2015 SENIORS NJROTC FINAL EXAM

Purpose: The purpose of this final examination for Senior Cadets is to create a financial planning product that will have relevance to your post high school plan for this upcoming fall. You should be able to use what you learn from this examination during the summer as you plan for the fall.

Pre-Exam Preparation: Spend time prior to the exam analyzing your future financial situation in the fall, consider the below expense factors (feel free to add any more you feel are relevant) and develop (synthesize) your financial plan.

Financial Expenses Factors for Fall 2015

• Living Arrangements
• Living at Home
• Rent
• Food
• Make meals / cook
• Eat Out / Fast Food
• School
• Tuition
• Books
• Room and Board
• Transportation
• Car
• Insurance
• Gas
• Bus / Subway
• Pass
• Phone
• Data Plan
• Other Expenses
• Medical
• Dental
• Prescription
• Income Plan:
• How will you earn money?
• How will you pay for these expenses?

Your Final Exam: Based upon your pre-exam preparation above, you are required to conduct two graded tasks (one written task prior to the exam and one verbal task during the exam):

• Pre-Exam Task: Complete a detailed two to three page Fall 2015 Personal Financial Expense Plan which include each category of expenses (Living Arrangements, Food, School, Transportation, Phone, Other: Medical & Dental) and how you plan on paying for these expenses. Turn this plan in during the exam to the SNSI.
• You need to develop a spreadsheet which lists the expenses and your plan to pay those expenses as well.
• Exam Task: Using your Fall 2015 Personal Financial Expense Plan, and associated spreadsheet to brief the SNSI on your personal financial plan for the fall. Ensure you address not only the specific expenses by category but how you plan on paying for each expense based on your required income.

NOTE: FINALS DATE FOR PERIOD 7 SENIORS IS MONDAY JUNE 8TH!

 

2015 Upperclassmen NJROTC Final Exam

Purpose: The purpose of this final examination for Upperclassmen (9,10,11 graders) Cadets is to create a product that will have relevance to your plans this summer to prepare you for next year both professionally and personally. You should be able to use what you learn from this examination during your summer and to help you attain goals in the future.

Pre-Exam Preparation: Spend time prior to the exam analyzing your summer, consider the below factors (feel free to add any more you feel are relevant) and develop (synthesize) your summer plan.

Summer Tasks:

• Work
• How can you earn money this summer?
• Where, Doing What, Hours, Salary
• Volunteer / Community Service
• Where can you perform community service or volunteer?
• Where, When, For Whom
• Exercise and Health
• President’s Physical Fitness Program
• Other Physical Activity of Your Choice
• Relax / Vacation
• Traveling (with family if possible)
• Stay-cation: Day Trips from home
• Professional Development
• College Prep: Generic College Essay
• Check Out Colleges Online (Which Ones)
• College Tour (Local or while on Vacation)
• SAT / ACT Prep (How, Where?)
• Personal Development
• Family Relationships
• Parents and Guardians
• Siblings (Brothers & Sisters)
• Other Relatives
• Friend Relationships
• Reading (What Books?)
• Select two Books You Want To Read This Summer that will assist in your personal or professional development.

Your Final Exam: Using your pre-exam preparation, you are required to conduct two graded tasks (one written task prior to the exam and one verbal task during the exam):

• Pre-Exam Task: Complete a detailed two to three page 2015 Personal Summer Plan and turn it in at the beginning of the class period during the scheduled exam to the SNSI.
• List and explain all of the specific tasks (Work, Volunteer / Community Service, Exercise and Health, Relax/Vacation, Professional, Personal, Reading) you plan to perform.
• Place all of these specific tasks on a calendar. You will use this calendar during the Exam Task.   
• Exam Task: Using your 2015 Personal Summer Plan, and associated calendar brief the SNSI on your personal plan for the summer. Ensure you address not only the summer tasks but specifically how you plan to accomplish them and when by using the calendar.  

