My Memoir

English Memoir

By Lucas Van Eps

I don't really know if there has been an event that has really changed my life that has happened to me yet.  I’m sure it will happen one day, whether when I get married, graduate, or something else.  One thing I know that I am grateful to God for allowing  me to come to a Christian school for my education.  I don't even know what it would be like going to a different public school, but I am glad that I can go here and be around great Christian friends.  My friends are great to have around because when I am going through hard times they are there for me and can build me up.  There are many new kids that have come to this school and joined my class. They have been very fun to get to know, and now I consider them to be very close friends.   There are several more things that I enjoy about this school.  Even sometimes when I am down my friends say to me, “It’s ok, God will help you through this.”

One thing I enjoy about this school is the friendly atmosphere.  There are many kids that love the school for this reason and I am one of them.  You can just tell when you walk in the building that it is a Christian school.  There aren't a lot of lonely people and everybody just kind of fits in with each other and gets along.  I’m glad of the atmosphere that nobody here does drugs or smokes or anything like that.  It is a Christian atmosphere and I like that those kind of things are not allowed here.  Another thing I love about this atmosphere is the teachers.  They are very friendly and I like that option that I can always go to a teacher whenever I want to talk to them about problems that I have.  I have never really had a big problem that I need to talk about to them, but I like that I can.  I like that this school is located in a small town and that everyone basically knows each other.  The parents know a lot of kids and give generously to the school to benefit us and our education. 

Another thing that I enjoy is that we can have chapel and that we can basically pray anytime we want.  Chapel is just such a great experience and some of those chapels have influenced me and changed my life.  When we had Rick and Mick come two years ago that was very influential and changed me.  I was even brave enough to go up there and prayed.  I said,” Thank you for coming here and talking to us, I really feel like this week I got closer to God.”  Then they said, “Your welcome, we enjoyed coming here.”  That was one event where I came a lot closer to God and my spiritual life grew a lot that week.  Praying in school with everybody is another time that I feel closer to God.  One other thing I enjoy is writing faith journals for Ms. Groen’s class.  Even though I don't like it as homework, I think it is a good idea to express our faith on paper and allow a teacher to read our testimonies and our struggles.  Even though it sometimes can be nerveracking to express our faith in front of others.  

I also like this place because I am getting a great education here and it is preparing me for college.  I think it would be hard to go to a public school and not be able to talk about God or my spiritual life at all.  I don't want to be judgmental to public schools, but I have heard about bad things that have happened at them.  Some days I am not excited to be at school, but I think I need to think about how lucky I am that I can go to this school.  In this school I can get a great education and feel close to God at the same time.  

I feel sorry for some Christian kids that don't have the privilege to go to a Christian school.  I’m very lucky to be able to go to this school and that I am lucky enough to live very close to this school.  It is also convenient that my church is only a little ways away from the school.  I would dare to bet some kids would be willing to drive fifty miles to be able to go to a Christian school; this makes me even more thankful to live a couple miles away.    

I need to thank my parents for even letting me go to this school.  Even though this school costs a little bit of extra money, I think it is very worth the extra money to go to this school.  Nothing in an instant has really changed my life so far, but going to CMCS is one thing that has changed my life in the long run.  It has been a great experience and I am looking forward to spending my last three years here and eventually graduating.  It has greatly influenced my life and given me a great education.  I would like to thank God again for just putting me in this position and allowing me to go to this school. 

Any Topic Essay

Fishing Essay

By Lucas Van Eps

Fishing is a fun outdoor sport that many people enjoy and participate in annually.  It is a patient game that takes hours to catch a good fish. Some people do it just for the fun of it, others do it to survive, even others do it to make money in tournaments.  According to the Food and Agricultural Organization there are an estimated 38 million commercial and sport fishermen world wide.  It has been used for thousands of years and is the primary source of food for many people around the world.  There are many different ways to fish besides the typically thought of angling.  Fishing is also part of the economy and provides many people with their food and gives many families their incomes.

