STUDENTS RESPOND TO THE PROJECT QUESTIONS:

Breanna, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Mon, 31 May 2010 16:17:00 -0400

This picture answers the question: "what gets in the way of our success in school"? That answer is: addiction. Have you ever felt addiction? Have you ever felt that constant need, that constant want for the thing you can't get? Cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol; they trick you, and keep you coming back for more. This picture is of my cigarette that I stuck into the table. I kept it there, and watched it burn away. I wanted to save it, but at the same time I wanted it to die. It's a love/hate relationship. It's an abusive relationship. I challenged myself, and it hurt to watch it disappear, but I felt stronger when it was gone, as if one of the shackles of addiction had broken off one of my wrist.

Sometimes I can't focus at school. I can't finish my homework without thinking about how calming it would be to have just one cigarette, but I refused. I want to succeed. I want to go on in life happy, and calm. Cigarettes don't make me happy. They don't make me calm. Anger builds up in my mind every time I light up, and the word "failure" flashes across my path, but I can't put it down. My mouth is metal and the cigarette is the magnet. "This can't go on", I tell myself, "but it will be so painful. It'll hurt too much. It can't be that hard. I can stop now. I can stop next week. I can stop next month." The time goes on and I begin to wonder, will I ever stop? In this picture, the cigarette towers over me. It's bigger than me, and I cannot defeat it. I cannot knock it down; I cannot break this. It controls everything about me, and it's killing me. Stopping for awhile is out of the question, but quitting is not. Everyday I will get stronger, and everyday this cigarette will get smaller. Every time I pick up a cigarette I think about school and my dreams, and my future. I am a strong addict, but this addiction is stronger.

Joe, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Sun, 30 May 2010 11:17:28 -0400

The picture I picked is rather bizarre to some yet it has a certain personal feel to me. I live in the wondrous city of Euclid, where the unemployed people roam and where the dingy, decaying, burned out factories of the 1950s are king. Really, Euclid isn't that bad. It's more like the entire Ohio area: There is nothing here! What else is a kid to do but retreat into his or her own oddities and become eccentric? I like to think I am a trendsetter of indifference and sarcasm. More like the crown prince of sarcasm. Still looking for my crown. I'm a strange kid myself. Strange at least to society norms. I would be more likely watching the Star Wars super trilogy (as I like to call it) and follow it up with reading books upon books, that I buy anytime I'm in Half Price book store, than watch anything to do with sports. What I am trying to get across is that I am different. Or at least I like to think I am different.

Amber, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Sat, 29 May 2010 15:37:18 -0400

High school for me is similar to a fashion show. We put on our best clothes everyday to walk the halls, and like any great fashion show it takes money. For some, getting money is only a matter of asking mom and dad, and others work part time jobs or get gigs cutting grass and shoveling driveways in the winter. But this gets in the way of what we truly have come to school for, to learn. I think having to worry about what you’re wearing and getting money gets in the way of getting an education.

Takara, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Thu, 27 May 2010 11:17:36 -0400

This picture represents what gets in the way of my success at school which would be my attitude. My attitude has lead to major problems in my life. One problem is I got into a lot of fights which led to me getting arrested and catching charges at a early age. Another problem is me blowing up at teacher in school and then getting suspended or kicked out of school that affected my education a lot my grades drop. If I continue these acts I'll either be in jail or kicked out of school and I don't want that, I just want to be successful.

Terriss, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:08:13 -0400

When something gets old and worn out and dirty, it doesn't mean you have to disown it. Take your time and try to fix it up and repair it. Don't give up on something so easy. What if that was you in this position? Would you want to get put out in the cold because you got dirty? I think not. The shoes are like kids giving up on school. When school gets hard it might seem like you can't get through it. But with a little support from myself or your parents, or even your peers, you can get through it. I see it a lot in school also with my friends and their grades. When they get an F they just want to give up instead of trying to bring up the grade. It is easy to fail but it’s hard to pass. But it’s not even hard to pass. It’s just that I have to be dedicated to doing my work in order to pass. It may seem like I'm doing all of this hard work for nothing, but the work will pay off at the end of the day. Don't give up so easy when something seems hard.

