Tow #29

Dear APELC student,
 Welcome to the hardest year of your high school career and one of the most academically challenging courses you will ever take. This class is great for strengthening your weaknesses and reinforcing your strengths. Although this class is going to be challenging, you are going to get a lot out of it, as long as you keep up on top of your work. You are going to get what you put into this class. So don't be discouraged if the first marking period you get your first C, or for those of you who are straight A students, if you get your first B in the first marking period, hooray for you! I know I was devastated getting my first C ever in the first marking period, but that did not stop me from working hard during the duration of the course and I brought my grade up to a B. It's even possible to get an A (hard, but not impossible). This course is challenging at first because you are transitioning from a 10th grade class to a college class. This is what AP English is- a college class. However, don't let that scare you, this is an experience and a class you want to take because you will get a lot out of it. You will write a lot and chances are you will not always get a 9, but if you sit down with Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko to conference before and after your essays, you will definitely see improvement. This class is not a sprint, but a whole marathon. It is important to always come to Mr. Yost or Ms. Pronko for anything regarding the class because they will always help you out if you are struggling because they are extremely understanding no matter what the situation is.
The most important thing in this course is to keep writing. You will do a lot of writing in this course whether it be for a timed essay or a weekly TOW and you'll notice that the more you write, the easier it will be to excel in this class. You will also learn a lot about rhetoric, so make sure that you really pay attention to that when you read and write.
Always keep up with your work and never leave it for the last minute. Mr. Yost is really good at giving the week's worth of homework in advanced, and sometimes even a couple weeks in advanced, so timing should not be a problem, even for those of you taking several AP's like myself. It is just very important in this class, as well as in any of your other classes to disperse and manage your time efficiently in order to excel.
When you are having a hard time in the class or feel like you can't bear it anymore, go talk to Mr. Yost or Ms. Pronko who are always willing to help and push you to get you to where you need to be. Mr. Yost always offers extra practice, IE's, and even after school time to help you with whatever you need. So extra help is never a problem as long as you are willing to do it. Mr. Yost is not going to let you fail the course and if he sees how hard you are trying, he is definitely going to help you get better. However, it is important that you keep up with your responsibilities and put in a lot of effort and hard work into this class because that is the only way to succeed.
So to sum this all up, don't be discouraged. You made a wise decision in taking this class. It is a very challenging class, but is it a class that will greatly help you in the future with your writing, and even all the non-fiction works that we read and analyze, will provide you a lot of insight and knowledge in the world. So it is not only writing skills that you learn, you can get really well-rounded information from this class. You must always be on top of your work and make sure to put in a lot of effort. Always come to Mr. Yost or Ms. Pronko in times of struggle because they will always be there. Whether it be editing your paper before it's due, or giving you tips on how to improve in the class, they are always there! So try to enjoy your junior year, and never give up!
Best of luck,
Elizabeth Sitkovetsky! 

Tow #28: secret servicemen

Recently, I watched a documentary on secret servicemen on netflix. The documentary was very informative and I learned a lot from it. The documentary really stressed how important the job and duties of the secret servicemen are. One of the claims that it made was saying that the job of a secret servicemen is one of the most honorable ones to have. I strongly agree with this statement based on my knowledge about the secret servicemen and the documentary.

First of all, the secret servicemen have a strict honor code and one job. Their one job is to protect the President no matter what happens. They go forth with this job knowing that they have to sacrifice themselves in order to protect the President and make sure that nothing happens to him. Risking their own safety and potentially lives (in some circumstances), in order to save the President of the United States is about as honorable as it gets. They are being completely selfless and sacrificing themselves in order to make sure that there is no harm done to the President. That takes a lot of courage and dedication.

The secret servicemen are extremely dedicated to the President and their job. Everything is kept top secret, and the secret servicemen go to big extremes to prove their dedication to the President. For example, prior to the JFK assassination, one of his secret servicemen had an argument with him about riding in an open car. This shows the dedication this secret service agent had because he knew that riding in an open car can potentially endanger the President, so he went into arguing him and advising him not to. Yes, it does not seem really respectful to argue with the President, however, this just shows this man's dedication to the President and his safety, making him more honorable than ever.

The secret servicemen also know a lot of information about the President that is not open to the public. This means that everything they know must be kept secret and to themselves. This gives them honor and an honor code to abide by because they know information that is critical to the figurehead of this country and the President relies on them to keep this information secret.

With the work and duties that the secret servicemen have to perform, they are one of the most honorable people, making their job extremely honorable to have. They dedicate themselves in order to protect the President. That takes a lot of courage for regular human beings to do.