This blog contains student work ranging from news writing to editorial and also serves as a forum for the publishing of written work completed in some 7th and 8th grade classes. All postings are arranged so that the newest appear first. At this time our blog is read only, but content related issues that arise can be directed to Mr. Hadd
The Vermont Stage Company has been supplying the public with phenomenal performances in live theater for 15 years now. The director, Mark Nash, has been producing many plays for VSC (Vermont Stage Company). One of the more recent plays performed was, Prelude to a Kiss. This performance started on April 22, 2009 and goes until May 10, 2009. The amazingly performed play brought out multiple emotions for the audience. In the beginning, you start off curious as to what will happen with the main characters, Peter and Rita who just met. Then as they talk and find out more about each other you find yourself wanting to know more too. It is as if you are in the room with Rita who has such a carefree out look on things.
In Act One, Peter and Rita fall in love and everything seems to fit just right. Their love and lust comes as a package, with their opinions and just the right amount of differences, and they decide to get married. As the person watching this all happening you can’t help but be happy for what the actors have just created in front of you. But your warm and fuzzy feelings suddenly slip away when an elderly man, that no one seems to know, appears at their wedding. He seems friendly enough and gives the bride a kiss on the lips, and that’s when things suddenly become crooked. At first the old man appears to have had a little too much to drink, and calls Peter “honey” and talks like he is Peter’s lover. The family escorts the man out and never really knows who he is or what he was talking about.
In Act Two, while on their honeymoon, Rita acts a bit off and Peter notices it. By now you are wondering what in the heck is going on, just as Peter is. The end of this play is a truly surprising one; the author ties in the old man and Rita in a way that would never have been thought of! They actually switched bodies when they kissed at the wedding and have been living each other’s lives ever since. So, Peter wasn’t crazy after all. He helps get them back together, so they can switch back into their own bodies again. It turns out that they switched bodies because they each wanted what the other person had – or so they thought! The message is to appreciate what you have and enjoy your life the way it is. In other words, the grass is not always greener on the other side!
Craig Maravixh and Haley Rice performed as the main characters, Peter and Rita. They were both very comfortable on stage, and never seemed to slip out of character, even when portraying a couple in love who shared kisses and argued. Peter even had to take his shirt off in one scene and he didn’t flinch. This is probably because Craig went to George Washington University and came out with a BA in Theatre. He’s performed in places such as the Kennedy Center, Long Wharf Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre and more. He had just recently moved to Burlington this past summer and is back to acting after taking some time off.
Haley Rice aka Rita is a teacher at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA as an acting/movement teacher. She has performed in places such as Apollo Theater, Shakespeare Festival and more. She is also a talented actress who keeps you interested.
Another interesting fact about the play is that Malachy McCourt played the old man; many may know his brother Frank McCourt who wrote Angela’s Ashes. Malachy McCourt is not only an actor but also a radio host and columnist. He has performed on and off Broadway and sometimes acts in soap operas.
Of course there were many more actors and actresses that contributed
to the play, and with out them it would be hard to imagine. I was especially
interested in going because my aunt, Lili Gamache, played “Leah”, the old man’s
daughter. Also the lights and sound
crew were incredibly important and helped keep things lively with some fun
music. The Vermont Stage Company has put on many plays, and this one was one of
the best. Prelude to a Kiss. Live in the present; love what you’ve got.
100 Ways to
Part 3-Go Green on Vacation
Posted by Ian E. on April 16, 2009
I’m sure that all of you people out there are jumping off your seats for spring break. The most notorious of all vacations is coming up in about 2 weeks. Though most people stay home, lots of people go places too. So if you’re one of those, or you’re just planning ahead, here are some tips to go green when you go on vacation:
41. Trains can be a great way to see parts of a country that roadways don't traverse. And once you arrive at your destination, take advantage of buses, monorails, ferries, and subways rather than traveling by yourselves in a gas guzzler.
42. Don't bring more luggage than you need on a green vacation. It adds weight to whatever means of transportation you use, requiring more energy, and it also adds weight to the burden you carry.
43. Be a better tourist. We often don't think about the environmental impact of our tourism travel abroad, but the places we go, the things we do and even the items we pack in our suitcases can have an impact on the environment, especially in developing nations that aren't as capable of dealing with waste as the U.S. is. One tip: Take environmentally friendly soap and shampoos with you, and leave ostentatious jewelry at home.
44. Put your money where your beliefs are: Support eco-resorts, lodges, and hotels constructed from recycled materials. And don't think you'll have to forgo luxury on a green vacation. At The Tides Riviera Maya in Mexico, for instance, natural materials are used throughout and no motorized vehicles are allowed on the property.
45. Although tourism dollars are critical to many places, there are destinations whose ecosystems are so fragile that the arrival of you and hundreds or thousands of other tourists can create severe, irreversible environmental impacts. Among them: The Galapagos Islands and the Amazonian rainforest.
46. Carry a digital camera to take great vacation pictures, rather than a disposable one or an old-fashioned SLR that uses film. And use rechargeable batteries rather than disposables.
47. No matter where you go for your vacation, you can leave your house in a green or dormant state with just three easy steps: (1) turn off all the lights, leaving some on timers for security (2) turn your water heater down, and (3) lower or turn off the heat or air conditioning. Pretty simple right? And yep, it's greener too. Not to mention you'll have lower utility bills next month. That's bound to put a smile on your face and you haven't even left home yet!
48. Return home with the things that matter. Instead of buying junky souvenirs and t-shirts that were probably manufactured thousands of miles from your vacation destination, seek out sustainable souvenirs that directly benefit the communities you visit: locally produced honey or hot sauce, crafts or jewelry made by local artisans, goods that support local green organizations or environmental groups and, of course, photos (digital are best: no developing costs, no wasted film).
49. If you can, drive to your destination. It may take a little while, but cars definitely don’t use as much gas as airplanes.
50. If you’re going somewhere warm, use eco-friendly suntan lotion. Also dispose of the bottle properly. Don’t “accidentally” leave the bottle on the beach.
51. Bring books not electronics to do in the car or on the plane. This will save electricity and brain power.
52. If you go shopping, bring your own tote bags, so that you don’t have to use the stores plastic bags.
53. In an effort to green their practices (and save money), many hotels tell you how to communicate to the cleaning staff that you don’t want to have your towels washed daily – usually by placing your towel on the rack instead of the floor. This is a great step in the right direction, but washing sheets and replacing toiletries is wasteful, too. Since we generally don’t like to spend a lot of time in our hotel room, it really doesn’t get dirty and there’s no need for the staff to clean it. Before you head out for the day, put up the “do not disturb” sign.
54. In your hotel, take the stairs not the elevator. Elevators use a lot of electricity, and you’ll get more exercise from climbing the stairs.
55. Don’t go to the hotel laundry room everyday. If you’re that obsessed with getting rid of germs, than you should go see someone about it. You’re clothes will be fine. I promise.
56. If your family is renting a car, convince them to rent a hybrid.
57. Bring your own food. What’s so bad about eating in?
58. Plan your trip well. For instance, borrow a neighbors GPS (if you can). This way, you’ll know concise directions to your destination, therefore not wasting anymore time, fuel, and brainpower.
59. If you do decide to drive, tune up your car. Make sure your engine is well tuned and your tires are properly inflated. This will give your car up to at least 3.3 more miles to a gallon.
60. And finally, when you are driving, don’t idle. I said it in the first article, and I’m saying it again. It wastes gas and pollutes the air.
After reading this, I hope that you’ll will go over and rethink your vacation plans. Happy traveling!
What New Seventh Graders Need To Know
Posted By Lauren W. on April 8, 2009
The transition from sixth grade to seventh grade is huge for some people. There are a lot of changes between the two grades. But there are a few things that would have helped to know going into seventh grade.
- Your school planner. Bring that to every class, you can actually get in trouble if you don’t bring it. But it can be really helpful. Write down all your homework, obviously, but also due dates, tests, and even sports games and stuff. It may help to number your homework assignments in order from most important to least important: what do you absolutely have to get done and what can wait until tomorrow.
- Work on long projects a little bit at a time. Whenever you don’t have a lot of homework or you’re not busy after school, work on the project. You’ve probably heard this a million times before, but you definitely don’t want to be panicking the night before it’s due, plus projects that you’ve done the night before, teachers are probably going to be able to tell and it definitely won’t be your best work. So whenever you have a little time, do some research, read for a few minutes, draw a picture, anything to help you out for that project. It’ll be a huge relief on that night before the project is due when you already have it done and you don’t need to get stressed about it.
- Some teachers give you the homework for the entire week. Write everything down in your planner. Then, if you know you’re going to be really busy on Wednesday night and you’ll have no time to do your math, try to work on Wednesday’s homework earlier in the week so you won’t have as much to do on Wednesday. Plan ahead as best as you can so you’re not in way over your head with homework.
- Study halls. Some people have them for a choice class, but not everyone. They are once a week during AG though, and they’re a great opportunity to get a little work done. If you don’t have any homework in your first two classes, see if you can find out about your next two classes. If you don’t have any homework or you are done your homework, see if you can get a head start on tomorrow’s homework. Or start (or continue) working on a project. You may be able to get ahead on class work, such as in your vocabulary books. You may use the opportunity to go to the library and find a reading book, or read a book you already have, or maybe get ahead in class reading. Whatever you do, DON’T JUST SIT THERE!
- In seventh grade, you definitely need to be organized. You have binders in at least three of you classes, but folders are also a good idea. Making the folders/notebooks/binders for one subject one color is one option, but you definitely don’t have to. In your folder, keep any recent handouts, current homework, reference sheets, project info, experiment info, etc. Some teachers have a filing system for your homework or expect you to keep it in your binder, some teachers don’t mind if you throw your homework away after you’re totally through working with the unit. You should keep homework in a folder or in a binder for a while, at least until after the test so you can use them to study.
- Keep your locker organized. Don’t let papers, binders, folders, notebooks, pencils, pens, sharpeners, and especially not food pile up in your locker. At least once a week take all the papers out and organize them by filing or recycling. Throw away pencils that are too short or no longer usable or pens that are broken or out of ink and put the other usable ones in some sort of pencil case. No food should be kept in your locker for more than one day. Hang your coat/backpack up on the hangers inside, hang your choice class schedule and any other schedules on the door of your locker, and keep binders and notebooks on the upper shelf for organization. A lock is a good idea, and if you don’t have one, definitely don’t leave any valuables inside!
- Always do your homework! If you have to, when you come home from sports or school take a break, or if you don’t need a break you can start right on homework. You can take short breaks in between subjects or if there’s a really long assignment in one subject, it’s not a good idea to leave everything until late at night if it’s possible to get it done earlier.
- Studying! Obviously there are going to be tests in seventh grade, there are in every other grade. Sometimes it’s a good idea to review material a little every night leading up to the test, maybe more on then night right before the test, and maybe even a little that morning, just to refresh your memory. If you pay attention in class you’ll do better on tests and quizzes!
