Detective Ania

AHW Thursday: I made this up

    "This case is closed said Judge Roberts." Everybody shuffled uncomfortably in their seats. "But, we never unmasked the murderer of Sir Joseph!", the juror, Megan, called out. "So, the suspects we have are Shin Be and Niyathi…" I told them as I stepped out of the shadows. I was the greatest super sleuth, spy, de-coder, detective, officer, I was Ania of the BCS Dx association, (Big.Crime.Superlative.Decimating.Xamples). We were… let me reword that I am the best at solving problems and cases. 

     "Excuse me, but it seems as if you are getting the clues from the wrong direction," I said. Judge Roberts was infuriated, "You have no authority here, but, speak your opinion." I showed them my BCS Dx badge. Everyone in the court room had their eyes peeled on me. I noticed Doctor Megan and Aria glare at me. They are Shin Be and Niyathi's lawyers. 
     Doctor Megan cleared her throat, "Excuse me… Detective Ania of so-called BCS Dx, do you contradict the Judge Roberts' decision?"

"No Dr Megan, I am not! It's just that who ever you hired must have gone what I call crazy, let me speak with them."

Judge Roberts cleared her throat, "Order in the court!" she glared at me. "How dare you interrupt my courthouse… you just appear from the shadows!?"

"Well actually it is part of my contract for BCS Dx to appear from the shadows…"

TO BE CONTINUED

Flower Time Poems

Lovely Floral Haiku:

~

Roses can be red

Violets are blue, grown for you

And I love you, too

Pretty Flowery Twaiku:

~

All flora is beautiful

And forget-me-nots

Lillies and lavenders, too

If you do not know what a Haiku or Twaiku are then I will tell you. Both are Japanese styles of poetry. This type of poem is generally associated with nature. A Twaiku is the reciprocal of a Haiku in mathematical terms. Here are the patterns:

Haiku:

(Line 1) 5 syllables

(Line 2) 7 syllables

(Line 3) 5 syllables

Twaiku:

(Line 1) 7 syllables

(Line 2) 5 syllables

(Line 3) 7 syllables

Literary Essay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. (A galaxy spiraling to earth) Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, (Heaven and Fire) not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson helps us understand that we are poweful, and we are able to overcome our own challenges. Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference (someone being judged). An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder"by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. Marianne Williamson would want Auggie to stay strong. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that must have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth. Hellen Keller once said, "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

"I Can Make History" Contest Poem

Contest Poetry

Martin Luther King Jr’s eyes are the sun,

It’s light is not more bright than his heart’s,

If our lights are still lit, then he is not done,

For Mr King, felt hope on other people’s parts.

I have heard many great stories,

Yet Mr King spoke the greatest change,

And he has shared and given many glories,

African American’s life’s will never be strange.

I love to hear him speak, yet I well know,

that Mr King would want my voice to be the sound,

He had, and I hope to, make other’s souls glow,

After all, not all great Lights get to be crowned.

That one spark in Mr. Kings heart turned into a light,

And I have one too, I shall make that light bright with all of my might.

The Silver Clock

Genevieve Kingston sat by the fire in her mother's rocking chair, sewing her dress. It was the year 1873 and humble little Genevieve lived in a poor family. And so gently rocked back and forth humming her favorite hymn. "La da di da! La la la lu la da da di da!" CRASH! A sickening thud sounded from the upstairs. "Bless Me!" cried Genevieve! That sound startled her so, since she was home alone, and had no elder siblings to care for her. Cautiosly the little maiden set down her sewing stuff. Her heart was pounding fast, she tried not to venture into the attic often. Then along came a steady TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TICK TICK TACK TACK CK CK CK! That was the sound of a broken clock. Genevieve knew that sound all too well. For her grandfather Kingston always gifted them clocks, and they all seemed to break after a week or so. But it was rumored that before Genevieve's home was built their used to be a clock smith's  work shop there. So sometimes it was quite scary. As she timidly crept up, clutching her frock in one hand and the banister the other. She then her a howling sound. A chill sent her spine tingling. Then the whole house started to shake, shake, shake!!! The door suddenly flung open to reveal a ghostly light… Genevieve slowly tip-toed to the light, her curiosity took over. Then she grabbed the shining object and all went still. TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK! In her pale hands lay a priceless silver clock! And for some reason it wasn't broken any more. As she examined it. Genevieve noticed a small inscription on the back,

Property of Locklin Kingston
A Silver Clock, Made August 13, 1756
Please give to my Great Great Great Granddaughter Genevieve
May my ghost live with her

And that was all that it said! Genevieve stood their out of shock, love, fear, happiness and pain. His ghost would indeed live on with her. 

