My Fifteenth Week as a Senior

This week was exciting, yet, tiring. There was another one-day strike, so it was a 4-day week.

On Monday, we had a supply teacher in Biology. Our teacher left us with a worksheet on Mutations to complete. It was a bit of a review from last year’s Biology, as well a bit of new information. For example, we had learnt about small-scale mutations in detail in Grade 11. But this year, we learnt about the large-scale ones, as well. My favourite mutations are Missense mutations, which occur when a change in a single base pair or a small group of base pairs results in the production of a completely different protein, and Amplification mutations, which is when a gene is copied multiple times and the copies have the ability to evolve into something new. The amplification mutations remind me of the X-Men and Mystique’s blue skin. In Sociology, we sat in the library and continued working on our ISU assignments. I have chosen the topic “The glass ceiling correlates to the #MeToo movement due to Sociological Feminist Theory”. It’s been a pain researching for this assignment because of how infuriating some of the content can be.

In Math, we did a review of Chapter 8. Nothing new. In Chemistry, we learnt about Le Châtelier’s Principal. It states that disturbance to equilibrium in a system may cause shifts in a reversible reaction. The influences can cause a new state of equilibrium to be established. The class was fun because we got to see a few demonstrations to understand the content more. I got to go get the snow for the first demonstration. It was to see the impact of temperature on tubes containing NO2­, with the reaction 2NO2«N2O4 happening. One tube was kept at room temperature, one in the snow and one in hot water. The one at room temperature was a control tube and with its help, we noticed the colour in the colder tube go darker and lighter in the hotter tube. This was because when there is a shift in temperature, the system tries to compensate. If the temperature increases, the reaction shifts to the endothermic side, which in this case was the production of N2O4. And when the temperature decreases, the reaction goes to the exothermic side, i.e., the production of NO2. Next, we saw the impact of concentration on the equilibrium of a system. It’s a little long to explain but I’ll say that there were pretty cool colour changes involved.

On Tuesday, there was no late start. In Sociology, we sat in the library, paving away at our ISU assignments. In Biology, we discussed Manipulating and Cloning DNA. It’s so much harder than it sounds but it’s just as cool. Some techniques we covered were the use of Restriction Enzymes, DNA ligase and Plasmids. We briefly touched on Restriction Maps before continuing onto Transformation and Hybridization. In Chemistry, we did some equilibrium calculations. I missed a few because I had an appointment with my guidance counsellor. In Math, we had a test on Chapter 8. It was the best I’ve ever had. After school, I got 2 vaccinations that messed my brain for a good 2 days.

Wednesday was a strike day. We had a lot of homework. I didn’t do most of it because of the pain but I deserved the break.

On Thursday, we did the coolest thing in Biology. We took up the Sanger Dideoxy Sequencing Method. It is a long concept to explain but we did a question on it where we had to map a sequence of DNA using the method. You should look it up if you have the time. It’s useful in mapping genomes. In Sociology, we continued with the ISUs. At lunch, we had an SAC meeting to discuss our successful Semi-Formal. In Math, we started a new chapter about Combining Functions. In Chemistry, we continued with the questions. Later, we were given some time to work on our lab reports for the Order of Reactions Lab.

TGIF. In Biology, we had our article presentations. I did my notes the night before and went to school with 50 minutes of sleep under my belt. The presentation went pretty well. We discussed some important upcoming events before the class ended. In Sociology, we had our final work period for the ISU. We sat in the library for one last time. At lunch, we had a meeting for the Prom Committee. It was exciting. In Math, we continued to the graphing of products and quotients of functions. In Chemistry, we had a lab activity. It was about finding the equilibrium law. We have to determine the equilibrium constant for the given reaction. I don’t when it’s due and I don’t like that.

This week could have been better, but I am so grateful it happened. I’m glad I was able to post. I hope you had a wonderful week. Feel free to contact me at rueshi25@gmail.com. -Aarushi