Student Guest Blogs

Due to technical difficulties, I haven't been able to post to the blog.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Caught Ya!

It's confirmed! We all need practice with our writing conventions (spelling, capitalization, grammar usage, and punctuation). 

In class, we have implemented good old fashioned start-ups where the students come in and make some corrections first thing. Then I go around and see if I can catch them making a single mistake that I'm looking for.

If the correction hasn't been made, I yell, "Caught ya!" And the students have to figure out what got left out. The level of excitement seems to be high. Students want to be not caught. :-)

These daily exercises will help my students be better-prepared writers. They will be able to identify errors in their own and each other's writing. They will successfully answer editing questions on the SBAAC test in May. They will be better prepared for high school and college.

Ten minutes a day. I'm invested and so are they. Yay!

Here is an example of some of the errors:

hey felicia how come your not garbed in black as you were all last year asks a boy whos puckish expression mirrored his waggish personality

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Question of the week

Where is your favorite place to travel? Why?

Mom: “My favorite place to travel is Florida. I love to travel there because that’s where my best friend Renee lives, and there are also lots of fun things to do there. When I visit Florida, I love to visit the beach and the Florida Keys. What I like about the Keys is that it’s so so beautiful and there are lots of things to walk around and look at. The sad thing is that is that I haven’t visited Renee in 24 years and hope to visit my best friend soon.”

Dad: “ My favorite place to travel is the mountains. I like to travel to the mountains because it’s quiet and peaceful. When I go to the mountains my favorite things to do is hunt and camp. I love to hunt deer because I like the sport and eating them. My favorite thing to roast over the campfire is marshmallows to make s'mores, especially the chocolate! Gotta have the chocolate.”

Savannah T.          

Two Truths and One Lie

1. I am a Chico Junior Wrestler and have been wrestling for Chico Junior for 3 seasons. I have won some medals and am not that bad at the sport. I have met new people while playing the sport and made nice friends. The sport is really cool because it is one on one and if you win it is because the effort you put into it. If you lose it is because you lost and not anyone else.
2. I have an English bulldog that is the best dog anyone can have. My dog acts like a human but is still a great part of our family. She has little brown splotches and is mostly white. Her name is Brown Sugar. She likes to be a cuddle bug and loves to be loved by anyone.
3. I have broken my arm three times. I have broken it twice over summer and once in second grade. The two times over summer were when I was on a trampoline and I feel off. The other time was when I was helping my brothers lifting a closet up and it feel on my arm.The time I broke it in second grade was when I feel off a slide during recess.

Julian Q.

Movie Review: The Greatest Showman

This movie was astounding. It almost brought me to tears. It has some of the most loved actors of all time in this movie, including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and even Disney actress Zendaya Coleman. This beautiful film is appropriate for girls and boys of all ages. This is an empowering movie about a boy born into a poor family. Both parents die when he's very young. He marries the girl of his dreams after a long time of trying to create a fortune, with very little success. He creates a family of two little girls and a loving supportive wife. Wanting more for his family than poverty, he starts to search for a job that could change his life. After losing sight of what is really important, he hands his career down to his second in command/ partner. Due to not wanting to spoil this movie, this is all I'm going to say. I hope you get the chance to see this awe-inspiring movie.

Ellie C

Two Truths and a Lie

1. I have been riding horses since I was nine years old. I was trained on our friend Ann’s pony, Splash. Most of the days Splash was in a good mood, but when he wasn’t, those were the days I got rubbed against the fence and bucked off. But of course, I stayed on and never fell off. Then I got too big for Splash, and that’s when I got Nikki. 
2. I am the tallest girl in eighth grade. I am so tall that when my friends and I are in the library and they want a book on the top shelf, they ask me to get it. I love being tall because I have a lot of advantages. For example, in basketball, I can dunk and can shoot half-court shots no problem.
3. Before I got into horses and barrel racing, I did ballet for two years. Those two years of ballet definitely helped with my calf muscles. When you’re barrel racing, you need those calf muscles to stay on and keep your speed up.

