8 jones D’s AP Compositions

By Jones Drury

Lane Kenny casually cooking for guests at his home kitchen

“I once was cooking and it didn’t turn out well, so I learned from my mistakes and tried again.” says Lane Kenny, 18, of Ames High School who has made cooking a part of his weekly routine. Lane’s culinary journey began out of hunger and the desire to experiment in the kitchen. Through many attempts, mistakes, and successes, he fine tuned his skills in the culinary art of cooking. Learning from experiences both good and bad, Lane found his joy in cooking from doing it for others and the satisfaction that the activity brings.

“Know your tools and how to use them” Lane’s response when asked for any tips or tricks in the kitchen may seem like a simple one, but he assures that this is one mistake many amateur cooks make. Not knowing what tools a recipe calls for or not knowing how to use the tools you have will make preparing a dish much harder than it needs to be and will likely result in something that your company will not enjoy. While it is such a key component to learn, the task itself is not very difficult to accomplish. Kenny suggests a Google search, asking a parent, or just simple trial and error.

While on the topic of simple mistakes, Kenny states that “knowing your audience and their palette” is vital when preparing a dish for people or a group of people. “You really want to know who you are preparing the meal for. You want to know their likes and dislikes and then play to that. That really elevates your cooking as other people can enjoy what you make so much more.” 

The biggest thing when cooking though is to never give up. It may be disheartening when something doesn’t turn out how you wanted it to. Maybe you overcooked something or messed up the amount of ingredients you needed. With cooking, you can always fix your mistakes and you can almost always try again. “Cooking is a great and useful learning experience and there is nothing more rewarding than enjoying something you spent hours cooking and have tried it over and over again to get it right. You feel accomplished and ready to take on anything. ”

College football players deserve compensation for their contributions to their institutions, the NCAA, and their personal futures. The disparity in the benefits they receive compared to the wealth they generate is staggering and demands attention. Advocating for fairness and equality in collegiate athletics is not just a call for justice but a necessary step towards recognizing the invaluable commitment that these athletes make.

First of all, a Drexel University study highlighted that the average market value of a D1 football player was around $120,048. However, these players don’t receive a fraction of that in actual cash. When a team gets to a bowl game, the players can only earn a maximum of$550 in prizes, while coaches are able to make bonuses up to $850,000. This harsh difference in compensation is blatantly unfair, especially when you take into account that the players are committing and sacrificing just as much as the coaches.

In addition, NCAA research reveals that college football players often devote over 40 hours per week to their sport. This level of commitment leaves them with very little time for personal interests or academic activities. As a result, many athletes struggle to balance their athletic commitments with their studies, often needing tutors or just ignoring their schoolwork. This imbalance affects their opportunities after graduation, limiting their opportunities because of lower academic background or experience.

Speaking about an athlete’s future, another big issue is the financial security of athletes after college. For many, college is the highest level they will achieve in their respective sport. However, after putting in 4 intense years to their program, they face the harsh reality that they didn’t spend enough of their time on academics. Shockingly, an NCPA survey found that 86% of college athletes live below the federal poverty line, proving the financial struggle they have to endure once they graduate.

While the idea of paying college athletes seems fair, some may argue that it might ruin the aspect of amateurism in collegiate sports. Introducing wages might widen the gap between athletes and nonathletes, which could change the spirit of the team and how they operate. Disparities may also arise between different sports or even between players on the same team. However, these arguments don’t take into account that these players have bigger problems than a little bit of jealousy. They have to worry about their financial, internal, and overall success in the future.

In conclusion, it’s important to acknowledge the immense worth of college athletes and what they bring to both their colleges and the NCAA. Fair compensation isn’t just a moral necessity, it’s an essential step towards recognizing their dedication and ensuring their financial stability after graduation.

Works Cited

Gonchar, Michael. “Should College Football Players Get Paid?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Jan. 2014, archive.nytimes.com/learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/should-college-football-players-get-paid/. 

Kraft, Nicole. “Why the Public Strongly Supports Paying College Athletes.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Aug. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/nicolekraft/2023/08/21/why-the-public-strongly-supports-paying-college-athletes/?sh=96f416d1b08e. 

Leppard, Natalie. “Should College Athletes Be Paid? Top 3 Pros and Cons.” ProCon.Org, 27 Mar. 2023, www.procon.org/headlines/paying-college-athletes-top-3-pros-and-cons/. 

“Study College Athletes Worth Six Figures Live below Federal Poverty Line.” Drexel Home, 23 Jan. 2023, drexel.edu/news/archive/2011/september/study-college-athletes-worth-six-figures-live-below-federal-poverty-line. 

“Study: ‘The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport.’” National College Players Association, www.ncpanow.org/research/study-the-price-of-poverty-in-big-time-college-sport. Accessed 18 Dec. 2023. 

“Why College Athletes Should Be (or Should Not Be) Paid.” College Raptor Blog, College Raptor Staff, 22 Sept. 2023, www.collegeraptor.com/paying-for-college/articles/questions-answers/should-college-athletes-be-paid/#:~:text=College%20athletes%20claim%20that%20their,college%20athletes%20should%20be%20paid. 

