#ILovePublicSchools Day!

Today we are celebrating how proud we are to be learning in public schools!

Canned Food Drive & Ugly Sweater Day!

Mrs. Stogdill, Mr. Raasch and Mrs. Enos all jumped for joy on ugly sweater day!

 Some of our 8A students are posing with their donations.  The students brought in 1,071 cans for the Salvation Army!

 Andrew and Chris are sporting their ugly sweaters!

 Kenzie and Silvia are bringing their holiday chair to morning Enrichment!

Patriot's Pen District Finalist!

Congratulations to Hayley K. on being chosen as one of our Top 4 Patriot's Pen local finalists moving onto the district level!  Good luck, Hayley!  Her fantastic submission is posted below:

The America I Believe In

All around me, I see so many opportunities and freedoms that were fought for throughout history. These freedoms have been protected for many years in America. However, you don’t see these freedoms and opportunities everywhere. In some countries, there are humans that are widely considered inferior to others because of their sex, gender, race, or beliefs. In some countries, education isn’t available to everyone. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities and freedoms that surround me. In the America I believe in, equality is widely accepted, and education is important and available to everyone.

I believe equality is a very important part of what makes America amazing. As once said by Albert Einstein, “Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.” I believe no one is superior nor inferior to anyone else. We are all humans, and we are all flawed. I am grateful for the equality in America that allows us to choose our own paths in life, no matter who we are. Although equality is not, and will never be perfect and accepted by everyone, it has drastically improved. I am thankful that in America, everyone is considered equal.

Another amazing thing that I am grateful for in America is the widely available education. Being able to go to school for free is often taken for granted. In some countries around the world, free education is not available. Allan Bloom once said “Education is the movement from dark to light.” I believe this quote to hold a lot of truth. Education opens up many opportunities in life, and I am grateful that it is available for all children in America.

There are so many freedoms that I am grateful for in America. The democracy, the feeling of safety, the innovativeness, and many other aspects of America make this country astounding. Equality and education are two major parts of America to me. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.” was once said by Abraham Lincoln, and I find it to be quite meaningful. I truly hope for America to always move forward, continue to improve, and continue to prosper. This is the America I believe in.

Red Ribbon Week!

Mrs. Enos' Advisement worked hard on their Y.O.L.O. door for Red Ribbon Week!

The Outsiders: Dissecting a Character

Students chose a round/dynamic character to "dissect" in preparation for an upcoming analytical essay.

The Outsiders: Greasers vs. Socs

While discussing the theme of social divisions in a school/community found in The Outsiders, the students were divided into two groups: "Greasers" vs. "Socs" for a "rumble" (friendly competition).  The Socs were given a slight advantage in both challenges, but the experience fed into a nice literary discussion about many of the barriers and Character vs. Society and Character vs. Character conflicts that take place in the novel.  We finished class with interpreting the Robert Frost poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" that is referenced in the novel as well.

Symbolism

After reading "The Medicine Bag" and "Who Are You Today, Maria?", students analyzed the concept of symbolism both in the two short stories and made text-to-self connections identifying what symbols represented themselves.

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