It is approaching–the end of the year…and that means we students are working on papers, handing in last minute assignments, and of course studying for finals. That may seem like a lot of stress; however there are a lot of activities that are keeping our stress levels down. Student Activities has planned out many events like casino night, movie night and of course stress free night. Students are also finding their own ways to deal with the stress of finals by going for walks or runs, going out to eat, or just taking some time for themselves. Some of the athletes are using their practices to mentally get away from their studies as well. Many students are working hard to get ready for finals, but at the same time, we all know we need to take some time to relax. Bring on the finals!
May 3rd, 2012
I can’t believe that it’s the end of the semester already! There is only one full week left before finals start and I am definitely starting to feel the crunch. This semester seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye! In the beginning of the semester all I could think was “Man, May is so far away!” However, now I wish I took advantage of that time. For the most part I have all of my work done. I have a few little assignments to complete before next Friday but I’m glad to see my To-Do list with a lot things crossed off (finally!) I also found out that I am going to do my third (yes, third) student teaching placement at the Children’s Center on campus!
My third placement is to help me finish up my second Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. I’ll be student teaching from June 11- July 6th. I’m excited to be student teaching over the summer because I will be working with the center’s summer camp program. By the time August rolls around I’ll be certified PreK-6th Grade and speaking of certification, on Monday I finally received my K-6 certification! I’m so excited. I even sent out a mass email to my entire family with a picture of it! All my hard work and dedication paid off and I finally have that certification in my hands. (Listen for the sigh of relief!)
The next two weeks are going to bring a lot of emotions my way. For one, I’m very excited that summer is right around the corner. I cannot wait until school is out (I’m going to be a teacher so in reality, school is never going to end for me but I wouldn’t have it any other way). I’m excited to be taking that next step in my career. Today I finished putting together four subbing applications that are 20 pages each! However, with the summer rapidly approaching comes a plethora of sad emotions. One reason being the separation of the dynamic duo that is RedMeg and Pomp (Lyndsey and I). Lyndsey has been my roommate for two years and this year it’s going to be sad leaving her because we’re not coming back! Also, leaving Townhouse Island will be sad. I’ve made the greatest group of friends this year and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I think that in years past I’ve been so eager to end the semester and go back home for a while but the fact that I’m not coming back in the fall is really weighing heavy on me. Graduation is so close, I can taste it and although I’ve been longing for it, I’m sure I’ll finally break down and cry that day. Good thing I’ve decided to move to NEPA full time! I may not be on campus all the time but being right down the road doesn’t seem so bad!
I think I have exhausted all of my emotions for one blog. The next time you see me (will hopefully be at Open House) I will officially be a Keystone College Alum! Happy studying everyone!
April 26th, 2012
I applied for a National Conference for Student Leadership (NCSL) in Boston, Massachusetts. I was so excited to find out I was one of the eight students chosen to represent Keystone College. I spent three days in Boston and it flew by! I have learned so much about myself here, as well as lots of techniques that I can’t wait to bring back to Keystone to share with fellow classmates. We have heard from wonderful keynote speakers that have changed my whole thought process and the way I am going to live my life. I know that I left the conference a different person and I am so excited to apply what I have learned here at NCSL to my life and to help others with theirs!
April 10th, 2012
Today we will be promoting the completion of housing contracts for next year. This will help everyone to get set and registered in advance—No worrying about not having housing for the fall!
Our goal is to get 250 students registered by the end of the week. First 75 get FREE SUNGLASSES!!! They’re pretty awesome, and you get your room selected early.
We’re all set to answer questions and get everyone housed for next year! Look for your RA’s in green today!
April 3rd, 2012
The conference was a blast! We went to a session all about educational games for kids. It was awesome! The speaker let us actually play the games too. They were a lot of fun! Afterwards, there was dinner and a keynote speaker. He was fabulous. We has another breakout session all about learning centers and the different ideas we can use. Three of our students are nominated to attend the National Conference in Washington D. C. In late April we will vote for them to attend!
After our last session we took a relaxing dip in the pool. A great way to unwind at the end of the day. The next day we had a business meeting where one of our members from Keystone was elected to the Regional Board. She is our new Secretary. The best part about this conference is the friendships you develop, not only with Keystone students–but with students from all over the state. I even got to catch up with my friends I made in Chicago! 
Our awesome room!
