High School Musical

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvkh29RKFRY

September. 9. 09. 8 pm... in Wolf Trap

I saw the last performance in this summer. Actually, Before I saw this musical, I did not understand why this kind of trite high school love story is the most loved for all Americans. The story line, events and all charators in the film stand for what America and its culture are.

Prom Party
 

One of the most unfogetable events of high school In the United States is a prom, short for promenade, held at the end of the senior year in high school. It is a formal dance or gathering of high school students. It is a big party for seniors to celerbrate their finishing their high school years. Boys usually dress in tuxedos, and girls traditionally wear dresses.

Prom tickets are sold at school and treated as school events. Prom tickets are traditionally purchased by boys for the couple. The name is derived from the late nineteenth century practice of a promenade ball. The end of year tradition stemmed from the graduation ball tradition.



Prom king & Queen

Prom King and Queen are amongst the top honors in High School. Selecting the prom king and queen has been a tradition for many years in high school proms. The crowning of the Prom Queen and Prom King is the high point of every school Prom.

To become a Prom Queen is the secret dream of every girl. But it takes years of excellent conduct' hard work and efforts on personality development that will make you great Prom Queen material in your school.

Cheerleading

Cheerleading's increasing popularity in recent decades has made it a prominent feature in high-school themed movies and television shows. The stereotype sticks that cheerleaders are no more than skinny girls in short skirts, standing on the sideline, shouting phrases like "Go Team, Go!" Another common stereotype surrounding cheerleaders is that they are popular, attractive, and often quite rude. This stereotype is enforced by television shows, movies, and other media that portray cheerleaders as ditsy blondes, typically popular, and rude to others.

Cheerleading originates in the United States, and remains a predominantly American activity, with an estimated 1.5 million participants in all-star cheerleading. The growing presentation of the sport to a global audience has been led by the 1997 start of broadcasts of cheerleading competition by ESPN International and the worldwide release of the 2000 film Bring it On.

In high school, there are usually two squads per school—a varsity team and a junior varsity team. Some schools also include a freshman level of the sport in order to develop skills as the athletes mature. High school cheerleading contains aspects of school spirit as well as competition. These squads have become a part of a year-round sport, starting with tryouts in the spring, to year-round practice, to sporting events to cheer at in the fall and winter, and to cheerleading competitions.

The school spirit aspect of cheerleading involves cheering, supporting, and "pumping up" the crowd at football games, basketball games, and even wrestling meets. With this they also make posters, perform at pep rallies, and bring school spirit to the other students.




High School Football

High school football is referring to the American code in the United States and one of the most popular interscholastic sports at high schools.

High school football, also known as prep football or preps football. Many other traditions of high school football such as pep rallies, marching bands, mascots, and homecoming games are mirrored in college football.

The first game of the season is usually in early September and the final regular season game is usually in mid-November. The vast majority of high school football games are scheduled for Friday nights, with Thursday evenings and Saturdays being less heavily used. Alternate days are most common in larger school districts where the facilities are used by multiple schools, or where the playing field is not illuminated for nighttime use.

Every high school team in every state has a mascot or team name. Many are generic allusions conveying an image sense of strength, speed, and bravery. Thus, pluralized team names such as Tigers, Eagles, Wildcats, Trojans, and Warriors are fairly common throughout the country. Other team names, however, have a historical connection to the town or area where the high school or school district is located, such as a locally-important industry. Many new schools, or schools that had merged with other schools, have allowed their students to "vote" on a new school mascot or team nickname.

Transportation for students

In North America, the school bus is a specific type of government-regulated vehicle distinct from other types of buses. The United States have specially built and equipped school buses; by law these are required to be painted school bus yellow and equipped with various forms of warning and safety devices specific to them. 

A school bus is a type of bus used for transporting children and teenagers to and from school and school events. The first school bus was horse-drawn, introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom, and was designed to carry 25 children. In the United States, school buses are almost universally used to transport students. This service is almost always provided without charge to families.

School bus safety

The school bus stop laws in the United States is usually based on 11-705 of the 1992 Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) (© National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances)

UVC 11-705(a) The driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus that meets the color and identification requirements of 12-222(a), (b) and (c) of this code stopped on the highway shall stop before reaching such school bus when there is in operation on said school bus the flashing red lights specified in 12-222(a) and said driver shall not proceed until such school bus resumes motion or the flashing red lights are no longer actuated.

Students are always first, and every drivers of all vehicles have to stop and wait until the students are all passing safely,so the school bus starts to move again. Police officers, school crossing guards, and even school bus drivers themselves in certain places may have the power to wave traffic on even when red lights are flashing. All drivers must stop 100 actual feet behind the school bus.

Back to school~!

According US education system, new semester begins in fall. After long summer break, students are ready to go back to school.
Let see the unite states’ education structure. 

The ages for compulsory education vary by state, beginning at age five to eight and ending at the ages of fourteen to eighteen.  In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle school (sometimes called junior high school), and high school (sometimes referred to as secondary education). In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from preschool and kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, which is the final year of high school. Most children begin elementary education with kindergarten (usually 5 to 6 years old) and finish secondary education with twelfth grade (usually 18 years old).

