What it all meant... This is your final discussion board, and will serve as your final grade for the Senior Career Internship in the Focus Academy. Please have this done no later than May 10, 2019. Comments on classmate's posts are not required, but feel free if you'd like to share your thoughts with them.
Thank you for a great year, and an amazing 4 years in our Academy. It has been a privilege to teach you and watch you grow over your high school careers. I know you will all grow more and become the amazing servant leaders we hoped you could.---Mr. Siecke *Discussion Board Topic* Please share with the group one lesson, assignment, trip, or story from your time in Focus at Burke that impacted you. Talk about how the four year program has shaped you and changed you and what it means to you. Please add those thoughts in the comments.
14 Comments
Jacob
4/26/2019 05:41:02 pm
The FOCUS program has been with me my whole schooling career from 3rd grade to now. So many memories have been shared in this program that I cant narrow down one activity or thing we did that I believe impacted me the most. I remember the WW1 trip and how much fun we had as freshman and we bonded and created the relationships that we have today. I remember the mock trial we had in class with Howard and how we made the trial entertaining and a learning experience. I thank the FOCUS program because without this program I wouldn't be at Burke and I wouldn't of made the friendships and the memories that I will keep for a lifetime. Thank you all
Reply
Emily Whitsitt
4/30/2019 04:57:10 pm
The Focus program helped me grow as a student and person throughout my four years at Burke. I especially remember when we took the field trip to TD Amaritrade, I enjoyed being able to experience what an average job looked like. It was very cool to see everyone working and sitting in on a meeting. I also thought it was helpful to have a mock interview with those in this industry and gain feedback to help me in the future. This whole experience helped me get a glimpse of what it is like to work in the real world. Focus gave me many opportunity to grow into the person I am today and I will take each experience to help me continue to grow as I go onto college.
Reply
Catalina Rodriguez
5/2/2019 08:16:27 am
I have been in the Focus program since 4th grade, and it has changed my life in so many ways, but those ways have always been for the good. There has been so many memories and so many things throughout the Focus Program that has shaped me into being who I am today. I had a really big change this year, Yvonna moved to a different school. Throughout the year I have had to deal with stress of not knowing if yvonna would be alright because she was in and out of the hospital a lot last year, and it scared me. But the Focus teachers were always there, when I had a hard time dealing with things, they were always there, not just this year but throughout the years, and I'm grateful to have teachers that care that much for their students. I learned that I am not alone, even when I may feel like it, I still have people there that will listen. The focus program means so much to me, leaving it is very hard, it's what got me out of being bullied more and more. Taught me how to even stand up for myself than just standing up for others, that is just a couple of a million things all of the Focus teachers have taught me. Thank you so much, you all have made a huge impact with each and every one of your students
Reply
Kate Rife
5/2/2019 08:32:31 am
Probably my favorite field trip that I ever went on with FOCUS was to TD Ameritrade. It was not only fun to be around some of my FOCUS classmates that I hadn’t seen in a while, but extremely insightful on the business world, what it’s like to be in an office environment, have a real interview and get professional feedback on it, and know that if needed, I have made a connection with them if I ever want to work there in the future. FOCUS has helped me be able to grow and run with creativity more than any other classes that I’ve been in. I’m extremely thankful for the values (leadership, communication, and technology) that this academy has built itself on and still maintains them throughout its everyday lessons and piers. I will always think of FOCUS whenever I look back on High school and remember how much FOCUS allowed me to find myself as a person, a writer, and a strong leader.
Reply
Will Schneidewind
5/5/2019 03:10:21 pm
Over the years that I have been in the focus program the field trip I loved the most was the TD Ameritrade. Seeing all the people working and all the technology they use to keep up with stocks and their business. I also loved being able to do the mock interviews telling us what we need to do differently and preparing ourselves for the real life situations. Then my favorite class out of the focus program was personal finance. I thought it was very interesting to me and I learned a lot about how to save and invest my money. All the years being in the program have gave me a great advantage to life and how to be able to be successful. Focus has showed me how to be a leader. I'm really glad I got to join the focus program and be taught by the best teachers so now I can take all the information I have learned and bring it to college and get my bachelors degree and start working at a great job.
Reply
Gabi Jaapar
5/5/2019 03:25:50 pm
For the three years that I've been in the FOCUS Program I have grown so much as a person. When I started, I didn't know what experiences the program would bring me or the friends that I would meet. There is one distinctive memory I have of FOCUS and it was the very first day of my sophomore year walking into 21st Century Communications with Mr. Siecke. I introduced myself as a new student in the FOCUS Program and I immediately felt welcomed by everyone in the room. That first class period showed me that FOCUS was different from the rest of my classes and that I was in for the best part of my high school career. The teachers of this program have shaped me to be more confident, hardworking, and determined through the praise, criticism, and advice they have given me. I have never had another teacher leave a bigger impact on me. The lessons I've learned throughout the last three years will last me a lifetime. I will cherish the time I had in FOCUS.
