To the incoming AP Biology students:

Welcome to AP Bio, kids!
First things first, you should be prepared to work hard and really learn this year. If you've never taken an AP class before this one, it is important to remember that the content and expectations are at a college level which, believe it or not, is a lot more challenging than a high school class. You will have big assignments, labs, and assessments that will be more difficult than what you have taken before.
But on the other hand, you should be excited because you obviously took this class because you have in interest in biology or a biology-related career, and it's super rad to learn more about what you're passionate about. Whether this class further peaks your interest in biology, or turns you off of it, it is a valuable experience and it will be worth your time, effort, and tears to continue on with the course.

Some Advice:
1. DO YOUR WORK!

• Your life will be much easier if you get your work done. This may seem obvious, but sometimes, it gets hard.

2. Get your work done ON TIME. 

• Once again, it may seem obvious, but procrastinating is the worst idea you could have in this class and you will end up stressing hardcore over things that could've been avoided. You will end up getting much better grades on the things that you really spend time on, and time that wasn't spent rushing to get it done.

3. Don't get overwhelmed by big and scary words, or words that you don't know.

• There will probably be times that you will feel like you're trying to read Mandarin Chinese because you don't understand any of the words being used. That's okay. The more you expose yourself to scary science words, the more you will understand at least the general idea of what you're reading. Just don't give up, and give it your best shot.

4. Study for the AP test more than a couple of weeks in advance. 

• You should study for the AP test in several periods throughout the year because you will not retain anything by cramming. It is literally impossible to cram for the AP test, and that is not a challenge. 

5. Take the AP test!

• You will literally be paying under $100 for a test that could save you THOUSANDS of dollars in college. 
• THOUSANDS.
• Don't be scared of doing poorly; it could be worth every penny.

6. Have fun!

• Don't look at the course as a whole in a negative light just because you find it hard or it stresses you out. 
• Participate in discussions and ask about anything (biology related) that you think Mr. Landry could answer. The off-topic discussions were some of the best and most productive days in class.
• Laugh at Mr. Landry's jokes. He's funny and he deserves to be appreciated.

Note: If Mr. Landry is mean to you, that means he likes you. Feel free to throw some insults right back at him. :)

Have fun in class! Make lots of memories and give it your best!

- Meagan 

What I Learned In Boating School is...

I learned so much in AP Bio, and I'm really not even sure where to start. Not only did I expand my knowledge of the biology field, I learned a lot about myself and what I plan to do after high school.

When I entered this class, I thought I knew a lot about biology because I did really well in my normal biology class the previous year. I quickly learned that there were still a lot of things I didn't know, and I was learning something new everyday in class. As I learned more and more every day in class, I kept making more and more connections. I started doing a lot better in my chemistry class because I could apply it with what I knew from AP Bio. I started hearing more about what we talkee about in class and seeing new discoveries associated with it. AP Bio has given me a much broader perspective on life in general and I find that very valuble.

I also learned a lot about myself, especially how much of a procrastinator I tend to be. I'm actually pretty glad I got myself into trouble by procrastinating a bit too much because I realized how urgent it was that I break that habit before I graduate. I also developed many study habits and homework routines that I beleive will benefit me when I ship off to college.

Overall, taking this class was one of the smartest things I've done all year. The hard work was really worth it and I'm really glad I decided to take this class.
A picture of me

A picture of Mr. Landry

Cell Organelles

If I had to choose which cell organelle to be, I would pick the ribosome. Each cell has thousands of ribosomes which are small structures inside the cell that translate mRNA from the nucleus and use the information the RNA provides to make proteins. Every second, ribosomes can add 3+ amino acids to a protein. Proteins do almost everything in the cell. Some proteins transport other organelles and substances through the cell and to other cells. Other proteins act as receptors on the outside of the cell membrane and transmit messages between other cells and its own cell. Cells would not work efficiently, if at all, without proteins. Since ribosomes are in charge of making the proteins, the ribosomes are the most important cell organelle.
I chose this organelle because the ribosome makes the proteins for the cell using existing information from the DNA in the nucleus and thus helps fuel many vital cell processes. I really want to pursue a career in psychology and the ribosome is kind of like a psychologist. It uses information provided by the nucleus like using the information provided by a psychiatrist's patient and translates it into something that can be used properly, like a psychiatrist would diagnose a patient and help them with the disorder they have and help them become a fully functioning person.

