Summit Wordworks 2017

Wordworks

Wordworks

Literary Magazine Volume 1 Spring 2017

Editor-in-Chief:

Brendan McEachern, Grade Six Language Arts

Graphic Design & Page Layout:

Megan McGrath

Photography:

David Mason

Special Thanks to the Following Faculty Members for Guiding Our Students in Writing & Art: Hilary Carvitti, Fourth Grade Art Meghan Cole, Fifth Grade Language Arts Frances Keller, Fourth Grade Language Arts Barb Sander, Fourth Grade Language Arts Paul Serrianne, Sixth Grade Art Paula Yarnell, Fifth Grade Art

Welcome to our first issue of Wordworks. This magazine contains one piece of writing from our students in grades four, five, and six. Each student is showcasing his or her writing ability in a variety of prompts ranging from the whimsical to introspective. In order to show the progression of writing in the grades, I have attempted to keep each writing piece as authentic as possible without major editorial changes. My goal in this magazine is to show the progression from the Lower School in fourth grade to the midpoint of the Middle School in sixth grade. It is truly a great time to experience growth in writing and watch the writing evolve in our Lower and Middle School grades.

Enjoy the first issue!

1

Brendan McEachern

The Summit Country Day School

Authors Sophie Anderson George Baker

Pg. 33 Pg. 35, 45

Lilly Dwyer

Pg. 41, 47

Megan Ebken

Pg. 30

Ryan Kenter

Pg. 32

Wali Khan

Pg. 17

Darnell Baldwin

Pg. 14, 43

Savannah Eveslage Pg. 12, 45

Owen Kohlhepp

Pg. 13

Katelyn Bastos

Pg. 22, 46

Joseph Federle

Pg. 40

Freya Kindel

Pg. 37

Joaquin Beatty

Pg. 26

Annie Fee

Pg. 34

Jed Koenig

Pg. 29

Caroline Beckes

Pg. 20

Alaina Fisher

Pg. 21

Finn Kropp

Pg. 28

Nick Bergeron

Pg. 10

Kathleen Fitzpatrick

Pg. 14

Annette LaLonde

Pg. 9

Tanner Berry

Pg. 16

Christina Francis

Pg. 7

Ethan Lam

Pg. 23

Pg. 4

Tyler Berry

Lily Gentes

Pg. 41

Claire Lamarre

Pg. 32

Pg. 34, 47

Jude Gerhardt

Pg. 15

Chloe Lane

Pg. 35

William Bishop

Pg. 16

Henry Gieseke

Pg. 15

Matthew Langenderfer

Pg. 36

Maggie Bissmeyer

Pg. 24

Liam Girkin

Pg. 19

Holland Lippert

Pg. 18

Vivi Bohmer

Pg. 31

Kameron Givan

Pg. 21

Trey Lippert

Pg. 41

Mirabella Bosse

Pg. 11

Esmé Gonyo

Pg. 40

Brett Maples

Pg. 7

Reagan Bricking

Pg. 8, 45

Lavina Grzymajlo

Pg. 10

Owen McEachern

Pg. 40

Millie Browner

Pg. 27

Maya Hajjar

Pg. 36

T.J. McGrath

Pg. 10

Allison Burns

Pg. 30

Carson Hall

Pg. 21

Patrick McHugh

Pg. 26

Caroline Burns

Pg. 33, 43

Brenden Hamilton

Pg. 28

William McLane

Pg. 18

Colleen Busher

Pg. 17

William Hartmann

Pg. 22

Lennard Mellin

Mason Butler

Pg. 32

Tarek Hasan

Pg. 12

Ann Miller

Pg. 8, 48

Trey Butler

Pg. 36

Tucker Hayes

Pg. 39

Logan Miller

Pg. 29

Jackson Campbell

Pg. 6

Gwen Hellmann

Pg. 19

Nolan Miller

Pg. 24

Maria Bishop

Pg. 30

Nick Carle

Pg. 4-5

Drew Hinton

Pg. 5

Maria Min

Pg. 12

Mia Cavallo

Pg. 12

James Hinton

Pg. 5

Lily Mitchell

Pg. 6

CC Chavez

Pg. 37

Margaret Hobbins

Pg. 27

Nia Neal

Pg. 8

Joshua Clauder

Pg. 7

Beckett Holmes

Sophia Nery

Pg. 5

Pg. 33

Gibson Holmes

Pg. 31

Kira Njegovan

Pg. 38

Pg. 35, 47

Henry Howard

Pg. 38

Camille Nicholson

Pg. 32

Pg. 17

Sofia Palek

Katie Conway Heidi Crowther

Pg. 17, 42

Katie Crowther

Pg. 37

Max Jambor

Conlan Daniel

Pg. 25

Jonathan James

Pg. 33, 44

Eva Pappano

Pg. 13

Lily de Lacy

Pg. 37

James Johnson

Pg. 41, 44

Luke Pappano

Pg. 22

Shannon Dennemann

Pg. 24

Alaric Jones

Pg. 11

Sam Parker

Pg. 9

Grant Desch

Pg. 23

Trey Joseph

Pg. 22

Benny Penote

Pg. 31

Joey DiPaola

Pg. 39

Rimel Kamran

Pg. 18

Carlo Quintero

Pg. 7

Pg. 23

Kwadwo Karikari

Pg. 26

Kendall Ralph

Pg. 28

Gracey Kelly

Pg. 14

Addie Ransick

Pg. 7

Benedict Domville Carson Dwyer

Pg. 6, 42

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Pg. 31, 48

Wordworks

Izzy Rawlings

Pg. 17

Mercer Reynolds

Pg. 25

Jack Riley Jack Robinson

Pg. 13, 46 Pg. 38

Cover Art Ali Burns, Untitled Ann Miller, Goddess of the Sun

Anna Grace Sanders Pg. 40, 42

Brenden Hamilton, Stained Glass

Kyleigh Sandker

Pg. 4

Window

Patrick Schaaf

Pg. 6

Claire Lamarre, Stained Glass Window

Madeline Schaefer Pg. 11, 44 Tommy Schaefer

Pg. 38

Luke Schneider

Pg. 39

David Schnitter

Pg. 34, 43

Ryan Schnitter

Pg. 9

Lilly Sievering

Pg. 27

Madison Sievering

Pg. 15

Kali Smith

Pg. 16

Lyla Soper

Pg. 26

Kate Stagnaro

Pg. 8

Michael Stagnaro

Pg. 20

Susie Stahl

Pg. 13

Nicholas Stanis

Pg. 20

Alek Stanisic

Pg. 23

Sarah Stewart

Pg. 36

Elena Stone

Grace Kelly, Lion King Jack Riley, Step into the Universe Reagan Bricking, Spring Fling Trey Joseph, Blue Moon Over New York Tucker Hayes, Mustachioed Mask Tyler Berry, Unique

Pg. 29

Maddie Sumnar

Pg. 25, 45

Anna Toebben

Pg. 23

Grace Tounge

Pg. 4

Ethan Traiforis

Pg. 39, 43

Allen Wang

Pg. 35, 42

Ryka Woodruff

Pg. 34

Drew Zins

Pg. 19

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The Summit Country Day School

Adventure – an excerpt Kyleigh Sandker Gr. 6 It was Friday night and Mrs. Rademacher accidently left the chinchillas’ cage open. Pepper is originally from California, and Midnight is originally from Texas. Pepper and Midnight have good night vision, they saw the cage door open and decided they wanted to go on an adventure. They had planned on going anywhere that was within the Middle School building so that they could find their way back. Pepper and Midnight are going to mostly stick to the basement floor, mostly.

Room 107 is also known as Mr. McEachern’s room which is currently upstairs to Mrs. Rademacher’s room. Midnight and Pepper jump onto Mr. McEachern’s desk and knock over all of the bobble heads, and they all break. Pepper somehow gets stuck in Wali’s origami ball, so Midnight has to help him get out.

Midnight and Pepper get into Mr.McEachern’s cabinet and gets the M&M’s and starts eating them all. Last but not least they start eating all of the Big Blue beanbag chairs and destroy them.

Midnight and Pepper take another adventure to Holmes gym. They got there by crawling under the crack of the door. Mr. Lynam and Mr.DiPaola left the balls out by accident, so Midnight and Pepper start having some fun with the balls. The first game Midnight and Pepper played was soccer, then they moved onto basketball, but I have to say that they are pretty good for being chinchillas. Pepper snuck downstairs to the locker room and somehow got stuck in one of the lockers, Midnight came and rescued him.

Isabel Allende – a Wax Museum of Courage excerpt Tyler Berry Gr. 5 Good morning, my name is Isabel Allende. I was born on August 2, 1942 in Lima, Peru. My parents divorced when I was two years old. My mom and siblings had to move in with my grandfather in Chile. Watching my mother’s struggles and lack of independence, inspired me to want something better for myself. I never forgot how I felt as a child, not being able to afford simple things. I wanted to give back to aid women in need, to get support. The Isabel Allende Foundation (inspired by the loss of my daughter) invests in the power for women and girls to secure economic independence and freedom from violence.

Amazing Grace Grace Tounge Gr. 4 I was in gym class, and we were playing baseball. The very best baseball player on the opposing team was up to bat. He hit the ball so far that no one even attempted to catch it except me. I went running and dove for the ball. Unbelievably, I caught the ball! Everyone in my homeroom was cheering for me, except the hitter.

The girls were all going crazy. They all ran over to me to hug and congratulate me on my awesome catch. It was special because no one ever tried to catch the baseball star’s balls. Even our gym teacher was excited for me. After catching the ball, he started singing Amazing Grace. Mr. Daniel never sings, probably because he thinks that is what music class is for. That was the best gym day ever and a great memory.

Louis Armstrong Nick Carle Gr. 6 Throughout his lifetime, Louis Armstrong showed much perseverance because his mom and dad left him when he was only in the fifth grade. He later became a musician and now he’s inspired many famous musicians. Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, LA. He went to the Fisk School for Boys, Colored Home for Boys. His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family after Louis’s birth; his mother left him with his grandmother. After fifth grade, Louis began doing a job collecting junk and delivering coal. When he was in school he received a cornet and instantly fell in love with music.

Louis Armstrong’s musical reputation began growing in New Orleans. He began his full music career in 1918. In 1919, he spent summers playing on river boats with the band, Fate Marble. He met Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. He received a call from King Oliver (a band) to go to Chicago and play with them. He accepted. He recorded his first solo, “Chimes Blues” on April 5, 1923.

When Louis Armstrong first got his cornet, he instantly fell in love with music. Throughout his lifetime, 4

Wordworks

Louis Armstrong showed much perseverance because his mom and dad basically left him after fifth grade.

He has inspired many famous musicians throughout the years and even today.

Neil Armstrong - a capstone essay excerpt Drew Hinton Gr. 6 Neil Armstrong demonstrated courage many times throughout his life. Armstrong had an interesting life and showed courage through many extraordinary experiences. He demonstrated courage by fighting in the Korean War. He showed courage by joining the Aerospace program, a new and dangerous program. He also showed courage by risking his life to travel to the moon. Another way he showed courage was being the first person to walk on the moon, facing all the unknown problems that could have happened. Neil Armstrong was very brave, and he was able to contribute to society because of his great courage.

Art – an excerpt James Hinton Gr. 6 Students’ left side brain needs to relax more and use the right side of their brains by drawing!

Drawing for kids tends to help them be more creative. Art can also improve language development with describing. Finally, art helps relieve stress and boost self-confidence. Kids should have more creative time in school to draw to help improve their school day.

Art tends to make kids more creative. Kids would become more creative by practicing specific forms of art. For example, practicing oil painting helps creativity. The National Endowment for the Arts made a study showing that young kids that draw tend to be more creative. When kids are creative they would be better thinkers in most of their subjects. In addition to being more creative, kids will have an easier time developing language.

Art can improve language development for all kids. Kids would become better describers by simply talking about what they draw. A study by National Endowment for the Arts says that talking about what they made. Being able to describe it can help them in Language Arts class. Besides helping language development, it also helps relieve stress.

Artist Frida Kahlo - The Two Fridas Sophia Nery Gr. 4 The artist Frida Kahlo painted this extraordinary painting, The Two Fridas, in 1939. Its style is a double self-portrait. The two Fridas are sitting on a bench in the midst of a storm, holding hands. The one in the more western style dress is holding metal scissors that are clamping down on her vein, though some blood is escaping, and dripping on her beautiful white dress. Her heart looks hurt, almost decayed, and cut in half while the more traditional, Mexican Frida has a whole, healthy heart. Traditional, Mexican Frida is gingerly holding a miniature of Diego Rivera as a young boy. A vein winding around them from their hearts connects them both; I think the vein is supposed to symbolize their connection. I think that Frida was trying to show in the painting that she was torn. Torn between both sides of herself, one moving on, starting a new life, cutting all regret, while the other will not let go, it still remembers and will not completely go away, fighting the other side. I think this is why she put some dim colors, to show she was at war with herself, trying to decide if she should just move on or linger there. When you think of war, do you think of a bright, beautiful, sunny day? Do you think of a clear sky and the sweet aroma of flowers? No, you do not, you think of a gray/black sky, a storm, chaos. That is what you think when you think of war. I think she says through the painting, that she is at war.

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The Summit Country Day School

Humaira Bachal – a capstone essay excerpt Lily Mitchell Gr. 5 Once a regular school girl, who struggled to make sure all girls in Pakistan received an education, this courageous woman now has a school that educates girls of all ages. She shows courage through her everyday life by giving the girls of Pakistan the education they deserve. She isn’t just a school teacher, she has been battling the fight of Malala. Malala is a school teacher who was fighting for the rights of young girls in India to be educated. She was shot in the head for doing this but thankfully survivied. Ms. Bachal is carrying on Malala’s Work.

