My Summer by Luis Romero

I had a lot of fun over my summer.

To start of my summer I went to Georgia.When we got there it brought back a lot of memories.It was the first time I had been to Georgia in about two years.We went to my aunt's house were we stayed for two nights then brought back my grandma and my little brother and little sister. Before I left I went to go buy Nike Cortez. When we finally got back my sister helped us unload the car.We talked about what happened down in Georgia.We had a very long talk.

A month later it was my sisters graduation. Both of my sisters came down for graduation and i got to see my niece and two nephews. When graduation day came we were all ready we all got dressed up to go.  When the moment came for my sister to get on stage to graduate we weren't ready to yell so when she did pass it was late but we still congratulated her. After that my little sister kept yelling for every person that passed after her. Everyone was staring but she didn't stop. After graduation was over we went back home and celebrated.We stayed up till 5:00A.M. having fun and talking. The next day both of my sisters went back home. 

So I guess you can say I had a pretty epic summer.

Fummer Vacation by Nash Praznik

Me Drinking Pipe Water

The summer of 2012 was rather uneventful for me.

The one thing fun I do have to write about is my trip to Michigan. My family goes to Michigan every fourth of July to my grandparent's house to visit all our family up there. Its always really fun to go because my family is always a joy to be around. The trip there we decided to drive during the wee hours of the night. My brother drove all night while I stayed up to keep him company.

There was a rather exciting thing that happened at about 2 in the morning on the interstate. We were driving along and all of the sudden we saw headlights coming at us on a one way highway. We almost had a head on collision with the I assume to be drunk driver coming at us at 70mph but he swerved at the very last second and we didn't get hit. My brother and I also got to see the sunrise as we were driving as you can see in the picture it was quite spectacular.

The Sunrise

The next event that I have to tell you is our trip to Autrain Falls while we were in Michigan. This place is pretty great its a river that has a bunch of drop off cliffs as it flows causing a lot of miniature waterfalls.

The picture you see there is me at just the right angle so it looks as though I'm drinking the water that is flowing out of the pipe pretty awesome I know. Other than that my summer was pretty boring, I hope you enjoy this wonderful tale of my summer vacation.

We Ate McDonald’s for, like, the Entire Week by Kaylee Crawford

I tried real Japanese sushi, but I didn't like it!
I'm eating Edamame instead -- Japanese soybeans.

My biggest dream was fulfilled this summer -- visiting Japan. Japan is the country I have loved since I was a small child, and now that my sister lives there (she teaches English to middle school students), we took the chance to turn my dream into a reality. My mother and I flew across the world to visit her.

            The plane ride, close to 12 hours, was quite miserable. Mom and I both have problems sitting still for long periods of time, and the food we were saved made everything even worse. Luckily, it was worth it. Upon first setting eyes on the bright city lights of Tokyo, a sense of accomplishment filled my heart.

We found a really cool waterfall
in one of the parks!
It was a great place to take
a lot of pretty pictures.

            For the first few days of our week-long stay, us girls all stayed in Tokyo, visiting different districts each day. I have too hard of a time choosing a favorite district; I love them all so much! The Akihabara district held “Electric Town”, home to all things anime and cosplay. The Shinjuku district held lots of shops, like the one where I bought a replica of the ring from my favorite anime. The Harajuku district was also a favorite. Since that’s the fashion district, I bought dresses of my favorite Japanese street style -- Lolita!

In the city, wearing my new brand-name
Lolita dress and carrying around my alpaca.

For the rest of the week, we stayed in my sister’s apartment with her boyfriend. Since she lived in a much less busy part of the country, we got to look at lots of temples and parks. However, I’m more of an urban person, so I was happier when we visited a nearby city. We went to lots of places there: a few shops, a restaurant, a museum, and a couple of arcades as well. We played the famous U.F.O. Catchers, which are similar to American claw machines. We won my favorite “Arpakasso” plushies! Arpakasso is Japanese for alpaca, and those stuffed animals are so cute!  In total, we won seven of them. People stopped to watch and cheer us on, and while it was really silly, it was really fun as well. I was also wearing one of my new Lolita dresses, and lots of people were calling me “Kawaii,” which means cute. It made me want to live there even more.

This was one of the silly purikura pictures
I took with my sister. I
t's so silly and cute!

            Another thing I loved doing was taking Purikura -- Japanese photo booths. They blow up your eyes really big, like how they would look in an anime. I took so many because I loved taking them so much.

            When it was time to come back to America, I was a bit sad, but I believe I’ll get to visit Japan again. It’s my plan to live there after college, after all. This trip was just like a little taste of everything I’ll get to experience.

Flying and Freshman by Nick Palilla

Nick Palilla on a pilot lesson
with instructor, Jay Foster

     This May I went to Disney World in Florida with the Lebanon High School Band. When I returned from Florida, I started taking pilot lessons as a birthday gift and preparation for college.

