Johnny Cash

"I Hung My Head"

Early one morning
With time to kill
I borrowed Jebb's rifle
And sat on a hill
I saw a lone rider
Crossing the plain
I drew a bead on him
To practice my aim

My brother's rifle
Went off in my hand
A shot rang out
Across the land
The horse, he kept running
The rider was dead
I hung my head
I hung my head

I set off running
To wake from the dream
My brother's rifle
Went into the sheen
I kept on running
Into the south lands
That's where they found me
My head and my hands

The sheriff he asked me
Why had I run
And then it came to me
Just what I had done
And all for no reason
Just one peace of lead
I hung my head
I hung my head

Here in the court house
The whole town was there
I see the judge
High up in the chair
Explain to the court room
What went through you mind
And we'll ask the jury
What verdict they find

I felt the power
Of death over life
I orphaned his children
I widowed his wife
I begged their forgiveness
I wish I was dead
I hung my head
I hung my head

I hung my head
I hung my head

Early one morning
With time to kill
I see the gallows
Up on a hill
And out in the distance
A trick of the brain
I see a lone rider
Crossing the plain

And he'd come to fetch me
To see what they'd done
And we'd ride together
To kingdom come
I prayed for God's mercy
For soon I'd be dead
I hung my head
I hung my head

I hung my head
I hung my head

"Hurt"

(originally by Nine Inch Nails)

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here

[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

M.I.A. "Paper Planes"

"Paper Planes"


I fly like paper, get high like planes
If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name
If you come around here, I make 'em all day
I get one down in a second if you wait

[x2]
Sometimes I think sitting on trains
Every stop I get to I'm clocking that game
Everyone's a winner, we're making our fame
Bona fide hustler making my name

[x4]
All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money

[x2]
Pirate skulls and bones
Sticks and stones and weed and bombs
Running when we hit 'em
Lethal poison for the system

[x2]
No one on the corner has swagger like us
Hit me on my Burner prepaid wireless
We pack and deliver like UPS trucks
Already going hell just pumping that gas

[x4]
All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money

M.I.A.
Third world democracy
Yeah, I got more records than the K.G.B.
So, uh, no funny business

Some some some I some I murder
Some I some I let go
Some some some I some I murder
Some I some I let go

[x4]
All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money

STAR Testing Instructions

To Get the App

• Go to the App store
• Type "renaissance learning"
• Download the STAR application

To Login to the App

• Open the App
• In the settings ----- > url place paste in this
• https://hosted90.renlearn.com/283483/
• On the main page for username and password
• Username: all caps, first initial letter of your first name and first four letters of your last name; Marcus Schwager would be MSCHW
• Password: password  

• If it works, verify that your name is the one at the top of the screen.  If it isn't, there are others with your initials, and I will look up your password. 
• If it does not work, please see me.

Notes

• Each question has an allotted amount of time.  If you start running short, a timer will pop up. 
• If it asks for the monitor password, just bring it to me to type in. 

College Application Essay Examples

• Mr. Cameron: Bully (lemons to lemonade)
• Hugh Gallagher Lies (lies, creative lies, and no statistics)
• Ms. Silva: Childhood Embarrassment (good example of in medias res)
• Ms. Chen: Beauty for Ashes
• Ms. Nelson: Unusual Educational Background 
• Mr. Kirkendall: I am a Drummer 
• Mr. Lindeke: New Orleans

• Ivy League Example for 2016

• Statement of Purpose
• For the Writers in the Blog-House: Game Theory and Writing

Mr. Lindeke: NYU

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. Tell us about an external influence (a person, an event, etc.) that affected you and how it caused you to change direction.

          No one had told us to lower our voices, and yet, as we reached the crest of the bridge, our noisy din of clamor fell to an awkward silence as we took in the scene. The van reached the end of the bridge that connected New Orleans to the neighborhood of the Lower Ninth Ward, and we could see the entire destruction all at once: seemingly miles of one great, jumbled pile of debris.

           The van was still filled with silence. I found it amazing that some sort of roadway system, crude as it may have been, had been able to be dug through the mess. Pieces of walls and poster boards marked each pile of rubble which we took to have once been houses. They were marked crudely, with orange spray paint, telling the reader whether or not any bodies or dead animals had been found within.

           The van continued on and so did the devastation. Houses were crashed into each other, cars were upturned, and the few trees that dotted the landscape were littered with debris: bikes, chairs, laundry… reminders of the life that had once resided in the ward. I remember stopping for once to see what the others in the van were doing. I noticed that the clicks and flashes of the cameras had stopped long ago, that the other kids in the van, along with myself, had decided that this place was to be left alone, as if by even taking pictures of it were an act of disrespect. I noted the tears that streaked the cheeks of several of the kids. I felt ashamed that I felt very little emotion. It was all very surreal for me. I had not yet made the obvious connection between what was right before my eyes and what was reality. It would come only a while later, as we unloaded from the van and walked along the piles of rubble, the rubble that had once belonged to someone that I didn’t even know.

          I’d like to think that my trip to New Orleans was a life-changing one. For a few days I was able to leave the life that I was used to, that I was comfortable with, and was able to help others. I helped gut a house of all its sheetrock and mold, no fun task, but the appreciation of the homeowner, Cecilia, made it entirely worthwhile. I had to move crates and boxes of food and supplies, sort through donated goods at a distribution center, but I was also able to meet and talk to the wonderful people who passed by, knowing that I had somehow helped and made a difference.

         While in New Orleans, I met people who had lost their homes, friends, and even family members, and yet they had astounding optimism and hope for the future. These are people who I’ll forever remember as having a permanent attitude check for myself. My experience has also lent a constant reminder as to the fragility of life. This is something that has caused me to change my motivation in life, no longer striving for good grades or money, but for doing what I love and feel passionate about while making sure to help others along the way.