By: Hailey Wenzel
From time to time people have wondered why reading is important. Important for a variety of things. Fundamental to functioning in today's society. Important to learn while you're young. Essential for a child's success. Reading is not very easy there's a lot of exceptions. Können Sie dies lesen? Obstacles, distractions No time to practice Sounding out the words you don't know Hard to concentrate Keep practicing If you are a good reader and comprehend what you read, your possibilities are endless. Study and pass the tests to get into college. Building on the mastery of previously learned skills. You need to be able to read and learn new things.
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By: Brittyn Walter
It was a few days before the big game and the Clovers were ready to beat the Tigers. There is a couple things that the team and I have to do before the big game is one big thing is you have to be focused. You have to make sure that you are in the zone and can make the right decisions about the plays and where you're supposed to be at in the right time. The other thing that I, Jimmy John, like to do is make sure that you are prepared to be put in and know what you are doing if you have to practice and make sure you know the whole team's plays, then do it rather than get to the game and not know what you are doing. Those are some good tips that I use to get ready for the big game that could put you in your spot for a good career. The most important part of playing a rough house sport is to be careful of your head. Many people get head concussions that can cause long term head injuries that can also brain disease. That is why I watch out for my head so I don’t get a bad injuries. That is why are whole team wares all of the pads and the protection on our head. It is also a strict rule by our coach so that we can play the whole season without getting hurt or injured. There is many ways you could get a head injury that could possibly kill you but even though they are common still some people dont get them. You dont always have to get a huge head injury just in football it could happen anywhere and in any sport. That is why it is most important to keep yourself protected and still have fun at the same time. Sports are all fun and games until it all comes crashing down and all of your hard work and practice is done because of one game. It was the night of the game and me and my team had been using all of our practice skills to be prepared for this last game. It was the fourth quarter and I was rushing for a touchdown and smack I was on the ground and couldn't move. What was going on? It had all happened so fast I was pushed so hard to the ground that I had hit my head and I got a huge concussion. Why had it happened to me I had did everything I could to make this the best game of my life and it was all ruined by one hit. By: Abby Sohn
From Germany to Netherlands My family history comes from all over Sometimes you never know where you come from Sometimes you have to learn it over and over My dad’s mother’s maiden name was DeBoom, It Comes from the Netherlands. My great grandfather was dutch, He immigrated from Netherlands to America in 1913 His name was Cornelius DeBoom My great Grandmother was raised in Iowa as a little girl When my great grandfather immigrated, He met my Great grandmother Pearl, Together they would keep the DeBoom legacy alive Sohn is my last name, it comes from Germany Ronald Lee Sohn, was born in the U.S with only a couple pennies His dad John Jr. Sohn had a dad named John Sohn too John Jr.s Dad, John Sohn was born in Germany That’s not where it ended though, John Jr.’s dad’s dad was John Sr. Though there were many John’s in the Sohn family John Jr. would soon end it by naming one of his son’s Ronnie Shirley Sohn, was my grandmother I never really knew her, or my grandfather much She died of cancer when I was very young She was born in Iowa, though her history is dutch Now onto my mother’s side My grandma, Alberta, came from a German Family Her dad, Albert, was born in Iowa with a lot of pride Albert’s dad, Ben Van Deest, was born in Germany That is where German comes in on My mom’s side Jack Simcox, my grandfather, is from Iowa His parents were Mildred and Ned Simcox My grandma and grandpa are still alive They do not live far away and I see them everyday This is my family history Netherlands to germany Wherever I may come from They will always be my family Lexi Oudekerk I’m happy I have friends, family, a life I’m doing okay My life’s going great My grades are up I can focus on the important things in my life Then Boom, everything changes Sometimes I don’t know what’s happening to me It’s like I’m in a world where happiness can swallow me whole But It can also be the best thing to ever happen to me How do I handle it? School, friends, family, and now depression I’m just overwhelmed I just want a break How do I feel? What does it feel like? What do I want? Depression feels like you’re drowning and everyone around you is staring at you Mocking you because they’re able to breathe And all you want is for it to stop To show people that the statistics don’t matter The doctors are wrong I’m not depressed But you know that’s wrong You know your depression won’t go away But there is still that part of you that wants it to stop You’d like to look people in the eye and say “I’m fine” and mean it You want to know that people don’t think you just don’t care Because