     My first lesson consisted of a walkthrough and inspection of the plane I was going to fly, which is a Piper PA-28 Warrior, a single engine, private plane. After checking everything, I got in the plane and Jay took off. It was an exciting experience, and he let me fly it myself. We did several touch and go's and flew to the Lake of the Ozarks.

     This summer I also worked at Elm Street Eatery a lot. When I wasn't working or flying, I spent my time playing video games, hanging out with friends, and preparing for college. At the end of the summer I went to Freshman band camp as a section leader and prepared the freshman for football nights and competitions, then the next week attended full band camp. My summer went by very fast, and I was disappointed to have to return to school.

My 2012 Summer Vacation in California by Vanessah Zavala

A rollercoaster at Six Flags Great America with a beautiful view of the palm trees in California.

Vanessah, her sister, and aunt with
Tasmanian devil at Six Flags.

      At least one month out of every summer I go to California to visit my dad, family, friends, etc.. This summer was more special than any other because I got to spend more time with my dad than usual. He was working less which means more time that I was able to see him. My dad I went out to eat, went shopping, and had a lot of fun together.
     The highlight of my summer however, was when I went to Six Flags: Great America with my sister. The Six Flags in California seemed big and had a lot of rides, roller coasters, and shows. Some rides at Great America resemble those of some at our Six Flags here in Missouri. 
     Although it was the beginning of July in California, it was quite chilly. The cold, however, did not stop us from having fun. My sister and I rode more than 10 rides that day and had blast. As my trip to California slowly came to an end, I packed up all my new memories that I had made and brought them back with me. It was a great summer.

AP Language Arts Trip 2012 by Kelsey Devasure

A lovely view of London. Photo by Kelsey Devasure.

      Many people would like to travel the world, everyone has that one foreign place that they have always wanted to go to. For me that place was England. Last year Mrs. Anthony and Mrs. Hays announced that they would be sponsoring an A.P. English trip and go all the way to England. Everyone was invited that met the criteria, of course I signed up.

     What was perhaps the most surprising thing was how different the two countries really are. When I first though of going to England I thought gloom, British accents, and royalty. While you do encounter many British accents, they all sound a little different depending on the region. And gloom is definitely present in England, though it is accompanied by freezing temperatures and relentless pop up downpours.

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Photo by Kelsey Devasure.

    Royalty is another story, they are very much a monarchy, even if the Queen no longer rules. “Queen Elizabeth II's Regime” is displayed in all important places. But, while we were there, they held a parade in which the whole royal family was carried down the streets in horse drawn carriages. Of course we have nothing like that, or the crown jewels in America.

     Now, if you were the average American who eats many fried and preserved foods it is likely that you either die of starvation or your body would go into some sort of shock. The food there is either very light, sandwiches, tea, etc. or very, very dense; haggis, lamb, some sort of beef looking thing. In addition to having different foods than America, you had probably better not hope to wash down their interesting food choices with a tall ice cold glass of soda. The old countries do not use ice in their drinks, and the cups are the size of Dixie cups used here to brush your teeth. (okay, maybe a bit bigger) And I certainly hope you don't need a refill because it will be another five pounds.

"Can you say, Olympics?" Photo by Kelsey Devasure

    Bringing up the next point, British money is worth much more thank American money. While I was there I withdrew 50 pounds from my bank account and it ending up converting to cost me $86 dollars. You felt like you were getting a deal when you paid a pound for a candy bar, but really you just paid about $1.75. I wish I had been a British person coming to America, I would have felt rich.

     “Across the pond” there is a whole different world, these are just a few differences. Experiencing a new culture can be enriching if not shocking too, you may be surprised by how the country you dream of visiting does things differently.

Summer 2012 by Faith O'Quinn

My sister and I parasailing.
Photo provided by Faith O'Quinn

     My family likes to travel. We normally go on a trip every summer, and have a lot of fun.This year was a little different though. My summer started off kinda slow, sleeping in, not doing much of anything... then my parents started talking about going on a trip, even though we hadn't planed on it. We decided we'd drive down to Alabama, rent a condo, and have fun!

     About a mile before the Alabama state line, we hit traffic. We were supposed to get to Gulf Shores around 2, but we got there around 5. We were stuck in traffic for 3 HOURS. We got to our condo on compass point, it was on the bay side, but the gulf was across the road. We went to the beach every day, all day long.

    On the day before we left, my parents let my sister and I go parasailing!! We were headed out on the boat and we started talking to the family that went with us, and found out they were from Missouri also! When Grace and I went up, we took her water proof camera with us. We took alot of pictures in the air, it was fun. I got alot of seashells, and spent some time with my family. The funny thing is, when we got home and I got on Facebook, I found out alot of my friends and people I know were down there at the same time we were!

     The only part of my summer I didn't enjoy was that the day after we got home from Alabama, I had to go to Springfield to have my wisdom teeth taken out. Other than that, it was an amazing summer!

