Westlake Lanes Essay Example for Free

Westlake Lanes Essay The company’s target market strategy is not properly set because Westlake Lanes hasn’t identified the market’s new needs and trends at the same pace that the growth of Raleigh’s population has been developing. Facts: A business profile in a Raleigh paper stated that stepping into Westlake Lanes was like taking a step back in time. Shirley Smith said that the menu hasn’t changed much since late 1980’s. Between 2000 and 2010 Raleigh population grew 43% while the revenues for Westlake Lanes decreased 10% average annually for the same time period. There was a 100% increase in losses from 2008 to 2009. There has been a lack of good management on accounting, people, and business overview of Westlake Lanes. Facts: As Givens studied the invoices she said, many charges seemed excessive and asked herself: Had anyone performed competitive research for routine services like carpet cleaning? In 2009, shortly after starting as a manager, Givens invited her employees to help define a mission statement and job descriptions. Givens noticed that Bullock and Sinclair took time to read the paper and/or wondered outside to talk on their cell phones. They offered Shirley Smith the chance to be general manager even though she lacked formal managerial experience. Possible solutions a. The company’s market strategy is not properly set because Westlake Lanes hasn’t identified the market’s new needs and trends at the same pace that the growth of Raleigh’s population has been developing. i. Renew and adapt their strategy in order to keep the market they already have and to be able to attract new customers. ii. Follow the first strategy, which consists in adding kid friendly video and arcade games and a designated private party space. This strategy will let us keep the space for the league bowlers, iii. Modify and adequate the facilities so that the previous strategy can be accomplished. b. There has been a lack of good management on accounting, people, and business overview of Westlake Lanes. iv. Make sure that every new investment or expense follows the strict cost control that Givens has been following. v. Once the business becomes profitable do not share the dividends between the owners and reinvest them. Course of action and justification Due to the losses that the business has experienced in the past 3 years, it is critical to take action and define a new way to approach the market in order to make the company profitable again. That’s why it’s necessary to adapt the business by adding a new concept focusing on a different target without setting aside the current and loyal costumers. The new strategy consists on attracting families by adding kid-friendly video and arcade games and a private party space to complement the existing lanes. As a first step Shelby Givens needs to familiarize with the kid business and make a research of other bowling businesses where the â€Å"Kid-Friendly† zone has been already implemented in order to get the knowledge and get ideas in how to do it. Then, adapt the facilities according the strategy’s needs. Also would be necessary to create a new job position with the expertise required for handling kid’s events so Shelby Givens can focus mostly in the general management. Advertising would be necessary to promote this new model within the current clients with posters and flyers and with the current marketing channels. There is an estimated attendance of 50,000 people per year; approximately there is a $20.00/kid fee, resulting in $1,000,000.00 of revenue.

Profiling Human Hair with FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics

