Welcome to the Observer

This site is intended for ASA students, particularly current and former students in Mr. Nicholas' 9th and 10th grade World Cultures courses, to post their observations and analysis of events and issues in world affairs. While I will be suggesting topics in class and online, students are free to write on issues and topics that interest them and which are relevant to the theme of the site as they see fit.

Creative writing about contemporary issues is a wonderful way for students to express themselves and to further develop their analytical skills as they gain valuable knowledge of the world. By understanding history and culture we are able to make better sense of the world that we live in today, and my hope is that in a forum such as this that my students will be able to express and develop their own opinions in an interactive format that will allow them to share their observations and to learn from each other.

An educated and informed population is indispensable to a well functioning democracy and a thriving society. It is in this spirit that I am happy to launch The ASA Observer, and I look forward to reading and discussing important issues of the day with a group of intelligent, articulate, and enlightened students who make Arizona School for the Arts a model for our educational system, and a place that has and will continue to produce some of the best and brightest young men and women in our community.