One disease caused by difficulties with ribosomes is called Treacle or Treacher Collins Syndrome that usually results in deformities of the eye, ear, and facial bones. These deformities are the results of miscoded proteins in the cells that make up the tissues in those bones. Male infertility can also be caused by mutations in the RNA that ribosomes translate.

Human Ecological Stupidity - Overexploitation of Resources

     Humans have a tendency to be self-centered, and don't often think of the common good for the entire world before making decisions about how they use the environment. A growing problem in today's world is the overexploitation of resources, which means using more resources than can be naturally replenished. Most of the time, humans intend to harvest only small parts of an ecosystem, but it doesn't take much to make a large impact on an ecosystem. Exhaustion of resources has a devastating effect on the organisms in any community affected by overexploitation. This is a problem that affects the entire planet and all the organisms on it because it limits the resources available and also destroys many ecosystems. For humans specifically, this could mean that resources like petroleum and lumber could be wiped out. To solve this issue, we can invest more time and money into the research of greener fuels and energy sources. We can also make a much larger effort to recycle as many items as we possibly can. We won't need to waste as many trees for paper and lumber or as much petroleum for plastics if we use recycled materials
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References:

http://www.biology-online.org/articles/biodiversity-development-challenges-africa/overexploitation-resources.html

http://biodiversity.europa.eu/topics/overexploitation

Homecoming at Sparta High School

     No one does homecoming like Sparta, Michigan does. The celebration starts in the high school, but extends to the entire community. At the high school, there is one general theme for homecoming. For example, this year's general theme was decades. But each graduating class votes for a specific theme that is related to the general theme and a color for the t-shirts they will wear the day of homecoming. This year, the freshmen had the 90's, the sophomores had the 70's, the juniors had the 20's, and then seniors had the 80's. Homecoming at school is a competition between grades to win an award called The Red Apple. (It's the red apple because Sparta is known for its Apple Orchards). The Red Apple gets awarded to the class with the most points won from each fundraiser, activity, and dress up days. Each graduating class has to develop a performance called Mock Rock and build a float for the parade based on their specific theme. Mock Rock is an all out performance, and includes music, dancing, costumes, and creativity. Each grade also has to design their own themed t-shirts to wear on the day of homecoming that get judged and placed for points. The two fundraising activities are a food drive and penny-a-point, in which each grade brings change in to earn as much money as possible. During the week leading up to homecoming, each day has a theme such as pajama day, decade day, crazy hair day, etc. During 3rd period, the teachers count how many students from each grade participated and the grade with the most participation gets the most points. The Friday at the end of homecoming week is not an academic day and each grade dresses up in their class color. Students gather in the gym once to listen to homecoming king and queen speeches and then go back to their assigned homerooms to vote for king and queen. The school then gathers back in the gym to participate in a plethora of different games and activities for points. During the games, the students in the crowd can earn points for sportsmanship by cheering for not only their grade, but the other grades as well. After the activities are done, everyone walks down to the football field for a quick pep rally and watch the school's marching band perform. The game is several hours afterwards, and the dance is the next day.
     Speaking from personal experience, homecoming is one of the absolute best times of the year. It's awesome to see everyone come together to work towards a common goal. Even though it is a competition and the other classes are your competition, it brings all the classes together, and the entire community together. None of my friends from other schools have a homecoming like ours at Sparta, and I'm so proud to say that. There is so much enthusiasm and everyone takes it very seriously. It's also fun to see how everyone improves each year. During my freshmen year, our theme was Antarctica for our "Around the World" homecoming theme. Our class color was a boring pale blue, and our Mock Rock was really simple. Sophomore year our homecoming theme was musicals and our class theme was Grease. Our Mock Rock was much more developed and we beat the Juniors. Our float had moving parts and lights and it was totally awesome. This year we had the 20s and our Mock Rock was great again and we took first place. Our float was a 20s' style streetcar/trolley that had upholstered seats and pretty light fixtures on the sides. Each year we get better and better and I'm excited to see how well we do next year.

About Me

Hello! I'm Meagan and I'm taking AP Biology this upcoming school year. I am a junior in high school. I'm taking AP Bio because biology is something I'm very interested in and I needed a challenging class to get me better prepared for college. I am hoping to learn and grow as a student by taking this class. Outside of school, I'm really into music and I go to concerts quite often. I pride myself on having a very wide range of music genres that I listen to, I'm open to pretty much any type. I also volunteer at a local zoo and that has made me more interested in a career as a veterinarian or with animals in general. Hopefully through hard work and studying, I get a good score on the college board exam next spring and I can take more biology related classes in college :)

This is the 2 month old baby howler monkey from the zoo I work at!