Savannah T.

What Students Think About The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street is in the top 100 books recommended by middle school teachers around the country. My students and I are a little more than halfway through the book. We have had some interesting discussions about women's roles in the protagonist's life. There are some tough situations she and other women in the story have to deal with. Esperanza wants to break out of the opression and sexism. She wants a house of her own; she wants to be free.

This coincides perfectly with the Women's March that will happen tomorrow across the country. Women and men will march together in solidarity to support women's rights and equality. I've invited all my students to meet me downtown tomorrow with their families and mine.

This photo was taken at the
Women's March in Chico last year. 
Photo from Chico ER

Since some of the topics in the book (as in life) can be uncomfortable, I asked my students if they thought The House on Mango Street should be taught to eigth graders. Did they think they were ready for it?

80% of my students thought it was a good book for all 8th graders to read. Some of the students who did not want to read the book were concerned about the structure of the vignettes and the overall lack of a clear plot line. A few of them thought middle schoolers were too immature for the sensitive topics.

Below are some quotes from my 8th graders about The House On Mango Street:

I think that the House On Mango street should not be taught in middle school. I don't think it should be taught in middle school because there are many situations that are serious and that people could take as a joke. Many students might not be mature enough to listen and really understand what challenges women go through and how it is serious.- Alyssa A

Its okay that its taught in middle school because it has some good stories but it is also not that good to be taught in middle school; Mainly because it is stereotyping all men and making all men look like we are all bad people. Yeah the guys are bad in the stories, but that's not what all men are like.- AJ

The House On Mango Street should be taught to middle school student because it shows us how it was back then or how us women feel in our normal society. As Esperanza a 12 or 13 year old she doesn't understand how society actually is, she sees society as rainbows and flowers when in reality it not. Most of the women in this book are sexually harassed or working like a prostitute/sex object, basically telling us that a woman's life isn't all great.- Nataly D

I think that it should be taught in middle school because it shows how women deserve more respect and that they should be aware of strangers that just want to abuse them. It would also teach men how women feel if they are or have been abused.- Eddie C

I guess it should be taught because it teaches you some things that happens in real life. Some parts of the can teach you life lesson like what to avoid or what are good things to do.- Romeo

I think that The House On Mango Street should be taught in middle school because they are showing real-life situations and all of us need to be aware of all of this. If the students are aware of the stuff that are happening then they will know to watch out and be careful.- Guadalupe M

House On Mango Street should be taught in middle schools. To begin with middle schools aren't full of little kids we should know whats going on in communities and House On Mango Street is a great way to teach us what happens. We are growing up to a point where we shouldn't be protected and shielded from what's going on in the world. We are at the age that we don't need over protection.That is why I believe that we should read House On Mango Street in middle school.- Javier Q-G

I think that The House on Mango Street is a good book and it should be taught to in middle school. It teaches about how not everyone lives in a home they like and are proud of it. The book also teaches how young girls get raped or abused by their dads because their moms aren't around. The girls also have to replace their mom in many ways, they have to do everything their moms did, good and bad things. And they sell things and try to make money so they can go live on their own so they don't have to suffer and do that anymore with no way out.- Lilliana V

In the House On Mango Street, we read vignettes of Esperanza and those who surround her. Esperanza describes living in a small and not very high quality house. She describes the lifestyles of her friends and family, and the things that happen to them. In some vignettes, the sense of great admiration for the bravery, ambition, and confidence someone has come from Esperanza. Though the plot is absent, there are still morals and deeper meanings behind each vignette. Esperanza tells stories of deeper events with more real and true emotion unlike other stories. It gives us stories in the point of view of a female. A female of color not living the most wealthy life. Esperanza doesn't get the shortcuts or the easy ways. She lives her life struggling and dealing with emotional pain and thinking deeper into things. We get taught stories from a different perspective with more realistic events that some of us may end up dealing with in the future if not already.- Aniyah