My Summer by Audrey Palmer

Belle from Beauty and the Beast and I at Disney World.

     This summer was unlike any one I have had so far. I was very blessed to be able to go on three very exciting trips with three different groups of amazing people. 
     At the end of May and beginning of June, I rode with the band to Disney World for a few days. 48 hours of "bus riding bliss" was filled with many movies and much sleep. Once we finally pulled up to Animal Kingdom at 7:00 the first morning, there was no way we were going to let the rainy weather slow us down. I got to live out my childhood dream in Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magical Kingdom. Everywhere  we went we saw characters from all of our favorite movies, but my favorite part was meeting the Disney Princesses. :) And let me just say that if you have never been to Magic Kingdom at night and seen the firework show, put it on the list of things to do before you die. Truly,it was the happiest place on earth.

     My second adventure this summer was a trip that I had won to Washington D.C. with Missouri's 2012 Youth Tour (Sponsored by our local electric cooperatives). Adam Coffman and I, along with 89 other seniors from around Missouri, had the privilege of getting a first class tour of D.C. In the hotel we stayed in, there were 47 other states represented by their youth tour. So throughout the week, we traded our state pins with 1500 other kids that we may or may not ever see again. It was a blast and we made a ton of friends and memories that will last a lifetime. One of my favorite sites that we visited, that I hadn't seen before, was the Newseum- the historic museum of all things news. There was a newspaper from every major event in US history, the Berlin Wall, and a 9/11 memorial. We could have all spent the whole day in there, but we had other things to tour as well. To anyone who has the opportunity to write a paper and submit it in the Laclede Electric Essay contest their Junior year, I highly reccommend it.

     The last week of July I went on a missions trip to Nicaragua with a group of 24 from my church. Throughout the summer we had collected 350 school packs to take to kids who have not been able to go to school because they simply did not have the supplies. On our trip, we got to personally meet and pass out the packs to the kids, as well as present the gospel, sing songs to, and play with the kids. We did a 3 day VBS in one of the villages, and you could tell it meant the world to them. We fell in love with the kids, their stories, their smiles, and their hearts. I could go on forever about it, but if you wanna hear a story, just ask. I'd be more than happy to tell you a story about the beautiful and loving people of Nicaragua. They have a life that none of us could imagine, but are far more content than most of us.

Exciting as my summer was, I am just as excited about Senior year and being a difference maker in our school! Can't wait to have a great last year with you all!

Summer Trip to Chicago: A Bazillion Seagulls by Denise Elam

Me at the Navy Pier. Photo by Denise Elam.

Here I am at a gorgeous bridge at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Photo by Denise Elam

                 What I’m about to admit may make me seem a little dim and uninformed, but it’s the hard truth: I had no idea Chicago, Illinois was home to a bazillion seagulls.

                 I guess I should’ve used my context clues: seagulls thrive near oceans, Lake Michigan is one big ocean – er, lake – and Chicago is planted along the shores of Lake Michigan.  Unfortunately I rid of all English terminology when summer began, so I must’ve stood out as a typical, naïve tourist as I exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, a seagull!” and pointed at one like it was a UFO.

                 Needless to say: Chicago was definitely a learning experience.

The offending beast. Photo by Denise Elam.

Not only did I encounter countless seagulls hopping about and even being chased by kids as if they were dogs and not relentless scavengers, I also ate the best pizza ever, stood inside the tallest building in the United States (felt more like the world, honestly), and rode a water taxi for nearly an hour.

                 There’s not a single thing I dislike about Chicago; the people are nice, walking is encouraged, and the constant wind was more of a blessing than a burden considering the high temperatures. I had the best summer imaginable thanks to that wonderful city that never seems to sleep.

                 And hey – if the city never sleeps then that makes two…. at least until school starts.

LHS Band Goes to Disney World by Kelsey Devasure

Photo Taken by Kelsey Devasure

     As tradition calls for, one of Lebanon High School's biggest classes takes a trip every four years, and 2012 was the year for Disney! Fundraising and anticipation of this trip had been going on for over a year. Of course, you can't take nearly 200 students on a plane to Florida, so before the fun began the crowd was met with 23 hours on a charter bus. Through climate, scenery, and time zone changes the students drove toward the trip of their band careers.

Photo Taken by Kelsey Devasure

     Early the next day a week of magic met them. The students truly got to enjoy several aspects of a Florida vacation. 5 Disney parks, Cocoa Beach, Planet Hollywood, what else could a high school-er ask for to enjoy with their friends. Of course band kids make up more of a family than most clubs. Sweating and practicing together, winning together, traveling together, and now vacationing together.

     Of course, the trip wasn't all fun and games. The band also enjoyed a professional clinic to learn how to put music to movies.    The trip of a lifetime has to be accompanied by the opportunity of a lifetime. In four years time a new group of band students will again be taken on the trip of a lifetime thanks to our wonderful band program.