The Chronicles of Narnia (and by Narnia I mean MASC)...

The week of MASC's Summer Leadership Workshop in Fulton, Missouri is quite honestly the most chaotic week I think I've ever experienced. The week of MASC's Summer Leadership Workshop in Fulton, Missouri as a Junior Counselor (JC) was the most satisfyingly chaotic week of my life.

I was blessed enough to get to spend 7 days with 52 of the most outgoing, crazy, fun, and supportive people in the whole world. Over those 7 days we each got to watch 637 of the state's best leaders grow as a person and develop their leadership skills. I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life than during this past week.

I was lucky enough to get to spend time with Council E this past week. Watching them grow together and form bonds was magical. They became a team and a family. They became important to each other. They overcame obstacles, had fun, shared laughs, and created memories. They experienced the Magic of Fulton.

In the same way that council E bonded, the JCs for camp also bonded. I don't think I will ever find a group of people that I trust more than the JCs for the 2013 MASC Summer Leadership Workshop. They all seem to enjoy a good poop joke. They're all outgoing and helpful. They mean the world to me, and I miss them terribly.

I think I understand how the Pevensie children felt in the Chronicles of Narnia felt. They went to this amazing land and had adventures that changed their lives. Then they had to go home. They had to leave all of their friends behind and return to normal lives with normal people in a normal world.

That's kind of what leaving Fulton felt like... minus the talking animals, deadly battles, and potentially lethal plot-line. Fulton was an amazing land and the week was a life changing journey. Eventually it was over and we had to go home. Most of our friends live across the state and we had to go back to a life full of people who don't really understand why our week was the single best week of our lives.

There are a few differences, though. Yes, we had to go home. But some of our friends are still nearby. Yes, a lot of our friends live across the state. But we don't have to use a magical wardrobe to go see them. We just need gas money and the time to make the drive. People might not understand why MASC changed our lives, but we can show them. We can ooze gusto because that's our job.

 We are the ones who are supposed to give Gusto to the people who haven't experienced it yet.

We are the ones who are supposed to step up and give a helping hand when times are hard.

We are the ones who are supposed to help change and better the world.

And we can do all of these things together. We might be separated by distance and time, but distance and time are a small issue that can be easily overcome.

I will never forget this past week. It has left an impression in my memories that is far too deep to ever fade away. There's a famous saying that goes "It's not goodbye. It's I'll see you later." Google couldn't tell me where it was from (which was shocking), but I think it's a good quote to hold on to.

We might not be together physically anymore, but emotionally we're all connected, and we WILL see each other again.

Regina Spektor says it best in her song "The Call" with the lyrics "Let your memories grow stronger and stronger, 'til they're before your eyes. They'll come back when it's over. No need to say goodbye." I know in my heart we'll see each other again. So I refuse to say goodbye, because goodbye feels permanent. So I'll say this:

See you later, MASC.

I'm Such A Teal...

If you read my post about the colors of leadership then I'm hoping this title rings a bell. If you haven't, I implore that you read it before continuing on. And because I'm such a nice person, I'll include a link to it:

http://thelifeofanotejew.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-see-world-in-colors-of-leadership.html

Moving on.

Today was my StuCo banquet. As in my last event with the Liberty High School Student Council. EVER. Now, most people know me as a musical person. That one unathletic kid who plays the viola and recently joined choir. I'm going to let you in on a secret, though: StuCo is what turned me into who I am today.

Music made me a disciplined, patient, and slightly competitive person. And that's great.

StuCo, though... StuCo made me passionate, spontaneous, caring, organized, happy, loyal, timely, crazy (in a good way), friendly (sort of), outgoing, excited, empathetic, harmonious, negotiable, serene, calm, and a million other things. The result of 5 years of blood (I've bled for StuCo on a number of occasions), sweat (it's quite the workout), and tears (manly tears) with some of the most outgoing people (both my StuCo family at home and my MASC family in Fulton) have molded me into a person that, after a lot of soul searching over the past year, I've decided I kind of like.

As a Sophomore on StuCo I was the little kid. I was a small person in a big school and I wasn't too outgoing. I did what I had to to get by. I didn't join Student Council again because I wanted to make a difference. I joined Student Council because I had done it before and it was something familiar. Sophomore year was also the year that I had mono. I wasn't at school very often (I missed 1 out of every 9 or 10 days on average) and I didn't go to a whole lot of events. The events I did go to were fun, though.

