Grace Davis, 8th grade, is volunteering her time and skills to help her peers with homework (photo JP)
Homework: call on Grace!
eggs are people too p2 (photo Abraham Mun)
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ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE avril 2015 no talks, all thoughts j
Le 16 janvier, toute la classe a reçu un oeuf brun, d’autres étaient plus grands, d’autres plus petits, mais on avait tous la même tâche. On devait protéger nos oeufs de tout: gravité, prédateurs et le plus mauvais… le ballon de foot à la récré! Le jour a commencé comme tous les autres. On est juste revenu de la classe de mathématiques et on est rentré dans la classe de science. Quand nous avons commencé, on a reçu un petit oeuf. On a créé une identité pour nos oeufs. Le mien était appelé “Jucifer Pls”. Jucifer était un oeuf petit, brun, qui pesait 64 grammes, qui avait une largeur de 14 centimètres et une hauteur de 5 centimètres. Son sexe était un Swag Master. Il avait un type de fertilisation interne et il avait une coquille fine. Après avoir créé nos identités, on devait mettre nos oeufs dans 3 différents challenges. Le premier était un test de reflexe. On devrait lacher nos oeufs au sommet d’un tobogan puis courir pour attraper les oeufs à la fin de la table. Ce challenge était exhilarant et difficile. Le deuxième challenge était trés facile. On devait juste se trainer sous quelque bureaux sans casser l’ oeuf. Le troisième challenge était le plus excitant. On devrait lâcher nos oeufs d'une taille de un pied à 6 centimètres dans un bassin d’eau. Après ça, on était lâché dans le méchant territoire des corridors de l’école qui avait des prédateurs partout, prêt à voler ton oeuf. Quand nous avons pris part dans la vie cruelle d’avoir un enfant, tout le monde prenait trés soin de son propre “bébé” mais dans la classe d’anglais, Mr. Sprehe était très paresseux et n’a pas pris des oeufs. Pendant le déjeuner, tous les autres élèves des autres classes regardaient des oeufs comme s’ils étaient… oui, le déjuner! Pendant la récré, mon seul ami qui me protégeait était Brennan. Aprés ça, on avait une classe sans nos oeufs, Mme Alix les garde et les regarde comme du ”poulet frit fresh”. Après ça, la classe la plus triste était la classe de Mr. Baldé à 1:37 pm. Dans cette classe, Jucifer s’est suicidé. Il a sauté de ma main et a cassé sa tête sur le sol dur. Il ne pouvait pas être ressuscité. R.I.P Jucifer. 2015-2015. Cette expérience a mis beaucoup de responsabilité sur mes épaules. Cette expérience a aussi prouvé que je suis un terrible parent et je ne devrais pas avoir des enfants. Vraiment. Mais sérieusement, c’etait une expérience que je n’oublierai jamais.
by Brett Squire 8th grade in Mme Desbleds Science class
live from the classroom live from the classroom live
eggs are people too
with a little help from Grace
by Juliette Rafaël, staff writer
Grace helping Rocco Hesse (6th grade) during a homework session after school. (photo JP)
interview interview interview interview interview interview
Why did you decide to help at homework support? I want to be a teacher, and help people with math. After school they don’t really get help with their homework, and some teachers like Mr. Baldé don’t really specialize in math. How did you get the idea to help at homework support? At first I wanted to help at recess, but then I went to Mrs. McDowell to talk about it. She said that Mr. Roskam had talked to her about a similar idea recently. She suggested that I meet with him and help after school at homework support. When did you start helping at homework support? I started about three weeks ago. I do it Mondays and Tuesdays right after school until 4:45. What subjects do you help with? Mainly math, but if people have a question with other homework I try to help. Only if the teacher is busy with another student. Do you get anything in return for helping? I don’t get paid, but I do enjoy getting the snacks. I don’t really want to get paid anyway. What grades do you help? I help all of middle school (6th, 7th and 8th grade). How do you help them? Usually they don’t understand what the question is asking, so I rephrase the question. Also they could have forgotten what they learned in class so I remind them how to do it. Do you enjoy helping students? Yeah. I really do. Will you continue once you graduate? I don’t know if it will be a possibility to continue here, and I don’t know about my high school. Hopefully I can still try.
Georgia and Jackie, former AL students, are now in high school and talk about their experience
Q: Do you get computers? A:”Yes, we do get computers. Every student does and you’re allowed to take them home.They can be stolen and you have to pay $1,000 or you can just get insurance. They can check all the computers they give. They don’t check it every night, but if there is suspicion then they will check.”
by Nora Sjue, Emme Stoy and Juliette Rafaël staff writers/ photographers
Q: Is there problems with drugs? A: “There’s a problem in any school. There are police officers there who monitor it. They take dogs through the school to find the drugs. People who do it at high school are not thinking. If you talk about it on your computer then you will be caught. You will run into it, there is definitely a group of people that do drugs. Even if they are perscription then you have to hand them into the nurse, the police officers are there to make people feel safe especially since the shootings.”
Q: What is the average amount of homework given a night? A: “The amount of homework you get depends on the class and teacher. Going to a private school like STA or Barstow you will have at least two hours of homework every night. High school is very flexible.“ Q: How is discipline different in High School? A: “AL is more flexible. The more students there are the harder it is. If you don’t really break the rules you are fine, but there are teachers that, if you are a minute late than you will get a detention.” Q: What are detentions and credits? A:”Detentions have to be served the day you recieved it. If you get past a certain amount of detentions than you will loose credits. You have to have 23 credits, you get one with a D. If you loose a credit for a class you have to redo the entire class again. You will probably gave 1,000 hours into one class. Even if it is only a semester class you have to retake it.”
