I am Kailee Larson. I'm a working student-athlete, so I keep busy. I spend my time swimming, working at the pool and the local floral shop, and participating in the National Honors Society and my school's student council. Sometimes doing all of this at the same time is tasking, but moments like the one I was so lucky to be a part of last week make it all feel worth it. Many hours spent in the pool are spent working hard with my teammates. I'll be honest, without the support of my teammates I don't know if I could handle the 14 weeks of swimming. All the pain that comes from the hard work is endured together. We're never doing any of it alone. As much support as they are for me, I hope to be the same to them. I make it a goal to encourage and check up on my teammates, just like they do for me. One example that comes to mind is the meet that we had last week. It was our second home meet, the week after mid-season (which is our hardest week of practice of the season). Everyone was tired and sore, but we still, with the strength of each other brought the energy. Every girl on the team was up and cheering at the end of the lanes. Personal records were broken and celebrated as a team. The best moment of the whole meet was during the last race where just our sixth graders raced against each other. We had a girl that just started that week, she was 25 yards behind everyone else in the race. Even though the rest of the girls were tired from swimming in the meet; EVERY SINGLE ONE was either at the end of the lane or walking up the side of the pool cheering her on. This is a moment from swimming that I will always remember. The next day at practice our coach was just about in tears when she told us that moment was her greatest success as a coach. Not the wins, our statistics, or trips to state, but all of us cheering together as a team not worried about the score or how tired we were. This event, while not something I did as an individual, I believe is the kind of thing that enriches our school and our community. Our superintendent who was at the meet told our coach that our display of sportsmanship was the best that he had ever seen and that this is what prowler sports should look like. Our athletic director while not at the meet also emailed our coach to congratulate us. To me, this speaks volumes. People who were not at the meet had heard about our energy and excitement. I believe that this kind of positive energy leaks into the rest of the school and the community and ultimately creates an incredibly positive change. I have never been more proud to be a part of the Prowler Girls swim team.

Taylor Swift is an artist that has touched so many people. The sheer scale of the eras tour alone has proved that. More than two million people attended the first leg of the eras tour, and many more registered to get tickets but did not receive a chance to purchase them. So many people love her and her music, and I think one of the reasons for that is her versatility. Taylor Swift has songs in many different genres providing a little something for everyone to like. That's what Taylor's music and the Era's tour have taught me, versatility, variety, change, and diversity, even though scary, are all necessary, inevitable, and beneficial. Before the eras tour began I was already a big fan of Taylor Swift's, but it wasn't until the tour that I loved all of her music. I heard new things and old songs were given new meanings. It made me realize just how vast her discography was and that it was all amazing and meaningful. During the Eras tour, I finished my junior year of high school and experienced the first of many lasts that come with senior year. During this time I also realized the huge change that lie ahead of me, and that's scary. In a year I'd be on my own and I have to prepare for that change. Even though it's scary, Taylor said I'll be okay, "Take the moment and taste it. You've got no reason to be afraid. You're on your own, kid Yeah, you can face this" (Taylor Swift "You're on your own kid"). Her song "Long Live" has helped me be excited for graduation and to do it with my class. My class at my small school has been together for the most part since kindergarten. We've grown up together and now together we get to move on to the next stage of our life and become the people that we've grown into together. "The time we stood with our shaking hands. The crowds in stands went wild. We were the kings and the queens, and they read off our names. It was the end of a decade, but the start of an age" (Taylor Swift "Long Live"). During the formative times learning how to love, I found Taylor Swift's lyrics. She reminded me what love should look like and how I deserve to be treated, but also that people make mistakes and so will I. "Don't you worry your pretty little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine, and life makes love look hard, The stakes are high, the water's rough. But this love is ours." (Taylor Swift "Ours") To sum up my perspective, Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour broadened my love of her discography and showed me the depth of her lyrics. In this new perspective of her music, I found new reasons not to be afraid, I learned new lessons, and I became excited for the future. Even though I was unable to attend the tour myself I am grateful that it gave me a new appreciation for Taylor Swift, her memorable melodies, and her profound lyrics.

