Portfolio 2017
Gabriella Mannuzza
A Prom-ising Night (Not at Prom) By Gabby Mannuzza Waking up the day of prom is an exciting thing, until you remember you decided not to go. Then, to you, it is just any normal Saturday. That was how I felt when I woke up, knowing I would spend my day bored out of my skull while I watched all my friends turn up at prom via Instagram. Sighing, I thought about how desperately I wanted to do something that did not require spending two hundred dollars for a few hours worth of fun. As I went about my morning I decided to pack my day with as much as I could to prove to myself and my Instagram Story that not going to prom could be just as enjoyable. I sought the help of my mom, and the first thing we decided to do was go to Vero Beach to pick up a friend. So while everyone was picking up their dresses and cleaning their faces for prom, I was headbanging to Twenty One Pilots in the passenger seat of my mom’s car. While other girls were getting their hair washed and styled, I was kicked back with Skittles and a Slurpee enjoying the ride. Already the day was better than I had planned. Six hours later, while everyone was getting dressed and doing their make-up I was hitting up a Taco Bell for some chalupas. (If you do not know what a chalupa is, go to Taco Bell and find out.) To me, eating those chicken chalupas was a better use of my time than trying to perfect the wing on my eyeliner. I praised those chalupas while others were taking their prom photos. While I would have enjoyed my boyfriend telling me I looked gorgeous while we took pictures, I was perfectly content with what I had. While limos and fancy cars were pulling up to the hotel, I was getting comfortable on the couch, ready to watch Youtube and Twitch. I was comfortable in my sweatpants and hoodie, not worrying about heels or a dress. I got to chat online with all my friends instead of standing in a room full of people I did not know. I laughed and smiled all night, I enjoyed myself right then as much as I would have if I was at prom. Later on I dyed my hair darker and stared at it in the mirror for half an hour, admiring the change. If I were at prom I would not have thought to do it, so good can come out of not going to prom. I had a day full of food and spontaneous adventures, and I would not have had it any other way. It is not the end of the world if you skip prom, and I know I was not the only one to do so and have a day to myself. Prom is not for everyone, many do not go for various reasons and taking that route can be just as fun. It is what you make it, and you can make your day just as fun, if not better, than prom. I relaxed at the end of the night, curled up in bed instead of trying to get home or to my hotel. I warm in my nest of blankets while I spent the remainder of my night on FaceTime with my boyfriend. I double-tapped all the prom photos I saw, glad that others got their experience they wanted, but also content with how I chose to spend my Saturday.
Reflection
This was one of my best articles, as well as my favorite to write. I loved how I managed to get it into a blog type format that chronicled my day. I also kept it as positive as a topic like this could be. I kept everything upbeat, lighthearted, and funny. I am proud of the compare and contrast method I used, writing that as other were doing prom related activities, I was doing something different, but also enjoyable. Looking back, I wish I had added more detail in various spots and given better explantaions of my adventures.
Bees.. Why did it have to be bees? By Gabby Mannuzza “ According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. It’s wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground.” But those fat bodies got off the ground, and into our school. This is due to students not bothering to pick up after themselves during lunch. While that may fly at home (somehow), administrators will not be putting up with it at school. Assistant Principal Craig Pender has made a few announcements over the course of a year about not feeding the bees. Pender has specifically said, “do not feed the bees.” While his announcements fall on deaf ears, the bee problem worsens. Students are leaving food and trash everywhere. On the tables both inside and out, on the concrete seats, and even on the stairs. You have to dodge bees on the way up the stairs to class, because there is almost always a small swarm surrounding whatever food was discarded there. Students aren’t even supposed to be sitting on the stairs, let alone be eating on them, so this is another factor in this bee problem. “It’s pretty annoying trying to eat lunch with bees in your face,” senior Andres Vidal said. Bees are also attracted to floral scents and bright colors. Which there is an abundance of here. So between the food and flower-like students, students can’t seem to get a break from the bees. And while they may not try to sue the human race, they sure will sting you. So make sure you don’t have leftovers lying around. Now that kids are also being stung, which can be a problem if you are allergic or are unsure if you have the allergy, dead bees litter the school also. This only makes more bees come around, and these bee are irritated that people are killing their friends. When you swat at or kill a bee, it emits a signal that causes more to come to its aid. So maybe leave the bees alone. Otherwise risk getting stung, or getting others stung. While it is nice to have a few buzzing around, pollinating the plant life in school, having swarms follow kids around is not fun. Most panic and run or smack at them like they are the Karate Kid, which makes it worse. “Everyone gets stupid when bees come near them,” Vidal said. “That’s how you get stung.” The easiest thing to do is for students to pick up after themselves and make sure no food is left behind for bees to snack on. The less that is left out, the less of a chance there is for bees to swarm the school. So unless you’re looking to get stung, clean up after yourselves.