The Outsiders: a year later by Ella Norton 7A McCreary
It’s been a year since the incident but the pain is still there. It’s dulled though, now instead of it being sharp like a knife, it’s a throbbing pain, like a headache. Sometimes I forget they’re gone, I’ll go to call Johnny or meet up with Dally at the drive-in. And then it dawns on me. They are truly gone. Sometimes I wonder if they like the way they went. Dally went down in a fight and Johnny died a hero. It sounds like both of them. We had to wait a week for the verdict of the judge. Darry was worried sick about what they would say. I would wake up in the middle of the night and see him pacing around, muttering to himself. When it finally came, he almost fainted in relief. They would allow us to say together as long as a counselor came in every two weeks to check on us. Soda and I didn’t really like the idea of some strange person coming into our house to talk to us but it was better than being sent away. The night the verdict came, the gang celebrated. It was fun, there was music and friends but it didn’t feel right. Not without Dally and Johnny there. I think Darry felt the same because he ended the party early and went to bed without saying much. The next week, there was another surprise. Soda heard from Sandy. He got really excited when he saw the letter but then he opened it. The letter had worse news than he thought was possible. Sandy was getting married. She said she was sorry, but that it wasn’t going to work out anyway. She said he was a nice guy and hoped someday Soda could meet him. Soda looked really upset and went into the bedroom. We told the rest of the gang and we told them not to mention anything. Another thing that happened was that the gang seemed smaller. You would might think that we would just replace them but we are not that mean. However Steve has started bringing it up. “I was walking the other day when I saw some Socs, they didn’t try to attack me after the rumble but I don’t know. We could use some more gang members,” he said and when we all stared at him he responded. “Don’t get me wrong no one can replace Dally and Johnny, I know that. I simply mean for protective purposes. Alex has been trying to get into the gang for years and we’ve always been nice to Max for years.” “Alex is a girl,” said Two-Bit. “So?” said Steve. “I mean I know that but she’s tuff and strong and maybe if she started dating one of us…” He shot a sidelong glance at Darry. It didn’t get lost on Darry. “Forget it,” he said. “You’re not trying to get Alex and I together.” His voice suggested that this conversation was over. But Steve didn’t get the hint. “Why? Is there someone else? Come on Darry you haven’t dated in so long.” “Because there are more important things than girls. I have a family to take care of. I know you don’t have that kind of responsibility, Steve but some of us do! Now this conversation is over!” “Besides,” I added feeling rather brave. “Isn’t Alex a little young for him?” “Why?” said Two-Bit with a smirk. “Do you want to date Alex? You’ve never had a girlfriend.” I felt my face grow hot. “No I don’t want to date Alex! I mean sure she’s nice and stuff but she’s not really my type. And so what if I’ve never had a girlfriend!” I shouted. “Calm down Ponyboy,” said Sodapop. “Leave him alone you two.” “What about you Soda?” said Steve, obviously forgetting about Sandy. ‘What about you and Alex?” Soda’s face turned white and I quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Why is everyone trying to find someone for Alex? Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” I was lying and I knew it. I knew that Alex liked one of us and I was betting that it was Soda. “She does?” said Two-Bit. “Oh well.” I looked at Soda he looked better that was for sure but still a little shaky. “How are the Socs?” I asked. I hadn’t really left the house much this past year, too many memories. “They’re leaving us alone,” Soda said curtly. “They don’t have a choice. They lost the rumble. They know the rules and after what happened with Bob…” Soda looked at me quickly. The whole gang seems to think that I can’t handle hearing about Bob and stuff, but they’re wrong. I just can’t hear about what happened with Dally and Johnny. “So no more fights, right?” I ask. “Look Ponyboy as long as there are Socs and Greasers, there are going to be fights. It just happens. There’s more than money that divides us. We have different points of views and different ideas of fun, different attitudes, etc. But there are less fights,” Darry explained. “I don’t think we are that different,” I say without thinking. The whole gang stares at me. “Would you attack in a pack and start drowning someone smaller and younger than you?” Two-Bit asks. Darry shot him a sharp look. “Ponyboy-” he starts but I interrupt him. “STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” Something in me just finally stops and my feelings just start to spill out. “You all seem to think that I can’t handle what happened! But you weren’t even there! Johnny-” My voice cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is, was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded. “All right,” said Darry. “Anyone who isn’t sleeping here, get out.” Steve got up and left and Two-Bit went and got a blanket. I lay there awake in my bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda. “Who knows what goes on in that head of his,” Darry answered. I frowned, was that a compliment or an insult? “Should we take him to therapy,” Darry asked. I exclaimed in surprise, I hated the fact of going to a therapist! That makes me feel like I have something wrong with me. Darry opens the door. Soda exclaims in surprise, “Ponyboy!”
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came, he almost fainted in relief. They would allow us to say together as long as a counselor came in every two weeks to check on us. Soda and I didn’t really like the idea of some strange person coming into our house to talk to us but it was better than being sent away. The night the verdict came, the gang celebrated. It was fun, there was music and friends but it didn’t feel right. Not without Dally and Johnny there. I think Darry felt the same because he ended the party early and went to bed without saying much. The next week, there was another surprise. Soda heard from Sandy. He got really excited when he saw the letter but then he opened it. The letter had worse news than he thought was possible. Sandy was getting married. She said she was sorry, but that it wasn’t going to work out anyway. She said he was a nice guy and hoped someday Soda could meet him. Soda looked really upset and went into the bedroom. We told the rest of the gang and we told them not to mention anything. Another thing that happened was that the gang seemed smaller. You would might think that we would just replace them, but we're not that mean. However Steve started bringing it up. “I was walking the other day when I saw some Socs, they didn’t try to attack me after the rumble but I don’t know. We could use some more gang members,” he said and when we all stared at him he responded. “Don’t get me wrong no one can replace Dally and Johnny, I know that. I simply mean for protective purposes. Alex has been trying to get into the gang for years and we’ve always been nice to Max for years.” “Alex is a girl,” said Two-Bit. “So?” said Steve. “I mean I know that but she’s tuff and strong and maybe if she started dating one of us…” He shot a sidelong glance at Darry. It didn’t get lost on Darry. “Forget it,” he said. “You’re not trying to get Alex and I together.” His voice suggested that this conversation was over. But Steve didn’t get the hint. “Why? Is there someone else? Come on Darry you haven’t dated in so long.” “Because there are more important things than girls. I have a family to take care of. I know you don’t have that kind of responsibility, Steve but some of us do! Now this conversation is over!” “Besides,” I added feeling rather brave. “Isn’t Alex a little young for him?” “Why?” said Two-Bit with a smirk. “Do you want to date Alex? You’ve never had a girlfriend.” I felt my face grow hot. “No I don’t want to date Alex! I mean sure she’s nice an
“I was walking the other day when I saw some Socs, they didn’t try to attack me after the rumble, but I don’t know. We could use some more gang members,” he said and when we all stared at him he responded. “Don’t get me wrong no one can replace Dally and Johnny, I know that. I simply mean for protective purposes. Alex has been trying to get into the gang for years and we’ve always been nice to Max for years.” “Alex is a girl,” said Two-Bit. “So?” said Steve. “I mean I know that but she’s tuff and strong and maybe if she started dating one of us…” He shot a sidelong glance at Darry. It didn’t get lost on Darry. “Forget it,” he said. “You’re not trying to get Alex and I together.” His voice suggested that this conversation was over. But Steve didn’t get the hint. “Why? Is there someone else? Come on Darry you haven’t dated in so long.” “Because there are more important things than girls. I have a family to take care of. I know you don’t have that kind of responsibility, Steve but some of us do! Now this conversation is over!” “Besides,” I added feeling rather brave. “Isn’t Alex a little young for him?” “Why?” said Two-Bit with a smirk. “Do you want to date Alex? You’ve never had a girlfriend.” I felt my face grow hot. “No I don’t want to date Alex! I mean sure she’s nice and stuff but she’s not really my type. And so what if I’ve never had a girlfriend!” I shouted. “Calm down Ponyboy,” said Sodapop. “Leave him alone you two.” “What about you Soda?” said Steve, obviously forgetting about Sandy. ‘What about you and Alex?” Soda’s face turned white and I quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Why is everyone trying to find someone for Alex? Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” I was lying and I knew it. I knew that Alex liked one of us and I was betting that it was Soda. “She does?” said Two-Bit. “Oh well.” I looked at Soda he looked better that was for sure but still a little shaky. “How are the Socs?” I asked. I hadn’t really left the house much this past year, too many memories. “They’re leaving us alone,” Soda said curtly. “They don’t have a choice. They lost the rumble. They know the rules and after what happened with Bob…” Soda looked at me quickly. The whole gang seems to think that I can’t handle hearing about Bob and stuff, but they’re wrong. I just can’t hear about what happened with Dally and Johnny. “So no more fights, right?” I ask. “Look Ponyboy as long as there are Socs and Greasers, there are going to be fights. It just happens. There’s more than money that divides us. We have different points of views and different ideas of fun, different attitudes, etc. But there are less fights,” Darry explained. “I don’t think we are that different,” I say without thinking. The whole gang stares at me. “Would you attack in a pack and start drowning someone smaller and younger than you?” Two-Bit asks. Darry shot him a sharp look. “Ponyboy-” he starts but I interrupt him. “STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” Something in me just finally stops and my feelings just start to spill out. “You all seem to think that I can’t handle what happened! But you weren’t even there! Johnny-” My voice cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is, was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded. “All right,” said Darry. “Anyone who isn’t sleeping here, get out.” Steve got up and left and Two-Bit went and got a blanket. I lay there awake in my bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda.
