Zack Goorno
  • 9th Grade Journal
  • Classmates Blog's
    • Rob Brower
    • Jack Eames
    • Mickey Feeney
    • Boyd Hall
    • Alex Hill
    • Hayden Galusza
    • Hal Groome
    • Matt Hart
    • Kevin Kelleher
    • Stephon Kindle
    • Sid Modur
    • Billy VanWalsum
  • Seasonal Haiku
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Spring
  • 8th Grade Journal

Video Essay

5/29/2014

1 Comment

 
1 Comment

MY FINAL JOURNAL ENTRY

5/29/2014

0 Comments

 
This moment feels surreal. Could this really be the end to my grade at Fenn for all of eternity? The answer is yes. More than half of the 8th Grade here at Fenn will be moving on next year. Many of my friends will be gone, and I may never see them again. Although there is opportunity to say goodbye, the moment is still a sad one. The reason that makes it sad is because of how amazing Fenn is. It is unimaginable to think of a school, a community, and a huge family as special as Fenn. I will hang on another year, but I still feel as if I am going, because my memories and friendships are going. It is hard to write about such an amazing school in 15 minutes. In fact, it is impossible. I will never be able to write about how thankful I am for Fenn. For the teachers, friends, and staff, I am in an unplayable debt. For my parents who sent me here, supported me and stood by me in my 5 years at Fenn, I can never thank you enough. And so, now it is time to say goodbye. Yes, I will be here again, but I will not be the same person. Not without my friends and the remainder of my grade. 

Nothing gold can stay.
0 Comments

Reflecting on Fenn

5/19/2014

0 Comments

 
Looking back on my memories of Fenn, I become emotional, but blessed that I have taken part in this amazing journey. Although I am not graduating, I feel as if this year is the end of my long Fenn career. Most of my best friends are moving on, and most of my grade for that matter. 

Some of my fondest memories at Fenn seem quite distant, yet they still remain sharp in my mind. These memories include: Mr. Smith's 4th Grade Language Arts class, spelling tests with Mr. Byrd, Merowvista, lower school sports, and growing as a student. There are some memories that seem insignificant, but they are memories that matter to me. Wether it be: Big/Little Brother, being with friends, the Washington D.C. trip, the CHP, or study halls, the little events were the most exciting. 

I look back on my memories of Fenn, and I know that I have grown tremendously as a student, and a person. If you had asked me what my favorite hobbies were before I came to Fenn, most of my responses would be sports related. Now, although I love to play sports, I have learned that sports are not the only things important to me, and in life. I have learned to love woodcrafting, reading, writing, and many more things. 

If it were not for Fenn, I would not be the type of person I am today. I do not think I would believe in myself, or be confident and proud of who I am. Fenn has prepared me for the journeys that are to come in my life. For that, I am forever grateful.
0 Comments

An Experience to Remember

5/18/2014

0 Comments

 
It is only when we try something knew that we learn about ourselves. It may feel uncomfortable, but trying new things are essential to becoming more knowledgeable. When we feel uncomfortable, when the task seems unconquerable, trying something new will always result positively. At no other point in my eighth grade career at Fenn was this more obvious to me than when I completed my group song. Going into the project I was pessimistic of my ability to write song lyrics, create the sound, and compose it in a recording. I did not have self-doubt in my abilities because I knew I would fail; exactly the opposite. I had the doubt because I had never tried before. 

After completing the project (although not a masterpiece) I was proud that I had put in all of my effort. In the end, it didn't matter that my group's song was not the best. It didn't matter that it wasn't well syllabically structured, and it didn't matter that the song did not always rhyme. It only mattered that I had tried my best at something new.
0 Comments

What my Mom Means to Me

5/11/2014

3 Comments

 
Picture
“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” ―Washington Irving



We  all have those extraordinary people in our lives. My mom is without a doubt one of those people. She is a loving, kind, thoughtful, caring and devoted mother. My mom has made unimaginable sacrifices in her life for the benefit of me and my family; all out of the goodness of her heart. Not once does she take things for granted. It would be impossible to write about all the things she has done for me because the list is endless. A mother's love for her child is unperishable.

