This is my school. Chances are, it is not quite like your school. Research Triangle High School is a very unique (if somewhat experimental) 9-12 school focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Our fancy-dancy-because-it's-latin motto is In Scientia Opportunis. Our mission statement (straight off the website, which you would know if you clicked the hyperlink above) is "to increase access to globally competitive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education for students and teachers across North Carolina, by incubating, proving and scaling innovative models of teaching and learning." But that's not what I'm here to tell you about. Let's learn about what it's really like to go to RTHS.
2 Comments
I did go to bed at a reasonable time that last night, honest! Okay, it was more like 1:30 or 2:00. I woke up with the fire alarm at 5:30, thinking in sleepy delirium that it was my alarm clock before stumbling outside to wait for the porter to turn it off. By that time many people had already left, so I stayed up. My cab came at 8:30 or so, and I shared it with 3 other students, all going to hotels around London. I was the second stop. My two days with the 'rents in London involved St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, and lots of walking and tube rides. And that bear.
Today was my last day. It involved last classes, last dinners, last dances, and last goodbyes. In Shakespeare we finished The Tempest. I read Prospero, so I was lucky enough to close the class with a very fitting epilogue. I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant (dumplings) and got a dress for the final dinner at H&M. I packed my bags and obtained my passport. I went to Genetics and watched Gattaca. I got dressed up and went to the Art Exhibition for the visual arts classes. I tried on the Undergraduate gown and took pictures in the photobooth. I had a 4 course dinner, with bread, salad, an appetiser, chicken, potatoes, green beans, and pavlova. I went to the final dance for about 2 hours. And now I'm back in my room, ready for bed. It's odd to think that I've just said goodbye to these people and I'm never going to see them again. I guess that's what social media is for. Anyway, here are some pictures.
Yesterday was Thursday, which meant the Talent Show and a showcase from the Actor's Workshop. The actors presented some moving monologues, followed by a scene from Macbeth. Afterwards several students from across the program presented their musical, poetic, comedic, and dance talents. I was blown away by the skill; in the past I've found talent shows very underwhelming. That's all I have to say right now, but please, look through the pictures from the talent show!
Today's post brought to you by: The discovery of Hyperlinks and the letter L.
Super secret surprise: I'm a terrible tourist and neglected to take any pictures in London, and didn't even bring my Camera to Broughton Castle. Gasp! That doesn't mean I can't tell you about it though. On Saturday, we had our second London trip. There were three choices, so I chose to visit Knightsbridge, a very posh region of London, famous for Harrods. We were allowed to sort of create our own schedule on that trip, so I first spent about an hour at the Natural History Museum. I also had lunch in the museum café. Following the NHM, I walked down to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I saw the British exhibit, the Medieval Europe exhibit, and the Fashion exhibit. At the V&A I purchased tickets for a later exhibit and then headed down to Harrods. After about 20 minutes in Harrods, I found myself totally overwhelmed (although I did enjoy the sight and scents, and Harrods is truly a beautiful store) and headed out to walk back to the V&A. On the way back I dropped into the Gap and bought a dress. You can see it below. The Wedding Dress exhibit at the V&A was incredible. You walk through the history of wedding dresses, ending up with the most modern ones by Vera Wang and other famous designers. And that was Saturday! On Sunday, I had a relaxed morning, finished up an essay and enjoyed tea and shakespeare on the LMH lawns. I also went to a church service at Christ Church Cathedral, which was awesome. Then I went to Broughton Castle! All castles are truly magical places, but stepping into Broughton Castle was like stepping into a story, or a film. The rooms are incredible, the architecture is breathtaking, the gardens are perfect, and it has a moat. That's really the most important thing, the moat. Fun Fact time: Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is related to the Fiennes who own the castle. After walking through the castle and the gardens, I had ice cream on the front lawn, looking over the moat at the sheep. It was simply lovely. After Broughton, there was a hypnotist at LMH. He was funny and quite impressive. On Monday I had a quiet day, I did the activities around the college and had Milkshakes with RA Miri. Unfortunately, I also met my end in the program-wide game of "Assassin." I did make it to the final round though! Monday evening closed off with a lecture by our very own Ed Clarke. Tuesday was a normal class day and I went to see the Botanical Gardens which were lovely. Today (Wednesday) I had lunch at the college, then played croquet, painted figures, made rockets, and enjoyed some Karaoke. I went to dinner at Brown's with the 'rents and now am having a quiet evening at home. Most of the other students are at the theatre tonight, so it's sleepy here at LMH. Sleepy but lovely. Well, shoot! It's been a busy week! Can you believe there's but a week to go? Classes are winding down a bit, as final assignments have been given. I have an essay for Shakespeare, but genetics assignments are completed. In the past week, I've gone to a lot of the scheduled activities. Benjamin, who is in charge of planning these things, is doing a great job. In the past three days, I've participated in Murder Mystery night (we all got roles and had to solve a crime. My group was correct about the murderer!), been on two tours (Harry Potter Tour and Oxford University Press tour), been to Pub Quiz (a fun trivia night. My team won second place and got sweeties), and been Ice Skating! Oh yeah, and I went punting. Punting! On the Isis! Yes! Below you'll find pictures of all those activities, plus our wonderful Shakespeare class by the Weeping Willow aslant a river.
Not a lot has happened in the last few days, so I haven't got a lot of pictures, but I thought I'd update you anyway. Here are some things that have happened in the last few days:
The rest was just classes, which have been lovely. We started Hamlet in Shakespeare and I'm loving it. Now I'm off to take a tour of Harry Potter's Oxford. PIcture Oooo, dramatic.
To an American, it is rare to see something so old as Stonehenge. Built 2000 years before the birth of christ, we know very little about Stonehenge's purpose. We know that the stones come from far away, and that there were burials around the site. It may have been a place of worship, healing, or simply a calendar. But I'm not here to give you a history lesson, that's what Wikipedia is for. My experience was wonderful. I went on an early bus, so I got to spend about an hour at the site. I listened to the (entire) audio tour, and really took my time enjoying the site. At Bath, I enjoyed a walk through the museum and around the baths, and drank some of the water. It tasted like iron, or sulfur. Like bleeding gums or sucking on a penny. But apparently it will heal me of all my ails, so I guess it was worth it? I got some pictures, at any rate! Warning: Absurd number of landscape pictures at the end...sorry |
About MeI'm a high school student living in Durham, North Carolina. I like Science, Theatre, Shakespeare, baking, and sometimes I update this blog. Archives
May 2015
Categories |