Wednesday, November 3, 2010

the profile goes on...

Submit either a second anecdote on your subject or the introductory paragraphs of your paper.



10 comments:

  1. If you attend the Brooks School, it is almost impossible not to have heard the name, VanJessica Gladney, spoken amongst your peers. Criticized by most for randomly bursting out in song, laughing uncontrollably (and extremely loudly), and dancing her way down the street with crowds of people around, VJ is often described by her peers as “out there,” or “crazy.” I have always wondered why she acted the way she did, and I am proud to say that I am one of the lucky few who was able to delve deeper into her life and get to know her true self, the real VanJessica Gladney.
    I remember the first time I saw her. It was the first day of my junior year, my first Advanced Pre-Calculus class, and my first math class ever with Dusty. Needless to say, I was quite nervous. She walked in wearing black heels that ‘clunked’ on the ground with every step she took, black dress pants, and a black blazer. I remember thinking she was very “official” looking as she strutted into the classroom with her head held high. She took the seat behind me. For the next few months, I couldn’t stand her. She was constantly blurting out answers while other people were raising their hands, waiting to be called on, she had random outbursts in the middle of class but nobody ever knew what she was rambling on about, and she always argued with everyone in the class just to prove that she was right. Her presence not only infuriated me, but it convinced me that I would never, ever like this girl. I thought she was loud, obnoxious, and honestly, I almost switched out of the class just to get away from her.
    I don’t know what changed, or when it happened, but I slowly began to appreciate her. Instead of automatically being annoyed with her, I would listen to what she said and observe the reactions of the people around her. I realized that everything she said was actually hilarious. Yes, her constant disruptive behavior may have pissed Dusty off, but that was just the cherry on top of it all. Once I began to tolerate her more, I realized that she lightened up the mood of the class and brought a really positive, energetic feel to the room. As the year progressed, I stopped snapping at her and actually started listening to her. We didn’t end the year being best friends, but I definitely valued her presence more.
    I wasn’t the only one to feel this way. In fact, the majority of people feel this way about her before they actually get to know her.

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  2. There he was, in the doorway of the link, his imposing stature filling the whole doorway. From the perspective of an outsider, this bearded man, dressed impeccably in black might look scare some. Even from a respectable distance, I could hear his booming voice pierce the brisk morning. As I approached, he called, “Good morning white man on the street”, a common welcome to people who he knows well.
    Normally, If someone greeted if someone such a provocative way, there is a good bet that you would be a bit taken back; at least I know I would be. But, with Joel Dure it is different. His delivery and his broad smile, even when saying some of the most controversial things, makes it know that he is doing so with only the best of intentions. He bone crushing handshake, sometimes followed by a pat on the back, quell any fears that might still be lingering after the shocking welcome. He has the distinct ability to put himself in any situation, and come out swinging.
    After greeting me, he makes his way through the portico; at least a twenty-five minute process. First, he stops at a group of sophomores closest to the door. After doling out the required number of stiff handshakes and comments that could be considered to be off colour by some, he moves on. Next, is the juniors, and since he know most of them more personally, the volume of his voice and the amount of laughter increases by a factor of ten. Finally, closest to the elevator that will whisk him up to his second floor classroom (Dure doesn’t do stairs), he stops and chats with the seniors. This is really when he hits his stride, exchanging words for at least ten minutes and always at the same volume; loud. This is his art, to make people comfortable through conversation. He could talk to anyone, about anything for hours. It is a unique skill that defines him as a person.