Whenever I am feeling low-spirited, my mom is the go-to person. I can tell her anything, and I know she will listen and give me advice. Often when she knows that I am feeling low, she will do anything in her power to make me feel better. Whether it is making my favorite dinner, watching a tv show with me, simply rubbing my back, or driving me to a friends, my mom sacrifices everything of hers to make sure that I am happy.  I always know that whenever I feel lost in my life, my mom will be the one there to help me get back on course.

My mom was a therapist before becoming a stay at home mother. Not only is she helpful when it comes to dealing with my problems, but she gives me advice so I can help other people deal with theirs. If I am having trouble with someone or something, she patiently sits down with me, addresses the issue, and helps me resolve it. She is there to tell me what I am doing well, and there to help me out with the things that I am doing badly. I am grateful for this helpful quality she possesses. 

My mom sacrifices things in her life to make me happy. I cannot think of how many times she has had to cancel on someone because an event popped up in my life, or had to wake up at 5am for a sports game of mine. I can tell that this sometimes upsets her, but she tries to be calm about it. Often, she does things for me undesirably, but does them because she loves me. 

If it was not for my mom, I would not be the type of person I am today. She does all of these things for me because she truly cares for me. Even when she feels lousy; which lately is most of the time, she never stops being the amazing mother she is. I am proud of my mom, and will I always be proud of her. I love her to death.

Happy Mothers Day Mom! 

3 Comments

Gone in an Instant

5/8/2014

5 Comments

 
Picture
" Eventually, everything goes away."

-Elizabeth Gilbert

Always appreciate what you have when it is still their. Things come and go unexpectedly, and this departure is out of our control. In life, all must come to an end at one time or another. Be thankful for the things you have now before they are gone. 


Life is a circle. Things are born, live, and eventually die. Unfortunately, my Great Uncle passed away last week. Although I did not see him very often, I heard many stories of the type of man he was. At his funeral, I heard more stories, and I was able to better understand exactly who my Great Uncle was. I learned that he was a smart, kind, loving man, who always put others before himself. He died at 82 years of age, but lived a fulfilling, rewarding life. 

Just last month, Passover was celebrated in the Jewish religion. Every year, my mom's family has a large seder, where generations of cousins gather together to celebrate this holiday. The seder is always fun, and I get to see lots of my first and second cousins. I always got to see Uncle Noel. This year was different. I had a significant amount of homework, and I had a lacrosse practice. It was decided that I would not be able to go to the seder. My siblings also had conflicts, and my entire family decided that we would not be able to go. We never thought twice about this decision, except for my mom. She told us that her uncles were getting older, and that she wanted to see them and the rest of her family. After talking through it again, the choice remained the same. We ended up not going; which all of us felt a little guilty about.

When I heard the news of my great uncle's stroke, I was terrified, and felt extremely sad. From early on in his hours in the hospital, the doctors knew the stroke was a bad one, and were very sceptical of his life. I tried to remain on the optimistic side, but after my mom visited him in the hospital and updated me on his conditions, I knew he was not going to live. 

Noel died a week later, and his funeral was held this past Monday.

I wish I could have gone back, and changed my family's decision about not going to the passover seder; however, the past is the past. What I know now is to appreciate what you have, and always tell your loved ones how much you love them.

In the blink of an eye, someone can be gone.
 







5 Comments

Just Do It

4/30/2014

7 Comments

 
"What we call the beginning is often the end. 
And to make an end is to make a beginning. 
The end is where we start from."

-T.S. Eliot

Picture
It is human nature to be lazy. In life, everyone will  be faced with many tasks. When given those tasks, we are expected to complete them. Of course, these tasks can seem harsh or boring. Although against your will, once you begin a task, the goal will seem less out of reach.

