November Writers--Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

In honor of the holiday, I wanted to say "Thank you" to all of my wonderfully talented student writers.  For those of you who have submitted to our blog, "Thank you for sharing".  I truly love this extension of our class.   Thank you for your honesty, your passion, your brilliance, and your guts.  As you all know, some of the pieces have been funny, serious, sarcastic, prolific, and sorrowful because they represent YOU. 

Writers write about what they know.

Never stop writing, thinking, creating and of course, reading.

I hope you are enjoying your reprieve from our classroom, but take the time to participate in our virtual classroom.  Your comments are due Thursday, December 4th.  I'm asking that your read ALL submissions (there are 13) and that you leave comments for 3 frosh pieces and 3 senior pieces, for a grand total of 6. 

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving. 

Feed your bellies, but most importantly feed your souls :)

I'll see you Monday.  xoxoxo

Austin--A Modern 'Monster'

A Modern ‘Monster’

Datalog 000000001;

I woke up. The darkness surrounded me and the deafening silence was startling. I was
terrified. I remained in this state of utter nothingness for a minute. Suddenly I heard a loud pop,
and could hear. I was shortly after assaulted by the sounds of the world. I could hear grinding
metal and rolling gears, I heard the whirr of motors, the ticking of clocks, the hollow clunks of
thick plastics. I could hear the muffled noises of birds singing, I heard gentle breathing and
distinct heartbeats. Just a moment after the assault on my hearing had begun, my eyes popped
into existence and I could see the world that had created these noises. I screamed, yet I could
make no noise.

When I looked around, I saw a number of various contraptions swinging and moving.
Directly below my head was a conveyor belt that rolled me forward. On either side of the belt
was a number of spindly white arms with various machines on their ends. Beyond the arms, the
remainder of the facility stretched outwards, four white walls enclosing an expanse of conveyor
belts, arms, and wheels. A number of people in large, white coats wandered about the facility,
monitoring this and that, though they never interfered with the machines. 

Before me lay a number of identical black, oblong balls. We were lined up in a single­
file line up the conveyor and I watched as the arms grinded away excess metal, welded
additional components, and inserted a number of cords and chips into these black balls. Bright
and vibrant sparks exploded from the arms and flew in brilliant contrast to the white background.
I followed and received treatment identical to those before me. A larger arm descended before
me holding a large white disc. The disc was made of thick ceramic and glowed with a warm red
glow. The arm lowered the disk over me and placed it on my face. The mask glowed to life and a
number of odd characters filled my vision. 

As I continued to explore this new fascination I began to see the end of the belt. One by one, the
balls ahead of me dropped suddenly and were carried away in a small white box. One of the arms
inserted some kind of microchip into my face and I could feel the world around me. The soft
breeze of the building and the tough rubber beneath me were overshadowed by the violent pain
of the grinders and welders which were disfiguring me from behind. I tried again to shriek once
again, but to no avail. I moved further down the belt and could now see the end quite clearly, it
was just two feet ahead of me when I felt a new arm reach behind my head from above—

Alec--Ball is Life

Ball is Life

            Basketball.  Simple enough, a sphere that goes through a hoop, right? But, what does it mean?  To some, it’s a useless sport that measures no value.  To others, it’s boring to watch, but fun to play.  But to those enthusiasts, it’s what they indulge in.  It’s their pass-time, their entertainment, fitness, and mentality.  Without basketball, those certain individuals don’t know what to do.  But why is it so?  At least once in their life, everyone picks up a basketball and does something with it.  All those children no matter where have tried to shoot “something” into a “hoop”.  Whether it be the basketball court, the trash can, the recycling bin, a hula hoop and a rubber ball.  They’ve all done it.  Don’t try and deny it.  You have at least tried it.  And why is that so?  Monkey see, monkey do? Maybe.  Inspiration? Close.  Because it holds something more than just the moves and the sport? Exactly that.  Basketball expands way more outside its circle of NBA and what we watch on TV.  It’s about focus, discipline, inspiration, and fun. 

            In basketball, we create focus.  We focus on the game being played.  We focus on Derrick Rose’s health.  We focus on how the game will play out.  We focus so much into how things will be, it also applies to how it is outside.  That focus we can put into that, can go into other aspects of one’s work, school, or whatever it is.

            In basketball, we use discipline.  We discipline ourselves to watch the game so profusely.  We discipline ourselves just as Kobe did to perfect Michael Jordan’s jump shot.  We discipline ourselves to work harder.  The discipline we see, is something that we use to motivate ourselves in life.

            In basketball, we have inspiration.  We inspire ourselves every time we hear Michael Jordan’s story of not making his high school basketball team.  We inspire ourselves to learn that move we just saw on TV.  We put inspiration in the great comebacks and find motivation through that.  This inspiration is something greatly seen through other outlets, but very evident here.

