It is true what they say about Junior year.

Teachers give lots of work, and every night as a Junior I have to manage my time to get it all done.

Granted, that’s not an unreasonable request. As a Junior, one is simply expected to take harder classes and become more involved in the Thacher community as a student. It is simply a course of life.

And it is so, that I strive to find pleasure in the numerous classes that I am taking. One of the most enjoyable classes I am enrolled in right now is Astronomy, taught by the esteemed Science Department Chair, Dr. Vyhnal.

In Astronomy, we are currently talking about Jupiter and its moons. Previously, we have also talked about the other planets in the solar system, and a little bit about the Sun as well. One of my disappointments when I first took the class was, “Man, astronomy should be about stars and supernovas and other super cool abstract things like faster-than-light travel and other cool sci-fi stuff. Not studying about the solar system.” But under Doc V’s guidance, I’ve learned so much more about the solar system than I could have ever imagined. For instance, did you know that there was a massive controversy about the thickness of Venus’ crust, and that its surface is only about 5 million years old (compared to other planets’, which are about 5 billion years old)? Or that Mercury has a massive crater, and as a result of the impact, there are land deformations on the other side of the planet? The class has opened my eyes to the world of the solar system, and  it’s been incredibly fun.

Besides that, there’s also AP English Language with Mr. Sohn. He approaches English with an unorthodox style: Taking texts and information at face value. There’s no “hidden meaning” in Mr. Sohn’s eyes, and it shows. It definitely makes for interesting arguments.

On top of all that, there’s always the work of Honors US history, and the final league meet of the Cross Country season coming up on Wednesday. Things around here are always interesting!

 

Cheers,

Jon