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Tips For AP Exam Success

4/29/2019

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  The countdown to AP Exams has officially started. The first AP tests start off on Monday at 8 AM and will continue for two weeks. This means it's cramming time. However, there are plenty of ways to prepare yourself for this stressful time. Luckily, this will be my fourth year of taking AP tests, so I have mastered the top preparation tips for this busy season. As a student that has taken multiple AP Tests, and passed, I want to share with you my top tips to prepare yourself for a stress-free AP season.

1. Adjust Your Sleeping Schedule
Preparing for the AP Test doesn't always mean studying. In fact, AP Test preparation can be done mentally. Have you ever gone to sleep late and woken up early? If so, you know the effect it as on the body. Not only are you exhausted throughout the day, but it is also very difficult to sleep straight. According to Healthline.com, "Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity," proving how getting a good amount of sleep not only makes you feel better, but also can help when it comes to thinking and focusing. Trust me when I say, you will need all the concentration help you can get when it comes to taking a three hour long test. So, to prepare yourself for this, start adjusting your sleeping schedule now in order to be fully adjusted by the time your test comes around. Try going to sleep at 9 and waking up around 7 - by doing this you are getting a full 10 hours of sleep. Along with this, turn your phone off at least 30 minutes before you go to sleep in order to slow down your brain so that you can sleep easier. 

2. Make Flashcards A Week Ahead
One thing I do every year is make flashcards about a week before my test. By doing this, I have the entire week to review the information I need and I can go back and test myself if I forget a certain concept. The reason why I suggest making the flashcards in advance is because you will be able to relearn concepts moderately during the week and can review them if you don't quite get them. If you were to cram and try to learn all the flashcards the day before, you would most likely forget a lot of information and you will not feel prepared. I also recommend  that you write your flashcards rather than make an online flashcard as you will retain more information when you write it down.

3. Watch One Review Video A Day
Something else I enjoy doing to prepare for AP Tests is watch one review video a day. This way I can relearn different topics I have learned. My personal favorites for history/government AP Tests are the Crash Course YouTube videos. 

4. Adjust Your Eating Habits
Have you ever eaten a whole Big Mac and Fries and felt really gross after? This is a really common feeling I get after I eat junk food. It makes me just want to be lazy and sleep. While eating junk food is okay sometimes, it is better to fuel your brain with fruits and vegetables. In the days leading up to the AP Test, start incorporating some foods that are good for your brain such as fish, blueberries, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, nuts, and even dark chocolate. Make sure to save the fatty foods for after the test as a reward! (My personal post-AP treat is Chick Fil A)

5. Move Your Body
Another way to help you prepare yourself for sitting down and writing for three hours is to move your body. Start doing some running, playing pick up games, hiking, dancing, and even yoga a couple days before the test in order to help with your thinking. According to the Harvard Business Review , "exercise — especially exercise completed during work hours -- can increase your "mental firepower" by improving skills like concentration, focus and creativity. " This is an outcome of the increased blood flow to the brain which helps improve brain cell production. If exercise is not your thing, any form of moving your body works. It's all about breaking a sweat and increasing that blood flow. One of my favorite forms of exercise is Yogalates and I will definitely be taking a class before my AP Lit Exam. 

6. What To Do The Night Before
The night before the test it is important to eat a healthy dinner and sleep at a reasonable time. Make sure to take an hour to review all your flashcards and then put everything away. Understand that you have put in all the work throughout the school year and that you are very prepared for this test. Something I enjoy doing is laying all my clothes out the night before along with water, snacks, my AP Student Pack, my ID, Pencils, and a Pen so that the next morning I am not frazzled about trying to get everything together. This also helps me feel less stressed and helps me focus solely on the AP Test. 

8. After The Test
After the tiring three hours are over and you have finally finished. You will feel brain dead and will need a nap. Go home, rest, treat yourself, and relax. There is nothing to worry about anymore. You cannot change anything now so there is no use in stressing about your scores. As long as you know you did everything you could do to prepare yourself, then you cannot be angry with yourself. 

Regardless, if you choose any of these techniques, just know that you have been preparing all year for this. Therefore, you are bound to know something on that test. Do your best and good luck.
Reporter: Cosette Terriquez
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Iconic Medieval Catholic Cathedral Ablaze

4/24/2019

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  On Monday of April 15,  the iconic Catholic Cathedral in Paris set ablaze. The Notre Dame is significant for many reasons. It began being built on the year 1163 in the 12th century and is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It brings in 12 million tourists each year making it the most visited monument in Paris. It is also featured in Victor Hugo’s classic novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”.
           
  American Cardinal of the catholic church says ,”Notre Dame is more than the sum of its tumultuous history. The cathedral, he said, "has long been a symbol of the transcendent human spirit as well as our longing for God." While Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster in England, called the cathedral "the heart of the faith" in Europe. Amid the fire, Catholics gathered around singing in prayer, united as the iconic spire toppled into the flames destroying two thirds of the roof.
               