I do not think anything in the book is vulgar or crude, but i do think it mentions sensitive topics. Although, 8th grade is one year away from high school and maturity should be present. House on Mango Street brings awareness to rape and societies impacts on young women. Therefore, yes i do think House on Mango Street should be read in junior high, people are becoming more and more aware each day and that should continue to happen.- Aliyah B

I believe this book should be taught in 8th grade. We are young adults who are maturing and we are wise enough to take this book seriously. It identifies some cases in the real world that certain people experience. This book is safe enough for us to be reading, and should still be read to future 8th grade classes.- Nick W

House on mango street should be taught in middle school because it's about a girl turning into a young adult and finding herself, most middle school students are going through similar things.- Macy S

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GUEST BLOGGER
Two Truths and a Lie

1. I have done wrestling for nearly two years. This year is my second year of wrestling. I joined in 7th grade, and have continued to participate in the sport every year since then. 
2. I am a huge Star Trek fan. I have watched every season of the original series from the 1960’s, every season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and every episode of Star Trek: Voyager. My personal favorite of these television shows is Star Trek: The Next Generation. The reason for this is that the original series and Star Trek: Voyager have such simplistic, cardboard characters, whereas Star Trek: The Next Generation has much more complex characters who actually express human emotion. 
3. My favorite book is Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card. It is the story of a boy named Ender Wiggin who gets sent to a military school in the future United States. There, they train the students to fight against an alien threat that nearly wiped out Earth, and has now come back for a second chance to win the war. I like it because it never stops surprising you. It is a great science fiction novel.

Asher C.

Valedictorian

Definition of valedictorian

: the student usually having the highest rank in a graduating class who delivers the valedictory address at the commencement exercises

When I was in high school, my dear friend, Kimra Bertram (now McAfee), was the Valedictorian of my class. The valedictorian is the student with the highest grade-point average among their peers. She achieved high marks all through her academic career, and she went on to continue her education at UC Berkeley. We maintain a wonderful friendship today; I look up to her and her gifted intellect.

In my classes, I have students who stand out as similar academic scholars. They share some qualities in common.

• Hard-working and tenacious
• Turn assignments in on time
• Go above the minimum requirements
• Ask questions when they don't understand
• Make up work in a timely manner when absent

Congratulations to my Top Scorers in each of my classes for the first semester: 

Per 1 Joy S. 97.8%

Per 3 Sienna C. 96.9%

Per 4 Javier Q. 91.6%

Per 5 Marissa H. 96.6%

Per 6 Olivia W. 93.2%

Keep up the good work.

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Two Truths and a Lie

1. I like to play sports.  I like to play sports because it shows the love that I have for it and the passion to play.  Motivation is the key that keeps me going even when I am really tired.  Like for an example my friends or even my dad, they all show motivation and their passion for it.  Talent is like the fuel for fire.  Talent can be built and grown by hustling and the hard work you put into it.
2. I hate art class.  Art class is so boring and full of mindfulness.  I don’t even have the passion to do art, how did I even get into advanced art.  I mean it's so quiet all the time and we are sitting or even painting.  I mean if you walk into that class it is like NOPE, I am out of here!  Never would I step in there again, like don’t even dare step foot into that class.
3. I like to wear makeup.  I like to wear makeup because it just like art.  You can be creative and stylish when wearing makeup.  Also it enhances your natural beauty.  When wearing makeup I sometimes feel like I am a whole new person or like a character in a book or movie.  Makeup can tell your personality.  People often say it makes me confident, or gives yourself a little boost of the way you look.  Yeah I like makeup because it’s fun, but not to mean that I feel ugly with or without it.