Trip to Mexico

I just got back from my trip to Mexico. Unlike in "Enrique's Journey" (the book), I was in one of the safest parts of Mexico. My family and I stayed at a gorgeous tropical resort on the Yucatan Peninsula. Our balcony overlooked vast garden filled with exotic flowers and beautiful creatures of all sizes, the colorful garden would soon switch into a pale beach at the Caribbean Sea. The water was so calm! I could swim out so far, and I wouldn't feel the slightest tug of any current. I was like I mermaid swimming among the fish. One didn't even need scuba gear to get a good look at the coral reef. At one point when I was as still as stock, the fish all of a sudden swarmed around me. So awesome! I am going to post pictures of my trip later on.

Entomology

"Green Lacewing! Water Boatman! Fleas! Darkling Beetles! Oohh, my favorite: Globular Springtails… order Collembola." Vivian, Zoe and I shouted in unison. We were at a study session for the science olympiad event: Entomology. In which, Vivian and I did very well in. Today we were identifying the insects. As soon as the next flashcard was whipped out its name would soon be called. "We are really could at identifying!" Vivian exclaimed. I nodded, "But, we need to work of the insect anatomy, I mean a lot." And not long after we went over the insects body parts. "Crop! Midgut! Mandible! Exoskeleton!" And those were the easy ones! I can't wait for the next competition...

Fiesta Time!

Next week… for Mid-Winter Break I am going to go to Mexico on vacation. We will visit the Mayan Ruins, there we will explore the run down pyramids and treasures of the ruins. We will also go snorkeling, to see all of the traditional underwater inhabitants of the Caribbean. And of course, I can't wait to go swimming in the pool and ocean! I am so excited! Is anyone else going some where tropical for break???

Kill Order Literary Essay

If the world was pretty close to ending, then I think the will to survive would be one of my number one priorities. Living- let alone surviving, in a world of devastation can be hard. In the book "The Kill Order" written by James Dashner, it seems that Mark and Trina are on the verge of sanity- literally, and are trying to keep them and their friends alive. Imagine taking sacrifices just to save your friends. One of the important ideas from this book is to be grateful for what you have. Since Mark and Trina might be catching a deadly virus at any moment or getting killed by insane people who have already caught the virus, they are still grateful for each other and the blessing of food they get every once in a while. So, The Kill Order is really about the power of perseverance.

In the story there is evidence of the power of perseverance. Mark and Trina and their friends rely on each other in order to survive. In case you didn't know perseverance is the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving a goal. For example, on page 14, top of the page the author wrote, "We'd better get back down… Or the world will end!" This excerpt proves that with so little in their burnt world, Mark and Trina have each other. And they still manage to have some fun. This shows the power of perseverance because in order to live, they will have to work for it. Like a smart one once said, "eat to live don't live to eat." Mark and Trina are eating to live, if they can even find any food

Also in the story,  they care for each other so much. Mark and his friends are like puzzles pieces. That work well when they are together, but are useless when the puzzle pieces are alone… and are likely to get lost. Along the way they meet a helpless five year old named Deedee. Her parents were killed and Trina and Lana cared for her when they found her. Even though she was just another mouth to feed they took her to their arms. This demonstrates the power of perseverance while caring for each other when Dashner wrote, "It's okay, Trina said, stopping. She got down on one knee… the girl said, Deedee." In this quote Trina acts so caring to Deedee. I think that what Trina saw in Deedee's eyes just reflected her own. Trina is so caring, for her group and Deedee. Why is Mark and Alec not as compassionate as her?

At the end of the story, Mark and Alec have to save Trina, Lana and Deedee! I can't imagine what that must have been like to save my friends from death. On page 261 in the middle of the page Mark disputes what is the true definition of surviving, "Surviving, Mark said quietly. I thought surviving was all that mattered, but I was wrong. We can't leave these kids here." Surviving needs a lot of perseverance. Without perseverance Mark and his group wouldn't be alive. 

The Magazine

"Girls in white dresses and blue satin sashes, these are a few of my favorite things!" That it a famous line from the sound of music. Today, once I had finished my homework… I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long time: I looked in a clothes magazine! Dun Dun Dunnnn! It is totally unlike me. I had finished my stuff and, and, and… Ugh! I can't explain it. It was so tempting to do something that only parents do, that sometimes is really boring, that is the exact opposite of me. Some of the clothes were actually pretty cool. hahaha

What lay beyond...

"Oh, Mackenzie, Mackenzie, Mackenzie… Why are you so curious, differ?!"

"But Father! I yearn to explore! And to know what the just beyond the next tide. It's so-"

"I know what it is to you, but soon young Mackenzie you will become Queen Mackenzie."

"Father… I know that you are the King! But, that doesn't mean that I can't just be… normal!" screamed Mackenzie. The little Mermaid swam away crying. She lay in her ocean bed, with only the water to comfort her. Up swam a small and stout looking, yellow lobster.