Reflection This article was one of my more satirical pieces, it got the point across, but got the reader to laugh while doing so. I am happy with how I incorporated references to the movie “Bee Movie� that has become a popular social media meme, while also explaining the ongoing bee problem at the school. I am glad I did not make it a dull article that just told kids to stop leaving food everywhere, but upon rereading it, there is a lot I wish I would have changed. I wish I had included more details and explanation on the bee problem. I should have also included more insightful quotes.
Brace Yourself...Graduation is Coming By Gabby Mannuzza
Names are called, hands are shaken, and diplomas are given. The time is almost here, graduation day. The day most kids look forward to their whole lives. They dream about walking across that stage and being out of secondary school for good. The only problem is, not everyone makes it to graduation on time. This does not mean they are five or ten minutes late; more like a month, or even a year, late. A lot of seniors miss graduating on time because they do not meet the requirements, sometimes only missing one credit. This throws everything off track for them; they have to retake the class, either online or at the high school, and they do not get to walk at graduation. This can throw off their plans and cause setbacks for the future. “I’m making sure I’m doing everything I have to do,staying on top of my work,” senior Jait Mendez said. To graduate, seniors need to have a total of 24 credits. Four in both English and Math, three in both Science and Social Studies, one in Physical Education, one in Performing Fine Arts, and eight total in elective classes. They also have to take at least one of those classes online, pass the Algebra 1 EOC, and pass the grade 10 ELA. Some are missing half a PE credit, or they forgot to take their online course; they will not be able to graduate until they get those credits. Little things like that can make a huge difference in the long run. Many either do not realize they are short a credit or four until later in the school year. While GRAD Plan has aided in making sure students stay on track, sometimes things go unnoticed. Let’s be honest, most students are not paying attention during that whole spiel, so many seniors will not notice what they are missing until it is too late, and they have to make up that class while their friends are off preparing for college. “We try to encourage students to do what they’ve gotta do when it’s time to do it,” economics teacher Joseph Ruggiero said. This can also be a stressful time for teachers, many have upwards of 100 students to teach. Making sure they all pass and graduate, it can be difficult when many come in late in the school year to try to salvage their grades. Teachers do the best they can to help their students to see them succeed. They try to just take it in stride and do their best for their students. “Don’t miss school,” Mendez said. It can be very easy for a student to fall behind, and once they do, catching up will feel like climbing Mt. Everest. It is imperative that seniors keep up with work and stay on top of things if they want to be in the graduating class of 2017. Now is the time to catch up if you’re behind. It’s time to brace ourselves. Graduation is coming.
Reflection I was satisfied with how this article came out, it told kids to look forward to graduation, but not let themselves fall behind. It was simultaneously prepping them and warning them. I wish I had included more insightful quotes thouhg, the ones in here are somewhat bland. I also should have more thoroughly explained the dangers of falling behind. It was a lukewarm piece mostly because it was more educational than anything. I feel like it didn’t quite get the point across.
