Emma Philbrook: Student Life

The WHS student body took its annual ski trip last Thursday. I am told that they had quite the time.

I didn't go with them. I am officially bored of the bunny hill, but the chairlifts scare me half to death. (I'm not afraid of heights, but heights without a seatbelt is another matter entirely.)

So I, along with 32 other students, stayed behind at the school.

We didn't even bother with normal classes. Instead, at the start of school, we were all called to the auditorium. A head count was conducted. (It didn't take too long, needless to say.) Each class was then as- signed a 'check-in teacher'. We reported to that teacher at the beginning of every period, then went to other classrooms and caught up on schoolwork until the bell rang once more, at which time the process would re- peat itself.

Having no homework to make up, I decided to work on filling in my WOIS portfolio. Don't ask me what WOIS stands for, but a WOIS portfolio is a digital compilation of a student's best classwork, academic transcript, resume, and essays on plans for after col- lege. I filled in as much new information as I could, finishing around 9:00.

When I was done, I asked the supervising teacher if I could do an Internet college search.

"If you're done, go ahead and do whatever you want," she said.

"Cool. Got any bungee ropes?" I joked as I contem- platively eyed the building's roof through a tall window.

No, I actually did look at colleges for the rest of the morning. I now officially have a new dream college. It's located on the east coast, much to my family's cha- grin.

After a very quiet lunch break, the student body was given ice cream. Those of us who had finished our work were allowed to watch a movie in the Home Ec room.

Chomping on a Dilly Bar and watching The Lorax proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend fourth period.

After the movie finished, the gym was opened up and nearly everybody ran downstairs to shoot hoops. I stayed behind and played a couple games of Life with another student.

My playing style in the game of Life is very distinc- tive: Go to college, avoid risks, and be careful who you sue. It worked during the first game. In the second game, however, I was fired from my rather lucrative job as a doctor and spent the rest of the game as a computer programmer who just couldn't seem to avoid the 'pay half your money for some ludicrous expense that no sane person who was actually in this financial situation would ever incur' spaces. I lost, but not by much.

I suppose that's kind of how high school is. So much of a given person's future is up to dumb luck that when you have an opportunity to improve yours, you'd best take it. In high school, one's destiny is still malleable. A bad choice can mean speed bumps later down life's road. A good one can multiply infinitely over the years, en- riching an existence beyond measure.

As far as choosing wheth- er or not to ski, however, the ice cream speaks for itself.