Those are some of the most
helpful tips for entering seventh grade. The transition from sixth to
seventh grade is probably one of the biggest transitions. You switch
classes or your schedules rotate on a daily basis, and also your choice
classes rotate each 22 to 24 days. It all sounds pretty confusing but
it’s actually not, students get the idea really fast. Some of the
key points for seventh grade are do your homework, bring your planner
everywhere, stay organized and be on time. It all sounds really
confusing and sometimes sixth graders get overwhelmed, but it if you
follow the tips you should be better off, and the teachers are really
patient and they’ll help you out, especially that first and
second week. Your behavior should be the same as in any other class,
maybe even better for some of you, follow the rules your teachers set,
stay organized and the new sixth graders should be really well off in
seventh grade next year.
Teacher Comparisons (Part 4 of 4)
Posted by Carl L. on April 8, 2009
This is the final installment of Teacher Comparisons. If you have been following this series you’ll know that this is a guide for 7th graders continuing their 8th grade here at Georgia, it’s to tell them what their 8th grade teachers are like compared to the ones they had in 7th grade. This week I interviewed Mrs. Mahoney and Mrs. Driver the Language Arts teachers.
Mrs. Mahoney
She seems to have been here forever (30 years here at Georgia) and she’s seen it all. Many students report her almost sixth sense for detecting gum. She’ll ask one child to spit out their gum and then another child to spit out theirs, only the second child has been sitting behind her the entire class. “I’m getting you ready for high school, which means that they [the students] need to be responsible for their own work.” For homework “[I give] vocabulary, writing and reading.” One of her classic units is her unit on Edgar Allan Poe; one part requires students to memorize a stanza of Poe’s "The Raven". “It has to be varied, they work alone, they work in groups they do projects.” Even though she even considers herself “semi-strict” people still seem to remember her as their favorite teacher.
Mrs. Driver
This has been Mrs. Driver’s first year as the 7th grade language arts teacher. She used to teach 6th grade until Mrs. Hancox retired (then came back as a substitute teacher). She has been reported to give a lot of homework. “Out of all the 7th grade teachers I give the most. At home it may take a bout half-an-hour.” When she taught 6th grade she taught everything now it seems she’s still trying to adjust too just language arts. “I would say I do a combination of all three with fewer lectures. [My] Students are busy all the time.”
“I do give out detentions for [missed] homework. I give a
few out then work with the child and their parents.” “I consider myself a firm
teacher because I want students to learn to follow rules and expectations.”
Pop Tabs
Posted by Cierra F. on April 7, 2009
This year, GEMS is collecting Pop Tabs to raise money for the Ronald
McDonald House, because the people at the Ronald McDonald House need it
to be able to stay their while a relative is at the nearby hospital.
Ms. Potter’s AG thought up the idea of collecting Pop tabs to
raise money for it. The house needs the money that we donated it
because the people staying there sometimes can’t afford to stay
at a hotel for weeks at a time, so they stay there and aren’t
charged. The Ronald McDonald House needs the money so they can let the
people stay there. They needed to do community service, and they
thought of this idea. There is a prize for the winner (or the class
that collects the most Pop Tabs) of a dessert party. GEMS took the
opportunity of doing something good for the community and decided to do
this project. It is a way for kids to have fun and help somebody out.
The prize will make students want to participate in the competition
because they want to win.
I interviewed people to see how they liked the idea of the cause.
Elizabeth Y., seventh grade, had ideas on the pop tab competition. She
thought that it was interesting, even though she didn’t
participate. She said it gives people a chance to donate to the Ronald
McDonald house without actually having to go there.
Instead of the Ronald McDonald House, she thinks the money should go to the humane society, because many animals around the world are sad and homeless. She’d also want to change the prize to going to the humane society to donate the money.
The main reason that she thinks the school decided to do this was because she thought it was for community service.
Francesca H, grade seven, had different ideas on this cause. She
thought that it is good that GEMS is donating to this cause. Unlike
Elizabeth, Francesca liked the idea of the money going to the Ronald
McDonald House, because she thinks the Ronald McDonald House needs the
money for the families that have to stay there. She also said that she
liked the prize how it was, because it was “good and fair.”
The reason she thought the school did this was “Because the kids there need the money and support.”
Ian E., grade seven, said “I think that it’s good that we
can help the sick person’s families so that they don’t have
to go home while their kid is at the hospital.” Also, he said
that he thought the Ronald McDonald House was a fine cause.
Ian, like Elizabeth, thought the prize should change. But he thought
that the winners should go to the Ronald McDonald House instead, to
donate the money personally. The main reason he thought GEMS did
this was, “I think that it’s so that we can help the
building because they need the money, I guess.”
Lauren W., seventh grade, said, “I think this was a good idea
because, if the pop tabs can be recycled, and the money can go to help
people who need it, than it is a positive thing.”
She also thought that the Ronald McDonald House is a fine cause to
raise money for, like Francesca. Agreeing with Francesca again, she
said, “No, the prize is fine, because it should just be about
helping people, and it doesn’t matter what prize you get; but the
dessert party is enough of a motivation for kids.” Overall, she
thought it was creative that Ms. Potter’s AG thought up of Pop
tabs for community service.
All of the people I interviewed liked the idea for the following
reasons: They thought it was great that we raised money for sick
people, and because it was creative, and that recycling pop tabs adds
to making it positive. Some of them also thought that it was great that
GEMS is participating in helping the Ronald McDonald House care for the
people in it while a relative of theirs is in a hospital. They thought
it was nice that GEMS was doing community service and helping people
out and having fun all at the same time.
In the end, the results came out like this: Mrs. Poquette’s class won with 26 pounds; and in second by a long way, Mrs. Farrington’s class with 6 pounds. There was a huge difference between first and second place.
Over all, the idea of the Pop tab competition was a great idea, and I want to give thanks to Ms. Potter’s AG for coming up with the wonderful idea, and that they made a bunch of kids happy at the Ronald McDonald House. It was a success, and everyone is happy about it. Not only did a class get a dessert party, but GEMS did a very nice thing to sick kids at the Ronald McDonald House.
100 Ways to
Part 2-Home Tips
Posted by Ian E. On April 7, 2009
After
typing up the first part and showing it to my parents, they had a lot of
constructive criticism, and were stumped by one of my statements. This was the one that told you to try and
get the cafeteria to start making vegetarian and allergy friendly foods. As an explanation for this, I said that
going green is not only about being friendly to the environment, but also about
living healthily. So, now that that is
out of the way, here are 20 more ways that you can go green (at home):
21. To start off, here’s a food tip. Start buying Ben &
Jerry’s. You’ve been on the tour; you’ve had
the ice cream. But what I bet you didn’t know is that the
company is green. That’s right. Ben & Jerry, our
favorite hippy friends, are go green fans. Check out there
website to find out more. www.benjerry.com.
22. Buy water efficient showerheads. These let less water
through, thus saving all that water that misses you (which is about 280
gallons a month). Two that I would recommend are Kholer’s
Master Shower Eco and Niagara Conservation’s Earth Massage.
23. Bring home superhero plants. Certain greens can remove indoor
air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Don’t have
the green gene? Golden pothos, English ivy, and peace lilies are
all easy-to-grow toxin fighters.
24. Recycle rechargeable’. Cell phones, digital cameras,
and camcorders have made these batteries more popular than ever, but in
certain states-we are one of those-it's illegal to throw them away.
Wherever you live, you can find a nearby store that will recycle them
for you; just go to rbrc.org and type in your zip code.
25. Thou shalt adjust thou’s fridge and freezer
temperature. Fridges and freezers eat up the most energy in your
house. Keep fridges at 37degrees F and your freezer at 0 degrees
F to keep the fridge monster away.
26. No plastic or paper dinnerware — ever! We throw away 39
billion knives and forks and 29 billion plates a year in the United
States, with half of them plastic, according to the United Nations
Environment Programme. Use dinnerware and cups that can be reused for
years, and don't waste water when you clean them by running half-full
dishwasher loads.
27. From furniture to electronics, one person's trash is another's
treasure-so when you want to dispose of an old item, don't make the
dump your first stop. Two sites with alternatives: freecycle.org and
earth911.org. The Freecycle Network describes itself as "a place to
give or receive what you have and don't need or what you need and don't
have-[to keep] stuff out of landfills." The Earth 911 Web site offers
community-specific resources, with a focus on recycling. Check out the
home page to find out where you can recycle your computer, your cell
phone-even used motor oil.
28. Get the organic habit. Switch to organic for at least one
thing that you buy every week. Pretty soon, you’ll become an
organic-extraordinaire.
29. Get your parents to buy your family a laptop. They use up
less electricity than normal desktop computers, and use fewer materials.
30. Double up on printing. Configure your printer so that it
prints on both sides of the page. You know those extra pages you get
when printing out one simple e-mail? Turn them over and put them back
in the printer for reuse.
31. Go native. Plant flowers and shrubs that are well suited to
your climate (the staff at the nursery you like can help). The benefit:
You'll use less fertilizer and pesticides.
32. Plant a tree. Still the cheapest, most effective way of removing
CO2 from the atmosphere. If every American family planted one tree, it
would cut more than 1 billion pounds of CO2 from our atmosphere each
year -- about 5 percent of Earth's annual carbon footprint. So plant
two.
33. Gather your neighbors' fruit (with permission, of course). So much
fruit goes to waste in our yards every year, falling onto the ground,
rotting and attracting rodents. After getting consent from the
neighbors, organize a team to gather fruit and distribute it to a food
bank.
5
Eco Labels You Can Really Trust:
36.
USDA Organic
Seen on: Food products
What it means: Food is produced
without antibiotics, genetic engineering, or most synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides.
37. Rainforest Alliance
Certified
Seen on: Coffee, chocolate, bananas
What it means: Companies harvesting the food practice soil and water
conservation; they also reduce the use of pesticides.
38. Fair Trade Ceritified
Seen on: Coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, rice, sugar
What it means: Food is grown on small farms; farmers receive a fair
price.
39. Certified Humane
Seen on: Eggs, meat
What it means: Animals raised for dairy, meat, and poultry products are
treated humanely. Growth hormones are prohibited, and animals are raised on a
diet without antibiotics.
40. Green Seal
Seen on: Napkins, toilet paper, paper towels
What it means: they must meet recycling and bleaching standards.
So, that ends part two. I might not finish this list between now and
next Friday, when the block ends, but I’ll see if Mr.Hadd will let me
finish. Try and take these things into
consideration. Start by talking them
over with your parents, and see they’re input.
Then make a plan. Type it up or
print it. Make it a schedule or a
plan. Have everyone in your family sign
it, and then hang it on your fridge.
Everyday when you come home from school, see what you can do from that
list, because if we all help, we can make a difference.
Choice Classes
Posted by: Cierra F. and Francesca H. on April 6, 2009
When GEMS students move up to seventh and eighth grade, sometimes they don’t know what choices they are really signing up for. They may think a choice class looks really boring, but they could be totally wrong about it (or vice versa). This article is about what students’ points of view are on some of the choice classes that are available at GEMS. Many students like to know what they are going to be looking forward to over the summer for the new school year. People rated the choice classes from one to five about how they liked them, and there are short descriptions for each one.
Soccer was one of them that many students in the seventh grade signed up for. Its average rating was 3.75 stars. In this class, Mr. Coleman taught people the basic techniques to soccer. The students were taught what the positions were, what good methods were, ball handling skills, and much more. There was a warm-up at the beginning of every class, and scrimmaging once in a while. The soccer choice class was very beneficial to kids.
