Presentations & Public Speaking by Kaveeshan Gnanarajah

 Presentations & Public Speaking by Kaveeshan Gnanarajah

In the fall of my 10th grade, I stood up in front of my class to deliver my most “professional” speech ever. Although it was a simple presentation, my teacher was known to be a strict grader and also strongly recommended we wear suits, as it was a business class. This environment and the fact that it was the very first presentation of the year made me extremely nervous. I was literally dreading those 5-10 minutes throughout my whole day at school. 

Surprisingly, even though I did not think my presentation was as good as it could have been, I got a very high grade. This absolutely skyrocketed my confidence throughout the rest of my school year. If I ever had a presentation that I was nervous about, I would always say, “Well, if I could do that good on one of my hardest presentations ever, I should easily be able to do well on this one”. After a couple of months of using this, I realized that confidence is the biggest thing when you are up on that stage. Even if I didn’t practice my lines as well as I might have wanted, I was so confident that everything would work out fine, and most of the time it did. Confidence has helped me, and I am sure so many of you get out of situations that you might not like. But if you are struggling with confidence while presenting, here are a few other things you could do! 

If you are actually practicing for a presentation, simply record yourself. Once you have your recording, you MUST watch it. Yes, I know, it will likely be so awkward to watch yourself talk to a wall for however long. But with that being said,  it's important to understand where you mess up so your brain doesn’t make the same mistake next time you rehearse it. This part has helped me so much as it allowed me actually to see what the audience sees when I present. When you watch these recordings, make sure you watch not only the way you’re pronouncing words, but also your body language and the way you move your hands to allow the viewers to follow what you’re saying.

The last, but my favorite, way to practice your skills, even if you do not have a presentation coming up, is through AI. This process will take under 3 minutes, maybe even shorter once you get the hang of it after a couple of times. All you have to do is ask whatever AI you like to provide a prompt, and then all you have to do is simply record yourself answering the prompt, giving yourself no time to prepare a script.

Reaching Goals by Muhammad Raza

 Reaching Goals by Muhammad Raza

Goals are amazing things: they serve as a means of improving ourselves, achieving stature from a material or societal point of view, and for some, they even give meaning to life. Achieving individual goals, depending on the context, is at the very least extremely fulfilling and at the very best a peak moment in someone’s life. Whether it be getting a promotion at work, earning an A in Calculus, or being accepted into your dream college, goals give us something to work for and give us motivation and pleasure as we get closer and closer to them. 

And while goals are undeniably great in many regards, one aspect that many people do not bring up when discussing goals is the possibility of not achieving them. Popular media, whether it be movies, anime, or video games, often portray protagonists eventually achieving what they want through hard work or discipline. Reality, unfortunately, is messier, and sometimes, no matter what you do, it seems as if life itself is working against you every possible moment to ensure that you do not get what you work for. And the sad truth is that some people just don’t achieve their goals. 

Something similar has happened to me very recently. I have failed to fulfill a goal that I have dedicated almost every day for the past 8 months, and I’m currently at a loss for what to do. It seems like every inconvenience, late night, and body ache I put forth to achieve this dream was all for nothing, and it’s hard to see yourself work so much harder than others to no benefit. It’s been a harsh reminder for me that nothing in life is guaranteed, no matter how much you want it or how much you work for it, and that complaining will not get you any closer either. 

However, if I’ve learned anything from those aforementioned movies, anime, and video games, it is that the most stubborn, hard-headed guy always seems to get what he wants in the end. The way I’m looking at it right now is that moping around won’t solve anything, and that if I still continue to strive for this goal, I will either achieve it or fail, but in any case, the journey has been (and will definitely continue to be) fun and fulfilling in and of itself. I guess it shows that maybe there is some truth in the cliche “it’s about the journey, not the destination” because the destination is not guaranteed, but you can control the journey and make yourself better through it. 

A World Without Exams by Parnika Thakare

 🌍 A World Without Exams by Parnika Thakare 

Imagine waking up without having to spend the entire week worrying about an exam. No

worrying about every little detail, no last-minute cramming, and no fear that one poor

grade will destroy your average. We might even enjoy learning instead of merely

memorizing facts to pass, and school would feel much more relaxed.

However, not all tests are negative. In fact, they help us discover our strengths and

areas for improvement. Also, receiving a good grade is very satisfying; it's like a little

victory that motivates you on to keep going. Exams also force us to learn material that

we might not have otherwise, which can be useful in the future.

Learning would not feel like a stressful marathon if schools could have a balance

between tests, projects, discussions, and enjoyable ways that show our knowledge.

School might become less about panic and memorization and more about

understanding things if there were fewer crazy tests.

Road Trip to Thekaddy, Kerala by Hanaa Haleem

Road Trip to Thekaddy, Kerala by Hanaa Haleem

This year, I finally got to travel outside of Tamil Nadu during my three week stay in India. With my younger cousins, parents, and grandmother (mother’s side), we drove 8 hours to Kerala from our hometown in Tamil Nadu. We first began with a boat ride with nothing special but a view of buffalos and a sunny lake similar to the one near my house. 

The food was way different than I expected as I am used to high spice content, meaning that biryani tasted really plain to me during this trip as I am used to it being cooked very spicy. 

Day 2 was the big highlight. My parents and I went hiking up stairs that led us to a big statue which represented ancient tribes in India. I also exchanged a small conversation with a street food vendor selling mango, who shared about her hometown. Later, my dad and I rode an elephant that I struggled to climb onto as I was scared of falling, but the ride turned out to be fun after all. 