Profiling Human Hair with FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics ABSTRACT Profiling of Human Hairs using FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Technique Aufa Madihah Binti Mohamad Anwar 1122204 Hair is any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans can be found in crime scene due to interaction between victim, perpetrator and/or witness as explained in Locard’s Principle. This papers aim is to compare, categorize and identify human hair fiber using FTIR spectrometer and Chemometrics techniques. Hair samples will be collected from 200 subjects (Malay Women) of different ages groups. 50 samples will be collected from age group of people (20-30, 31-40, 41-50, >60). FTIR spectra will be obtained from each samples. The spectra of FTIR reflect the chemical and physical nature of a hair which can be classified in different group using Chemometrics techniques such as PCA (Principal Component Analysis). Keyword: FTIR, Chemometrics, Locard’s Principle, PCA Research Methodology 6.1 Materials Material uses in this experiment will be human hair. 50 strands will be collected for each group of age and the total hair strand obtained will be 200 strands: 6.2 Methods 6.2.1 Human Hair sample collection Human hair will be collected according to their age group (50 strands from each group of age). The hair fibers taken will be from telogen (fall naturally) phase and anagen (the root was cut) phase of the hair growth cycle. The hair fibers will be placed in a plastic bag and labeled accordingly. 6.3 Analysis 6.3.1 Revised IAEA Method for Cleaning Hair Fibers The cleaning process is needed to preserved hair samples for the elemental analysis. (Cargnello et al., 1995) The hair fibers will undergo ultrasonic vibration (sonicating) in each solutions for 10 minutes or less. This procedure will be done to minimize the damage of the cuticle surface. First, the hair fibers will be transferred to a small glass vial and will be covered with high purity acetone. The vial was then will be placed in Ultrasonic Disintegrator (Figure 6). The hair fibers will be sonicate of at 20 kHz for 10 minutes at the least. The acetone will be poured out and the hair will be rinsed with HPLC-grade water. These steps will be repeated again and for the last steps, the hair fibers will be rinsed and sonicated in de-ionized water inside the glass vial for 10 minutes. After all the cleaning process ended, the hair fiber will be dried under vacuum for two days before being analyzed. Figure 6 : Ultrasonic Disintegrator – Sonicater for the hair fibers 6.3.2 FTIR Spectroscopy A FTIR Spectrometer with Diamond ATR Smart Accessory (Figure 7) will be used in this procedure. The spectra of hair fibers will be recorded using the spectrometer. Figure 7: FTIR Spectrometer with Diamond Smart Accessory The parameters of FTIR-ATR for the analysis (Table 2): Before analyzing and collecting the spectrum from the hair samples, a background spectrum will be recorded. The hair fibers will then going through spectral sampling process : The fibers will be placed across the diamond crystal and will be pressed (to obtain a good contact) using the pressure tower. Spectrum will be recorded. The collected data will be saved on the Spectral Software Program (as .SPC files). Spectral Processing The recorded spectral will be saved as .SPC files and are imported into the spectral software package for spectral processing as .SPA files. First of all, the baseline of the spectra will be corrected and the offset will be set to zero. Then, the spectra will be trimmed so that it will be in the range of ÃŽ ±-keratin absorption bands which is 1759-785 cm-1 range (major characteristic of ÃŽ ±-keratin). The trimmed spectral will then be transferred to an Excel spreadsheet and saved as an .XLS file. Raw Data Matrix and Chemometric Analysis Pre-processing of data is defined as â€Å"mathematical manipulation of a data is used due to primary analysis†. (Arnberg R. et al., 1998).This step helps in eliminating or decreasing unrelated sources (systematic or random errors). Variance Scaling Scaling steps will be done prior to the fact that the treatment considers both the measurement unit of the values and the origin of scale. (Meloun M. et al., 1992) Scaling is needed to include: Cartesian system’s shift of the origin, Axes’ contraction or expansion. Double Centring Double string will be obtained by subtracting the mean of each row x (x-mean centring) and row y (y-mean centring). This procedure reduces the effect of the variance component reflected by PCI of the un-pretreated data set and removes common spectral features. (Kokot S. et al., 1997) Equation 1 and Equation 2 (Meloun M. et al., 1992) described the process above: Yim = xim – x.mEquation 1 Continued by; zim = yim yi Equation 2 Where; yim = column centred datum xim = datum in row I and column m before centring x.m = mean of column m = xim / I zim = double centred datum Standardization The standardization procedure is included to equalize the variance of each variable and to remove the weighting that is artificially imposed by the scale of the variables. (Arnberg R. et al., 1998) Standardization process can be described in the equation 3 and 4 below: yim = xim / sm Equation 3 Where; sm = (xim – x.m)2  ½ Equation 4 I – 1 = the estimate of the standard deviation of the variable, xm, about its mean. Albano et al. state that â€Å"standardization of each subset separately gives better resolution in latent variable modeling of subsets†. (Albano et al., 1981) Auto-scaling Combination of column centring and standardization is known auto-scaling. It can be represented by Equation 5 (Meloun M. et al., 1992): zim = (yim – yi) / sm Equation 5 Chemometric Analysis The doubled centred matrices will be imported into the software that cans multivariate analysis and experimental design. The processed matrices will produce the resultant PCA scores plots, loading plots and fuzzy clustering tables. Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) The multivariate analysis method (PROMETHEE and GAIA) will find the relationships between the objects and variables severally. The matrix data will then undergoes packaging for decision making. Chemometrics Chemometrics helps in analysis of spectral data by solving the calibration problem. It uses statistical and mathematical methods to correlate quality parameters to analytical instrument data. The data will be observed and recorded. Then, patterns in data will be brought out and modeled. The modeled patterns will be used for data analysis in future. (Einax J.W. et al., 1997) 6.3.5.1 Principal Component Analysis (PCA) PCA is a well-known pattern recognition method for pertaining to any procedure involving multivariate (two or more variables) data analysis problems. Identification and discrimination of the objects can be obtained with the help of PCA whereby it is a data reduction technique. Data reduction technique is when the information is sorted into a data matrix using selected variables that define the columns and rows which was designated with sample measurements. PCjk = aj1xk1 + aj2xk2 + †¦ ajnxkn Equation 6 Where; PCjk = value for object k and principal component j aj1 = variable 1 on object k value xk1 = variable 1 on component j measurement n = original variables total number 6.3.5.2 SIMCA (Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy) Classification is defines as the process of categorizing something according to same qualities or characteristics. SIMCA is supervised method for classification of data. The method requires a training (test) data set consisting of samples where their origins are known. PCA is used to develop a model of each class within the test set. The users will select the members of a set. A model can be representing by the equation (Chatfield C., 1980): Xki = Xi + + ajiujk + eki Equation 7 Where; p = number of the principal components in the class model eki = residual value of object k on variable i Gant Chart for Research Timeline Expected Results The research regarding human scalp hair resulted in new database on human hair according to their age group for woman, Malay. With the help of chemometrics method the human hair database can be created. The data obtained from Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy which was then analyze and modeled through chemometrics and the new database is set. In the database, the human hair was classified according to their age group and the composition that differs the age. Through the research, it shows that in human hair the amount of amino acid (protein) differs. As the age increase, the amounts of amino acid (protein) decrease and as the age lower the amino acid (protein) higher. 9.0 Conclusion This study is proposed to help creating a new database besides furthering investigation on human hair as physical evidence. Theory of physical evidence can be quoted from Locard’s Principal which stated that â€Å"every contact leaves a trace. Physical evidence cannot be faulty; it can’t perjure itself, and it always present. Only human failure to study, explore and understand it can diminish its worth†. Furthermore, fibers evidence is often found at the crime scene. Thus, in creating this new database it can aids in forensic process. The human hair samples that was obtained from different age group (20-30, 31-40, 41-50, >60) but same gender and race undergoes FTIR spectroscopy to detect the amount of amino acid (protein). The data was then was analyze using chemometrics. In short, it can be concluded that the amount of amino acid (protein) is inversely proportional to the age group.