Back at the Pond – a haiku Jackson Campbell Gr. 5 Waterfall dripping Dogs barking and fish swimming Pine trees dropping cones Roger Bannister - an excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay Patrick Schaaf Gr. 6 When a English runner named Roger Bannister came in fourth at the 1952 Olympics, he was determined to make history another way. Until Roger finally did it, the four minute was thought impossible. “Experts” all around the world produced papers and documents and made speeches. Then released them to society saying the sub-four minute mile was impossible. They were right... for a while...until Roger Bannister came along.

Roger Bannister was born on March 23, 1929. He was born into a working class family in Harrow, England.

As a child, Roger showed strong academic abilities. He also showed exceptional athletic skill at at a young age. He wanted to go to a good college but could not afford it. He received a scholarship to Oxford University.

Because of his amazing skill, Roger was invited to the 1948 Olympics. He declined though keeping his sights on the 1952 Olympics. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, he was predicted to win, but sadly came in fourth.

He was depressed and considered giving up running altogether. He came through though and decided to make history another way. He was going to achieve the sub-four minute mile. He trained. Running every single day, he did interval after interval. His eyes always on the prize, the sub-four minute mile. Then on May 6, 1954 he accomplished the “impossible.” With a time of 3 min and 59.4 second, he barely made the mark with only 0.6 seconds to spare. Most importantly though his perseverance led to a great feat.

Basketball – an excerpt Carson Dwyer Gr. 4 It was the middle of fourth grade, and it was my homeroom’s day for gym. We all grabbed our clothes and started heading over to the middle school gym. I had heard from other classes that already had gym that our class was going to be really fun. When we finished changing, we all headed to our gym spots. Mr. Daniel got basketballs out of his storage room. I was excited because basketball is my favorite sport.

Mr. Daniel told the class that we were going to be in a tight spot and we had to dribble the ball while trying to steal everyone else’s ball. First, we got into a fairly large space and only a couple of people got out. Then the space got smaller and it was difficult to move around. All of the people that had gotten out were yelling at us to aim for Mr. Daniel. We all corned Mr. Daniel, but he still managed to steal all of our balls. It was down to a one on one between Mr. Daniel and Michael. In the beginning, Michael was just defending, but he ran around and stole Mr. Daniel’s ball. Everyone went crazy. We were screaming and jumping up and down. We all attacked Michael. Mr. Daniel congratulated Michael and told us to get changed…

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Wordworks

Beautiful – a haiku Joshua Clauder Gr. 5 Beautiful flowers Birds soaring through the sky Japanese maple Being the Governor Carlo Quintero Gr. 4 Being the governor of a state is a tough job. If you are the governor, you have many responsibilities.

There are papers that you have to sign and documents you have to read. You also need to pick people to help you with all of your duties. Governors have to travel a lot for their job. They have to meet with people all over their state and listen to all of their problems and try to think of ways to fix them. You have to make all of the people that live in your state happy if you are the governor. If you do not, they will not want you to be governor for very long, and they will not vote for you again. If you are the governor, you never get to relax.

You cannot even live in your own house. People are always watching you and listening to every word that you say. If you are at the movies or a restaurant, people can come up to you and want a picture or an autograph.

If you are the governor, you cannot ever have a bad day.

I am almost one hundred percent sure that I will never be a governor. My dream job is to be an entrepreneur and starting my own company. The only thing that I think that being the governor might be good for is if you want to be the president someday. I do not think this is the job for me, but you never know, maybe someday it will happen.

The Best Day of My Life Christina Francis Gr. 4 When I got to gym class I noticed something. My leg wasn’t hurting! We were in a unit called Futness (fun + fitness). In Futness we first did the fitness part: running for 10 minutes, jumping jacks, pushups, various other things. After fitness we did the fun part - any type of sports you could think of. Now what was special was I finally got to play! My leg would always hurt when I did exercise because I had a bruise, and if you couldn’t do the fitness you couldn’t do the fun. But… my leg wasn’t hurting, so I could do the fitness and the fun. It was special over all, but after that gym class my leg would not stop hurting for 2 months! I went up the stairs like a kindergartener which is one step at a time and I could NOT run. I’m so glad that is all in the past!

Binders Addie Ransick Gr. 6 On a warm Saturday afternoon, I walked into Target. I was sad to see that all of the cool binders were gone.

I asked a person that worked at Target if they had any in the back and he said, “We have a shipment coming tomorrow morning.” I thought why not stay at Target all night so I can buy all of the binders. I went to find a bed. I decided to make a toilet paper fort and sleep there. I got some popcorn, some pillows, and a TV. Then it was closing time. I went in my toilet paper fort, watched a movie and fell asleep. I guess I snored because when I woke up there was a security guard standing next to me. I ran and got all the cute binders. I paid for them, and the guard walked me out. I was banded from Target for three months, but I still got all the cute binders. Now they won’t get another shipment for three months.

Bird food – a Science Personal Inquiry project conclusion paragraph Brett Maples Gr. 5 In this experiment I attempted to explore if birds like safflower seeds or mealworms better. My hypothesis is that birds will like mealworms better. My results supported my original hypothesis. Birds took meal worms 6 times and safflower seeds only 2 times. One limitation I faced was that I did not collect enough data to draw a reasonable claim. A question I had was that if the man wasn’t there would I get the same results.

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The Summit Country Day School

Birds Talking Nia Neal Gr. 4 Birds chase each other, Having some summer fun, They laugh and talk sing and play, Until the day is done.

Birds talk just like humans, But in their own special way.

Even though it may be quiet, They always have something to say.

Breakout – an excerpt Kate Stagnaro Gr. 6 On a Friday afternoon two little chinchillas named Pepper and Midnight (Midnight is a little peevish) sat in their cage not knowing what to do. Pepper and Midnight are able to jump up to 4 feet high with their long ears and bushy tails. They noticed that their cage door was left open, so they had a sneaky idea of escaping. Midnight and Pepper wondered where to go, so they decided to travel to Mr. Lynam’s classroom to play the ukulele but then Pepper accidentally got stuck in the hole. Midnight took his sharp teeth and bit the strings, freeing Pepper. They decided they were finished playing around with the ukulele.

After Pepper and Midnight went to Mr. Lynam’s room, they decided they wanted to play the trumpet. They were too scared to go down the stairs, so they had the brilliant idea of going in the vents. They started crawling and then there was a big slide so they decided to go down it. On the way down, the vent popped open and they slid down into Mr. Browning’s room. Lucky for them, the trumpet was available for them to play. Pepper and Midnight blew the trumpet and the noise went right into Midnight’s ear, and then they decided that was the last time they would play the trumpet. They decide that they are hungry, so they know just where to go. As they crawled through the chapel they were very quiet and went down the stairs too.

Once they arrived in the cafeteria, they saw exactly what they wanted, ice cream!

Cardinals – a Personal Inquiry Science project - results/conclusion Reagan Bricking Gr. 5 In this experiment I attempted to explore if cardinals prefer eating from a Pennington Window Feeder or from a Nature Anywhere Window Feeder. My hypothesis was that cardinals would eat more from the Nature Anywhere Feeders because cardinals like to eat in bigger, more open spaces. My results did not prove or disprove my hypothesis because no cardinals came to either feeder.

Carolina Chickadees – a Personal Inquiry Science project - results/conclusion Ann Miller Gr. 5 In this experiment, I attempted to explore whether Carolina Chickadees preferred the Nature Anywhere feeder or the Pennington feeder. I hypothesized that Carolina Chickadees would prefer the Nature Anywhere feeder. My results did not support my hypothesis. One male House Finch came to the Nature Anywhere feeder. Two House Finches (1 male and 1 female) came to the Pennington feeder in total. No Carolina Chickadees visited either feeder during the experiment. Therefore…

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Wordworks

Chew and Escape – a Class Pet Adventure excerpt Sam Parker Gr. 6 It was a nice, brisk, Friday night. Midnight was chewing on a chew stick, and Pepper was sleeping. Suddenly a draft of wind blew through, blowing the accidently unlocked door wide open. They looked at each other and jumped out, seething for freedom. They noticed that the vent cover was askew and bounded inside, into the darkness. The chinchillas woke up to a strange whistling sound. Birds, maybe? Then they remembered how they had gotten lost in the ventilation system, and had to end up sleeping there. They simultaneously shook their heads to become alert. They realized that there was air blowing and that it must be blowing toward a vent that they could use as an exit. They followed the direction of the air, and sure enough, they came to a vent. They hopped through it, freedom looming ahead of them. The chinchillas emerged on top of the roof of the school. It was nighttime, the stars glittering with a unique kind of luster that can only be found by watching the stars. Midnight hopped to the edge of the roof, and realized how high up he was. He was reminded of when he was little, sleeping on the mountains with his parents. The stars had glittered, just as they did now.

He wondered if his parents were watching the stars now, just as he was. He sighed, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep…

Chinchillas Escape - an excerpt Ryan Schnitter Gr. 6 Pepper and Midnight the chinchillas were chilling and chewing on their own low sugar chip bags. Mrs. Rademacher was teaching ballistics and Pepper and Midnight were eavesdropping, they had a plan to escape! Chinchillas are from South America, so they are used to a hot climate. There are two kinds of Chinchillas: Chinchilla Chinchilla and Chinchilla Lanigura. Chinchillas are very unique in their bathing methods since they can’t get wet, they have to dust bathe. Chinchillas live in the mountains, which mean they eat veggies, so even one raisin goes over their sugar allotment for the whole day. Their plan was to make mini bazookas and rip the cage door off its hinges. The minute Mrs. Rademacher left, they took out the bazookas and the door went flying open. Then Pepper told Midnight, “Umm, I think the door was open already.”

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they ate everything they could find! They ate raisins, chocolate covered raisins, vanilla covered raisins, and yogurt covered raisins. When they were done, they were so hyper they were literally bouncing off the walls! Then Pepper got hurt because he misjudged the angle he was jumping and hit one of the pillars. So then they decided that Pepper would ride on Midnight’s back to the Nurse’s office to get some Band-Aids…

Christmas Annette LaLonde Gr. 4 I opened my eyes as I was snuggled up in my bed, and I went to my sister and brother’s rooms and said, “Wake up, it’s CHRISTMAS!” Next, we woke up my parents and waited on the stairs with fuzzy blankets until we couldn’t see our presents. Then we all screamed when we saw what we got. We listened to some Christmas music and played with our awesome new toys! Our tree was shining with love and joy covered in beautiful decorations. We called all of my family to wish them a Merry Christmas. Then we watched a funny holiday movie beside the warm soothing fire. We put on our snow gear, ran outside, and had a big snow ball fight. After that we went sledding through the cold frosty snow. We went back inside and relaxed until the end of the day.

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The Summit Country Day School

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Test: Essay Response T.J. McGrath Gr. 6 Aslan and the White Witch rule in different ways. Aslan rules with kindness, while the White Witch rules with fear. He is kind to people, and she is cruel to people. If Aslan wasn’t in LWW, then there would be no hope for Narnia except for the two Sons of Adam and the two Daughters of Eve. If the White Witch wasn’t in LWW, then the humans wouldn’t be needed, and all of Narnia would be happy. Those are facts about Aslan and the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Edmund goes through many trials in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. One of them is the temptation of the Turkish Delights candy, which he falls for because he always wants more. Another one is the Betrayal of the Family, which he succeeds in, but the family escapes before the White Witch gets them.

The Battle for Narnia is one, too, and he succeeds in it by breaking the White Witch’s wand. Those are a few of the trials Edmund goes through in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Winston Churchill – a capstone essay excerpt Nick Bergeron Gr. 5 Winston Churchill had a very interesting life. On November 30, 1874, he was born. His father was Lord Randolph Churchill and his mother was Jeanette Jerome. He grew up in Dublin, Ireland. In 1888, Churchill was sent to a boarding school. Weeks later he joined The Harrow Rifle Corps putting him on a path to join the Military. Churchill rarely saw his parents while at boarding school, and his father died when Churchill was 21. He graduated 20th in a class of 130 students. Churchill was in the army for only 5 years, however he was in at the peak of British power. After he left the army he wrote about his experiences in a newspaper.

Churchill married Clementine Hosier and became Britain’s Prime Minister in 1940, retired in 1945 and then became Prime Minister again in 1951. In 1955, Churchill suffered numerous strokes in his office and had to recuperate at his home. Then he suffered a severe stroke and died at the age of 90.

Class Pets Escape – an excerpt Lavina Grzymajlo Gr. 6 One Friday night, Mrs. Rademacher leaves the cage of the class chinchillas open. Pepper, a gray white mix color, and Midnight, a dark black color, are free to escape. The chinchillas are from South America and have the softest fur in the world. When they see the cage is open they both peer out of the door, climb on top of their dust bath container, and jump out. They run over to the vending machines in the cafeteria and see if any food is available. Pepper and Midnight try and fit into the place where the food comes out, but they became stuck. They try and jump on the machine, but they fall down. Midnight says, “We can look for some loose change on the ground.” Pepper says, “Great idea.” They find some change and jump onto the machine to put it in the slot. They click C4 which is the number for the raisin box. The red raisin box falls out of the machine. Pepper and Midnight eat ten raisins each. At 8:00 p.m. they are lying on the floor stuffed from a sugar high.

The next morning, Pepper and Midnight wake up next to the vending machines. They decide they want to go to Kyte Theater. When they arrive at the theater, it is dark and empty. They run over to the light room. Pepper and Midnight hop on to the table and start messing with the lights. A few minutes later, the lights start sparking and then they all go out. Midnight and Pepper decide to scurry over to the stage. They jump on to the curtains and start swinging from them. They swing off the curtains and run over to the props.