As a Junior representative on StuCo I had to put my nose to the grind stone. There was one dreadful word that makes all Juniors on StuCo cringe: Prom. Prom is your job junior year. And dang if it isn't a stressful one. Your whole goal is to throw a dance that the senior class will never forget. It wasn't necessarily fun at first... but then I went to the Missouri Association of Student Councils State Convention.Wow. My eyes were opened. I had heard of MASC before, but I didn't know exactly how amazing it was.

MASC is crazy, loud, exciting, a rush, fun, insane, familial. MASC is home to me. Some of my favorite people in the whole world are people that I met at MASC. Once the festivities of prom (and I use the term "festivities" lightly) were over, I was off to MASC's Summer Workshop in Fulton, Missouri. It was part of the requirements for my newly acquired office (Student Body Vice-Presient... holla!) StuCo camp was literally the best week of my life... and I'll be surprised if I ever have a week that can top it.

Senior year StuCo. I'm the vice-president of the whole Liberty High School student body (granted I ran unopposed...). I have HUGE shoes to fill and a new calendar to maintain. Memories of camp with Family K (my camp council) are still very much vibrant and running through my head. I am now one of the people in charge on StuCo, instead of being one of the people being told what to do. The 2012-2013 StuCo is by far my absolute favorite. It's a year of firsts (our first StuCo lock-in, our first Stu-Co banquet, etc.). We hit the ground running, and the hard work didn't stop until today when our final banquet was over. I teared up a little bit, I'll admit. This year StuCo was emotionally exhausting in the best way possible. I've never been more proud than I was this year when I watched all of my StuCo family develop both as a group and as individuals. What's more is that I got to see my MASC family again at Winter Energizer during the Martin Luther King weekend. This year was a year full of group success and individual success. Group success because our StuCo bonded, we put on 3 killer dances, a ton of community service projects and we had fun doing it. Individual succcess because I managed to tackle Spike-It-Up without having a conniption and I get to go back to MASC Summer Workshop as a junior counselor, which I currently consider my biggest life accomplishment (even ranked over finishing 8th in the state on viola).

I don't think there's a thing about high school that I will miss more than StuCo. I wish I could be a part of it forever, but that chapter of my life is finished and it's time to pass on the torch. I love every single person on StuCo more than I can describe with words, and I can't wait to see them tackle challenges that life throws them and climb mountains that stand in their way. I am so indescribably proud of the StuCo that I was blessed enough to be a part of for 3 years, and knowing that my time with them is done kills me.

It may seem selfish, but I hope that in some way I managed to immortalize myself in Student Council. I hope the class of 2013 StuCo members managed to do something that will forever be remembered by every StuCo that comes after ours.

I hope we made a difference.

Graduating with Spongebob Squarepants

I had to write a graduation speech for Comm. Arts... Enjoy.

Throughout my life, I have had many learning experiences. For example: It’s never a good idea to drink apple juice right after you brush your teeth (for the record, I hate orange juice). Fedoras will never be in style. It’s perfectly okay to wait to do an assignment until the night before it’s due. If you have to choose between doing your school work and getting on Twitter… well 4000 tweets later and you should be able to admit that you have a problem. My name is Tyler and I am a tweet-a-holic. If you would like to sponsor me please let me know. If you leave a Lego on the floor and step on it, you will be in pain. Likewise, if you leave a Lego on the floor and your parents step on it you will be grounded.

                There are a lot of lessons I learned in my childhood, but some of the most important lessons came from my childhood hero… Spongebob Squarepants. This little sponge practically defined the meaning of life. Without Spongebob I never would have learned that the best time to wear a striped sweater is, conveniently, all the time! The Krusty Krab pizza is indeed the pizza for both you and me and mayonnaise is not an instrument*mind blown gesture.* But there are five very important lessons that Spongebob and company taught me that have been able get me through high school:

1.       Pursue your goals with enthusiasm. When Spongebob and Patrick wanted to be entrepreneurs did they let anything get in their way? No. They sold their chocolate bars with their eyes on a prize: Fancy living. Nothing could stop. If you have a goal don’t let anything stop you from going after it. Former football coach and motivational speaker Lou Holtz once said: ““If you're bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, you don't have enough goals.” High School has taught me that life is much more enjoyable if you wake up every day and tell yourself, like Spongebob, “I’m ready.”

2.      

       You don’t have to be what everyone expects you to be. My spirit animal, Gary the Snail, once said: “Meow…” I’ll just let that sink in. We live in a society where people want to turn you into something. There’s no rule that says you have to let them. If Sandy Cheeks conformed to society would she be living in a dome underwater? No. She’s a squirrel. Coincidentally she’s also a woman who is a rocket scientist and a karate master. Spongebob and company taught me that it’s perfectly okay to be an un-athletic male in a society obsessed with sports. Perfectly fine. Not one thing is wrong with that scenario. Everyone has the right to be the person that they want to be. Except for Jack the Ripper.