The 12 years following the kindergarten year are usually organized under what is known as the ‘6-3-3 plan’ where grades 1 to 6 are in elementary (primary) school, grades 7 to 9 in junior high or middle school and grades 10 to 12 in a (senior) high school.

The school year usually runs from early September until May or June (nine months) and is divided into ‘quarters’ or terms (semesters). Some schools use the quarter system, which comprises three sessions: fall (September to December), winter (January to March) and spring (March to May or June). Others use a semester system made up of two sessions: fall (September to December) and spring (January to May).

The school day in elementary schools is usually from 8.30am to 3pm or 3.30pm, with an hour for lunch. In high schools, hours are usually from 7.30am to 2pm or 2.30pm. This is divided into six one-hour classes or four 90-minute classes (with a five-minute break between classes) and a 30-minute lunch break. Extra-curricular activities and sports are scheduled after school hours. Lessons in public schools are held from Monday to Friday and there are no lessons on Saturdays or Sundays.

Basic curricular structure

Generally, at the high school level, students take a broad variety of classes without special emphasis in any particular subject. Curricula vary widely in quality and rigidity; for example, some states consider 65 (on a 100-point scale) to be a passing grade, while others consider it to be as low as 60 or as high as 75.

The following subjects are fairly universally required in the United States:

• Science (usually two years minimum, normally biology, chemistry and physics)
• Mathematics (usually two years minimum, normally including algebra, geometry, algebra II, and/or precalculus/trigonometry)
• English (usually four years minimum, including literature, humanities, etc)
• Social Science (usually three years minimum, including various history, government/economics courses)
• Physical education (at least one year)
  
  

Enjoying outdoor activities in my neighborhood

Beyond the famous national parks, every communities help preserving their history and creating close to home outdoor experience. . People in community try to conserve and leave the nature just as what it is now to hand it over to next generations. They share the nature and live with wild animals. Finding wild animals such as deer, red foxes and raccoons in the gross near my house is not in surprise at all. On the streets, alongside of highways and near the neighborhood, there are always green. Overgrown trees are hanging down and swaying in the wind. Even in my back yard, I can fully enjoy green with snug sunshine and refreshing breeze.  

Every neighborhood has a certain range of park. Near my home, there are many trails for hiking, cycling, jogging and so on. Across Braddock road, there is a tail leading to Accotink Lake. Passing the dense forest pathway is just like a magic door guiding me to another world. People are used to going out in local parks. People are used to going out in local parks. They are picnic, canoeing, fishing and hiking with family, friends and neighbors. Having nature close to our life is really blessing.

There are so many people in lake. Some are fishing and some are boating. This is my first experience for canoeing. It is not easy for me to balance and rowing is really hard working. It is good time to experience Amerian culture.

Caring for environment, preserving history and nature, investing future for next generation are one of the preeminent ideas of the United States.

THE NATIONAL PARKS: My Parks

Pleasure of Preserving Nature

America's National Park system features living examples of some of the best things this nation has to offer — spectacular natural landscapes and places that reflect U.S' diverse culture and heritage. National parks are regarded as areas of great natural beauty that offer opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, and other outdoor recreational activities. In actuality, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act in August of 1916, the original intent was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment and will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

The National Park System today comprises 390 areas covering more than 83 million acres in 49 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. Even with the rich historical interpretation provided by National Park Service, statistics still show that the most visited parks are usually those that include great scenery and/or provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. In 1998, the five most popular destinations included the Blue Ridge Parkway, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Gateway National Recreation Area. Only one of the top 20 most visited sites was a national historical park or national historic site.

Preserving

National Park Service archeologists, architects, curators, historians, and other cultural resource professionals work in America’s nearly 400 national parks to preserve, protect, and share the history of this land and its people. This includes:

• 27,000 significant structures in national parks

• 66,000 archeological sites in national parks

• 115 million objects in park museum collections

Beyond the parks, the National Park Service is part of a national preservation partnership working with American Indian tribes, states, local governments, nonprofit organizations, historic property owners, and others who believe in the importance of our shared heritage – and its preservation. This includes:

• $1.2 billion in preservation grants

• 80,000 listings in the National Register of Historic Places

• 2,400 National Historic Landmarks

• $30 billion in historic rehabilitation tax credit projects

• 27 National Heritage Areas

The National Park Service also develops standards and guidelines for historic rehabilitation projects, offers “how to” advice for hands-on preservationists, and helps find new owners for historic lighthouses.

Pleasure of preserving the nature

U.S National Park

America's National Park system features living examples of some of the best things this nation has to offer — spectacular natural landscapes and places that reflect U.S' diverse culture and heritage. National parks are regarded as areas of great natural beauty that offer opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, and other outdoor recreational activities. In actuality, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act in August of 1916, it was not the primary purpose of the National Park Service to provide recreational opportunities. The original intent was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."