Cover Letter

178 Becker Circle
Johnstown, CO 80534



21 April 2011



Weld RE5J School District
Administration Offices
110 South Centennial Dr.
Ste. A Milliken, CO 80543

To whom it may concern:

I am a applying for the position of a history teacher at Roosevelt High School. I took interest in this job after I was informed of a position opening in the history department. Also, being a graduate of Roosevelt High School, class of 2011, I am always interested in what is going on at my old school.

I believe that I am highly qualified for this position, because I do currently hold a Bachelor’s Degree in teaching, with a minor in history that I received at Black Hills State University. I graduated in the top half of my class in both high school, and college, and I have remained and active member in my community all my life. In high school, I was an active member of the community’s 4-H club, Calico ‘n Jeans. In college, I was also active in helping younger students, keeping the campus clean, and organized social and charity events. I also held a part-time job at Old Chicago when I was in high school and numerous part-time jobs throughout college. It has always been my dream to teach and help students to grow as individuals, and I believe that teaching at Roosevelt would make that dream come true, and surpass my expectations, because I would be teaching at the place that taught me.

Thank you for your contributions to Johnstown, and neighboring communities. I enjoyed my time at Roosevelt, and I know that the current students must, as well. The work being done with them, and its sports teams and clubs are admirable. Roosevelt has always been good with character education, teaching students good habits and virtues for the future. I have enclosed my resume, recommendations, and further contact information for your use. If you have any questions about my resume, or you need to contact me, you can call me at (970)-290-0010, or send me an email to karimarie5@yahoo.com. Thank you so much for considering me for this opportunity, and your time and consideration.

Sincerely,



Kari Kukkonen

Scholarship Essay

The Alert Scholarship: Write an essay about a personal encounter you or someone you know has had with drug and/or alcohol abuse.

 The saying, "friends come and go, but family is forever," never used to make much sense to me, but now I am beginning to understand it in a deeper meaning. My cousin, growing up, was my best friend, and we did everything together. We could make fun out of anything, and the best memories that I have are with her. It's only a shame that that's all they will ever be: Memories. She is not the same girl I played in the sandbox with, and she will never be that girl again.
 My cousin was my best friend when we were younger, and we promised to stay that way forever. Never were we to break that promise. I can remember spending every day with her, even holidays. We loved playing with water balloons in my backyard, and making up silly games with them. One summer, we went to the pool every single day, and the next summer when I broke my arm, she stayed out of the water with me, even though she really wanted to swim. My cousin was the first person to wish me a "happy birthday" at 12 o'clock in the morning on August 5, and she was the first person I told all my secrets to as we grew older. She was the first to know when I got my first kiss, got into a fight with my mom, and when I broke up with my boyfriend. That girl was one of the most important parts of my life as a child.
 As we got a little older, she moved to the next town over, but it might as well have been across the country. We didn't talk as much and we rarely saw each other. She started drinking, and drinking turned to smoking marijuana, and smoking marijuana turned into snorting cocaine. Since she moved to the next town, she has been kicked out of her high school because she missed over one hundred days, and now she goes to an alternative high school. She has also been to the emergency room multiple times do to alcohol poisoning, and she is only 17 years old. I would try to talk to her, and patch our lost bond, but it was never the same. On my last birthday, I got a phone call from her that made me cry, because I was shocked that she remembered my birthday. The day my cousin moved, is the day I lost my very best, closest friend.
 In the past year, I have talked to her more than the past four years, and I have gotten a better understanding of her situation. Since her parents got back together, she has quit drinking, and is starting to turn her life around, with baby steps. Her grades are better, and she is on track to graduate on time, which makes me very proud. Though things are different between us, and though they will never be the same, she is still my cousin, but more importantly, she is my best friend. Though we may not see each other every day, I still plan on having her as my maid of honor at my wedding, and she will still be the first person to know my biggest news. Even though we will never have the relationship we used to, we will still have one, and for that, I am grateful.
 Yes, it is true that friends will always come and go, but family is forever. For a while, my cousin was not my friend. In fact, I did not even acknowledge her at all. Even though she was not my friend, however, she was still a part of my family, and that is something that will never change. Also, I know that even when I grow apart from my high school friends, and childhood friends as we all move away and begin our lives, I will always have her, and that is how it will always stay. The memories I have of my best friend make me happy, and even though I lost her forever, I still gained a new friend through this experience. She is the same in a different way, but I still love her.

Scholarship Essay

"Do you believe there's a generation gap? Describe the differences between your generation and others."

The world is a completely different place than it used too, and it has come very far in such a short amount of time. As the world changes, and advances, it means that a rift in generations was inevitable. Technology is incredibly different than it was for the generation prior to this one. Also, the mind-set is very different than it was for the older generations. The dress code is also significantly different. All of these aspects of today's generation cause the gap in generations to take place.
Technology is so different than the way it was in the previous generation. When the parents, and grandparents, of today's youth were young, themselves, there was no such thing as a cell phone, and computers were just becoming popular. Now, however, the youth relies almost completely on our cell phones to go through everyday life. There are even cell phones which have internet on them. Also, one can almost always walk into a home and expect to see at least one computer, and TVs in every room, with a person occupying their time with it. In the past, homes usually only had one TV, and the family was all gathered around, watching "I Love Lucy" or "Gilligan's Island," together. Also, my generation can not go on a road trip without a GPS system in our car, which makes the necessity for a paper map obsolete; other generations relied completely on them. Technology is one of , if not the biggest, contributors to the generation gap.
The mindset of my generation is also differs greatly from that of other generations. We seem to have everything right in front of us for the taking, and we don't need to do much to get it. The generations before us had to work for everything that they wanted. The majority of teenagers in our parents' generation had jobs. Because they worked for what they got, older generations were grateful for what they had, whereas we take it for granted. Lastly, the youth of previous generations were active in politics, and were willing to fight for what they believed to be right. Many people of my generation can not name the vice- president, and rarely know what is going on in the government, today. We are passive, and don't want to cause conflict, even for something we believe in. The mind set of my generation branches so far from the older generations, that it is hard to believe they raised us.
Lastly, the way my generation dresses is different from the way other generations have dressed. Other generations dressed conservatively, but today, we're showing more skin than ever. In my grandmother's generation, it was considered inappropriate to wear a skirt that did not go past the knees. Today, on the other hand, one rarely sees a skirt that does go past the knees. Also, the graphics that are pictured on shirts don't send off positive messages. The older generations were all about peace, and they weren't afraid to advertise that message with their clothing. The way my generation dresses is definitely different from older generations.
There is a generation gap that is clearly evident. It is there in the technological advancements that the world has made, and the bridges that society has crossed. Also, one can tell there is the chasm in generations by the in generations by the mindset of today's youth, and how it differs from older generations. Lastly, the way we dress varies greatly from that of our parents' generation. The changes in society, and the continuing advancements made the gap in generations possible, and it promises that the next generation will be even more different than this one.