Transcription from a Broadcast of Network 23 :: Television Programs Los Angeles Essays

Transcription from a Broadcast of Network 23 The following is a complete verbatim transcription from a recent broadcast of "Network 23", a program shown on a local Los Angeles Public Access Cable Channel.Good evening, I'm Michel Kassett. This is Network 23. A couple of weeks ago we had a program on the subject of AIDS, addressing the question of whether AIDS-the AIDS virus-was created by the government; and I'm sure that some people were quite shocked by what they heard. We spent that entire program relating to you the evidence of a very substantial amount of factual evidence which supports the proposition that AIDS is a synthetic biological agent that was deliberately engineered by the US government as an instrument of depopulation. This is by far the most controversial and dangerous subject that we have ever addressed on this program, so I would like to review briefly the major points-the most significant pieces of evidence-that I presented two weeks ago.The first point was that in the early 1970's, Henry Kissinger wrote a top secret document-a National Security Memorandum ("NSM 200") -- in which he indicated that "depopulation should be the highest priority of US foreign policy towards the Third World." This Memorandum which can be obtained from the US National Archives, which was only declassified very quietly in 1990, was adopted by the National Security Council as official US foreign policy towards the Third World. Now, this is a classic example of the "secret government" in action, because of none of this was known to the Congress, and certainly, it was not known to the American people. Did any of you know that depopulation was considered a matter of US national security? Did any of you know that for the p ast 20 years, depopulation has been the highest long-range priority of US foreign policy towards the Third World? No you didn't, because it was classified-it was a secret.I would like to read for you just a piece of this document. It is written by Henry Kissinger:"Reduction of the rate of population in these States is a matter of vital US national security." [National Security Memorandum, Henry Kissinger]And we even have a map of those areas in which Kissinger indicates where depopulation would be desireable. It's all Third World countries- it's all brown people and yellow people, of course."The US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less-developed countries.