End of the Semester

Here we are at the end of the semester and students are interested in Extra Credit. ;-)

Some additional guest blogs for your reading pleasure:

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GUEST BLOGGERS


I Am Nonexistent Without You
(Creative Writing)

I am me without you.
And you are you without me.
I am nothing without you;
You are nothing without me.
I am nonexistent without you,
Even if you are my opposite.

I am light without any darkness.
I am dark without any light.
I am evil without any good.
I am good without any evil.

I am going without stopping.
I am ceasing without moving.
I am capable without failing.
I am failing without being able.

I am nothing without thing.
I am thing without nothing.
I am death without life.
I am living without dying.

I am me without you.
And you are you without me.
I am nothing without you;
You are nothing without me.
I am nonexistent without you,
Even if you are my opposite.

Kayla L.


Movie Review: “Beauty and The Beast”
My movie review is on the new “Beauty and The Beast”. I liked the movie because it had a lot of detail in many parts of the movie. Some examples are the castle, the glass covering the rose, the designs on Beauty's dress and The Beast's suit, and the filigree on the candle and clock. I also liked that the narrator introduced what The Beast had to do to be human again to us. The Beast also knew that if he couldn’t love someone and get them to love him back before the last petal on the rose fell, he would be a beast forever. He thought that nobody could ever love him. I think that my peers would enjoy this movie because it is just overall a really good movie, and who doesn’t like a Disney film? I would also recommend this movie because it is sweet with some conflict, and it is the perfect movie to have with a bowl of popcorn.

Athena C.


Movie Review: Holes
I liked the movie Holes because the present is based on what happened in the past. Throughout the movie, it is going back and forth between the present and what happened in the past. For those who haven’t seen Holes, it is about a boy named Stanley that gets sent off to a camp called Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention center for boys for 18 months instead of going to jail because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was accused of stealing a pair of famous baseball shoes from a homeless shelter. But the boys at Camp Green Lake have to do an unusual thing. Every day they have to dig a hole, five feet deep and five feet wide. Mr. Sir says that they are not looking for anything, but to build character. He still calls the place they dig a lake, but it's all dried up. It is very big and it's the perfect place for digging holes. When he gets to Camp Green Lake, he gets put with a group of boys that seem very mean at first but just in that day Stanley learned a lot. I recommend this movie because because it is different. You could also read the book but the movie is more interesting.

Kiana B.

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was six I went to Disney World with my uncle. We went there all day till it closed for four days. We had to visit seven parks in that time. We rode all the rides we possibly could, but there were seven parks! Each park seemed bigger than the last one. They all were at least as big as Disneyland. We only stayed there three days. We woke up super early and went to bed late so we were exhausted and sometimes didn't want to wake up. It was the most fun thing I had ever done up to that time and definitely most exhausting. Disney World is located in Florida so we also had to fly to my uncle's house in North Carolina then drive all the way to Florida which makes it even more exhausting. 
2. One time my stepdad, Colby, got stuck in the snow with my grandparents, aunt and uncle for two days with no working car or phone. We sent a search crew after him. My family and I were scared we would lose him. I wanted to stay home all day and be home when he arrived, but we just did our normal routine like my mother didn't even care. 
3. One day my dad and I went to the creek and we found a fishing pole and we fished with it and caught a trout. It was a really old fishing pole. I am pretty sure we lost it, but it was made out of bamboo so it was expensive I assumed. We looked at the fish, and my dad asked me if I wanted to eat it or let it go. I don't like the taste of fish that much, so we let it go. 

Aaron H.



6-Morning Breaths

(Creative Writing)

I smell the soft air of your breath.
It smelled sweet, like honey and lavender.
The bright sun shone the silhouette of your hair and the curtains.
I smelled your breath once more...
It smelled like crud.
No wait, it's my breath.
Crud... I have morning breath.