April 3rd, 2012
Now that Spring Break is over it’s time to get back into the swing of things here on campus. This upcoming weekend I am attending the Pennsylvania State Education Association Conference in State College, PA. Keystone has their own chapter of PSEA here on campus and I was fortunate enough to be the President last year and a returning member this year. I’m really excited to attend this conference. It’s a two day- one night event where education clubs from all over the state come together and learn different things about how to run a classroom, how to read a contract or even how to survive your first year of teaching! The past two years I was elected to go to the National Education Association conference in New Orleans and Chicago. This summer the conference is being held in Washington D.C. so I’m hoping I get the chance to attend again! That’s one of the things I love about Keystone and the club I am a part of. Not only are there many to do on campus but the clubs help keep you busy as well. Tonight we’re hosting a fundraiser for our club at T.G.I. Fridays!
As far as classes are going, things are well! I am currently only taking 12 credits this semester and I thought it would be a breeze but I have definitely been very busy. I had two presentations to give today. You would think after student teaching for an entire semester I wouldn’t get nervous about presenting something in front of a class but I still do! However, I am happy to report that both of my presentations went very well! Also, next week I should receive my scores for my Praxis II test. (The standardized test all Education majors must take in order to become a certified teacher.) Talk about nerve-wracking! Although it sounds like I have a lot going on, this is what I crave. Call me a nerd but I really enjoy going to class every day, working on projects and being on campus! I learned today that graduation is only 52 days away! It makes me so sad! Hope everyone else is having a great week so far!
March 28th, 2012
Well, today was my 22nd birthday! I was teaching all day long and was kind of stressed out. But, when I got home my roommates had a surprise waiting for me. My entire living room, parts of my kitchen and bedroom were all filled with balloons. It was so much fun. We spent a lot of time just running around in the balloons and playing with them. It was like we were little kids all over again. I love the fact that my roommates/house mates are so caring and spent the time to do such a fun thing for me. We also spent the night eating some cake and just hanging out. I am so lucky to have met such great friends at Keystone. I had a really wonderful birthday with them and know they will be in my life forever.
March 26th, 2012
Last night I had the privilege of hosting a wonderful girl who is interested in coming to Keystone in the fall. She got to sit in on my Horticulture class and then we headed over to the cafeteria for some delicious dinner. Next up on the agenda was a hike to show off the beautiful campus Keystone has.
After our hike we made a short road trip to get gas and stop for some snacks. Once back, we raided my snack supply and geared up to watch some movies. We started off with Contagion. This one turned out to be nothing of what we expected it to be, but was still an interesting film. The next movie showing was a scary movie called Insidious. If you are anything like me, you would jump a lot during this one! This one was extra creepy and surprisingly did not give us nightmares! After a night of fun times and adventures it was time for some shut eye.
All in all, it was a great visit! We got along amazingly my guest really loved the school. Hopefully I will have the pleasure of seeing her around campus in the fall!
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March 23rd, 2012
Tuesday was the first day of spring and what a better way to enjoy the day than by receiving free Italian ice from Rita’s. Many of us from Keystone took advantage of the opportunity. Some of us even went back multiple times because the Italian ice was so good. When we arrived, we saw the line and we were a little nervous because it was long. However, we only stood in line for about twenty minutes until we received our Italian ice. I went with the wild blueberry and kiwi-strawberry. While waiting and enjoying our free ice, we made new friends and caught up with old friends as well. It was a night most of us will never forget.
March 22nd, 2012
What a Spring Break! I spent it catching up with a few old friends, family and even a little school work. The week seemed to fly by. Since my dad recently had shoulder surgery, I spent a lot of time with him just hanging out and doing some good ol’ yard work. Continuing with my parent bonding I stopped and visited my mom at the Elementary school she works at and got to play ‘librarian’ for a bit. Between spreading the love between my parents, I also managed to spend some time with my older brother and my sister and her family.
It had been awhile since I had been home last, so it was great to catch up with some of my friend’s. The weather was amazing–just in time for break, so we found ourselves going on many adventures outside in the woods. Though I was on a mini-vacation from school, I still had to keep up with my one online class and internship work. For half a day I followed an animal caretaker at a local zoo by my house. I got to see what it was like to care and feed the farm animals that are housed at the zoo. The animals ranged from chickens and geese, to ponies and deer! I also had an interview for Six Flags Great Adventure. We shall see how that went soon! Overall, it was a pretty great break. As usual it went by incredibly fast, but I am so happy to be back at Keystone!
Two friends from my zoo visit
March 21st, 2012
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