I am hoping and expecting a more ordinary year this year to put things into the simplest perspective. I’m hoping to be able to go watch basketball and football games with my friends as I am yet to experience that as a high schooler. I would very much like to have the normal events that I didn’t get to experience because of Covid this year. Rallies, dances, school spirited events, and many other events I am all hoping to experience this year. I didn’t really have a normal freshman year in leadership or high school so I am expecting to vastly improve as a leader. Although I may make more freshman mistakes than most sophomores would normally make, I am excited to be able to have a generally normal experience in leadership. I also expect to have way more sports privileges this year as opposed to the hybrid form of them. First of all, as a track athlete I expect to have way more invitationals and chances to prove myself. With things opening back up, way more track finals and qualifying events will occur, allowing me to have many chances to show what I have stored up in the tank. We also will have many more athletes on the track team this year because not all of the sports are happening at the same time. This allows our team to be much better and I assume our team will have even more success than last year as a result. And also I would love to be able to spectate sports events this year and get a better sense of school spirit and unity. Personally, I am striving to maintain above a 4.0 gpa throughout this school year while vastly improving as a runner. Continuing to strive to get into the best colleges possible is still the goal for this year and I am going to do everything I can to carry out this goal. So to sum it all up I am hoping and expecting a more ordinary year this year.
Favorite quotes part 1 Page 2
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” -Barack Obama I find a relation to this quote in many interesting ways. First of all, Barack Obama is a very large inspiration to me because he shows that people of black skin can be of large power in this country. Knowledge of him is how I found this quote. I found this quote relatable especially in the time of the pandemic because adaptability was the theme of the year. This quote inspired me to find ways to create activities even with the difficulties of the pandemic and learn to be comfortable with change. It also creates inspiration to not silence yourself in things outside of school. Because if you truly want to make change happen and improve the world you should do something about it. And for that reason, this quote inspires me.
“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good.” -Deion Sanders This quote I have taken with a deeper understanding than most people would. This is an iconic quote to me because when I was decently young and kind of fell in love with it. Deion Sanders is probably one of my, if not my favorite athlete of all time. I love his swag and confidence and this quote greatly shows his character. I interpreted this quote as if you're confident in yourself, you feel good. And if you feel good about yourself you’re going to perform well in things such as academics or sports or whatever you specialize in. This quote shows confidence is key and because I have suffered from confidence in the past this quote has helped me boost myself. And yes, if it does help, dressing well will also boost your confidence and help you walk with your head high. So overall. I love this quote for many reasons.
“Life will put many red lights in front of you, but sometimes we must push on the gas and trust God.” -Kendrick Lamar This quote is about taking risks in life and pursuing your goals from the way I have interpreted it. It is about seizing opportunities and pushing yourself through those red lights or bumps in the road. Perseverance is a huge part of my life with the goals that I have set for myself because I must keep motivated even through my hardest times. I also love this quote because it inspires people to take risks in life and that life is either an adventure or nothing. You must have a feeling of security without being completely secure if that makes sense. Caution is acceptable but always being nervous is not and risks are a part of life. For these reasons, I love this quote.
Quote Page 3
“Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” - Kendrick Lamar What this quote means is that struggling times are temporary and the people that can push through those tough times will be successful. This quote has really inspired me throughout this school year being from my favorite artist and overall telling me that pushing through right now will pay off in the long run. This has motivated me to do what I do everyday and especially through difficult times. This can impact future students in the course to always persevere and tell themselves that they can do it. Reflection is important because it allows ourselves to improve and see what we did well in order to reassess how to approach different situations and be the best we can be.
Goals Page 4
Leadership goals
As an individual, I want to find happiness in my sophomore year, because as of right now I am not enjoying nearly as much as my freshman year.
I aspire to be a role model throughout all of my high school years and never break any of the leadership guidelines for outside-of-school activity.
Short Term Goals
I would like to accomplish a 51-52 second time in the 400-meter dash in track this year. Track is my largest passion and I’m putting so much effort into it so this is my goal time for the year.