to be fights. It just happens. There’s more than money that divides us. We have different points of views and different ideas of fun, different attitudes, etc. But there are less fights,” Darry explained. “I don’t think we are that different,” I say without thinking. The whole gang stares at me. “Would you attack in a pack and start drowning someone smaller and younger than you?” Two-Bit asks. Darry shot him a sharp look. “Ponyboy-” he starts but I interrupt him. “STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” Something in me just finally stops and my feelings just start to spill out. “You all seem to think that I can’t handle what happened! But you weren’t even there! Johnny-” My voice cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is, was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded.
better that was for sure, but still a little shaky. “How are the Socs?” I asked. I hadn’t really left the house much this past year, too many memories. “They’re leaving us alone,” Soda said curtly. “They don’t have a choice. They lost the rumble. They know the rules and after what happened with Bob…” Soda looked at me quickly. The whole gang seems to think that I can’t handle hearing about Bob and stuff, but they’re wrong. I just can’t hear about what happened with Dally and Johnny. “So no more fights, right?” I ask. “Look Ponyboy, as long as there are Socs and Greasers, there are going to be fights. It just happens. There’s more than money that divides us. We have different points of views and different ideas of fun, different attitudes, etc. But there are less fights,” Darry explained. “I don’t think we are that different,” I say without thinking. The whole gang stares at me. “Would you attack in a pack and start drowning someone smaller and younger than you?” Two-Bit asks. Darry shot him a sharp look. “Ponyboy-” he starts but I interrupt him. “STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” Something in me just finally stops and my feelings just start to spill out. “You all seem to think that I can’t handle what happened! But you weren’t even there! Johnny-” My voice cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is, was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded. “All right,” said Darry. “Anyone who isn’t sleeping here, get out.” Steve got up and left and Two-Bit went and got a blanket. I lay there awake in my bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda. “Who knows what goes on in that head of his,” Darry answered. I frowned, was that a compliment or an insult? “Should we take him to therapy,” Darry asked. I exclaimed in surprise, I hated the fact of going to a therapist! That makes me feel like I have something wrong with me. Darry opens the door. Soda exclaims in surprise, “Ponyboy!”
Come on Darry you haven’t dated in so long.” “Because there are more important things than girls. I have a family to take care of. I know you don’t have that kind of responsibility, Steve but some of us do! Now this conversation is over!” “Besides,” I added feeling rather brave. “Isn’t Alex a little young for him?” “Why?” said Two-Bit with a smirk. “Do you want to date Alex? You’ve never had a girlfriend.” I felt my face grow hot. “No I don’t want to date Alex! I mean sure she’s nice and stuff but she’s not really my type. And so what if I’ve never had a girlfriend!” I shouted. “Calm down Ponyboy,” said Sodapop. “Leave him alone you two.” “What about you Soda?” said Steve, obviously forgetting about Sandy. ‘What about you and Alex?” Soda’s face turned white and I quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Why is everyone trying to find someone for Alex? Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” I was lying and I knew it. I knew that Alex liked one of us and I was betting that it was Soda. “She does?” said Two-Bit. “Oh well.” I looked at Soda. He looked better that was for sure but still a little shaky. “How are the Socs?” I asked. I hadn’t really left the house much this past year, too many memories. “They’re leaving us alone,” Soda said curtly. “They don’t have a choice. They lost the rumble. They know the rules and after what happened with Bob…” Soda looked at me quickly. The whole gang seems to think that I can’t handle hearing about Bob and stuff, but they’re wrong. I just can’t hear about what happened with Dally and Johnny. “So no more fights, right?” I ask. “Look Ponyboy as long as there are Socs and Greasers, there are going to be fights. It just happens. There’s more than money that divides us. We have different points of views and different ideas of fun, different attitudes, etc. But there are less fights,” Darry explained. “I don’t think we are that different,” I say without thinking. The whole gang stares at me. “Would you attack in a pack and start drowning someone smaller and younger than you?” Two-Bit asks. Darry shot him a sharp look. “Ponyboy-” he starts but I interrupt him. “STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” Something in me just finally stops and my feelings just start to spill out. “You all seem to think that I can’t handle what happened! But you weren’t even there! Johnny-” My voice cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is, was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded. “All right,” said Darry. “Anyone who isn’t sleeping here, get out.” Steve got up and left and Two-Bit went and got a blanket. I lay there awake in my bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda.
4 | Outdoor Magazine Oct 2014
cracks but I continue. “Johnny and I had to survive the days by ourselves and think about what happened! When I woke up that night, all I saw was Bob lying there and Johnny just sitting there. I know that no matter what happened, one of us would have died. Bob or me. Maybe the Socs did start the fight but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnny killed Bob. And I know it was only self defense, and I’m not mad and I don’t think Johnny is- was, a monster. But you can’t really say we’re that different!” By this time I’m on my feet. Everyone is staring at me in surprise. I don’t normally lose my cool like that. “All right Pony, calm down,” Soda says worriedly. “Maybe you should get some rest.” I didn’t feel the least tired but I nodded. “All right,” said Darry. “Anyone who isn’t sleeping here, get out.” Steve got up and left and Two-Bit went and got a blanket. I lay there awake in my bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda. “Who knows what goes on in that head of his,” Darry answered. I frowned, was that a compliment or an insult? “Should we take him to therapy,” Darry asked. I exclaimed in surprise, I hated the fact of going to a therapist! That makes me feel like I have something wrong with me. Darry opens the door. Soda exclaims in surprise, “Ponyboy!”