"Sire," the lobster said in a heavy french accent, "I would like to comfort Mackenzie… Offer her my word of advice."

The King sighed, "Oh Davius, why don't you!" he stroked his thick graying beard. "You can try… please. Thank you, Davius."

"It is my pleasure King Teron."

So, little Davius scuttled away in search of the impertinent mermaid. "Mackenzie! Where are you? Mackenzie!" He heard a muffled sorrowful sound coming from the coral reef.

"Child, you may not be listening… but I want to tell you something." He took a deep breath. "The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake. You dream about swimming out there, but that is a mistake. Just look at the world around you, at your father's ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more are you looking for, at home! I bet you your father would understand. And not everyone reprimands Princess Mackenzie- You even listening?! You are a bright, young mermaid. You are ready to know what the king, your father knows. There you see! Swimming all around you. It might not seem like much, but child its awesome. You think you don't know why, but your dying to try to: see more!"

If the world was pretty close to ending, then I think the will to survive would be one of my number one priorities. Living- let alone surviving, in a world of devastation can be hard. In the book "The Kill Order" written by James Dashner, it seems that Mark and Trina are on the verge of sanity- literally, and are trying to keep them and their friends alive. Imagine taking sacrifices just to save your friends. One of the important ideas from this book is to be grateful for what you have. Since Mark and Trina might be catching a deadly virus at any moment or getting killed by insane people who have already caught the virus, they are still grateful for each other and the blessing of food they get every once in a while. So, The Kill Order is really about the power of perseverance.

In the story there is evidence of the power of perseverance. Mark and Trina and their friends rely on each other in order to survive. In case you didn't know perseverance is the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving a goal. For example, on page 14, top of the page the author wrote, "We'd better get back down… Or the world will end!" This excerpt proves that with so little in their burnt world, Mark and Trina have each other. And they still manage to have some fun. This shows the power of perseverance because in order to live, they will have to work for it. Like a smart one once said, "eat to live don't live to eat." Mark and Trina are eating to live, if they can even find any food

Also in the story they care for each other so much. Mark and his friends are like puzzles pieces. That work well when they are together, but are useless when the puzzle pieces are alone… and are likely to get lost. Along the way they meet a helpless five year old named Deedee. Her parents were killed and Trina and Lana cared for her when they found her. Even though she was just another mouth to feed they took her to their arms. Like when...

Finished Literary Essay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson helps us understand that we are poweful, and we are able to overcome our own challenges. Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder"by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. Marianne Williamson would want Auggie to stay strong. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that must have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth. Hellen Keller once said, "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

Nice-Land

There once was a girl, and she was bossy, persnickety, sassy, selfish, hurtful, un-empathetic, sometimes annoying, boastful, and just plain mean. That girl's name was Carelynn Joyce Kinderson. Get it? Care Joy Kind, anyway Carelynn was the exact opposite of caring, kind and any form of joy. She and her family lived in Nice-Land. Where no one would frown. No one would pout or cry. No body dared to be mean. And the air was filled with joys of happiness and caring. And the sun itself was a big, old smile. Everyone was like that… except for one person: Carelynn. Instead of smiling she would snarl and stick her tongue out at the other kids. Where ever she went, a dark cloud of lust, anger, and drabness would be. This is the story of how Carelynn learned to care and became to be the brightest person in town.

"Kathy!" screamed Carelynn, "Give me that marker, now!!!" Absolutely no manners. Little Kathy Mai gave Carelynn the pretty pink marker. 

"Will you give it back Carrie?" 

"What do you think?!"

"I am sorry I was just wondering-"

"Well stop wondering I'm top dog here at school. So, shut up!"

"KVKWKA!" said their lively 2nd grade teacher: Miss Honey.

Carelynn stomped off leaving Kathy to sulk all alone. Then Kathy ran over to her friends and cried. Carelynn reveled in the sorrow. "Oh my gosh! My artwork is hideous all because of Kathy… and that stupid marker!"

"Kathy!" called Miss Honey, "May I speak with you please!"

"Oh sure Miss Honey Bee!"

"Please do not be sarcastic! Come here."

"I don't care!"

"Carelynn if you-"

"I'm ain't listening."

Miss Honey was mad! And only Carelynn had the ability to do that.

"Think positively!" said Benny.

"May you please stop!" cried Lily.

Miss Honey stared hard into Carelynn's eyes, and Carrie stared back just as hard. Then Miss Honey's eyes snapped back to their usual gentleness. The recess bell rang loud and clear DING PING DING! All of the kids rushed out in the usual kind, well-mannered fashion. Carelynn's eyes lit up with joy. Not the regular type of joy, like Happy Birthday joy, but evil. She rushed out of the class and pushed the kids. It was time to round up her clique of "mean girls". In it were Becky, Sal, Arianna and the leader: Carelynn.

