Running For The Scoop
Gilman Lower School
Volume 4, Issue 3
Friday, February 11, 2010
Read-A-Thon for Autism
Time in the Tundra
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
By Mekhi Johnson and Taylor Classen
By Sam Bloomberg
By Mekhi Johnson and Taylor Classen
The annual Lower School Read-A-Thon started with an assembly in the Stevens Room on Friday, January 7th. Miss Alpert ran the assembly, like she does every year, and there were some guest speakers. This year, the Lower School is sponsoring the Kennedy Krieger ROAR and the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School. Both organizations help people with autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder. It affects people differently, and some people are greatly affected and some aren‟t. Usually if you have autism you have difficulty communicating and relating to others. It affects your ability to socialize and relate to other kids and people, and sometimes because of that you have behavior issues. When you have autism, your brain just doesn‟t react to normal, everyday things the way most people do. At the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School, kids with autism learn to work with horses, feed them, and ride them. The horses help kids with disabilities, because it is almost like the horses understand them. The money we raise will help the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School build an indoor rink for the horses so that kids with disabilities can go there year round. At this writing, 249 boys in the Lower School have signed up to participate in the Read-AThon – that is 90%! Wow! That means they have promised to read a lot and then record what they read by coloring in 15 minutes blocks on the Read-A-Thon envelope. The last day to read was Friday, January 28th, and now everyone has to collect the money for autism that friends and relatives have pledged. We hope to raise a lot of money this year for autism, and we know the ReadA-Thon will be a big success. Stay tuned to the next issue of the Gazette to find out how much money we actually raised!
On Saturday, January 29th Gilman fourth grader Grant Emry took part in the cold and icy Polar Bear Plunge! Grant “polar bear plunged” for his four year old brother Tucker, who has Down Syndrome. Grant stated, “I love Tucker so much that I will keep plunging.” Grant also went on to describe his experience, “It felt so cold it hurt to walk, and I didn‟t have any connection to my body.” Grant‟s heart was racing the whole day. He was actually in the water for about five minutes in the 18 degree water. 18 degrees! He only wore a bathing suit, which is the reason he had to use a blanket instead of a towel. Way to go, Grant!
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Convocation was held in the Finney Athletic Center on Thursday, January 14, 2011. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrates the life and the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We celebrate this holiday because Dr. King fought for civil rights for African-Americans in the 1960s. At the Gilman Convocation this year, there was a lot of singing and speeches about Dr. King‟s work. The Traveling Men sang. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was sung, and Dr. Powell (the Assistant Head of the Lower School) and other teachers recited the poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. There was also a video about Martin Luther King, Jr. Then the Middlemen (the singing group from the Middle School) sang, and the Upper School string ensemble played, too. Everyone had a great Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
First Grade Mitten Stories The Flip Flop By Sam Winick Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack. He lived with his dad. He lived in Ocean City Beach. His dad gave him flip flops because he liked to play at the beach. He went to explore the beach. He lost his flip flop when he tripped in a sand pit. Along came a sand crab. He went digging into the flip flop because he was tired. Next came a Maryland crab. He went swimming into the flip flop because he was in pain. When the sand crab saw the Maryland crab‟s sharp claws, he moved over. After that along came a lobster. When the sand crab and Maryland crab saw the lobster‟s big tail, they moved over. After that an eel came slithering by. When the sand crab, the (Continued on page 2)
Masthead illustrated by Conner Savitz. Slogan created by Andrew Poverman.
Inside this issue: Homeroom Happenings
2-6
Critics’ Corner
7
Creative Writing
8-17
Sports
18
Comics
19-20