They try and make themselves look unique by dressing up. Finally, they go to the back room and tear everything up. Since they are really tired, they roll over to the chairs in the audience and take a nap.

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Wordworks

Cold Mirabella Bosse Gr. 4 Dearest Aunt Ann, There is so much snow on the ground, more than I have ever seen in my life. It keeps coming with no end in sight. The winds howl all night as storms continue to attack us. Ice covers the water in the harbor.

It is cold enough to make our clothes stick to us. We are chilled to the bone, and keeping warm is a struggle.

Building a fire is difficult, as we all have to live on the Mayflower. We worry about the ship catching fire, but we are so very cold.

We arrived too late in the year to build houses as winter had already begun. Father and the men spend the day working on building houses and common buildings. The work is slow due to the conditions and the lack of men that are able to work. So many of us are sick. The first building completed was a main common building. It is used to store goods, and when we finally are off the ship, it will be the meeting hall.

The days are long. We have very little to keep us busy. Some women are teaching us reading and writing.

Another way we pass the time is singing hymns or listening to passages from the bible. I have some friends on the ship and we play games as well. If the weather is not too bad, we play tag. That is everyone’s favorite game.

Colors and Combinations in The Two Fridas Madeline Schaefer Gr. 4 In this painting, The Two Fridas, are sitting next to each other connected by veins. Frida Kahlo painted this painting in 1939, the year she divorced Diego Rivera. The Frida on the right is holding a medical clamp connected to the vein. The medical clamp is trying to stop it bleeding. The Frida on the left is wearing a white dress just like a wedding dress. I think the dress was Frida Kahlo’s wedding dress. The Frida’s heart on the left is broken because she got a divorce from Diego Rivera. Her heart is also broken because she was in a bus accident when she was young. The Frida on the right is holding a miniature of Diego Rivera when he was younger. The beautiful Frida on the right is wearing a Mexican style dress. The unique colors on her dress draw my eyes to this version of Frida. I think Frida looks happier on the right, and I think she likes her Mexican side better. I think she likes her Mexican side more because her heart is not broken. I believe that the Frida on the left is younger and the one on the right is older. I think that she is trying to say that both of her selves are connected. I love the use of color and combinations Frida Kahlo used in this painting. The contrasting colors and the primary colors make the red hearts stand out. The stormy gray sky seems to be moving toward the two Fridas, ready to consume them. I think Frida Kahlo created this painting because she wanted to show both of the sides of herself linked even if they are at odds with each other, that she is not one without the other side.

Day in the Life of a Volcano Alaric Jones Gr. 4 I feel sick, and I am about to burp. My belly hurts, and there is smoke coming out of my head. I feel like my head is about to explode. I need to hold it in, or I will destroy everything in my path, including the village and everyone living there.

Oh no! My throat is burning! I cannot hold it in any longer. I cannot stop it. It is coming out! This hot, steaming liquid is flowing too fast. It is rolling over my head and down my sides. The lava from inside me has engulfed the village. Everything has been destroyed. Where my lava covers land it will create new rocks and provide fertilizer for the soil in the future.

I feel so much better now. My belly has stopped rumbling and gurgling. It is no long hurting and causing me discomfort. Fortunately, the villagers knew that I was not feeling well, and they were able to get out of the path of my oozing lava. With all of the pressure released, I think that it is time for me to get some rest. A hundred year nap sounds pretty good.

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The Summit Country Day School

Department Store Savannah Eveslage Gr. 6 On a warn Saturday afternoon, I walked into Nordstrom. I was upset to see that the store was out of Prada handbags. At first I was confused so, I looked around. Finally, I found the last Prada handbag. I was on my way to the cash register when I saw a man who was talking on the phone said, “I’m sorry honey but there are no Prada handbags left here, do you want something else for your birthday instead?” He shook his head and then hung up. I decided that the right thing to do was to give the handbag to the man. I don’t really need it.

I walked up to the man and gave the bag to him, then he thanked me and moved on. The man was actually really nice, his name was Dan and he was talking to his 16-year-old daughter Megan. I walked away to go find some other nice quality bag when suddenly, I heard an alarm go off and a voice over the intercom said that we were on lockdown, and we should all stay calm. Then intercom said there was a robber. Then suddenly I saw Dan run away with the Prada handbag, and then a minute later police were running after him.

OH NO! Dan was the robber, and I gave him the handbag.

Do Chickadees Prefer Sunflower Seeds with the Shells on or off? – an excerpt Mia Cavallo Gr. 5 The reasoning for this project was to find out if chickadees prefer hulled sunflower seeds or black-oil sunflower seeds. Data was collected by sitting in a dark room and recording the number of chickadees at the black-oil sunflower seeds and the number of chickadees at the hulled sunflower seed window feeders. I did not feel confident in my results because I only got two chickadees at the black-oil feeder and I didn’t get any chickadees at the hulled sunflower seed feeder.

Does the Tufted Titmouse East More Hulled Sunflowers or Black-oil Sunflower Seeds? – a Personal Inquiry Project - results/conclusions Tarek Hasan Gr. 5 In this experiment, I attempted to explore what the Tufted titmouse prefers: Hulled sunflowers seeds or Black-oil sunflower seeds. I believed that the Tufted Titmouse would eat more Hulled sunflower seeds. My results support my original claim. Nine Tufted Titmice visited my Hulled sunflower seed feeder whereas only 3 Tufted Titmice visited my Black-oil sunflower seed feeder. Some limitations that I had during this experiment were that the school bell rang, other students and teachers walked by the feeders and disturbed the birds. We had some rainy days and cloudy weather, and peanuts were put away from my feeders (not every day), which may have distracted the birds thus impacting my ability to collect data. Some questions that were raised during and after the project included: Does this time of day affect when the Tufted Titmouse comes out to a feeder? Another question was: Does the amount of sunlight affect when the Tufted Titmouse comes out to a feeder? The final question that arose was: are Tufted Titmice easy to distract?

Double Self-Portrait: The Two Fridas – an excerpt Maria Min Gr. 4 When I look at this double self-portrait, The Two Fridas, by Frida Kahlo, the first thing that catches my eye is the hearts sticking out of their chests. The red of the hearts draws the viewer’s eye into the painting. There is a surreal quality to this painting based on the hearts that are present outside of Frida’s body. One of the Fridas is wearing a Mexican style dress. The other Frida is wearing what looks like a traditional white wedding dress. Both of the Fridas look like they are glaring at you. There is blood on Frida’s white dress, and her heart looks dissected and dead. Frida is holding a hemostat to keep the blood from pouring out onto her dress. It does not seem to be working as the blood continues to flow. This Frida represents heartbreak and sadness over lost dreams. It is a Frida of the past. The other Frida has a dress with lively, primary colors. The bright yellow frames the vibrant red of her healthy heart showing the difference between the two hearts even more vividly. This Frida’s dress looks more like a modernized, Mexican dress. I think the Frida in white represents a younger version of Frida, and the Frida in color is a newer, more modern Frida. The change in clothing style shows a change in how Frida views herself.

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Ree Drummond – an excerpt Eva Pappano Gr. 6 Ree Drummond was born on January 6, 1969. Throughout her life, she has become an award winning blogger and an amazing cook. When Ree was little she lived with her family in the city. They lived in Oklahoma on the seventh fairway of a golf course. After high school, Ree went on to college in California. She went to the University of Southern California. After college, Ree got a great job. She wore very nice clothes and ate very interesting foods, while she still lived in the city.

Ree later went back to Oklahoma for a brief visit to meet her family. She fell in love with her current husband Ladd Drummond. They moved out to a huge farm in Oklahoma and had four children, Alex, Paige, Bryce, and Todd. Ree then went on to be an award winning blogger. She was a great author, photographer, cook and even wrote a few cook books. She now continues in her hit show “The Pioneer Women.” She loves her country life and enjoys cooking and hanging with her kids.

She went to a great college and got a great job. She is an award winning author and blogger. She has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Day, Southern Living, and People. Her very first cook book was published in 2009. She makes great food and has great success on her show. Drummond also is an amazing photographer and uses her photos on many of her blogs and cook books. Ree has done so many great things so far in her life, and there are more to come.

Earth’s Spheres – a science test paragraph response Owen Kohlhepp Gr. 5 The Earth’s spheres are interacting in many ways. People (biospheres) are interacting with the geosphere to build the dam (geosphere). The dam is blocking the water (hydrosphere). The hydrosphere interacts with the atmosphere to make the rain. This is how spheres can interact.

Ecosystem – a science poem Susie Stahl Gr. 5 My family is like an ecosystem and you are like the flowers and the sun, whenever we see animals I have a lot of fun. Every day I spend with you going around outside, and when we go to the park I like to run and hide, in the sun and around the slide. The ecosystem is all around, in the sky and on the ground. But you’re the most important part, being my mother from the start.

Albert Einstein – a capstone speech Jack Riley Gr. 5 Hello my name is Albert Einstein. I was born on Mark 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. No one knew what I was capable of. I had a very hard childhood. Behind my back my family called me “the dopey one.” I had a temper and once I even threw a chair at my tutor. After I failed math I was expelled from high school. Then I had to go back and finish high school after college. After graduation I had a tough time finding a job. My research and theories changed the way we look at energy, matter, gravity, space, and time. My paper on the Theory of Relativity led the production of nuclear energy. I also proved that atoms and molecules exist. I would charge photographers for money and then give the money to help the poor. I died on April 14, 1955.

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The Summit Country Day School

Renee Elise Kathleen Fitzpatrick Gr. 6 Renee Elise was a prophet who lived from 2005 to 2100. She spoke out against labels and stereotypes. She believed that labels should be abolished. She believed that humans are humans, no matter their gender, race, appearance, income, and all the other labels that have been plastered, by humanity, onto each and every one of us. She said that stereotypes are a misconception that society has planted in our brains and watered by prejudice and hate. These misconceptions are not fact, and limit everyone they have been placed upon.

People were shocked at how true her words were. Some felt attacked by the honesty and hated her. Others felt a sense of clarity and realization and changed their ways and spoke out against things they believed were immoral.

Escape - an excerpt Darnell Baldwin Gr. 6 The sixth grade pet chinchillas called Midnight and Pepper’s cage has been left open. They thought of a way to escape. First, they looked out for the janitors. Midnight and Pepper had a good sense for seeing things. They didn’t see anybody, so they snuck out and went through a crack they found by the door. They heard a drone noise so they quickly got out of the school. Afterwards, they think about going to the café to get some treat in the school. Midnight and Pepper think about going to the café because they were very hungry.

They walk there fast, and go and get some yogurt. Midnight’s favorite snack were the raisins. Midnight knew that he can only eat one raisin per day. Pepper’s favorite snack were the chicken nuggets. He couldn’t eat too much of them or he would get sick. Midnight next said that they should go to the gym to play some basketball and soccer.

They ran past the playground right to Holmes gym. They played basketball and soccer when they heard a drone noise. They quickly ran away, and the janitor was confused by who was making the noise with the balls. Midnight and Pepper were so relieved that they weren’t caught. They then wanted to go to the pond.

They then went to the pond, and were very careful of where they stepped. Midnight and Pepper liked watching the fish swim around in the pond. Then something bad happened. Midnight accidently bumped Pepper in the water! The janitor then ran outside to the pond, and dried off Pepper. Pepper had water trickling from his fur for three hours. The janitor immediately put them both in the cage and gave them food.

Extinction: Don’t Let Birds Leave – a birds in decline flyer in science Gracey Kelly Gr. 5 Would you be surprised if I told you that 10% of all bird species are likely to be extinct by the year 2100!

Well, don’t be because this could happen in reality, not just in your nightmares. According to researcher Cagan H. Sekercrioglu of the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology, he states that the main reason for bird extinction is due to disease, invasive species, habitat loss, and pollution. So how do dead birds affect you?

Bird extinction can affect decomposition, pollination, and seed dispersal. Birds play an important role in seed dispersal. If birds go extinct you can for sure kiss a large portion of our national park trees or common plants goodbye. When birds brush by a plant or a tree, buds pop open and disperse seeds, so without birds this process can’t happen. Also with birds gone they can’t decompose. Decomposition is important for the grass to grow despite its bad smell. When birds decompose (poop) they help the grass grow by giving grass the nutrients to grow. Bird extinction does not just effect plants but also on human. Without plants to give us oxygen, breathing will become a privilege, not a need. Can you imagine a world without oxygen? This doesn’t mean just goodbye to humans; it means goodbye to all animals that need oxygen. Even if birds were not involved with seed dispersal we would just die of disease.

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Family Ecosystem – a science poem Jude Gerhardt Gr. 5 Our family is like an ecosystem, and mom is like a stream. Running water that keeps us alive and happy.

The calming, peaceful sound. Grant is like a wolf. Quick to respond, but playful. Dad is like the sun, another bright thing in my day. I’m a fox. I do weird things without trying. Our family is like an ecosystem, and every one of us is needed.

Free Bell for Students – an excerpt Madison Sievering Gr. 6 I think students should have a free bell once a day. It gives them a chance to get work done. Also they can get homework done if they have after school activities. They also have time to relax. It is a great balance between work time and relaxation time. Students will have fun. Teachers can participate too. They can get work done or relax too. It is all part of being able to have a free bell once a day.

Students should have a free bell once a day because it gives students a chance to get work done.

Students will have a choice to do a study hall during this bell, so they can get any work done. Teachers could use this bell to get students to turn in their missing assignments. Students can also study for tests. Free bells give students more opportunities.