Multiple Sclerosis Essay -- Health Medical Medicine Essays

Multiple Sclerosis The primary objective of this paper is to raise fundamental questions in regards to multiple sclerosis, and to explore possibilities that attempt to answer these inquiries. Second, the prospective outcome is to provide a solid knowledge base for which my peers may begin to understand the relationship between multiple sclerosis and neurobiology and behavior. The first question to address in the general schema of this essay is: What is Multiple Sclerosis? Multiple Sclerosis also commonly referred to as MS is considered an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The key to understanding MS is to recognize its relationship to the human immune system. The immune system is an intricate network of specialized cells and organs that defends the body against attacks by foreign agents also known as antigens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. To the contrary, in the case of multiple sclerosis, the connection between the immune system and the body is interrupted when the immune system identifies itself, particularly the white matter of the central nervous system as a foreign body, and consequently destroys the myelin. The myelin is a fatty tissue composed of rich protein and lipids that protect and insulate the nerve fibers, which serve to carry out electrical impulses. The central nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves; thusly MS affects several areas of the human anatomy. Multiple Sclerosis could be described as the loss of myelin in multiple locations throughout the body, which then exposes the nerve fibers and leaves scaring called sclerosis. The next question that should be addressed is: What are the principal functions of myelin? In... ...of living with this disease, instead of at its mercy. First, one needs to acknowledge the existence of the disease. Second, an individual should allow time to process the idea of living with the disease. Third, one should become an active agent in fighting the disease by becoming informed. Fourth, a person should be willing to make adjustments, which may alter one's lifestyle. In conclusion an individual should not be afraid of multiple sclerosis, but dare to live a fulfilling life. Bibliography 1)http://www.nationalmssociety.org 2)http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/multiple_sclerosis.htm 3)http://www.undestandingms.com/ms/articles/cognitive.asp For further information check out 4)http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_ 5)http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nfs/NewsPrint/ 6)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

The Horror of Christianity Essay -- essays research papers

"A Pagan Joke" A Pagan died and, much to her surprise, found herself at the Pearly Gates facing St. Peter. He walked up to her and said, "Hello, and welcome." She stared at St. Peter in complete confusion. "Wait a minute," she said. "I was supposed to end up in the Summerlands." He smiled. "Ah, you must be one of our Pagan sisters. Follow me, please." Peter gestured for her to follow him down a small path, which went through the gates and down a bit to the left. They walked for a short while, then he stepped back and gestured her forward. Looking past his hand, she saw the verdant fields and forests of her desired Summerlands. She saw people feasting, dancing, and making merry, exactly as she expected. While shaking her head in wonder, the Pagan happened to glance over to one side and saw a small group of people a short way away from the edge of the Summerlands. The people in the group were watching the revelers, but not joining them. Instead, they were screa ming and weeping piteously. The Pagan looked at St. Peter. "Who are those people?" St. Peter replied, "Them? They're fundamentalists. They're a bit surprised to see you all there, so they stand there and carry on like that all day." â€Å"Why? Don't they have better things to do?" Peter leaned conspiratorially toward her. "They don't really have a choice. They're actually in Hell. God doesn't like being told what He thinks." I start this paper with this joke to prove a point. When read, pagans, athiests, and those that lie outside the mainstream of Christianity will enjoy it, while Christian Fundamentalists and Conservatives will think it is in poor taste. Some might go so far as to say â€Å"My goodness, he is going to step on a lot of toes with that!† The question remains, though, WHOSE toes, and why does it matter? The answer can be found if we examine the psychology of Christianity. Christianity is one of the worlds most widespread and pervasive religions, and has been around a good long while. Wherever it goes, it seems to spread and promulgate and overrun. Evangelistic Christians send out missionaries to fulfill one of the commands given to them in the Bible: â€Å"Go ye forth and preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.† (Mt. 28:19) Christi... ...rt or be ostracized, join or suffer, love Christ or be of the devil, and accept the Church or be destroyed. Not all Christians do this and not at all times. But some Christians do commit acts of destruction and this fearful violence is occurring everyday and has occurred for most of the last two millennia somewhere on our world. â€Å"The night is black, Without a moon. the air is thick and still. The vigilantes gather on The lonely torchlit hill. Features distorted in the flickering light, The faces are twisted and grotesque. Silent and stern in the sweltering night, The mob moves like demons possesed. Quiet in conscience, calm in their right, Confident their ways are best. The righteous rise With burning eyes Of hatred and ill-will. Madmen fed on fear and lies To beat and burn and kill. They say there are strangers who threaten us, In our immigrants and infidels. They say there is strangeness too dangerous In our theatres and bookstore shelves, That those who know what's best for us Must rise and save us from ourselves. Quick to judge, Quick to anger, Slow to understand Ignorance and prejudice And fear Walk hand in hand....† ~Neil Peart, Witch Hunt

