Hi guys! I cant believe that this is my last blog of the year! It went by so fast!! Yesterday it seems like I was writing my first blog for Media, and now I'm writing the last blog of the year! And speaking of past blogs that I wrote, one of them was talking about the exact thing Mr. M wanted this last blot to be about... advice for new students. In fact, the blot that I already wrote is so close to the topic that I could practically just copy and paste it, and be done with this blog (not that I would do that). And so, the three pieces of advice I have for the new students are to be creative, not give up and always try your best, and be flexible.

Creativity is really important in the Media class. In order to make projects catch peoples attention, there needs to be something unique, or creative to it. In fact, creativity can be used in all areas of the Media class, like when writing Radios, writing scripts, filming, asking interview questions, editing, and more. You could have the best most expensive video camera in the world, but without creativity, your video still would not be entertaining or inspiring to people.

Not giving up is another big thing you must do in Media. Believe me, I've gone through some hard times in Media where I thought my project would be the suckiest project ever, but because I chose to not give up and try my best, my projects turned out pretty good. So I know for a fact that even if your project seems that it's gonna be horrible, if you choose to go back and try your hardest to make it the best that you can, good thingswill definitely come.

Lastly, being flexible is something important to have in Media. And when I say flexible, I don't mean the type where you touch your toes or do the splits, I mean the kind where you're willing to put in lots of work outside of school to do stuff for the class. Whether it's shooting an interview, goingto an STN Practice, or helping out with a fundraiser, the Media Class will keep you busy even out of school. So its very important to be willing and flexible to show up to events like that. Believe me, even though at times it will seem like an inconvenience, all the work definitely pays off!

In conclusion, I would have to say the best advice that I can give the newbies coming into Media next year is to be creative, not give up and always try their best, and be flexible. I know that this advice has helped me!

Hi guys! I'm happy to say that, guess what...Marlena and I turned in our media project on time! I'm really, really happy! The whole Fourth Quarter, I wasn't sure if we were gonna make the deadline or not. But thankfully, with lots of hard work, we did. I have to say though, it was a close one. I mean, Marlena and I were still filming the day before the project was due! We also kind of had a.. challenging time working together, as to me it seemed like she was doing everything, but to her it seemed like I was in control of everything. Luckily, everything worked out though, and the end outcome of our video is pretty good. I think it could definitely be a lot better, but I'm a perfectionist, and everyone who has watched it has said its really good. Hopefully that's what Mr. M thinks! :)

OMG! OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!! I just realized that summer will be here in like... 5 school days! Holy cow! That is unbelievable! I can't believe this is the end of my seventh grade year, the end of waking up at 5:45 each morning, the end of riding the bus almost every day, the end of classes and homework, and the end of my first year in Media! This year definitely went by in the blink of an eye! I know I'm going to have a great summer where I can finally get a chance to relax and sleep in, and spend my days somewhere else than school most of the time, but I am also going to spend some of my summer trying to improve my media skills.

One Media skill that I really want to work on this summer is practicing writing scripts. This year, I have written 13 scripts- two news stories, one PSA, one music video, and nine radios. However, even though that may seem like a lot, it's really not, and I definitely want to get some more practice in writing scripts this summer. To be honest, I actually really enjoy writing scripts. It gives you a chance to establish, to create the story you are going to tell. And this summer, not only do I want to practice what I already know about writing scripts, but I also want to expand what I know about scripts, and learn new creative ways to tell stories.

Another Media skill that I really want to work on is filming. To be honest, filming stresses me out. There are so many things you have to make sure are right, like the lighting, angle of the shot, sound, and more, and a lot of the time you only get to film once, so if you mess anything up, well, that sucks for you. So this summer, I really want to practice filming so that next school year, I'll have way more experience, and maybe I'll be less nervous. And of course also so I'll learn a bunch more cool shots, angles, and techniques to us when filming.

I'm really excited to go to the Advanced Summer Media Camp this summer on Oahu so that I will get a chance to practice the skills I just talked about. It will give me the perfect opportunity to write scripts, film, and practice even more skills like editing, and everything in between. But besides from the Media Camp on Oahu, I'll also work on media skills while editing the High School Graduation video, helping out with the Media Camp for new students here on Kauai, and doing my own media projects during the summer. I tell you, media will sure keep my summer busy!

Overall, though summer is a time to take a break from school, it still can be used as a time to learn new things. I, for one, am going to use the summer as a time to learn and get more experience with media skills, such as writing scripts, and filming. Now that I've been in the Media Class for a year, I know what tough competition we have. And if we want to win awards at Olelo and STN, we are really going to have to step up our game. And what better time to prepare than summer?

What's up, blog readers? Right now I am just thinking about the Awards Luncheon I went to on Friday, and how fun it was. Let me tell you about it! So, just about after fourth period started on Friday, the people in Media that won any type of national award were invited to go to the Awards Lucheon. We all wore our CKTV Polo Shirts, long pants, and big smiles. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and we sat down at the fancy big tables in the ballroom. A lot of the kids in the room were part of the Kapaa Middle School Chorus and Ukulele Program, and at the beginning of the luncheon, they performed for us. I thought they were really good!! Shortly after their performance, we were given our food, which was a yummy salad and bread, which was followed by delicious chicken. Right about when we got our dessert (strawberry cake)  they started calling out names for the awards, and every single student got a star that says "Recognition of Students National Achievements Award"  on it, and a certificate. Then we took pictures for about 5 minutes straight, finished our meal, and left back for school. I think it was just so neat how the DOE organized that event for us. They really went out of their way to make it special for us, and it meant a lot. Hopefully I'll get to go again next year!

