Test Taking Tips

Since many Juniors have to take the ACT this year, here are some helpful test taking tips that can help you relax and maybe even increase your score.

1) A Positive Mental Attitude- Be confident in your test taking abilities, even if it is a hard test you can do it!

2) Have a Plan- Review the material that you will be tested on and pick a strategy that will help you take your test.

3) The Night Before- Cramming does not work! Reviewing the material briefly and then getting to sleep early is more effective.

4) The Morning of the Test- Eat a healthy breakfast; it helps you think better. [Mrs. Cross says: do not eat pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, or greasy hashbrowns -- have juice, a filling whole-grain, and something non-greasy.]

5) Test Time- Be prepared for the test with all the material you will need to take it. Do another brief study period before the test to get your brain thinking.

6) Manage Your Time- Answer the easy questions first and do not spend too much time on the hard problems.

7) Your Stuck- If you are stuck on a problem and do not know what to do, reread the problem and attempt to do it. If you are still stuck circle the problem and move on, then you can come back to it in the end. If you are still stuck when you come back to it make an educated guess.

8) Multiple Choice Test- While taking a multiple choice test the process of elimination comes in handy. Normally you can eliminate one or two because they are filler answers that do not even make sense in terms of the problem.

9) Neatness Counts- Make sure that you write neatly so you do not misread your own writing and make a stupid mistake. Make sure you fill in the circles on the answer sheet fully and erase any unwanted marks.

10) Done- When you finish with time to spare go back and recheck your answers, making sure you did not make any stupid mistakes. After this go back and recheck the hardest problems.

-Keri

Valentine's Day Facts and Figures

Valentine's Day Facts and Figures

Here are some interesting facts about Valentine's Day.

1) The first Valentine's Day card was sent in 1415 by France's Duke of Orleans to his wife when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London.

2) On Valentine's Day 2010 retail sales produced $14.1 billion in revenue.

3) U.S. men will spend nearly twice as much on the holiday than U.S. women.

4) Greeting cards are the most common Valentine's Day gift.

5) About 47% of consumers will exchange candy on Valentine's Day. This will cost around $1 billion.

6) About 75% of the billion dollars spent will be on chocolates.

7) About eight billion little candy hearts were produced last year, with sayings such as "Be Mine."

8) 73% of Valentine's Day flowers are bought by men, while 27% of women buy them.

9) About 109 million greeting cards will be sent on Valentine's Day. Making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card giving holiday.

Top 10 Christmas Gifts

Top 10 Christmas Gifts

For all those late shoppers here are some ideas for Christmas gifts that are sure to please most people on your list.

10) Nintendo Wii

9) Digital Camera

8) New Apple Ipods

7) DVD specials

6) Favorite Accessories

5) Gift Certificate

4) Holiday Packages

3) Personalize Gift Baskets

2) Scrapbooks filled with Memories

1) Very Personal Surprise (like a gift about an inside joke)

I hope these ideas help someone!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

By: Keri Utz

Funny Definitions

Funny Definitions

Humorous definitions to make your day a little bit better.

• ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.


• BALDERDASH: A rapidly receding hairline.


• CHICKENS: The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.


• DERANGE: Where de buffalo roam.


• ETERNITY: The last two minutes of a football game.


• FABLE: A story told by a teenager arriving home after curfew.


• GUM: Adhesive for the hair.


• HEARSAY: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.


• INDEPENDENT: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.


• KISSING: A means of getting two people so close together that they can't see anything wrong with each other.


• LEMONADE STAND: Complicated business venture where Mom buys powdered mix, sugar, lemons, and paper cups, and sets up a table, chairs, pitchers and ice for kids who sit there for three to six minutes and net a profit of 15 cents.


• MISTY (mis-tee'): How golfers create divots.


• NAIL POLISH: Part of an assortment of make-up items such as lipstick, eyeliner, blush etc. which ironically make Mom look better while making her young daughter look "like a tramp."


• OPPORTUNIST: A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river.


• PRIVATE TUTOR: Someone who doesn't fart in public.