bed and thinking about everyone’s reaction, when I heard Soda and Darry talking. I crept out and listened. “I thought he was finally getting better,” said Soda. “So did I. But Steve goaded him into it,” Darry answered. “I thought the gang understood that they can’t bring that up.” “Do you think he meant what he said?” asked Soda. “Who knows what goes on in that head of his,” Darry answered. I frowned. Was that a compliment or an insult? “Should we take him to therapy?” Darry asked. I exclaimed in surprise. I hated the thought of going to a therapist! That makes me feel like I have something wrong with me. Darry opens the door. Soda exclaims in surprise, “Ponyboy!”
riche planteur (il s’appelle Monsieur Hathaway), je continue ma propre vie, en vivant au-dessus de la taverne où je travaille et en ignorant le mieux que je peux les supplications de mes parents pour que je me marie. “Je ne comprend pas,” mon pére disait dans une voix fatigué, en se balançant sur son place. “Il y a une abondance de garçons de ton âge ici ou prés d’ici, et tu as besoin de commencer une famille.” Je ne disais rien. Je ne pensais pas encore au mariage, ca semblait beaucoup trop tôt, et je ne savais pas pourquoi il ne pensait pas que je pouvais me débrouiller. “Tu ne peux pas vivre au-dessus de cette taverne pour toute ta vie, Adelaide,” il m’a averti. “Il y a plus de choses dans la vie à chasser que ca.” Je lui ai donné un baiser sur le front pour le taire. “J’y penserai,” je lui ai promis. “Donne un baiser à Maman pour moi.” Il a fait un soupir, évidemment deçu, mais il est retourné à son travail. Maman et lui ont continué à travailler pour Monsieur Hathaway même aprés leur sept années finies, parce qu’ils n’avaient pas de meilleures options. Maman aimait me rappeler que j’avais beaucoup de chance de pouvoir faire ma propre vie avec l’argent qu’ils faisaient sur le ferme et n’en a pas besoin. En réalisant que je pouvais être en retard à la taverne, j’accélérais mon rythme et je suis arrivée à la taverne en respirant lourdement. Mme. Foiant m’a donné un regard mauvais quand je me suis pressée dans la cuisine pour chercher mon tablier. Elle n’a dit rien, mais je pouvais sentir son regard sur mon dos toute la journée.
Adélaïde, 19 ans. par India Walker
“Donne un baiser à Maman pour moi.” Il a fait un soupir, évidemment deçu, mais il est retourné à son travail. Maman et lui ont continué à travailler pour Monsieur Hathaway même aprés leur sept années finies, parce qu’ils n’avaient pas de meilleures options. Maman aimait me rappeler que j’avais beaucoup de chance de pouvoir faire ma propre vie avec l’argent qu’ils faisaient sur le ferme et n’en a pas besoin. En réalisant que je pouvais être en retard à la taverne, j’accélérais mon rythme et je suis arrivée à la taverne en respirant lourdement. Mme. Foiant m’a donné un regard mauvais quand je me suis pressée dans la cuisine pour chercher mon tablier. Elle n’a dit rien, mais je pouvais sentir son regard sur mon dos toute la journée.
Je m’appelle Adelaide. J’ai 19 ans—j’ai fêté mon anniversaire en juin. J’ai toujours l’impression d’avoir encore 18 ans. Il n’y a pas trop de différence. J’ai les yeux de mon pére—marron, mais j’aime bien imaginer que je peux voir un peu de vert là-dedans—et les cheveux de ma mére, le même brun sorte de blond que j’ai eu toute ma vie. Je n’avais que trois ans quand mon pére et ma mére sont arrivés d’Angleterre pour trouver une nouvelle vie en Amérique, alors je ne devais pas faire mes sept ans de travail comme serviteur sous contrat comme le reste de ma famille. Comme leur employeur était au moins humain, il ne me faisait pas redonner qu’est-ce que je lui dois—sept années de ma vie comme une femme libre. Pendant que mes parents continuent de travailler pour le riche planteur (il s’appelle Monsieur Hathaway), je continue ma propre vie, en vivant au-dessus de la taverne où je travaille et en ignorant le mieux que je peux les supplications de mes parents pour que je me marie. “Je ne comprend pas,” mon pére disait dans une voix fatigué, en se balançant sur son place. “Il y a une abondance de garçons de ton âge ici ou prés d’ici, et tu as besoin de commencer une famille.” Je ne disais rien. Je ne pensais pas encore au mariage, ca semblait beaucoup trop tôt, et je ne savais pas pourquoi il ne pensait pas que je pouvais me débrouiller. “Tu ne peux pas vivre au-dessus de cette taverne pour toute ta vie, Adelaide,” il m’a averti. “Il y a plus de choses dans la vie à chasser que ca.” Je lui ai donné un baiser sur le front pour le faire taire. “J’y penserai” je lui ai promis. “Donne un baiser à Maman pour moi.” Il a fait un soupir, évidemment deçu, mais il est retourné à son travail. Maman et lui ont continué à travailler pour Monsieur Hathaway même aprés leur sept années finies, parce qu’ils n’avaient pas de meilleures options. Maman aimait me rappeler que j’avais beaucoup de chance de pouvoir faire ma propre vie avec l’argent qu’ils faisaient sur le ferme et n’en a pas besoin.En réalisant que je pouvais être en retard à la taverne, j’accélérais mon rythme et je suis arrivée à la taverne en respirant lourdement. Mme. Foiant m’a donné un regard mauvais quand je me suis pressée dans la cuisine pour chercher mon tablier. Elle n’a dit rien, mais je pouvais sentir son regard sur mon dos toute la journée.
by Ana Catalina, 8e
People are Dreams What happens to a dream postponed? Does it take the earliest flight like a person that's taken a fright? Or does it forgive and forget like a fading silhouette And slowly dissipate Does it accept and move on like young love that's gone wrong? Or does it thrash and flail like a storm to the sail? Maybe it just begins to cry like a long lost forgotten child Or does it die?
Janvier 2015, l'équipe de Robotique dirigée par Alix Lasker, prof d'ordinateur et Muriel Desbleds, prof de science à AL, vont au Championship à Union Station pour présenter leur projet sur l'asthme. Sur la photo, on reconnaît Nora Sjue, Megan Roe, Sam Harris, Brandon Lovelace, Andie Comeaux et Andrew Robinson
Cyrus Words 6B
I believe that the school should purchase another bathroom for several reasons. The first reason is because of its size. Although the bathroom has been a part of the school for a long time, it is too small. Its small size could cause problems such as collisions. The second reason is because of the bathroom’s hygiene. For example, there are a lot of insects such as flies and roaches. Moreover, the toilets will stop up from time-to-time. The third reason is because of the air in the bathroom. It is just flat-out stinky; specifically, it smells like feces. The air in the bathroom is also pretty moist, and I read somewhere that wet air can increase the chance of mold growth. As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why I believe that the school needs a new bathroom, so please think about what I’m saying and take these ideas to mind.