What stood out to me the most was the cleanliness of public places and English fluency within many people in Kerala. I felt like for once, I can survive in India without fluency in my native language despite finally learning it better within the many places I went to this year. I am definitely homesick for the street kuttu porottas (chopped spicy flatbread) and endless greenery within every spot I travel to. 

Annotating was NOT what I thought it was by Hanaa Haleem

  Annotating was NOT what I thought it was by Hanaa Haleem

8th grade me in social studies about to take my annotation quiz: Excited knowing that I finally get to use my aesthetic highlighters and romanticize schoolwork. Same thing in writing class where we were required to annotate the story we wrote an essay about. Flash forward to a year later — JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte makes its first appearance in my hands after purchasing it from my Honors English class. 

Knowing that I thrived doing annotations in writing and social studies last year, I had high hopes for how to annotate it over fall break. “Tis is so easy, it's just playing around with cute highlighters while reading arnold story from the 1600s”----WRONG! Honors English annotations? Yup, that's a whole other thing. It is not aesthetic at all. It takes a large time commitment and thought as you annotate each line of text and interpret it.

I remember how I thought I would be able to get ahead in my annotations since we were given about 10 days to annotate 5 chapters, but annotating 10 pages itself felt too long already since I had to really think and understand the text instead of just highlighting it. This continued to feel more dreading like a chore as we got farther into the book, and I remember my only goal being to finish annotating the required pages than to actually sit and understand it as it was hard to make time for it already. 

A month later, I was finally relieved once we were done with the book. From then on, annotating any other book felt like light work as I reminded myself of how I was able to annotate that difficult of a book (500+ pages btw). 

For any freshmen in honors english reading this, here are some tips I have:

• Just annotate with one pen instead of using multiple. 

• Do not write big paragraphs in the margin. Instead, write small phrases summarizing the section you just annotated

• Bookmark the pages you believe are VALUABLE for discussion and writing about in your LAPs

• When in class discussion, use a separate pen (preferably red or blue ink) to write down new ideas you came across in, which you can also use to expand your LAP analysis too

Setting Boundaries by Hanaa Haleem

 Article #1- Setting Boundaries by Hanaa Haleem

Finally made it clear that someone’s action does not comply with your personal boundaries and believed it came across as mean? Well it really didn’t, as setting boundaries are extremely important in maintaining quality friends and peace. Some things to consider when setting them are the extent to which/what you are willing to help with, when you are available, what topics you are comfortable/uncomfortable with discussing, etc. 

Throughout middle school and freshman year, I always did as people asked, regardless of how it made me feel. There were moments where I could no longer take the demand of someone consistently asking for study help, but still helped them as I believed I was a bad friend for not assisting them with what they needed. Over time, I realized that this was extremely draining and did not do me any favor but feeling pressured into spending more time helping people that frequently pass my boundaries instead of putting time into doing valuable things for myself.

As I could no longer take it anymore, I began to keep my friend circle tight and make my boundaries clear to those who do not follow them, regardless of their opinion, because I knew that protecting my peace mattered more than keeping a friend who appears nice but will be draining long-term. Yes, I do feel more lonely sometimes as I have lost more friends over the years, but it has come to my realization that a small circle of quality, compatible friends is better than having many friends who just take advantage of you for their own good. 

Why Being Busy Is Not the Same as Being Productive by Aaliyah Sharma

 Why Being Busy Is Not the Same as Being Productive

  These days, it feels like everyone is busy all the time. Students talk about packed schedules, late nights, and the constant feeling of having no time for anything, almost as if being overwhelmed is something to be proud of. There is this strange pressure to look constantly occupied, as if rest or free time means you are not trying hard enough. However, being busy does not always mean you are being productive. Sometimes being busy simply means you are spreading yourself thin without actually moving forward in a meaningful way.

  There is a big difference between doing a lot and doing what matters. Filling every hour of the day might seem impressive from the outside, but that does not guarantee progress or learning. Productivity has more to do with purpose than with the amount of activity. When you are too busy, it becomes easy to confuse motion with momentum. You may check items off a list, but that does not mean any of them brought you closer to your goals. A full schedule might look successful, but it can leave you feeling empty if none of the tasks were meaningful.

  I have noticed how easy it is to fall into that trap as a student. Between homework, clubs, sports, volunteering, and social expectations, it is possible to stay constantly active without ever feeling truly accomplished. Many students push themselves to do everything, believing it will make them more successful, yet they end up exhausted and stressed. Real productivity comes from balance. It means working smarter, not harder, and knowing when to pause. Taking breaks, setting priorities, and giving full effort to a few important tasks can lead to much stronger results than trying to do everything at once.

  Another issue is that the culture around busyness makes people feel guilty for resting. Students often brag about getting very little sleep or juggling multiple commitments, which creates a competition over who can handle the most pressure. This attitude makes it harder to acknowledge when you need a break. Rest is viewed as wasted time instead of something that actually improves focus and motivation. In reality, rest is a crucial part of productivity. Without it, your work becomes less efficient, and your creativity and patience suffer.

  Instead of trying to fill every second, it may be more helpful to focus on what truly deserves our energy. Being busy might impress people for a moment, but being balanced is what makes success sustainable. Productivity is not about doing the maximum amount of work. It is about choosing the work that matters most and giving yourself permission to slow down when you need to. In the end, it is not about how much you do. It is about why you do it and whether it brings you closer to becoming the person you want to be.