• QUIET: A state of household serenity which occurs before the birth of the first child and occurs again after the last child has left for college.


• RELIEF (ree-leef'): What trees do in the spring.


• SCHOOL TEACHER: A disillusioned person who used to think they liked children.


• TOMORROW: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.


• Urine: Opposite of you're out.


• VEGETARIAN: Old Indian word for bad hunter.


• WRINKLES: Something other people have. You have character lines.


• YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed.


• ZUCCHINI: Vegetable which can be baked, boiled, fried or steamed before kids refuse to eat it.

By:Keri Utz

*No definitions for x sorry.

Thanks to http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/definitions.htm for this information.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a miscommunication between the brain and the muscles. Many people with have a hard time controlling all the muscles in their body; their outward appearance is a result of this. Many people think that people with Cerebral Palsy are mentally retarded, this is not entirely true. Some people with the disease do have mental retardation and the severity varies from person to person but their are other people that are very smart and live very successful lives. I know a man with Cerebral Palsy that has five college degrees! Miss Iowa, Abbey Curran, came in second runner up at the Miss USA contest and also has Cerebral Palsy.

During my speech I felt that I talked a little fast and wish I would have relaxed and talked slower. I feel that I did a good job in presenting my information to the class but sometimes messed up on pronouncing some words. I could have known my speech a little better so
I could of had better eye contact. Overall I am happy with my speech and the way I presented it.

By: Keri Utz

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

A play written by Oscar Wilde.

If you do not know already the our high school is putting on this play. It is sure to be a good time for most people. It is filled with adult comedy along with humorous situations and innuendo!

The cast:

Josh Wall: Jack Worthing

Jack Spraul: Algernon Moncrieff

Keri Utz: Lady Bracknell

Jenny Schmidt: Cecily Cardew

Barbara McGuire: Gwendolen Fairfax

Leah Sloan: Miss Prism

Nate Gray: Dr. Chasuble

Jeff Repking: Merriman

Michael Goldstein: Lane

Director: Kaitlyn Connerly

The show is going to be a show to remember -- whether that is a good thing
or a bad thing, I do not know yet.

But be sure to come on April 23 and 24 at 7:00.

(If you are in Mrs. Cross's English II class and maybe her other classes you may get extra credit for showing her your ticket stub after the play!)

By: Keri Utz

Pick Up Lines No One Should Use

Are you religious? Because you are the answer to my prayers.

Don't be so picky...I wasn't.

I'm sorry, I thought that was a Braille name tag.

You don't need car keys to drive me crazy.

My love for you is like diarrhea. I can't hold it in.

I wish I were a tear so I could start in your eyes, live on your face, and die on your lips.




Am I cute enough yet? Or do you need another drink?




You must be the reason for global warming because your hot!




I have Skittles in my mouth. You want to taste the rainbow?

If you were a new sandwich at McDonald's, they would call you McGorgeous.

Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

These are some of the worst and cheesiest pick up lines I could find.
I would not recommend using them.

By:Keri Utz

I did not know what to blog about this week and I wanted to blog about a problem many people have. I typed in on Google things to do when your bored in class.

Things to Do When Your Bored in Class

Try to develop psychic powers. Then use them.

Sing show tunes.

Make loud animal sounds, then deny doing it.

Start laughing really hard and say "Now I get it!"

Answer the teachers questions in slow motion.

Continuously yawn until everyone around you yawns.

Talk with an accent.

Fake fart sounds.

Repeat movie lines.

*There seems to be a significant amount of "boredom" going on in class. Seems to me like we're not giving you enough work to do. [Mrs. Cross makes a note to assign more work.]

Random Fun Facts!

Random Fun Facts

1. Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite


2. All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill


3. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear


4. A dragonfly's life span is 24 hours


5. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes


6. Almonds are a part of the peach family


7. Left handed people live slightly shorter lives than right handed people


8. People spend two weeks of their life at a stop light


9. Turtles can breath through their butts


10. One ragweed plant can produce as many as one billion grains of pollen