I believe that college football players should be paid because of the money they bring into the college, the time they devote to the team, and for their own financial security once they stop playing. It is very important for college institutions to change their policies to ensure that there is fair compensation for their athletes. Together, we should advocate for fairness and equality in collegiate athletics by recognizing the invaluable contributions made by these committed athletes.

College players are a huge asset to both the college they represent as well as the NCAA. A study done by Drexel University found that the average market value for a D1 football player is around $127,608. However, the players see that none of that is actual cash. If a team makes it to a bowl game, the max a player can get for participating is $550 in prizes while the coaches can make a bonus of around $850,000. This disparity in pa is extremely unfair as players contribute just as much of their time to the sport as the coach does.

According to a survey done by the NCAA, college football players often spend more than 40 hours per week on their sport. With this sort of commitment, players really dont have much time outside of school and their sport to focus on other hobbies or even school. This is why many college athletes need tutors for their classes or just don’t focus on school very much. This lack of attention to academics plays a big role in the amount of opportunities for the athletes when they eventually get out of college.

Speaking about an athlete’s future, another big issue is the financial security of athletes after college. For many athletes, college is the end of the road for them when it comes to their sport. However, this poses a pretty big issue since the athlete had just dedicated the last 4 years of their life to their sport and now have to figure out what to do with almost no money and an education they didn’t prioritize. In fact, the NCPA did a survey that found that 86% of college athletes live below the federal poverty line. So once they get out of college they almost have to restart from a blank slate given that they weren’t able to put much effort into their degrees. 

In conclusion, college athletes should really get paid for their time and dedication. They bring in a ton of money for their schools and the NCAA, they put in an enormous amount of time for their teams, and they deserve to feel financially secure for the years following their graduation. Colleges seriously need to change their rules to make sure these athletes get fair compensation. We should all push for fairness and equality in college sports by recognizing how much these players actually contribute.

Going into high school changed how I viewed my academics, converting my notion that schoolwork was a walk in the park. Before high school, learning came pretty easy or was something I already knew. Managing my workload in each class was easy, and good grades seemed almost automatic for me. High school, however, was a whole different game. The classes I took became much more challenging and required a time commitment that I had never given to school before.

This realization hit me pretty hard during freshman year. This realization forced me to buckle down and get on top of my assignments and studies. After 14 years of doing the complete opposite, changing my habits proved to be very difficult. But with the help of my friends, teachers, and an anxiety-inducing amount of missing assignments, I was able to change my previous study habits. This shift in my mindset was a game changer. My new way of thinking turned schoolwork from a burdening chore to a necessary task that I was able to complete because I knew it needed to be done. Applying this thinking to my assignments slowly started bringing back the A’s that I used to be so accustomed to. However, now I was earning them through hard work, knowing that I deserved them.

My new study strategy extended beyond the classroom. The contagious gratification of succeeding in school spilled into many other parts of my life. Whether it was sports, relationships, or any task that required effort, I now knew how to give 100 percent at it. Embracing this ideology of exceeding expectations not only brought back my academics but also reshaped my mindset, creating resilience and perseverance in all of my ongoing commitments.

Written by: Jones Drury

My experience as a student at Ames High has had many exciting moments, not only as a student who gets to experience our brand-new school but also as a member of the boy’s swim team. From our state-of-the-art new school to the amazing swim facility and staff, I have had countless opportunities to flourish and push my limits at Ames High. 

Ames High isn’t just any normal school, it is a place where we are given the opportunity to test our abilities and discover our interests. The school offers many different classes that allow students to explore a large range of subjects and narrow down which ones they want to possibly study more in the future. One thing that I did in my first few years at Ames was take a wide variety of classes to figure out what I liked. I believe that my doing that had a large impact on the classes that I take even now in my senior year. Not only did it impact me academically, but also socially. Another thing that Ames does well is incorporating every student to try and make sure every one of us has an enjoyable high school experience. For me, signing up for many classes exposed me to all types of people to get to know and potentially become friends with. Luckily for me, many of the people I got to know had the same schedules and interests that I had. Having these people with me as I have gone through high school has made my time here extremely unique and more fun than I could’ve imagined. 

Another experience I’ve involved myself in at Ames High is the boy’s swim team. Going into freshman year, I never really thought I would want to join the team, but because of my friends who were already swimmers, I was convinced to join. 4 years later I can’t imagine doing it any other way. The sport has helped me stay active, even when I’d rather be sleeping, it has taught me to have discipline and perseverance, and has helped me meet a lot of really cool people that I hope to stay friends with for a long time. 

In short, my incredible journey as an Ames High student and member of the swim team has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The exciting opportunities at our new school have provided me to excel academically and athletically, and I’m eager to see where the future that Ames has given me will go.

• https://discoverames.com/business-listing/ames-hs-pool/
• https://www.facebook.com/AmesHighSchool/

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