3.     

            Don’t take things for granted. The world is not obligated to hand you your life on a silver platter. If you expect the world to be spoon fed to you, you are sorely mistaken. If you expect life to be spoon fed to you while saying “open the tunnel, here comes the train!” you are sorely immature… and still mistaken. The fact is that sometimes your neighbor / co-worker annoys you. They like to sing songs and interrupt your clarinet playing. They’re kind of loud and obnoxious. But when you find out that they might have swallowed an explosive pie you realize you took that person for granted. You are going to miss that person. While we might not realize it now, there are things about high school that we are going to miss. It varies from person to person. Don’t wait to appreciate the things you have until after they’ve ingested an explosive pie.

4.    

             Your friends are important. Every Spongebob needs a Patrick. Who else is going to go Jellyfishing with you? Who else will blow bubbles with you? Once upon a time Spongebob asked Patrick “What do you normally do when I’m gone?” To which Patrick replied “Wait for you to get back.” That’s beautiful. If there’s one thing that Spongebob taught me that has helped me survive the occasionally hellish world of public high school, it’s that you should be able to lean on your friends. More importantly you should be able to have fun with your friends. High school was a lot easier when you were having fun.

5.    

            If you have a passion you need to go for it.  Squidward plays his clarinet. Sandy is a rocket scientist karate master. Mr. Krabs is a cheapskate. Spongebob does karate, fry cooking, jelly fishing, the occasional song, laughing, nose-fluteplaying, weight lifting when he had those blow up muscle arm things that I wish I had, driving (kind of), and his love for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Everyone minus Lindsay Lohan has the right to be passionate about something (as long as that passion isn’t collecting your nail clippings, streaking, veganism, or a dedication to bad personal hygiene). If you love it go for it. If you want it you need to go out and get it, because good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to people who get off their butts and chase after them… unless you count excessive amounts of cholesterol as a “good thing.” Then by all means, sit there and wait.

 High school is a government mandate that occasionally drives you crazy… just like sales tax. However, unlike taxes, high school was, hopefully, good for you and a learning experience. Hopefully you will walk across that stage, diploma in hand (unless you didn’t pay those parking tickets or library fines) and feel like you have accomplished something. As young adults I think that sometimes we forget that this is the end of a chapter, and the novel of our lives is still very much in the beginning part of the story. The best part is that you’re the author. Write the story that you would want to tell (and try not to base it off of the life of Amanda Bynes or Charlie Sheen). There’s a whole world out there that you haven’t seen yet. So as the random pirate picture on the wall would say… are ya’ ready kids?

My Bucket List...

So for Comm. Arts we had to make a bucket list... and here's what I came up with.

Please. Enjoy.

15. Learn to play the cello, piano, violin, oboe, clarinet, and french horn. Just because.

14. Perform Bruckner's 8th Symphony. Just because the finale is my favorite thing ever.

13. Perform Mahler's 8th Symphony. It's perfection for the ears.

12. Be in a Jenna Marbles video. She's sarcastic. I'm sarcastic. YouTube would explode from the sarcasm.

11. Meet (Marry) Jennifer Lawrence. Shes basically flawless.

10. See Paramore, Muse, and Mumford & Sons in concert. They're simply my favorite bands.

9. Catch a fish. Never done it. I've been fishing multiple times.

8. Learn to play the Bruch violin concerto and the Dvorak cello concerto. They're my favorite concerti ever.

7. Obtain doctorates in psychology and viola performance. Just so I can be "Dr. Hannsz."

6. Use said psych degree to better the world. Even if it's just one person's world.

5. Go back to MASC camp. Check.

4. Be on Chelsea Lately. But really. You'd watch it.

3. Tell Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan to get their s*** together. Just to be able to say that I did it.

2. Be on the SNL weekend update. I love political humor.

1. Take friends to Boston and Rhode Island. I want to go back SO BAD.

Anticipation...

If my senior year of high school was the mile run that I'm forced to suffer through in gym, this portion of the year would be what I like to call "The last stretch." It's that part of the mile where athletically challenged kids (Such as myself) are super winded, have a stitch in their side, but you know if you don't finish everyone will laugh at you. 

My trick to actually finishing the mile before class is over, though, is to envision the satisfaction finishing the run will bring. So that's how I'm going to power through the last month of school (and there really is only a month left of my high school career): I'm going to envision all of the fun I'm going to have this summer, and if I overcome the obstacle that is senioritis I will have earned the right to have a great summer. 