There are several different techniques for catching fish.  You can gather, angle, trap, or even spear them.  Gathering is a traditionally low tech way of catching fish.  To do this type of fishing you must have either very fast hands or try to catch very slow moving fish.  Trapping fish is also very low tech way of fishing.  There are very modern fish traps and some old traditional fish traps that have been used for hundreds of years.  Spearing and angling are more recent techniques.  Spearing is relatively simple, you wait very still for a long time and when you see a fish throw at it. Angling is a much more complex way of catching fish.

Angling is the way to catch a fish by hook which is attached to a fishing line.  The line is hooked up to a rod and reel.  There are hundreds of different kinds of rods, ranging from a simple stick to a couple of hundred dollar fiberglass rod.  The standard way to use the hook is to put bait on the hook or have a bait looking hook called tackle.  There are many different kind of hooks and many different kinds of tackle too.  There are also many different kinds of bait.  There are artificial lures and also bait such as worms or minnows.  Many different techniques are used for angling, from jigging to trolling behind a boat.  Angling is a great past time and probably the most efficient way of trying to catch a fish.

Commercial fishing is also a very important industry.  It can range from a huge fishing vessel or a single man selling his fish at the market.  Millions of fish are commercially caught for human consumption and this industry employs millions of people.  There are millions of commercial fishing vessels that catch hundreds of different kinds of fish such as crab, tuna, shark, and many others.  There are also people which raise fish to eat, and also raise them to be released back into the wild, this is called fish stocking.  Commercial fishing is also a very dangerous occupation and costs about 100 peoples’ lives every year in the United States.

Fishing is a fun sport for many people and a job for many other people.  With hundreds of ways to catch fish and thousands of fish to catch, the possibilities of fishing are just about endless.  The history of fishing goes back to thousands of years ago and has been completely changed with our modern technology.  Fishing is a fun sport which I would encourage people to go out and try.  

My Compare and Contrast Essay

Hurricanes and Blizzard Compare and Contrast

By Lucas Van Eps

Hurricanes and blizzards are natural disasters that cost many people their lives and create a lot of destruction.  Both have very high winds and blow things around which is what makes them very dangerous.  Both things can be very devastating but a hurricane is much, much worse.  

A blizzard is a very intense winter storm that has very high winds and extremely low temperatures.  To be categorized as a blizzard and not just a snow storm the winds have to exceed thirty-five miles per hour, and have blowing snow that frequently drifts over.  During a blizzard there is just about zero visibility.  Blizzards dump lots of snow on an area and can prevent people from moving around because the snow is so deep.  When it snows in the mountains it can cause avalanches and slippery roads everywhere which can be dangerous.  The biggest danger though is probably the extreme cold that people can be exposed to.  Some times even minutes with flesh exposed to the cold can cause frostbite.  Blizzards can be very dangerous in some cases and people need to be aware of their dangers. 

A hurricane is a severe tropical storm that is characterized as a low pressure center that produce strong winds and heavy rain.  To be considered as a hurricane and not just a tropical storm the winds must exceed 74 miles per hour.  Hurricanes usually only form during the summer months, not in the winter.  While hurricanes produce powerful winds they also produce very strong waves and powerful flooding.  They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose strength as they move over land.  They can cause extensive coastal flooding up to twenty five miles from the coast line.  The center of the hurricane is the most intense part of the storm, they can be as big as 230 miles across and can reach wind speeds over 160 mph.  These strong winds can destroy vehicles, buildings, and other outside objects.  The actual flooding is what causes the most deaths.  The flooding can also cause mudslides that happen after the rain loosens up the land.  Over the past two centuries, hurricanes have been responsible for the deaths of about 1.9 million people over the world.  Even though hurricanes are extremely destructive they are an important part of rainfall patterns.

As different as these two storms are there are some similarities between the two.  Both of these storms take lives of hundreds of each people every year.  They each are known for their extremely high winds and how they blow precipitation around.  Each precipitates a lot and can slow things down and cause people to not even move.  They are both severe storms that people are aware of.