the truth is People that struggle with depression care They care because they know what it’s like to be alone To have no one To suffer And they would do anything just to make the people they love happy I don’t want to emotionally hurt people But sometimes depression can ruin relationships I want everyone to like me But I want to talk to my friends about what I’m feeling too But there no way I can have both, right? I’m stupid to think that I feel like the doctors don’t know how to help me Yeah, they say medication and therapy, a combination But the meds aren’t working I don’t even go to therapy anymore I just don’t see it working My life is crashing down into a canyon and I haven’t been prepared to deal with it “I’m fine” That’s what I told them They believed me But there is a solution “I will get through this” “I will be prepared” “I’m not there yet, but I will get there” “I will get my friends back” “I will be happy again” “I will be able to look you in the eye and say I’m fine and mean it” “I will be able to breathe again” “I will stop drowning” “I will fight this” “I will beat the statistics” “I just have to have faith” By: Drew Larsen
Although there is dangers that await you. Getting all my gear prepared Now it's time to dive real deep. Falling backwards into the sea. My oxygen tank supplies my air, It also helps weigh me down. My snorkel mask lets me see, The beautiful reef that is beneath Tropical fish I see below, A giant eel that's in a hole. All the fish scatter and what do I see, A Great White Shark staring at me. I froze, speechless, under the water, My favorite place has become a disaster. He checked me out for a long minute, Decided I wasn't a fish, then he vanished. I head the other direction and I find, A shipwreck in some time. Lurking inside the shipwreck I see, A moray eel coming for me. I hide but get cut by a piece of metal, That was sticking out in a shadow. I make a decision to go to the surface, Where I see a boat that is certainly for me. By: Audrey Knudsen
You like to believe that people will be there no matter what Your mind slips into a daze, thinking of someone Someone who you thought would be there forever Someone who you thought wouldn’t leave Thinking... they weren’t there to catch you when you fell How they left you in your darkest moments You thought of them as if they would be there forever But they were gone and your whole world stopped You were happy, had many friends, but they left When you lost them, it felt like you were drowning Without them, you were sad and lonely Eventually your mind fell into a pit of nothingness You put a smile on your face during the day When you went home, you cried yourself to sleep You became negative and mean Everyone eventually started walking away from you Little did they know, you were hurting too You pushed people away to protect yourself Thinking… I can’t deal with that kind of pain again I won’t You thought that if they didn’t stay when pushed away They weren’t worth keeping One day, someone did They stayed when no one else would They helped you out of the funk you put yourself in Pushed you to get better When you did, they said to you “I will be here for you, Through thick and thin, To lift you up when you are down. I will listen to your problems And care about you forever” They stuck to their words Even when you were far apart Friendship can be painful Or it can be full of happiness In the end, you will be alright As long as you have someone who cares October 24, 1929
Everyone is going crazy. Ma and Pa seem really worried about something about banks and money and stuff, but they won’t tell me what is going on. I wish they didn’t still treat me like I’m a kid. After all, I just turned 12 a few months ago. Anyway, James left home again today; he told me he didn’t know when he would be back. Apparently, he has to go find work now that he is 18. Looks like no one wants to be stuck around me anymore. Back to my original problem, people are going nuts about their money and banks. I can tell something is wrong, but I just have to find out what. More details to come… ~ Harper October 29, 1929 So that’s what all the fuss was about. Yes, it was bad news for everybody, especially us. The stock market crashed, and it seems like the world is coming to end. Pa is out of work, and James is still looking for work. I don’t imagine he will find any now, seeing as it was probably not the best time for a job interview. Ma seems worried, too. It’s like she gets older with every passing hour. Something tells me there aren’t good things to come. I’ll admit that I have little to no knowledge of economics or stock markets (we haven’t yet reached that chapter of government in school, yet) but I just have a feeling that this crash isn’t going to have good results. ~ Harper November 2, 1929 James has still not come home, and I have been stuck watching my 5 annoying siblings by myself. I finally have a break after I put Betty and Helen down for their nap. William and Mary are finishing their “homework” although I suspect they are playing marbles again. I’m not sure where Robert is, but I just hope he is old enough now to know better. If not, I’m going to be in big trouble with Ma. Anyway, Pa seems to be spending less and less time at home. Ma says he is out looking for more work, but her face droops whenever she says this. I’m starting to see where her worry comes from. All 6 of us kids are starting to get hungry, but Ma says no snacks. I checked