Summer Cross Country in Utah

Every August the ESD cross-country goes to Utah for a training camp. The team flies together to Utah and then drive to Mount Pleasant where we stay at Wasatch Academy. We usually get up in the morning and go run. The runs are beautiful; the trails go on forever. On the left there are mountains and then on the right there is an amazing plain. After the morning run, we go back to the Academy and chill with the team. We watch movies and read books. The team really bonds during the time between the runs. In the afternoon we go for another run, which is just as beautiful as the first. Running in Utah is great because the air is clean and we did not need to worry about cars. During one of the nights in Utah we go to a Mormon party. All of us have a great time. Overall, the Utah trip is a good time to bond with the team, while getting ready for the cross-country season.

Being on the yearbook staff at ESD has been one of my favorite things about the school! It's so much fun to be able to see the book come together before anyone else does, and it's a way to document your favorite things about your year at ESD. The students on staff put it all together with the help of a teacher advisor and the senior Editors-in-Chief. If you’re not sure how to be a part of it yet, or just aren’t ready for a big job responsibility, you can just be a staffer. You can also apply for jobs like Ads Managers, Sports Editors, or Senior Page Editors. To make the book, we use software called InDesign. While it can be confusing at first, it doesn’t take much time to learn, and everyone is available to help. Being part of the yearbook staff is how I got to know students in my own grade, and some of the Upperclassmen. Being on the yearbook staff is hard work, but is absolutely worth it. It takes time and effort to make a good book, but seeing how much everyone loves the final product is the best part. The holiday gift exchange and fun after-school stay-lates and parties definitely help…
ESD Sophomore

ESD Girls Softball Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPea18wzPww

Three Sport Athlete

Playing three sports can be difficult to manage, but volunteering at ESD sports camp for lower school students during the summer reminds me why I took on the challenge. I look at the fifth through seventh grade softball players, and it’s hard to imagine that once I, too wanted to wear a helmet in the field so that I didn’t get hit by the ball. Looking more like bobbleheads than ballplayers, they come out during the summer because they enjoy playing the game. During the school year, my time management skills are polished as I head straight from practice to homework. Somehow I am always able to complete all of my responsibilities, and everyday I improve in all aspects of my education (on Tuesdays I even end up with some time to catch Glee). As I help coach the excited middle schoolers I used to be, I am thankful that ESD allows me to still be involved in so many different activities. At their age I wasn’t able to imagine dropping either volleyball, basketball, or softball, and I’m glad I never had to. Being a counselor at camp reminds me I can be that middle schooler in the classroom and on the court and take advantage of all of my opportunities.
Outside Hitter, Center, and Shortstop

ESD Mock Trial

Objection, hearsay! Not everyone knows what that means, but as an active member of the mock trial team this is a term I am very familiar with, having heard it many times. The ESD mock trial team advanced to regionals the last two times we competed in the Texas Mock Trial Competition. Up against schools that have classes just for Mock Trial, our mock trial club continues to outshine the competition. We have fun too; in between the competitions, held in real courtrooms of the Frank Crowley Courthouse, the mock trial team enjoys sitting in the jury room and talking to one another. We joke amongst ourselves and create friendships that ignore our differences. A highly inclusive club, mock trial lets everyone participate. Over the past three years ESD has accumulated two plaques for advancing to regionals and one “Best Witness.” In response to the previous objection: sustained.
Signed under oath on June 3, 2010,
ESD Senior