It is also great that students can get their homework done during the school day. If a student has afterschool activities, he or she can do their homework done during this bell so they aren’t rushing to do it when they get home. Teachers can also help them. This is good because sometimes parents don’t know what was taught in school.

Friday Afternoon – an excerpt Henry Gieseke Gr. 6 On a Friday afternoon in science class Henry finished his deluxe airplane that flies. He placed it in the middle school display window. The final bell rang and Henry went home. Mrs.Rademacher was tired. She left many miscellaneous things on her desk, and left Pepper and Midnight’s cage open. Pepper and Midnight climbed out of their cage, and went to Mr. McEachern’s classroom. They found his stuffed pumpkin. They dug a hole in its face, and made it their “nest”. They took this “nest” everywhere they went. Now Pepper and Midnight were poised for their adventure. Pepper and Midnight went to The Summit Country Day Display Window and found a snack for both of them. They were so tired after scurrying all over the Summit and a sugar rush. They had their rush for 45-60 seconds and then rested. After their rest they found Henry’s Plane.

They had trouble climbing into it, but they managed to get in but Pepper and Midnight were in the front and the plane went forward. They flew out the window and into the sky!

Pepper and Midnight and their pumpkin flew through the air all the way to Williams field. They landed on the concession stand roof and slid off back into flight for about 10 more seconds. They then crashed into the field and landed on a ball...

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The Summit Country Day School

Good Feelings William Bishop Gr. 4 Rewarding effort and participation is important. Children try hard in the activities that they are involved in, and rewarding them for their effort helps to increase their motivation to participate. Receiving a participation award makes children feel happy about what they have accomplished. It also makes them went to continue playing and not quit or give up.

Participation awards are important for young children. It keeps them excited about sports and activities. An example of this is track for younger kids where everyone gets a ribbon. This policy keeps kids motivated and interested. As children get older, the need to award them for participation decreases. If you come in last or second to last, you no longer receive awards. This is important because in life not all of you actions are rewarded.

Overall, I believe that participation awards serve a purpose in helping kids to feel proud of themselves and promoting interest in games and sports. They also help children to develop confidence. The positive effect of participation awards only lasts for so long though. Eventually, awards should only be given for the top participants.

Graceful Sounds Kali Smith Gr. 4 Birds chirping Tweet, tweet, tweet Bees buzzing Buzz, buzz, buzz Water flowing Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh Fish splashing Split, splat, split Sticks braking Crack, crack, crack Leaves rustling Flutter, flutter, flutter Soft sounds of nature.

Gym – an excerpt Tanner Berry Gr. 4 It was gym day, and my class rushed down the stairs to change our clothes. My class races to see who can get changed first, the boys or the girls. Everyone was out of the locker rooms except for one boy and one girl.

The whole class cheered as the last boy exited the locker room. The boys won! When the final girl came out, we hurried up the stairs. Mr. Daniel asked everyone to get in our teams, and everyone scampered to find their teammates. Then Mr. Daniel told us that we were playing kickball. Everyone was really excited. My team was the first one up to kick, and I was the first kicker. Mr. Daniel pitched the ball to me, and I kicked it toward second base. I had kicked a single. It was time for the next kicker. He kicked right at the second base.

I started running as fast as I could, but someone tagged me out. The next kick was a bad one, and it went straight up in the air. Mr. Daniel caught it, and my team suddenly had two outs. The entire team was cheering and going crazy. The next person up kicked the ball to the third base line, and the other team dropped the ball. We had a runner on first base…

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Halloween - an excerpt Wali Khan Gr. 6 One very unordinary night, six pumpkins were missing from the store. The father, the one who found six pumpkins on his door step, got to carve the biggest pumpkins. The kids carved the pumpkins, and made pumpkin pies out of the insides. They waited for the pumpkins to dry, so they could make jack-o-lanterns.

The kids wanted their house to be the scariest on the block, so no one would come to them. They wanted the candy they bought. They put up fake cob webs, painted cracks on the stairs, and asked their parents to flicker the lights. The jack-o-lanterns were wired with the help of the brother. When someone got close, they would turn off, and all the light would go off in the house. Inside was a cache of food, so they could eat a healthy dinner when they came back…

Health – an excerpt Izzy Rawlings Gr. 5 Of the three health types, one of the most important is Physical Health. Physical Health is the health of your body on the inside and outside. Examples of physical health behaviors are playing sports, staying active, and eating well. Physical Health is important because if you can be physically healthy you can live longer. If you have unhealthy physical health you will have a shorter life. If people are under or overweight they will get sick more. While you are keeping your body healthy, you also need to keep your mind healthy.

Healthy Eating – an excerpt Beckett Holmes Gr. 5 What is Physical Health? Physical Health is you are being a healthy eater and getting enough exercise. How do you show healthy physical health? A person can show healthy physical behavior by watching what you eat or drink. Also get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. How do you have bad physical health? A person can sit on the couch and eat chips.

Houseplants – an Air Quality Letter in Science Max Jambor Gr. 5 Mr. Johnson, I am writing because I would like you to get more houseplants in this building. To be more precise I would like you to get about 1 to 4 plants per room in this building to help increase all the houseplants in the entire building. According to the Agriculture University in Oslo, Norway, being around houseplants can lower the risk of getting common cold symptoms (dry irritated eyes, sneezing and a runny nose).

The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care says that if you are around houseplants the risk of being absent decreases by 40%.

I – a poem Colleen Busher Gr. 5 Three words that describe me: intelligent, self-reliant, talented. Who enjoys playing basketball. Who is able to give a laugh. Who feels satisfied with life. Who wonders where do you go when you die. Who fears dying.

Who cares about my family. Who dreams of becoming an engineer.

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The Summit Country Day School

I Am Holland Lippert Gr. 4 A soccer player, Good friend, Nice sister, Gentle pet owner, Helpful daughter, Kind girl, Fast runner, A unique squash player.

Imagination – A Power of the Pencil prompt Rimel Kamran Gr. 6 Just put a pencil in my hand and I can bring my imagination to life. Some of even the tiniest things on this Earth, we take for granted. Pencils are something that can help us be relaxed and happy, but we don’t realize it. You might think a pencil is worth nothing, but it isn’t. Just like the famous quote from Malala Yousafzai: “One child, one teacher, one book, one PEN can change the world.” This quote states perfectly that just a simple thing like a pen or a pencil can change the world. Using my pencil I can bring anything in my imagination to life. Even though a pencil is such a simple creation, it can bring serenity to life. Using my long, yellow, graphite, sharp, tipped tool, slender pencil with a pink eraser, I can write stories, my imagination, dreams, entries and many more. My pencil is what makes me.......me.

The Impossible – an excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay William McLane Gr. 6 Roger Bannister was a persevering runner. He set many amazing records during his time. He had many setbacks such as his training regimen and college. He was able to overcome these and do what everyone thought impossible. Roger never gave up and inspired many people during his time. Roger Bannister was born in Harrow, England, on March 23, 1929. He was inspired by Sydney Wooderson’s remarkable comeback in 1945 to set the British mile record. Bannister started running at the age of seventeen at Oxford.

Even though his training schedule was light due to school and studying to be a neurologist, he showed promise at a 4:24.6. He was selected as an Olympic possible in 1948, but declined, saying he wasn’t ready.

After the Olympics, he was further inspired to run harder, showing great improvement at a 4:11 mile. He started winning more races, and went to the Olympic tryouts in 1952. He ran a 4:10.6 mile for the trials. In the Olympics, he set the British record for the 1500 meter (.93 miles) at 3:46.3. He came in fourth at the finals and was very unhappy, almost deciding to quit.

He finally decided he should try to break a sub-four-minute mile. Most people and sports analysists of his time considered it impossible. He was heckled for trying to do something everyone said no one could do. On his first attempt he fell short, running an amazing 4:02. 3,000 people showed up for his second attempt, where he had two gold medal winning pacers. When he was done running, the announcer said three, the crowd drowned out the next numbers. He had run a 3:59.6 mile.

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Peter Isaacson – a courage essay excerpt Liam Girkin Gr. 5 Mr. Isaacson was also a very courageous man, aside from all his other amazing traits. He joined the army/ air force voluntarily at the age of 20 because of how the Germans treated Jews. Throughout all his years in the service, he never decided to quit, and became one of the most advanced bombers ever. On one of his missions, he was almost killed, but even as his plane was tumbling to the ground, he didn’t just sit around and wait to die. He saved his crew while they were falling in midair. He is very courageous because not many people knew him, but he still went against the odds, and started his own publishing company. Mr. Isaacson is very courageous because of his war efforts and his publishing career.

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole - an excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay Gwen Hellmann Gr. 6 Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, otherwise known as “Iz”, brought joy to people’s ears all around the world, but he to, faced many setbacks. Iz started playing and performing the ukulele at the young age of ten. His family knew he was special. Later on in his life he encountered medical and family struggles. Iz continued to persevere and overcame many of those setbacks.

Early on, Iz was called, “the kid with the ukulele.” Israel was born on May 20, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He first started performing on steamboats where his father was a bouncer, and his mother was the manager. He met many musicians, and even spent time with Gabby Pahinui and The Sons of Hawaii. After he moved to the O’ahu’s Wai’anae Coast, he formed a band called Makaha Sons. After his successful run as a member of the band, he decided to venture out on his own. Later on in his solo career, almost all of his immediate family died.

Throughout most of his life, Iz was in and out of hospitals. He weighed almost 700 pounds. Iz got married in 1982 to a woman named Marlene and soon after had a daughter named, Ceslie-Ann “Wehi” Kamakawiwo’ole. He enjoyed every second ewith his family, knowing that he would have a brief life.

Michael Jordan Drew Zins Gr. 6 Many people think of Michael Jordan as the best basketball player of all time. He won six championships. He never lost in the finals. He had a 72-10 season which is second all-time behind the Warriors’ 73-9. He once averaged 30.12 points per game. Some of these records will never be broken.

Born February 17th, 1963 in Brooklyn, NY Michael Jordan always loved basketball. He only started to get interested in high school. He went to Lancey High School in North Carolina. In his sophomore year, he tried out for the varsity but was cut. He went home to his room and cried. He was accepted to the team in his senior year. Jordan was the 3rd overall pick in the NBA draft of 1984 and played for the Bulls. He was titled rookie of the year after his first season. Despite his skills he went 38-44 in his first season. They struggled the next few years and lost in the eastern finals twice in the semifinals once and in the first round three times.

They overcame the hardship and Jordan led the to a NBA title.

Michael Jordan suffered through many heartbreaks for his first 6 seasons. He was called a bust for many years. After all the practice and additions to the Bulls, Michael Jordan won 3 championships, retired to try baseball, came back and won 3 more championships. He persevered when he was down 86-83 in his last finals. He took a game-winning jump shot and they were up 87-86 with 5 seconds left.

Michael Jordan is a basketball hero. He was the greatest of all time. He has won 88 awards. The young and the old look up to the phenomenal basketball star. He has one of the best legacies in the NBA. He will cement himself as one of the greatest athletes to ever play.

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The Summit Country Day School

Journal of Sister Rebekkah - a creative writing excerpt Caroline Beckes Gr. 6 Hi my name is Rebekkah. I’m so excited for my birthday! This is because I’m going to New York to teach the children. Sister Julie said it would be a very long journey. But just the thought of going to America makes me forget all about it. I am kind of sad to be leaving my job at the convent. I worked there as a seamstress and sewed clothes all day. Hopefully, I can do all of that in America.

We are three weeks into the journey. My friends Alice, Tina, and I haven’t gotten sick yet. I haven’t seen anything interesting so far, but I have met a crew member on the ship. His name is Matt. I’m not homesick at all surprisingly. But I’m pretty sure I will be in a few days. I can’t believe I have three more weeks on the ship. The scenery has gotten less icy since Belgium. Every day on the ship I go out and look at the ocean.

We have finally arrived in New York it is really pretty here I can’t wait to explore it more…

The Journal of Sister Joan - an excerpt Nicholas Stanis Gr. 6 Today is a great day. I’m turning 20! At my birthday party these nuns came up to me and as they drew closer I realized that they are the nuns that taught me as a small girl. So they asked (as if my day hadn’t already had a perfect day) if I wanted to be a nun and become closer to God. At first I was aghast. Then I said yes and hugged both of them. Later that night I told my parents my decision. They got all sappy but said that I could do as I wished. I’m so excited I can finally become closer to God. I am so happy. No… overjoyed the sisters said that were going to the Americas a new land. We will go there and teach young girls. The ship is HUGE with big sails and a gigantic board walk. It will be a long trip going from Belgium to America. I think that the sisters said we were going to land in a place called New York City. Any way I will be taking a vow of silence while I’m on the boat to become closer to the Lord. Every day I pray for an hour then I do my work and eat then I pray again eat etc. We are taking a steamboat to a city called Cincinnati. I can’t wait to go.

Cincinnati is very different from Belgium. For one thing the architecture is very different… WAIT ARE THOSE REALLY PIGS?!?!?! You could just take one for dinner. Also the kids play some weird game where they hit a ball with an odd looking stick then run around bases where the other people try to get him out. This is an odd place. I love it.

Artist Frida Kahlo - The Two Fridas - an excerpt Michael Stagnaro Gr. 4 In this double self-portrait, The Two Fridas, the two women represent the two sides of the artist, Frida Kahlo. On the left side is her younger self. She is wearing a white dress that looks like a wedding dress.

The white dress is also a European style. Frida is speaking about her past and German ancestry. This Frida represents a Frida that was from before meeting Diego Rivera. The Frida on the right is a representation of her Mexican self. Frida after the hard events of her life and the pain of her divorce from Diego Rivera.