the cupboards, and we seem to be running low on quite a few things. I wanted to tell Ma, but I was afraid it would make her worry even more. ~ Harper November 13, 1929 We’re moving. I haven’t had much time to write because we’ve been fairly busy. When Pa first explained it to me, I didn’t get it, but now I do. It started off with just Ma selling a few items around the house that just collected dust. Then it was bigger things, like the car. Eventually, it was the house. Now, we get to live in a “shanty town.” I’m not sure what that is exactly, but Ma didn’t seem too happy about it. I’m not quite sure I am, either. I have to go, we need to finish packing the only things left we haven’t sold yet… ~ Harper November 29, 1929 Things have not been going so well for us lately. I suppose that is an understatement. We’ve been on the move a lot lately, and I have had little to no spare time. I’m afraid these entries will be getting shorter as the days pass. Recently, we have been hearing word of people becoming tired of President Hoover running our country. We have started getting accustomed to sleeping with “Hoover blankets” and waiting in line at the soup kitchens. How I wish we could go back to the way things were. As I’ve said before, this could very well be the last entry for a while, but I just hope I will be around long enough to finish it one day… ~ Harper August 30, 1939 I have just recently found this old diary, and have been reminded of my struggles over the past years. As I read through my past entries, I realize that my family and I may have gone through one of the roughest periods of our lives. But then I remember how unstable our country is now. If you couldn’t tell from the date, It has been almost 10 years since the downfall of the economy. I just pray that things will not go as badly as it had before. ~ Harper September 1, 1939 We are at war. I see I didn’t wish hard enough. It seems that whenever I find this journal, I have to put it down as soon as I pick it up. We are on the move again, but this time, I will not be going with my family. It is a longer story that I don’t prefer to tell on a single page. Our second World War is at hand, who would have thought. Well, I guess I will just have to prepare to ride out this storm as well. Unfortunately, I’m afraid this is my last entry. Best wishes, future me, I hope you live a happy life. ~ Harper By: Alexis Jensen
I went to practice like my coach required, I like to bat and pitch a fastball. I do it each day, even when I’m tired, That’s why I never miss at all. So I quickly made my way up to the field, And I got ready to show off my skill. The catcher held up her glove like a shield, And then I pitched her the ball with a thrill. That pitch was so fast, We didn’t want to stop. We were having a blast, Until we felt a raindrop. I decided to pitch one last ball, When suddenly my arm tightened up. It did not feel good at all, And I couldn’t even pick the ball up. I was rushed to the doctor, They said I couldn’t play. The look on my face shocked her, I guess I took it too far that day. She said it was overuse, That I needed to rest. So I had a glass of juice, And then I hoped for the best. She explained sport specialization, Because I only play one sport. I guess it's common in the nation, And I should try out a volleyball court. I suppose by body has taken a beating, And I’m one of many victims. I haven't really been eating, The doctor said it’s one of the symptoms. So I sit around as I’m required, As everyone else practices away. I guess I never really feel tired, I just really want to play. It was fun to play in the hot summer sun, Or even in the cool season of fall. On every pitch, I scored a homerun, But now I can do nothing at all. If I can teach a lesson to you, Make sure you listen closely. Try every sport you may wish to pursue, To avoid terrible injury…mostly. I would do every single sport, If I were to go back and do it over. I’d be the quickest on the basketball court, And I’d never turn the volleyball over. I could be the very best gymnast, And still play softball, of course. If my arm would accept my forgiveness, I could even try riding a horse. I would leap hurdles on the track, Maybe I’d even try dance. I’d run cross country and never look back, If only I had another chance. By: Katryna Hauser
“Everything’s so different now... “ That was all she could hear: the constant muttering. She didn’t get it, how’s everything so different? The world, how it is today, is all she’s ever really known. Sure, there’s setbacks in most situations, but it really isn’t that bad. Sophie’s an orphan, and she lives in a homeless shelter. Something has been going on, causing all the older people to continue rambling about the same thing; how much has changed. They all expect me to see it right away, and to miraculously know the difference between the two. Well, news flash: I don’t. I didn’t live in the 1900’s, I wasn’t even born yet; there was no Sophie on the earth who was exactly like me. So, I’m sure everyone reading this is confused, let’s start on a few reasons why these wacko people think everything is so different. A reason that’s not so life-changing is how people dress nowadays. I think old Fran nearly had a heart attack when she saw this girl in a tiny dress downtown, yikes! I’m surprised she didn’t go give her the clothes off her back! Yes, she’s that crazy, you learn to deal with it when the only people you’re around are probably