KAYLA L

Two Truths and a Lie

1. I went to Oregon over the summer with my family and some of our friends. We camped at a beach, and on the last day we were there, I fell. A sharp rock went through my hand. It really hurt. There was a doctor where we were, so he stitched and wrapped up my hand.
2. About one year ago I was having trouble breathing so I had to go to Enloe. They couldn’t help me there, so I had to get flown in a helicopter to UC Davis. When I was there, they put an IV in me and I got better. Even when I was better they kept doing tests on me. They kept me there for a week and a half even though I really only should have been there for a couple days.
3. My great great grandfather played on the Oakland Oaks. He was a pitcher, and he only hit 3 home runs. One of his home runs was in a gopher hole. One was through a hole in the outfield fence. The last one was in another gopher hole.

Jacob F.

Movie Review: Coco

A movie I recently watched was “Coco”. This movie is about Mexican cultural traditions, family expectations, and moving away to create your own path. It described the Mexican way of life. The main character is Miguel, who was a boy that was expected to follow his family business of shoemaking. In his heart, all he wanted to do was be a musician. Music was in his veins and his heart. He learned how to play guitar on his own but kept it from his family. One day, on the Day of the Dead, he stole a guitar that belonged to a famous singer who had died. This took him to the land of the dead were he found his family members. He went on an adventurous trip to find his great great great grandpa to have him give him his blessing to become a musician. Along the way, he meets interesting characters like Frida Kahlo and Pedro Infante. I recommend this movie to everyone because it's a great family movie; it shows the Mexican cultural traditions of life, and it teaches a very valuable lesson to kids.

Alyssa A.

My Name

We are reading Sandra Cisneros' book, The House on Mango Street. Students wrote their own creative vignettes imitating her style.

Here is a portion of Cisneros' vignette:


From “My Name”
by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street

In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.

At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as sister's name Magdalena--which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least- -can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza.

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do.


Here are a few student imitations:

In English, my name means god of plenty. In Spanish, it means pretty pronunciation. It’s common and simple. It's like flowers. My name is gentle rain falling from the sky.

My name was supposed to be Valente when I was a “boy”. But Valente doesn't exist. He never existed, I was always a girl.

My name is the tree swaying in the wind, I'm at peace with it, but it's the wrong mixture of letters. It's different. It's like Moonlight on a foggy night.

I guess my mom liked “Ela”, after all both of my sister's names end with “Ela” and mine is no different. When I was younger I wanted to change my name to something like Chole or Emma but now I'm just happy with Isabela.

My name is a name well liked by my mom. It signifies noble strength. My name is the roaring waves crashing on the sand. It is the detail of a wing of a butterfly. Sensitive , caring, and strong, my name.

Audrey Hepburn, an actress, dancer, a star. Loved her craft but later settled down to have a family. She took time to do what she loved. My name is a world of its own, beauty and emotion.

My name is like a tear down my checks with no explanation because I'm stuffed with things I can't let go.

Before my name was supposed to be Alejandra. But that's was before my dad, my grandma, and my aunt Vero found out my mom was pregnant with me. The story behind my name is a living hell because of all the family drama that was caused just to name a little girl.

My mom was going through pain because it was time for me to come out but my dad didn't want to take my mom to the hospital neither did he want to be there at the time of birth but demanded my name to be the name he chose.

My mom wanted to name Alejandra. Something strong and powerful. Something that wasn't so hard to pronounce in either Spanish or English. But because of the threats and how much anger this had brought, I was named the name my father damned.

My friends call me Nessa or simply just by my first name. By my family nickname is Bané. Short for Banessa. There's no good meaning for my name because it only means karma or death.

In English, my name means beauty and comes from a flower. In Spanish it is Alicia. My name is a brave woman who fought against a deadly disease. Whose bravery rose with the sun and fell when the dark sky loomed.

My name is my grandpa crying in the corner of a dark room. Named after my great grandma he remembers the missing piece of his heart.

My name is the sun shining on a rainy day. It gives hope to my family filling it with happy memories of an innocent time. When we were untouchable.

My name is the sweet taste of candy. A burst of life, the sweet cries of a newborn baby, the first flowers blooming in spring.