Kurt Reynolds, Football coach, father, and to most of us teacher. Mr. Reynolds is our beloved college composition teacher at lincoln high school. Every student that has taken college comp in our small high school has taken it from him. Within this class, he has taught us so much about writing but also life. Through the reading of the book "The Element" by Ken Robinson, Mr. Retnolds taught us that it is just as important to be happy with what you're doing with your life as it is to make money. Mr. Reynolds practices what he preaches. Everyone knows that being a high school teacher is not a high-paying job, but Mr. Reynolds teaches with so much passion that its clear the classroom is exactly where he wants to be. He and Ken Robinson taught us the importance of "finding our element", the thing we can do without getting sick of, the thing we can do without feeling any passage of time, a thing that when you're doing it you're truly happy. Mr. Reynolds helped us realize this is a crucial part of a life we are happy to live. He always says, "Live a life you don't need a vacation from." I know that he wasn't the first person to say this, but to me, he was the first person to give it meaning. Before taking Mr. Reynolds's class I was not a fan of any English classes. Reading, writing, none of it. After Mr Reynolds reframed the practice of writing I find it very cathartic and soothing. I learned when writing to open my brain and let the thoughts flow onto the page and to organize it later. Opening the floodgates is when the best writing comes out. Mr. Reynilds holds a strong opposition to the five-paragraph format. We were all taught this format. Introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, body paragraph 3, conclusion. The five-paragraph format is restrictive, so cut and paste that there is little room for emotion and creativity. Mr. Reynolds taught me that writing was more than putting words down on a page and that it CAN be enjoyable. I can confidently say that Mr. Reynolds is the kind of teacher that sets his student up for success. He teaches his students skills that they'll use later in life inside and outside of the classroom. he leaves a lasting impact on every one of his students. He cares about his work and his students and it shows through his actions and the quality of his teaching. Mr. Reynolds has already left an impact on me after one semester. I'm excited to see what he has to teach me and my classmates in our final class together.

Taylor Allison Swift's album, "1989", named after the year she was born, holds many of my favorite songs of hers. A lot of the songs hold memories for me. For example "Blank Space" and "Style" are two songs that my sister and I listened to on repeat when we were first discovering what our taste in music was as young girls exploring the new abundance of music available to us. "Welcome to New York" has a more recent memory. Last summer my grandparents took my sister and me to visit New York City. Being the cheesy "Swifty" that I am, I had to download the song ahead of time and play it through our earbuds as we made our descent into LaGuardia airport. There are many more songs on the album that I love. "Out of the Woods" talks about being in the beginning stages of a relationship, and wondering if you've reached a safe rhythm with your partner. And then of course there is "Shake it Off," which took over the internet and every radio station after its release, the music video now at an astonishing 3.2 Billion views. "Bad Blood" and "Wildest Dreams" are two more songs whose lyrics are permanently imprinted in my brain from listening to them on repeat as a younger girl. In my opinion "1989" is one of the few albums that does not have a single skip. I thoroughly enjoy every song. If you couldn't tell already Taylor Swift is my favorite artist. I probably know too much about her, her career, and her music than necessary. Knowing what I know makes me admire her so much more. The things that she's been through made her the artist that she is today. Her list of awards and achievements is astonishing, she's received an honorary doctorate degree in fine arts from New York University, she's won 12 Grammys, and received 46 nominations among countless other awards. Another reason that I hugely admire Taylor Swift is her re-recording almost all of her albums. Taylor Swift is currently re-recording her older albums after switching record labels. When she switched labels they would not sell her the rights to her older albums. so to own all of her music she is re-recording and re-releasing her first five albums. So to actually answer the question, I don't know if I can pick a favorite song from "1989" because I love them all. They all either bring back memories or have special meanings for me. That's why I love Taylor Swift's music, every lyric has an intentional meaning and can be interpreted by everyone a little bit differently.