Things I am looking forward to this summer:

1. Life guarding. Is that weird? I'm looking forward to working. I mean... "working." I think I have the best possible summer job. Sit there, get a tan, get paid. The hard part of my job so far? I had to sit there in the rain once. I have to check the chemicals in the pool. I clean the bathroom on occasion. I mean, as long as nobody starts drowning it's pretty easy (so don't get any ideas, Woodneath residents). The best part of this summer is probably the fact that I'm friends with a majority of the people at my pool this summer. Oh, and the money.

2. Royal's games. So this weekend I learned that, SURPRISE, you can go to sporting events and have fun if you're in good company. Who knew? I for sure want to go back. It's a good opportunity to just relax and enjoy myself, and we all totally deserve to relax and enjoy ourselves after the stresses of high school are put behind us.

3. Worlds of Fun... I hope. Rollercoasters really bring out my inner adrenaline junky, and I promised myself that there were a few people who were going to get over their fear of amusement park rides whether they liked it or not. Challenge accepted.

4. My final two youth symphony concerts. Youth symphony is a life changing program that helps anyone and everyone evolve as a musician, and I'm going to cherish these last two concerts. I don't know what I'll do with my Sundays after June.

5. My senior recital. People don't appreciate the dedication and discipline it takes to be a musician. This is my chance to show everyone what I've been working on for the past 7 and a half years. 

6. Potentially MASC camp? That has yet to be determined, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hold my breath and say a quick prayer that I can go back one more time. 

7. Spending time with friends. Whether it's at the pool, or sitting around a fire in someone's driveway, I'm going to cherish the time I get to spend with people this summer. I go off to big boy school in a few months, and a lot of us will be parting ways very soon. Who am I kidding? I'm going to be a hot mess on move-in day. Someone's going to have to hold me. 

I'm not sure what the future holds in store for me, but I'm going to hold my head high and hope for a good summer. This is the final stretch of the race, and I plan on finishing strong. 

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone!

-- Tyler

My Ten Favorite Moments In High School So Far...

I'm just going to say that picking my top ten moments in high school (so far) is no easy task. I've had more than my fair share of amazing experiences, but I'll give it my best shot.

I present, in no particular order, my ten favorite moments I had in high school:

10. Opening day at the Kauffman Center - Fall 2011 - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: Youth Symphony was like... one of the first groups to play in Hellzberg Hall, which is easily one of the best concert halls in the nation.We sounded awesome. And by the end of my final season in KCYS, I'll have played in there five times. It gets my heart racing every time I think about it. 

9. Youth Symphony of Kansas City Fall concert - Fall 2012 - UMKC: This was my second concert as the principal violist in the top group for KCYS. We played Brahm's Academic Festival Overture and Elgar's Enigma Variations. And the Elgar had a viola solo. Sweet Jesus. The solo wasn't even that hard, and it was a few measures long... but it was probably the single most frightening musical experience I've ever had. 

8. Mission Trip - Summer 2012 - DeSoto, MO: This was easily one of the most introspective experiences I've ever had. I had just tried my hand at church, and I figured "Eh? Why not go on a mission trip?" I can't even begin to express what a good decision that was. I think that by going and learning more about God and getting some "hands on experience" I was able to learn more about myself. As the week progressed I really got the chance to reflect on my life and my values, and decide who and what meant something to me. Oh, and I got to go to City Museum... so there's the cherry on top of the sundae. 

7. All-State Orchestra - Winter 2013 - Tan-Tar-A Resort: This was my second year in all-state. I finished my high school music career as 8th in the state on viola. Hooray! I'm not going to lie, I actually really hate the idea of all-state. That makes me sound like a bit of a prick, I know. But the idea of spending a week doing like 3 or 4 two hour rehearsals every day (and having to put up with some super weird room mates) isn't really what I'd call "fun." What made all-state 2013 earn a spot on the list was the times I got to spend with friends outside of rehearsal. Whether we were bowling, playing in an arcade, or having a potluck with a really weird assortment of foods (I had pizza wrapped in bacon and a tortilla shell, if that tells you anything), we were usually always laughing. Oh, and the conductor called us hot mamas and papas. That was an added bonus. 

6. Float Trip - Summer 2012 - Elk River, MO... ish: This was just a really nice relaxing weekend. I got to bring two of my best friends with me on a float trip, and we had fun. And when we were done floating it started to rain and we watched a movie that I don't even remember the plot of anymore. It was a good way to end the summer with some of my favorite people. Simple as that.

