Well, I can say that a great passion that I have is a passion for music. Music is pretty much my live. I live, breathe and eat it. Music affects about everything I do. If i'm in a sleepy, or slightly annoyed mood, I will put on some of my favorite bands to wake/cheer myself up. When i'm in a mad mood, I play louder music, with screams and such, and it will help me work out my anger. So, music can help me in pretty much every situation. Some of my favorite bands are, The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, 3OH!3, Brokencyde, The Smashing Pumpkins, and many others.

 What do sports teams mean to the identity of a city?

Sports teams are usually said to be the spirit of the city.  Personally, I feel as though Americans are generally corrupt and lack priority and I do not see why people are so excited and over such things.  These enormous stadiums are terrible for the environment and require huge amounts of electricity.  Fans spend money on merchandise and tickets when I bet you they are having financial problems, not to mention, that we are currently going through ah recession.  Students are given the idea that not going to school for the day in order to celebrate is okay.  So, why are sports so important?  

What to sports teams mean to the identity of a city?

Sports teams have a mojor role in the identity of a city.  When our city's team wins a game, or more importantly -  a series. When people come to Philadelphia, they know that the this is the home for the Phillies and that we are world champions. 

I am really glad that the Phillies have won the world series. I have never been so excited about baseball before in my life. One of the things that I got to do was go to one of the games. That was the most fun that I have ever had at a Phillies game. I am looking forward to going to the parade tomorrow. Baseball is my favorite sport, I don't care what the Eagles do this year.

Sports teams are a very important role in distinguishing the identity of a city, especially in Philadelphia. The people in our city have earned a reputation throughout the country as crazy fans for our sports teams. Before last year none of the Philadelphia teams went all the way for about 25 years. Even with the lack of wins the Philadelphia fans were still devoted to their home teams.

It is very nice that the Philles won the World Series. I think this win effects the veiw of the of the city because now people have something to rave about.

Sports are importnat to the city of Philadelphia because it gives us something to be proud of. Instead of the rest of the country looking at us as the city with the highest murder rate, now we're the world champs. It gives hope to the city, and that's what we need right now. It's mroe than just a game to some people, for lots of people like me, sports are my passion. They are what interest me, and the only thing that can really give me a drive.

Today in Advisory we talked about the balance between passion and direction. Some students joked that they were passionate about Philly, or food --- I love sushi! Others mentioned books, dance or poetry. We also tried to understand the differences between personal and general passions; "I love the Phillies" is very different from "I am passionate about getting into a good college."

Over the next few weeks, we'll be thinking and writing about --- and discussing --- personal passions. For example, I shared my passion for African percussion and how it made me feel connected to people and grounded on this earth.

Our 10th grade students are participating in Independent Learning Plans (ILPs) during their sophomore and junior years. The ILP is designed to provide stimulating learning experiences in professional environments outside of school. Each week, students spend about 4 hours working on their ILP with their sponsors. For example, students are working with photographers, law firms, bike shops and museums.

Our Advisory students will be posting some comments in their school-based blogs.