Nanowrimo was another choice class that took up two blocks. The rating was 5 stars. In the class, students got to write their hearts out. Mrs. Payne taught kids to write creatively. During the first block, the kids wrote writing prompts, and planned for the 20,000 word piece that would start in November. It is a website that is on any computer that any person can do, but this class gives students time and gives them ideas for it. During the second block, the students wrote day after day to get the job done. Most of the students finished the task, and all of the people that were asked gave this class a five.
The two tech classes are other fun choices. Their average rating was 4.4 stars. With Mr. King in the Tech Room, students will have a chance to be creative. In Tech 1, you get to build Adirondack chairs for people to buy. You get to use jigsaws, routers, spindle sander, belt sander, and drills, and cut the pieces as instructed. And once your class makes a certain amount of chairs, you’ll have a surprise for your class waiting for you in the Tech room.
During Tech 2, you will get to build and race your own hand-made
racecar dragsters. Keeping the measurements between the limits, you can
create your car to be fast, slow, pretty, or just how you like it.
Using the tools listed above, you also will get to paint your car how
you like it once it is sanded. Even if you don’t win the race,
keeping your dragster at the end is just as good to some people!
Journalism is another great choice class that you can sign up for. The
average rating for this class is 3.9 stars. Mr. Hadd teaches you how to
be a good journalist, and how to write like one. In this class, you
will be able to write about current events, upcoming events, things
that are going on at GEMS, something that will be interesting to the
students and faculty here, or whatever your heart desires will make a
good story in this class! Interviewing people also makes a great story
with other people’s point of views in your story. Your writing
will be revised and posted on the journalism blog by Mr. Hadd. Taking
this class is a chance for you to tell others about things that are
going on in the community, or writing an article about what you think
can benefit this school.
Badminton is a great gym class taught by Mr. Coleman. Its average
rating is 3.5 stars. In this class, you can learn about the basics of
this sport, some of its history, and how to become a better player. Two
on two games take place every day to get you pumped up and prepared for
the AG badminton tournament that is around the time of this choice
class. Learn how to have better techniques in this class, but mostly to
have fun and to try your best
Volleyball is another gym choice. Its average rating is 3 stars. Mr.
Coleman teaches you better techniques with your bumps, sets, and
spikes. He also teaches you the positions of the game, the object of
the game, and to communicate. Volleyball requires much teamwork, and to
help this, there are groups to warm up for the games. There are games
every day and practicing drills. This class also prepares you for the
AG volleyball tournament.
Painting is a fun art class with Mrs. Crosby. Its average rating is
4.25. She helps you learn how to make gradations, create still
life’s, to be creative while recycling, turning junk into
masterpieces, mixing colors, and much more. There are always exciting
things in store for each class.
So for the students in sixth and seventh grade, these are some of the choice classes that people wanted you to know about. This article shows you what people have liked about some of the choice classes that are available, and will give you ideas on which ones to pick once it is time.
Review: Storm Front by
Jim Butcher
Posted by Nick Rojas on April 6, 2009
This is the first in The Dresden Files, a series I
reviewed earlier with Proven Guilty, the 8th in the series. The book
is about a local Chicago wizard named Harry Dresden. In this book, mystical creatures
such as vampires and werewolves exist alongside modern times. This book
introduces many side-characters that become a big part of later books, such as
Karrin Murphy, Harry’s best friend in the police station who is the leader of
the Special Investigation section of the local police station. In this book,
Harry is about to be evicted from his apartment and he gets a call from a woman
named Monica. She asks him to help her find her missing husband. From there,
Harry gets a call from Murphy about a crime scene. Mostly because his main
source of income comes from helping the SI branch of the police department, he
hurries to the crime scene. The two victims appear to have their hearts
exploded. Through the whole book, the two cases eventually become intertwined
with each other, and the epilogue of the book ends with Harry confronting the
murderer.
The book was an excellent start to a great series. The opening sucks you in, and you won’t want to stop. This is an amazingly written book, and the author does a great job of introducing lasting characters with real personality. The world the author has created through this series, and particularly in this first book, is amazing. The mix of fantasy creatures and modern realistic times makes an excellent and believable setting. I won’t give it two scores like last review because this is the first book. Overall, Storm Front gets a 4.5/5.
Picture courtesy of http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jim-butcher/storm-front.htm
Celebration of the Arts
Posted by Lauren W. on April 2, 2009
On April 3rd, 2009
from 6:30 to 9:00 The Celebration of the Arts will be taking place in the gym
at school.
The
Celebration of the Arts is a great chance for kids at Georgia School to perform
in front of crowds and show off their talents. Kids perform a variety of acts,
including comedy acts, martial arts, singing, dancing and short skits. The
performing arts part of the show begins at 7:00 and lasts until about 9:00. But
the art show starts at 6:30, and the art teachers with the help of some
volunteers set up art work from all their art classes…everything from self
portraits to still lifes to clay work to sculptures is set up in the cafeteria
or the gym for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, students and
friends to see before the performing arts show begins, or during the
intermission.
The
Celebration of the Arts requires many people’s hard work. Mrs. Volatile Wood
(enrichment teacher) and Mrs. Sink (Kindergarten through fourth grade music
teacher) organize the performing arts show, which requires a lot of effort.
They place stacks of forms in the office and Mrs. Getty’s office for students
to fill out. Then they organize the auditions in March to make sure acts are
appropriate and not too long. They also have to set up times to view acts that
are not by students or by students who cannot make the audition time. Then
there is the dress rehearsal, the day before the actual show, when all the
sound, music, lineups, etc. have to be worked out, and of course the show,
which this year takes place on April 3rd.
Two
students that are doing the show this year, Cierra F. and Yolanda W. were
interviewed. Cierra F. is doing a dance to the song “Just Dance” with several
of her friends. This is her first year being in the show. When asked why she
participates she said, “Well because I thought it would be a nice
change…because I wanted to be with my friends first of all…and I wanted to just
like, dance, because I usually don’t get much opportunity.” When asked why do
she enjoyed participating she wasn’t really sure, but she did say it was fun.
When asked what the best part of the Celebration of the Arts was she answered,
“Well I always used to like watching the other people, but now that I’m in it I
like practicing with my friends and stuff.” And the worst thing about the
Celebration of the Arts was, “When your friends fight and everyone disagrees
about what you should do and yeah…”
Yolanda
W. is singing to “Under the Sea”, and this is her third year participating in
the show. She doesn’t really enjoy participating in the show, except for last
year. She says that her form isn’t even in yet but someone really wants her to
do the show so she’ll just show up. The best part of the Celebration of the
Arts, for her, is, “Um…probably hanging out with your friends and just
supporting other people.” The worst part of the show for her is, “If you mess
up in front of the people, it’s stuck with you, probably if you like fall down
or something, you will remember that.”
Also
interviewed were two people that would like to participate in the show, but are
not participating this year. Francesca H. says that she might like to participate
in the future but it depends on if she’s doing it alone or with a group of
people. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to be in the show. Francesca has never
been in the talent show before. When asked why she wasn’t in this show anyway,
she said, “Hmmmm, because there wasn’t really anything I wanted to do, I
guess.” And even though she doesn’t participate, she comes to watch the show
anyway.
Julia
W. was the last student interviewed about the Celebration of the Arts. She will
not be participating in the show this year even though she wants to, but she
says she’s been in it three times before. She says she wants to be in the show
because, “Cuz it’s fun aaaaaaand, um, you get to see all your friends when
you’re in it, because they’re all usually there.” She still comes to the shows
anyway, even though she’s not in it.
Mrs.
Sink, the kindergarten through fourth grade music teacher, is one of the main
coordinators of the project, was interviewed about the Celebration of the Arts.
She started the Celebration of the Arts sixteen years ago (this year is the
seventeenth anniversary), 1993, and she was working with Mrs. Hsieh (k-4 grade
art teacher) and Maureen Vezina (a parent volunteers). Also working with Mrs.
Sink from the beginning were Jean Gilmond and Mrs. Crosby (5-8 grade art
teacher) and the Friends of the Arts Organization. “This was designed as an art
and music event to show student and community art work and other talents, like
a talent show only with an art show and food and even a silent auction. We wanted
to raise money for professional artists to come to our school…” Among the
professional artists of this year are Shidaa and the Junk Man (Donald Knaack).
Mrs. Sink wanted to give people the chance to perform and “encourage the
community to be involved in an artistic way.”
Usually
in the show, there are 35-40 acts (acts may be two minutes each, otherwise the
show would go way into the night), and around 700 pieces of artwork. This year
the participation was a little below average with only 32 acts. Mrs. Sink has
seen many different acts performed from Karate (acts of breaking wood are
popular), comedy acts, singing, dancing and playing instruments. Once there was
a drama act with Cat Carr, a professional, and the cheerleaders have performed.
Also, Karent McFeeters and Jim Gibbens who have a CD and perform locally have
been in the show. She says the number of instrumentalists is lower than usual
this year.
Mrs.
Sink says, “The best thing for me is watching students perform, I am always
amazed at the talent here in Georgia. The worst thing is when someone doesn’t
show up, or the CD player doesn’t work and setting up and taking down all the
equipment.”
Mrs.
Sink also has goals for the show in the future. “My goal is to see more
community people involved in running the show and performing in the show and
that this continues after I leave Georgia.”
Thank
you Mrs. Sink for taking the time for the interview, and also for running the
show with the help of Mrs. Volatile Wood, Mrs. Crosby, Mrs. Hogg, Mrs. Hsieh,
and several others. The Celebration of the Arts begins Friday night at 6:30 if
anyone is interested in seeing the talent in Georgia displayed.
Teacher Comparisons (Part 3 of 4)
Posted by Carl L. on April 2, 2009
It’s time again for Teacher Comparisons! This week I’m bringing you interviews with Mr. Emery and Mr. King the 7th and 8th science teachers. This is a guide for 7th graders continuing their 8th grade here at Georgia, it’s to tell them what their 8th grade teachers are like compared to the ones they had in 7th grade.
Mr. Emery
Mr. Emery has been working here for 16 years. When he started teaching here he wore a dress shirt and tie. When I interviewed him a few days ago he wore so comfy khaki pants with a grey tee shirt and a plaid over shirt. He has his own way of talking, quick short bursts of energetic, and usually abbreviated, words. His personality when teaching is very enthusiastic, he bounces around the room with his teaching stick hitting the tables of naughty children and swinging it like a baseball bat. “I believe that homework is only necessary if it will help the students understand the material.” Mr. Emery is an outdoorsman, who enjoys hunting, fishing and football and likes to bring many of his hobbies into the classroom. “I try to incorporate as many different learning styles so different students can understand the science concepts, so all [types of] learners can understand.” Mr. Emery says he’s “not a big believer in detentions, a lot of the times a detention has an effect on a student’s parents.” “I don’t think I’m overly strict but you could leave that up to one’s opinion.”
