On holidays!

July 9; i am still working part time (at McDonalds). im becoming a crew trainer which means i have to do a folder. i feel good that im going somewhere with my job.

However in the holidays i am taking the last week off work so i can have some time with my boyfriend. He works full time so i dont get to see him until he has finished work late afternoon. He has that week booked off so i thought it would be nice for us to have some time together.

i havnt thought anything of applying for tafe or uni yet. I think im more interested in finding an apprentiship. Somethign that can get me a career but i dont have to spend the next ten year getting. Im looking at hairdressing or floristry. But im still trying to make up my mind. its very hard.

have a good holiday everyone. 1 semester down 1 to go.

July 2: yay exams are out the way.. my big drama performance is done and 1 more week till holidays...i think i did okay with my italian exam but i definitely didn't pass my psychology. Bummer. The drama production was performed on two nights last week. our first night we had a whole of ten people and we didn't really know our lines so it just turned into a laughing circus.. but the second night we were moderated by ssabsa so we had no choice but to do well and i think..hope we did.

June 11: Ahh one week 'til exams. I'm still also a bit angry about what has been going on in our school at the moment. It's really frustrating to keep hearing that our school is bad and it's even worse to see students from our school on television, bad mouthing us. It really has me revved up at the moment. I know we are a good school - we just have some bad kids that continue to put our reputation down.

(Ed's note: three girls, a 12-year-old from Salisbury Downs, a 13-year-old, of Malvern, and 14-year-old, of Edwardstown, fronted the Elizabeth Youth Court last Thursday (May 29) and will reappear in July to answer charges of aggravated assault after a bashing at Salisbury High.
Police were called to the school at 11.30am on Tuesday (May 27) after reports of a brawl on school grounds. The trio allegedly bashed three female Salisbury High students aged 14, 15 and 16.)

On to better news. I handed up my toursim report on Wednesday and now I am onto my new assignment. I revised for my Italian exam and I have been given an assignment for psychology that involves group work. I'm in with a guy and a girl that I have been friends with since Year 9 so I'm not complaining.

I have my drama performance at the Shedley in two weeks and I still haven't learnt my lines. I am not exactly looking forward to that one. I really should get on that.

Arrr exams next week!

sammy

June 4

What a week... I received my roster for exams today. They are in two weeks and I have two written exams. One is for psychology which is two hours, the other is italian which is three hours. I have a drama practical exam and my tourism work is being sent in rather than an exam.

I also got a phone call today from a family member which I have not seen in over 10 years. They found me via the Messenger. hehehe. I'm getting around a bit!
I was very shocked but they were over the moon to finally make contact.

I have been living with my boyfirend for almost six weeks now and I'm loving it.
It doesn't interfere with school. Apart from the shake-up with the sudden death in the family a few weeks ago, we are doing very well and he is so much easier to live with than I had thought. He tells me I'm not hard to live with but I dont believe him  . . . hehehe

I have just finished my tourism assignment but I get a brand new one tomorrow. I'm so excited. . .not . . . haha. Tourism is the only lesson I am enjoying and I am getting the work done properly for. I should be focusing on my other subjects as much as I am with tourism. I'm very naughty. I know I'm not going to get far if I don't start going to school every day and doing the work.

hopefully next semester isn't so eventful.

Leave your comments below

sam
 

May 28

I didn't get to write my blog last week because I had a funeral and didnt return to school until Wednesday.

I only have one assignment at the moment - Yay! It's a tourism assignment that I am about to continue. I only have 'till Friday to complete it but i'll be right. It's pretty easy and I get to pretend I am going on a backpacking trip to egypt, so it's fun.

I haven't been going to music the last couple of weeks (naughty) but last week my teacher found me and we have decided to cut down my assignments so I can keep up. I am continuing teaching Year 8 students the keyboard but I wont be doing any performing.

I also have exams coming up in a couple of weeks so im a little scared . . . . uh oh hehe. I'll be okay....I hope.

sammy

May 14 

I have just had a few days off of school due to having a death in the family. It was a real rattle and has shaken us up a bit.

I have come back to school this week and I am finding it frustrating. I'm trying to get out of music because it's impossible for me to get the performance part of music together. I guess I am just angry and I need to find something to do in order to get back to reality.

I have two assignments due this week. I have done them both and I hope they are to the standard to be expected.

At the moment, I haven't really got a lot of other assignments other than learning my drama lines for our (Importance of being Earnest) play, which we are performing in six weeks.

Hopefuly next week will be an easier one.

sammy

May 7: Term 2

One week down, a million to go.

But before I start writing about my week I want to say thank you to the people who are reading this and who are supporting me through this. It's nice to know that it's not just the braniacs who finish successfully.

This last week has been and eye-opener. A lot of work and all in just one week.

I got my grades for last term and I did not do as well as I had hoped. I didnt completely fail but I know what I definitely have to work on this term. I am using my free lessons as much as I can to study hard and I am getting a lot done now that I am buckling down. I have just finished a 1000-word work review for drama. I'm very proud of it and can't wait to hand it in coz I think i'll probably be the only one. I have about four other things to do but it feels great to get one big one out of the way.