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  3. “Latin is a dead language, as dead as dead could be, first it killed the Romans and now it’s killing me.” The concept of the Latin language being way past its due date is a concept that is passed around between Latin students all the time, and if Mrs. Deborah E. Davies ever heard those words she would probably burst out laughing, something that would permeate the entire second floor hallway. Mrs. Davies loves Latin, but unlike many other teachers she understands her students anguish with something so foreign. She understands that it really is a pain sometimes, and she isn’t there to impose her views on why it should be taught she is simply there to help. If anyone has ever had her in a class before you can’t really say that Latin is a “dead”, because Mrs. Davies’ boundless energy puts life back into the Classics in a way that no other teachers could.
    I remember when I was first asked to start a character profile; I had no idea whom I should pick for my subject. It is no easy task to find a deep complex person at a New England prep school, and I began to sort through students from different cultural backgrounds who could inevitably provide me with a clichéd story of being an outsider. However in the midst of my searching I was blindsided by the familiar, hearty laugh of Mrs. Davies. The wholesome, quirky, fun teacher I had had for Latin my freshmen and sophomore year. Although I had dropped that subject, I had not forgotten her classes; so filled with life and humor as she struggled to awaken an interest in the classics that none of my classmates would willingly surrender. I began to think that there is definitely more to this woman than meets the eye, and I knew that I had to write a profile on this woman who has devoted her life to bring something dead back to life.

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  4. The leaves rustled quietly as the large feet of a familiar figure dug deep into the soft terrain. It was his second time today venturing down to the gleaming lake, and his fifth time this week, yet his fascination never subsides. He frequently gazes up to the puzzle pieces of blue sky formed in between the gaps of the towering oak trees. The bushes bristle as he casually strokes his hand across the surface of each plant. He is accustomed to the positioning of each tree and plant in this forest. It is in these very woods that he feels most serene, most at ease.
    Will Parker, an incredibly distinct figure at the Brooks School, is known for his many obscure talents and hobbies. Furthermore, there are few people residing in this community who project as much interest in the natural world around them as Will does. It is fascinating that, at such a young age, Will has managed to establish an act upon and so many different interests. As a result of each fascination, Will creates his own products such as his own musical compositions, or journals packed purely with his writing and thoughts.
    “Will is a one man wolf pack,” Tommy Wentling, his roommate of three years explains. “Since freshman year, will has opened his horizons and strayed away from this “wolf pack”.” Tommy expands on Will’s independence by saying “Today, he is much more integrated in the Brooks Community, although he obviously still loves time to himself.” Tommy also made sure I was to report that the single most interesting part of Will is his ‘beard of full secrets’, which, frankly, I have no idea what that even means. In any case, when asked to describe Will in a single word, Tommy instantly replies “mysterious”. This adjective is one that many would agree with. There is a definite incomprehensible side to will, one which puzzles us all. This mysterious side of Will must include the explanation of why exactly Will does the things he does. For instance, casually walking into class drinking out of a carton of apple cider is completely normal for Will, however very few understand why exactly this is.
    Through reading his journals, I have come to realize that Will is his own philosopher. His thoughts are always formulating, whether or not they relate to a common subject. According to one teacher, Will is frequently “occupied in his own world and somehow seems to relate this to any subject.” During class, his input is both valuable and pensive, but also sometimes unusual. In my opinion, a large part of Will’s uniqueness origins from his quite ‘out of the ordinary’ thoughts. His knowledge circles around his interests. In other words, in History and English, two of will’s most favorite subjects, Will’s knowledge and desire to learn is extremely powerful. This pattern circles back to the rest of Will’s hobbies, and they are all purely and independently derive from Will’s enjoyment.
    “You guys should really to go down to the lake tonight,” Tommy and Will exclaimed, as they stopped Pete, Evan and I walking to the library on a warm September night.
    “We were just down there. The mist is out of control. One of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.” Will mumbled as he pointed towards the mist emerging between the trees. My eyebrows rose as I thought to myself, ‘Will Parker, scared? This was something I had to see.” Pete, Evan and I looked at each other, shrugged, and agreed to take a quick walk down.
    “You guys wanna come with?” Pete asked casually. I looked at Will who seemed to ponder a second visit. Tommy, however, was quick to respond with “Nah, were going back to Thorne to watch House.”
    I answered with a quick, “Lame”, as we parted ways. In the distance I could hear Tommy retaliating with “Kate...It’s only the BEST SHOW EVER!”
    As we wandered closer and closer to the lake, I began to see exactly what Will was talking about. There was very little we could see clearly. The trees appeared as obscure figures, and a thick layer of fog covered the entire surface of the lake.