The movie Mamma Mia! and its sequel have impacted my life significantly. Now I know how that might sound. How could a movie about a girl who doesn't know who her father is have a significant impact on anyone's life? Well for me it was not the plot of the movie but rather the characters themselves, the way they dressed, and the music. The characters in the movie are bold and confident. Two words that are not the first that would come to mind when describing myself. They know how to have fun and solve problems. All of these things are traits that I aspire to have. As a young teenager, I never felt like I had my own style. I would look around at what my friends and classmates were wearing and try to replicate it. That didn't work out so well for me. I never felt confident and just put in clothes every day without meaning to me. After watching these movies repeatedly I realized how much I liked the confidence of the characters in the movie. I also like the way they dressed. So I started looking for similar elements I could add to my everyday wardrobe. In doing so I gained a new level of confidence that I had not experienced before. Another aspect that impacted me was the music. I don't know what it is about ABBA's soundtrack, but it flips a switch in my brain. I could be in a terrible mood but if one of those songs comes on I get an instant rush of serotonin. It brings me back to the feelings of summer and freedom (times that are very limited in northern Minnesota). I have many happy memories of jamming in the car with my best friend; she loves the movie almost as much as I do. We crank it up really loud and sing along to every word. A final way this masterpiece of a film has impacted me is by instilling in me the need to travel. If you are unfamiliar with the second movie Donna graduates college and immediately sets off to see the world. She has so many wonderful experiences when she leaves the comfort of her home. This is something I want to do. I would love to travel around the world and see the sights with the people I love. From a movie with not much scholarly significance, I have found my confidence, Something that makes me happy, and a new passion. To me, that's invaluable.

My grandparents lived their first years being married with mere pennies and an old rust bucket to their name. I've learned a lot and laughed a lot from their stories. I lost my grandpa two years ago this month. This was the first major loss in my life and it impacted me greatly, especially during the first year. There are two things that stand out the most to me about my grandpa. The first is his sense of humor, he was the kind of person that could make anyone laugh no matter how stubborn or unwilling to laugh they were. The second thing that I admire most about my grandpa is his work ethic. My grandparent's story is a wild one. They lived a life in the 70s that you might find in a movie. They lived mostly out of their car driving to find jobs where they could. They drove around the state of Minnesota until they could find a more permanent work situation. When they did they ended up in a tiny town named Big Fork Minnesota. They lived and worked there as correctional officers at the youth detainment camp. They both worked there while my dad and his brother grew up and up until their retirement. When they retired they moved back to my grandpa's home town Where he got to spend his time doing the things he loved to do and with his loved ones. Throughout my grandpa's childhood and through his whole adult life he had a work ethic like no other. Even if it wasn't for work he wouldn't hesitate. He was always the first one out to help in the community. That's one of the many things that I admire most about my grandpa; and one of the things I aspire to carry out in my life. My grandpa taught me that you can work hard to build yourself a life that you love, and you can build it out of nothing if you work hard enough. Because of what my grandpa taught me I know that if I work hard and fight for what I want, I can get to where I want to be in my life.

A lot of people that you might ask this question would answer one of the classics like "Pride and Prejudice" or "Moby Dick." Something that I think is more important is something that affects everyone in our current age. A book that I would suggest for everyone in the world to read is "The Element" by Ken Robinson. And yes, if you thought that I picked this book because I read it in class, I did. But that is not the reason I chose it. I chose it because I think the message is extremely beneficial and if everyone read the book it could change the world for the better. One reason that I think everyone should read "the element" is because it can help everyone individually. I was introduced to this book in my college composition class; it was the first book that I enjoyed analyzing. I was particularly invested in this book because it personally affected me, more than any book I've read in school. This book lit a fire under me to begin pursuing my passion early. It helped motivate me to begin college classes while in high school. It also inspired me to go after what I wanted to do rather than chase money. This is the most important and main theme of the book is "finding your element." Something that you're happy to do every day regardless of the money, making you an overall happier and healthier human being. That brings me to the second reason I think everybody should read "The Element." If everyone was doing something that they truly loved every day; not just for the money, everyone would be much happier. Imagine you didn't have to drag yourself to work every day. You got out of bed excited and motivated to start your day and get to work. If that were the case you wouldn't feel the need to live your life around money. Everyone knows, whether they'll admit it or not, that money does not equal happiness. This is why I think the book is beneficial. If everyone was motivated to do something they loved, everyone would be immensely happier. If everyone is happier there would be so much less negativity in the world. All things considered, I think that this book would be beneficial to everyone individually and has the potential to change the world.