The hurricane and the blizzard are alike and different in many different ways.  The hurricane is a lot more intense and causes a lot more damage.  The blizzard is a weaker storm, but can last for weeks and can snow people in, which doesn't allow them to move for long periods of time.  All in all, hurricanes are a lot more damaging and fierce, but both storms are bad and can cause a lot of damage.

My Persuasive Essay

English 9 Persuasive Essay

By Lucas Van Eps

Drivers that have been caught driving drunk, should be punished severely.  Doing this would teach them a lesson, they would be scared to do it again.  Imagine if you were a drunk driver who killed an innocent kid, think of how you would feel.  This is why if the penalty was getting their license taken away, there would be a lot less people that would drive drunk.  Driving is a privilege, those that abuse that by driving drunk should have their licenses taken away for a year.  

Drunk driving is a major killer.  Listen to some of these facts.  The average drunk driver drives 80 times before he or she is caught.  Car crashes are the number one leader of teen deaths in the United States; one third of these are alcohol related.  50 to 75% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive under a suspended license.  This last fact is especially important.  If their license would be taken away for a year or more they couldn’t even drive.  To drunk drivers this law would seem very unfair, but to everybody else this would seem totally logical.

Alcohol when absorbed into the body, has an impairment brain function which reduces the brain’s ability to make logical decisions.  This is why driving is affected, because your brain can’t decide when to turn or stop in time which can cause a crash.  On average, one person every minute is injured in an alcohol-related crash.

The suspension of licenses is a good idea, but more harsh punishments need to be created.  The first offense is a 90-day suspension, but I believe the second a person is found drunk they need to have their licenses taken away for a year of more.  I think how long their license is take away should depend on if they have other passengers with them or how drunk they are.  If they are involved in a crash their license should be taken away for 10 plus years and should serve  jail time if it is serious enough.

There are many terrible stories of how innocent people are killed by drunk drivers.  Most all of drunk drivers regret driving drunk once they are sober again.  Georgia is the only state that on your first offense you have your license taken away for a year.  I also think that when a person is found driving drunk more than once they need to either be arrested or have their license taken away for longer than a year as they do in Georgia.  All states need to follow in their footsteps and increase the security of the penalties.  Drunk driving is a very dangerous act and all people that are accused of it need to be punished very severely.

My Celebration Essay

Celebratory Essay

By Lucas Van Eps

Tim Tebow is one person that I really look up to.  He is a professional football player and a very strong Christian man.  He lives an amazing life and has a great story of how he has come to be what he is.  

Early in his life is where he got his story which is what he lives by today.  His parents were missionaries in the Philippines when his mom was pregnant with him.  His mom suffered a life threatening infection which could have cost his mom and Tebow their lives.  The doctor recommended an abortion as the best option.  Tebow’s mother said no and thankfully gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  

Tebow was home schooled by his parents who constantly reminded them of Christ’s grace.  In 1996, Florida legislature passed a law that allowed home schooled students to participate in high school sporting events  so he eventually he got into Nease High School and played quarterback for the first time.  He became very good and was named Florida’s high school football player of the year, and was drafted in the University of Florida.   In Florida, he won a Heisman trophy in 2007 and won the BCS National Championship in 2008.  In 2010 he entered the NFL draft and was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

The main reason that I look up to him is that he is such a strong Christian.  Every time he is on an interview he brings up how God allows him to play football to glorify Him.  He does numerous christian ads on different Christian issues and especially abortion.  He even did a commercial during the Super Bowl.  He publicly professes his faith everywhere he goes and gets criticized by a lot of people for doing it.  Even though he gets criticized, he still continues to do it.  In one instance where he won the game on the final play, he said, “I would like to thank my Lord, Jesus Christ for giving me the chance to play.”  He also always says at the end of the game that football is just a game and God doesn’t care who wins.