Manuel Belaustegui-Cabral 6D
offers you cannot refuse...
best works best works best works best works best works best wo
Even though parents think that violent video games are bad, I believe I should be able to play them for these numerous reasons. One reason why I should be able to play violent video games is that I’m mature enough to play. For example, I’m twelve and not a tiny baby anymore. In addition, I’m more intelligent, and I will never think it’s O.K to kill people. The second reason is that I’m always left out of playing video games with my friends. For instance, everybody is playing violent video games every time they’re playing. Moreover, it hurts my self-esteem that I can’t play with other kids. Finally, I’m going to talk about the money. To illustrate, the game I want to get is not expensive. As a result, I will buy it myself. You can see, there are several reasons why I should be able to play violent video games. games.
Numbskull or...
You should use your agenda. I will proceed to provide you with a plethora of reasons why it would be beneficial. First, your agenda is chock full of useful information. For example, it contains the fascinating Académie Lafayette Policy and Middle School Handbook inside its sacred pages. In addition, it has lots of facts about science, geography, mathematics, French verb conjugations, and many other topics. To illustrate its usefulness, you might even be able to pretend that you are filling out your hall pass to go to the bathroom, when in reality you are glancing at the periodic table of elements found in the back of the agenda in order to answer the questions on the pop quiz that Mme Desbleds or Mme Marsh just threw at you. Don’t you think that’s handy? Second, using your agenda will help you see exactly what you did that day. To be specific, we always write “C” to record what we supposedly learned in “class” that day. Taking the time to look at what you wrote might help you actually remember it in important situations such as when a teacher asks the class “What did we do yesterday?” Instead of looking clueless, you can totally impress the teacher by piping up and stating with complete authority “Actually, we read that amazing piece of literature about Taylor Swift and Spotify, in addition to discussing Theseus and his crazy old man.” With that clear explanation, your teacher will surely be so impressed that she or he will simply give you an “A” for the rest of the quarter and allow you to text random strangers for the next nine weeks. Oh yeah, I still need to mention the third reason you should use your agenda. When you look and actually read your agenda for what “D” (devoirs) says, you won’t be that numbskull at the lockers who says every single day “Do we have any homework tonight?” Rather, you will be the wisecracker who responds to such idiotic questions with the curt retort “You don’t know? Look in your agenda foolish one!” With that statement, you can slam your locker shut with the full confidence that you know the score and the rest of the clowns will be left in your dust. As you can plainly see, using your agenda will give you a bunch of helpful facts in various areas, information about what you did in school each day, and the information you need to help you successfully complete your homework. In short, it will allow you to be a productive member of society, rather than one who brings down the entire society of the world to a sloth-like existence. I trust that you will consider these clear and valid points to make the only correct choice.
your locker shut with the full confidence that you know the score and the rest of the clowns will be left in your dust. As you can plainly see, using your agenda will give you a bunch of helpful facts in various areas, information about what you did in school each day, and the information you need to help you successfully complete your homework. In short, it will allow you to be a productive member of society, rather than one who brings down the entire society of the world to a sloth-like existence. I trust that you will consider these clear and valid points to make the only correct choice.
... wisecracker?
teacher will surely be so impressed that she or he will simply give you an “A” for the rest of the quarter and allow you to text random strangers for the next nine weeks. Oh yeah, I still need to mention the third reason you should use your agenda. When you look and actually read your agenda for what “D” (devoirs) says, you won’t be that numbskull at the lockers who says every single day “Do we have any homework tonight?” Rather, you will be the wisecracker who responds to such idiotic questions with the curt retort “You don’t know? Look in your agenda foolish one!” With that statement, you can slam your locker shut with the full confidence that you know the score and the rest of the clowns will be left in your dust. As you can plainly see, using your agenda will give you a bunch of helpful facts in various areas, information about what you did in school each day, and the information you need to help you successfully complete your homework. In short, it will allow you to be a productive member of society, rather than one who brings down the entire society of the world to a sloth-like existence. I trust that you will consider these clear and valid points to make the only correct choice.
by Patrick Sprehe
I believe that we shouldn’t do journal entries for a number of reasons. First, journal entries take a lot of time. They take an estimated 20 minutes from class time. Furthermore, during those 20 minutes we could be learning more essential things. Second, it hurts your hand. While you are writing crazy fast you will start to press down, and your muscles will build tension, which causes the sharp pains. In addition, people will pop their knuckles, which is said to be bad for your hand. Third, bad grammar practice, will lead to bad grammar permanently. When you start to practice bad grammar, it will become a habit. To illustrate, your brain will start to adapt to the way you spell a word whether it is wrong or not. In conclusion, I believe we shouldn’t be assigned journal entries because it takes a lot of time, is painful and can ruin your grammar.
Kathryn McCabe, 8A
Abraham Mun 8A
I believe the administration should change the gym uniform for a number of reasons. First, it is difficult to find. For example, it is difficult to find solid navy blue shorts. Also, maybe we could find higher quality clothing in different colors. Second, it will expose people to their fashion taste. For instance, in sportswear, there are more vibrant colors for people who are interested in that. In addition, there are more color choices so people can choose their favorite colors. Third, people could be more comfortable. Maybe you are not comfortable with the length of navy blue shorts, but you are more comfortable with the length of these pants that are different color. Furthermore, the type of fabric shirts and shorts are made of is not as comfortable as the ones in a different color. In summary, the administration should reconsider the gym uniform.
A Raisin in the Sun 8th grade
veut que son fils Dankaran Touman devienne le roi. Sogolon voulait des feuilles de baobab donc, elle demande à Sassouma. Sassouma est très méchante et jette les feuilles au visage de Sogolon. Sogolon est fâchée avec son fils car il ne peut rien faire. Soundiata se met debout et va cherhcer un baobab ebtier qu’il plante devant la case de sa mère. Mais Sassouma était jalouse donc elle a exilé Sogolon et Soundiata. 20 ans après le royaume a besoin de Soundiata pour le libérer de la terreur du roi Soumahoro Kanté. Il devient très puissant et découvre le talon d’Achile du terrible roi Soumahoro grâce à la complicité de sa demi soeur Nana Triban, épouse de Soumahoro. Il le tue avec un ergot de coq placé au bout d’une flèche.