I would like the sophomore class and I to come in second place in homecoming as a class this school year. After having a hybrid homecoming last year I have high hopes for the plans that we have for homecoming this year.
Long Term Goals
I would like to receive a division 1 offer for track in my high school career. Again, track is my passion and I would love to compete at a very high level in college.
I would like to graduate from a four-year college with a degree in Business to take on my family’s business of car dealing.
Goals Page 5
“As an individual, I want to find happiness in my sophomore year, because as of right now I am not enjoying nearly as much as my freshman year.”
I feel that I have indeed found happiness in my sophomore year as when I was writing this I was not time managing well and I was a freshman walking into all the sophomore workload. I now time manage well, get my sleep, and enjoy myself through things such as track, my friends, and just having fun.
“I aspire to be a role model throughout all of my high school years and never break any of the leadership guidelines for outside-of-school activity.”
Throughout this school year, I have achieved this goal as I do not engage in stupid decisions outside of the classroom or in the classroom.
“I would like to accomplish a 51-52 second time in the 400-meter dash in track this year. Track is my largest passion and I’m putting so much effort into it so this is my goal time for the year.
I still have a chance to hit this goal as the season is still not over but I have also kind of changed my track goals to prioritize the 800 over the 400. I am currently changing my training to prioritize it and I have high hopes for the rest of the season.
“I would like the sophomore class and I to come in second place in homecoming as a class this school year. After having a hybrid homecoming last year I have high hopes for the plans that we have for homecoming this year.”
The sophomore class fell short of second this year however I was overall satisfied with the homecoming that we put together after having a hybrid first year.
“I would like to receive a division 1 offer for track in my high school career. Again, track is my passion and I would love to compete at a very high level in college.”
Right now I still have this goal and maybe I even want more than just “a” division 1 offer but I’m not going to get ahead of myself yet.
“I would like to graduate from a four-year college with a degree in Business to take on my family’s business of car dealing.”
I have altered this goal to achieving a bachelor’s degree in economics from a four-year university and a masters in business. I also still have car dealing still as an option for a career but I am also open to other options that have to do with my major which I will explore through mock interviews as well as college.
People Magazine Cover Page 6
People Magazine Article Page 7
Devin Fitzpatrick has quite a lot of plans and goals for his life. His overall goal for life is to be successful, happy and charitable. He has many plans in order to get to this point in life. He, first of all, wants to work his entire high school career in numerous AP classes and achieve a high overall GPA in order to get accepted into the college of his dreams. He also wants to impact the community of Ripon largely through leadership, sports, and community service before he leaves high school. Devin also wants to be an elite Track athlete throughout high school and hopefully college. Track and Field is Devin’s passion and he hopes to break the 400, 800, and possibly 200-meter school record before he graduates high school. He also wishes to compete in this sport in college and receive a division 1 scholarship while he’s in high school. Mr. Fitzpatrick then told us how he wishes to give to the needy as much as he can when he grows up and has enough to give. He understands that giving back isn't just about donations and is also about time, and he plans to serve many community service hours throughout his life. Along with this he plans to provide the needy with donations to give them more of a chance to be successful in life. Devin also hopes to grow as a Person and mentally through his high school leadership program. This leadership program will help him be a happier person in life and an even larger step closer to his overall goal. In college, Devin plans to graduate with a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Business and use this to his advantage in the professional world. Devin plans to take after his families’ car dealing business and eventually work his way up to being a General Manager under his Father. With this, he plans to raise a good family, and if he accomplishes all of these things, his overall goal would be complete.