Tebow has great fame and a great faith in God.  I just hope that the fame doesn't go to his head.  He is a great influence to many kids and I look up to him because he is a strong Christian who has the courage to express his faith.  Tim Tebow is a great man and I think everybody should see how he plays the game, and see how much of a devoted Christian he is and follow in his example.

English 9 book report

Hatchet Book Report

By Lucas Van Eps

Brian Robenson has just crash landed into the Canadian wilderness with just a hatchet his mom gave him and whatever he has in his pocket.  He has to be able find food, get drinkable water, and make shelter.  He also must be able to survive the brutal weather and all the animals that live there.  

         It all started when Brian's parents  divorced so he had to go and visit each one every other month.  So he gets on a Cessna 69697 bush plane to fly him into Canada to his parents’ house.  All of a sudden the elderly pilot has a heart attack and dies.  So Brian eventually has to land the plane in a small lake in the Canadian wilderness.  He gets trapped under the plane at first and struggles and eventually gets out and gets up to the surface for air.

         He swims to shore and doesn't know where he is or what to do next.  He is very thirsty so he drinks the lake water.  This makes him sick so he doesn't move for a long time.  He finds an overhanging rock where he decides to make his shelter.  He goes and finds some berries and he is so hungry that he eats way too many of them, and it makes him sick.  He throws up all the berries which makes him hungrier than he was before.  So he goes and looks for more food and finds other berries.

         He uses his hatchet to make a fire.  He finds a special rock and when he strikes the ax head on it, it creates a spark.  He also uses his hatchet to make all his tools and even some weapons, like a bow and a fishing spear.  He is good with these weapons and catches most of his food like fish and rabbits, and they are also a good way of protection.  So Brian not only survives but thrives.

         One night a tornado blows in and destroys his fire and his shelter, but it reveals the tail end of the plane in the lake.  After he fixes his shelter and camp he makes a raft to go check the plane out.  He makes a raft and swims out to it.  He accidentally drops his hatchet into the water once and had to dive down three times to retrieve it.  He cuts his way into it and finds a survival pack with a rifle, a emergency transmitter, and food packs.  He activates the transmitter but thinks it is broken and throws it to the side.  One day while cooking food a man arrives on a float plane that picked up his signal, so he brings Brian home to see his parents again.

         In this exciting fiction book, Gary Paulsen creates a character who has to completely change the way he thinks in order to survive in the wild.  The setting and the plot of the book is believable and it could almost happen to you.  The conflict in this story has to do with his parents.  He is mad and blames this event on his parents divorce, and doesn't forgive them for it.  Through out the book the character changes, in that he thinks before he does and notices things a lot more around him.  The book is so good that it won a Newberry Honor award.  You will like this book if you are into action stories, this book will leave you wondering what will happen next.  Hatchet is a good book for most ages and once you start reading it you won’t want to stop.   

English 9 Story

Rodger’s Great Victory

By Lucas Van Eps

Captain Rodgers stormed into the room, his face burning red.  “Attention men!” he yelled.  The several soldiers in the room shot up from their slouched positions and stood straight as an arrow.  “What are we going to do about Whalen?”, the old desolate room seemed to echo the words.  Nobody knew what to do, they were puzzled.

“He has killed 15 men in 3 days; we need to put a stop to this.”  Captain Rodgers wanted answers, but no one in the room had them.  One tall, lanky kid, named James slowly raised his hand.  “Spit it out, son” Rodgers bellowed.

“Well, I've heard he is camped on the east side of the Holt River, in western Germany, so if we sneak there in the middle of the night maybe we can surprise him,” James exclaimed.  Whalen thought about the plan for a minute, and started to like it.  As long as nobody would give the plan away it sounded like it would work.  So the men discussed the matter for a couple days and eventually decided to do the mission in three days.

