How I Graduated from ACPTR With An A+

Posted on February 11, 2021 by

BLIZZARD, Shamrock Bulletin Headquarters – After rejoining ACP in late April of 2020 as a Sergeant Major, I decided to enroll in the Army of Club Penguin Training Regiment for the second time. On May 31st, 2020, I graduated ACPTR as an A+ graduate, and now current cadets can see me donning my graduate roman helmet at lessons and giving speeches at graduations. The question is, how did I graduate with an A+?

The Army of Club Penguin Training Regiment teaches cadets every aspect of how to battle – using formations and tactics effectively – and also the history of the Army of Club Penguin. It also teaches cadets leadership, responsibility, and how to be a great troop in ACP. ACPTR allows for current cadets to be future leaders – moderators, higher command, or even maybe one day, Commander in Chief – in ACP. In fact, many leaders in the past have graduated from ACPTR with an A+ as well!

Now, this isn’t my first rodeo in ACPTR, after being in this army for a solid 12 years! In mid-2014, I was an ACPTR cadet under the instruction of current ACP moderator Aeropos. However, I never graduated, as I did not complete the course due to personal reasons going on in my life at that time. After returning to ACP, I quickly got myself back into the game, and I was on a roll, attending any event I could and attending to my own hectic life as well.

I would have to say that one of the big reasons why I graduated with ACPTR with an A+ was simply because I had so much free time on my hands from being in a quarantine and state lockdown. I wasn’t at school in person and even then, who says I did any of my online work anyways? The COVID-19 pandemic surely gave me a lot of free time so that I could do whatever I wanted with my life, whether it be pick up a new hobby or binge The Magicians for the fifth time in a row. What did I do with that free time? I played Club Penguin with the best community that I could have ever imagined being a part of, and I became very involved and active in that span of a month.

Being quarantined also gave me new skills. I self-studied a lot as well, so I learned to time block my schedule. Time blocking is a productivity and time management technique where you divide your weeks/days into smaller segments of time dedicated to a specific task and weaves in a calendar and a to-do list to this technique so that you can effectively get stuff done. I do this all the time, and I have incorporated ACP in my busy quarantine schedule! While I was getting my hectic life together, I also learned the importance of keeping a schedule and sticking to it. I incorporated ACP events, ACPTR lessons, and break day events into the schedule so I could spend time with a community I love so dearly! I use Google Calendar to do all of this, and it has quickly become something that I seriously couldn’t live without. It has helped me manage my time so well and help me become so much more productive!

Keeping consistent is a huge factor as to why I graduated ACPTR with an A+, and I had to keep consistent with my time blocking schedule as well. You want to keep consistent with the schedule you made for yourself, especially since you’re adding ACP into that schedule of yours. I know that keeping consistent might seem hard at first because you always want to take a break and just binge your favorite show – trust me, I wanted to as well. Make sure you always schedule some time for yourself and remember to always stay positive and motivated! Consistency is more important than perfection.

Motivation is something that kept me going through that entire month. We all know how at the end of the month, a Troop of the Month is named. I was motivated to get that, so I attended every event during that month except for I believe one AUSIA event because I overslept, on top of every ACPTR lesson I was required to go to. When you graduate ACPTR, attending all events gets you an A+, so I was motivated to not only graduate with an A+ for the first time in my 12 years but also to get Troop of The Month. Though I didn’t get named as the TOTM, I felt extremely awarded at the end of the month when I not only graduated but got promoted multiple times throughout the month as well from earning so many clovers.

Staying motivated is hard, and I know from first-hand experience that it was especially hard to stay motivated in a worldwide pandemic and lockdown. Aside from promotions and awards at the end of May, something that helped me stay motivated was that after I graduated, I was able to help others. Find something that motivates you, and keep it in your head. Staying positive and sticking with something that motivates you will help you stick with whatever you want to do in life. It helped me stay motivated through the hectic month that May was, with World War Rewritten, two armies, school, and ACPTR. Motivational TED Talks also helped me through it all. When I was taking a break, I’d listen to them. When I was walking, I’d listen to them. Anytime that there was some downtime in my schedule, I would motivate myself with speeches, TED Talks, and podcasts. Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.

I believe that my past experiences in ACP and ACPTR have helped me graduate with an A+, as well. Having joined ACP in 2009, I already have had a large amount of exposure and experience with how armies work and what tactics ACP uses in battle and events, but I didn’t think that they have grown so much until I joined ACPTR in May. As I have previously mentioned, I also was an ACPTR cadet in mid-2014 under Aero’s instruction, but I never graduated due to going MIA. I was already familiar with how lessons went, though I wasn’t familiar with exactly what was taught and I didn’t know about any new lessons being added (I never did ACP history before May 2020!).

These were a few of my tactics during one of my class's final practice battles before graduation! Yes, I took notes in a notebook for ACPTR lessons.

Self-discipline is a huge factor that played into how I managed to graduate top of my class. To be self-disciplined, you need to learn to get over the distractions that you are faced with, you must overcome any weakness, any temptation, and any feelings that may distract you from getting stuff done. ACP has taught me a lot about self-discipline and getting over anything else that made me want to skip lessons. I already knew the content, why would I want to go? I had to overcome that one thought, and I did. Knowledge is power and the motivation of graduating with an A+ kept me going. Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.

One final thing has always stuck with me since the first time I have ever joined this army – it’s to never give up. Even when things seem like they’re at their worst, even when life seems to be spiraling downhill, please, NEVER give up. Never lose your hope, your positivity, or your motivation. You think things seem bad now? Things happen because fate decided for it to happen. How you react and what you do in that situation is how things will turn out. You get out what you put in. I know it’s cliche and corny to be told to just stay positive, even when you don’t want to, and that things will always turn out to be better, but I know from personal experience since the start of last year that they do get better.

Staying positive and never giving up is why I graduated ACPTR with an A+. It kept me motivated, it allowed me to stay consistent with my schedule. A word of advice for current ACPTR cadets? Keep up your hard work. Keep attending events. ACPTR has helped me and other graduates in tremendous ways. You could go on to become ACP Leader if you keep up with everything – events, lessons, and community events. Strive for progress, not perfection, because success is the sum of small efforts repeated daily. Consistency does not mean never messing up, it means never giving up. Keep doing what you are all doing – attend your lessons and events, and never give up. That’s how I graduated ACPTR with an A+ in May of 2020.

What are YOUR thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below!

Nikki

ACP Major & Shamrock Bulletin Reporter