I hope all Year 12s out there are doing well and good luck with your year.

April 30:

Arggghh! back to school.

I was having a nice relaxing holiday. I finished my homework. YAY!!

I moved out. I am still settling in and its hard being away from home and getting used to a different living style.

But I am back at school. I have been informed that I'm not doing so hot in my Music study, so my goal this term is to focus on that and get my stuff done for it.

It sucks that I think I'm doing well in most of my lessons then I am told that if I don't get myself together I am going to fail. I hate Year 12. I hope to do a bit better in my phsycology class this term becasue I didn't do so well last term. I'm catching on to it all though so hopefully I can get better throughout the year.

I am counting on a less stressed term this term. I doubt it but as long as I get my work done and keep asking questions I will be right.

April 22:

How ya going?

I love holidays. I haven't really got much of homework so I'm not really stressing. It's lovely. I've done half of my Italian assignment so I still have to finish it but no worries.

I haven't really done much so far these hols - just relaxing, watching movies and working every now and then. Sleep-ins every now and then are fabulous.

I am also preparing to move out of home and in with my boyfriend and his dad. Im a little scared. It's a big move but hopefully not a stupid one. We'll see what happens. That's the most stress on my shoulders at the moment.

Hope everyone's holidays are cool

April 16:

Yay, holidays are about to start. I can't wait.

Still have a few assignments to do though :(.

I have one Italian one, which needs to be completed by the time i get back to school next term, it's a powerpoint so it will be fun to put together but there is an oral that is supposed to go with it that i have to say in italian.. help!!

I have another Italian one which i'm supposed to be doing throughout the year as my final assessment.

I'm doing Christmas in Italy. How they celebrate it and what myths and legends they have around Christmas time.

I have to keep learning my music for a performance i am supposed to be doing next term.

I'm learning Pictures of You by The Last Goodnight.

It's pretty easy but singing along with it is a bit of a challenge.

Not all bad though.

I'll try to get those things out the way early, then i can spend the rest of the holidays relaxing.

My boyfriend is taking me camping on the long weekend before school starts back so that will be a good way to finish the holidays off.


I'll be working a lot and that is tiring in itself.

As soon as holidays start they always give me heaps of shifts. More money though.

As long as i get time to get my school work out of the way ill be happy working.

Happy Holidays!! :) - Sam Highnam

SAM'S BLOG - APRIL 9, 2008

My name is Sam Highnam.

I am a Year 12 student at Salisbury High School.

My goal this year is to finish school successfully and move onto University or some sort of further education.

I am looking at getting into the tourism/ hospitality industry but haven't decided exactly what I want to do in that area.

This year I am studying Italian, music, drama, tourism and psychology.

I love Italian because it is so different to the rest of my lessons and takes me away from things I know.

I always learn something new and usually have a lot of fun. There is a LOT of work though.

It is probably the lesson I get the most work for as well.

I have chosen to complete Year 12 to make myself successful and to take my life as far as I can. I have many people pushing me through my mother especially.

She didn't finish school and wants me to do what she didn't and have the best life I can.

I have teachers on my back as well.

Most of my lesson teachers are really good with me and give as much help as I need.

One of my previous teachers is always on my back and making sure I am doing the best I can with everything.

She has been there for me since Year 9 and I probably wouldn't be here at school if she wasn't there to push me.

She is like my mum at school and I appreciate everything she does for me and everything my other teachers and family do to keep me as stress free as possible.

But pressure is a big part of Year 12.

It comes from all different directions. Peers pressuring me to do the best I can, the huge workload and trying to get everything in on time can be terribly stressful.

I believe that is the main reason people drop out of school.

I can see how dropping out could appear to be the easy way out.

I looked at dropping out at the beggining of the year becasue I had no idea what career path I wanted to pursue after Year 12 so I got stressed and wanted to give up.

But my mum rang the school and organised a meeting with the career advisor who went through my options and we finally found tourism/hospitality is an industry that I would be happy working in.

I have also been ill on and off with headaches and I've just recovered from another cold.

It's hard to keep healthy and still get everything done without taking many days off school.

I recently had three days off in a row and I am suffering for it now.

I'm not really much of a sociable person so I don't have to worry about delaying shopping sprees with girlfriends or anything like that.

I am in a relationship though and trying to get my stuff done before I go out with him can be tough. He is really supportive though and makes sure I'm coping with it all okay.

I don't watch much TV but I do have a couple of shows that I do my best not to miss. I've cut down watching movies though. That sucks :(

In five years time I hope to be in the tourism/hospitality industry, maybe working in a hotel or opening my own cafe.
Education is an important thing everybody should have. Well, everybody who wants to get as far as they can in life.

I want to be successful and have a good life now and in the future.

That's why I have decided to stay.

It will be hard but as long as I keep myself organised and have my family and teachers there for help and support I know I will be all right. -- Sam Highnam.