Medal of Honor Recipient Assignment

You need to have two 8 X 11 papers: 

• Head shot photo [preferably color] or an individual picture
• Facts about this Medal of Honor Recipient

8 X 11 papers will be mounted on black construction paper.

Photo page will include Recipient’s photo, name and the Battle where KIA.

Your job is to make that person KIA to come alive through your presentation.

DUE: Friday May 15^th.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: Personal Finance Article Review

Today's Public Speaking Assignment: 

• Take 2 minutes to review the personal finance article you looked at over the weekend. 
• Draft a short one and 1/2 minute speech and feel free to write down some bulletized talking points.
• Standard format: Intro, 3 main points, conclusion. 

PERSONAL FINANCE - "Pay-To-Taxes" Process

CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT!

The "Pay-To-Taxes" Process takes you though the real nuts-and-bolts of determining the amount of taxes taken out of your paycheck, and filing a tax return.

It is important to step back from these details and look at the role your taxes play in the big picture. The following video aims to do just that. 
 
"What happens when a paycheck talks? Don't miss an opportunity to learn where your federal income taxes and payroll taxes go."

PERSONAL FINANCE - Role of Credit

The following videos illustrate some of the topics we covered on the role of credit.

Building credit from scratch

We all want to have "good credit," even though it's not always clear how to get there; especially when you're just getting started. But with some solid first steps and a focus on paying your bills on time, you'll be on your way to building a solid credit score.

What is a good credit score?

What is "good" credit? And who determines your credit score, good or bad? This video will show you who keeps track of your credit scores and some rules of the road when it comes to determining "good" credit.

Credit or debit card? What is the difference?

On the surface, credit and debit seem pretty similar. But there are some important differences you should know to make informed, smart decisions.

NOTE: To find other credit-oriented Bank of America videos on Youtube, search "BOA Credit". Other financial companies have videos also.

Disclaimer: The selected Bank of America videos do not represent any endorsement from NJROTC for Bank of America and its products. Their use is solely for illustrative purposes.

PERSONAL FINANCE - Monthly Budget

The following video gives additional guidance on setting up a budget. The material covered dovetails nicely into the information in your handout.

Setting up a budget is a great way to help keep your finances on track and plan for the future. Check out these easy ways to get started creating a better budget for you and your family.

Disclaimer: The selected Bank of America videos do not represent any endorsement from NJROTC for Bank of America and its products. Their use is solely for illustrative purposes.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: Personal Finance Article Review

Public Speaking Assignment (April 6, 2015): 

• Take two minutes to review the homework assignment you just completed that summarized an interesting personal finance article of your choosing along with 3 bullet talking points. 
• Draft a short one and 1/2 minute speech using your bullet talking points.
• Standard format: Intro, 3 main points, conclusion. 

PUBLIC SPEAKING: What Does Personal Finance Mean to You?

Today's Public Speaking Assignment: 

• Take five minutes to think about the concept of what personal finance means to you. 
• Draft a short one and 1/2 minute speech and feel free to write down some bulletized talking points.
• Standard format: Intro, 3 main points, conclusion. 

Take this personal finance module seriously, you are being given an opportunity to learn much if you apply yourself.

SURVIVAL EXAM

Good Luck!

Part 1: Clear your desks and take out a piece of paper and write out the survival acronym and what each letter stands for. You have 6 minutes for this, and turn in the paper at the back of the room. Sign your name and class period. 

When you are done here is Part 2: Take out a second piece of paper. Once all of part one answers are turned in, Mr. O will write out the SURVIVAL acronym on the board and you will look at both scenarios and pick the three letters that best apply to each scenario and write them out and explain in short answer form why each letter you chose applies to this scenario

Part 2, Scenario One: Tornado in Your Neighborhood

The tornado just passed your area, and you survived by going into your basement by yourself. No one else in your family was at home but you. All the homes in your neighborhood lost power. Numerous homes and properties were heavily damaged. Your home was severely damaged by a tree crashing though the roof. There is no cell phone coverage whatsoever. Night time is approaching and you see individuals of varies ages wandering around your devastated neighborhood. 