Mr. King
Mr. King has been known to talk for long periods of time during class, even when the subject is not science. At the end off the 8th grade year he assigns the egg drop project to his students, they make a container to keep and egg intact after a 25 ft drop. He’s done this project for a long time, every year that’s he’s been here at Georgia (He’s been teaching here for 20 years) (He also taught in other places). “I like projects. I like hands-on things; I’m not so much into lecturing as I am into discussion.” While he’s been here at Georgia Mr. King says he’s never been big on homework. “I don’t like busywork. I don’t give homework for the sake of giving homework. It’s for working on whatever concept [we are working on]. It’s so you can practice.” Personally I have never seen Mr. King give out a detention I asked some other 8th graders and they said they had never seen him give one out either. “I never give them; I just point out behavioral mistakes. I don’t think I’ve given one in the last 10 years.” “I don’t need total control of my classroom as long as learning takes place.”
SPINterviews
Set the Scene started during 2008 by guitarists/vocalists Pat Brock and Zach Cullen. They recruited bassist Shayne Spence and then keyboardist Sean McConnell. After various changes in drummers, Josh Prior joined in.
Prior took hold of booking the shows as well as drumming, and within the last half of the first month of being in the band Set the Scene played their first round of shows. Perhaps that was their downfall, because soon the band was on a downward spiral towards a breakup. The band members decided that a month long hiatus (no breakup intended) would be a healthy thing to do. But with a break that long, personalities clashed and by February the band was hanging by a thread. That February Set the Scene was scheduled to go into a studio and record their first E.P., but a week before recording Cullen quit the band. He agreed to play a final farewell show for Set the Scene, but he would contribute the money he had promised to recording. Spence, bass, followed in Cullen’s footsteps and soon the band had to cancel various shows because no one could stand to stay in the band in the direction it was going. February 20th was Set the Scene’s last show.
Everyone thought that Set the Scene was dead…until now. March of 2009 brought a revival for Set the Scene. The members “just couldn’t not play anymore.” The bands new motto, you ask? “Forget perfection, long live the fun!” This means that the bands purpose is no longer to get big and famous, or to develop a large fanbase. Now, the motive is to just have fun.
Drummer Josh Prior states that “now we are going to find out the maximum volume for each venue we play, and then play a couple decibels louder!” “Break some rules,” he says. “We are a rock band, now its time to prove it.”
The band only intends
to play during the summer of 2009, and then “see where it goes from there. We
aren’t expecting anything anymore.” “Pat is going to find
other people he is going to want to play with when he starts his new college
life in the fall, so we are here to make the best of what we have been given.
Our talent, and our passion.”
Ask
Daisy and Rose 
March 31, 2009
I am sooo bored in my classes. What do I do?
We all have to take classes and all of us have a class that we don’t like, or classes we get bored in. And it seems like you may be experiencing this in all your classes. Usually, there is nothing you can do about being bored. The class is going to be the same, no matter how bored you are. One option is to wait until the subjects move into something more interesting. But that may take a while. So a better option would be to look at the class with a different perspective. For example, instead of thinking of, say, Social Studies class as learning about old places that don’t exist anymore and you don’t care about them; try thinking of it as learning about a new place or impressive statue that you might someday visit. Or think of Language Arts class as an opportunity to better your grammar, vocabulary and writing ability to someday be a rich and famous author or playwright. Another suggestion is participating. Classes are typically more interesting if you raise your hand to answer a question, ask a question or offer a suggestion, rather than sitting there totally zoning out, while you stare at the clock and wonder why the hands aren’t moving as fast as they’re supposed to. Also if you participate your grade is likely to improve, which will probably make you and your parents happy. Even if you’re bored, try to stay focused in class, otherwise you run the high risk of doing badly for the marking period or on an upcoming test/quiz. Our third and final suggestion is that when you’re sitting in class and you’re really bored; try to focus on something positive. Maybe you’re going to your friend’s house that afternoon, or your birthday is in ten days, or even there’s a really good TV show on that afternoon. Anything that you get even a little excited about, just try to think of that when you’re really bored.
So we know that some classes can be really boring and sometimes there’s just nothing you can do about it. But three possible suggestions are: perspectives, participation and positive thoughts. Plus, think on the bright side, classes are only one hour tops.
Egg Drop 2009
Posted by Nashley on March 31, 2009
The 8th
grade classes are learning about physics. For our FUN project we are doing the
egg drop project. The things we had to do leading up to the drop were journal
entries, blue prints, and checklist, and the most important one of all the
structure. Many students were disqualified because they did not hand in their
blue prints or checklist on time. But even though they were disqualified from
throwing the egg they still have to do the other parts to the project just they
don’t get the bonus points. On Tuesday, March 24, 2009 and Wednesday, March 25,
2009 the semi -finals were held for each class. The winner of each semi- final
went to the finals on Thursday, 26, 2009. The semi finals winners are Jaffer M.
and Alex Fuller, Jared P, Jamison G and Tyler K, Lynn K. and Brianna B, and
Kaitlyn W and Alison B. There will be five qualifiers left. After the
competition a reflection on the egg drop is due. The egg drop project will end
on March 31, 2009. Everything will be due and must be handed in on time so that
students can get a good grade. The winners of the finals were Jaffer M. and
Alex F. They used a hexagon structure.
This was a fun project and every future 8th grader will get
to enjoy this experience.
Comfortable Classrooms
Posted by Cierra F. on March 30, 2009
Many students and
teachers in the school of Georgia have different opinions about what
items should be in classrooms to improve them. The teachers want their
students to have as good an education as they can give them. For the
teachers to be able to do this, they all want the students to feel at
home while they are learning, and wouldn’t want them to be bored
out of their minds in the class.
Interviews were taken so students and teachers can see points of view
from different people on how they think the problem should be solved
and their opinions on this subject.
Comfort in classrooms is a really big deal. If a person doesn’t
feel right somewhere, they will come to dread that place. They need to
let people know how they feel about the average classroom in GEMS, and
I thought this would be a good opportunity to do it.
Francesca H., grade seven, was interviewed about her point of view on
classrooms. She said she would probably have to choose the tables for
what she like best about Mr. Coutrone’s AG, because that is all
they have. “For such a big room and with all of those
accessories,” she says, “we never get to cook or anything
with that section of the room during AG.”
Also, for the things Francesca thought should be essential to a
classroom, she said, “If you’re talking about an everyday
class—things that make the teacher’s subject interesting.
Or maybe a printer, because some people have to walk down the hall to
get a paper they printed out—not that we’re lazy, but
it’s just kind of annoying.”
“What makes my classroom enjoyable,” Francesca says next,
“are the posters that are interesting to the subject the students
are learning about in that class. Also, things that give the classroom
an interesting effect, like when the teachers put a little bit of
themselves in the classroom; like Mr. Emery loves the Pittsburg
Steelers and has many posters of them in his science room.”
Francesca also thinks that bad classroom colors are black or white, for
she says they “put her to sleep.” However, she does like
blues, greens, reds, or oranges because they have bright
effect.
Lastly, the one thing that she said she would change if she could would
be the chairs, and make them more comfortable, like cushions, or the
“comfy bouncy balls that the Essex school has.”
Next, Lauren W., seventh grade, said, “I would want updated
computers and, like Francesca, more comfortable chairs. Oh, and air
conditioning for in the summer.”
Next, Lauren answered to my next question, that she likes the
comfortable couches that were for silent reading when we were younger.
And, teachers should be able to decorate their rooms how they want to,
and paint them how they want.”Also, Lauren said “I like
rooms that are different shades of blue, because white is boring. Also,
I think, for the mural choice class project with Mrs. Crosby, the kids
should paint them in classrooms. Also, I think the murals would have
pictures that go with the subject on the walls; like the maps in Social
studies, pictures of animals in Science, and interesting posters in all
of the classes.”And over all, the things she would want to change
in classrooms would be the chairs, because they are stiff, and the
computers that are really slow.
Mr. Hadd, the eighth grade social studies teacher, was the first
teacher that was interviewed. He told me that he had heard of studies
that have proved that there are colors that are better than others in
different situations. He said he liked “Calming colors, like
different shades of yellows and greens. But not too bright because they
are too distracting.” Next, Mr. Hadd said that Projectors and
SMART boards are very important. (Well, it is true that some teachers
use their SMART boards for the whole class time… once they came
to this school they were a big hit…)
Then, Mr. Hadd said that technology in classrooms is essential already,
and that he thinks there should definitely be a place to display work.
One thing he would like to change would be his classroom’s size,
and that he would like a little more space. He says his classroom is
too small, and would want it to be a little bit bigger than it is now.
Ms. Potter agreed with Mr. Hadd that classrooms should be calming
colors. She said that she would like maybe a pale yellow, and
definitely not orange. The thing she likes best about her classroom was
her books. She said that when other people come to her classroom (like
her AG or her reading program members) they can sit on the floor if
there aren’t enough seats.
Then, when Ms. Potter was asked what her opinion would be on what
should be essential to a classroom, she said that she would have to
choose books for the students to read, and computers, Next, Ms. Potter
said, after she was asked about what item or piece of furniture she
would want next for her classroom, “I want more computers to use
the technology to help students with their reading.” And finally,
Ms. Potter said, “The things I would change about my classroom
are that it is too small, so I’d like it larger, and a window
would be nice.”
Out of both of the students I interviewed, they wanted more comfortable
chairs. Lauren W. and Francesca H. both wanted the teachers to be able
to decorate their classrooms so people get to know the teachers better
in some ways. Francesca and Mr. Hadd thought totally different when it
came to a classroom’s color. Francesca said she liked colors that
gave the room a “bright effect” while Mr. Hadd said he
specifically would not want bright colors “for they are too
distracting,” with Ms. Potter agreeing with Mr. Hadd on
“calming colors,” like pale yellows and greens.
The students that were interviewed had some of the same ideas, while
they disagreed on most of the questions; unlike the teachers, who had
pretty much the same ideas for what classrooms should be like. But they
are more experienced than the kids I interviewed, for they have both
been teaching for a while. They are the ones that actually have to make
the choices on their classrooms physical features; I’m pretty
positive that if the students that were interviewed became teachers in
their future, they would change their minds.
When it comes to classroom comfort, people have some same ideas and
some different ones. Everyone has different likings, so when it comes
to what they would like their dream room to look like, no one will be
the quite the same.
100 Ways to
Part 1-School & Basic Home Tips
Submitted by Ian E. on March 30, 2009
It’s time to face the facts. Green is the new black. There’s no doubt about it. But some of us aren’t quite sure how to do it. So, if you really want to become environmentally friendly, are interested in it, or if green is just your favorite color, here’s 100 ways that you can pay back Mother Nature at school:
1. If you can, carpool, walk, or bike to school as often as possible. This will cut the amount of gas fumes into the air.
2. If your parent has to go in somewhere with you, tell them not to idle the car. It wastes gas, and lets more into the air.
3. Convince the school to start offering organic foods. It is better for you, and the production of the foods is often environmentally friendly.
4. Urge the school to also serve allergy friendly foods, and vegetarian specials. This will not only earn the Abbey more money, but will also stop kids from buying their own expensive foods.
5. Start a composting program. Get a teacher to let you dig a hole out at the edge of the playground and have you and your friends put all of your compost friendly foods in a bag and dump it there.
