College Writing

Bristol is a beautiful town with many nice features, beautiful schools, delicious food and gorgeous sceneries. There are some parts much nicer than others, however drugs seem to be a problem across the entire town. I am only twenty two years old and have lost quite a few friends, classmates and coworkers from overdosing. I’ve seen drugs change people before my very own eyes and it’s heart wrenching. The drug epidemic has been a rising problem everywhere, but Bristol is most definitely above other nearby towns when it comes to drug use and sales. Each grade from ninth till twelfth grade should attend an assembly about drugs, held in the schools auditorium twice a year, once in the beginning and again at the end.

Drugs have become such a growing issue within Bristol, that a couple of summers ago, all the staff at Mt. Hope High School had to be taught how to administrate Narcan and keep it on hand in the classroom at all times. Narcan is a nasal spray administrated to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The drug use goes beyond students though. In the Summer of 2016, the dean of students was arrested for possession of Adderall (a prescription drug given to ADHD patients) and cocaine. He quickly resigned from his position after receiving a felony drug charge. (Providence Journal)

When I was a junior at Mt. Hope back in 2013, Brown University conducted research within the state of Rhode Island for student drug use. Mt. Hope and even Kickemuit middle school ranked first for many of their studies. Mt. Hope ranked number one for cocaine, prescription drugs, being under the influence while in school, use of inhalants, marijuana and other illegal drug use. The middle school ranked first for prescription drugs, inhalants, other illegal drugs and alcohol. (Bristol Patch)

Aside from students, their have been multiple drug busts in Bristol. In 2014, the Bristol Police Department busted six Bristol residence for selling heroin in and around Bristol. (Bristol Patch) That same year, seven other Bristol residence were busted for an organized cocaine distribution ring. (East Bay) Just last year, a business owner in Bristol and two others were arrested for possession of marijuana, cocaine and the leading drug for overdoses, fentanyl. (Providence Journal)

While the sales of illegal drugs is a majority of people already out of school, students are a large target for dealers. They’re naive and easily pressured into making negative decisions while they’re at an age when they’re trying to find themselves. An assembly about drugs in general, drug usage and even drug dealing could help teens to steer clear of the destructive path drugs involve. Students need to be better informed on these types of things since it’s been such a growing epidemic within the town. The assembly could include all the different types of drugs that are used within the area, their side effects, what they look like, what they smell like and how they’re used. Most importantly, the warning signs of drug addiction/usage should be made known to all students for the simple fact that it could save a life. Students need to know what to look out for within their classmates so they can let school staff know. Is there someone using drugs in the bathroom? Did a student fall asleep in the library or did they overdose? Is my classmate high? Students need to be made aware of what to look out for so they can all help each other lead healthier lives.

An assembly about drugs isn’t going to fix the drug problem within the town, but it’s a start. Even if it saved just a couple of students per school year, it’d still more effective than doing nothing. I know they have assemblies about drugs, bringing in once successful people who threw their lives and futures away by becoming addicted to drugs, but students need more than that. It’s scary to think students need to be made aware of the details of drugs, but it’s the reality of the world we live in. It’s only the first step in cleansing the town of drugs, but it’s a step in the right direction nonetheless.

Works Cited

Mulvaney, Katie. “Bristol Business Owner Faces Cocaine, Heroin Dealing Charges.” Providencejournal.com, Providencejournal.com, 25 Aug. 2017, www.providencejournal.com/news/20170825/bristol-business-owner-faces-cocaine-heroin-dealing-charges.

Pickering, Scott. “Bristol Residents Charged in Cocaine Ring Bust.” EastBayRI.com, 2014, www.eastbayri.com/stories/bristol-residents-charged-in-cocaine-ring-bust,11187.

Rupp, William. “Bristol Police Bust 6 After Heroin Sting.” Burnsville, MN Patch, Patch, 22 Jan. 2014, patch.com/rhode-island/bristol-warren/bristol-police-bust-6-after-heroin-investigation.

Rupp, William. “Bristol-Warren Students Among Biggest Users of Illegal Drugs.” Burnsville, MN Patch, Patch, 10 Dec. 2013, patch.com/rhode-island/bristol-warren/bristolwarren-students-among-biggest-users-of-illegal-drugs.

Salit, Richard. “Mt. Hope School Dean Resigns, Arrested on Drug Charges, Report Says.” Providencejournal.com, Providencejournal.com, 3 Aug. 2016, www.providencejournal.com/news/20160803/mt-hope-school-dean-resigns-arrested-on-drug-charges-report-says.

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things to do as a child was going to the playground, whether it was during recess at school, at the park with my brother or while attending summer camp. Nowadays, kids are more involved with an array of technology from tablets and phones to video game consoles. There are a few developmental benefits from kids using technology, but it all depends on how they’re using it. Regardless, technology doesn’t provide the same developmental benefits that a playground can.