Il y avait un royaume appelé Niani. Dans cet royaume, il y avait un roi qui s’appelait Nare Magan. Il y avait un buffle qui terrorisait les peuples donc, ce roi a dit que la personne qui tuerait ce buffle receverait cent de toutes choses! Le roi a parlé avec son griot. Son griot a dit qu’il doit se marier à la plus moche des femmes du royaume. Après que les chasseurs ont tué le buffle, le roi demande qu’ils lui amènent la femme la plus moche qu’ils pouvaient trouver. Cette fille est la soeur du roi du village et elle s’appelait Sogolon. Les chasseurs ramènent Sogolon au roi mais, l’esprit du buffle était dans Sogolon. Le roi essaye d’avoir un enfant avec Sogolon mais elle se transforme en buffle la nuit. Finalement Sogolon était enceinte avec un enfant nommé Soundiata. Dix-sept ans plus tard. Soundiata est à terre et il ne pouvait pas marcher. Sogolon et Soundiata sont des bonnes personnes mais ils avaient des ennemis. Sassouma, sa coépouse veut que son fils Dankaran Touman devienne le roi. Sogolon voulait des feuilles de baobab donc, elle demande à Sassouma. Sassouma est très méchante et jette les feuilles au visage de Sogolon. Sogolon est fâchée avec son fils car il ne peut rien faire. Soundiata se met debout et va cherhcer un baobab ebtier qu’il plante devant la case de sa mère. Mais Sassouma était jalouse donc elle a exilé Sogolon et Soundiata. 20 ans après le royaume a besoin de Soundiata pour le libérer de la terreur du roi Soumahoro Kanté. Il devient très puissant et découvre le talon d’Achile du terrible roi Soumahoro grâce à la complicité de sa demi soeur Nana Triban, épouse de Soumahoro. Il le tue avec un ergot de coq placé au bout d’une flèche.
Soundiata par Michael Lee, 8e
by India Walker
how people would react. English class, third period. The teacher, Ms. Elsner: “We have a shortened hour today because of the assembly, so we’re just going to read our ‘Being an American’ essays from last night. Would anyone like to go first?” She looked at me, since my hand was normally quivering in the air by that point, but I kept it down and stared at my feet, feeling oddly subdued. Besides, other people should get to go, anyway. She called on Lucy Gorman first, and then George, and then AJ. Some of theirs were more sarcastic like mine, some floated on fluff and fantasy, and a couple insisted that America was the face of a new era and that cowboys were not everything from the US, that the states had accomplished more. Cowboys originated in Spain, anyway, so that stereotype that they so helpfully enforced isn’t even all that accurate. “Reid?” Ms. Henderson suggested, and Reid Hathaway stood up, clutching a slim paper. Reid was a slight kid with short hair, and so sometimes mistaken for a boy. She didn’t talk much, but she was friendly and, as I’d recently discovered, a good writer. I made a point to listen. “America,” she began softly, “is not about McDonalds, or frappuccinos, or hot dog eating contests. It’s not about all the horrible things we do, because those do happen, but those belong to
I continued in this sense, starting out sarcastically and building up a rhythm until it was more satire than essay. When I put the double-sided paper down, I was satisfied, and blew softly on my messy scrawl to dry the ink before I slipped it into my backpack for tomorrow. It may not have been my most poetic piece of writing, but in my own strange way, I was proud of it. The next day, first period roll call, punctuated by the fart noises of my ever-eloquent seventh grade male peers. “Carrie Peters?” “Here,” I mumbled sleepily, lifting my head from my arms for a brief moment before flopping back down. My friend Abi reached over and poked me in the arm. “Nuh,” I grunted, turning away. “Did you even sleep last night?” she whispered, sticking her head by mine. I straightened up with a yawn. “Not for a while,” I admitted. “I was doing the homework until like 11:30.” “Oh,” Abi said, absent-mindedly trying to fix a knot in her long blond hair. “What did you do your essay about?”“The real America,” I said with a grin, but as she brought it up I felt something strange in my stomach, and I kind of didn't want to read my essay aloud come English class. Normally I was excited to read my writing, but this time I didn't know
‘What does it mean to be an American?’ I read the essay question again and again, my eyes scanning and re-scanning it. I gave a little snort of derision. An American? An American, the more I thought about it--I couldn’t feel it was something to be proud of. I groaned, and pressed my thumbs against my eyelids, then blinked them open and glanced at my clock. 10:26. I had to get something down, I couldn’t stay like this all night. Why not be candid, then? I tapped my pen against my teeth, and then lowered it to the paper. An American. In short, it is someone who lives in America, but what does it mean? Interference with other people’s wars. Democracy, maybe, but hate, plenty of it, towards anyone a specific group might feel is beneath them--be it based on race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. An American is eating a lot. Condensed fats. Hamburgers, hotdogs. Meat and preservatives, Coca-Cola, and driving giant SUVs. War and the inability to keep out of other people’s business, giant oil consumers, and melters of the polar ice caps. Law-breakers. People who lay claim to things that aren’t actually theirs--celebrities, fashions, foods, all from different countries and acting like they’re ours. The tourists in the Hawaiian shirts, the made-in-China distributors, the ones all the other countries look down on.
thinking outside the class thinking outside the class thinking out
Patriotism by India Walker
She lowered her paper. She’d said all that quickly and quietly, but I, as an experienced speaker-too-fast, understood every word, and right then they were corroding my soul. Everyone clapped politely, and as I looked around, I felt a sudden surge of anger, because I wondered how many of them were actually listening. In front, George leaned over and whispered to Reid, “Your dad’s in the army? That’s so awesome. Does he have his own gun?” “It’s not awesome,” Reid whispered, her little face reddening slightly, and George, confused, sat back down. How utterly tactless, and yet utterly naive. Ms. Henderson called on a few more people, and then, “Carrie? Would you like to read what you’ve got for the class?” I swallowed, but the lump in my throat stayed firmly there. I looked down at my paper for a long time, at all the insults and all the stereotypes I had so hypocritically adhered to. “Could I have another day?” I asked, looking up beseechingly. “I’d like to change it a little.” Ms. Henderson looked at me a bit strangely, but at last nods, turning away. I exhaled and quietly crumpled my paper. Tomorrow, mine will be better, because today, I know.
the people, and not to the nation. The nation is responsible for government actions, sure, but also the best of things, and that is what I’ve written about. “America is brave,” she said. “America is being yourself even when everybody hates you. Being American is being surrounded by those different but only a few steps away from those who completely understand. “My father is America,” she said, pulling out a picture. As I was in the back, I coudn’t immediately tell what it was. “And I don’t mean my dad’s American, my dad is America, because that is what he does.” Leaning forward and squinting, I could make out of the photo. It was of a middle aged man in army fatigues, smiling at the camera. Reid continued. “He fights and he sees and he knows people are dying around him, so he fights harder, because he loves his country. Despite it’s flaws. Despite everything it does wrong, because that is truly the American nature. Fighting for the things we have wrong with us, and then knowing they don’t matter. And when my dad comes back from Iraq, I’m going to tell him that.”