Role Model Page 8
Who I am choosing to write about as my role models this year are pretty generic, but play a bigger role than anybody else in my life. Who I am referring to are my parents. I largely questioned whether I should save my parents to write about my Senior year but I didn’t think they should wait. The reason I would save them for my Senior life is that they are the best people in my life, alongside my siblings. They have helped me through everything in my life and are the reason I am who I am today. My parents push me to have an excellent work ethic, do whatever it takes to have a successful future, and express good character to whoever I meet. I aspire to be like them when I grow up and I know I will be able to with their guidance. My Dad is the owner and manager of the Fitzpatrick dealership group and graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has guided me so much throughout my education and is assuring that I have the best future that he can give me. I look up to him because he puts in massive amounts of effort, day in and day out, and deals with massive amounts of stress while still spending quality time with his family. He’s always there when I need him and for those reasons I aspire to be like him. My Mom is an online teacher at connections academy and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in child development from San Jose State University. My mom takes care of my siblings and I, and always pushes the aspect of good character onto my siblings and I. She helps me with everything that I do and is always there to support me with anything I do in life. I aspire to be a great person like her when I grow up and that is why she is one of my role models. Overall, I love my parents with all of my heart and they are my role models in life.
Inner Animal Page 9
For my inner animal this year I chose a Wolverine. This goes off a lot of what my theme was last year when I chose the chihuahua. The Wolverine still represents the theme of small but mighty but also how I’ve grown. I’m not just a chihuahua that barks anymore, I’ve grown into a Wolverine with my confidence and have grown so much as an individual since my freshman year. I actually see myself strong like a wolverine now because I’ve started working out and lifting. I’m not the same skinny kid that although had a large personality, had a lack of confidence in a lot of different things. I’ve even found myself a passion in Track in which I can see myself excelling in the next few years. A wolverine is also my animal because I know and I’ve been told that I am a confrontational individual. I definitely agree with that assumption because I feel like I get that trait from my Dad in the sense that I’m not afraid of confrontations. If I have something to say to someone I’m going to say it and be straight up with them. I don’t care who you are, and I have that kind of mighty personality of a wolverine. Wolverines are aggressive animals and that trait we do not share. I am confrontational but I am in no essence aggressive. I feel I don’t have a short fuse but when that fuse goes off, I will confront someone. I also never try to come off as aggressive when meeting people. So I guess this animal doesn’t fully represent me but it was the best I could find. Hopefully next years’ I find one even more accurate.
The Best Things About Me Page 10
The Impact of sound and words Page 11
A song that represents me is Now or Never by Kendrick Lamar: [Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar] A fool if I take it all for granted A smart man if I keep my feet planted To the earth 'cause the people that hurt can understand it You speakin' outlandish I'mma show you how to make it all work Another planet, it's a short term goal for me A record sold for me It's just more of me in your ear For you to hear Kendrick persevere Defenses I feel relentless Ambition with a clear vision Takin' off I ain't takin off these Pistons I'm takin' off on the inner me - you're distance Came across me, how much it'a cost me To get you out my business I said a planet is a short term goal, no sky is the limit I'm past that, now pass that Award, not one but four Times two plus yours This song and this verse, in particular, represent me because it tells of the journey and path that I set for myself in life. I’m not taking my blessings for granted and try to take advantage of the opportunities that I come across as much as I can. Even if some people don’t appreciate my hard work and perseverance because I, for example, can’t hang out as much will see in the future my success and how all my hard work paid off. I don’t plan to stop anytime soon either, I plan to keep persevering to achieve my goals until I retire. And finally, the sky is the limit when it comes to what I am to do in the future. I think with the blessing of a family that I have and a good support system in everything that I do I can do amazing things.
Homecoming Activities Photo Gallery Page 12
What I like Best About Being a Member of Leadership Page 14
One of my favorite memories from Leadership this year was Gideon and me taking a road trip to get Winterfest decorations for our window and pillar. Although we were both kind of forced into this, we had a lot of funny moments within this including playing Snoop Dogg while driving up to Spencer’s house except it was the wrong house. And overall we got the assignment done with a lot of fun. Another one of my favorite memories from Leadership this year was being in the homecoming parade and on the float that the sophomores worked so hard to put together for the community of Ripon. I dressed up as Peter Pan with Kylee as Tinkerbell and it was overall a great experience to see the communities’ reaction to our float with all of the other sophomores. And my final favorite memory from Leadership is all of the office hours when we were on distanced learning. I connected with my peers in leadership despite being on zoom for half the year through these office hours and especially with the seniors I made some great bonds in our talks.