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  5. The leaves rustled quietly as the large feet of a familiar figure dug deep into the soft terrain. It was his second time today venturing down to the gleaming lake, and his fifth time this week, yet his fascination never subsides. He frequently gazes up to the puzzle pieces of blue sky formed in between the gaps of the towering oak trees. The bushes bristle as he casually strokes his hand across the surface of each plant. He is accustomed to the positioning of each tree and plant in this forest. It is in these very woods that he feels most serene, most at ease.
    “Will is a one man wolf pack,” Tommy Wentling, his roommate of three years explains. “Since freshman year, will has opened his horizons and strayed away from this “wolf pack”.” Tommy expands on Will’s independence by saying “Today, he is much more integrated in the Brooks Community, although he obviously still loves time to himself.” Tommy also made sure I was to report that the single most interesting part of Will is his ‘beard of full secrets’, which, frankly, I have no idea what that even means. In any case, when asked to describe Will in a single word, Tommy instantly replies “mysterious”. This adjective is one that many would agree with. There is a definite incomprehensible side to will, one which puzzles us all. This mysterious side of Will must include the explanation of why exactly Will does the things he does. For instance, casually walking into class drinking out of a carton of apple cider is completely normal for Will, however very few understand why exactly this is.
    Through reading his journals, I have come to realize that Will is his own philosopher. His thoughts are always formulating, whether or not they relate to a common subject. According to one teacher, Will is frequently “occupied in his own world and somehow seems to relate this to any subject.” During class, his input is both valuable and pensive, but also sometimes unusual. In my opinion, a large part of Will’s uniqueness origins from his quite ‘out of the ordinary’ thoughts. His knowledge circles around his interests. In other words, in History and English, two of will’s most favorite subjects, Will’s knowledge and desire to learn is extremely powerful. This pattern circles back to the rest of Will’s hobbies, and they are all purely and independently derive from Will’s enjoyment.
    “You guys should really to go down to the lake tonight,” Tommy and Will exclaimed, as they stopped Pete, Evan and I walking to the library on a warm September night.
    “We were just down there. The mist is out of control. One of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.” Will mumbled as he pointed towards the mist emerging between the trees. My eyebrows rose as I thought to myself, ‘Will Parker, scared? This was something I had to see.” Pete, Evan and I looked at each other, shrugged, and agreed to take a quick walk down.
    “You guys wanna come with?” Pete asked casually. I looked at Will who seemed to ponder a second visit. Tommy, however, was quick to respond with “Nah, were going back to Thorne to watch House.”
    I answered with a quick, “Lame”, as we parted ways. In the distance I could hear Tommy retaliating with “Kate...It’s only the BEST SHOW EVER!”
    As we wandered closer and closer to the lake, I began to see exactly what Will was talking about. There was very little we could see clearly. The trees appeared as obscure figures, and a thick layer of fog covered the entire surface of the lake.

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  7. When I saw the name "Whitaker-Rahilly" on my golden schedule at the beginning of Junior year, intimidation did not take long to kick-in. I pictured a cold, unfriendly domineering individual who was going to prove to be more of a nuisance than an educator. However when I stepped into S1 on day one of school, I was happily incorrect. Sitting poised and freshly groomed by a morning shower, sat one Susanna Whitaker-Rahilly. My anxiety, onset by premature assumptions, began to fizzle out, I was able to look at Mrs. Whitaker with fresh eyes; no longer unnerved by hyphenated surnames.
 As she began the intro into her course, I was immediately struck by the eloquence with which she spoke. Choosing her words with precision, and articulating an absence of "like" and "ums", witnessing this artist was comparable to a finely tuned orchestra. She might as well have been the conductor as hand gestures correlated with the ferocity of her conjectures and prolixity. Timidity might very well be the only word lacking in her vocabulary. Pacing back and forth, taking each stride with purpose, she gracefully demonstrates the mastery of her profession.Ceaseless in the flow of information, relentless in its delivery, and fearless in her conviction, Susanna Whitkaker-Rahilly remains one of my most influential teachers.
    I have been fortunate enough to get to know Mrs. Whitaker on a basic friend level as well. During her many review sessions held at her apartment, we would often digress from the material and become entrenched in intellectually stimulating conversations. I am hesitant to say that most of these conversations revolved around people; most assume conversations focused on people are the hollow exchanges most people are used to--especially in a community such as Brooks. Another name for these exchanges is “gossip.” Our communications were usually located on the diametrically opposite end of this spectrum. Effects of social hierarchy on the psyche of an adolescent, teacher’s intent versus obligations set by the institution they work in, different personality types and the thought processes each one employs are just a few of the subjects we would discuss.