6. Have your science teacher start a garden to grow your own vegetables to give to the cafeteria.
7. Start reminding people in your classroom to recycle their bottles and paper.
8. Get the school to start offering gardening as a choice class.
9. Buy organic and pure cotton clothes. A good place to do this online is Green Home Clothing. There is a store in Winooski that sells eco-friendly clothes, too, which does not have a website.
10. Calculate your carbon footprint, and learn how you can change. Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide that you produce. An online calculator is here (your parents need to be there with you, to tell you some of the things that you need). A more kid friendly one is here (though you still need your parents).
11. Show that you’re a “Go Green” fan. Buy t-shirts, bracelets, necklaces, etc. that say things like “Love the Planet!” and “Go Green Today!” to show that you’re a supporter. These clothes are often made of organic fabrics or cotton/bamboo.
12. Shop at stores that you know that sell green school products. Most office supply stores, such as Staples and Office Depot, offer eco-friendly products.
13. If it’s bamboo, it’s good.
14. Go to the library. Support your local services and lower your carbon footprint.
15. Okay, I know this sounds crazy to some kids, but lower your T.V. usage. If you normally watch 4-5 hours of T.V. a night (which many of you do), try to cut back to half of that. You’ll stop rotting your brain and save electricity.
16. Along with the T.V., play less video games. Watching T.V. for 3 hours alone produces 100-600 watts of power, and playing an X-Box 360 adds 200 watts more, per hour! Not only does reading save electricity, it conserves brain power, seemingly the scarcest human resource of all.
17. Start shopping at Healthy Living. They have a HUGE collection of organics and green brands (such as Seventh Generation). Most farmers markets sell some local organic products, too.
18. Eat less meat. I know, all of you omnivorous people out there would never think of becoming a vegetarian. But I’m not telling you to become one, I’m just saying eat less meat. The production of meat requires large amounts of water, grain, land and other resources like hormones and antibiotics, and it also pollutes the soil, air and water. Peanuts and other nuts have good protein, but some of their products are processed. A great protein outlet is in soy. Most soy is made organically, and it can be mixed with a variety of foods to be tasteless.
19. Never order takeout. Everyone knows that foam containers are a no-no, but so are those fancy clear plastic jobbies and paper containers. All of them are constructed from, or coated in, nonrenewable petroleum derivatives, and most of them won't biodegrade in your next few lifetimes. Find the time to eat in the restaurant or bring your own containers. If there’s no other option, try to get safer containers. Simply tell the restaurant that you’ll pay more for biodegradable containers.
20. To end part one of this article, I have one last simple tip. Unplug it. You’ve heard it before, and now you’re hearing it again. Just leaving things plugged in uses electricity.
That’s the end of part 1/5 of how you can make a green lifestyle. If you enjoyed it and are interested in going green, then do more research on the topic, and come back to the blog next week to see the next 20 ways that you can give back to Mother Nature.
Just Dance
Posted by Julia W. on
March 20, 2009
Next week, on March 27, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. the GEMS seventh and eighth graders will be having a St. Patrick’s Day Dance. But, should the dances be longer or at different times than they are at right now? Or, should we be able to invite people from other grades or schools?
Francesca H. and Lauren W. agree that the dances shouldn’t be longer because if they are too long then none of the dances will be as much fun. Alyssa W. says, “Yes, because when everyone leaves they always complain.” I agree with these students, the dances-at least some of them-should be longer. A dance at the beginning, middle and end of the year should be lengthened to 3 hours.
All of the students I interviewed agreed that people from other schools should be allowed to some of the dances but definitely NOT younger kids. They all disagreed with not inviting younger kids because we had to wait so they should have to, we don’t want younger kids at our dances and it would be awkward with them there.
I also agree with this opinion, I wouldn’t want younger kids at our dance because to fit their needs we would probably have to shorten our dances even MORE! However, if younger kids really wanted to participate in a dance, the school could set up dances for just them, instead of combining a lot of different grades. However, people should be able to invite kids from other schools to at least SOME of the dances. Lauren W. brings up a valid point, “I think we should be able to invite people from other schools as long as they’re in seventh or eighth grade. And we’re going to go to high school with some of them and we play sports against them and I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have friends from other schools. As long as they pas the same rate as us.” This just about sums it all up. Having people from other schools is like branching out and isn’t that what the teachers try to get us to do anyway?
Students don’t think dances should be on different nights though because of all of the homework we are usually given on weeknights. Nhi L. thinks that the dances could maybe on a Saturday. I agree, if a dance was on Saturday, it could still go as long as usual dances, maybe longer and we wouldn’t be tired from going to school all week
There are various ways the dances could
possibly be improved. Some of the dances should be longer than two hours, we
should be able to invite people from other schools to some of them and if they
could be on a different night, they should be on Saturday.
High School Choices
Posted by Francesca H. on March 20, 2009
BFA
St. Albans. BFA Fairfax. Colchester. Essex. Essex Tech. Milton.
Mississquoi Valley. Northwest Tech. Private Schools. South
Burlington. So many high schools so little time. So how do students
decide what high school they will be attending? I talked to some
students and asked them about what high schools they are attending and
what the reasons are.
One of the interviews questions I asked was “Do you have to go to
a certain high school because of an older sibling. And if you do, would
you choose a different place to go? Why?” When asked this
question Cierra F. said “Yes. Actually I don’t think I
would ‘cause BFA St. Albans has sports I want to do and seems
like a fine high school.”
A year away seventh graders are really thinking about what high school they are thinking about going to “What high school are you planning to go to? Do you have any reasons to go to this school?” Nhi L. said “BHS Burlington.” Just because no real reason”. The next interviewee was Elizabeth Y. said “Colchester, my cousin goes their and you get to go Kayaking and Canoeing during gym. They also have a good cross-country ski team.
When it comes to the biggest factor in choosing a high school many people said that friends and sports were a big factor in fact Julia W. said “Mainly friends” and Lauren W. said “Sports, friends, education, and parents.” Elizabeth Y. said “To be with my cousin.” Also people have said that education and what their parents think and say.
Wrapping it all up I think that all of the students are pretty sure on the school they are going to go to. Also I think that they have pretty good reasons to go to this school, they might go to this school because of friends or because of family members or just because they want to.
After I finished interviewing the students of GEMS I interviewed I decided to interview some teachers and hear what they have to say.
One question was if you could choose were a typical 8th grade student could go to high school were would you send them. Mr. Hadd said “It depends on their interest, they all have a lot to offer.”
The next question I asked was do you think that the Step into the Future program helped students decide what High School they might go to? Mr. Hadd said “I think so, I have heard some really good discussion in Step into you Future. I think many students understand, that high schools will be an important part of their life.
Finally after my interview with Mr. Hadd and the students, I think that the students have good reasons to go to a certain school and that the Step into your Future has really helped the students decide what school they will go to and maybe realize that high school is an important part of your life.
Teacher
Comparisons (Part 2 of 4)
Submitted by Carl L.on March 27, 2009
Welcome to the second week of Teacher Comparisons, if you have read the first week you will know that this is a reference for 7th graders going into 8th grade. It tells them what their new teachers will be like compared to what their old teachers were like. This week I have interview the two math teachers Mr. Hardy and Mrs. O’Brien.
Mrs. O’Brien
Mrs. O’Brien has been called “The Homework Queen” to which she responds with a shrug and a good-humored nod. “…You have homework every night you have class [For algebra], but regular classes usually don’t have it on weekends.” But fortunately you usually have some time in class to work on your homework. “I do a lesson then small group work, with me rotating around the room. Sometimes I lecture.” When I asked her about what her detention policy she laughed. “I haven’t given a single detention this year! As the 8th grade team does not give a lot of detentions.” Even though she hasn’t passed out any detentions she still considers herself strict. “I have very few rules, but I do expect them to be followed.”
Mr. Hardy
Mr. Hardy is new to the Georgia 7th grade team, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely new to teaching and giving homework. “Generally 3-4 assignments a week, no homework on the weekend. I expect it to be in on a timely manner, but if extra help is needed we can negotiate a due date.” Mr. Hardy is very technologically adept and uses his smart board a lot for lecturing and homework. “[My] teaching style is a mixed bag, when I do lecture it’s never for more than 20 minutes. [There are] projects big and small, and a lot of Q and A.” To many students Hr. Hardy is a loud teacher and many people think because of that he’s mean. “Most detention, of which I give very few, but most are for extreme behavior issues. [Detentions are] not usually for homework unless you are extremely overdue.” “I can be the class clown but I can be the drill sergeant.”
Review: Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
Submitted by Nick R. on March 26, 2009
Proven
Guilty is
the 8th book in the Dresden Files, a series of
books about a Chicago wizard named Harry Dresden. The world
Harry inhibits is much like our
own,
except for the fact that almost every well-known mythical creature that
has
ever been written about actually exists. From werewolves to vampires,
Harry deal
with creatures that most people don’t even believe in. In
this book, Harry
Dresden has become a Warden, a member of the White Council of wizards,
who
uphold the seven laws of magic. Harry’s job is to hunt down
black magic and
make sure Chicago isn’t overrun by evil creatures. One day,
at a meeting, one
of the higher up wizards, gives him a warning about some indications
about
black magic being used in Chicago. Meanwhile, Harry’s friend,
Michael, who is a
knight of sorts equipped with a magical sword, has been having family
problems.
His daughter, Molly, has been fighting quite often with her mother,
Charity.
Mostly because of Michael’s job of going out and killing evil
creatures and
helping out people around the world, he doesn’t have much
time to deal with it,
and asks Harry to try and help out instead. As the story progresses,
Harry gets
more and more things to deal with, eventually leading up to finding the
source
of the black magic and the conclusion of the book.
I thought
this
book was extremely well written, with interesting and complex
characters that
aren’t all just good and evil. There are a lot of events that
happened in the
previous seven books before this one in the series, so I would
recommend
reading those first. Other than that, this author is amazing at
building up
suspense through the whole book He is also amazing at writing
believable and
amazing characters with the right amount of fantasy and fiction. This
series is
amazing, and is a great read.
For first
timers, this book is: 2/5
For people
who
have read the other seven, this book is: 4/5.
Picture
courtesy of
http://libertine346.vox.com/library/book/6a00fa9684f4fa000200fad698face0004.html
SPINterviews
Posted
on March 26, 2009
I
met Nate last year
when the band I was drumming for at the time (Set the Scene) opened for
This
Condition. It was a great show, and afterwards both of our bands hung
out in
This Condition’s van. Through that night, the two bands
developed a friendship.
This Condition was playing another show about a month or so later a
couple
hours away, and their touring manager suggested we try to get on the
bill. I
got Nate’s phone number, and a couple days later booked the
show.
Unfortunately, the night before the second show with This Condition, my
band
played our final show and then never was heard from again.
This Condition started playing shows in the spring of 2007. They had been jamming and playing together for a couple months prior to that. Spring of 2008 brought a serious rise for the band, and they have progressed since.
The full interview is as follows:
SPINterviews:
What image do you think your music conveys?
Nate:
I am not
sure. I know we try to be hopeful and positive and emotional. I'm an
emotional
kid on a lot of levels, so, I think that comes out in my music a lot. I
think
you should ask a listener what we convey [because] it is probably
different for
each person.