Teenagers In Generation Z
{Not so basically basic} By Ella Norton
Our generation is called generation Z because we are the first generation to ever have Internet since we were born. With the Internet, social media, bullying, cyberbullying, stereotypes, life, relationships; life can be overwhelming for a teenager. Since Internet was available since we were babies, many things of our life are different than the generations before us. I mean, how many of you went to the library to find a book for your last project? I would guess not very many. That’s okay; it just shows how much things have changed. Before, the library was the only place you could find information. Now instead of having to ask our parents for a ride, go to the library, go find a book, check it out, and get a ride home; we can just get onto our computers, phones, tablets, and look stuff up. Another thing that our generation has is social media. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Vine, just to name a few. It’s strange to think that before, no one did that. And just imagine what kind of social media our kids will be using. I think that when we post something, we do it almost braggingly. Maybe we don’t mean to, but subconsciously, it’s there. For example: Look at my new shoes, look who I’m hanging out with and you’re not, look at my flawless face. Doesn’t that sound like bragging to you? Sometimes people do mean to brag when they post but not always. I’m not judging I post photos too; I just find it interesting. We also use social media for reassurance. You go home post a selfie, come back ten minutes later and look at the comments. It makes us feel good when someone looks at a photo of us and thinks it’s good. That’s just human nature. It’s the same thing with followers. When you look at how many followers, you think, wow 100 people think I’m interesting and want to see the photos I post. It’s the same things with likes. How many times have you seen someone post something saying, “Get me to 500 followers!” or “get this photo to 70 likes!” I would guess a lot. And why do you think we do that? Because its human nature and we want the reassurance. Another thing that has happened is cyberbullying. Bullying was bad enough but now it’s ten times worse. When you are behind a screen, you can’t see the other persons face. You can’t see the other person’s emotion. It’s just so easy to type, “Wow you look stupid.” How do we stop it? It’s human nature to judge. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS OKAY! It is never okay, to pick on someone else’s feelings. If you think someone could take something in a mean way, don’t send it. Be kind. And never send something you wouldn’t be able to send to their face. On a different subject, how many times have you heard of stereotypes? With social media there are so many stereotypes. Starbucks, Lulu Lemon leggings and Ugg boots is a typical suburban girl. Right? Except, it’s not. And sometimes I think we feel so much pressure to classify things as this or that. But we don’t have to. Maybe she likes to wear Ugg boots and hates Starbucks, but because she is wearing Ugg boots, she is a typical suburban girl. Why do we need to label things? Another thing, are certain posts labeled just girly things. They will post a photo of turtles. Why is that just a girly thing? Why can’t boys like turtles too? Why do we label stuff? In songs they always say things like, “You can’t label me.” But yet we label other people. My last thing, is relationships. Relationships are so much harder now a days. You see a photo of bae hanging out with someone else, is he cheating on you? You text bae but she doesn’t answer. Is she hanging out with someone else? With technology, it becomes harder. As you can see life for a teenager is not so basically basic. But hey, life is what it is. Just live 100% being yourself and being kind and it will be easier than you think.
strange to think that before, no one did that. And just imagine what kind of social media our kids will be using. I think that when we post something, we do it almost braggingly. Maybe we don’t mean to, but subconsciously, it’s there. For example: Look at my new shoes, look who I’m hanging out with and you’re not, look at my flawless face. Doesn’t that sound like bragging to you? Sometimes people do mean to brag when they post but not always. I’m not judging I post photos too; I just find it interesting. We also use social media for reassurance. You go home post a selfie, come back ten minutes later and look at the comments. It makes us feel good when someone looks at a photo of us and thinks it’s good. That’s just human nature. It’s the same thing with followers. When you look at how many followers, you think, wow 100 people think I’m interesting and want to see the photos I post. It’s the same things with likes. How many times have you seen someone post something saying, “Get me to 500 followers!” or “get this photo to 70 likes!” I would guess a lot. And why do you think we do that? Because its human nature and we want the reassurance. Another thing that has happened is cyberbullying. Bullying was bad enough but now it’s ten times worse. When you are behind a screen, you can’t see the other persons face. You can’t see the other person’s emotion. It’s just so easy to type, “Wow you look stupid.” How do we stop it? It’s human nature to judge. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS OKAY! It is never okay, to pick on someone else’s feelings. If you think someone could take something in a mean way, don’t send it. Be kind. And never send something you wouldn’t be able to say to their face. On a different subject, how many times have you heard of stereotypes? With social media there are so many stereotypes. Starbucks, Lulu Lemon leggings and Ugg boots is a typical suburban girl. Right? Except, it’s not. And sometimes I think we feel so much pressure to classify things as this or that. But we don’t have to. Maybe she likes to wear Ugg boots and hates Starbucks, but because she is wearing Ugg boots, she is a typical suburban girl. Why do we need to label things? Another thing, are certain posts labeled just girly things. They will post a photo of turtles. Why is that just a girly thing? Why can’t boys like turtles too? Why do we label stuff? In songs they always say things like, “You can’t label me.” But yet we label other people. My last thing, is relationships. Relationships are so much harder now a days. You see a photo of bae hanging out with someone else, is he cheating on you? You text bae but she doesn’t answer. Is she hanging out with someone else? With technology, it becomes harder. As you can see life for a teenager is not so basically basic. But hey, life is what it is. Just live 100% being yourself and being kind and it will be easier than you think.
Starbucks, Lulu Lemon leggings and Ugg boots is a typical suburban girl. Right? Except, it’s not. And sometimes I think we feel so much pressure to classify things as this or that. But we don’t have to. Maybe she likes to wear Ugg boots and hates Starbucks, but because she is wearing Ugg boots, she is a typical suburban girl. Why do we need to label things? Another thing, are certain posts labeled just girly things. They will post a photo of turtles. Why is that just a girly thing? Why can’t boys like turtles too? Why do we label stuff? In songs they always say things like, “You can’t label me.” But yet we label other people. As you can see life for a teenager is not so basically basic. But hey, life is what it is. Just live 100% being yourself and being kind and it will be easier than you think.
Homework: Will the IB program change anything at AL?
The so-called 'homework debate' is one widely chronicled, argued, and studied. Parents everywhere have their differing opinions about it, kids pretty much hate it, and most teachers just can't see what the big deal is. Several parents have put their angst into writing--just check out 'The Homework Myth', 'The Case Against Homework', or 'The Homework Trap.' Several widely renowned magazines have made their own cases against or for or simply about homework, such as the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Smithsonian, to name a few. Studies over decades have shown that the amount of homework kids do doesn't have an effect on how much the kids actually learn. So why hasn't anything actually been done? In short, it has. This is especially relevant to our school because we are easing into the IB (international baccalaureate) progam. You may know this already, but though IB schools assign homework regularly, in the AL program, students would not be graded on it. Take that in for a moment. That homework you just didn't have time for because your clogging lesson went late, or because your parents are split and your math book was at your mom's, or because you just didn't finish it all? That grade won't actually drag down your GPA. In IB, kids are only graded on assessments. Allow me to get something straight--doing homework is still expected of you, and if you don't do it, it will probably show when you take that big test. And most of the time, the kids that don't do the homework don't pass the test. For now, though, we're still with regular school policies. And a lot of regular schools assign a lot of homework.
