the first floor has fewer computers then the second.

usu. during passing periods, early during lunch, right after/before school, the computers are taken.

the 2nd floor of the library closes @ 4:30pm.

the library closes @ 5:00pm.

maybe cause we're nerds, but hanging out @ the library is actually cool @ ncp. @ my old school, i betcha less then half the student body has ever been inside the library.

PRINTING....

in every room of the school there are black/white printers.

in the library there is one color printer. located on the 1st floor (of the library) by the librarians' desk to the left by the doors.

black/white prints are 10 cents per page.

color prints are 20 cents per page.

@ the beginning of each semester students are given $30 in print audit. money carries over semester to semester, not year over year.

WHICH PRINTER your stuff prints out of.....is a mystery. you need to get the hang of it. usu. only one printer prints (so the other is off), so if you see a printer printing, that's the one in commission right now. look for your stuff. everyone on the floor uses it, so your stuff may have to print a bit later, or was printed already.

IF IT HAS NO PAPER.... load it up. there's paper in a tray right by it. pull out the tray, load it up. in here, students have to do it: the librarians don't bother. they trust us.

IF IT HAS NO INK... then you can tell the librarians, and they can refund you your money, and change the ink.

CAMCORDERS. the library has an extensive collection of touch screen camcorders.... i herd gossip that next year they'll get thinner new ones... they are only lent for one day. YOU HAVE TO THEM BEFORE ADVISORY (or it's a $5 fine!)....many of them are missing components... the instructional booklet, DVD, fire wire, USB... the librarian will tell you what's missing. but if you plan to make a movie, you HAVE TO HAVE THE FIRE WIRE!!! let the librarian know. he/she'll get you another one if needed.

library material is only lent to NCP students... so if you have a Lane Tech friend over, they can't borrow stuff.

MARKERS...CRAYONS....SCISSORS....COLORING...PENCILS...TAPE...YES! the library does have them! and they can lend you it. if you leave your ID in exchange. (or something valueable) go to the desk and ask for them.

HOLE PUNCHERS...STAPLERS... YES! the library has quite a few on the librarian's desk by the doors. just use them.

SCANNERS....COPIERS....YES! the library has those too--the library only has 2 i believe. one on each floor. the 1st floor one is the first computer you see dead on when you come in. to its left is a scanner. 2nd floor one is the computer farthest left by the banister/windows. first one closest to the encyclopedias. COPIERS...they are for teacher AND STUDENT use!!! (10 cents for students....in cash....i believe. i'm not sure how they work...)

NEWSPAPERS....MAGAZINES.... the library has a lot of magazine subscriptions...found by the doors. newspaper is found on the rack by the doors also.

NCP: Colloqium.

so. next thing on your schedule. the thing that is labeled 'colloquium'. so what it is:

• non-credit class, but they do take attendance
• SHORTER DAY (9:30AM-12:45PM)
• pass/fail grade
• classes are chosen by students themselves on Sound Programming. the topics are not typical school topics (sewing, art, red cross, motorcycles, ect.) some are semester-long (typical), some are year long...so choose wisely.

YOU GET TO SCHOOL @ 9:30 PEOPLE!!!! they do not have searches on colloquium, like on normal days.

****COLLOQUIUM IS ONLY ON 5 DAY WEEKS. (ie, if you have monday off, you will not get colloquium this week because attending your normal classes are more important then colloquium)

they often do not let people get into the library. you are not allowed to go anywhere beyond the 1st floor (so that means the lunchroom or the 1st floor atrium). the doors are locked.

if you get there early, and the library hasn't filled up yet, you can get up and chat/use computers.

9:20AM: they let people up the stairs.

9:45AM-12:45PM: colloquium. there is a break the teachers give students, but it is their choice what time. normally 15 min. break. homework is dependent on the teacher. colloquium is normally considered a blow off class.

lunch is served after colloquium.