Reply
Collin Clough
5/5/2019 04:50:20 pm
One experience that I will always remember throughout my 4 years in focus was our field trip to the world war 2 museum in Kansas City. I strictly remember being so interested and invested in the lessons Mr. Howard taught to us in the week prior to that trip. The way that he would teach and have the whole class interacting was what truly kept me interested in school. This trip overall was just a great learning experience and a bonding time for my classmates and me. We took a bus down to Kansas City that was very fun in the aspect of just getting to know my classmates better, but what was even more fun was exploring the museum. This place was incredible and extremely well put together. Inside you could truly get a grasp on what that awful war was really like.
Reply
Kailey Casey
5/7/2019 05:59:03 am
When I had applied to be in the Focus program before Freshman year. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know what the program was, I just knew that it would be a guarantee that I would be able to go to Burke( According to the principal before Scraggs). After I was accepted and started in the Focus Program my first day of Freshman year, I started to enjoy everything about it. My favorite project would probably be either the Romeo and Juliet Unit or the Jekyll and Hyde Project freshman year. My favorite memory of my entire focus experiences is everything that was typed on the 2019 class quote board. I love laughing at everything my classmates have said over the years or did. I'm honestly surprised I wasnt on there more times. I'm going to miss this program and these people after this year. I might see some at UNL though.
Reply
Zaria
5/7/2019 06:37:35 pm
Focus has shaped me into who I am today. It taught me to always be a support system. They taught you lessons in different and engaging ways and saw potential in everyone of us. I have been in the program since 6th grade and it honestly was a blessing in disguise. I moved schools with every grade I went into and when I joined focus I did not expect to make life-long friends. The best lessons were taught our freshman year because they did activities that got us out of our seats and it made us become closer with each other. They treated you like their own family and I will never forget any of it.
Reply
Julia Carreon
5/8/2019 07:52:53 pm
Throughout my four years in the focus program i have faced many obstacles that would seem impossible to overcome alone. I will forever be in debt to the focus teachers because of their big hearts and their support. Each year in my High School career came with life changing events, they made me the person i am today. One memorable moment that i will always carry with me is when we were discussing the Lock Down procedures and Mr. Howard, Mr. Siecke, and Ms. Benzle responded to our concerns of a school shooting by saying " Anyone who is trying to hurt you guys will have to go through me first". That was the very first time i felt safe inside my school. Another memory that i think truly reflects on the bond that we all share is when the horrific stabbing event went on. I had left school to go to work before it happened and i was unaware that anything was wrong until i kept getting messages from my fellow focus classmates asking if i was safe. i distinctively remember Lillith asking if i was safe because she heard that a JROTC female member had been stabbed. It warmed my heart that even though we don't speak as often as we used to, the bond we share will always remain the same. Thank you guys for the most memorable four years of my life.
Reply
Madeline Hutchinson
5/9/2019 05:58:45 am
Being in the focus program for the past 4 years has been amazing. It has shaped me into the person I am today and I will continue to grow as a leader and in my studies by the things I learned over the years. Freshman year field trip to the WWI museum was the most memorable. Getting to see such incredible things that took place that time, and knowing we had all this prior knowledge to come in with and truly understand a lot of things we saw.
Reply
Silas Jones
5/9/2019 07:26:11 am
One lesson that impacted immensely was the one about the stock market. I was given a very detailed explanation and was able to understand how it worked. An assignment would be the Julius Caesar project my sophomore year. I like how I was able to work with everyone. We all had a fun time working together and the outcome was great. A trip I really liked was the one to TD Ameritrade. It was cool to learn about economic, stocks, and how to be a good team member. This four year program shaped me to be a better leader. Communicate more fluently. And have a better understanding of using technology.
Reply
Lyndon Harrison
5/9/2019 07:14:14 pm
Burke Focus really was a journey that I'm going to miss. I really had the time of my life with some of my pals in there. One thing I'll never forget is the amount of support and encouragement I felt around the teachers. There were time when I forget that they even are my teachers. I'll also will never forget the great IC2 room where I really started to enjoy Burke more and where i started to become the person I am today.
Reply
Odalys Garcia
5/10/2019 05:22:19 pm
I have grown and improved immensely since freshman year and I can happily say that Focus has been a big part of that growth. One specific activity that I believe impacted me immeasurably was directing the Julius Caesar film sophomore year. I’m a pretty shy girl and I was pushed out of my comfort zone by being assigned as director. This was the first time I felt the pressure of being in a leadership position. Although I wasn’t the best director, after a while I got comfortable with the pressure and I learned how to step into a leadership role. I found out from that lesson that I have to push myself and challenge myself to grow and learn. After that, I gained the confidence to come into more leadership roles. I have learned so much from my time in Focus and I’m so thankful to have been able to be a part of it. I will take what I learned from Focus and apply it to my next step in life and I know it will help me hugely.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Reporting HoursRequirement of 90 Hours per semester. Use the button below to email your hours to Mr. Siecke. You may also bring them to Mr. Siecke in 115 at Burke High School. Archives
April 2019
PaperworkClick below to download the required paperwork for the internship program. Remember, no hours can be counted until this is received. You may submit it as a signed, scanned document via email or place the signed documents on Mr. Siecke's desk in 115.
![]()
|