So they left the town of Luver, France on September 29, and left the destroyed and deserted town behind.  They took as many weapons and ammunition as they could carry, because they had no idea what they would all need.  It was a six-hour hike to the Holt River, where they stopped and camped for the night.  It was a cold night, so they sat around the fire telling stories and wishing they were with their loved ones.  They set out again in the morning knowing this could be the day they'd been waiting for a long time.

While the men were walking they came over a hill and spotted a small town way off in the distance.  There was one tall building that stood out above the rest; they assumed Whalen would be in this building to have a good view and height advantage.  The oldest member of the group, Corporal Taylor, suggested that they go around to the west side.  On that side there were more trees and better places for hiding.  

They slowly crept around this way, it was now already about three in the afternoon, and they were just reaching the town edge.  They slowly crept through the city; it seemed as if the city had no one living in it.  

All of a sudden a shot rang out of the quietness!  Dust sprayed up about two feet in front of the men.  “Sniper!” Rodgers yelled.  All the men immediately scrambled and found cover in a nearby building.  They were very frightened and decided to stay in that building for the night, and each took their turn keeping watch.

The next morning they sat in their little house wondering what to do.  Private James and Corporal Taylor went out for a walk and got a good look at the tallest tower in the city.  

"That's where Whalen and his men are camped," Taylor whispered.

"Yeah I know.  We should go over there and see if there's a way to sneak in and surprise him" James exclaimed.

So the two men quickly sneaked over to the tall tower and noticed a winding staircase that led up to the very top. The men all of a sudden heard gun shots and loud yelling; the Germans had seen them.

"Run!" Taylor yelled.

They quickly ran back to the house, suprisingly the men had not chased them down. James and Taylor told Captain Rodgers what they had seen and how they thought they should attack him.

In the morning they made their battle plans to take out Whalen and his couple men that he had with him.  They figured he was in the tallest tower of the town, so they had to stay out of view of that tower.  They finally got to the base of the tower, and they started climbing up the stairs very slowly.

When they got to the very top of the stairs and heard quiet German whispers.  The door was open just a small crack, Corporal Taylor looked inside, and sure enough there was General Whalen, surrounded by three other men.  The team went down the stairs a little ways and discussed their plans.  

Captain Rodgers said, "How about we throw a grenade in the room near Whalen, and hopefully it will kill him."  It was a very short plan, but simple, and it seemed like it would work.

They crept back up the stairs and Captain Rodgers pulled a rusted green grenade out of his side pouch.

He said a quick prayer, “Please may this work.”

He brought the grenade up to his chest and gave the pin a quick jerk.  He quickly rolled the grenade into the room and yelled to his men, “Run, find cover!” 

The men quickly rushed down the stairs as fast as they possibly could.  They heard a loud bang and some yells. After the smoke cleared, they went up the stairs to inspect the damage.  Sure enough, Whalen was dead right where he had been standing.  Two other men were also lying on the ground dead.  The fourth one they assumed had managed to get away and jumped out the window.

The men went home that day quite satisfied with themselves.  They had just killed the third most powerful man in the Nazi Army.  They went home to their camp that night safe and sound.  

Later that night while they were sitting around the camp fire Corporal Taylor asked Rodgers, “So what are we doing tomorrow?”

“We’re going for Hitler!” Rodgers joked.

Snow

Whenever I see Christmas lights, I think of snow,

I love snowflakes,

It’s so crisp, white, and fluffy,

I like to stick out my tongue, and let them slowly melt on my tongue

The howling snow storms and days off of school,

The pleasant white Christmas that every loves.

But that’s not my story,

Here we are one week from Christmas,

And there is not one inch of snow on the ground

Memories

I remember our first dog Cherokee,

A loyal friend and hard working hunter.

I remember school and recess,

Playing basketball and kickball on the playground.

I remember the red, white, and blue Fourth of July,

The inflatables and the grand parade.

I remember going down to the creek,

Playing in the cool water, and catching crayfish

I remember our round, blue, first pool,

All the hot summer days spent refreshing in it.

I remember my childhood,

And all the great memories I have.