S:
How do you
rate your live performance ability?
N:
It is ever
developing. We definitely [stunk] for awhile. I'll admit that. Playing
tons of
shows (we've played over 120) has helped us immensely in honing our
stage show
and image. I think as a band we do pretty well. We have good shows and
bad
shows but when we practice and play out a lot we get pretty tight. As
individuals we all hold our own, of course, there is always room for
improvement. We're not to the point where we all can read each other's
mind on
stage yet. That’s where I want us to be, so, hopefully we'll
get there soon.
S:
How much does it cost to keep the band
running? Do the band's performances end up paying for most of the
expenses, and
how much do you personally get to take back with you?
N:
It costs a
lot. Between recording and everything it gets very expensive. We pumped
thousands of dollars into this band for the first year or so. We are
starting
to actually make money know that we have built some resemblance of a
fanbase.
However, all that money just goes to paying back people or re-investing
in the
band. None of us are taking anything home.
S:
What bands
have been the most influential to you?
N:
Brand New, The
Starting Line, Cartel, The Beatles (duh), The Rocket Summer. Every band
I see
and like becomes an influence but I'd say those bands are the most
prominent
shared loves of everyone in this band. Brand New and The Starting Line
are the
soundtracks of tour. Chances are 9 out of 10 times you come to our van
one of
those two bands is in the speakers.
S:
Do you think
the public has a stereotypical view on you based on the music you put
out?
N:
Um, sure.
We're band kids. We make pop music. You get reactions or
generalizations from
people on account of that, but for the most part it is positive. We
don't
really swear or use vulgarities in our music and love is a prominent
theme so I
think we don't as much negative backlash from say, parents, as other
bands
might? But, then again, I don't know. We make music we like and hope
others
like it. If they don't that’s too bad but that’s
how it goes.
S:
What made you
decide to join a band? Did you ever picture you would be in the
position you
are?
N:
I did solo
stuff for awhile and that was fun but I feel like your options are so
much more
open when you have a band. I actually was asked to join the band that
became
This Condition. I was skeptical at first and not really into it for
awhile,
but, once we honed our sound and got to know each other it became my
life.
Can't say I ever thought I'd be in this type of band years ago but I
always
knew I wanted to be making music.
S:
What is your
opinion on the direction of mainstream music?
N:
Creativity is
NOT dead. Mainstream music is mainstream for a reason. They call it
"pop" because it’s popular. There are a lot of haters out
there but
I'll take anything. Give me music and if I like it, I like it. I won't
complain
about mainstream music until they stop having humans play the
instruments and
everything is run by computers. That might be sad, but, until then, I
say, let
the people create whatever they want. Some of it will be garbage, some
of it
will be fun and some of it will be brilliant!
S:
Finally, any
advice for aspiring musicians?
N:
Play a lot and
practice a lot. If you really want to make it work you have to be
willing to
really work at it. I do work for the band at least 6-8 hours a day, 7
days a
week. Get your music in as many ears as possible. Also, go to local
shows,
like, even ones you aren't playing. They are crazy good networking
events.
Become friends with every band you can and meet every promoter, manager
and
merch guy. You never know who is gonna come through for you eventually.
Check
out This Condition at www.myspace.com/thiscondition
Ask
Daisy and Rose
I told my friend a secret and she told other people because she got mad at me. Now people are spreading rumors. How do I get it to stop?
Our first suggestion would be to just ignore it, but you may not like that idea.
If you hear people talking about it, set the story straight. Don’t let a bunch of false rumors be flying around about you.
If you feel comfortable, confront the friend that told everyone your secret. Tell him/her exactly how you felt when they told everyone the secret that you had trusted in them. Tell that friend that even if they were mad it was mean to tell anyone your personal secret, you can almost be sure that they wouldn’t have wanted you telling everyone their secret, even if you were mad at them. But only confront them if you feel comfortable doing that. (Note: After this incident clears up, we advise you to maybe not entrust anymore personal secrets to this person.)
If you confront them, confront them CALMLY, and when they are ALONE!
If anyone asks if the rumors are true or not, ignore them or say something to them to try to discourage the rumors, or say something along the lines of, “That’s not true, stop spreading false rumors about people.”
If you hear rumors being spread, especially about you or especially false rumors, step in and say something to them. “Stop spreading false rumors” or “That’s none of your business.”
Stand up for yourself. Don’t let people talk to you or about you in a way that makes you mad or uncomfortable.
Ask your other friends to stand up for you when they hear people talking about you and spreading rumors. Maybe these people need to hear it from more than one person.
You may not like this last suggestion, but if the rumors get so bad that you’re uncomfortable, talk to a teacher, guidance counselor or even a parent about what’s going on and maybe there is something they can do to help. *This sort of tattling is definitely allowed, if you feel uncomfortable.
Why did you start a blog?
We didn’t start the blog, we just write on it. The blog was started by Mr. Hadd, who runs a choice class called Journalism that seventh and eighth grade students can sign up for. We write articles, usually around an article a week for a block of about four weeks.
Teacher Comparisons (Part
1 of 4)
Posted by Carl L. on March 24, 2009
This is the introduction to my new feature “Teacher Comparisons.” This is a section for 7th Graders to compare their current teachers to the teachers they will have next year. Each week I will interview the 7th and 8th teachers of a certain subject and compare their teaching styles and policies. The purpose is not to say one teacher is better than the other but to compare their teaching styles and classes. This week I have interviewed the Social Studies teachers Mr. Mahoney and Mr. Hadd.
Mr. Hadd
Mr. Hadd’s take on his own homework policy is “I
don’t
believe I give a lot of Homework. However, I don’t think all
the reading and
thinking can be done in a single hour every day.” Mr. Hadd also gives
detentions for two missed assignments in a
row, which is a rather new policy for him. “I don’t
write a lot of detentions
in general, but I will if it seems to be the best choice in a
particular
situation. A detention is never a solution to a problem.” As
for his teaching
style, “I try to lecture as little as possible; I like to
involve the students
in projects and activities.” Strict teaching isn’t
fun for the teachers either,
says Mr. Hadd. “I have rules and I expect them to be
followed, but at the same
time I try to be relaxed. I don’t find strict teaching very
fun.”
Mr. Mahoney
Mr. Mahoney has been known to have a daily homework schedule, but the homework is usually not difficult. “I don’t think my assignments wouldn’t make an average 7th grader do more than 15 minutes of work a night.” When giving detentions Mr. Mahoney usually separates homework from his classroom rules. “I… allow each quarter for a student to miss a homework [assignment] without penalty. After that if they miss another homework [assignment] there may be a detention.” As for his teaching style. “The style is, I guess, more discussion and not lecture, although I usually am leading with the discussion, not so much on the projects.” “I think I’m strict when enforcing the rules, but I also like to work with people, so that the classroom is a place where learning can take place.”
Posted by Nashley and Joe on March 24, 2009
Cheerleaders
have some
complaints and we were the ones who cracked down on the case. We talked
to some of our cheerleaders here at Georgia and we also asked our
principal the same questions. For most of the questions we got the same
answers but for some the answers were very different. There are some
problems that could be seen by many people even not just cheerleaders.
Some of the problems were, not having enough room in the in the
cafeteria to do stunting, wanting more mats, longer practices, new
uniforms, and should there be guys on the cheerleading team.
Most everyone we interviewed said that we did not have enough room in
the cafeteria to do stunting. They said that we should have at least
one gym to use, or have a schedule that we can follow to get the gym
when the basketball players aren’t using it. Our principal
said
that we don’t have enough room in the cafeteria to do
stunting
and that we should have more time in the gym. He also thinks that would
should use the little gym so that way everyone can practice on the same
night and we will have enough room for everyone.
Many people stated that we could use a few more mats but a couple
people said that we had enough. The people that said that we needed
more mats said it was because not all the pods fit on the mats for
doing stunting and it isn’t as safe. Others said that we need
more room to do rolls because we can’t do rolls on the tile
flooring, or for people learning how to do cartwheels and round offs.
The cheerleaders said that asking for more then an hour and a half
practice would affect our focus. And cheerleaders will get tired and
not have enough strength to put people up and safely catch them. But a
lot of people said that we should have longer practices because we
don’t get enough done in an hour and a half. But one person
said
that it depends on how hard the team is working or how good they get
along.
Everyone that we asked said that we should get new uniforms because we
have had them for longer than eight years. Our principal thinks that we
should have a routine so that ever few years we get new uniforms so
that we don’t have outdated uniforms. The uniforms that the
cheerleaders would like to get are long sleeve shirts and tighter
skirts. We should also have GEMS or Chargers on the top.
We should also have guys on our cheerleading team because it was
originally an all male sport. It would be unfair to say that the guys
can’t be on the team. Also there would be more pods and it
would
bring more strength to the team. Most of the time guys are stronger
then girls so we would be able to do more complex stunts with the extra
strength of the guys.
A
few slight changes
would make the team stronger and happier. These changes woul
also make some people more interested in the sport and want
to be
more involved with it. Our cheerleaders would be safer during
cheerleading at this school. If we made the changes cheerleading would
be a better sport and the team would be happier to come to practice,
games and competitions.
Egg Drop
Posted by: Maria G.on March 19, 2009
Next year sounds like a good year for seventh graders. The year before we finally get to leave the school and enter the deep pool that is known as high school. However, what many of us are surprised to hear is that that is the year that we become the guinea pigs for a new concept that has been voted in with the school budget plan. A single bus run. Many of you are probably thinking, “So. Why is that so bad?” Don’t make up your mind so quickly. After reading this sentence you might change your mind. But probably not.
Among the Seventh and Eighth grade staff members, the plan is not exactly popular. In fact, after running a survey, we came up with these results:
Many students at the school have strong negative opinions about the run, all around the same lines of small children and Eighth Graders mixed and getting up early. “On a personal note, I wouldn’t be able to function on that much sleep,” says Raven T. “We have a lot more homework now that we’re this age, and we need more sleep.” Susan L., also having a negative feeling, says “Little kids like getting up early. They say ‘Oh, I’m up at 6 a.m.! I get to watch Bakugan!!” When asked about the atmosphere of the bus, she said, “Well, personally I think that it could be four to a seat, because we are only getting 2 more buses, so not every one will change, and incredibly noisy. The Kindergarteners and First graders might be up front, screaming about Pokemon cards, while the Seventh and Eighth graders will be in the back swearing and yelling inappropriate things.” Raven T. adds that “Littler kids will go home and say something that they heard on the bus (foul language) and say it to their parents, causing the school to be in trouble.”
After interviewing students, we decided to finally get some solid facts from Mr.Calano. Our principal had a lot to say about the plan, and clearly stated that he was a supporter of the plan, because it has a lot of benefits. Some big topics that came up in our interview were the school length, and about on the bus its self. In regards to the school day length, Mr.Calano dispelled our fears of an hour more of school time, saying that “the school length will stay the same length for the middle school students, and it will stay the 6 and a half hours it is. The day for the elementary school, though, will have 15 minutes added to it.” Another concept about the time that came up was about how the 15 extra minutes would be used, which resulted in the answer, “Well, the 15 minutes won’t just be added to the end of the day. They’ll be spread out throughout the day, so there will be like a couple more minutes added to the end of reading.” In regards to fowl language, he said that “I see a tendency for older kids to act more responsible around younger ones.” He also said that the rules will be slightly stricter. Other topics that came up were about band and other before school activities, and pick up and start times.
