Happy Halloween 2016!!

To see this year's eighth graders as sixth graders on Halloween click here.

Gerrymandering Explained

The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham wrote an excellent article about gerrymandering and how it will affect the 435 elections for the House of Representatives on November 8. Watch the video first and then read the article here.

The Hip-Hop Story of Henrietta Lacks

"The Immortal Rap of Henrietta Lacks" was written and produced by eighth grade students from KIPP Bridge Charter School in Oakland, California. To learn the background of Henrietta Lacks and the production of the video, read this article from PBS. If you want to read the full story of Henrietta Lacks, please read the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.

Senator Al Franken drawing map of United States from memory

Senator Al Franken from Minnesota has gained some renown for his ability to draw the United States quickly from memory. Watch him in action!

Schoolhouse Rock: Nouns

I saw the Schoolhouse Rock shorts many times while watching Saturday morning cartoons during my childhood. The tunes are still familiar these many years later. "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing" was created in 1973 (the year Mr. Gacek was born). In 1973, for some reason, abstract nouns were not included in the basic definition of noun.



And, for the record, this is Chubby Checker.

Map of the Day: United States River Basins

This is a stunning map of the river basins of the United States created using GIS software. I highly recommend this article from the Daily Mail (U.K.). Yes, maps can be art. Bonus: Knowing these rivers will be helpful for the Geography Bee.