Religion and Prejudice

I Will Never Be an Adventist! While growing up, I live In the same neighborhood with some staunch Adventists. I cannot tell but I Just have never been fascinated by going to church on Saturday? maybe It would be how the system made going to church on Saturday look. My friends had been called upon to do various sporting castles for the church, but It had never come to me to even visit them. I must confess, and may God forgive me my sins, that the Seventh Day Adventist church would have been the last church I would o and fellowship with.I had no basis for this prejudice. However, God works in mysterious ways and that is why I have always feared Him. It took an SAD clergy to convince me to be baptized. It was this pastor who made me see the need to be baptized when I happened to be at the Week of Spiritual Emphasis (WOES). I'm not saying my own church pastor couldn't convince to be baptized though?I wouldn't like to be drawn into any controversy. I'm Just giving honor to whom honor Is d ue. This pastor, As. Ballista, reiterated the words ofHushes Himalayas to Anomalous that until one Is born of water and the split, Just like Jesus Himself was, one cannot see the Kingdom of God. I had tried to be baptized, but I hadn't been able due to some circumstances beyond my control. At a time in my own church, I did my best to start the bible teaching leading to the baptism only to be discouraged getting to the latter part. I saw the opportunity given me at the WOES to make the most important decision in my life; to act upon my faith irrespective of my religious affiliation; and to seize the day–as the Astor said I may not get this opportunity again.In conformity with the church policy, the new converts of the WOES were to be baptized the following Sabbath, but I couldn't make It due to some occurrence best known to God only. An arrangement was made for me alone to be baptized the following Sabbath though, Finally on that day, the pastor called to Introduce me to the e ntire congregation, be endorsed and prayed for. As I walked through the aisles, unfortunately for me coming from the last column-seat at the back, my knees and eggs weakened as my steps felt awkward.I made it to the front of the congregation, the church was asked whether or not they consented to my baptismal, and they overwhelmingly accepted me. When I turned round to look at the number of hands in the air endorsing my baptismal, I was surprised and felt very special that day since I hadn't felt like that in a very long time. Now which faith baptized me of water and the spirit giving me the opportunity to, maybe, enter Heaven! Who am I to say I don't like the Adventist faith!I feel ashamed o call myself an Adventist, but I cannot change the purpose of God?I am Indeed an Adventist. While growing up, I live in the same neighborhood with some staunch Adventists. I maybe it would be how the system made going to church on Saturday look. My friends had been called upon to do various sport ing activities for the church, but it Emphasis (WOES). I'm not saying my own church pastor couldn't convince to be baptized though?I wouldn't like to be drawn into any controversy. I'm Just giving honor to whom honor is due.This pastor, As. Ballista, reiterated the words of Hushes Whimsical to Nicknames that until one is born of water and the spirit, Just like Jesus Himself was, one cannot see the Kingdom of God. Baptized the following Sabbath, but I couldn't make it due to some occurrence best following Sabbath though. Finally on that day, the pastor called to introduce me to maybe, enter Heaven! Who am I to say I don't like the Adventist faith! I feel ashamed to call myself an Adventist, but I cannot change the purpose of God?I am indeed an