medically insane. She was flabbergasted, going into this whole story of how it used to be back in “The good old days”. She said that teens were way more conservative, and didn’t just wear whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. There’s so many different options and varieties, no matter the personality of a person. I think that’s pretty cool! But Fran, with her dementia, obviously doesn’t. The way people get around, I suppose I’m kind of learning how it’s changed. I’m learning how it’s all changed now in general, what else can I do except listen when I hear it every day? Obviously the way people travel has changed immensely, otherwise we’d be walking, or in horse and buggies. One of the big cars back in the 1900’s was the Model T. Ford. This truck was adapted to do many many different things, so it didn’t just serve one purpose. Nowadays, we have so many different kinds of transportation, it’s endless. Lastly, technology. I think technology speaks for itself, because we didn’t have half of the technology back in Fran’s time then what we have now. As our society has progressed, we’ve become increasingly more dependent on technology than ever. Back then, you had to send mail, which took forever to send, when now you can just make a few taps on your phone, and have a text sent out in seconds. We have many technologies to use to communicate; a vast majority compared to how it used to be. We have cable, internet, TV’s, electronics of any type, movie theaters, Netflix, and we have so many things offered to us. Technology has also made the world more diverse; you can learn about news from all over quicker. Overall, I can finally see how the world has changed! I know Fran and the others will continue to drive me insane, but now I know a few of the basics. By: Adam Hassebroek
Once there was a boy named Billy Joe and he went to school every morning at 7:45 A.M. He was always very tired from the night before, but he could never go to sleep before 11:30. Billy and ½ of his 8th grade class had this same problem too and some were even worse. They all had something in common: sleep deprivation. They never get enough sleep. They were always drowsy and couldn't pay attention in class. Billy Joe would try to go to bed earlier but he never could ,so he always fell asleep in class. His classmates tried to get him to stay awake but they couldn't even stay awake either. One cool day in October, Billy thought of something that would get him more rest: starting school later in the morning! He tried talking to all of his teachers to see if they could do that, but they all said that it would not happen. Billy would not give up on his idea so he looked up how it would benefit his school. He found out that that most of this fellow peers and him have a normal wake up time of 9:00 A.M.. That was almost 2 and a half hours later then when he gets up. He also found out that more than half of all 8th graders get less than 7 hours of sleep. So Billy went to the school's principal to tell him why they needed to start later, but he said also that it would not happen. Billy Joe would not go away that easily though, he would keep researching his idea and make it happen. Near the end of November, Billy had learned so much on what it would do for students like himself to start later. He learned that starting at 9:00 A.M would give some kids an extra hour and a half of sleep. That could make them more alert and give them a better chance to learn more. It could help kids not be as stressed as they are when they are tired. That could decrease obesity levels and depression. Plus We’d just be in a better mood overall so everyone would be happier. Billy thought he had what was needed to try again so he went to the principal of the high school to see if it could happen. But even with all of Billy's facts and research, he was told again that it would not happen. It was early January now and snow covered the ground. Billy Joe and his friends researched day in and day out about why it would be a good idea. Billy and his friends found out that starting later gave the students more time to have a healthy breakfast. It also showed students showed much better grades than before switching. There would be less teen crashes due to sleep deprivation and make it safer for drivers. In high school, it showed less students had drug abuse and high risk bad behavior. It is also a fact that when you sleep enough, your immune system gets stronger so you wouldn’t get sick as much. Studies have shown that when you get enough sleep, it will make you want to answer questions more in school instead of just sitting there. It also made students want to go to school more instead of sleeping in and skipping. Billy and his friends made a presentation of all of their research to show to their superintendent and they worked very hard on it. So when they went to him, they presented it to all of the board, and they said there was a chance. It was the beginning of February and Billy and all of his friends weren't having to get up really early and go to school at 7:40, they were going to school at 8:40. They were no longer sleep deprived and there school was having good grades after the change. Billy Joe and all of his friends were happy and so was everyone else |
Ms.Backstrom's class has been working on creative writing pieces based around 'big question' research. Take a look at what they've come up with!
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