My name is as common as shorts in the summer. My name, Jennifer, was the most common first name in 1970-1984. But I'm not common, I'm original. “Jennifer” a girl lost in a dark forest, lost and confused.

My name is a talkative girl, just looking to express herself. She doesn't care who she talks to, she just wants to talk. She wants new people in her life. That doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate who and what she already has.Jennifer is as free as a leaf in the wind. A leaf traveling around the world looking for new adventures. I'm just one more leaf in a pile.

The name Sophia is the air I breathe, it's the bed I sleep in and the food I eat. To me, I'm smiles and giggles on a rainy day but to everyone else, I'm just Sophia. Names are like labels on boxes of mac and cheese at Safeway. It's just the outside you have to discover what is inside.

For some reason my name means wisdom, wet in school, I feel like an old car that your grandfather left you and your trying desperately to restart. I get worse grades than a lump of cole. It's just not fair, I try my best yet I never succeed, I'm a growing tree, reaching towards the sun but even though I'm reaching as far as I can, I just can't reach it.

Someday I hope I will join the others, leave the cocoon and except my true form as a butterfly. But until then I'm a shoe that doesn't quite fit, I'm out of place in my own name.

My name has been through the past 100’s of years through history my name was called old English. Tyler means the protector of the golden gate to heaven-- Keeping the evil away. My name is used as a Surname and a given name. My name means protector, strong but never forgiving. My name is like a chicken falling apart inside a furnace. My name is the understanding of English language. The Name was from my dad that loved to see a friend but he passes away, and he says I look like him. My name is the fighting for food on a daily basis. 

My name was to fight and help my father get better through his grief. My name is fun when you go to a park. My nickname was Ty or Taylor just because they are easy and another way to explain my name in the same letters. My name is a moon shining in the dark and beautiful night. My name was the definition of crazy and loving person. My name is like the moon being dark but still light. My name is cool to me, and I think it will be me for the rest of my life.

My name is the member of a group that just barely fits in. The one who is similar to everyone else but just that little bit different to make them fun to tease every once and awhile. But that’s okay, my name is still a good one. My name means many talents, just not always known. My name means smart just not always in an obvious way. It is like a lightbulb, you just have to flip a switch and then its brightness shows.

My name is the person you meet that you really have to get to know before they seem more than just an ordinary pedestrian walking down the street. That person who is actually interesting and fun once they are comfortable. My name is the one with lots of cycling hopes and dreams that overlap each other constantly but are still separate. It says that I want to be so many things in life, sometimes easy and sometimes hard, but I will always try if I can. And it means that I have a lot of details about me that I don’t always tell. Or that I can be scared or unwilling to do or say certain things, whether they’re about me or not, but I am still an open and kind person even if it doesn’t appear that way. Or at least I try to be.

I don’t know what other people think of my name or what they say about it but in the end, every name is just word used to label something or someone whether it is a good one or not. A name is just, a name. It’s not automatically good or bad. Only the owner of that name can truly say if it is a good name for them, not for somebody else even if they have the same name. But through every little detail about my name, whether it’s a good detail or a bad, I still think I have a good name because it suites me and says everything about my personality.

My name is Allyenna. When people ask, “That’s your name?” I answer, “Yes. That’s my real name.” When people or substitutes say my name, they make it complicated, as if it has 19 syllables, as if it’s a foreign language.

But to me, my name is beautiful. My name is the Supermoon, the only light in the night, smiling down on Earth. My name is a paintbrush, drawing a beautiful pathway to a beautiful life. My name is J.K. Rowling’s imagination, unique and magical, and majestical too!

In Hmong, my name is spelled Ab Hli and is pronounced “Ah Hlee.” Ab means baby and Hli means moon, so the meaning of my name is Baby Moon. My name is the New Moon, just beginning a new chapter of a cycle.