Personal Essay What is a belief you had that has changed dramatically? “There will be a point in your life that will make or break you.” I have heard that phrase more times than I can count, but I have had more than once instance where it was “make or break”. It seems like every day since I was seven has been that way. And it felt like every day it was “break” that happened. My mom told me I had to hold myself together even when I was falling apart, I had to be strong. I never felt strong though, I felt fragile and broken. No matter what my mom told me about fighting and keeping it together, I felt like I was not strong enough to do it. I barely made it through each day, I went to bed feeling drained, not wanting to even get up the next morning. I would wake up and the first thing to cross my mind would be ‘I can’t wait to get back into bed tonight’. I felt like I was about to shatter, each morning I would wonder how I could possibly get through the day ahead. Even on days when I had something to look forward to, all I wanted to do was sit in bed on the computer. I attributed this to being too weak to power through each day. I thought that I just was not able to handle stress or the slightest bit of worry over work and responsibilities. My schoolwork work was not even as bad as I always imagined it to be, and I even tried telling myself that. Nothing seemed to work, especially not talking to my parents. “You need to not worry so much, you’re a smart kid and you’re doing great in life so far,” they would tell me every time. I knew I was smart and I knew I was getting through life just fine. Only, it did not feel that way. It felt like everything I did throughout my day was just another mountain to climb. Menial things like asking a teacher a question or telling the lunch lady my lunch number were dreaded moments to me. I felt out of place, awkward, not whole. It was like there was a part of me missing, the part that kept me from worrying about worksheets and casual conversations. Each day it seemed as though another small piece of me was being chipped away, leaving me more jagged and broken that before. There were nights I cried myself to sleep because I felt like I was destined to spend the rest of my life alone and stressed. It ended up so bad that I started to push away most of my friends, giving up on making new ones. It took until high school for me to fully recognize what it was that I was dealing with. The most prominent factor seemed to be anxiety, and more specifically, social anxiety. Other factors in my life led to it getting worse, the worst of it being between my first year in middle school up to my sophomore year of high school. It took longer to realize I was depressed, it was not noticeable to me until my senior year of high school. When I finally worked out in my head what was going on, all it did was reinforce the internal mantra I had. “I am broken, I am weak, I do not belong.” It made me feel worse than before, because now I knew what was wrong with me, but I still could not understand why it was like this. I wholeheartedly believed that I was broken and there was no way to fix it. I felt like every point in my life that was supposed to “make or break me” undoubtedly shattered me, and left me beyond repair. It took a while for me to finally see the whole picture. When I did, though, I realized how wrong I had been the whole time. It took years and a few traumatizing events before I opened my eyes fully and realized: I was a lot stronger than I had previously thought. If I were weak and broken, I would not have survived what I did, and I surely would not have made it out almost unscathed. It was like I was in a forest comprised of strong oak trees, but all I could see were the starved, broken, dead trees that never made it. Then it was like I had suddenly taken a step back and surveyed my surroundings, opening my eyes to the fact that I was much more than I had believed. It took a lot of convincing and many hours of my mom telling the same words of encouragement repeatedly. “You are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for,” she would tell me. “You have dealt with more than any child should.” It gave me the energy and strength to get through the days. I still felt marred, though, as if I knew I was strong, but my mind did not accept it as fact. As time went on I finally understood and accepted what I knew was fact. I was stronger than I had thought before. Each day I got through made me stronger than the last, though it took years to finally realize this. I spent years believing I was not good enough, that I was weak, not whole, a broken person. I let other people reinforce that thought in my head. Thankfully I came to the conclusion that those were fallacies, because it has changed my life. I went from believing I would never be whole, to knowing that even if I do not feel whole, I am strong enough to push on. My beliefs about myself have changed drastically, I went from feeling like I was less than human, to believing I grow stronger with each passing day. I now believe that nothing can destroy me, as long as I do not let it. “She never seemed shattered; to me, she was a breathtaking mosaic of the battles she’s won.” -Matt Baker
I chose these photos because I feel like they displayed some of my best photography. I showed different angles, making sure that I shifted the frame around for each photo. I learned to take photos from all different angles and to make sure I took action shots. I put these here because I feel like the exhibit that which I’ve learned this year.