Grades do not Reflect Intelligence Essay

As young adults we have been tested many times over the years, whether it be by a parent, friend or life itself however, the most common of tests we receive are from school. Growing up we were taught to believe that A meant smart and F meant dumb. Time and time again this caused distress in students who were very smart but declared dumb by the education system. Contrary, students who were receiving higher marks are not necessarily the most intelligent. Eventually, people came to the realization that the marks received on tests in fact were not an accurate representation of ones intelligence but merely a showcase of their ability to memorize information. Firstly, the education system does not properly reflect ones intelligence due to common inflation of marks. Secondly, while we are all different, the education system provides us with the same learning and thirdly, grades are the result of effort not intelligence. As the years pass the entry level for most elite university programs rise and are currently well over 90 percent, as a high school student this can be very discouraging. Students are under an immense amount of pressure to do well and this rubs off on the teachers. More often then not teachers are faced with the pressure from students and parents asking or even demanding higher grades, many times they often ascribe any lack of high marks as the teachers fault. Coincidently, as of 2007 more than 60 percent of Ontario high school graduates had an A average, and 10 percent had an A+ average. According to Western University professor James Cà ´tà © that’s up from 40 percent in 1980. (Authority) In todays society many are obsessed with the best, resulting in many parents wanting to send their children to the best schools. This ultimately leads to schools feeling pressure to maintain their supreme standing. Many schools use the success of their past students to enhance their title. For both these reasons listed, inflation occurs. Schools and teachers are raising the marks of their students to their benefit. Of course they are just trying to help however, more often than not they are doing the complete opposite. According to a 2010 report from Brock University, students who entered university with a 90 percent or higher average in high school experienced a dramatic drop of 11.9 percent. Whereas students with high school marks in the 60-79 percent range only dropped 4.4 percent. (Statistic) Grade  inflation does not truthfully assess students learning, resulting in greater problems for their future. With the common act of inflation it is hard to decipher the difference in learning abilities between students. As human beings we are all diverse, not one an identical copy, now if this is the case why does the education system treat us like we are? (Rhetorical question) The education system has made some improvements over the years by dividing students based on their learning but there is much more work to be done. In high school there is a lack of diversity in available courses. There are a multitude of academic courses and very little courses related to apprenticeships and trades. High schools push and push for students to take these academic courses and follow suite to university, when the reality is not everyone is meant to go to university, and that is not a bad thing. However, the truth of this is being concealed by all the grade inflations and false hope given to students. After high school many students will come to the unfortunate realization that just because they did well in high school does not mean they will do the same in university and the high school education system will be to blame for that. If high schools represented college in a more positive way, many students would feel more comfortable and confident in taking the appropriate courses to accommodate to their learning needs. In reality, many students aren’t even aware that they have so many more options outside of these academic courses because the high schools are not making them available. This results in students who learn differently to be put in the same classes and tested the same ways, resulting in one being smarter than the other, when this is in fact not true. Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.† (Authority) Therefore, high schools should not test all students equally, but take the time to adhere to their learning abilities and follow suite with appropriate courses and testing. In addition to every student being completely different, it doesn’t help that there are so many of us. There are 105 secondary schools in the Toronto District School Board alone, meaning there are approximately 87, 273 students, and 5, 800 teachers. (Statistic) Now in this whole system of people, one can’t help but wonder, is my A+ the same as you’re A+? (Rhetorical question) If Sally is an intelligent student who doesn’t try hard at all and is managing to pass with  B’s and Julie is at a lower intelligence level but working her butt off to turn her C’s into B’s does this mean t hese grades are equivalent? (Example) Do these grades communicate anything about Sally and Julie’s intelligence, or are they merely a showcase of their efforts? (Rhetorical question) Grades are important yes, but they cannot determine ones intelligence. Grades show teachers how well you are able to retain information; they are an example of who sat down, put the effort in and studied and who didn’t. Yes, it may be easier for an â€Å"intelligent† person to get good grades, but someone of mediocre intelligence can also get good grades with hard work. High schools make test marks out to be everything, when in reality, as stated before; they are not an accurate representation of ones intelligence. Just because John got perfect on a math test and Billy didn’t, does not mean John is smarter, it means they excel in different areas and should be treated accordingly. Time after time many students will find themselves discouraged by their low marks, but that does not have to be the case. With the right amount of effort, and the right guidance everyone has the opportunity to be a genius. It is now time for the education system to put their best foot forward and conjure the effort to make this happen. In conclusion, it is evident that high school grades are no longer an accurate representation of students’ intelligence. Grades are inflated, students who are at completely different ends of the spectrum are getting the same tests and effort now differentiates most students’ grades, how can one possibly believe that this system accurately demonstrates the knowledge of our youth? (Rhetorical question) High schools need to develop a system that can evenly show case everyone’s intelligence. Until that is done, high achieving students will keep being told their brilliant and low achieving students will keep being pushed from, grade to grade. Overall, the question still remains, if academics cannot determine our intellect, what is the true test of intelligence?