A Reflection of a Peer in Leadership Page 15
The peer I would like to recognize is Katie Rhodes. A time when Katie was being compassionate and thinking of someone else was when she helped me with my formal poster. I needed help with my formal poster because of my lack of artistic ability and she volunteered to give up her time to help me make a quality poster. She showed up at my house with her markers and art supplies and we went to work on the poster. As we wrote the proposal she made sure all of the lines were straight and that the colors were in between the lines and overall helped me make a great poster. She did not get anything for doing this and purely did it out of the kindness of her heart and my proposal ended up going well because of it.
RHS Pride Photo Gallery Page 16
What I love to do page 18
3 things that I enjoy doing are watching TV/YouTube, spending time with family/friends, and working out. Watching TV/YouTube is something that I like to do in my free time because it relaxes me and I genuinely get to enjoy myself. It can be anything from Netflix to AMP on YouTube but when I get this time, typically on the weekends, I am always in a relaxed state while doing so. I also love to spend time with my family and friends when I get spare time and just in general. I love creating memories with the ones I love but lately it hasn’t been as easy with all of my other commitments. It makes me sad because I just don’t have as much time for this aspect of my life anymore but thankfully I still get some time to make these memories and I always cherish them when I do. And finally I enjoy working out. Working out is something I kind of don't have a lot of time for come track season, because track is my true passion and what I enjoy the most, but in the off season and in general I very much enjoy working out. Working out builds my confidence and makes me feel good about myself while fighting to get the best lift I can possible. It makes my body look better and has largely helped my confidence in life. As I said, track is definitely one of the most enjoyable things in my life but I don’t really see it as a hobby, but as a passion and that is why I didn’t put it on here.
Letter to Parents Page 19
Dear Mom and Dad, There is so much in which I am thankful for and I can’t even express it all in words. I love you two more than anything in the world and I couldn’t be more blessed to have parents that have provided me with such a great life and family. I have been blessed with such a great life and I know I am going to have a good future and be successful in whatever I choose to do all because of you. From academics to athletics to my social life you have supported me in every step and along with it all have developed my character and made me into the person I am today. I can’t believe I got so lucky in getting the two best parents in the world and people who will put me above everything in life. I hope you know when I grow up and become a man and have a full time job along with my own family I will always give back to both of you to pay for all I was blessed with in my childhood. I know I would never be able to do the things I do today without both of you and I couldn’t imagine a world without you. It’s always so nice to hear from others on how good of a family I have and I take so much pride in this. The greatest gift in life is family as you’ve taught me all my life, and I would give up anything if I had to in order to keep my family. I love you with all of my heart and I always thankful. Love, Devin
General Advice Page 20
Dear next Sophomore Class Vice President,
Some advice that will help you and I wish I knew at the beginning of the year is to emphasize communication as much as possible within your officer team. If all of your officers are on the same page and are being delegated properly, I promise you that your team will work so much better and you guys will have so much more success in events. I know it is difficult but you have to be honest with people if they aren’t communicating with you properly or you’re confused. Some other advice I would say is to make sure you and your class president work very closely on all leadership class events. Make sure that you’re communicating with your class president is the best out of all of the officers. Other than that just know that during winter and preparations for formal life is going to be extremely stressful, but you will get through it. Just remember to manage your stress accordingly.