 The week of the Cathedral’s destruction was Holy Week when Catholics mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Notre Dame Cathedral would soon have been preparing to display its holy relics on Good Friday. The Cathedrals Holy relics include the Crown of Thorns Jesus wore when he was resurrected, and The Blessed Sacrament which is a name for the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated bread and wine. According to the Cathedral, Catholics have prayed with the Holy Crown for over 16 centuries.
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More than $1 billion has been donated for the repair and reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Donors in France and from around the world have pledged almost a billion euros including 565 million from the Arnault, Bettencourt Meyers and Pinault families,  France’s three richest dynasties.
Reporter: Claudia Arce
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Colorado School Districts Cancel Classes After Student Threats

4/22/2019

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    Eighteen year old Sol Pais was a Florida High School student who was found dead in a recreational area outside Denver by what appeared to be a suicide. Obsessed with the Columbine High School shooting that occurred in 1999, Pais was seen as a threat to 19 Colorado  school districts that cancelled classes following her threats. 
     Investigators informed that the young women traveled across the country to Colorado while making threats to multiple schools including Columbine High. Pais raised the FBI’s suspicion when she purchased three one-way airplane tickets for the dates of April 15,16, and 17. Authorities disclosed that upon arrival in Colorado on Monday, Pais purchased a pump-action shotgun as well as an ammunition. The gun shop, only a couple miles away from Columbine High school reported that Pais passed two background checks from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in order to obtain the weapon.
     The FBI is investigating a website believed to belong to the now dead young woman. A journal entry on the website revealed potential intentions and dark purposes of Pais. The message read,  “The purpose of this site is for me to give insight into the thoughts I rarely, if ever, share with others, while remaining somewhat anonymous." Another posting stated, "Everything from journal entries to my personal interests -- I want to leave a record of myself before I, well. ...". At the end of this entry it is signed Sol Pais. 
     Once Pais was confirmed dead by police, classes resumed Thursday for many in those Colorado school districts. This incident opened up past wounds for those who still suffer from the original Columbine shooting twenty years ago.

Reporter: Jeraldy Gomez
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Psychology behind music

4/1/2019

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     Everyone enjoys music, but more importantly music helps in many psychological ways. There are about 15 main genres of music, and based on specific taste of music the different genres may have different effects on people. There are numerous amounts of negative and positive effects that music can have on the human brain. For example music can affect your emotion and your mental health. 
     Generally, people don’t think about the psychology behind music and don’t realize that whatever song or genre of music they’re listening to is actually affecting them, more specifically affecting their mental health. In an article titled How Music Affects the Brain writer Deane Alban discusses that “Music improves brain health and function in many ways. It makes you smarter, happier, and more productive at any age.” While Alban says that music improves brain health for any listeners she explains that the effects are even greater on musicians because, professional musicians brains are different from non-musicians. As brain scans have shown professionals brains are bigger, better connected, and more sensitive. In a survey taken by 40 people, 30% of them said they play an instrument.
     Our emotions are affected by music, reminiscing during a song is actually not caused by the song but rather the “nostalgic emotional experience” that the song reminds us of. The association of the song with a specific moment of celebration will cause you to reminisce that certain celebration which will cause you to either be sad or happy depending on the situation it reminds you of. Music is also a language of emotion there are different components and patterns to mimic and represent emotions, which is why, often, people use music to express their feelings. Hashmat also explains how rhythm can have a powerful effect on movement ,”...the auditory system has a rich connection to motor systems in the brain.” The auditory system in your brain is the reason that when you hear music your body automatically wants to move with it, dance along with it, or nod your head to the beat of the music.
     As I have said before, music can affect the emotion in a person. Research has actually shown that music can help tremendously in managing pain, not just emotional pain but physical pain. In a study of fibromyalgia patients it was found that if they listened to music for at least an hour a day they experienced a decrease in pain compared to those who did not listen to music for an hour everyday. Music is not only a great outlet for emotion but can also improve memory, be an effective treatment of depression or anxiety, and can boost your motivation. Music therapy is actually a safe treatment for those with depression. Classical and music offered mood-boosting benefits. If you are listening to a slow, sad song in a depressive state, you will remain sad, but have you ever tried turning on ,fast paced, music when you are sad? Not only is classical music good for music therapy but classical music has been found to reduce tension and enhance intelligence in verbal ability. Studies have also shown that listening to classical music can reduce tension even if you are not a classical music fan. I actually put this study to the test while I was writing this essay and I felt less tense when listening to classical music and I am not a big classical music fan. “Science has now proven what music lovers already know, that listening to upbeat music can improve your mood. Listening to and playing music reduces chronic stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.” Not only can music lower tension but fast paced music can also motivate a person, it is actually mainly in the areas of the brain that focus on motivation, reward, and emotion. Music can also lower stress levels. Music can affect different levels of mental health.
     Your brain is actually working harder than you realize. Have you ever realized that you can predict when the drop of a beat will occur in a song or when the song will speed up or slow down? There is actually apart of your brain that synchronizes neural oscillators with the beat of the music. The neural oscillators are actually what makes music so appealing, your ability to predict what will happen next, music also has to keep you on the edge of your seat and change it up, musicians have to change their sound numerous amounts of times because if you keep expecting the same music sooner or later you will get bored of it.

Reporter: Nessa Osso
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