Personal Writing Assignment #2: A Happy Moment

Writing Prompt: Describe an instance in which you felt particularly happy.

• Describe the circumstances leading up to this occurrence.
• Explain what was special about this particular moment.
• Include dialogue (required). You are in essence telling a story.
• Begin the story in a creative manner.
• Provide your story with a satisfying conclusion.
• Story length: 1-2 pages.
• Assignment must be typed, 1.5-line spacing, size 13 Calibri font.
• Assignment must be at least 3 paragraphs.
• You may not use spell-check or grammar-check.
• Include title and heading.
• Due: Thursday, October 16.

NOVA History Quiz

During our Monday Morning Assembly, Mr. Fleming had students take part in a quiz game. Students gathered in Closing Crews and attempted to answer the following questions:

1. In what year was NOVA founded?

2. In what town was NOVA originally located?

 

3. Who founded NOVA School?

4. Who is the Trow named after?

5. How many teachers were there the first year NOVA opened?

6. What are the two patterns in the tiles on the floor of the MOD?

7. What class was taught in the Barn besides PE?

8. What current teacher taught that class?

9. What two teachers have been teaching at NOVA the longest?

10. What kind of bird is the sculpture on the outside of the building?

11. What famous Olympia artist donated that sculpture after his daughter graduated from NOVA?

12. In what year did NOVA introduce enrichment classes?

13. How many lockers does NOVA have?

Answers after the break!

Compass Roses 2014

A great batch of compass roses this year!

Quiz Bowl Questions #1

• Please use 1.15-line spacing. Make sure there is adequate space between questions. Use size 14 font.
• You need to turn in two copies of this assignment.
• DO NOT MENTION THE ANSWER (or a form of the answer) ANYWHERE IN THE QUESTION. For example, if the answer is London, the question cannot mention The London Eye.
• Pages must be single-sided.

Due: Wednesday, October 1. Both copies turned in at MATH.

Please create six questions. Questions 1-4 must follow the prescribed format. Questions 5-6 are Potpourri Questions, which means they can be from any category.

1.  One of (my name)’s favorite U.S. cities with a population above 100,000 is famous for _________________, _______________________, and ___________________________. It is located in the state of ______________. Name this city.

Answer:

2.  One of (my name)’s all-time favorite books can be found in the ____________ genre. It is set in ____________________, and features a character named ________________ who must ________________________. The book was written by ___________________. Name this book.

Answer:

3.  Name the sixth grade student who was born in __________________, loves to ________________________ and ____________________, and is a huge fan of _________________________________________.

Answer: (your name) 

4.  One of (your name)’s most admired historical or contemporary figures was born in (year) in (city), (state or country). (He or she) is an important figure in the field of ____________________ and is well-known for __________________________ and ___________________________. Name this person.

Answer:

5 & 6. Potpourri: Create two questions in different categories. It must be possible for sixth grade students to guess the answers (nothing too obscure). The answers may not be numbers. Multiple choice questions and true/false questions are not allowed. The answers may not be year. Each question must contain at least two facts. Include the answer to each question.

Quiz Bowl #1 will be played Friday, October 3, 2014.

Halloween, October 31, 2010

Found some gems in my archives. Good memories!

The morning assembly.

Angela, Dracula, The Spanish Inquisition, and Dwight Schrute

The winning Quiz Bowl team!

Mr. Fallat, Maestra, and Nicole

The sixth grade

Maestra, A Leafy Tree, and Thor

"Adventure Time" Closing Credits Song

Have you ever finished an episode of Adventure Time and thought to yourself while you were watching the end credits, "That song is so catchy. I wonder what it is?"

I know I certainly have, so I YouTubed it. It turns out the song is called "Island Song," and is sung by Ashley Eriksson. Ashley performs in an indie pop band called LAKE, which was formed right here in Olympia. They have released multiple albums on the Olympia-based record label K Records. Pretty cool, right?

Here is the full song version of "Island Song":


Here is the end credits sequence:


Here is LAKE performing "Don't Give Up" from their 2009 album "Let's Build a Roof" in Austin, Texas:


Here is a picture of Ashley at the Cartoon Network studios with topiary of Finn and Jake:

(photo: ashleyeriksson.com)

You can visit Ashley's website here.

Come along with me
To a town beside the sea
We can wander through the forest
And do so as we please...

Realistic Fiction Assignment

Reading: Please read a realistic fiction novel which is not a re-read for you.

Writing: Please type assignment. Use size 13 Calibri font with 1.5-line spacing. Include heading in upper right hand corner and title centered at top of page.

Please compose complete paragraphs about the following:

Protagonist: Describe the protagonist. What are the important traits of the character? Describe his or her personality. What is the family situation for the character? What is the social situation for the character?

Challenges: What are the challenges the protagonist faces in the book? Please describe them. How/why did these challenges arise for the character?

Resolution: How does the protagonist overcome the challenges he or she faces? Please describe how the character resolves these challenges. Yes, you will need to give away the ending to the book (in most cases).

Emotion: Now that you have finished the book, what was the most powerful emotion you felt as you were reading? Describe how you experienced this emotion. Please refer to and describe specific episodes in the book which led you to feel this emotion.