Among everyone we talked with, we gained a lot of negative opinions. One of the strongest was that of Mrs.Getty, who said that she has “a wait and see attitude. Over the summer, I do scheduling, but this summer, I’m not going to unless I know what’s going to happen.” So, maybe we should wait and see what happens. The new plan may be a lot better than we thought. We should just all take Mrs. Getty’s opinion, and gain “a wait and see attitude.”Ask
Daisy and Rose What do you suggest I do with a student who doesn’t follow directions?
We suggest you try any/all of the suggestions listed below to get this student to start listening:
- Give him/her a warning and go back to whatever you were doing. Always be consistent in your warnings. Give them to every student who misbehaves, and decide what you’re going to give them out for. You can also be strict with your warnings if you think that would work best.
-
Move them to a different group or work space, such as a solitary desk, different people, the hallway, Mrs. Getty’s or even Mrs. Fisher’s (though you may have already tried some of these places).
-
If your student continually acts up, ask them if something is wrong at home or even outside the classroom at school. Sometimes even little problems can cause the student to disrupt the whole class.
-
A strike system. You give strikes to individual students for disrupting class, not listening, etc. Write their name and the number of strikes they have beside that. One strike, you lose half of recess, two strikes you lose your whole recess, and three strikes you lose your whole recess for that day and the following day. This would also work for the entire class.
-
One other idea is, at the end of the week, if the students have behaved well you can provide extra recess for the entire class. Of course there are still going to be kids who misbehave, so there are two options from there. One option is that that ruins the extra recess opportunity for the whole class. The other option is some kids get the extra recess, while the kids who didn’t behave have to sit inside, do extra work or sit in Mrs. Getty’s. That way the students who do behave will be rewarded and those that don’t are not rewarded but don’t ruin it for everyone.
Finally,
we
suggest that you should set up a time (if it’s appropriate
for
the situation) where you and the student can freely talk about
what’s been going on, both of your suggestions to make it
stop
and if they’re willing why they’ve been doing it.
School Computers
Posted by Lynn K. on March 18, 2009
Lately, a
lot of the
school's computers do not work well. You may have noticed that a lot of
them
have been trashed to the point you can't use them anymore. This issue
is
serious because students need the computers in order to do much of
their school
work. Computers have been drawn on and random objects shoved into the
towers. Teachers think this is the
doing of eighth graders 
since most
of the destruction happens when eighth
graders have access to the computers. It's not smart that people have
been
ruining the computers. They are needed in many classes and it's sad
that they
can't get onto a computer to do what they need to because someone
thought it
would be funny to make it dysfunctional. The majority of the computers
being
ruined are in Mr. King's room and also
the back lab. Sylvia Gagne, our school's
computer technician has to deal with the damaged computers. She says
that the
school has only spent under $100 on computer repairs. This isn't as bad
as it
could've been. “Some of the damage is obviously
intentional,” says Mrs. Gagne.
For the most part, computer damaging has been decreasing. Some kids
have been
caught destructing computers and have been deprived of their computer
privileges.
Editor's
note: The image above is not a GEMS computer!
Class Pets!
Posted by Elizabeth Y. and Nhi L. on March 18, 2009
Many
students wonder why GEMS does not have any class pets. Well the
wonderers will now get their questions answered. We had a chance to
talk with Mr. Calano about this issue.
Why don’t any of the teachers have class pets?
“There
are laws about every animal that enters the building must have all
shots and records. Another thing is that students might have an
allergic reaction to what ever animal is in the room.”
Would
you like a pet for your office? If so why and what pet?
“I really don’t mind pets much; I have a dog and
cat at
home. I would not like a pet in my office because I have no time to
spend with it.”
Is there ever a chance that our school district will allow class pets?
“Nope,” he replied. We thanked Mr. Calano for his
time with
us and he was out the door.
Interviewing
a
couple of 5th-8th grade students we got their opinions about class pets
Franky H. said- “Yes.” He said “they
would be more
friendly,” if they were in our classrooms. Franky
H.
said that he wanted a “Parrot named Parker the
Parrot.”
Brooke L. also said yes to this question. “Yes, because we
can
take care of them.” Brooke L. wants a Hamster.
Talking to a teacher with an experience with a class pet we interviewed
Mrs. St. Hillaire. Mrs. St. Hillaire has two Corn Snakes. She talked to
us about how much her class a liked class pets. “Oh they love
it;
they look forward to feeding and cleaning the cage.” Hearing
that
she has had pets in the past she told us which ones. “We have
has
snakes and rats.”Mrs. St. Hillaire also explained to us how
she
divides up the responsibility. “We pull numbers out of a
jar.”
Mrs. St. Hillaire gave us a lot of useful information in caring for a class pet. She also told us how much fun her class has had caring for him.
Having
class
pets has happened in the past and it might happen in the future. As
long as nobody in a classroom is allergic to animal hair then a class
pet will make a great addition to your class.
Should Helping Teachers Be A Choice Class?
Posted By Lauren W. on March 17th 2009
Currently
quite
a few middle school students help elementary teachers 8:00 to around
8:35, before our school starts. But next year when we all go to a
single bus run, there won’t be that time available to help
the
elementary classes and teachers. So what if the school offered helping
Kindergarten-6th grade teachers as a choice class?
First
I emailed questions for six teachers, one from each grade kindergarten
through sixth.
- What would you have students do?
- Do either choice times work for you?
- Do any specials interfere with the choice times?
- What are your expectations of these students?
- Do you have any students currently helping you in the morning?
- Is this anything you think students might be interested in?
- Is this anything you would be interested in?
Four
teachers responded to some of the questions in the email in time to
make the article deadline. These are their answers.
Mrs.
Delaney, Sixth Grade:
- She would have 7/8 students helping the students with whatever they happened to be doing at the time.
- Currently, second choice works for the sixth grade
- No specials interfere with either choice class, but as of now choice one is at the same time as sixth grade math. Mrs. Delaney was really hoping that when the schedule is determined for next year more times may be opened up because the sixth grade schedule is very tight.
- Her expectations are that students will 1) Stay focused and help 2) Show them how 3) Don’t do the work for them, show the student the procedure to find the answer and then let them do it, do not find the answer for them.
- When asked if this was something she would be interested in, she said, “Yeah of course…” She didn’t know how we would be able to coordinate sixth, seventh and eighth grade schedules to work out, but she was very interested.
Mrs. Nye,
First Grade:
- The choice times that we have currently do not work for her class. But she is interested to see how next year’s schedule is set up and see if any new times open up (1st and 2nd graders have lunch/recess during Choice One time).
- Mrs. Nye has not been able to use any older students for several different reasons. She says she has had students from UVM come and help during the past few years.
- She expects that students be on “prepared, on time, under control and serious about their role with my children.”
- She says that “all children love reading with an older student.” She thinks that some students may need some one-on-one time with someone who has time to listen, or being creative by rehearsing a story or something.
- Mrs. Nye said that she would be interested in it, but she would like to be able to do some choosing for herself, she realizes that this may not work out the best but she wants to be sure that she’s not “constantly involved with the older students for any reason.”
- She said at the beginning of her email, “I would love to have some of the older students in my class…especially to offer some mentoring for some students. I think that time spent with an older role model is absolutely wonderful for a child.”
Ms. Neary,
3rd and 4th Grade:
- Ms. Neary said she would have 7/8 students go through her students homework folders and place handouts from the office and herself in the folder to go home. Students could correct the 3rd and 4th graders homework (although she does look it over later to check the accuracy). Sometimes she has students do things like writing a procedure that she would then break into different parts of the procedure and the kids would have to put all the pieces together to recreate the procedure correctly. Sometimes students write a mistake paragraph so her students can correct it for editing practice. Ms. Neary has helpers do small tasks like hang things up or set up a bulletin board. She has helpers work one-on-one with students and also with small groups, she does things like reading buddies where the student reads to the helper, then the helper reads to the student, and she does math games with whatever they’re studying. Sometimes students work with wipe-off boards and the helpers ask the students questions. She has built up a mentor program that she has been doing for seven or eight years now. She really enjoys having past students come back because then she gets to see them grow up, she says, and they get to build relationships with her students.
- Ms. Neary says that Choice One is as of now their Lunch/Recess time, but she thinks Choice Two will work better.
- No specials interfere with either choice class, lunch and recess is during first choice and all third and fourth grade specials are in the morning and first and second grade specials are all in the afternoon.
- She expects consistent scheduling from the helpers. If a helper says he or she is going to be there, Ms. Neary wants them there and on time. She says if there is a serious reason you can’t make it, she wants notification in advance. She wants seventh and eighth grade students to take this very seriously, she expects under control behavior and she wants the students to be good role models for her own students.
- She has several past students helping her in the morning. On Monday she has three students helping, on Tuesday she has two students helping, on Wednesday she has four students helping, on Thursday she has three students helping and on Friday she has two students helping, currently between the times of 8:00-8:30. She says she is very sad that these students will no longer be able to help because she really enjoys seeing her past students often and seeing them grow up and get a chance to connect with her current students. She says that those students coming back to help is sort of like building a bridge between the two schools, it’s like we’re not two separate schools.
- Ms. Neary says that her students would be interested in having older students around, they seem to like working with the students in the morning.
- If scheduling permits, she would be interested in having helpers come for choice classes.
- She would also like to choose if possible, she says it helps already knowing them and where they are academically and socially and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
Mrs.
Tougas, Kindergarten
- She would have students read with kindergarten students, do art projects or math games
- She is unsure whether or not the choice times will work for her class, she thinks that first choice may be their lunch time, but she thinks second choice will work out better
- They don’t typically have specials at the end of the day but is again unsure about how the schedule will change next year
- She usually has two or three students a year coming in to help
- She expects those students to “help children with their clothing (hang it up-put it away) and tie their shoes”. She also says, “I always have a project for the helpers to do with one or two of the children at a time. I expect them to work with the students and not fool around with each other, to work cooperatively with each other and to be kind and respectful to everyone in the class. Also I expect them to keep track of the students they worked and the materials so they are ready to finish the activity the next day.”
Many
teachers
are interested in having seventh and eighth grade students coming to
help in their classes during choice times. As of now, every teacher is
unsure about her schedule for next year, they will know more once more
has been decided about the single bus run plan. Many teachers also
think that their students would be interested in having older students
around to help, a couple teachers have students helping now.
Overall,
teachers this is what teachers expect from helping students:
- The student is on time.
- The student remembers what students they were working with, what materials they were using and what they were doing.
- They are respectful/kind to everyone in the classroom.
- They work cooperatively with everyone.
- The student is prepared.
- The student does not fool around.
- They take their role with the kids seriously.
- The teachers won’t notification if the student can’t make a class for a serious reason.
- The student has under control behavior.
- The student is a good role model for the kids in the class.
- The teachers do not want to have to be involved with the students because they are misbehaving.