Hi blog readers! Happy belated National Teachers Day! I think National Teacher Day is such an important holiday to have, because teaching is probably one of the most challenging, stressful, under appreciated, and underpaid jobs there is. You really have to sacrifice a lot to be a teacher! So, with that said (or should I say written?) I think all teachers are heroes, and deserve to be given so much more than just a day of special recognition. However, since this blog is about my favorite teachers, I would have to say, the best teacher that I've ever had is...um, er, it's.... I don't know, this is too hard! I can't just pick ONE teacher out of all the great teachers I've had! But maybe, I can lower it down to the best three that come to mind? Yes, that's what I'll do! So, without keeping you all waiting any longer, I would have to say that my three favorite teachers ever are Ms. Madayag, Mrs. Kalauawa, and Mr. Matsunaga.

Ms. Madayag was my fifth grade Language Arts and drama teacher. To be completely honest, when I first met her, I wasn't sure if I would like her. She seemed pretty strict, and when I auditioned for the play, she made me feel pretty intimidated. However, when I got to know her better, I started to like her more and more. She was funny, nice, encouraging, and strict when she needed to be. She helped me a lot to grow in confidence, and made me feel very special and important. Being in her class was just a blast, and I will definitely always remember my fifth grade year because of her.

Mrs. Kalauawa is currently my Life Science teacher. When I first met her, I knew I was gonna like her and her class. She is just so fun and funny! I have never been a big fan of science, but she explains everything in a way that it's just really interesting and cool to learn about. And her personality is just so...awesome! I don't really know how to describe it. I guess she's just really funny, nice, and good at explaining, but she can also be strict when she needs to be. I have really enjoyed having her as my teacher this year, and I'm sad I won't be able to next year :(

Lastly, Mr. Matsunaga is one of my all-time favorite teachers. This is the second year I've had him as my teacher (last year he was my yearbook teacher), and next year I'm going to have him as well, since I'm staying in Media. Mr. M is just such a great teacher, and all he does for the class, from organizing fundraisers, to providing a way for students to use school equipment, to taking the class to STN, to submitting entries to Hiki No and Olelo, to sacrificing so much of his own time, to everything in between is just so incredible. He is by far the teacher that dedicates the most to his class, and it really means a lot to students like me. It has been so amazing to have experiences like STN, Hiki No, and Olelo, and none of it would have been possible without Mr. M. What I like about his personality is that he is funny, very knowledgable about what he is teaching and having us do, very helpful, nice, and strict when he needs to be. I like how he holds us accountable for stuff like leaving school equipment around, as by doing that he not only teaches us not to do it, but he also teaches us a lesson- like responsibility. I'm so lucky that I get to have him as my teacher again next year!

In conclusion, though I have enjoyed pretty much all the teachers I have had through the years, my favorite teachers would have to be Ms. Maydayag, Mrs. Kalauawa, and Mr. Matsunaga. I hope that they all know how much they are appreciated, and how great of teachers they are!

A few days ago,  Mr.M gave us a good talk on the importance of being responsible. He talked especially about how we need to be responsible in putting away media equipment, and how we need to make sure we are using our time wisely. We are, after all, an Honors Class that has the privelidge of coming in early and using the school equipment, so we should be very responsible with these privelidges that we are given. Maybe because it's getting close to the end of the year that we are getting irrisponsible? Or maybe it's just simply because we were starting to take all of the privelidges that we have as a student in the Media Class for granted? I don't rightly know why, but what I do know is that it's never okay to be irresponsible. So, in this blog, I will address why it's important to be responsible and how we can use responsibility in all areas of life.

As I mentioned earlier, it's very important to be responsible as a student in the CKTV Media Class. We have been given so many privileges, like being able to come early and being able to use the school equipment, and it's important we are responsible so that these privileges area not taken away. I mean, if we had to bring our own equipment for filming, I know it would be a nightmare for so many students! And if we weren't able to come in early in the mornings, it would take away so much valuable time that we have to work on our project or blogs. So, what I think we need to do is really start making wise choices and being responsible (like Mr. M has told us to do over and OVER) because I know I wouldn't want the privileges we have as a student in the CKTV Media Class to be taken away!

However, Media Class isn't the only place where it's been responsible. In fact, I think responsibility is one of the most important attributes to have in life! You can use it at school, at home, in relationships, at work, at college, in friendships...the list goes on and on. Why? Because everyone respects and likes someone who can be trusted and held accountable for what they do. It's as simple as that.

I personally think I am pretty responsible. There are times where I will get distracted by something and start to get off topic (which sometimes happens in the morning before Advisory in the library), but for the most part, I think I am pretty good. I can be trusted to do something, I am on task for the most part, and I will hold myself accountable for what I do.

In conclusion, responsibility is something very important to have in life. I'm going to try to be more responsible in Media, as we have been given many privelidges that we need to use responsibly. Well, thanks for reading! Bye!

Every year, when school is right about to be done, CKTV hosts a Family Night. Family Night is super fun, and it's basically where every CKTV student presents their best (or one of their best) media projects that they made during the year, new students that will be in CKTV next school year are there, and at the end of the night, eighth grade students that are going off to high school get a...final goodbye, I guess you could say. I am really excited for Family Night, because this is the first year I will get to present a project, but I'm also excited to meet all the new students, see all the projects everyone picked, see the slideshow of our class during the year, eat all the yummy food :),and just well, have a great night! For the project that I'm gonna show for Family Night, I'm gonna do my Second Quarter News Story about Bethany Hamilton, but if Sierra wants to show that, I will show my Third Quarter PSA. I can't do Marlena and my Fourth Quarter Music Video because Marlena already told me that she wanted to use it, but that's okay. Anyways, I think it's so cool how we have a Family Night every year, and I'm so excited to take part in it! It will be awesome!