homework is necessary, as long as a clear purpose is given. (...) At (AL), homework is given for a variety of reasons: to prepare for a student for an upcoming class discussion/lesson, to provide an opportunity for a student to practice a taught concept, and to help students become disciplined and organized young people. As long as the homework has meaning, and it isn't being assigned arbitrarily (because a parent or administrator wants it to be assigned), then I think it's a great idea. With (MYP), I don't expect the homework flow to change much. Perhaps the type of homework will change (more projects, etc.), but there will still be the same amount I'm sure. There are no official IB rules on homework. With the IB, all curriculum is organic, and homework is left up to the teacher's discretion.” Let's compare with my own homework quantities. Tonight, I have about 24 math questions, notes for Social Studies, and a timeline for English. I also have ongoing projects in Social Studies, French, and Science, and I am expected to make Valentines for my peers, however much I doubt that they will do the same. Is this too much? Who knows? Is it doable? Yes, probably, but I'll be stressed and tired in the morning. Note that this is a bit more than I usually have (maybe one out of five of my nights are like this), but I, like many of my peers, have extracurricular activities, and they get in the way of my workload(or vice versa). Homework did not use to be such a big deal. In the 50s, homework would have been a rare occasion. It is much more common now, probably due to the fact
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We at Lafayette are fairly lucky, though it may not always seem that way. For a little comparison, let's take the NYC Lab Middle School For Collaborative Studies. A couple years ago, a father, knowing how much his daughter complained about the workload at home, decided to take on her homework for a week. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. None of the day’s workloads took any less than three hours to complete with the both of them working hard. He turned this experiment into an article that was posted on theatlantic.com, titling it 'My Daughter's Homework is Killing Me,' in which he included quotes from unsympathetic teachers, who claimed that if his daughter was struggling, she could take a remedial class. So the question remains: Are schools assigning too much homework? The NYC Lab school was perhaps an extreme example, though a realistic one. To settle the matter, I spoke to some students and teachers at our own school. I spoke to Ella Norton (a fellow Rough writer) and her opinion on the matter was this: "I don’t think it should be graded, however sometimes I feel it maybe can help but I don’t think it should be graded, or if it is, be graded on how hard we tried. It does take up a lot of time and can be very stressful." Nora Sjue wrote to me as well, saying that she herself was against only “tremendous amounts of homework like we'll have in highschool, but for now it's good." I also spoke to Mme. McDowell, the IB coordinator for Lafayette (as well as English teacher and excellent human being). She wrote to me this: “I think
5 | Outdoor Magazine Oct 2014
America. It expresses just how much pressure is put on students of today--pressure to perform, and not to comprehend. A lot of the movie is about how the things that really make students think--literature, biology, or psychology--are pushed aside. It mostly dwells on high school life, but there was also a little boy, hardly more than eight years old, who obligingly read from the script: "We have to do well so we can go to a good college." Creativity is limited by the will to pleas by becoming a doctor or a dentist or a lawyer and learning and achieving by the script, something that AL successfully outmaneuvers most of the time. In many schools, though, students are taught again and again to perform, to do well, to memorize and not rationalize. My own personal opinion? I love the idea of homework not being graded. There are times when I can't locate a textbook, or I get home at 9:30, or I lose my agenda and don't know if I have any. These scenarios apply to everyone, and homework will only become more of a struggle as we get older and enter high school. Still, I believe homework helps me to comprehend the work and go over it again at home. Many people have their differing opinions on it, but despite it’s 'branding problem’, homework is a part of the educational system today.
that the US is slipping out of the educational ratings to East Asia--Singapore, Shanghai, Helsinki and the others. However, as The Atlantic writer states, "(T)he length of the school day is about the same. The school year hasn’t been extended. Student-teacher ratios don’t seem to have changed much. No, our children are going to catch up with those East Asian kids on their own (darn) time." So according to my peers and many articles, a common stance on the matter is not that homework should be completely abolished, just that there's too much of it. According to the book 'The Learning Habit' by authors Rebecca Jackson, Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, and Robert M. Pressman, the amount of time spent on homework in elementary school should be equivalent to their grade--10 minutes for first grade up to 80 minutes for eighth grade. (High school can of course be a much messier topic.) But this, of course, is not always (or even often) applied in schools across America. A Washington Post reader identified as CalvinTheDog complained that her fifth grader had just spent over three hours on her homework, much more than the advised 50 in the book. There are many differing opinions by parents on the subject of homework. Some think that students who do well on tests should not be required to do homework--which, as Washington Post writer Jay Matthews states, "violates long-standing educational practice." Now, our oversea friends that are doing so much better than us--the Czech Republic, or Japan or Denmark--their teachers assign relatively little homework, whereas some of the worse academically ranking countries--like Greece or Iran--assign a lot. There may not necessarily be a correlation between these, but it speaks volumes upon our
Short film on students' opinions
6 | Outdoor Magazine Oct 2014
homework-assigning logic, and perhaps questions it's adequacy. But the homework case is not globally despised. According to several parenting sites, homework teaches kids time management, responsibility, and perseverance, among others, which can't be argued. Kids learn organization, and completing a tough paper that later leads to a good score on a test can boost self-esteem in healthy ways. Most say the purpose of homework is not for students to attempt to learn more things on their own, or just to torture kids (as is the common excuse), but to review what students have learned already in class so they'll be prepared to move on the next day. Many people think this is a good tactic and a great thing when given in healthy doses. The largest problem here: children work at different paces, and that is something no one can change. Some may complete homework effortlessly in class, or are well organized and have time set aside. Others maybe didn't understand the concept very well the first time--so going home to work on it without a teacher certainly isn't going to help. There's a film by Vicki Abeles called The Race To Nowhere. It's an interesting documentary that I discovered while reading a Smithsonian article. It documents kid's and teacher's opinions on homework and the teaching system of today in
THE HOMEWORK DEBATE: Does it really help? by India Walker
Taken by Eric Curl jg
This picture is a picture of old subway cars being dumped into the ocean . When you look at this picture you might think that this is just irresponsible pollution, but don't be fooled! When New York is finished with old subway cars, they strip everything off until only the metal frame is left. They remove all pollutants such as gasoline and waste. Barges are piled high with the subway cars, and once the barges are far enough out, a mechanical arm will push the cars into the ocean. The cars will then sink to the floor where they will stay.
by Sera Von Rautenfeld, 6th grade, staff writer
Coral Reef Growing
stay, and eventually assimilate into the ocean. These subway cars stimulate coral reef growth, and help save and rebuild endangered ocean ecosystems. Coral reefs are endangered for many reasons, some of the most important are pollutants being washed into coral reefs when they are dumped into the ocean. The toxins seep into the coral, killing it. Over-fishing is also a problem, making the fish population scarce, and destroying ecosystems. Subway cars are not the only thing coral reefs grow on. In fact, there are pictures of fallen statues, sunken boats, and old planes!
The top picture is of a subway car after five years in the ocean, and the bottom picture is a subway car after ten years. Sources: Popular Mechanics: What it looks like when New York dumps old subway cars into the ocean. By John Wenz
, comics, comics, comics, comics, comics, comics
par Naomi, 6A
website@website.com
Foxy the Pirate Fox created by Collin Brustad, 6th grade using Google Docs
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