- The
student does what they’re asked while they’re in
class.
Students
may
want to know what they would be doing before they would sign up for the
class. The tasks they would do vary from teacher to teacher. Students
may read with kids, set up bulletin boards or hang up work, correct
homework, go through folders, play math games with kids, work with
small groups or one on one, work with wipe-off boards, work on a
project with a couple students at a time, write something up for the
teacher, etc. If students are interested in working with younger
students this would be a good opportunity for them. Some teachers, like
Ms. Neary, feel like when older students come back and help she not
only gets to see her own students as they grow up, but in general it
feels like the two schools are closer.
Teachers
feel
that time with an older student is beneficial for any child, whether
their playing a game, doing a project or just reading. Ms. Neary also
says that when she has students correct an older student’s
work
they get a kick out of that. Some teachers would like to do some
choosing before they have students coming into their class to help. Ms.
Neary says that it’s beneficial to already know where
students
are, socially and academically and Mrs. Nye says she doesn’t
want
to have to constantly be involved with an older student for any reason.
If a student isn’t interested in really helping younger kids
or
elementary teachers, this would not be a class to sign up for because
the teachers want students who are going to be serious about their role
with the younger students.
In
conclusion,
the four teachers that were interviewed here were interested in having
seventh and eighth grade students coming to help in their classrooms as
a choice class. There are a wide variety of things that teachers would
have them do during that time, varying from teacher to teacher. If
seventh and eighth grade students think this is something they would be
interested in, the smaller details such as scheduling, grading and
“choosing” would have to be worked out and then the
possibility could be brought to Mrs. Getty and Mr. Calano.
SPINterviews
Posted
by Josh P. on March 17, 2009
This week I had the opportunity to interview Deniska Kravchenko, the current drummer for the Rock band Better than Well Said and former drummer of metal band Timeless.
I met Denis about two years ago when he was playing with the now defunct metal band Timeless. Timeless had a great live show, they incorporated the crowd, played their hearts out, and just overall had a great time. It was by far one of the best live shows I had seen, so being a drummer; I figured Denis would be someone that I should talk to. I got his contact information, and have periodically talked to him since then. When I heard that Timeless had broken up, to be honest I was disappointed. When he told me about his new band, however, I knew I had to profile them for our blog.
The band started a couple of years ago in Texas. Since then, BTWS was put on hold due to personal reasons. In November 2008, the band reformed with new members joining.
The
full interview is
as follows:
SPINterviews:
What image do you think your music conveys?
Denis: The music
is powerful and very emotional, has a good vibe and a positive message.
S:
How do you
rate your live performance ability?
D: We have not
played any shows with the new line up, but as soon as our Demo is out
for the
labels, we will be touring consistently. You will have to catch a live
show and
judge for yourself... But I assure you it will be something out of the
ordinary. Think TIMELESS going emo.
S:
How much does
it cost to keep the band running? Do the band’s performances
end up paying for
most of the expenses, and how much do you personally get to take back
with you?
D: We are
sponsored by a couple of recording studios thanks to record labels that
are
awaiting our demo release. Other than that, there are no expenses yet.
S:
What bands
have been the most influential to you?
D: We all listen
to different styles of music... I am sure you will hear it in our new
music.
S:
Do you think
the public has a stereotypical view on you based on the music you put
out?
D: I doubt it...
We look like your everyday kids with a passion to rock out... No
stereotypes,
just good music and good people.
S:
What made you
decide to join a band? Did you ever picture you would be in the
position you
are?
D: I always
wanted to be in a band, and I've been in quite a few of them, big and
small,
good and bad. You only progress as you get older. You figure out your
style and
the band that's right for you. I am very happy where I stand now.
S:
What is your
opinion on the direction of mainstream music?
D: A lot of good
artists out now... in every genre of music. My new favorites are
definitely Lil
Wayne, Taylor Swift, Metro Station, and other unique acts.
S:
Finally, any advice for aspiring musicians?
D: Just kill it.
Go and do it. Play your instruments, write music, practice, play
shows... If
you have something unique and you love doing it, you will get noticed.
It's all
about fun.
Check
out Better Than Well Said at
www.myspace.com/betterthanwellsaidmusic
School
Mascot Mystery
Posted by Nick R. on
March 17, 2009
There’s
always
been a lingering question about our “mascot”, the
charger with the red shirt
bursting out of the wall of our middle school gym. There is another
picture of
this same charger in the lunchroom, and both of these pictures and the
actual
team name, the “Chargers”, came from unknown
origins. Not anymore.
When
asked about the mascot, Mrs. Getty claimed not to know anything and
that the
team name itself was around far before she was .While asking Mr. Calano
we
learned that the name “Georgia Chargers” had been
around for about 30 or so
years. (Did the original team name origin come from the San Diego
Chargers?) Plus,
the picture is actually a decal. The basis of the decal came from a
statue of a
charger in front of a house. The origin of the actual team name remains
unknown, but the actual decal was made recently.
School Budget and Town Meeting
On Tuesday of the week of March 2nd,
the town of
Georgia held an annual town meeting at GEMS. At this meeting, the
school board, select board, and the community of Georgia met to discuss
the highlights of the coming school year, who would be elected for the
school and select boards, and other information about the school and
town. The following are some of the results of the meeting that was
held.
HIGHLIGHTS FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR:
These highlights got confirmed by the passing of the school budget. All of the following will be applied to next school year.
- Expand the kindergarten programs to suggest three full day kindergarten classrooms and one part-time classroom
- Combine transportation to a single bus run for all of the students (including adding two more buses for the job
- Move the position of Computer Technician (Mrs. Gagne) to Franklin West S.U. Budget
- Increase Technology Teacher to 1.0 FTE
- Over all after the next school year is over, GEMS school will have a half a teacher less (position-wise, like a part-time worker)
- Extend the school day next year by fifteen minutes for elementary students (So everyone starts and ends at the same time for a single bus run)
- Make our computers go further by making one computer be able to power five workstations for the cost of only one computer
- 78.4% of the budget is owed toward direct teaching
- Make a single bus run to increase the contact time with students and progress toward a similar length of school day as surrounding schools; this will also save fuel and decreases wear and tear on the buses’ tires
SCHOOL BOARD BEFORE AND AFTER
At the town meeting, many people came to vote for who they wanted to be
on the school board and the select board. Here are the people who were
on the school board before the meeting and voting:
- Doug Bergstrom (Chair)
- Irene Bonin
- Casey Hager
- Carl Laroe, Jr.
- Jen Petrie (Clerk)
Here are the people that are now on
the school board. Only one person was not reelected:
- Doug Bergstrom (Chair)
- Irene Bonin
- Matt Crepeau
- Carl Laroe, Jr.
- Jen Petrie (Clerk)
The people above also were voted onto different committees. The
following are the committees that board members were assigned:
- Transportation Committee: Jen Petrie and Carl Laroe
- Nutrition Technology: Irene Bonin
- Building in Grounds: Carl Laroe and Matt Crepeau
- FWSU Board: Doug Bergstrom, Irene Bonin, and Matt Crepeau
- Policy Committee: Irene Bonin and Jen Petrie
- Strategic Planning: Irene Bonin
- Community Liaison: Doug Bergstrom
- Negotiation Professional: Doug Bergstrom and Carl Laroe
- Negotiation Para-Professional: Matt Crepeau and Irene Bonin
DIFFERENT VOTING TYPES
During the town meeting, many members of the community came to vote for
the select and school board associates. At the meeting and throughout
that day, people came and voted using the Australian ballot. The other
voting type that our school does not use is called the floor vote. Here
are their
descriptions:
During the Australian ballot, you are supposed to fill out a ballot in
an enclosed booth. There are multiple choices on it, and you fill in
the little bubble next to the person you want to elect. This is done
throughout the whole day.
During the floor vote, everyone is at the school at the same time and
the head person (the chair of the school board) says the names of the
people who are running for the school board. The moderator says,
“All in favor of ... say ‘Aye’ or say
‘Nay’ if you disagree.”
A reason we have the type of voting that we have is because this way
(the Australian ballot), it is very helpful to the people that come to
vote. This is because they will not have to come at a certain time
(like in the floor vote) for your vote to be counted. Anyone is allowed
to come, and when they are available from 7 in the morning to 7 at
night.
ENROLLMENT
This chart is of the attending students at Georgia from 2002-2009. The
information was given out to help the voters
decide. Year
Students
2007-2008 700
2006-2007 705
2005-2006 704
2004-2005 680
2003-2004 703
2002-2003 672
As you can see,
the charts show that
the number of students changes up and down randomly. This is because
people move, and new kids come. The changes aren’t
significant.
*The above charts and the
“Highlights”
were both taken from the Georgia Town pamphlet that was given out to
inform the community about the budget*
Overall, after the town meeting, people
got elected
or reelected onto the school board. There are particular things that
are going to happen in the next school year, which people have
different opinions about (see the Highlights section). The community
voted using the Australian ballot, and the majority of the town voted
for the school budget to pass. Only a few of the issues above were
decided at the town meeting. These meetings were all successful and the
agenda was completed.
Posted by Carl L. on March 13, 2009
Recently the elections for two
one-year seats on
the school board took place; the winners were Matt Crepeau and Carl
Laroe Sr. Matt Crepeau won with 333 votes and Carl Laroe had 321. To
ask about the election process and his ideas I sat down with Matt
Crepeau, who is also a bus driver here at Georgia.
I congratulated him on his win and began asking him questions. I asked
what motivated him to run for the school board. He responded,
“I
wanted to give back to the community, and help the school because I
like it.” When asked about plans for the school he replied,
“No…no big plans. I’d like to hear what
the
community wants first.” Next year Georgia is switching to a
single bus run, being a bus driver I thought Matt could give his
opinion on this topic. “There are a lot of pros and cons;
it’ll save fuel, time and money. I’m not sure how
people
feel about the little kids riding with the older ones. But all and all
I think it’s a good thing.”
Posted by: Julia W. on March 13, 2009
Four years ago, Mrs. Riley, our previous health coordinator, asked for a grant to help kids get more physically active by doing something in addition to gym class and recess. She ended up asking the school for a grant, to help start a ski bus once a week to Bolton, so kids could ski or snowboard. Ever since, students have been going to Bolton once a week from
This
year however, we went to Smuggs
instead of Bolton. I asked some students how they felt about going to
Smuggs
instead of Bolton. Lauren W. says, “I didn’t go to
Bolton but I liked Smuggs.
It could’ve been better without the lesson though.”
Next, I asked Mr. Calano
about the sudden switch. He said that both places have their
advantages, but he
didn’t want kids to get home around 10 p.m., and that Smuggs
has better snow
conditions than Bolton. He also thinks day skiing is safer than night
skiing
because you can see more around you and see it more clearly. But, if
Mr. Calano
had a pick, he would want a combination of both programs, ski during
the day,
but have kids out of school less.
Students agree with the school’s pick of Smuggs for the ski
bus.
Cierra F. says that she always goes to Smuggs with her family because
it’s
close to home and that if she got to pick which place to go to for the
school
she would choose Smuggs as well.
So, thanks to what got started four years ago by Mrs. Riley, students have the ski bus to look forward to every year.