Do's and Don'ts List Page 21
Do: Begin planning Formal right after Homecoming Do: Be communicative within your officer group chat Do: Pick your class themes for events based on what you can decorate to Don’t: Not organize your paperwork(POs, Procedure forms, etc.) Don’t: Save your thank you cards until the last minute Don’t: Not be honest with your fellow officers on what needs to be done
Contact List Page 22
DJ Danny(Winter Formal DJ): 1(209) 809-9837- No email or public address
Stockton Homeless Shelter: (209) 465-3612 - 411 South Harrison Street Stockton CA 95366 - [email protected]
Ann Pendleton(Sophomore Class Advisor): (209) 541-4020 - 301 N. Acacia Ave Ripon CA 95366 - [email protected]
The Professional Page 24
Public speaking was a very large aspect gone into this year in our program. In developing as a professional leader, the development of good public speaking is very important as it is a big part of the majority of jobs in the professional world. Through speeches, real-life situations, and presentations, this program has largely improved my comfort with public speaking and has given me the experience to know what to expect in the professional world. In this area I learned how relaxing is key and being comfortable will make your public speaking that much better. I also learned that practice is very important as it leads into what I just said, comfort. Another aspect that was largely gone into was how to prepare for a job interview. Especially in the past couple of months, this program has gone over things such as building resumes and cover letters along with researching the job im which we are applying for, to have prior knowledge for the interview. This largely gives us an upperhand on others entering the professional world by giving us experience to use in these situations.
Change Page 25
This year has been a very large learning experience for me as a whole in leadership. With the impact of Covid, my freshman year could barely be considered a freshman year as I didn’t get to experience barely any of the aspects of freshman life in the average high schooler experience. Especially being a part of leadership I didn’t get to go through many freshman struggles that would teach me and set me up for my next three years in leadership. My sophomore year has been my first for many things. My first homecoming football game, float, etc. This year in homecoming the sophomore officer team and I had to create a float off of no prior experience which should not be a struggle for sophomores. Thankfully it turned out really well but getting started was more of a struggle. Other than that homecoming for me was pretty successful with me participating in many occupations. After this, I set up for my first dance, the back-to-school dance. This was overall a good experience as I didn’t get to experience it freshman year. Following this, the sophomore officer team and I planned our first dance, Winter Formal. This is where the absence of freshman year got the best of my officer team. We began having meetings every week on the progress of planning the dance. I myself was largely involved in the planning of warm and fuzzy week and the actual rollout of the event. But towards the end of formal planning, our officer team and I had large communication issues and job issues. Formal ended up playing out really well making around 11,000 dollars for our class. But the issue of communication damaged the relationships of the officer team. I myself was frustrated with officers for not communicating with me despite my efforts and with one because they attempted to take my job as well as not talking to me about their concerns and always competing with me. The only change I could really see to prevent this in the future could be the emphasis on communication with your work partners, whether it be thoughts about the distribution of work or just keeping people in the loop in general, I believe communication should be a large emphasis in the future along with delegation. After this learning experience, however, our officer team worked much better together and I myself was able to be more efficient in winter fest. Before this, I also participated in planning a blanket drive for the Stockton homeless shelter and presenting at the NaStuCo virtual conference. These both were very wholesome experiences and taught me a lot about the professional world. Following winter break as I said I was able to be very efficient in winter fest. My class president had covid during the preparations of winter fest so I had to largely step up. Winterfest went well for the sophomores even though it was a little stressful, that week turned out to go well. And from there to the present I took part in the application process and was successful and taking part in planning “The Challenge.”
Ideal Leader Page 26
An ideal leader to me would be someone who cares about what they’re doing and puts their best effort into the people that they are leading. The ideal leader cares about the people they work with and for and does whatever they can to build a healthy environment. This leader should be willing to make sacrifices to be a good leader as well as work hard and be dedicated to their work. This student should do their absolute best to communicate with the people they work with as well as delegate properly. The ideal leader should also be a role model outside of the workplace, always representing their fellow leaders well in following the guidelines set by their director. An ideal leader should also put in hard work in their other classes and represent the hard work that is put into the workplace. The ideal leader executes academic excellence along with not showing traits of slacking off when in the public setting.