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  8. It was our first day of junior year history as I began scanning the room to get a feel for the class. Just as I had finished looking from one student’s face to another I heard a hurried scamper come from my left side and sit in the seat next to me, just as the bell rang. I could never figure out why he chose to sit next to me, probably because it was the closest seat to the door, but we stayed in those seats, next to each other for the rest of the year. “Is this Meesis Witahker Rally’s class?” He asked in a reticent tone of voice. It was his first day of school in America and you could tell by the unsure expression on his face that he was still trying to immerse himself into his new environment. He was nervous and it was obvious.
    He seemed shy after my first interactions with him, however, it did not take him long to warm up to me. After that class ended, we began packing up our stuff and there was book resting in the space between me and Gary. He took one look at the book and asked me what “Nations of Nations” was. He is a very curious kid, he always asks questions about things that are confusing to him. I told him it was the text book for our history class and he nodded. I was about to grab it but he took it a put it close to his face. “Nations of Nations?” he said. I nodded in assurance, but suddenly he began singing a rap-type song using just the words “nations of nations”. While this was completely random and a little strange it was also very amusing. It’s all the little acts of humor that make Gary an interesting fellow, and also a very entertaining one. I always enjoy talking to him because of his light mood and his funny sense of humor.

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  9. It was the first day of pre-season and everyone was already extremely fatigued and wishing it was still summer. Being a new junior at Brooks, I was interested to hear about and meet new people. It was hot and humid and people were beginning to complain about how much they would rather be relaxing in their rooms, when I first heard about Joon. It was still the morning and although we had been running and working out for a solid couple hours, Joon was choosing to sleep in his room. As people began to realize that it was approaching noon and Joon was still no where to be found, the coaches began to worry and get angry, because in their opinion it would not be uncommon for Joon to do such a thing as set his alarm for almost five hours later than it should be. It wasn't until about a half hour later, after numerous other grueling exercises, where we were allowed to go to lunch, that Joon finally decided to make an appearance. As Joon stumbled into the dining hall, looking like he had just slept for 24 hours, he gave a mere shoulder shrug to the multiple questions and angry comments that came his way. This was my first encounter with Joon, and needless to say, it revealed a lot about his personality.

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  10. My hunt to dig deeper into Mr. Alami's mind has proved to be, as I expected, elusive. To try and get an outsider's opinion I tracked down one of his colleagues in the faculty room one night last week. This man also teaches history, and has known Mr. Alami by being an associate of Russell House. However, meeting with him only added to the mystery surrounding the aura of Mr. Alami. "He certainly keeps to himself." The colleague told me, "But it is certainly interesting that a guy with such an interesting background ends up at a little place like this." This teacher only knew, as most people do, little tidbits about Alami. It is through observing Alami among the faculty and interviewing teachers that i have found that Alami is not neccesarily anti-social, but a man who is content with keeping a reserved nature yet speaks up when he feels the need to. He can beceome very passiontate very qucikyl, and quiet down just as fast. This is something that at first startles his third's soccer players and history students, but is something they accumulate to as they are educated on his complex persona. I am looking forward to speaking more with him and trying to go beyond scraping the surface of this international man in a small, local-scale setting. I feel as though venturing off-campus with himwill also help to achieve a greater comfort with him, and perhaps he will pop open the can of worms that I know is just waiting to be uncovered.

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