My grandma says my Hmong name sounds like a strong-willed yet childish name. Perhaps it’s how I got my personality. She also told me my name makes me sound young. 50 years from now I’ll be old, but young.

My original name was Ellyanna, but me grandma pronounced it Allyenna. My parents decided to change it because they liked it better.

My name. Allyenna. Beautiful, childish, strong-willed, the moon. My name.

My name is basically already a Spanish name, but I never learned what it means. To me, my name is an unknown planet. It is coldness that has never felt the warmth. A lost soul with great meaning.

My real Name is Desiree. My father gave me the name Desiree. My mother didn't like that name for me, so they just went with Desiree.

I had to go with my father's last name. I hate it. And I know “hate” is a harsh word. But I mean it. I also “Hate” him. My father was not there at my birth, he was to busy making deals with the devil and playing with fire. But I grew up fine without him.

Look at me now. My name is broken-hearted. I’m stuck stitching a smile to my face. My name is Hope. My name is a light slowly going out. My name is the monster stuck in the closet. My name is all the things i wish i were or the stuff I think. My name is tired, it’s lonely, and it’s hurt… My name could’ve been Emily, or Sadie, or Nina, it even could’ve been Alex! But NO… it’s Desiree.

The one thing I love is my nickname. Lilo. Frome Lilo&Stitch. My name is a cute wide-eyed girl with a hope for her future, so innocent and naive with spirit and a best friend by her side.

I hope I have that soon. My name is a cloud full of rain not being able to let go of a single drop.


My name is Carter, in French it is charretier. My name is energy, it is activity, it's is moving and fidgeting, it is being energetic.

At school my name is like a laugh, like something natural, like a silk blanket on your skin, I do not have nicknames carter is all. My name is a comedy, it comes with jokes and laughter. My name is like sleeping in, liked by all

I would not like to change my name. Not to jack, or jake, david, or jerald, nope none of those. Carter is my name, yes Carter will do, Carter J. Turney.

Students Guest Blog

How many of you know that there is a way to earn extra credit in Mrs. Davis' class? You can be a guest blogger right here! 

Check out the guest blogger tab on this blog. Follow the very precise directions. Scroll back through years of student guest blogs to see what other people have written. 

A single thoughtful comment that includes your first name and zero errors will earn you a single point. A guest blog post is worth up to 5 points. Remember, it's EXTRA credit for extra work. You do the extra work, not me. :-) 

Be patient; I preview everything before it gets posted.

Below are some current blog posts from students, submitted recently.

GUEST BLOGGERS

Book Reviews
Uglies

The author, Scott Westerfeld, starts off with an interesting description of the protagonist. This is the first judgement we have about this story. Tally Youngblood sneaks out of her dorm, tricking her high-tech room. The story is based in the future, she is still “ugly” and hasn’t had the gruesome surgery that changes her small eyes to bright shining ones, her small skinny legs too long, flawless limbs, making her body fit into the perfect standard of a 16 year old pretty.

This all takes a turn when a friend she had met while hiding out in New Pretty town leaves on her hoverboard to go to a city beyond called Smoke. Shay has met her older friends so she can start a life somewhere else, leaving a note with non-descriptive clues to lead Tally if she followed. This is a dilemma because she wants to stay and become pretty. Tally chooses to go by the “Special Projects” hand. After meeting with a secretive government group, she ends up leave to the Smoke as a spy for the “special circumstances”. The climax begins as she’s finding how to figure out the clues as well as living in the wild, which Tally has only visited once or twice before. As she follows the strenuous clues that Shay has given her, Tally learns how to live by herself.

She is shocked by the rough living of the people living there. In her city, no one cut down trees or used real leather as the old, ancient people did many years ago. There is a stressful love triangle that tally has to fight through. Tally finds a life altering secret that is revealed towards the end of the book.

This book raises questions and concerns that is plausible for the future. It could change society in a way that shouldn't be welcome. It is interesting to think about the possibilities of living in an exclusive city where everyone is up to beauty standards. I personally don’t believe there should be a change to our modern society, it is changing enough already.