Playgrounds can offer children social, brain and language development from interaction with other children. Children will often be vocal when playing and running around, grabbing the attention of other nearby children. The more interaction children have with each other, the more they learn. They can learn new words, new games, make new friends and have fun while doing so. They can use their imagination to create their own games and learn to problem solve when they stumble upon minor inconveniences. (Hart)

Playgrounds also provide psychical developmental benefits along with exercising. Playgrounds create a space for children to run around and it’s a fun way for children to stay at a healthy weight. It also helps to burn some of their energy, making them tired and bedtime comes easier. Climbing ladders, rock walls, stairs and hanging from the monkey bars creates methods for children to use, gain and strengthen their muscles. Slides and swings help with a child’s balance and coordination. Every aspect of a playground has some type of beneficial impact on children’s development. (Frost, et al)

Parents can also benefit from their children going to the playground. It’s a way for them to bond whether it’s cheering them on from the bench when they’re about to attempt a challenge, cleaning up a cut or pushing them on the swings. It’s also a great way for parents to meet and discuss with other parents, possibly make some friends or exchange numbers to set up play dates. Parents who take their children to the playground, are able to watch their children grow physically, mentally and socially. (Coyne)

Playgrounds are immensely important for all aspects of development among children while still having fun and learning to overcome new challenges. While technology invades the minds of young children today with only a couple of developmental benefits, playgrounds are utilized less and less, but could create such strength within each aspect of child development.

Works Cited

 

Coyne, Malie. “The Importance of Playgrounds in Child Development.” Rollercoaster.ie, www.rollercoaster.ie/Article/Your-child-s-development/The-importance-of-playgrounds-in-child-development.

This website touches base on the different aspects of children’s development through the utilization of playgrounds, containing some detail, but didn’t go as in depth as a couple of other articles I read. It also explains the benefits for a parent which is the interesting part of the article.

Frost, Joe, et al. “The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds.” Ooey Gooey, Inc., www.ooeygooey.com/the-developmental-benefits-of-playgrounds/.

A highly detailed article that broke down all the different methods of playground play from the slides and swings, to playing in the sand. It listed multiple benefits for each aspect and really broke everything down.

Hart, Kim. “AAA State of Play.” Learn the History of Playgrounds and Playground Equipment from AAA State of Play, www.aaastateofplay.com/the-benefits-of-playgrounds-on-child-development/.

Generalized information about the benefits of playgrounds for child development. There were many links within the article to go more in depth for each section.

When walking into any store, paying close attention to its setup isn’t something of natural instinct. You may pay close attention to your surroundings, especially when navigating through public spaces, but you don’t focus on the store as a whole, you see bit by bit while passing through. After reading Malcolm Gladwell’s article, “The Science of Shopping” which revolves around retail anthropologist Paco Underhill and his theories of successful retail businesses, I began to pay close attention to stores that I walked into, the entire store. The way their displays are set up and where, the location of the registers in relevance to the exit, the decor, the initial layout, and the customers. The store that I became most familiar with is Torrid.

Torrid is a retail store that can be found in most shopping malls, offering fashionable clothes and accessories to plus-size women. Their large display windows feature mannequins with a plus-size build, wearing the current seasons hottest fashion. Currently, you will find them to be wearing double chiffon layered tank tops in a variety of colors, styles and patterns, paired up with either shorts or capris to beat this hot weather. The mannequins stand atop a floor made of large, white, sparkly tiles with a glossy finish that is really brought out from the small, but frequently placed lights throughout the store.

On the right side of the small store, there’s black cubicle styled shelving against the wall, each containing a different cut, style and color of jeans. On either side of the jeans display, you will find a few styles of shirts and a scarce amount of random accessories including a few hats and sometimes a pair of sandals. There’s about three feet of space between the jeans and a shelved table containing all their different styles of shorts on right side and printed t-shirts on the left. There’s two additional wracks in the front right side of the store that create a divider about half way through, containing everything from additional shorts and jeans to the shirts displayed in the windows. On the back side of the divider racks, there are shelves lined with shoes; heels, sandals, flip-flops, flats, sneakers and boots. From there to the end of the store, there’s five clearance wracks, two at the end of the right wall and two on the back wall creating an ‘L’ shape and a round one in the middle of the clearance area. The clearance section is the most popular because their prices do run high, but you have to travel through the entire store to get there and most customers stop to look around before the reach the clearance section.