Scenario Two: 

You are coming back from the Norwalk HS versus BMHS Basketball game which was packed with people at Norwalk HS. The game went into overtime, but McMahon won at the buzzer. As you leave the game you see a number of groups of “tough guys” from both schools posturing like they might fight. You and your friends are walking to get a burger at the nearby FIVE GUYS. You hear sirens and screaming and yelling, and a group of kids running. Some kid you see from your school runs by you and says “hey I need you to take this” and throws his small soccer backpack at you and keeps running. The cops drive by a minute later in the direction of those kids that ran including the kid who gave you his bag. 

March 26 (Thursday): Survival Exam

TODAY IS THE SURVIVAL FINAL. 

As per your pre-exam briefing, knowing what the acronym 

S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L stands for is important to your success. Since the class period is shortened you will be given only three survival scenarios to assess using the acronym. 

I want to see you apply the survival philosophy and you will be graded accordingly.

PS. TAKE FRIDAY OFF, YOU DESERVE IT. 

March 25 (WED): Uniform Day and Inspection

WEDNESDAY IS UNIFORM DAY. WE ONLY HAVE A FEW UNIFORM DAYS BEFORE THE INSPECTION. YOU WILL BE INSPECTED AND RECEIVE A GRADE. UNIFORM DAY INSPECTION IS A TEST. 

FIRST YEAR CADETS: General Orders 1 through 5.

UPPERCLASSMEN CADETS: General Orders 1 through 11 and Chain of Command. Go to the Mid Term Review Blog post for references (links) for studying your General Orders and the Chain of Command. 

Inspecting Officers:
Period 1: TBD
Period 2: Rose / Dallas is scribe
Period 4: Walsh / Martinez is scribe
Period 5: TBD
Period 6: Sanchez / Veliz is scribe
Period 7: Stevenson / Gray is scribe
Period 8: 

March 24 (Tuesday): NJROTC, and The Way Ahead

Today, we are going to talk about our program and the future. Our program is the first US Navy JROTC program in the state of Connecticut. This is a picture of one of our cadets (Sergio) who was the Captain of the BMHS Soccer Team, but now he has moved on to other things. 

As the year approaches the last Marking Period, and our senior's will be preparing to move on after graduation, you the cadets who remain need to prepare for the future and the changes that come with it. I will give you a class brief on NJROTC and The Way Ahead and then talk to a number of you individually. 

This Week is a Short But Busy Week: 23 to 26 March (Mon to Thursday)

What does this mean? It means what we learn is what we become. 

Quote:

 "You let people know who you are by how you do your job?"

Alphonse Lambert

If your job is to be a student-cadet and to learn; how are you doing that job?  Based on the quote what does your level of learning say about you...?

Before we get into today's public speaking, lets look at our schedule for the week:

Schedule: 

March 23 (Mon):  Public speaking (Mr. Osinloye as Sub)
March 24 (Tues):  NJROTC, The Way Ahead (Schedule &                                             Future)Brief by LtCol Killackey
March 25 (Wed):  Uniform Day / Inspection
March 26 (Thur):  Survival Test / 90 minute Early release
March 27 (Fri):     No School for Students / Teachers Only

Class Activity: PUBLIC SPEAKING

Take 6 minutes and prepare an impromptu speech focused on the below topic. You are allowed to take up some bullet talking points but do not read them, instead give a speech. : 

Topic: What Quality Makes You Amazing?

You will describe that one quality that makes you AMAZING and give two examples of how you demonstrate that quality. As usual, have an introduction, description of the quality and provide two examples of how it makes you amazing, and then a conclusion. You have from a minute to a minute and a half to provide your impromptu speech. 



Note: Whichever cadets do not finish, you will finish after the personnel inspection on Wednesday.   