Daijon, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:56:57 -0400

The memory of my brother Deyshaunne sometimes keeps me from being successful in school. It gets in my way because I sometimes day dream thinking about him and how much fun we had together. I would day dream in class about how much I miss him and how we use to joke around and play video games together. It saddened me deeply when he died because we were so close and we did everything together. When he died it sent me into a drought in school because it felt like I lost my best friend. In school I shut down and let my grades fall dramatically. By my brother dying it really got in the way of my success in school.

Breanna, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:20:04 -0400

I am always thinking, "what if"? I am always asking unnecessary questions. What if the world ended today? What if I don't graduate high school? What if my mom just forgets about me, and never comes back? What if I didn't lock the door, and everything I cherish gets stolen? What causes these "what ifs"? Why are they there? It is OCD and I'm trapped in its world, or is it trapped in mine? This picture represents the question: "what gets in the way of your success at school"? It doesn't answer the question because with OCD, there are no answers, only questions. That's how I look at it. This is how I feel about my OCD; that there are no answers and I'll never get better, I'll only get worse.

The picture is of a row of locks, but it just isn't about locks. These locks can represent security, paranoia, the never-ending locking and checking rituals. The blurred lock represents how out of place I feel. I know I'm very different from my other peers, and I check and check and unlock, lock, and check again, and still the whole day I think in the back of my mind, "did I lock that door?" I am the green lock. I am distant from everyone. They don't want to deal with me, and I don't want to deal with them. I am in this box labeled OCD; in a corner, covered in dust, and mold.

Everyday the box just gets smaller and smaller, and no one stops by to get me out. They just laugh, point, and walk away to leave me. They laugh at this soul-sucking disorder; where all you want to do some days is die, just so you don't have to worry. They walk on cracks in the floor, and I step over them. They eat whatever they want, and I stick to packaged, un-touched foods. They think about the latest gossip, and I think about the uneven strings on my hoodie. I live in their world of carelessness, and I do everything I can to survive. I am like an animal in its wrong habitat. If they knew how alone I feel, and how scared I am everyday maybe they'll understand, and maybe they'll stop laughing. My future without OCD is like a rainbow. I can see it, but I know I'll never reach it.

Sherri, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:17:46 -0400

This picture represents what can help you succeed in school. Love is such a priceless thing to have so when you find it you want to hold on to it. I have a loved one in my life that makes me feel whole. He keeps me on top of my game. Like if we were on the phone he makes sure I finished my homework. It kinda sucks sometimes but it is for the best. If you have a loved one in your life it helps you to strive more. The reason I say this is because they usually want you to do better and be the best you can be. So by you wanting to make the loved one in your life proud you strive to be the best. That way they can tell everyone that they have the BEST!!!!

Antoine, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:06:10 -0400

This photo was actually taken at my home and the occasion for the party was my mother's graduation party which I was happy to be apart of. I soon wish to have my own graduation party to represent my success of school. I also decided a take a picture with my Great-Grandmother because of the support and encouragement she gives me as well as my other family members.

Tanaija, Grade 11, Euclid High School

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:41:25 -0400

My favorite part of this picture is the lighting. During this game, there was a mixture of wet and cold. It was like the weather was playing a game itself over the game on the field. It would rain and then the sun would come out. Then the clouds would come over the field and it would rain again. I joined Naval JROTC because I only had one other choice and that was art class. I'm happy I joined JROTC because it’s like a family away from home. I'm surrounded by people who love and care for me. The sergeant major is showing us the path of the right way. He is showing us how life should be after high school, and the choices we should make. He says we should be a mover and shaker and go into college, work full time, or be in the military. In this picture the weather is like other students who are trying to steer you the wrong way. The sergeant major is the light showing the way. My JROTC family protects me from the darkness like the lights in the stadium protects the fans and the players from the darkness.