In the middle of the store is where you can find most of the accessories to match your outfits. The front display table, being the first thing you see when you walk into the store, contains themed clothing and accessories which constantly changes depending on the time of year. You will currently the front display table to be piled high with patriotic shirts and shorts pertaining to the Fourth of July.  The next display table is decorated with trays and stands containing shiny jewelry, colorful glasses, decorative headbands and broaches. Behind that is a rack with belts, leggings and tights. These two accessory displays were purposely placed there due to the registers being to their left. While walking to the registers from either the front or back of the store, you will walk by the accessories and will be more tempted to stop and take a look before cashing out. The wall behind the cashiers is covered in mirrors, so as you’re cashing out, you can see everything behind you which also tempts customers to grab a last minute necklace or ring. To the right of the registers in the back corner of the store, you’ll find the intimates section which is privately tucked away for obvious reasons  and to the left, there’s multiple racks of clothing.

Along the back wall, between the intimates section and the clearance section, there’s a large archway leading to the dressing rooms. Against the wall, there’s a cozy couch for those to sit while the person they’re there with tries on clothes. The dressing rooms are large with a bench in each and a giant mirror. In the top corners of each mirror, there’s advertisements for the Torrid insider club and their personal Torrid credit card.

The customers I’ve seen come in and out of Torrid are plus-size women between their teens and late twenties. Most venture off to the clearance section because their regular priced clothes are expensive. Some just browse and leave empty handed while others leave with a whole new wardrobe. The staff is mainly plus-sized women as well, but I’ve seen a few skinny cashiers during my many visits. The staff is always friendly and extremely helpful with any questions a customer might have. It’s an amazing store that I and many others are glad to shop at.

Growing up, clothes shopping at the end of the summer for new school clothes was something I always looked forward too. It was exhilarating to put together cute outfits and find the best one for my first day back. That excitement quickly faded when I began gaining weight and couldn’t pull off the same clothes as most of the girls my age. They would come to school in their American Eagle jeans and Hollister shirts, but I could never relate because those stores never offered anything for those of us who didn’t fit the normalized standard sizes. I was lucky enough to find comfortably fitting clothes at stores such as Kohl’s and Macy’s, but the options given were slim pickings and all the best clothes were in smaller sizes. Torrid is changing that for the plus-size world and it’s a successful business that follows a lot of Paco Underhill’s findings.

 

I thought the use of specific detail was fantastic! You used a lot of specifics when explaining the house boat and painted a vivid picture of what you’d see daily. The message that I got while reading your essay is you can lose your loved ones, but your memories will always keep them alive in your heart. You show the closeness you had with your grandparents and I believe everyone can connect to that. Not necessarily with grandparents, but with someone who they’re very close too. I’m not too sure what the message on home is about. Possibly, you’ll always have “home” with you? I’m not too sure, but I think it’s a really good draft. There’s a lot of raw emotion involved. I think the structure is perfect, you touch base on major pieces within the timeline. Your lead definitely grabbed my attention with all the detail. I think all aspects of the draft were done well. I would maybe just try and hint to a message of what “home” means to you within the last paragraph of the essay.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it and I’m sorry for the loss of your grandfather!

As a kid, I always thought home was just the four walls surrounding me as I closed my eyes to go to sleep. It was the leaky pipes under the sink and the creaky doors leading to average rooms. The large yard with the cute rose bushes and bleeding hearts. The basketball hoop out front where my older brother never let me win. There was no stress other than losing my favorite stuffed animal or running out of my snacks. Everything seemed so easy and simple. That was until that home was taken from me.

I was leaving for school one morning and there was a strange man standing on my property taking pictures of my home. He said not a single word to me and I was slightly frightened so I just brushed by him and proceeded to head to the bus stop. A few weeks later, a foreclosure notice turned up on the door. My heart shattered. I was losing not only my house, but my home. It was my entire childhood and it was being ripped out of my hands. My mother and I were forced to move into a small apartment since my father was no longer in our lives and my older brother had fled the nest. We received the keys on my sixteenth birthday and I spent the day standing in my new room, weeping. My mom did all she could to make this transition as easy as possible, but I wasn’t taking it well. I hated it. All of it. It was my new reality though and I had to face it.

As the weeks went by, things weren’t getting any easier and the hatred for my new home was still at large. It began drawing a wedge between my mother and I with my unacceptable behavior. It wasn’t her fault we were put in that situation, but I treated her as if it was. I was spiraling down a never ending hole and landed myself in an inpatient program in the city. My first night there, I stood there motionless, staring out the barred windows with absolutely no tears left to cry. All that was running through my mind was the look on my mothers face when she had to leave me there. She could not bring me home with her and I know it killed her inside. It began killing me to see that I was killing her.

Everyday my mom came and visited me twice which was all that was allowed. Every time I seen her walk through those doors, my face lit up like a Christmas tree. I felt comfortable and at peace within myself. Like clock work, I’d tell her about my day, the groups I had attended, the progress I was making towards getting better and coming home, and the cheesy crafts I was forced to make. I longed to get better, not only for me, but for my mom. She needed me and I wasn’t there for her, I couldn’t be, not in the state I was in.