Will You Survive the Survival EXAM...?

Today in class we will conduct a group activity which will help you understand how the Survival exam will be administered and what is expected of you. THIS IS A REVIEW, so use this opportunity to prepare. You will also be given a two page study guide for the acronym, SURVIVAL. 

Remember the acronym:

Size up the situation.

Use all your senses.

Remember where you are.

Vanquish fear and panic.

Improvise.

Value living.

Act only after thinking.

Live by your wits.

Prep for TEST: 
     1. You need to memorize this acronym for the test.
  2. You will be given a variety of situations for your test and you will need to be familiar with and use the Survival acronym in giving your answers. 

Scenario One: Need a Ride Home on a Friday Night

Your parents traveled to a funeral and are allowing your sister to pick you up late from the movies which ends at midnight. During the movie, your sister texts you and says she is sick throwing up and can't drive and says you need to get a ride home. You and your friends are waiting outside the movie theater trying to figure out what to do and a kid from school pulls up and offers you a ride. As he opens the window you see smoke come out and you smell something odd. What do you do?

Scenario Two: Your Cousin got a Flat Tire on the Highway. 

Your cousin is driving you back from the mall on Saturday night and his car gets a flat tire on I-95. He pulls off the side of the road to figure out what to do. You are a passenger, what do you do? 

Scenario Three: Bus Breakdown during Overnight School Trip in Winter. 

You are coming back from an overnight school trip and the bus you are on breaks down on an isolated road in the winter. Once the bus stops it loses all power and the weather is getting worse. What do you do?

REMEMBER for these scenarios, similar to the test tomorrow you need to use the SURVIVAL acronym to analyze what to do or not do. Today you did this in a group, tomorrow for the test you will do this by yourself. 

APPRECIATION 2: YOUR PEERS... YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS

We continue to learn from last week. Through our act of appreciation to those adults at BMHS that have made an impact on our and others lives came a suggestion from a student. Can cadets write a letter to a peer or a fellow student that they appreciate? I told that student it was a great idea and that is what you are going to work on today. 

Similar to last week we will watch a short video to get you focused on appreciation for your fellow students. This video is called the Science of Happiness, watch it and then you will write your letter of appreciation. Even though the video is not specifically about appreciating you fellow students, it will help you form your thoughts prior to writing. 

Class Activity:

1. Watch the video. 
2. Take out a piece of paper and print your name and class period on the paper.
3. Think about a student who you appreciate and why you appreciate them. Ensure you address that letter to that student.
4. Write a one page letter telling that student why you appreciate them and the impact they have on you and others. Review your work.
5. Turn that piece of paper into the Naval Science Instructor once you are complete. 
6. For Tuesday, you need to study the acronym, SURVIVAL and know what each letter represents. (See previous postings).

The last class for Stress Management and Exercise: Tai Chi

We have conducted ZUMBA and we have done Yoga, now we will check out the oriental concept of Tai Chi which is somewhat like stretching, yoga, and martial arts without the contact.

Appreciating The People in Your Life at BMHS

The theme for today's class is : APPRECIATION

With the recent passing of our well loved and respected BMHS security guard, Maurice Tomlin, it has inspired in many of us an appreciation of those around us everyday that we may otherwise overlook. 

Yesterday evening our cadets supported the amazing Memorial Tribute to Maurice Tomlin by BMHS and the Norwalk Community. The positive and healing impact it had on the Tomlin family, his friends, and his fellow Senators from BMHS was apparent. 

Let's watch two short videos to give us an appreciation for the positive things in our lives. After viewing them, you will be given an in class assignment to write a letter. 

Class Activity:

• Think about an adult at BMHS that you appreciate. Select one that you greatly appreciate. (Not presuming anything, but it can't be the NSI or SNSI. )
• You are going to write a one page letter to that person and turn it into me at the end of the class period. 
• In your letter include:
• Who that person is by name
• Why you appreciate them
• The impact they have on you and others
• This will be an anonymous letter, so do not sign it. 
• Turn the letter into me by the end of the class period as I will turn it into that adult. 