On the left, Frida holds a medical clamp to stop the blood flow from her vein. Her heart is visible outside her body, and it looks like it was torn open. The inside is dark and dead looking. This Frida is the Frida of her lost dreams and the past…

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Eric Lamaze - an excerpt Alaina Fisher Gr. 6 Eric Lamaze is an Olympic showjumper after suffering many years of difficulties. He had a hard childhood. He worked with horses from a young age. The more he worked, the better he became at horseback riding. Lamaze was born on April 17, 1968 in Montreal, Quebec. He overcame a disorderly childhood under care of his grandmother. At 15 years old, he dropped out of school. After dropping out, he worked in the horse industry under top trainers such as Roger Peslauriers, George Morris, Jay Hays, and Hugh Graham.

With little financial banking, he was able to work his way to the top of the sport.

He began competing at the Grand Prix (top-level) competition in 1992. One year later, he was named to the Canadian Equestrian Team. In 1994, he represented Canada at the world equestrian games and finished second in the Canadian world cup league standings. During team trials, leading up to the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta, he tested positive for drug use and was banned for 4 years, but was reduced to 7 months. Lamaze earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in 2000. Again removed from the team when tested positive for banned substances. Lamaze was banned for life, but it was later overturned.

He persevered through difficulties through the years, but reached success. He went from being banned to one of the top-3 riders in the world. He has done much for this sport and made history. In conclusion, Eric Lamaze is a Canadian Olympic showjumper that had difficulties, but persevered.

Learning about Health – an excerpt Carson Hall Gr. 5 Have you ever wondered “Am I a healthy person?” If not, then how can you become healthy? And, how can I learn about health? Well, if so, then this reading is for you. There are three different types of health, Mental/ Emotional, Family/Social, Importance, and Physical health (M.E.S.H.I.P. for short). If you want to learn more about M.E.S.H.I.P. then I will start off with Mental/Emotional Health…

Leonardo da Vinci Kameron Givan Gr. 6 Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 in Anchiano, Italy. Leonardo’s nickname was da Vinci.

Leonardo was enrolled in an art school. Soon, he was taught to paint. Da Vinci became the best painter in the school. Leonardo had these journals which he wrote backward in. Leonardo designed the first flame thrower, and the army asked him to design all of their attack weapons. Soon, Michelangelo, another famous Renaissances artist, came and started painting. Leonardo and Michelangelo developed problems with each other over a period of time. Leonardo thought it was best to view dead people to draw their lungs and heart and then their bones and flesh in detail.

In the grand council chamber in Pitao Vessel in Florence, Italy, Leonardo was supposed to paint a huge mural. The mural was about the Battle of Onkiario. When Leonardo went to France, he had a stroke which left his right arm unsteady Leo’s left arm was unsteady. It was said that Leonardo died in the arms of King Frances on the 1st in the year of May 2, 1519.

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A Letter from a Pilgrim Child Luke Pappano Gr. 4 My Dearest Uncle James, I hope this letter finds you in good health. How are you and Aunt Elizabeth doing?

If you are wondering how I am, I am sad that we had to leave you and our family members in England. The boat is packed, and we have to stay down in the lower deck all day. Captain Jones has two cats to chase the mice, and sometimes they will allow us to chase the cats. I met a boy named James. We tell each other jokes and riddles. Our food is terrible. We eat salt horse and hardtack. Salt horse is salted beef, and hardtack is dried up biscuits. A few days ago, we heard a crack and the middle beam broke. We had to use a metal screw that we brought to make houses to hold the beam up. The sailors make us suck on limes, so we do not get scurvy. Most of us wear the same outfit for weeks and weeks. Many of the passengers have already gotten seasick or worse, and the doctor could not help them. When there are high winds, we cannot have a fire, so we would eat our food cold. If we are bored, we sing songs or read books like the bible. There are no bathrooms. Which is very unpleasant. Everyone is looking forward to arriving in our new home. We all grow weary of the trip.

Lewis and Clark – an excerpt Katelyn Bastos Gr. 4 In 1804, Merriweather Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis to explore the Louisiana Purchase. If I had the opportunity to join the expedition, I would have liked to be part of their exploration. It would have been amazing to travel through unexplored land and see the world. On the expedition, I would have seen America before it became developed. There would have been trees and animals everywhere. There would be no telephone poles or roads, no towns or buildings. I also would have met many Native Americans along the way, and I would have been able to see their culture and traditions. Being on the expedition would have been difficult. I would really miss my family, but I would still have taken part in the journey. Food might be scarce at times, and the Natives that we met might not always have liked us. These would have been difficult situations, but it would have been worth it for the experience of exploring the world.

Lions of Little Rock – essay test response excerpt Trey Joseph Gr. 5 Throughout the story Marlee grew as a character in terms of her bravery. Marlee was first brave when she gave her presentation to the class without Liz. She was also brave when she stole dynamite from Red’s trunk.

Lastly, she was brave when she stood up to Mr. Dalton and told him Red was guilty of blowing up Betty Jean’s living room. Those are the three ways Marlee showed her bravery.

Live Report from Washington D.C. William Hartmann Gr. 4 Hi, this is William Hartmann of NBC News, and I am on the scene of a crime in Washington D.C. I am standing next to the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. This statue has been repeatedly attacked by acid rain, and over time, this constant bombardment has started to change the statue’s color. The memorial is made of bronze on a white marble base. The once pearly white base is now stained with green. Crime scene investigators have discovered that the culprit of the discoloration is acid rain. The rain hits the statue and causes the bronze to disintegrate. This makes the color run down to the base.

Due to this being our nation’s capital, there are many vehicles on the road at all times causing pollution. This pollution mixes with rain creating harmful acid rain. There is also pollution created by factories in the Northeast. This also increases the amount of acid rain in the area.

The green stains cannot be removed, but conservationists are now waxing the bronze in order to protect the statue from further effects of acid rain. This is William Hartmann signing out from the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, Washington D. C.

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Luck – an excerpt Grant Desch When I was seven years old, my dad offered me cashews. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was severely allergic to them. I took ten of them and popped them into my mouth. They tasted great. I wanted a few more, but my dad got territorial. I then went to take a bath. I felt really itchy. Not one spot on me wasn’t scratch-worthy. I had to take my clothes off, I was taking a bath of course. I took them off and looked in a mirror. I looked like I was outside all day in the summer without sunscreen, but it was February, so that was impossible. I called to my mom to describe what was happening. She immediately barged in without knocking to check on me, “Grant you have hives!” she exclaimed.

Lucky Penny Benedict Domville Gr. 4 I do not believe in most superstitions. Most superstitions came about to explain things before science was able to. They are sort of like myths in a way. People have always tried to make sense of the world around them and explain why things happen. Superstitions help with that. There are many different superstitions.

Many of them are common like black cats crossing your path, broken mirrors, and Friday the 13th. Some superstitions are about lucky items like a rabbit’s foot, a four-leaf clover, and a lucky penny. The only superstitions that I believe in are the lucky penny and the four-leaf clover. The reason that I believe in these things being lucky is that I have always heard that they are. The fact that they are associated with luck makes it easier to believe. If they were bad luck, I think that I would just ignore that superstition like all the rest.

Majestic Koi – a haiku Ethan Lam Gr. 5 Koi, koi, orange fish Koi, koi, majestical fish Swimming in a pond Nelson Mandela – a capstone excerpt Alek Stanisic Gr. 5 In his life Nelson Mandela showed many acts of courage. In 1950, Mandela rose in his status at the ANC (African National Congress) and fought even harder for racial justice. In 1956, Mandela was put on trial, and during his trial he slept in jail and got up each morning and went to work fighting for the rights of blacks in South Africa. In 1960, after Nelson Mandela made so much progress, the government banned the ANC. In 1963, Mandela was put in jail where he spent almost 25 years of his life. Nelson Mandela acted with courage in all that he did whether he was at home, at work, or in jail.

Mauna Loa Anna Toebben Gr. 4 Hi! I’m Mauna Loa, and this is my story. I am the biggest volcano on Earth and one of the most active ones.

Under me is magma. It is hot liquid rock that is full of gas. Sometimes there is too much gas, and I just have to let it out! The magma is so hot that when it comes out it burns everything on the land. I’m due for an eruption soon. I’ve erupted 33 times since 1843, and the last time I erupted was 1984. Oh no! I can feel it coming – there’s a burning feeling inside of me…

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Meaningless Trophies – an excerpt Maggie Bissmeyer Gr. 4 I do not believe that everyone should receive a trophy because it does not prepare you for real life. I think that there is a possibility that some people may not try as hard if they know that there will be an award regardless of their effort. I feel overall, trophies for participation do not make anyone try their best. Another reason that I feel that awards and trophies should not be given for participation is that if every time you play a sport and receive a trophy it does not make the people who tried hard feel special. When everyone gets a trophy, it is bad because in reality you are not rewarded in life just for being there. You have to work and put forth effort to accomplish goals. Can you imagine everyone in the Olympics receiving some type of medal?

That would take away from the importance of the whole event. The Grammy’s is another example of possibly going home with nothing. You may be nominated, but only one person receives the Grammy. There are no awards for participation. If there were, the honor would not be as meaningful for the winners.

Michelangelo Nolan Miller Gr. 6 In Michelangelo’s life, he created many things, but when he was young that’s when he developed his artistic abilities. At the age of 6, he went to a grammar school but showed no interest. Also, his mother died of a sickness. At the age of 13, his father sent him to the artist Lorenzo de Medici to become his apprentice.

At the age of 26, his master died but when Lorenzo died, it opened the door for Michelangelo’s art to shine.

Between 1493 and 1494, he bought a block of marble but nobody knows what he did with it. In Bologna, he was commissioned to finish the shrine of St. Dominic.

In the Vatican, he was commissioned to sculpt a picture of Mary holding Jesus. In Florence, Michelangelo made the great statue of David. Michelangelo spent four years laying on his back painting the Sistine Chapel. He is remembered as one of the best painters and sculptors from the past. He has influenced many painters and sculptors today.

More Movement - a persuasive essay excerpt Shannon Dennemann Gr. 6 I believe that children sit too much during class. Since kids sit so much they do not pay attention.

Kids also need to move more to be healthier. Children will also remember information more. I believe teachers should incorporate more movement into their 70-minute bell.

More movement will help kids pay attention. Kids will not start to get antsy because they have not been sitting and doing work for 70 minutes. Kids are more likely to focus if they have physical activity and if they have physical activity before a hard task it will help the kids do better on the task. Kids can focus more if movement is incorporated.

Kids do not move enough in class. Since kids sit in a chair most of the school day most kids do not move enough. If kids are sitting taking notes, they are not moving enough. Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity and most of kids are not getting that 60 minutes. With phones and electronics kids are sitting most of the day. Teachers cannot control what their students do at home, but they can control what they do in their class.

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More Recess - a persuasive essay Conlan Daniel Gr. 6 I think all kids should have a 60 minutes of recess. Because more kids will get exercise. Then more kids will make better lunch decisions resulting in more health. After getting 60 minutes of recess they will be more energized for the rest of the day. Kids in this time era aren’t getting enough exercise. If we get 60 minutes of recess kids will be more excited to go to school. Then kids will try eating better so they don’t get a cramp during recess. Then we will then have a chance of being the healthiest school in Ohio.

There is a need that all kids get 60 minutes of exercise every day. Then if we get 60 minutes of recess then kids will love school. We could maybe take one class out of our schedule. If we take a class away, then we won’t be sitting on our butts all day. So then kids have a lot of fun.

If we had 60 minutes of recess then we would have more time to play games such as football, basketball, four square, and tag. So if that happens we will get our blood going for the last two classes of the day.

Then teachers will get more attention when teaching. Just think.

So what I’m suggesting that we need more recess. It will benefit very much. Then we will be a happier school. All kids will love it even more at this school. So let’s try doing it.

My Favorite Things Mercer Reynolds Gr. 4 My awesome family and my great elf, A catch in football and a swish in basketball, A pass in soccer and a crack in baseball, These are a few of my favorite things.

Cool toys at my house and bright Christmas lights, Cousins and friends on fun snowy nights, Harry Potter, and magic wands, These are a few of my favorite things.

Salty popcorn and cheddar, too, Rhinos and tigers that live in the zoo, Tasty cakes that melt in my mouth, These are a few of my favorite things.

My Lucky Narrative – an excerpt Maddie Sumnar Gr. 5 After I finished breakfast my dad told me to get dressed. I got dressed and got in the car. My dad drove to one of his favorite places to have fun, Kings Island! First we got in line for the Diamondback. It was so much fun! You fly down the first slope at about 80 miles an hour. Next we went to the Banshee and Drop Tower.

After that we went on The Beast and decided we were done. It was a long walk to the car but we talked about how fun all the rides are at Kings Island.

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Steve Nash - an excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay Patrick McHugh Gr. 6 Steve Nash would not have had the success he had if it wasn’t for his tremendous perseverance. Steve wanted to go to a well-known division 1 school but was rejected. He took every single rejection letter and kept them.

He used this as motivation to get better. When he was drafted in the NBA people didn’t believe in him.

Critics said he was too short. Steve Nash let none of this get to his head which made him a great player. If it wasn’t for Steve Nash’s perseverance he would not have excelled to where he is today. If he would have let all 24 rejection letters get to him he wouldn’t have had the success he had. It was the work ethic that made him a great player. He worked so hard on his shot, and it payed off big time for him. Steve Nash is now considered one of the greatest shooters and the greatest free throw shooter of all time.

