In the future...

What I'd like to do after high school is a question thats been running through my mind for many years. I've been in a band the past few years. The past year has been really big for us. We've packed local clubs and venues and have written and recorded an entire album. We're not taken seriously by many in our school, but outside of school we're very well known and very well received. This winter we're going to be spending a week in New York City with our producer recording our next project. These songs we record this winter are the ones we're going to be sending around to record labels and people who are, "higher up." It's a very exciting time for the band but being a realistic person I know I have to have a back up plan. Which is easy for me because I'm also very passionate about film. I've already started my own side project where I make money my shooting weddings and commercials for which I've already done a few. So I guess to answer the question you're asking I have big plans for when I leave high school. The current plan is to go to a local college such as Buffalo State for a year, just until our bassist gets out of school. Then we plan on moving to Chicago and trying to make it there. There I will attend Columbia College of the Arts, majoring in film production. So if the band falls through, I'll have a budding career in film going on as well. If I choose to pursue film in my life, I'd like to be a producer of a television show.

Favorite Class So Far

So far this has been a reasonably easy year. A light course load; but full of courses that make sense in relation to what I want to do in life. I would say this year the course that I feel I'll learn the most from is Media Production. In this class I produce our schools news (WACS NEWS). I have to be honest, technically I haven't learned much more than I have already known. Where I'm really learning is with dealing with people. Classmates, former students, and my co-producer. Somedays everything flows perfectly, other days I find myself frustrated, annoyed and feeling like giving it up. All of the things I have to put up with, the attitudes, the weird personalities, the laziness, it all just makes me a stronger person. In the real world I'm going to have to interact with tons of different people, learning how to handle different sorts of people now will only help me when I'm in college or when I have a career. While somedays I feel as if I'm wasting my time in there I know in that class I'm most likely learning more, and more important things than I am in other classes this year. Sure economics may be more important but learning life lessons in a high school class is priceless. Every days different and I'm always becoming stronger and more refined, no matter what.

Best Teacher?

If I had to choose one teacher who has positively impacted me over the years here at Alden Central School District, I would have to go with former choral teacher, Andy Buscemi. I met him in sixth grade general music and had him as a vocal teacher for sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade. As a student I find myself learning best when I can connect with a teacher in some sort of way. Mr. Buscemi was actually one of the people who influenced me to be the Apple Computers enthusiast I am now. In sixth grade general music we had a project where we had to use his macbook to create a jingle to be used in a fake commercial. Using his laptop made me realize how much I wanted a mac. Along with all of that he was a great choral teacher. In middle school he had to put up with children who wanted to be a part of the chorus and take it seriously, and also kids who didn't care and showed him little respect. This never bothered him, or at least he never showed that it got to him. Later in High School we became better friends. He even volunteered his own time out of school to come and take promo pictures for my band. He was a cool guy to say the least.

Alden's Hidden Gem?

Choosing one’s favorite restaurant is easy for some, and tough for others. Surprisingly to most, many factors go into choosing your favorite restaurant. Service is probably one of the largest considerable factors, but for me it’s mostly the vibe, the authenticity and how it relates to the food. With that being said, my favorite restaurant in Alden, that is, when I actually eat out in Alden is the Town and Country. The rustic and home-like feel of the place accompanied by the the friendly mother-like service truly makes for a rare experience in dining. Then to add on to the experience you’re already having the food is excellent. The portion sizes are not too large, but at the same time not too small. For most folk, it’s just right. The food itself is very hearty and, “home cooked” styled. I’ll be honest, eating in Alden normally doesn’t appeal too much to me, but if I’m driving through town and have the time I’d much rather go and grab some coffee and get myself a nice and full breakfast at the Town and Country, rather than going over to McDonalds which is just a stones through away. 

The lunch's of the Alden Central School District

I believe the best school lunch is a salad. Let’s be honest, no one really knows what goes into the actual lunches so eating fresh seems to be the best idea. Also then you can load your salad with whatever you want to fill you up. I normally go pretty heaving on the croutons, a favorite of lunch time. The chipotle dressing also adds a very nice spicy touch. Combined with this I like to pick up a nice southern styled Arizona Tea from the school store, which is just around the corner. If I’m feeling lucky that day I may even through some chicken on the salad as well. It all depends how it looks. I have to say, the best days are when the hot and spicy chicken rice soup is out. Eating that soup, with the salad and crunchy croutons washed down with some iced cold arizona tea always makes for a good lunch. Now, to be honest with you, I haven’t packed a lunch in probably around four to five years. All I can really remember about those days were turkey sandwiches with hot sauce. I can’t really remember how I came up with that concoction but I really enjoyed it! Also the interesting thing about packing my lunch, way back when, was that everyone would always trade their items. In a way us twelve year olds had established our own nutritional stock market. Very strange. Kids would verbally fight it out to see who could get the best salty chips, or the very popular, “Sunny D.” If I remember correctly, one day a kid traded his entire lunch, just for a Sunny D. I remember laughing and then continuing on eating my turkey sandwich with hot sauce. All in all I’m happy that now I can just get myself a nice salad, where there normally is less of line.