We made the call and you answered! We asked our families to encourage their students to keep writing throughout the summer. It's important to keep those skills sharp. Students have been sending us their writing and we couldn't be more excited to share with you some of work we've received! You can look forward to this blog updating all summer and hear what our students have been up to.
6/11/18
Golfing
Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five. – John Updike
During my 8th grade year, I started playing golf. I signed up for the Fortune Golf team because a student gave me an invitation to join. Also, my grandfather has influenced me to play golf. We have watched the Masters together in the past two years. Even though I have been invited to join the Fortune golf team by a student, I picked this sport because it brings me closer to my grandfather.
By Dmitry
6/13/18
Philosophy
Philosophy (the love of wisdom) of the western world, was founded in Athens Greece. Socrates was the teacher of Plato. After the revolution of that government, the mob overruled the aristocracy and demanded Socrates’ death, so he was executed. Plato was taught by Socrates and started his own school several years later called the Academy after the god Academus. There was a grove of olive trees named after the god Academus on which Plato built his school. Plato had a student named Aristotle who after being taught by Plato, started a rival school. The teachings from these fathers of Philosophy arose the components of philosophical thought: Metaphysics, Epistemology and Value Theory. Logic and reasoning are the tools for discernment of Philosophy. Studying Philosophy makes one think about life in different ways.
By Reid
6/21/18
Adventures in Leadership Camp
I just spent the last two weeks at Camp About Face’s Leadership Academy. Camp About Face is a camp for children ages 8-18 who have had craniofacial surgeries. I have been going as a camper since 2011 and this is the first year I have been in the leadership program. It was fun to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I had the chance to lead a discussion with younger campers about bullying, self-esteem and healthy friendship choices. Throughout the week, we swam, did archery, sang and other fun activities. One night we had a talent show and I sang, “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. On the last night, we were given a copy of the book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss and we signed inspirational messages to each other in our books.
By Lauren
07/05/18
THIS SUMMER
During the summer I have been conditioning for cross country. My first few runs, my times were slow, but I’ve kept practicing and have improved. I have 2 different running paths. One is about 1 and a half miles, which I call my “long run”. The second run is a little over a half of a mile, which I call my “short run”. My long run helps me practice pacing. My short run helps me work on my speed. My best long run time so far is 11 minutes 40 seconds. My best short run time is 3 minutes 50 seconds. I started practicing at my brother and sister’s swim practice. My mom has supported me through each run and encourages me to pace myself and try my best. At first I thought sprinting as fast as I can at the start would make me better, but then I tried pacing myself and it started working out for me. Running is a fun sport and I’m going to continue my training so I can run my best at the start of cross country season. I can’t wait to impress Coach Kemper!
By Matt
07/11/18
Cancun
On July 2 my family and I went to Cancun. It was a lot of fun. I got to go snorkeling, eat for free and get drinks for free. The place where we stayed was beautiful. Everything in Cancun was gorgeous.
By Haley
07/21/18
Thoughts on Catcher in the Rye
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when your all done reading it you wish the author was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much though.”
J.D. Salinger
To some people J.D. Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” is offensive, while I identify with the main character, Holden Caulfield. In the book, Holden Caulfield struggles with depression as well do I. I have an understanding and appreciation for his pessimistic view of the world.
Most importantly, I have a sympathetic understanding of Holden Caulfield. I was the same age as Holden in the novel when I read the book. He is often confounded and bewildered by the actions and responses of other people to him. I am often confused by other people’s actions and responses, too. Similarly, as an introverted teenager, I keep my thoughts and feelings to myself like the main character.
Secondly, Holden grapples with depression and anxiety. Holden’s anxiety caused him to use avoidance tactics such as running away, ditching school, and drinking beer. He even hired a hooker, but he ran out before anything happened, and then he got assaulted by her pimp. I also have anxieties; however, I deal with them in more acceptable manners such as playing sports and drumming. Not knowing what lies ahead in the future causes anxiety. Another factor of anxiety is when you learn how hard the expectations of the world are as an adult. Even though Holden never said anything about these things in the novel, he did communicate it through his actions.
Finally, we both harbor a pessimistic view of the world, although Holden is at a much deeper level. I like to see myself as an optimistic pessimist. By this I do not mean that everything is negative, I just tend to see the faults before the positives in certain people in varying situations. At times, I do speak my mind, but I tend to keep things mostly to myself. On the other hand, Holden Caulfield is very plain spoken and blunt. Holden could also be taken offensively by others. I am more determined and persevering than Holden. I believe that if I dedicate and work hard and really put my mind to something I can achieve it. Holden often ran away from his problems instead of facing them.
After almost 70 years from its publication, J.D. Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” still intrigues people today. I am one of those people. I feel like J.D. Salinger is a friend of mine because he writes about Holden Caulfield in a way that it makes it feel as if he is writing about me. Because of these reasons, this book will stay with me the rest of my life.
Posted Anonymously
07/30/18
Summer Movies
The first movie I watched was called I Feel Pretty. It was about this lady who didn't think she was pretty. She went to this spin class and fell off the bike and hit her head twice. It was a really good movie, It made me think of myself in a different perspective. The second movie was called The Vist. It's about these two children that go see their grandparents and some wacky stuff happens when they are at the grandparent's house. It's a thriller movie. That movie is for those who like a good scare.
By Haley
08/01/18
Europe
I had a blast in Europe this summer we went to Paris, France and Basel, Switzerland. In Paris I climbed the Eiffel tower with my family. The next day we went to the Louvre museum and saw the Mona Lisa. On the last day of France we went to a singing and dancing show and there was girl that was swimming with water snakes, also there was two people on a smaller stage and the boy tied a rope to girls head and, spun her around on roller skates. Before we went to the show there was a restaurant called Indiana. On the 19th of June we went to Switzerland. We were in Lausanne we stayed there for two days. In Lausanne we went to lake Geneva and swam there. The next day we went to Basel and we met are friend and stayed there for two days. In Basel we swam in the Rhine river on floats. That night we watched Switzerland versus Serbia in a world cup match, and Switzerland won 2-1. When Switzerland scored the town went crazy and the buildings were shaking.