Nature – a haiku Lyla Soper Gr. 5 The birds are singing The pond, lily pads, flowers Crickets are chirping Nature Is All Around – a haiku Joaquin Beatty Gr. 5 Sun is shining down Flowers, bushes, trees swaying Nature is all around Nature’s Song Kwadwo Karikari Gr. 4 bubbling of water screaming of a bird tugging of the wind buzzing of bees squeaking of squirrels dancing of leaves twirling of branches crunching of rock

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Nature’s Symphony Margaret Hobbins Gr. 4 Gurgling water falling over rocks Tall trees swaying and rustling their tune One small insect buzzing on blooms Wind calmly whistling through leaves Birds cheerfully singing a song Squirrels scraping and scampering up a tree The world of a living symphony In one amazing score With everything blending together All of nature’s sounds creating a symphony Old Art – an excerpt Lilly Sievering Gr. 4 It was a bright and sunny day when, POW! Mrs. Wiesner said, “I have a surprise for you guys.” We all got really excited. She said that we had to wait until the end of class to find out about the surprise. We kept asking each other things like, “What could it be?” or “What do you think it is?” We could hardly wait for class to end. While everyone was talking, I noticed Mrs. Wiesner did not seem very hyped about anything.

She actually seemed sad and somewhat depressed. I did not talk much. If she was not happy, it must not be a very good surprise. Everyone was so anxious about the surprise that we all kept looking at the clock and wondering when class would end. Finally, class was ending and everyone was smiling except for one person, Mrs. Wiesner. She had us all gather around and she said, “I am leaving The Summit Country Day School this year in order to become a full time artist.” Everyone’s mouth dropped…

Organ Donation – an excerpt Millie Browner Gr. 6 What is organ donation? Well it’s when a person gives their transplantable organs to people who need them. One human can save up to 8 lives with their organs, some transplants may occur after someone’s death or while they are still alive. Transplants are common for liver, heart, kidney, bone, lungs and intestines disease. It’s such a great way to save lives.

Donating organs! Why is it important? Well the great thing about organ donation is that is it so easy to do. All you have to do it submit a little form online or mark a circle on your license then you can save multiply lives after you pass. Some people don’t like being organ donors because surgeons have to remove their valid organs from their body. Which is totally your choice or belief but to me if I got a chance to save a life I would do it in less than a heartbeat. There are few organs that you can donate while alive like half a liver, or a kidney. But wouldn’t you want to save lives?

Think about it! How exactly would you feel if you needed and organ? What if you couldn’t get it?

Well many people who need organs die waiting for a transplant because the lack of organ donors. 22 people on average die every day waiting for a transplant.

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Our Voyage: A Pilgrim Child’s Letter Brenden Hamilton Gr. 4 Dear Charles, the first few days of our voyage the weather was nice. The sea was calm, and the ship made good progress. The good weather did not last very long. A few days out there was a very bad storm. We were not used to the rolling of a ship. Many became violently seasick, but the fresh air on the open deck helped most of us feel better. The crew did not want us above deck, but the sickness in the air below was awful.

There is a doctor on the ship, but he has nothing to cure the seasickness. I hope that I do not get seasick.

I am feeling so sad right now, because I miss everyone and everything ion England. We are all living in a small area. There are many more people on the ship than it has room to hold. It is so crowded on the Mayflower that I have to crunch myself into a little ball. The conditions are almost unbearable.

There is very little for us to do on the ship. We listen to the adults read from the bible, and we sometimes sing. We practice our reading and writing, but mostly we play memory games or cat’s cradle. We all look forward to reaching land and being off this ship. Life is much harder than any of us expected.

Outdoor Sounds Finn Kropp Gr. 4 As I sit in silence, I can hear Flowing water on the rocks, Chirping birds in the trees, Blaring sirens along the road, Bustling traffic all around.

Outside World – an excerpt Kendall Ralph Gr. 6 One-day Pepper and Midnight the chinchillas’ cage was left open. The chins decided to leave their cage. Pepper and Midnight have long legs and are from Argentina. They have long bushy tails and very long whiskers. Pepper is grey and Midnight is black and both of them are soft. They thought they would find food.

They were about to leave their cage when the janitor came in and disrupted them. But soon left the classroom. So the chins heard about the café from all the students. They left to find this so called café.

They crawled through the hallway and found the “outside world”. They went outside and found a door opened and went in. They found the kitchen and something smelled like chicken noodle soup. They walked over because they liked the smell and slurped the soup and finished all of it. They became bored of eating the soup and were deciding where to go. They were going to go to the room adjacent to Mrs. Cole’s room. So off they went to their next stop.

As they were walking, they found that the art door was open. They went in and started messing things up. They looked around and found a calendar and found out the students were coming to school tomorrow. They knew they were going to have to clean up the mess.

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Over Rewarding – an excerpt Elena Stone Gr. 4 I do not believe that everyone should receive an award or medal because kids have to learn that you do not always get what you want, and that you have to work for things that are important. I think kids have to experience what not getting what they would like all the time feels like. I believe that it sets a good example and sets children up for success later in life. It provides a good perspective on what to expect and not to expect. Some kids get everything they want when they ask for it, and I do not think that to get everything you want teaches good life skills. I believe that it is especially bad for older kids because that is when children start learning and developing more responsibility. I think kids should truly have to work hard to receive or earn something that would really like. After working hard, kids will have something to look forward to and be proud about. They will get a lot of satisfaction out of the award because they are aware of how much hard work was involved in getting to that point.

Jessie Owens - an excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay Jed Koenig Gr. 6 Jesse grew up in a poor family and never gave up on running which rewarded him later in being an Olympian. Jesse Owens became a great athlete in high school, and he kept getting better. His perseverance led him to be an outstanding athlete in the Olympics. This is how Jesse showed perseverance.

Jesse Owens life as a child was rather hard. He grew up in Oakville, Alabama. Then he moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Jesse was often sick of chronic bronchial congestion because for him and his family. To make money he had to pick 100 lbs. of cotton each day. At least Jesse thought that the school was better, and the school was a lot larger compared to his old one room school in Alabama. This shows Jesse’s hardship as a child and successes.

Jesse Owens was becoming a record breaking athlete in high school. When Jesse Owens was in his junior in high school he set some major milestones. He was recruited by many colleges but, he chose to go to Ohio State which was his dream growing up. Since Ohio State didn’t offer him a scholarship, he had to work a few jobs so he could pay tuition.

The Package - an excerpt Logan Miller Gr. 6 Today, I opened my door, and found something interesting. It was a small cardboard package, wrapped in a little red bow. I opened it up. The curiosity getting the best of me. It was a small loose leaf note that read two simple words, “You’re Next.” The rest of the day, I was more alert than ever, but nothing happened. Maybe it was for that giveaway I entered a month ago. I thought, trying, but failing, to satisfy my wondering mind.

I fell asleep after hours of unrest, and woke up to the sound of scratching on my window. I jumped up, running out of my bedroom, and cowering in the basement. I eventually built up the courage to see what was on the window, if it was still there. I looked out, and- what was that! I was shocked, but I then realized it was just a tree branch. Fatigued, I went back to sleep, and nothing else happened.

I woke up, still wondering about the mysterious note, but not caring much about it, thinking it was some stupid teenage prank. Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, and another package! There was another note inside, and it read, “This isn’t a prank.” More nervous than ever, I turned on the news to see if anyone else was experiencing the same things. The news confirmed it was a prank, but not before the door creaked open and a monster-like shadow slunk in...

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Sister Paisley: Spreading God’s Goodness – an excerpt Allison Burns Gr. 6 Today is September 1, 1840, which is my birthday. I am a sister in Namur, Belgium. I live in a large, beautiful convent with the other Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Today I’m turning twenty years old. The sisters and I had a party to celebrate my birthday. We ate chocolate cake and had a meal cooked for us. My life living in the convent in just like all of the other sisters’ lives. Every day we wake up early to prepare for the classes and children. I am a teacher there, and I teach second grade math. When we have free time at the convent we love to play volleyball outside with each other. I had been going to school at that same convent since I was five years old and I stayed there after I graduated and became a sister. I am very excited that I get to journey to America soon and to make a difference there.

We set sail on the Eliza Thornton. The Eliza Thornton is a large sail boat that we took from Belgium all the way to America. On the ship, the six weeks were fun spending time with everyone. I loved being able to travel with my very good friend Sister Susan, who became a sister at the same time that I did. Every day I would look out on the water and see so many sites. I saw water everywhere I looked, and I saw whales, fish, and dolphins. We passed many countries on the way because we traveled up the North Sea. We passed the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Participation Counts – an excerpt Lennard Mellin Gr. 4 I believe that everyone get and award or trophy because everyone on the team is participating. Some people might be sad about not doing well in an event or game, and if they do not receive recognition, all they have is sadness. This can lead them to give up or quit the sport or activity. Last year in Boy Scouts, I received second place in the Pine Wood Derby. Everyone that participated got a trophy or badge. This did not make my trophy and second place finish less meaningful for me. I was happy that the other kids were recognized for participating. For the past two year, I have won the Raingutter Regatta, which is a boat race. In this event, awards were given out for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as well as, participation. This policy makes all of the kids feel special and happy during the event. Some people may leave happier than others, but everyone enjoys the regatta and feels good about their effort.

Pepper and Midnight - Gr. 6 class pets- an excerpt Megan Ebken Gr. 6 On a Friday afternoon Pepper and Midnight were relaxing in their cage. Suddenly the bell rang, and the students left for the weekend. Mrs. Rademacher accidentally forgot to close the chinchilla’s cage when she left, and Pepper and Midnight exchanged mischievous looks.

The sun rose from the dark sky, it was Saturday, the day of Pepper and Midnight’s freedom! Midnight stepped out of his saw dust bed and hopped out of the cage on to the chilly tile floor. Midnight cried out, “Pepper get up!”

Pepper groaned, “It’s only 6:30 in the morning Midnight!”

“I know, but we are going on an adventure today!”

“Really?” asked Pepper. “Then what are we waiting for, let’s go!” As the two chinchillas scurried out of room 11 Midnight stopped. “What’s the matter? Why did you stop?” complained Pepper.

“It’s……It’s a big stick thing with a fluffy bottom?”

“You mean a mop!” exclaimed Pepper.

“Oh yeah, a mop! Look and adjacent to the mop is a big yellow swimming pool!”

“Let’s dive in!” said Pepper. “CANNONBALL!”

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Personal Creed – an excerpt Vivi Bohmer Gr. 5 I believe in myself, that I can accomplish anything as long as I believe.

I will put God in front and the back of everything I do, And God will reward me with the destiny I am meant to have.”

Personal Inquiry Project – results/conclusion Benny Penote Gr. 5 In this experiment, I attempted to explore whether safflower seeds or black-oiled sunflower seed were preferred by birds. My hypothesis was that black-oiled sunflower seeds were preferred. My results did not support my hypothesis. 38 birds total visited the safflower seeds feeder, whereas my black-oiled sunflower seed feeder was visited 16 times total. Some limitations I had were many high-schoolers walked through the area where data was collected and scared the birds, there was a man next door working, etc. I collected the right data, however, I feel as if I need more time to find the real answer.

Michael Phelps - An excerpt from the Biography Perseverance essay Gibson Holmes Gr. 6 Michael Phelps showed perseverance through swimming. After announcing that he was going to retire, Michael knew that he had to do more work to meet his expectation. He came out of retirement and trained for the Rio Olympic Games and won 5 gold medals. He trained and trained for years to meet his goals. His day consisted of 8 miles of swimming and a whopping intake 12,000 calories. But he has to do this with ADHD. This is a condition characterized by problems with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Those affected by this disorder have a hard time controlling their behavior and paying attention. So Michael Phelps swims to relieve himself of energy. This shows an enormous amount of perseverance because it is hard for someone who has ADD (Attention deficit disorder) or ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to focus on anything for long amounts of time.

Michael Phelps is a 23-time Olympic Gold medalist and an outstanding swimmer. He faced setbacks with a DUI and being taunted by world champion competitors at the age of 15. He showed perseverance through mind-blowing hard practices after coming out of retirement. Along with a 12,000 calorie (a day) diet he is truly committed. Michael never gave up in his journey to be the best.

Pablo Picasso Sofia Palek Gr. 6 Pablo Picasso was born on October 25 and died on April 8, 1973. Picasso was the most influential artist of the first half of the 20th century. He was famous because of the way he saw things and drew or painted them. He dedicated his time to doing art and painting. Pablo Picasso was a very inspiring artist.

Picasso’s immigration eventually led him to college. The collage he went to was Real Academia Catalana Belles de Artes Sant Georgie. Since he failed most of his studies and being a bad student, he was kicked out of school. He had an electric attitude to style, and not many people saw that. He arranged signs differently and put meanings in his work.

Picasso’s encounter with surrealism did not change his work entirely. It did change the way he saw things, so earlier he would have seen a red flower. Now he would most likely see a flaming red floating structure. His encounter also encouraged not only the soft forms. But also the tender parts of his artwork and sparkly angular sections of his paintings.

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Pie Mason Butler Gr. 4 Pie is wonderful and sweet, Pie is nice and very yummy, Pie is round and very neat, Pie is great in your tummy, Pie is a delicious treat to eat, Pie is also good for your mummy.

Pie is warm not cold, Pie is better than bars of gold, But, pie is bad when there is mold!

Pilgrim Child - A Letter From One Claire Lamarre Gr. 4 Dear Constance, the trip on the Mayflower was indeed very rough, but my family and I made it through the harsh winter and it is now spring. There are not very many Pilgrims living in the village. The houses are wooden boards and covered in in wattle and daub. The floors are mostly made of hard packed dirt or clay, but sometimes they are made of wood. Inside our home, it is very dark like most of the homes, and the fireplace is the only source of heat and light. Our windows are mostly made of cloth some are made of paper.

