wesley valedictory
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Senior projectTRANSCRIPT
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
As I am ending my four years in high school getting ready to graduate, I look back on everything that has made me who I am today. When I look back, I see both good and bad things that I have learned from and grew as a person. I will take the things that I learned to help me live a better life.
Keep Smiling :)
My overall theme for my valedictory project is keep smiling.
Smiling and laughter helps you be more positive and live a happier life.
Whoever said that laughter was the best medicine was a very smart person.
The key to life is having a positive attitude and don't let the little things bring you down. Whenever something bad happens, just smile and appreciate the life you were given making the best of every situation.
Along with smiling, enjoying the little things is another way to live fulfilling life.
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
The Meaning of Life
We are put on this planet for a reason, each of us having a
different role to play in the grand scheme of things. Some may never
find out what it is, but each and every one of us needs to learn the
true meaning of life. Enjoy it.
Life a magical gift that can not and should not be replicated.
Each life is sacred and should be treasured, but at the same time have
fun. Enjoy the little things is a phrase I like to live by. Your life
would be so much better if you take the time and just enjoy it. Think
about all of the good times you had and reminisce, then think about
the bad times and how you grew stronger from them. There is
always room to overcome what life has thrown at you, it just depends
on your attitude and how you want to deal with the situation. Having
too much stress can be a good thing, but only if it is not for very
long. If you are having a rough day, just take the time and just enjoy
yourself. That is what life should be about.
Make the best out of every situation and enjoying the little things
are why we are on this planet. A miserable life is no life at all.
Being compassionate towards others and loving each other is life’s
gift to us. Finding people you care about who care about you back is
a vital role that we must play in each of our lives. Making the lives of
others worth living for and living to enjoy the little things are why
we are on this earth.
Family is the reason
to live. Smile with
them, laugh with
them, be with them,
love them.
Being there for
friends and family is
the key to having a
very happy life and
making the best of it.
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Growing up in a house like mine has been nothing shy of a great life. I was always
well nourished and usually if I wanted something, my parents would be able to buy it for me.
I was always pressured just the right amount in school which made me a better student today.
This is all thanks to my wonderful dad. He graduated from high school being the salutatorian
in his high school and had defiantly showed in his life. He is a very successful and wise
computer engineer and makes a good amount of money to live desirably.
While being hard at work, he still had time to be my dad. We would always throw
around the football or shoot hoops and despite the fact that I wasn’t very good, he still played
with me. This increased his mood and more importantly my mood. He would joke around
here and there, regardless the fact that some were extremely cheesy, which made him more
enjoyable to be around. Being so successful in his life inspired I to be more successful than he
already was. My beliefs and attitudes don’t vary to far from what my dad’s are because they
had such a great impact on my life that I want to have for myself.
Personal Reflection Prompt: Who has influenced you the most?
Personal Reflections on Influential People
Being in high school, I have many friends. All of my friends are ones that
I like and have formed a strong pact with which will stick with us for a long time.
Whenever one of my friends needs my help on something, I am always willing to
assist them; no matter what the circumstance. In doing so, people who I grow close
to are aware that I am generally a good person and come to rely on me if they ever
have any problems. There is never a time where I wouldn’t get my friends back if I
had the opportunity. Being there for my friends is something that I will always do.
The absence of disadvantages leaves more room for advantages. Strong
bonds and the sheer loyalty to each other is what makes all friendships worth wild.
Almost all of the friends that I have made will become lifelong friends making each
of our lives more meaningful. Making the friends that I have makes us and
especially me a much better person. I was given the opportunity to sympathize with
an assortment of different types of people that helps me become more compatible
with everyone that I meet.
Personal Reflection Prompt: Describe yourself as a friend. What are the advantages or
disadvantages to this position? How is your relationship to others as a result?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a
picture of four people with the
same name. Ranging from Me
John Wesley Sawyer VII to John
Wesley Sawyer IV.
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
One of my biggest life goals is just to have a simple life, marry a loving wife and have a nice family with financial support. There are many different paths that I could take to have this dream a reality, but the one that I see fit is for me to go to Purdue and become and engineer. Purdue’s engineering program is very competitive and I will have to work extremely hard to keep up with it all. I am confident that my next four years will be successful and help me achieve my life goals.
I have always loved dealing with technology and engineers make a lot of money will send off my children to college one day. The best for my future children and wife will help me through my four years of college getting me the best education preparing me for the real world. I am willing and able to work this hard for these goals and I know that someday I will achieve them.
Achievement Reflection Prompt: What goals do you have for your future, and how do you plan to achieve these goals?
Personal Reflections on Achievements
One of my shining moments that I had was starting playing soccer. I didn't have much interest in soccer until I started getting involved in it. My parents would always take me to practice and come to my games. This taught me how important family was and helped me gain friends. There was never really any specific moment in which defines me as a person, it was the whole experience.
I played travel soccer for FC Pride and we practiced hard three times a week. We would start out with a run that was probably a mile and a half. That taught me how to keep my pace and not to be impatient. We learned drills that helped value the importance of teamwork. Throughout the season, we were to practice dribbling at home on our own time. This taught us how to be independent which made me a better person to this day. All of my time at FC Pride showed me how to be a responsible and hardworking adult
Achievement Reflection Prompt: What moments can you recall that best define your development as a young man or woman?