"Sup Girls!" bursted Becky.

"Hey, hey, hey!" sang Sal.

"Hola sissies!" announced Ariana.

Carelynn nodded hello. As Carelynn passed pretty little blonde Kathy she stuck her tongue out.

"At recess are you guys ready to be mean?!" said Sal.

"You know it!"

Carelynn knew that people would scold her. Her parents would lecture her. And kids would be afraid of her and her group. She was going to be mean. 

"Don't do it!"

Literary Essay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson helps us understand that we are poweful, and we are able to overcome our own challenges. Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder"by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. Marianne Williamson would want Auggie to stay strong. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow. (7)

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that must have been for Auggie? (7)

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger. (11)

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me." (8)

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth. (10)

Nice-Land

There once was a girl, and she was bossy, persnickety, sassy, selfish, hurtful, un-empathetic, sometimes annoying, boastful, and just plain mean. That girl's name was Carelynn Joyce Kinderson. Get it? Care Joy Kind, anyway Carelynn was the exact opposite of caring, kind and any form of joy. She and her family lived in Nice-Land. Where no one would frown. No one would pout or cry. No body dared to be mean. And the air was filled with joys of happiness and caring. And the sun itself was a big, old smile. Everyone was like that… except for one person: Carelynn. Instead of smiling she would snarl and stick her tongue out at the other kids. Where ever she went, a dark cloud of lust, anger, and drabness would be. This is the story of how Carelynn learned to care and became to be the brightest person in town.

to be continued…… 

Targets in the Air

"Okay, now that we are almost perfect in all of the distances let's try getting the ping pong ball into the basket ball hoop!" said my Science Olympiad partner: Maddie. We were working vigorously on our device for launching ping pong balls at targets. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I was in the event Air Trajectory. We got third place, but our goal is now first place. So we thought that we could prove our mastery of the distances by making it into the basketball hoop. So both of us dragged… well actually gingerly carried the device onto the three-point line in the court and prepped it.

"Okay so I think it will be about seven meters." Maddie said.

"I agree, let's bring it forward though just to be sure."

"Let's do this!"

So we adjusted the angle, set the pipe, raised the weight, checked the air flow, inserted the pin. "3… 2… 1… Go!" I yelled. And off the ping pong ball went. An arrow slicing through the sky. Everything was going in slow motion as the little white ball WHOOSHED through the net. "Hurray! Yes! Whoo-hu!" I cried with joy. I galloped and sashayed and leaped extravagantly. It was an odd sense of pure joy. Luckily, we caught this on video.

Literary Essay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson helps us understand that we are poweful, and we are able to overcome our own challenges. Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. Marianne Williamson would want Auggie to stay strong. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow. (7)

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that must have been for Auggie?  (7)

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger. (11)

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me." (8)

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth. (10)

The Luau

The sun was nearing the Hawaiian horizon. And the sky was a beautiful orange color. It was time for the Luau. I walked down the winding path next to the tropical flora. I wore my sunniest tank top and cutest sandals. The Luau would last till late at night. If you don't know what a Luau is, then I'll tell you, it is a traditional Hawaiian party and feast that accompanied by the most extravagant entertainment. The things we would see and do is: see fire breathers, dance the Hula, eat exotic foods, watch dances, listen to stories and more. I could tell that this was going to be an exciting night. As my family and I neared the grand open space with the stage we found our seats near the center. Many people were already there. Most of the woman had hibiscuses in their hair, and the men had flower necklaces. I looked at the three tables behind be holding many wonderful dishes. I saw six Hula dancers walk onto the stage. Then a friendly looking man walked up to the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… put your hands together for this week's Luau!"

The Element of Ania

"Lit., Sut., Pottas., Rubis., Ces," I repeated after my grandpa. "This is the rhyme you need to know to remember the first elements of the periodic table," he lectured. "Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium," I guessed, "Correct," he affirmed and gave me an approving nod, "And remember, study those and I will tell you the rest later." I stared at him in disbelief, of course I want to learn the periodic table... before I get to seventh grade, I thought to myself.

     That is the story of how I learned the periodic table. :-) 

The Play

Boom! Flash! The lights were back on. The Seussical play had begun. What behold the dear audience was a colorful well-crafted set. The birds from the jungle of Nool, wore sparkly and colorful costumes and sashes. Meanwhile the monkeys wore dark and sinister get up. And the little Who's were as cheery as ever. I recognized almost all of the faces behind their costumed disguise. The whole Suessical was a big hit with everyone! And I liked it to! A shout out to those people that acted in the school play, "Great job, you guys! It was amazing! Fabu!"