Student Models

My Trip to Mexico One time I went to Mexico. It was a blast! I met people there. I went horseback riding. I saw a box holding an armadillo. I went to a waterfall. I tried to catch a frog with one leg. I couldn't catch it. It was fun in Mexico.

One Great Book I love the book McBungle Down Under by Brenda Parkes. My favorite part is when McBungle tried to get the koala in the gum tree. I like the book because it is so funny. I really like the end. It's great when they go to the pet shop and get a pet. If you like animals, you would like this book, too!

Parrots Parrots are colorful. They have different colors like blue, red, black, orange, green, yellow, and white. Parrots live in cactuses, nests, and underground holes. Some parrots eat roots, and some eat nectar and seeds. They have different bills. Macaws (a kind of parrot) crack things open. Other parrots dig up roots and bulbs from the ground. There are different kinds of parrots, but they all lay eggs. Parrots are pretty birds.

Plastic, Paper, or Cloth? We have a big decision to make. We can use cloth, paper, or plastic bags. I choose cloth because paper uses trees, and plastic uses petroleum; so we should use cloth. Cloth bags are easy to take with you and use again and again. We need to keep our earth clean, so let’s use cloth. Remember, recycle and reuse.

Rosa Parks At their Web site, students from Lincoln Bassett Community School answer the question “Who is Rosa Parks?” I think Rosa Parks was a woman who stood up for what she believed in. —Brittney Hammett She was a woman who had the guts to stand up for what she believed. —Jessie Alexander Several other students also answered the question, responding with phrases like “my hero” and “queen mother of the revolution.” Rosa Parks is often considered as just these things, remembered as the tired seamstress who refused to give up a bus seat to a white man in 1955.

Rules One day, on the way home from school, my mom told me she was going to make up some new rules for me and my brothers and sisters. Before this, we knew she wanted us to be good, but we really didn’t have any rules. Well, Mom took care of that. On Sunday, she started giving us the “house rules.” Clean your rooms every other day. Be ready for dinner at 7:00 p.m. (that means sitting at the table, with clean hands). If Mom is having a meeting in the house, be very quiet (that means turn down the music and the TV). Be ready for bed at 9:30 p.m. (that means lying in bed, with clean faces).

Save the Elephants What should be done with a herd of marauding elephants? This was the problem recently confronting officials at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. A number of orphaned male elephants had been transported to the park in order to provide them with a safe and nurturing environment. However, this step to protect the elephant population soon threatened another endangered species. The young elephants had entered musth, like puberty, a state of heightened hormonal activity and increased aggression.

Shadow Fort I have a place I love to go. It’s a fort, or a clubhouse, where I can go with friends. We can hang out there, plan neat stuff, eat, and rest. Shadow Fort is my favorite place for lots of reasons. First of all, there’s plenty of room for a few kids. It’s large (gargantuan to me). The fort is 3 ft. 8 in. high, 5 ft. 3 in. long, and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. There’s a place in back (we call it the pantry) for crackers, grapefruit, avacadoes, potatoes, carrots, berries, and Spanish moss. The roof is made of 4-ft.

Sloppy Joes Sloppy Joes are my favorite food; Once I eat one, I’m in a good mood. Mix some ketchup, onions, and meat; Put it in a pan and turn on the heat. Cook it, stir it, put it on a bun, Serve it on a plate, and now you're done! Here’s a recipe: 1 lb. ground beef chopped onion (to taste) 1/2 t. salt 1 c. ketchup 1 T. mustard 1 T. sugar 1 T. vinegar Brown the meat and onion, and then add the rest.

Snapshots Most of the snapshots of my life are held in the photo albums of my mind. Some were captured by a camera, and those pictures I keep in a shoebox under my bed. I’m lucky to have “shoebox photos” of the earliest things I can remember. For example, three days after my third birthday, Katherine Emily arrived. I remember my dad taking me to see my new baby sister; we stopped at a gas station on the way to the hospital and bought my mom candy and a cola. That day, the camera caught the tiny smile only a big sister could have as she holds one of the best birthday presents ever.

Student Entrepreneur Reaches for Dreams of the Sky “You’ve got to know your own value, know what you want, and stick with it.” That’s what T. McDowell’s advice to others is, and it’s certainly worked for him. This high school senior is currently the sole owner of Immersion Immaging, a successful company specializing in Internet commerce solutions and online financial databasing. McDowell began the company in 2012, although it was originally called 4th Dimension Graphics. Two years later, the company was reorganized as Immersion Immaging.

Summer: 15 Days or 2 1/2 Months? The final bell rings. It’s the last day of school, and summer has finally come! Students don’t have to think about school for at least another 2 1/2 months. That is the way it should always be. Schools should continue using the traditional calendar and not a year-round schedule. There are numerous downsides to year-round schooling. It has no positive effects on education, it adds to costs, and it disrupts the long-awaited summer vacation. Contrary to the well-accepted belief, year-round schooling has no constructive impact on education.