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Reaching the end of my high school career, there are many things that I have taken
for granted. When I graduate, the one thing that I am going to miss the most is my mom’s
cooking. She has been cooking for a long time now and she has seemed to perfect it to the
best. Almost every week night, she prepares a nice whole hearty dinner for my father and me.
We always eat around six thirty every day and I have got accustomed to this schedule. My
mom’s cooking, which to me is the best, is going to be hard to live without in college.
The thing that I will definitely not miss about high school is the “kids”. There are too
many students in high school that I do not like and honestly would be better off if I weren’t
around them. I know that there will still be those people in college, but I am hoping that there
will be less of them. Some people just haven’t had the time to grow up yet and that is one
thing that I would like to see change in at college.
Memory Reflection Prompt: What special memories do you have of your family or childhood?
Personal Reflections on Memories
Throughout my life, I always loved to play soccer. As a kid, I was always training to
make myself better in every way I could. My parents always supported me and even pushed
me towards being the best player I could. I had practice Monday through Thursday and my
parents would always seem happy to take me there. I had games on most Saturdays and it
seemed to me like both of my parents went to every single game. It really meant a lot to me
back then, but now that I look at it, makes me appreciate them so much more.
When I was around 12 or 13 years old, my family took a trip to Florida. I can still
remember what the condo looked like, its beautiful view and fancy furniture. It was my first
time there and at the instant I saw where we were staying, I never wanted to leave. Spending
time with my family and going jet skiing in the Gulf of Mexico; that was one of the best weeks
of my life. Being there made me realize how lucky I am to have the family that I have.
Memory Reflection Prompt: What will you miss the most and least about high school when you graduate?
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Smartphones are a craze that has been growing ever since they started making them. This
article says that almost half of American adults have smartphones which is an increase from
25% only two years ago in 2011. The rapid growth of smartphone users is to be expected.
Coming from a smartphone user, I check it a lot. I would not say that I was addicted to it, it is
just that I really like it. With the increasing technology, I can see smartphones being in
everyone’s hand in about ten years. They are getting more advanced and cheaper to produce
and buy. Smartphones are going to be around for a very long time and I think that it is good
that we are getting a good start.
This article also states that there can potentially be people “hooked” on smartphones, but
still remains unclear. The fact that someone could be addicted to a smartphone frightens me.
In know that some people may love their iPhone a little more than they should, but it is just
stupid that someone could suffer withdrawals without one. They are also limiting the amount
of human interaction that occurs within our society. Even though I may not like that fact, the
amount of smartphone users is only going to go up and we will have to just learn to live with
it.
Magazine Articles: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do
Personal Reflections on Magazine
Becoming more popular than ever before, reality TV is growing into a new way that we all enjoy TV. There are a plethora of different types of reality TV you can watch. It ranges from keeping up with the Kardashians to show about fake internet relationships called Catfish000ing. There is a reality TV show for pretty much everyone out there.
This article states that reality TV is making us dumber and it could not be more right. Personally I have only seen a few reality TV shows to see how bad they were, but some of the headlines of the shows makes me face palm myself. In today’s society, it seems like they make a TV show about anyone who is remotely interesting. It is encouraging teenage pregnancies because of shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”. Shows like these need to be put to an end because of the harmful message they put on Americans.
Magazine Articles: http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201108/does-reality-tv-make-us-stupid
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Starting out with a complete failure, North Korea is making nuclear weapons that they could go to war with. With their attempt at firing a missile and having it crash in the middle of the ocean, it is hard to take him seriously. On an app that I like to use called ifunny, pictures 40 pictures a day are posted that are usually funny. When Kim Jong Un made the missile, he was made fun of. He was almost instantaneously made a meme or something that you make fun of on the intranet. There were pictures him making funny and stupid comments about his “missiles”. I just love to see that he is not taken seriously and that we can laugh about it.
Going along with my meaning of life, we can smile at Kim Jong Un. We have the technology to track and take down the missiles that he might shoot if they ever get off the ground. Not only that, but the way he handled it in saying that he didn't have any missiles even when we could see them. Some are afraid of Un, but I think that most of us Americans are or should be laughing at him.
Newspaper Events: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/782755.shtml
Personal Reflections on Newspaper
Happening on the annual marathon hosted in Boston, two terrorist blew up a bomb on April
15, 2013. The bomb killed three people and injured 264. It left many without limbs and
scared even more lives. The two people who did this are truly bad people and both should be
punished with the death penalty. The fact that this happened and many lives were scarred
really saddens me. This tragedy affected the lives of many across the nation. This event also
brought many families together because through pain and destruction, people grow stronger.
Other countries can learn from this because even though we suffered, we bounced back twice
as strong. Whatever life throws at you, you can always grow from it. Whatever doesn't kill
you makes you stronger is a great way to explain this tragedy. America as a whole grew from
this and made us closer and stronger than ever before.
