Exemplary: Embedded Assessment 1
Embedded Assessment 1
The faint smell of grilled chicken, the sweet, warm aroma of fresh brownies, the distant sound of rain on
the roof, and the heat from the fire place on my back makes it a perfect fall evening. I sit in front of the
fire with my pencil poised as my grandma sits down beside me. She is wearing one of her favorite
sweaters, red with a pretty black floral print, black slacks, and pink hand-knit slippers. She has the
sweetest face, with eyes that light up when I start asking her questions about her past and she recalls
fond memories. She thinks of her friends and many involvements, her family and church.
Florice Moffitt was born in 1930 and grew up in a Christian home in Pipestone, Iowa and was the
youngest of six children. She had four older brothers and a sister. “I love the way I grew up. We were all
good friends and had the best times. I remember in the winter we would have chess tournaments. Other
times we would take out or tools and shovels, and make tunnels in the snow.” She chuckles as she
remembers all of the many snowball fights. She and her mother were also very close. She was her best
play-fellow and friend. They could talk about anything. “I had a great childhood. The only negative thing
I can think of was the fact that I could not learn the piano because my sister Irene was very ill for about a
year.” Her face falls and gets a very serious look as she remembers that hard period of time. “My
mother and sister were both really good piano players, but I never got the chance to learn because the
sound of the piano annoyed Irene while she was ill.
“In order to get into high school, you had to take a pretty big test. I was second out of my whole school,”
she proudly states. “Betty was first,” she admits. Her high school was nine miles away, which meant a lot
of expensive gas back then, so she lived in town, away from her family during high school. Her freshman
year she stayed with her Aunt Alice. Sophomore and Junior year she lived with her sister Irene who was
still recovering from her illness. She had a place to live, and was able to watch her recovering sister.
They grew very close during those two years, and if they hadn’t lived together they probably never
would have because they were 15 years apart. Her senior year she and her good friend Eloise rented an
apartment, and on the weekends her dad came and brought her home. She matured a lot and really
learned how to be
independent because she lived away from her family. It was a big turning point. She was never sad that
she had to live in town because she was happy that she was able to be independent. The experience of
living in town on her own has really helped her become the person that she is. She is very independent
and organized, and a natural leader. In the summers, she would work on the farm, stacking the hay and
even driving a tractor, a new machine for farms in the area.
Because she lived in town, she was able to be involved in many things. “I was on the newspaper staff
where I got to go around school and find out information and put it into a kind of booklet. I participated
in many drama productions, and took a gymnastics class. One play I was in, I was the only girl in the cast.
It was lots of fun. We performed for other cities and competed for the best play.” With a huge smile on
her face and chuckling she remembers, “We definitely didn’t have the best.” She even tried a couple
instruments, but didn’t stay with them long. In the 8th grade, her brother took her to a church youth
group in Centerville. They made her one of the leaders in the group which was special for an 8th grader.
At her school, she was the salutatorian when she graduated, the second best in her school. “I always had
the goal of wanting to be one of the best students. Ha ha, I was second best!” she boasts.
I tried to take in everything she recalled and just listen to her. She loved her childhood so much. “If I
could change anything that happened to me, I wouldn’t. It was always good. I realize that we have a lot
in common. She was in drama, and so was I. She was on the newspaper, I am in yearbook. She went to a
fabulous youth group, I do too. We both want to be the best we can be in everything we do. That would
be amazing if I could be the salutatorian like my grandma, and I know she would be very proud of me. As
I wrote down her last comments, I thanked her for her time and thought to myself that we just grew
closer and I respect her even more for all that happened to her in high school. I hope that I can
accomplish as much and as many amazing things as she had done in her life.
Proficient: Untitled
Most people get to experience high school in many different ways, such as being a cocky freshman in
science class with tight jeans on and feet on the desk with a rocking motion to cause a rip in the seat of
your pants, which is what happened to Julie Matthews. Julie Matthews, a married thirty-eight year old,
is a caring, driven, goal oriented, and hardworking leader. Julie’s hobbies consist of boating, fishing,
scuba diving, going to the beach (since she lives in Orlando, FL), and travel. Julie Matthews is my aunt.
She is the Assistant Director for the Disney Entrepreneur Center. Julie Matthews’ high school experience
had her become more driven in life.
Julie’s experience at Warren Central High School could be described as “X103.” She was considered a
“rocker chick.” “We hung out with the rockers and partiers,” said Julie. Julie listened to “White Snake”
and “Guns and Roses” which are a few of many bands she liked. “Dropped out of high school because of
an argument between a teacher and myself,” says Julie, frowning a little. Her father was sick with
cancer; as a result she was going through a tough time. The argument with the teacher was the tip of
the iceberg. Soon everything went “downhill.” After dropping out, three weeks later, her father passed
away. Julie stays out of school for a whole semester. Her friend finally convinced her to head back to
school, which changed her life.
Another person who had an influence was Mr. Green, a typing teacher, who talked about the
importance of a career to succeed, Julie tells the interviewer. Julie is now in college to finish her
Bachelor’s degree to make more money ($20,000 more a year) and to be more competitive in the
marketplace. Julie does regret some of the choices she made back in high school. “Yes, absolutely, I
would pay more attention to my academic performance for college,” says Julie. Julie gives advice to
other high schoolers: “So important to put emphasis on academic performance to get into college.
College is essential to succeed in life.”
Julie Matthews’ high school experience made her become more driven in life. She was driven to finish
school and make a better of situations. “Heading back to high school was the best thing I’ve ever done,”
said Julie. Julie now is finishing her college degree and made it from a dropout to an Assistant Director
for the Disney Entrepreneur Center, which lets me believe that I can accomplish anything if I put my
mind to it and not let other people ruin my future.