Rating: How many stars would you give the book? Why would you give the book this particular rating? Please be specific.

Due: Monday, October 13, 2014.

NOVA Debate Blog Debuts!

NOVA's debate class is a new enrichment offering this year taught by Ernesto Chavez, who is a professor at St. Martin's University. Ernesto has created a blog for the class, which you can find here. The focus for this first trimester will be on ethics. Enjoy!

Sounders Win the U.S. Open Cup!

Obafemi Martins (Michael Perez/AP)

It was a bruising match from start to finish, but the Sounders prevailed, defeating the Philadelphia Union 3-1 in overtime in the 101st U.S. Open Cup. Philadelphia took the lead in the 38th minute on a header by Maurice Edu. The Sounders and Chad Barrett answered with a goal early in the second half, tying the score 1-1. Both sides would have chances to win in regulation, but keepers Zac MacMath and Stefan Frei both made key saves to keep the score deadlocked. Near the end of regulation, the Sounders were just barely hanging on. Zach Scott and Brad Evans both suffered apparent knee injuries, but both soldiered on. The Sounders had already used two substitutions and had only one left. They literally limped in to overtime.

Sigi Schmid would elect to replace Evans with Gonzalo Pineda early in the first overtime period. In the 101st minute, Clint Dempsey would receive a pretty pass from Obafemi Martins and put the Sounders ahead 2-1. In the second overtime period, with Philly pushing all its players forward in an attempt to score the equalizer, Martins would receive a clearance, beat a defender and the goalkeeper, and score Seattle's third goal, putting them safely ahead 3-1.

(Michael Perez/AP)

The entire 120 minutes was a battle. In addition to the injuries to Evans and Scott, Ozzie Alonso and DeAndre Yedlin also got banged up. The end result, however, was a trophy for the Sounders, their fourth U.S. Open Cup championship in six years. The celebration at the end of the game was vigorous, to say the least.

The Sounders will now battle the rest of the season for the Supporter's Shield and MLS Cup. The tandem of Martins and Dempsey appears very to be very formidable at this time. Hopefully, the Sounders will be able to re-charge for the stretch run after this incredibly rewarding--but draining--run through the U.S. Open Cup.

It was not easy to watch this particular match, or even listen to it on the radio. There was no local television or radio broadcast. SoundersFC.com had an audio stream. A small outlet called GolTV had television rights. However, GolTV is not available through Comcast (though it is carried by DirectTV). A brand-new startup called KlowdTV.com acquired streaming rights days before the Final. The charge to stream the match: $8.48. As this was the only option available to me, I signed up. I tested the service the day before the match; it seemed to work great. When I got home from work tonight, after being excited all day at the prospect of watching the match, I found that the stream was a disaster. It was glitchy and froze constantly. I stopped watching and listened instead to the Sounders audio. In the second half, however, I decided to try switching from GolTV's English feed to the Spanish feed. Voila! A mostly clear picture with only occasional glitches. I was happy. I got to see the go-ahead goals live. The Sounders audio wasn't synced to the video, but oh well. It was a historic night, and I was happy I didn't miss it completely.

The U.S. Open Cup tournament is an exciting tournament. The same win-or-go-home atmosphere that makes March Madness so compelling is present here. However, the tournament is lagging behind pretty much every other sporting event in this country. We live in an age when almost every single college basketball and college football game is televised. For all intents and purposes there was no television coverage of the U.S. Open Cup whatsoever. It's a shame. It's a fun tournament. But it needs media coverage to grow. Tonight's game was a classic. It was a showcase for soccer in this country. For those who found a way to watch, it was a game that will long be remembered.

How to Watch the U.S. Open Cup Final

Kasey Keller hoists the U.S. Open Cup in 2010
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The Sounders will compete for their fourth U.S. Open Cup title in six years on Tuesday, September 16, at 4:30 p.m. vs. the Philadelphia Union. While it will be a bit tricky to watch the game live, it is possible.

The game will be broadcast on a channel called GolTV. Comcast and most cable systems do not carry GolTV. It is available on DirectTV, however. It is not available for free streaming. However, GolTV is now carried by KlowdTV.com, a pay streaming site. Subscribing to GolTV to watch the Open Cup will cost you $8.48 for the month: $4.99 for the base service and $3.49 for the sports package which includes GolTV itself. Kind of steep to watch a single game, but so it goes. As a side note GolTV also carries Bundesliga games, so you could watch those for the month as well.

Hopefully, next year the U.S. Open Cup will be more widely accessible. The Bundesliga will be on FOX next year. If the U.S. Open Cup is to grow in stature as a competition, people have to be able to watch it.

An audio stream of the match will be available on soundersfc.com.

GO SOUNDERS! Let's win this U.S. Open Cup!

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com provides more information about all of this here.