Newspaper Events: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
This quote is by someone who I look up to in life. He revolutionized the smartphone and did so many other great things. This quote tells you to follow your dreams and do what you actually want to do. These are great words to live by which everyone should try and do. Jobs’s quote drives passion into my heart and assures me that I can be anyone who I want to be. He is trying to tell us that we don't need anyone else running our lives and we should be in control. It makes me want to become a better person and affects my decision making in a good way. I have a better outlook on my future after reading this quote. This is a really good quote to use for my project because of how inspirational it is and how you feel after reading it.
Art Reflection: “What doesn't kill you” Kelly Clarkson
Personal Reflections on Art
You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in colour
And do the things I want
You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
Art Reflection: “Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs
You heard that I was starting over
with someone new
They told you I was moving on over you
You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You try to break me, but you see
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,
stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me
You know in the end the day you left was just
my beginning
In the end...
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone
[2x]
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,
stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
In her song, Kelly Clarkson is singing to her ex-boyfriend saying that she doesn't need
him and he was a bad thing that happened in her life which she grew from. The other theme is
that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This is a very good phrase to live by because it is
so true. If you have the willpower, you can overcome anything that life throws at you. The key
to achieving this is having a positive attitude towards life. The main idea behind the phrase is that
when something bad happens to you, only good comes next. You can learn from your mistakes
and hardships by not letting them get you down. This song is not only a great song, but I agree
with the message it conveys. It goes along with what my theme is and has a great impact on my
life.
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Time Capsule Reflection
The objects that I put in my time capsule are memorable items that mean a lot to me and play a big role in my life. Through these items and what they represent, I have grown more as a person, gained lifelong friendships, and helped others in ways that I could not imagine. Each of these items plays a unique role in my life.
Time Capsule Piece 1: Soccer Ball
I played soccer for a lot of my childhood and it really made an
impact on how I live my life. It shows that I really like playing
sports, especially soccer. I really like to play soccer and I have
gained many friends from it.
Time Capsule Piece 2: Xbox Controller
I played a lot of Xbox in my life and it would symbolize all of that
time that I spent on it. It would also show how much I liked to
play video games. I have been playing Xbox for a very long time
now and I could not see my past without it.
Time Capsule Piece 3: IPhone 5
I really love technology and it would be cool to compare today’s
smartphones with the ones of the future. I am going into a field of
technology and it would be a cool memorabilia to have.
I know that everyone loves money, but I like to save my money
and collect different types of it especially coins. It would also to
be cool to compare the money we have now to whatever it will be
in the future.
Time Capsule Piece 5: Pictures of my family
I really love my family and they mean a great deal to me. It would
seem nice to put memorable pictures in there so I can remember
all of the good times we had. Family is the most important thing
in my life and it would be nice to look back at the times together.
Time Capsule Piece 4: Money
This movie was very similar to Memento in the fact
that it made you think about what was happening
and the plot twist at the end came out of nowhere.
This movie was unexpectedly hilarious and had
great small talk scenes. The actor who played
Django played it really well and made it a great
movie.
This was a really inspirational movie and had one
of my favorite actors in it, Morgan Freeman. This
is a movie that I think should get an award for best
movie ever.
I guess I really like movies with great plot twists
because this one had an amazing one. Brad Pitt
played a great role and I would watch this move a
million times.
Tom Cruise is an iffy actor because some of his
acting is good and others not. This was a good
movie for him. The cinematography was great and
I had an amazing ending.
5 - Shutter Island
2 –Fight Club
1 - Sawhshank Redemption
3 - Django Unchained
4 - Oblivion
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
I have always enjoyed watching movies. My sister and I watch pretty much every Disney movie when we were growing. I’ve been to many midnight premieres and when I have nothing else to do, I sit down and watch a movie.
The whole series is fun to watch and its cinematography
was amazing. I am a big fan of action and sci-fi movies.
I can still remember watching the entire series with my
sister.
My dad first introduced me to this movie and I’ve seen
it many times since then. It has interesting and different
humor that makes unique and very entertaining.
This movie was very confusing and actually made you think about what was going on. The plot twist at the end made it really good and it was well made.
Being a chick flick, I was skeptical on watching it. But
right after I did, I had no regrets. It was a very good
movie and Jennifer Lawrence is my favorite actress.
.Batman has been one of my hero's growing up. His
lifestyle and suit are really cool and the movie was
amazing. It had a great plot and amazing action scenes.
10 - Star Wars
7 - Silver Linings Playbook
6 - Memento
8 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
9 - The Dark Knight Rises
Top Ten Movies
Honorable Mentions
My TV
Netflix
Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio
Keep Smiling
Valedictory Home
Meaning of Life
People
Achievements
Memories
Magazine
Newspaper
Art Reflection
Time Capsule
Top 10
Credits
Composition
Valedictory Pictures
Ending Credits Date: 05/19/13
No matter what you do with your life just remember these
two things.
1. Keep Smiling - Try and make the best out of every
situation with a positive attitude. Enjoy the little
things.
2. Friends and family come first - Having people who
care about you and you caring back is the most
important thing in life and makes it worth living.