An image of the Adopt a Soldier box for collecting supplies. This is one of two boxes, one for each main entrance of the school. The box contains a detailed list of needed items as well as who is sponsoring the drive. Was made from an alcohol box and construction paper. I used bright colors so as to attract the eyes of passerby's so that more items can be received.

CAS Journal #5-Meditation

Ive now completed a second session of meditation and this time less people came, not sure if that was because they didn't like it or if they just couldn't do it, no matter the reason I plan on sticking with it since the first session had a great effect on me. This session was kind of a repeat since there were some new faces and so the instructors gave an overview of the hand gestures and body forms. My goal for the session was to work on my attention skills and drown out the sound of kids eating and the instructors talking. I found I wasnt as successful in this as I would like to have been but its just prove that more practice is needed. I underwent another fifteen minute meditation session and after wards I realized I had the same great feeling as last time. The trick is not to focus too much on the scene you create in your head, in my case I dont focus on what the trees on my beach look like or how light out it is because that can cause you to get carried away with thoughts and lose concentration so instead I focus solely on the water which blocks out all other thoughts until the only thing I can hear is the water and the silence of my own head. I felt I wasnt worrying about how I was getting home today or how I was going to complete my homework since I had a meeting tonight and other such thoughts that usually do nothing but annoy me and make me cranky. This also helped with the anxiety over driving and how I was going to do my driving hours next week, this had been clouding my mind all vacation and was now interfering with my school work so by drowning out the worries and focusing on my beach I realized that everything would work itself out and that the important thing is that I focus on things one day at a time, the driving is next week and so when it comes to time to drive Ill just up and do it. This club is really helping with my coping skills and Im actually finding myself excited for the upcoming class, its a little break from all the high school drama and work and it always ends in me feeling renewed.

CAS journal #4-Meditation

With the completion of the first meditation club session my realizations were correct. Not only was it a calm environment with peers I knew quite well but the instructors, two guys with a great sense of humor added to the good mood. They talked about "Zen", a form of meditation that they were undergoing classes for, meditation itself is very diverse and different people prefer to do different ways depending on its use. For Zen a simple sit down is all that is required. I was taught different ways of holding my hands and body gestures that would help with concentration as well as breathing techniques that consisted of breathing in and out of the nose as if I was pushing the thoughts out of my head. When the meditation started I decided on a beach setting where as I breathed in the waves would wash over me and as I breathed out they would recede. I found this to be quite effective and before I knew it lunch was over. I went on to my next class calm and happy, even though this class takes place only twice a week I think its going to be a nice break in the middle of the day and week. And now that I had actually completed a session I could reflect on how its going to help and what things I can do to improve this skill. During this first class I found I could meditate for about fifteen minutes, not bad for starters Im guessing but ive decided that outside of these sessions im going to practice to improve my endurance and the amount of time and can successfully meditate without any interruptions. Im very satisfied with this club so far and I feel as if its going to do wonders for my attitude.

CAS Journal Entry #3

For a third activity I plan on joining the meditation club. When deciding on CAS activities I found myself being very picky on what activities I wanted to do, mostly because I wanted something that could overlap into my personal life and have a positive effect on my life. When meditation club was mentioned to me I immediately realized that this could be an activity that would help with the stress dished out in the IB. As a firm believer in Buddhism I already knew the basics of meditation but wanted to expand more and actually learn something more about it. This club seems like the perfect way to learn how to meditate properly and with a skill like this I can not only use it to help me relax before or after a major test or assignment but I can pass it along to someone else possibly. In a school program where intense work is frequent a skill such as meditation can become extremely useful, allowing for time where no thoughts enter the mind and calm, tranquil breathing is the only thing heard. I strongly believe this club will have a positive effect on me and that with it I will be able to survive the next year and a half of IB and even continue to use it in college to overcome the next level of pressure. I can take meditation with me for the rest of my life and with it can learn to cope with difficult situations without overreacting or losing my mind.