Second Best

Coming in second, third, fourth, or what have you has never been an option in my life. Growing up, I can distinctly remember watching the Olympics with my parents. I caught on rather quickly that America simply kicks butt. Our nation believes in nothing but first place and neither do I. I think that that is what makes me so apprehensive about the AP test coming up.

I have been relatively successful in whatever I have tried in life. Things that I am not good at make me only work harder to be successful. I get good grades, I play varsity sports, I do a bunch of extra-curricular activities, and I even do stuff outside of LHS (crazy, right?). And in all of the above, I have awards hanging on my wall saying I have excelled in the various areas of my life. I say the preceding not to be a braggart, but because I expect success. I expect a five on the AP Lit test, as do so many people in our class because we are all so incredibly driven.

While we have worked hard all year , it is highly improbable that we will all get a five on the test (myself included). And I think that that is okay. We should all push ourselves to the absolute limit and bust our tails, but we must remember that at the end of the day, it is only a test. Not being the most successful sucks. Getting beaten in a scholarship essay competition by a kid who has always one-up’d in every part of life sucks. In the grand scheme of things though, the AP Test, essay competitions, being popular, and getting the girl are all so minor compared to who we will become. Regardless of our scores be them 3’s, 4’s, or 5’s (we are ALL capable of getting that J) we will ALL become outstanding individuals, and that’s the important thing. So my message is simple: stress about the AP Test, but not too much because there are so many more things that are more important than this AP test.

Graduation Goggles

 I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. The experiences I have had since then, the memories I have made, and most importantly, the friends that I have made all play a large part of who I am. As Tennyson said, “I am a part of all that I have met.” The beauty of life is the act that it goes on. Our high school careers have been an amazing chapter in our lives, but we are ready to go on to bigger and better things. Now we get to talk to next year’s rising seniors and we get to go into the AP Test with confidence because we have taken an AP Test before. Looking back at my four years at Lebanon High School I do not feel four years older, just four years wiser. I feel four years more confident in myself. I feel four years a better leader. I feel four years more prepared. I am excited for what life has in store for not just me, but for the Lebanon High School Class of 2011. (Oh! That may just be a line in my graduation speech!)

The Merit of the Seventh Amendment in today's American Democracy

It would be easy for me to come up with a definitive answer to the question as to whether our Seventh Amendment right to have a jury in a civil trial is essential in today’s democracy. It would be easy to pander to what I believe the judges want to hear. The simple fact of the matter however, is that there is no correct answer to whether a civil trial is essential in today’s society; that is what makes our American democracy so beautiful. First off, I believe it is pertinent to state that the Seventh Amendment has not been incorporated by the Supreme Court. Likewise, the Ohio Constitution gives an extremely vague description of how juries should be handled in civil cases.   While I believe that each civil case should have a jury, I hold this belief with strong reservations. I support the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Slocum v. New York Insurance Company, which upheld common law that judges can nullify a jury’s verdict if it is contradictory to the evidence of the law. The power of judges to interpret laws was originally introduced in Marbury v. Madison, which gave the judicial branch the power that it possesses today. In short, the Seventh Amendment should be enforced to ensure that the judicial branch does not retain too much power; judges, however, should be granted the power to reverse the jury’s decision if they do not see the verdict germane to the law.

President Lincoln once famously proclaimed that we have a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”. Our founding fathers recognized the need for citizen involvement by the people to make the American democratic system work for the people. From the judge, to the jury, to the lawyers, to the bailiff, the judicial system is made of the people of the United States of America. During his years as president, Lincoln saw a nation divided. President Lincoln realized that without the citizens keeping a check on the government, and the government keeping a check on its citizens, that the American system of democracy would become seriously flawed (See: Civil War). While the judicial system must have control over the people, the people must also check the judicial system to ensure that there is no misconduct afloat. Our present system maintains this healthy balance between the judicial branch and the people. As we are granted a trial of our peers and even by our peers, we are assured that neither the judge nor the jury can withhold a proper judgment against us. That is the beautiful thing about our American democracy; while we may have messed up, we are still guaranteed a fair trial, we are assured a just decision. There is an easy answer to whether a trial by jury is essential to our modern democracy; look at our present judicial system. Quaere omnia, ibi veritas iacit; question all things, the truth lies therein. (Yes, I had to look up the Latin translation!)