The tables and chairs are just barrels with wood boards on the top of them. The first few months we had to sleep on the ground or a mattress. It was very uncomfortable. Instead of going school, this is how are days are spent. We learn everything we need to learn from our parents. I do chores like pick the corn, milk goats, cook, wash, and make soap and candles. The first Native American that we met was Samoset. He greeted us in English. Samoset is Chief of the Abnaki tribe, I asked him why he came, and he said he was visiting another chief named, Massasoit. Massasoit is chief of a nearby tribe called the Wampanoag. Samoset returned many times and brought other with other tribe members with him. Squanto was one of the visitors. Squanto was from a tribe called the Pawtuxet. Squanto helped us in many ways. He helped write an agreement with Massasoit. The Wampanoag tribe live close by, so it was important to be friends not enemies. Squanto also has taught about growing crops and fertilizing the soil. I fear what would have happened to us without his help.

Possibilities - a Power of the Pencil prompt Camille Nicholson Gr. 6 When I picked up the pencil I felt a twitch in my hand. I was suddenly transported into a trampoline park full of foam squares. Each one represents my thoughts. When I jump into the pit my thoughts go flooding onto a piece of paper. When I write I can be whoever I want and do whatever I want. I can be a superhero saving the city, a horse trudging through the forest, an actor preforming on the stage, and anything I can imagine. The possibilities are endless. When I write I feel happy because I am able to release my thoughts, not just keep them to myself. The pencil makes me feel powerful. With this pencil I can create something amazing.

Power of the Pencil Ryan Kenter Gr. 6 I feel like I have some power. I can go to a place of writing. I can be a great writer. I can write, think, imagine, and do almost anything. I feel like my imagination is free. I feel like possibilities are endless. Writing can help me. I feel like my handwriting is legible. I feel like my writing skills will improve.

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Pugs - a Power of the Pencil prompt Katie Conway Gr. 6 If I could make a national holiday I would make a National Pug Day. I would celebrate pugs and how cute they are. I would get some of my friends to put pug pictures on social media so the world sees it. I love pugs, and I know many people do as well so I chose this national day to honor them and their cuteness. I would also spread it by telling people that we need to save them because pugs do not live as long as other dogs because they have a more pushed in face which makes it hard to breathe. We need to recognize them for their cuteness! Make National Pug Day happen!

Recess Caroline Burns Gr. 6 I think we should have longer recess periods. We should at least get 60 minutes of recess every day.

Research says that recess helps boost cognition in students. It also helps us to stay fit.

Besides more exercise, we wouldn’t have as much energy in the classroom if we had longer recess.

We would have focus for afternoon classes. Research found positive associations between physical activity and ability to concentrate in class. Besides concentrating, we have to sit in a classroom.

We have to sit in a classroom for 70 minutes. We have to sit there for a very long time. Research has found that recess helps improve mental function and academic function. Recess should be longer. It helps improve school function. It helps with focus so teachers won’t get upset with their students if they don’t focus. In conclusion, we should have longer recess.

Jose Felix Ribas – a capstone excerpt Jonathan James Gr. 5 Jose Felix Ribas was very courageous. Ribas fought the battle of Urica even though he knew he would lose and he did because he was outnumbered 5,000 to 2,000. Ribas stood up for what’s right, even against Spain. Ribas died rather than to tell his plans. Ribas fought two thousand to five thousand enemies. Ribas was very courageous.

Emily Roche Sophie Anderson Gr. 6 Emily Roche has been cooking since 5. She shows her creativity through cooking. Emily Roche is a 12 year old who has a strong interest in cooking even though she is challenged by her peanut and tree nut allergies. She has continued her love for cooking.

“Nobody likes the chopping block,” Emily stated. One of Emily’s favorite things that she made was her own recipe, a satsuma-pepper jelly glazed salmon with brussel sprouts. Emily thinks shrimp is a challenge ingredient. Though on Chopped Junior, she thought it was an advantage. Emily has been enrolled in culinary kids in Mandeville for four years.

While on Chopped Junior, Emily stated that her dish was just tossed on the plate. Emily needs to work on time management when cooking. For example, in the 2nd round of Chopped Junior, she didn’t have enough time to add parmesan cheese to her entrée.

Emily had to use perseverance while cooking on Chopped Junior. Emily had to use perseverance when she received the basket of ingredients. For example, Emily received quail. She had never cooked this type of bird.

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The Summit Country Day School

Sister Rowan – an excerpt Maria Bishop Gr. 6 Hello, my name is Sister Rowan. I am part of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Today is September 1, 1840 and my 20th birthday. Since I am a Sister, I live in a convent. The convent is beautiful and what I call home. My job here is to bake. I am the head baker. I have been here since I was 18, so it has been 2 years. For my birthday, the Sisters promised me a cake better than one of my own creations. They said it was going to be a raspberry chocolate chip cake with buttercream frosting with 9 layers and 3 tiers. It sounds delicious, but I don’t know if they will be able to pull it off. I live in Namur, Belgium. It is a breathtaking city and the capital of Wallonia. I love being a sister and teaching children. I also like baking for the sisters. Life in the convent is truly wonderful.

Today, I saw a letter outside on the doorstep. It was small and tied with a red and blue ribbon. The letter was from Cardinal Purcell saying he would like us to go to America to teach children. I was so excited after reading this letter and couldn’t wait to tell the other Sisters. Clèmence Grace, Sara, and 5 others are going with me to America. I became seasick on the voyage and threw up many times. I miss the convent and baking for the sisters. These six weeks of adventure have turned into six weeks of misery. We finally arrived in New York City. It is an impressive city. Our entire journey was paid for by our extremely wealthy friend, Francoise Blin. We are so grateful for what she has done for us.

Ryka’s Creed Ryka Woodruff Gr. 4 I Believe in the Father of Jesus, the Creator of all living and non-living things. I believe in peace so that people can live in unity with one another. I believe kindness is a virtue that enables people to treat others in ways that they deserve. I believe that life should be happy, and if we encounter someone who is hurt either physically or emotionally, we should help them up and attend to their wounds. Amen.

Sam the Sloth Annie Fee Gr. 6 On a -40 degree day in the North Pole, on Christmas Eve, Sam the Sloth was born. He was getting ready to board the sleigh, and get dropped off at the little girl’s house, but he heard music, so he followed the music.

Once he got there, he looked up. He saw all the elves that take care of him, were partying! He looked up and asked Jerry, “Why are you partying?”

“Well, Santa is about to drop off all the toys to the little girls and boys, so we get to party, wait… shouldn’t you be boarding the sleigh now?”

But Sam said, “Yes… but I want to party with you.”

“Okay, fine you have 5 minutes.”

The five minutes went by fast, but it was still fun. Jerry took Sam back to the sleigh, right before takeoff.

After a few hours, Sam was under a tree to surprise a little girl.

Seeds – a Family Ecosystem poem for Science David Schnitter Gr. 5 My family is like an ecosystem and you are like the seed. You were planted, chose to grow beautifully, and chose to become a planter of seeds. You planted two seeds, nurtured them, and watered them with your water of love and POW! We came into your ecosystem. You chose the path for your seeds and led use to where we are today. We couldn’t do it without you and would be consumed by other weeds, predators, and other bad flowers. You fed use, made us look pretty, and dad gave you the seeds to put into your ecosystem. Dad is like the weed killer, protecting us from dangerous weeds to keep us safe. Ryan and I are like the plants and consumers, you planted in your soil of care and love and consuming your love and nurture from you. You are like the ecosystem, and we are like plants you planted in your soil of love, watered and fed us with your care and nurturer. Without you, there would be no ecosystem.

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Wordworks

Self Portraits in The Two Fridas George Baker Gr. 4 In The Two Fridas, I see two self-portraits of Frida Kahlo. Both images of Frida are sitting on a bench. It looks like their hearts are connected by a vein. The vein goes from one heart to another, but then it goes behind one of the Frida’s backs and comes back down her arm. It appears that she cuts it off, and the blood flows down her dress. The other vein wraps around Frida’s arm ending by wrapping around a miniature of her husband, Diego Rivera. The heart on the left looks unhealthy, but the heart the right looks heathier.

I see that the Frida on left is wearing a more traditional German dress, and the other Frida is wearing a more traditional Mexican dress. I think the background is kind of gloomy, sad, and lonely with all of the dark clouds. They are sitting on a tan bench with brown carpeting. I like this painting because it shows a lot of feeling and it says a lot about Frida’s life.

Sister Katherine - a creative writing excerpt Chloe Lane Gr. 6 September 1, 1840 Namur, Belgium Hello, my name is Katherine. I am a Sister of Notre Dame. My town looks like any other small town would look like, multiple tiny houses, and there’s the convent. The convent is filled with happy nuns, well most of the nuns are happy except for Lucy. Every day I take care of the pets. Some nuns have their very own dogs.

I am the youngest nun in the convent, and today is my 20 birthday. You need to be 20 to be a nun. I am already missing my family, I spent my whole life with then and have never lived without them. I am friends with Meredith and Margret. I play many games with them. (They are also 20 and today is their birthday too).

The ship that I sailed on was called the Eliza Thorton. The ship looks like a giant sail boat. I am traveling with my friends Meredith and Margret. This is only the second week out of six on this ship. It was the worst time I traveled in my entire life…

Smile Heidi Crowther Gr. 4 The book, Smile, by Raina Telgemeier is a fantastic. It is a graphic novel, so it is very easy to read and understand. The book follows the events in the life a sixth grader named, Raina. She is a typical sixth grade girl until one day. Raina and another girl decide to race after a Girl Scouts’ meeting. Everything was fine until Raina tripped. She fell on concrete and seriously injured her front two teeth. She had to go to the orthodontist to get them fixed. Some might think that they could be repaired quickly. Well, that is not the case. It took years to correct the damage. Raina had to have braces twice, headgear, surgery, and a retainer with fake teeth. In addition to dealing with her teeth, Raina has all the other worries of being in middle school, like being a 7th grader and being asked by a 6th grader to the Valentine’s Dance. Smile, deals with the issues and problems that kids have just being kids. The book makes the reader think about how events can change your life, and the things that you should look for in your friends. I would recommend Smile to everyone. It is a great story.

Sounds Allen Wang Gr. 4 The world will always be full of sounds, Just listen closely and look around.

Barking, chirping, and so much more, You just have to go outside your door.

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Source of Light – a science ecosystem poem Sarah Stewart. Gr. 5 My family is like an ecosystem and you are the sun. You are the source of light. Everyone orbits around you.

You light up my heart. You are also like a consumer. You consume all of our needs and make them your top priority. You are the best, in all the world. You light up my heart, and eat up my needs. I thank you for that, I love you so much.

Stay Healthy – a health essay excerpt Matthew Langenderfer Gr. 5 Now the final, and possibly most thought of type of health, physical health. Physical health is the condition of your body. One good physical activity could include going on a run or playing with your friends. There are UN-healthy behaviors such as being a couch potato or jumping off the playset, which could cause injury.

Plus, if you are not physically healthy or active you could become obese or develop Type 2 diabetes. So go for a run or you will be eaten by the Cookie Monster! After all of that commotion, ask yourself whether or not you are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. If not, ask yourself how you can change.

Werner Stengel – an excerpt Trey Butler Gr. 6 Werner Stengel (pronunciation Ver-ner ‘Shtngle) modernized the modern roller coaster. He lived through World War II as a child in Germany. He had many achievements as an adult. He took the loop (considered a complete catastrophe the time) and made it work. Werner lived through dangerous hard times and still succeeds. Werner Stengel was born in Germany, 1936 and had many accomplishments. He was 3 and lived in Germany, when World War II started. In 1963, he started his own company, Stengel Engineering.

Also, he had to persevere to make the loop roller coaster, a total fail at the time, and make it a success.

Werner had some extreme middle years. He designed Millennium Force, supposedly one of the best coasters in the world, as well as many other Cedar Point rides. He also designed Son of Beast. It was at Kings Island, which broke many world records. Now if you don’t know what Son of Beast was picture a really big wood roller coaster. Is it gigantic? Good. Now add a massive double helix. Done? Next add a steel loop to it and make it extremely jerky and bumpy. That should give you something like Son of Beast.

Syrian Refugees – an excerpt Maya Hajjar Gr. 6 We should let Syrian Refugees into the U.S. and other countries. If we help them, it will encourage other countries to help as well. Also, Syrian Refugees can help our economy. They were also a big part for forming history, so we owe them this. Helping refugees in Syria will decrease the number of kids who don’t get a good education and lower the number of families under the poverty line.

Helping refugees from Syria will encourage other countries to open refugee camps or let refugees in so that refugee camps aren’t so packed. If they aren’t so packed refugees might feel more open to going to school. If more refugees go to school, they get a better education. According to the Washington Post, the problem isn’t that the U.S. isn’t doing enough to help Syrians, but they are doing too much to block them from coming in. If we help refugees, the U.S. government might be more open to stop blocking refugees out.

Besides the U.S. blocking, Syrian Refugees give us many benefits.

Accepting refugees from Syria into the U.S. will also give us an economic benefit. If we get an economic benefit from them, the U.S. will be more likely to accept refugees. When the President realizes why they would help the U.S. rather than “destroy” it, he might be more willing to bring them in. Syrian immigrants have had even higher average earnings last year then native-born Americans. The government should realize refugees will help the economy and are a benefit to the country.