Audrey H

Let it Snow

With all of the holidays coming our way, I decided to start getting in the spirit and read Christmas books! One of the books that I have recently read is called Let it Snow. This book has three romance stories, The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, A Cheertastic Christmas by John Green, and The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle. The book is about three different teenagers who each share their own story and they all connect to one another. This book is young adult fiction but of course anyone can read it! It has so many moods such as hilarious, charming, and lovable. John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle are three of today’s bestselling authors and we can see why in this book. If you’re a person who loves detailed books then I highly recommend this one. I have read books by John Green before and I can tell you, he is an amazing writer. This was my first time reading a book by Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson and they are amazing as well. You can never go wrong with these types of books so I definitely suggest it!                   

Yureli M

Two Truths, One Lie

1. I have gone to a family trip in Lake Tahoe for winter break. There was a sauna, hot tub, and a dirt path leading up to the mountain. I stayed in the hot tub for an hour and stayed in the sauna for 30 minutes. Afterwards, I went off to ziplining afterwards all of that heat.
2. I used to have many pet fish when I was younger and all of them died quickly. I was in love with fish and was somehow not sad at the fact that my pets had all died. I just quit asking for more pet fish since I couldn't do much with them.
3. I used to have 3 dogs and their names were Apple, Yellow, and Square. Apple was a cute small pug, Yellow was a small playful chihuahua, and Square was a lazy bulldog who loved stealing food.

Kayla L

Question of the Week

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

My friend Savannah’s favorite thing to do in her free time is ride her horse named Bubba. Bubba’s original name was Spur. His last owners changed it to Bubba. When Savannah got Bubba she didn’t want to change his name because she thought it was a cute name. Bubba is 17 years old and Savannah got him when he was 15 years old. Savannah loves Bubba a lot and will do anything for him. For example she rides him everyday, feeds him horse goodies, grooms him everyday, and talks/sings to him. When Savannah rides him she feels really safe and she trusts him a lot. They like to do sports together. Their favorite sport to do is barrel racing. Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider race around 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern and whichever rider and horse gets the fastest time wins. They win a saddle and a buckle for their horse. Bubba is a really awesome horse!

By Olivia W.

Creative Writing

The Difference Between Saying, Thinking, and Distance.

I’m ok.

I’m not okay.

Its funny knowing

that these are my last moments here with you.

Or maybe it’s just sad

knowing that I’ll never forget this.

I'm happy knowing

that I knew you.

Or maybe it’s just sad

knowing that I’ll never forget you.

It’s annoying when

I think of you sometimes and never been able to take you out of my mind.

Or maybe it's just sad

knowing that I don't want to forget you.

It’s impressive that

we’ve spent a lot of time together.

Or maybe it’s just sad

knowing that I’ve never said “I love you” the way I wanted to say it.

It’s boring, knowing that

you won’t be with me anymore.

Or maybe it's just sad

knowing that you’ll never be here, waiting for me to come online.

It's crazy, thinking about

how you say that you love me and I say “I love you” back for the last time.

Or maybe it's just sad

knowing that I didn’t get the chance to say it in person.

It’s insane, realizing how

much I love you at the end.

Or maybe it's just sad,

knowing that I don’t want you to leave.

It’s weakening, knowing that

I still love you.

It's just plain sadness.

Don’t you understand?

Do you know that I’ve been hurting?

It hurts to say goodbye. Especially to you.

It's frustrating, needing

to take you out of my mind.

You’re my biggest weakness.

I need you to get out of my head.

I loathe you but at the same time,

I regret saying that I do.

It’s joyful, knowing that

you’ve left.

At the last moment,

I wished that I could've said some more things;

I know it’s too late to say this.

I know.

You’ll never hear me say this.

But for the last time;

I just want to say this.

I love you.

It’s sad, knowing that

you used to love me.

Kayla L