The project started two months ago, the task; creating an epic poem consisting of ten books. When it was first assigned, I had a head injury, and was not expecting to do this project. With some rest, my head recovered quickly, and I decided to give this project a try. I started after most people, but I found this misfortune was not an excuse for me to blow off work that my fellow classmates were doing. Over the next couple of weeks, I worked on the project in bits and pieces. After the first three weeks, I was only a book into my epic poem. At this point, I knew I was slowly falling behind in the race to finish this project. I remained calm, and always told myself I would be able to find more time to work on it; however, this was not the case, and only later would I look in the mirror and see that I needed help. 

Two weeks later, in early April, I had only completed the second book in my epic poem. By now, most of my classmates were wrapping up their Epic Poem projects, and turning them in. Although I felt nervous knowing I was not finished, I kept telling myself I was going to get it done. In the upcoming month, whenever there was a time I thought that I should work on the epic poem, there was another thought saying I would be able to do it later.

Here I am now, writing this reflection. I have been working hard this week to make progress on my Epic Poem because it is due later this week. The upsetting part is that I am only finished with the third book. Even if I was to work for hours a day on the poem, I would not meet the project deadline. For all those times I told myself not to worry, I feel ashamed of myself. For all the times I put this project aside; saying I would get to it later, I regret lying to myself. If only I had known earlier that none of this would have happened if I had put in ten minutes per day to work on this project, just ten minutes!

Although the final result of this experience is negative, I believe I have gained more than I have lost. This experience of mine will surely change me for the better. For all of you who have read this, especially students, listen to these words:

Assignments or projects can make you feel uneasy, but I promise you, if you accept the challenge, and put in small amounts of work each day, it will benefit you in the future.

For me, I learned this lesson a little too late, but it will surely help me for next time.
7 Comments

Family Above All

4/27/2014

6 Comments

 
Friday night, something sudden and terrible happened in my life. My great Uncle Noel experienced a terrible stroke. He is eighty one years old, and until now has been a very healthy man. Right now, he is in the intensive care unit at the hospital, and doctors are sceptical about his life.


A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. If blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage. In Uncle Noel's case, he was left alone for five hours. Doctors believe that a significant portion of his brain tissue is dead. Right now, he is unable to see, talk, move, and it is not known whether or not he is able to hear.


When I heard of this news, I was very shocked. Although Noel is eighty one, he remains very healthy. He is still fully employed, and lives an active lifestyle for someone of his age. He has kids, and grandchildren. All who know him think of him as a serious, smart and funny guy, but also has a calming presence, and is considered to be a voice of reason and wisdom to all who know him.


Things like this happen quickly and unexpectedly. I hope he lives, and is able to regain brain tissue, but that scenario looks unlikely. In closing I would like to say appreciate what you have, and put family before everything else. In the blink of an eye, it could all be gone.
6 Comments

College Lacrosse Podcast

4/24/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
I have not done a podcast for a while, so I thought I would change it up a little bit. Here is a podcast on College Lacrosse rankings. Sorry for the noises in the background if they were distracting.

4 Comments

My Lazy Long Weekend

4/19/2014

10 Comments

 
Picture
Nothing beats relaxing for days on end after weeks of hard work. This is how I feel right now. The past few months in my life have been very busy, and so this long weekend is necessary for both physical and mental recovery. Sometimes our bodies need time to regenerate energy.

Since the spring term has begun, my schedule has been brutal. Typically, I go days on end without a day off from sports. Although I love sports, lately I feel as if I have been playing them "too much." Normally, I am not the type of person who enjoys sitting on his butt all day long doing absolutely nothing; however, this is exactly what I plan on doing this four day long weekend. Nothing sounds better. 

I hope everyone gets to do what they enjoy on this time off. To anyone who is celebrating, happy easter. Remember; sometimes you need to sit back and relax.

10 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    A boy that loves school, friends, and sports.

    Archives

    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Journal
    Reflection

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.