I worked so hard to be released, but they didn’t think I was ready to leave. It really started to sink it at this point… I needed my mother. With each day, being there was becoming easier, I was making friends and actually have a few good memories till this day from in there. Still, none of what they could offer me made me feel at peace or happy. As a sixteen year old girl, I just needed my mother, every minute I was locked in that unit. She was the drive behind my behavioral changes that had finally lead to my release!

I walked through the door with my bags in my hand and my mother behind me. I instantly teared up when I had walked in because it felt beyond amazing to be back. I ran to my room and it was just the way I had left it, an organized mess. I was thrilled and thought I’d want to see my friends since they weren’t allowed to visit me while I was away, but all I wanted was my mother. I wanted to hug her and be in her presence. I wanted to apologize for the way I was behaving prior to my time away. I wanted to see her smile after all the pain I had brought to her. I wanted to feel the comfort she brought to me. You see, it didn’t matter what four walls I fell asleep between. It didn’t matter what sink I washed my hands in. It didn’t matter what table I ate dinner at. That didn’t make any house I’ve ever lived in or stayed at, a home. My home is and always will be my mother, my best friend.

For the most part this piece meets the guidelines, but the details didn’t really start standing out to me until the last paragraph. The general impression given seems to be that Westport is a quiet, peaceful town more on the country side of things. The sharpest specific details in the piece are at end of your last paragraph when you’re describing being in the boat. The middle paragraph could use specifics. It just seems like a vague, text variation of a map, a little detail about the buildings your talking about and a little less history on them would make for a better read. For example, is there a certain smell the pizza parlor throws off? Any unique features to its structure? Same for the other places mentioned. As for detail order, I think it’s ordered very nicely and it wasn’t all over the place. You started with different places leading up to your favorite place concluding that the place is yours. It flowed together and the paragraphs were broken up fine as well.
Overall, it was a nice read! I’ve only been through Westport to get to neighboring towns, never really paid any mind to it, but it sounds like a beautiful place! Maybe I will check it out sometime.

As you drive over the bridge and enter the town, you see large, beautiful houses with floor to ceiling windows and perfectly kept up with lawns. If you continue going straight up the road, you’ll come to an open body of water filled with sail boats, some being used and others docked. There’s a curve in the road that will bring you more into the middle of town. The architecture of the homes downtown are mostly colonial and they’re close to each other. They go on for a while until you reach the shops and restaurants, most of which are made out of bricks. My personal favorite is Papa Joe’s Wrap Shack, you can smell the pizza as you walk by on the raised sidewalks. Looking down on Hope Street, you’ll notice the lines on the road aren’t your typical yellow. They’re red, white, and blue.

Once a year, it fills up with thousands of people to experience the longest running fourth of July celebration. Hope Street as well as all the surrounding streets are lined with thousands of people. You can hear children’s laughter and smell delicious dough boys from the carnival held in the heart of the town. Everyone is outside, preparing a cookout for their family and friends. There’s red, white, and blue everywhere you look. Every house, store, and restaurant is decorated accordingly for the biggest day in town. Fireworks are being launched from every direction, lighting up the night sky and you can psychically feel the meaning of freedom. It’s a beautiful site to see thousands of people come together and celebrate America’s birthday.

Throughout the rest of the year, it seems to just be a normal, boring town with a few good perks. Like typical New England, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts in every part of town, but there are also hole in the wall coffee shops that make the perfect studying spot. Growing up here, I hated it and couldn’t wait till I was eighteen to move away. Don’t we all feel that way at some point growing up though? You learn to appreciate your hometown more and more as you grow up, but I still assumed it would be my downfall. It wasn’t until I was bar hopping on Thames Street with my best friends who I met here that I realized I absolutely the town of Bristol, Rhode Island and all the beauty it holds.

My passion for both reading and writing began at a very young age, it came so easy to me. I was at a reading level much higher than my peers and excelled with my writing. As I grew older, I fell out of reading, but still continued to write here and there. I struggle to find the time to pour my heart onto paper nowadays, but when I do find the time to write, I write poetry. Writing was always an outlet for me, a coping mechanism through all things chaotic growing up. In school, writing papers and essays never felt like homework to me, I genuinely enjoyed doing so. I struggle with essays that are in response to a passage or an impersonal question. I enjoy writing about my life, my experiences and other personal topics which is a strength in some instances, though not all. When I was in the eighth grade, we were given the assignment to write about a personal experience that changed you. I wrote about watching my grandfather pass away, it was a thirteen page essay and regardless of what’s to come in my future, it will always be one of my most memorable papers. When writing, I prefer to do it by hand, in a journal with a black Sharpie pen. Handwritten pieces seem more personal to me and that’s why I prefer to do my writing that way. Within this course, I just want to become a better writer and explore new writing topics.