DeAndre Yedlin, Jordan Morris, and the Promising Future of Seattle Sounders FC

DeAndre Yedlin playing for Sounders U-23's vs. Kitsap Pumas in 2012
(photo by Chris Coulter, SoundersPhotos.com)

There was a great story on DeAndre Yedlin in The Seattle Times today. DeAndre grew up just north of Seattle, and was raised by his grandparents. He has never met his dad, who is now incarcerated for life. His mom also spent time in jail when he was young; she now has her life back on track, however, and teaches at a community college. DeAndre grew up playing soccer, and dreamed of playing in Europe. He played for O'Dea High School in Seattle and joined the Sounders Youth Academy. He spent two years at Akron University, before joining the Sounders as a Home Grown Player. He played for the United States in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He will play next year for Tottenham Hotspur, located in London. DeAndre Yedlin is 21 years old.

After the World Cup, DeAndre had offers from many of the top clubs in Europe. However, he was adamant that he wouldn't leave the Sounders until after the current season. The Sounders currently lead the race in MLS for the Supporter's Shield. They play for the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. The ultimate goal is MLS Cup. As a Sounders fan, I will miss DeAndre not wearing the Rave Green. However, it has always been his dream to play in Europe. Next year I'll probably be waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch DeAndre play right back for Tottenham Hotspur in England's Premier League.

Jordan Morris playing for Sounders U-23's
vs. Portalnd Timbers U-23's in 2014
(Photo by Chris Coulter, SoundersPhotos.com)

The United States Men's National Team recently played a friendly in the Czech Republic. Only one college player was called up to the match. He was a Stanford University sophomore named Jordan Morris. Morris has been the most promising player in the Sounders Academy since DeAndre Yedlin. He didn't play versus the Czech Republic, but he has certainly gained the attention of Jurgen Klinsmann and the U.S. coaches. After Stanford's season, Jordan will have a choice. He can join the Sounders as a Home Grown Player. He will also most likely receive offers from Europe. Jordan is a forward, which means if he signs with the Sounders he would play up top with Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.

Jordan grew up on Mercer Island. He would actually join the Sounders as their fourth Home Grown Player. This year the team also signed Aaron Kovar, from Seattle, and Sean Okoli, from Federal Way. Kovar and Okoli have mostly been bench players this year, and have gotten little playing time. Next year there is a very good chance that Kovar and Okoli, and other Sounders prospects, will play for a Sounders USL Pro team, a minor league team similar to baseball's Tacoma Rainiers. The USL team would play at Starfire. It's hard to believe the Sounders have only existed as a Major League Soccer franchise for six years. It's a good time to be a Sounder.

• Geoff Baker's profile in The Seattle Times on DeAndre Yedlin here. Warning for younger readers: DeAndre's dad committed some horrible crimes, and they are named in the piece.
• Dave Clark at Sounder at Heart muses on Jordan Morris here and here.
• Liviu Bird of Sports Illustrated reports on Seattle's potential USL Pro team here.

Spelling List #1

1. definitely
2. assignment
3. passionate
4. sentence
5. disappears
6. basically
7. excited
8. probably
9. alternate
10. interesting

Spelling Quiz #1: Thursday, Oct. 2.

Reading Log #1

• Due: Thursday, October 9.
• Minimum amount of time spent reading: 6 hours.
• Reading for this assignment may consist of novels, shorts stories, plays, or poetry. Neither graphic novels, magazine articles, nor on-line content counts toward this total.
• Record all books read in log.
• Estimate the number of hours you spent reading each book. This number is just an estimate and does not need to be exact. Add up all the hours spent reading and include the total on the appropriate line.
• If you do not finish a book please include “DNF” in the chart in lieu of a star rating.
• If a book is a re-read, please put an "R" in parentheses after the book title.
• Please provide response to the following prompt on a separate sheet of paper (typed or hand-written):

What was your favorite book that you read in the past month? Why did you particularly enjoy this book? Describe a particular episode from the book that you feel exemplified what you loved about the book. Please refer to specific characters and events in your response.

• If you lose the log provided you, please create your own log which includes space for Book Title, Author, Star Rating, Hours Read per Book, and Total Hours Read.

Writing Assignment #1

Max Fischer, Yankee Racers Founder, Rushmore Academy

Writing Prompt: At this particular moment in time, what are you most passionate about?

• Include an interesting opening.
• Minimum: one full page.
• Maximum: 2 full pages.
• Assignment may be typed or hand-written. If you write by hand, handwriting must be neat and legible.
• Line spacing: Single, 1.5, or double (you decide). You need to format your assignment to best meet the page # requirements.
• Assignment must include at least two complete paragraphs.
• You may not use spell-check or grammar-check on your computer.
• Parents may read your assignment and offer general writing advice, but parents may not proofread and edit your paper for you. This assignment must represent YOUR work.
• Include heading (name, date, period) in upper right-hand corner.
• Include Title at top of page.
• To consider: Explain what you’re passionate about. Describe specific examples from your life of you pursuing this passion. How did you come to be passionate about this thing? Why are you passionate about this thing? How do you envision yourself pursuing this passion in the future? [Note: You do not need to tackle these questions in this order. You can format your assignment as you wish.]
• Note: You will be sharing your writing with your classmates. Do not include personal details which you would be uncomfortable sharing.

Due: Tuesday, September 9.