SURVIVAL: Surviving a Dirty Bomb...?

As we have been studying the concept of survival, we have been branching out in to some other areas beyond the standard "I got lost in the woods" scenario. Yesterday, we talked about increasing your chances of surviving a car crash to include if you stopped to help after a car crash. Some dangerous incidents occur because of natural causes (such as a tornado, hurricane, snow storm, flooding, etc.) and some occur because of man-made reasons (car crash, power outage). Either way (natural or man-made) an incident occurs, the SURVIVAL Philosophy applies:

Size up the situation.
Use all of your senses.
Remember where you are. 
Vanquish fear and panic.
Improvise.
Value living.
Act only after thinking.
Live by your wits. 

Today we are going to discuss and increase your awareness about a possible man-made threat however not very probable of Surviving a Dirty Bomb, or in more formal terms a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD).

Surviving a Dirty Bomb Overview (CNN): 2mins

Dirty Bomb Survival   (Click on this?)


What is Radioactive Fallout: A Dirty Bomb will be considerably less than a nuclear explosion. This was made in 1955 when the Cold War concerns about US and USSR having a nuclear exchange could occur. Info is dated but still relevant. 

How does Radiation Affect Your Body? 

Surviving A Car Accident...What Happens When Physics Meets Biology

What to Do If you show Up And Want To Help At a Car Accident


Above are three Media links which talk about surviving a car accident. This is a very likely occurrence for anyone and like any emergency it is invaluable to think about it first.

How Do Accidents Occur?
What Are the Contributing Factors?
What types of Accidents Occur?
Options or Evasive Actions
When Physics meets Biology
What do You do If You show Up at an Accident and Want to Help

The intent of this class is to make you think....

PT Friday: Have You Ever Done Zumba

Physical training can get boring and routine at times, so it is always good to mix up your workouts. Our society goes through workout phases: bodybuilding, aerobics, spinning, yoga, and more recently Zumba.

Here is a Wikipedia definition of Zumba: 

Zumba is a dance fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez during the 1990s. Zumba involves dance and aerobic elements. The choreography incorporates  hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue, and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included. Approximately 15 million people take weekly Zumba classes in over 140,000 locations across more than 185 countries.

Today, we will warmed up by stretching and then we will Zumba for about 18 minutes. We will break this up into 6 minute sessions with a resting break in between. Also on the lunges and squats focus on proper safe techniques for example DO NOT put your body weight forward of your bent knee during a lunge and only go into a sitting position when squatting. 

• WARM UP
• ZUMBA
• COOL DOWN

Zumba Workout for Beginners  (Click on this link & take resting stops every 6 minutes).

Enjoy.

Brainstorming for Upcoming TOPGUN Competition

Welcome back from break, I hope you enjoyed yourself. Tommorrow is uniform day so be ready with your appearance, bearing, and knowledge.

Today we will break up into small groups (group leaders chose teams) and brainstorm potential TOPGUN events for the platoon versus platoon competition. I want each group to come up with events for two categories: 

IN CLASS EVENTS: can be done in school during the class period.

OUT OF CLASS EVENTS: can be done  after-school and online.

Come up with a group list and then give to designated class scribe (see below) to write input on a Google Doc.

Google Doc: PROPOSED TOP GUN EVENTS  (Click on Link) 

PERIOD 2: Group Leaders are Bonilla and Velmani. 

Scribe is Tom Mirabella

PERIOD 4: Group Leaders are Ceja and Fequiere. 

Scribe is Kevin Martinez.

PERIOD 6: Group Leaders are Micheal Ragusa and Christian Araujo. 

Scribe is Michele Veliz.

PERIOD 7: Group Leaders are Mercy Stevenson and James Gray. 

Scribe is Robert Chavez.