【推荐1】I opened my eyes and started to stretch, wishing it was just a dream, but of course it wasn’t! I was extremely tired from staying up late the night before because I was so anxious for the big day. I dragged myself out of my bed to do my normal routine. As I was brushing my teeth, I looked up at the mirror and it hit me that I was about to graduate from high school. This was the first time that I’d been so happy and extremely sad at the same time and the only thing running through my mind was that this was really happening.

All I had was English that day because my other teachers let us have a free day to catch up on late homework or just hang out with our friends. After suffering through eight hours of boring classes, it was time to get ready for graduation night. As my friends and I were getting our caps and gowns on, my favorite teacher Ms. Sue walked up and said to me, “Congratulations to you, Lily!” She gave me a special book. I looked down at it and it said, “The places you’ll go!” I read it right before I headed up to gym for practice.

I never knew a book could give me such inspiration. I just kept on thinking to myself that this was finally it! I was so happy that it was time to move on to a new chapter in my life. As everyone was taking their seats, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, I was so nervous. Once and for all it was time they called out my name. I started walking up those stairs and it felt like the whole entire world was behind me. All I could see was a beautiful future ahead. This opened up many possibilities for me, like going to college, moving out on my own, and paying bills. I’ve never felt so proud of myself and the person I’ve become. This experience has made me become a better person.

【推荐2】Thomas Mayfield had a major problem to solve in his fifth-grade classroom.

“I’m not good at adding. I don’t know how to regroup or borrow. I’m not good at subtracting (减法). Or I don’ t know my facts yet, and I’ m a fifth-grader, ” Mayfield’ s students used to tell him. The 42-year-old maths teacher from Fort Worth, Texas, knew it was important to try something new, especially because most of his students were also struggling outside of the classroom. “Single parent homes, parents put in prison, low financial stability-a lot of misfortunes that were going on, ” he said.

To reach students in a way that was familiar and inviting, he brought rap music to the classroom. Mayfield played an instrumental beat to a rap song. He got his students excited. Then they started to rap about decimal(十进位)point places. “Let’ s start with the tenths. Like a dime to a dollar, there’s 1 out of 10. Then we move to the hundredths, one part out of many. One out of 100, we call that a penny. . . “ rapped Mayfield and students.

Pareece Morehouse, one of Mayfield’s former students, is now in tenth grade and loves old-school rap. Before Mr. Mayfield’s class, Morehouse didn’t like maths and struggled with it. But pairing the difficult subject with music was game-changing for her.

“I can recall myself at home doing homework and just singing the song in my head, helping me understand, ” Morehouse said. “It was really a great way to help me make it through maths. ”

“Students will produce work if you reach them where they are and take notes on what they’re interested in, whether that’s music, art or sports. It’s important to use things that resonate (共鸣)with them, ” said Mayfield.

【推荐3】Everyone likes to be the student everyone else is happy to be around. If you want to become a great classmate, follow these steps.

1. Be smart.

Study! It can be boring, but you need to study if you want to be smart.

Read nonfiction books!     1     If reading nonfiction books is extremely boring for you, read online articles or just read fictional books and still learn new words.

Listen up in class! You need to pay attention if you’re going to learn anything and become smarter. If you’re sitting beside someone that you usually talk to or someone who is talking in class to the point where you can’t pay attention, talk to the teacher about getting a new seat.     2    

2. Be a good leader.

In a group project, take charge!     3     This way, you’ll be able to have everyone speak, and they’ll know that you are capable of being the leader. After everyone has given their ideas, give your opinion of the ideas and let others speak out their opinions. If you are really against the idea, have a vote and see who is for and against the idea.

3. Be approachable and friendly.

Give out praise! Don’t tell fake praise, though. Be sincere! Your classmates will take you more seriously and feel much better about the praise you gave them.

Be sure to have good hygiene(卫生)!     4     So be sure to brush your teeth twice a day, brush your hair，and take a shower every day if possible. Also, wear clothes that fit you!

    5     A smile makes everyone feel happier, especially if it’s directed at them. Be sure it’s not fake, though, or they will be able to tell and will feel sad and think you are being “fake nice” to them. Good posture tells people that you have confidence, and that makes people feel comfortable around you.

【推荐1】George Ahearn, who grew up in the farming town of Othello, Washington, co-founded EastWest Food Rescue after learning that COVID-19 was costing local farmers so much business that they were willing to destroy their crops.

His nonprofit has since moved three million pounds of produce from farms in eastern Washington to the western part of the state for distribution to hundreds of food banks and meal programs. “I know these people that I grew up with on one hand, and on the other hand I know there is a need here; I’m just going to connect the two dots,” said Ahearn, 45, who now lives in Bothell, Washington.

He started by calling local food banks who said they would be glad to take some of the produce that would otherwise go to waste. But when he called the farmers, they wanted to give him truck loads of potatoes and onions—more than Ahearn’s car could handle. He also had another problem; food banks needed the potatoes and onions to be cleaned and bagged before donation (捐赠). “What I didn’t realize was the logistical nightmare because I thought I could just show up with potatoes harvested straight from the ground and give them right to the food bank... I couldn’t believe it.”

So, Ahearn put out a call for help on Facebook. That’s how he connected with his two co-founders, Nancy Balin and Zsofia Pasztor. While Balin helped organize the convoy (运输) to drive across Washington to pick up the produce, Pasztor assembled volunteers to clean and bag the food, which was then distributed through connections at her another nonprofit Farmer Frog.

Since May, EastWest Food Rescue has grown the size of its operations and convoys. They have reached three million pounds of donated food.

Aheam has a message for anyone who wants to make their community (社区) a better place, “I have seen minutes of effort move thousands, and thousands of pounds (of food). Just figure out what you are passionate about and what you could get involved in.”

【推荐2】The scars that Pat Pribble carried through life were formed nearly 50 years ago, caused by fellow students in Woodland, who picked on him because he was different.

Pat's parents had held him back in the seventh grade in secondary school, so he ended up in the same class as his younger brother, Leo. Forever the oldest kid in the class, Pat tried to fit in. He played sports. He went on dates. But he was always just not good enough for this; just not smart enough for that. Pat Pribble was a target.

After graduating, Pat drifted and lost his way. He was homeless, and he never married or had children. From a distance, with his long gray hair and beard, Pat appears tough, the kind of man you might cross the street to avoid. When talking with others, he shows a gentle side. He speaks quietly, measuring his words, careful to hide what he is thinking and feeling, as those were the very things others once seized upon to laugh at him.

Last November, as Carey planned for the 45th reunion in 2021, he decided to personally invite Leo. As the two men caught up on each other’s lives, Carey learned that Leo had terminal (晚期的) brain cancer and had only months to live. Leo then made one more request — everyone should also call Pat. And so they did. “Never underestimate (低估) people,” said Leo. “We’re all different now than when we were kids.”   Leo passed away this past January. His former classmates had promised him that after he was gone they wouldn't lose track of Pat, and they have kept that promise. Healing wounds from the past has allowed Pat to look to the future. “I’ll be at the next reunion,” he says.