            And most importantly, in basketball, we find fun.  The laughs we get after a crazy missed shot.  The fun we get out of playing with friends.  The joy we get from making that shot you’ve been trying to get all day.  The fun and happiness we gain in such a simple action portrays that of the way one should feel almost all the time. 

            Basketball doesn’t just stick as one “thing”.  It’s more of one big “thing” with so many small intricacies that it becomes an infinite amount of “things”.  And isn’t that what life is all about?  But to make things evident, it only means one thing. “Ball is life”.

Reema--Are school uniforms really necessary?

Are school uniforms really necessary?

 School uniforms are an extremely debatable topic. Some students love it, while others despise it. Statistics show that 400 voters in the American Southwest voted no for school uniforms and only 64 voted yes. When I was put into a charter school all through middle school, I always thought school uniforms should only be enforced for high school students, and not in middle school. High school is usually the place kids get bullied the most whether it is for their clothes not being too expensive or not wearing designer clothes. Wearing uniforms would prevent gangs or cliques from forming. It would also limit the school rules on dress code. Parents wouldn’t need to keep up with the prices that come with the trends. Modesty and respect will become important in the eyes of teenagers a lot more because they won’t be so worried about what to wear the next day. Now that I’m a freshman in high school I still agree with my statement about school uniforms but at the same time I disagree. When I was in the charter school I had to wear a uniform and I personally did not like it. It was plain and just not me. Although I was forced to wear it I feel like it made everyone’s lives so much easier.

 Some of the pros of school uniforms are less students will be bullied for the clothes they wear. Another pro is some people aren’t as fortunate as others to constantly buy clothes. Students are harassed for the clothes they wear or the designer shoes they have on verbally, physically, and socially but when wearing a uniform all of that would stop. Every child would feel equal. School uniforms also show your school spirit. A lot of students who wear uniforms say that they feel more proud of their school. Wearing school colors or even the logo gives students a feeling of being more connected to their school and classmates.

Following the pros are some cons about school uniforms. Designer clothes are generally expensive, but so are uniforms. Some students stated that they are scratchy and either too cold or too hot. As students grow they have to replace the uniforms.  Some people think if their child wears the same thing as everyone else their individuality will be suppressed. In some schools that’s not the case. Accessories like hair clips, bracelets, and necklaces can make the uniforms look better. Some schools don’t allow it. Some parents also say that by wearing school uniforms their child can’t express themselves through clothing. I disagree. Students have after school, weekends, and holidays to express themselves.    

Teachers think if there students wear uniforms it would focus on learning with the removal of unnecessary distractions. They also think that students won’t be bullied as much; students will find any reason to make fun of the person they don’t seem to like. The researcher, Virginia Draa of Youngstown State University, reported that the graduation rates have gone up 11 % in schools that require a uniform. Non-uniform school’s graduations rates have gone down 4.6%.There are some pros and some cons to wearing school uniforms. In other words students are far more likely to succeed when wearing a uniform. Wearing a uniform for 3 years definitely opened my eyes to the bigger things in life and not just the clothes you wear.

Karl--Acceptance

Acceptance

The pitch black sky and the deathly cold air blended perfectly to represent Nehc's state of mind. Everyone had been picked up by their parents to return home, leaving the poor boy alone. He stood there by the flag pole, wallowing in shame. The dark night covered his tears but one could still hear the attempts to restrain an emotional breakdown. He stood there, like a statue, as if he was not intending to never return. Just as Nehc was going to commit to the plan he thought about for years, one of his greatest companions confronted him. 

She asked him "What's wrong?"

He replied with silence.

She stood firm and continued to question him. It was not until twenty minutes of her one sided conversation when Nehc finally responded. He looked up at her, and moved his mouth, however no sound was produced. After a moment of confusion, she understood Nehc and pulled out her phone for him. Hesitantly, Nehc reached for the medium of communication and began to tell her about the destruction of his world. Patiently, she stood there enduring the biting cold and fatigue. When Nehc finished typing out what he could not verbalize, he returned the phone to her. She read the lines that described her friend's state of mind and replied: 

"You have not failed, I am very proud of you and everyone else is too. You should not feel this way because you do deserve the love of your friends and teammates. They stood by your side through the competition and helped you because they wanted to. You are not a burden, in reality you are a blessing to those that truly know you because you inspire everyone to work harder  and radiate positivity. You are the only person that thinks you are unworthy, but I need you to believe the truth: you are special."

Nehc could feel the sincerity and love in her words. He nodded, and a smile appeared on her face because she knew that she had finally gotten through to him. She patted him on the back and asked: 

"Are you okay to go home?"

He nodded to her with the bright smile he always had in the past, and got into his car.