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Wordworks

Target Katie Crowther Gr. 6 On a warm Saturday afternoon, I walked into Target. I was upset to see that the store was out of birthday cake flavored gum. I couldn’t believe that target would do this to me. I went to the manager’s office. I walked in seeing the manager eating the last pack of gum. I was furious so I took the phone and called the President of the United States to tell him what happened. He didn’t answer so I took the gum pack and ran away. The manager called security, and they started to chase me! I ran through the clothes aisle then to the makeup through the back to school supplies and into the women’s bathroom. I went out to the shipping area and saw some people eating donuts. I ran through the door, and they called the police. I was arrested for stealing a pack of gum.

Testing – a persuasive essay excerpt Freya Kindel Gr. 6 I think that it is very important to limit the number of test given in the middle school. It is important that we are able to focus on one test a week because otherwise it creates stress for students and even teachers. A survey of a large district has shown that there has been a number of 113 standardized tests between preschool and 12th grade. I think that it is very important to make this minor adjustment.

It is very important that have time to study for tests. I think that teachers should warn about tests at least a week before the tests. According to UCLA, it takes kids 6-7 hours to study for tests. Teachers should also give students study guides that cover the test. I know that it takes kids a really long time to study, which is why I support this claim.

I think that kids should have more time to do activities in class instead of taking the tests. If we decrease the amount of tests, then students will be able to do other activities in class. Some kids would be able to do their homework. It takes more than half the class to take a test, sometimes it takes the whole class period. It would also be helpful to teachers so their students don’t get behind in class.

To Whom it May Concern Lily de Lacy Gr. 4 Is homework necessary? Some people think that you should have it because it’s a review of what you learned in class. Some people think it helps us be more responsible by having it due by a specific time. Some people think it helps our study habits. Some people think that if you have homework you can tell if the students have been paying attention in class, or need more help. What about not having homework. That would be a change! People say that it takes time away from family time because the students just lock themselves in their rooms and have to work on it for hours. Some people say it wastes paper. Some people say that kids, tweens, or teens already go to school for about 6 hours so why do they have to do another 1 to 3 hours of homework. Some scientists say that it doesn’t even improve test scores or grades. I don’t know, but my opinion is that we shouldn’t have homework. I think this because of all these reasons I’ve stated, and because I have experienced all these reasons. Sometimes when my cousins and grandparents are here, all I want to do is play with them, but no, I cannot, because I need to do my homework. I hope this letter will help you all decide if homework is necessary, or not.

Tufted Titmouse: Eat from feeders with flowers on them or without? – an excerpt CC Chavez Gr. 5 The purpose of this inquiry was to explore whether the Tufted titmouse prefers to eat from feeders with or without a flower taped to it. Data was collected by counting how many Tufted Titmice came to each of the feeders. The result was that two birds visited the feeder without a flower whereas three visited the feeder with a flower. I did not collect enough data to reasonably answer my research question.

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The Summit Country Day School

Desmond Tutu – a capstone essay introduction Henry Howard Gr. 5 Well hello, my name is Desmond Tutu. I was born in a town called Klerksdorp, South Africa in 1931. I contributed to society by helping to end apartheid. Apartheid is when only one race is allowed in government. I was courageous when I was speaking out. I lost my passport, went to jail, and was harassed by state security guards. Right now I am still alive.

The Two Fridas – an excerpt Kira Njegovan Gr. 4 The Two Fridas is a double self-portrait oil painting. Combining folk art with surrealism, Frida Kahlo created this painting in 1939. This also was the year Frida Kahlo divorced Diego Rivera. I believe the artist is showing that her two nationalities, personalities, true heart and soul cannot be disconnected. Frida is trying to speak of her lost and undying affection for Diego Rivera by clutching a miniature of him when he was a small boy. A vein leading from her healthy heart encloses the miniature. The veins wrap and twist around the two Fridas’ hearts and bodies demonstrating her commitment never to detach her two selves. On the other Frida, her hand holds a medical clamp attempting to stop the blood from flooding out of her veins.

This Frida’s heart looks almost bisected and sick and is much different from the other Frida’s heart. This represents her heartbreak and sadness at the loss of Diego.

This painting uses many techniques to draw in the viewer. The use of color with the contrast of red and white and the primary colors of her blouse frame the burst of red in her two hearts. The lines that she uses to create a triangle through the clasped hands further draw the viewer into the painting…

Unemployment - an excerpt Jack Robinson Gr. 6 As more major corporations grow outside of the United States, the number of unemployed people inside the United States also grows. Many of these corporations have factories abroad, and this constantly deteriorates our economy. Too many Americans are affected by this, and it causes the large unemployment rate in the US. Therefore, all major corporations based in the United States, should have all manufacturing in the United States of America. This will lead to an economic revolution.

According to the US Department of Labor, 9.7 percent of the US are either not or under employment. It would very much improve the happiness of our citizens by bringing back just some of our jobs. Also, it would boost our markets quite bit. Our markets are currently very uncertain and it’s time to improve them.

For the workers, it’s also a burden. In China and other manufacturing cities, quality is much lower that the United States…

Unlimited - a Power of the Pencil prompt Tommy Schaefer Gr. 6 As I hold my fresh new pencil in my hand, I think of the power I control with this utensil. The pencil could jot down a make believe land full of dragons, fairies, or travel to the far future. Lives are at stake. A single word means life or death. Cherish or despair. Freedom may be rained upon a kingdom, or a plague upon an empire. Buildings can fall, lives can be ended. A single word, sentence, paragraph, or page. The movement of the item gracefully dances across the page. A mistake made, a mistake erased. A single writing can make a man famous, rich, into a world of his dreams. All by this simple item, producing literature. With time as the only limit, is there no stopping? No hardship? No law? For when you write it’s your decision. Yes, a pencil can write, but what can it write? The simple letters of the alphabet, a sentence, a page. That page can take you away, into a mindscape, painting a beautiful painting in the reader’s mind. Who will read this? A reader of course. A man or a woman. Then they can read my ramble on this simple object. Simple writing. It could be in French, Spanish, Latin, English or any language possible. You can see that anything is possible, even out of plausibility, can happen with a pencil.

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Wordworks

Unrewarded Joey DiPaola Gr. 4 I do not think that everyone should receive an award for just showing up because it leads to people not care about his or her effort. Getting an automatic medal decrease the value of all medals and trophies.

I believe that people need to work hard and pay attention to coaches during practice and games in order to do better. If they do not win, it is motivation to try a whole lot harder the next time around. If kids do not get a medal or trophy, they will want to figure out what needs they need to do to get a trophy the next time.

Desiring something makes people work harder and also figure out what works and what does not. These are important skills to develop.

Once, I won a tournament, but everyone received the exact same trophy as I did. I have to admit that I was annoyed. They all received medals just for being there. It made my winning feel less important.

I also believe that it made the tournament less meaningful to everyone that participated in it. I know that if there is an award given to the winner only, it makes me try my hardest to get the award. Participation awards reduce the need to try, and they make winning seem insignificant. This is why I believe that awards and trophies should be given to the winners and not everyone involved.

Sister Veronica – an excerpt Luke Schneider Gr. 6 The journal of Sister Veronica: spreading God’s goodness September 1, 1820 to September 1,1920.

I live in the convent in Namur, Belgium. The town is beautiful, especially at night when the lights go on. The convent is a beautiful convent filled with nuns and a beautiful church. Everyday my sisters and I pray to God. My job at the convent is to help the sick and poor. Today, I am 20 years old. My birthday party was amazing. I received a huge chocolate cake. I am brand new at the convent. The sisters and I love to play tag together. I wonder if I will ever leave our small town.

The Cardinal sent us a letter to come to New York City to help the poor. The ships looks like huge brown ship. The ship is very long. The scenery between Belgium and New York is beautiful. This journey is paid for by a wealthy benefactor. She is extremely generous and arriving in New York City in October will be the best day of my life.

Vincent Van Gogh – an excerpt Tucker Hayes Gr. 5 Vincent Van Gogh was very courageous. He showed courage in his artwork and in person. He even has a quote, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Van Gogh painted a self-portrait when he was not looking his best. He showed courage by showing the world how he looked and felt at that time. He also showed courage by cutting off his ear. Sure it seems like a call for attention but I’m going to take a wild guess and say that it hurt, also it could have been an art statement. Van Gogh painted in styles and ways no one ever painted. That is risky and courageous because people might not like it or criticize him in not so good ways. That is how Vincent Van Gogh showed courage.

Volcano Ethan Traiforos Gr. 4 Explosive Hawaiian volcano, Warm and bubbly inside, Ground rumbling, Pressure building, Erupting!

Hot molten rock spewing out, Lava destroying everything visible, Causing massive destruction.

Trees falling, Grass disappearing, Plants dying, Destructive volcano.

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The Summit Country Day School

Out of the Wardrobe – a Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe prompt Owen McEachern Gr. 6 Lucy then stepped out of the wardrobe. Snow covered the ground and the evergreen trees. Lucy glanced at her surroundings. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw a faun! The faun carried a snow frosted umbrella and wore a cherry-red muffler frosted from the cold. The faun stood in the cold by the dimly lit lamp post wondering if he was hallucinating from the cold. Lucy moved forward to shake his hand but suddenly the faun came to his wits and fainted.

The Warrior Goes On! Anna Grace Sanders Gr. 4 I was in gym class when something special happened. The soccer game we were having became really intense. Then, I got hit when our team was trying to score a goal. A teammate passed it to me so hard that the ball flew up and hit me in the chest. I said I was fine even though I had the wind knocked out of me. Later in the game, the other team tried to score a goal. Our goalie was the same kid who hit me earlier. He got the ball and passed it to me, but it hit me in the back this time. Someone asked if I was ok. My teacher said, “She’s fine, she’s a warrior.” That made me feel proud!

Water Flowing - a nature poem Esmé Gonyo Gr. 4 Water flowing quickly over rocks, a sweet call of a bird in the trees, the wind blowing against my face, as nature surrounds me.

Bees buzzing in search of nectar, fish swimming and splashing in the sun, twigs breaking under my feet, as nature surrounds me.

Hummingbirds zooming from flower to flower, grass waving in the afternoon breeze, pollen covering my face, making me want to sneeze.

As nature calms me.

Weekend Homework – an excerpt Joseph Federle Gr. 6 There should not be any weekend homework because, weekends should be filled with fun. My parents say that the weekend is for relaxation and play, not homework. When kids have a lot of energy, they will tend to rush through their homework. Less homework means more time to learn a new activity such as sports, games, and video games. Our school should decrease the homework load because it decreases relaxation and free time.

Less homework on the weekend means, that kids can learn new activities such as, sports and games. If you learn how to play new games, this means you will have something fun to do at school and with your friends. Kids love to learn new things, but they don’t like to review the same thing over and over again because, it just gets boring. Kids would love to do fun activities for homework but, most of the time they do really boring homework such as reports on a topic. I think kids, would love to learn if they had fun activities to help them learn.

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Wordworks

What I Hear Trey Lippert Gr. 4 Splashing water in the pond, Tweeting birds on the branches, Beating wings of butterflies near, This is what I hear.

Bubbling water over rocks, Squeaking baby birds in nests, Blowing wind past my ears, This is what I hear.

Falling leaves in the air, Eating squirrels here and there, Crawling bugs away from me, This is what I hear and see.

Will More Birds Come to a Feeder if There is a Picture of a Cardinal on it? – a Science Personal Inquiry excerpt James Johnson Gr. 5 The purpose of this inquiry was to find out how many birds visited feeders with a cardinal picture on the feeder verses no cardinal picture on the feeder. Data was collected by counting how many birds came to the feeder (one with a picture and one without) and ate there. The total amount of birds that visited the picture feeder was 9 and 13 birds visited the feeder with no picture.

Winning Third Place in Little Mo International Tennis Tournament –an excerpt Lilly Dwyer Gr. 5 After a few points she started really getting serious, and my palms got really sweaty. It came to be 5-5 in the first set. I remembered to start playing aggressively to her backhand so I could pull off a few points. I was able to pull off that game and it was 6-5. It was her serve for that game, she won a few points and I won a few. It turned out to be deuce (40-40 in the game). She double faulted which made it add-out. The next point I slammed my backhand down the line to hers and she missed in the net. I had won the first set! I thought, one down, one to go…

Wonder Lily Gentes Gr. 4 Wonder is the best book in the world, in my opinion of coarse. It shows kids not to be afraid to be different or stand out. We all can be different. This book demonstrates how to stand up to bullies and anyone that tries to stand in my way. Wonder showed me how this little boy August, nicknamed Auggie, stood up to bullying. His face was different because of some issue at birth. He got bullied in fifth grade, and his best friend was talking to the “cool” guys, meanest self-centered kids in the world, about how bad Auggie was. As we can all tell, that is not a true friend. Auggie was bullied by the whole fifth grade. Would you even like to witness bullying? I wouldn’t. This book really helped me, and whenever I am feeling, low I take out the book and read a chapter or two. I Hope you like this book.

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Artwork

Self Portrait, Allen Wang

Anna Grace Sanders

Carson Dwyer

Yeezy, Beckett Holmes

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Wordworks

Cariboo-ing, Caroline Burns

Darnell Baldwin

David Schnitter

Stained Glass Window, Ethan Traiforos

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The Summit Country Day School

Black & White, Jonathan James

Lemur, Madeline Schaefer

Join the Movement...

Maverick, James Johnson

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Wordworks

Catniss Evermeow, Savannah Everslage

Skip Into Neon, Reagan Bricking

Taste the Rainbow, Madeline Sumnar

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The Summit Country Day School

Katelyn Bastos

Chinese New Year, Jack Riley

Spiderman, Joaquin Beatty

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Wordworks

Venus into Blue Jeans, Lilly Dwyer

Maria Bishop

Heidi Crowther

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The Summit Country Day School

Rusty Work, Sofia Palek

Peacock of Paradise, Ann Miller

Stained Glass Window, George Baker

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