5. Student Council Northwest District Convention - Fall 2012 - Chillicothe High School... I think: This was my first year going to StuCo districts and actually knowing people. I got to reunite with some camp friends (and I seize every opportunity I get to spend time with them, because the chances are rare) and spend a good chunk of the day having a dance party with my home council. The energy at any MASC event is incredible. In 8th grade I was the kid who awkwardly sat in the corner and didn't participate in the dance at all. This year I was shamelessly doing Gangnam Style surrounded by hundreds of strangers. Hey, that's what MASC does to you in five years. 

4. MASC State Convention - Spring 2012 - Truman High School: This is where my love for StuCo was truly awakened. I will never forget the MASC State Convention for as long as I shall live. State is the reason I became absolute determined to go to StuCo camp. I learned so much about what it means to be a leader at state.

3. Winter Energizer - Winter 2013 - Jefferson City, MO: Being away from my MASC family for months at a time is excruciatingly painful. Being away from the joy and harmony of MASC itself for any given amount of time is also painful. That's why you have Energizer. It's a chance to go back and see your friends from summer camp, and have the weekend of your life. That's not an exaggeration. Winter Energizer was the single best weekend of my life so far. I got to spend time with some of my Family K and see other MASC friends as well as make MORE MASC friends (one can never have too many MASC friends). Winter Energizer is the reason why I find pink lemonade to be one of the funniest things in the world, and I wish I could explain why that is... but that'd be an awkward conversation that nobody except my friends in Cabin 2 would understand. Sorry. 

2. ASTA Convention- Winter/Spring 2013 -  Boston, MA and Providence, RI - I've never had the opportunity to bond with an orchestra like I did in Boston. I got to know people that I never thought I would ever take the chance to become friends with, and that week my name was changed to Alex. Sometimes you just have to roll with things, ya know? Whether we were running through the mall where everything was way too expensive, we were building a teddy bear in Build-A-Bear-Workship, or we were getting matching polos for the ASTA banquet, I was having the time of my life. If I could go back and relive Boston, I would do it in a heartbeat. 

1. MASC Summer Leadership Workshop - Summer 2012 - Fulton, MO: I've said pretty much all there is to say about camp. It's the single best week of my life I've ever had. I got to be a part of Family K and experience the magic of Fulton, and I think it's made me a different (and better) person. There will always be a special place in my heart for MASC and my MASC family. We started the week as total strangers, and by the end of camp we were close enough that to outsiders it would have seemed awkward.

There. My ten favorite moments during high school. Granted, I still have two more performances left in the Kauffman Center, graduation, prom, and I'm determined to see my Family K again before I graduate. So this is all subject to change. But for the time being, this is what has made my life pretty much awesome for the last 2 years. 

Stay awesome, everyone!

-- The Jewish looking kid with German heritage (that's me)

Change...

I guess it's inevitable that my life is going to start changing now that I'm reaching the final stretch of my high school career. It still seems incredibly surreal that in a few months I'm probably going to be living in a dorm room with a total stranger and I'll practically be on my own when it's not the summer, a major holiday, a break, or a weekend when I decided I'm too poor and need to collect my dues from my parents.

In the past month alone the amount of change I've seen in my life is ridiculous. People that I had pretty much severed connections with (and had absolutely no hope of being close to ever again) are making an effort to reconnect (and you won't hear me complaining). People are starting to realize that time is both precious and also the enemy.

Speaking of time, it seems I have really poor timing. I have come to realize that, unlike what seems to be the status quo attitude, I actually am quite fond of a decent amount of the underclassmen at Liberty High School. What sucks is the fact that 1) they're underclassmen and wont' be graduating with me. 2) I waited until my last semester of high school to get to know most of them. Oops...

Needless to say my whole world is slowly but surely being flipped onto its head, and there's a lot of evidence to suggest that the class of 2013 is starting to realize that the little bubble called "high school" that we've been living in for the past three years is about to burst whether we like it or not. On more than one occasion the paralyzing and somewhat overwhelming fear of my uncertain future has driven me to almost pee my pants.

This is all happening so fast.

What do you mean I need to pick a career path?

What do you mean I need to find a way to pay for college?

What do you mean I'm pretty much living away from Liberty for months at a time?

This is all happening so fast.

Can I get pregnant from this?

Who's going to pay child support?

Who's going to put me back on track when I get distracted like I just did ten seconds ago?

Who is going to answer all of these questions? I don't have a magic eight ball anymore!

I'm one part excited and one part nervous to start a new chapter in my life. I'm confident that if I follow my gut everything will work out, though. Here's hoping that college leads to a life that I love (preferably with a steady and comfortable income... talk about musician problems).

Cheers!

-- The sarcastic kid with the Jewish hair...