I Believe in Never Giving Up.

This I Believe 

“I know you’re tired, but you need to keep trying and not give up. He will give up too.” I kept hearing my trainer say that throughout my riding lesson.   “He” is Fudge, my favorite horse that I ride. It was a warm summer day, the days when you need about three water bottles. I was already pretty tired from practicing my canter, but I was determined to learn something new, and come home with a skill that I could practice and master. I was ready to learn how to canter a jump. My trainer said that I should count his stride so I was prepared for the jump, so I  whispered to myself, 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3…  That method did help me accomplish my goal that day.

Or another time, when I was practicing for my riding show a day  before, when my horse gets real excited, and I was cantering around the ring when my trainer asked me to come to the middle and fix my stirrup because it was too long. I came to the middle and fixed it and was talking to my trainer about my canter when my horse got so excited that it jumped over the 3.5 foot jump. I wasn’t used to jumping that high of a jump, and I wasn’t prepared to jump at that moment, so I started slipping off the saddle after he landed and I landed in the dirt.  Of course I wasn’t happy because one, I fell off my horse a day before the show and two, it was the second time I fell off during that practice because Fudge was very happy that he would participate in the show the next day. But, I kept trying because I didn’t want that to happen in my show and I wanted to signal to Fudge that he shouldn’t throw me off!

Speaking from my experience, I don’t think anyone should ever give up until they accomplish their goal. If you start, you should always finish. If you try, you should accomplish. I think it is really important to never give up. If you stop trying, you have a feeling that you can’t do it and won’t ever be able to do it. “You can do anything.” My mom tells me or “Don’t stop until you did it or you know you can do it” If you want to do it you should try to do it. You never fail; you just don’t accomplish what you want. If you didn’t do your best, the next time you can.

Virginia H

MacBook Airs

Next year I am excited to learn about and use MacBook Airs and it’s new technology. I’m looking forward to incorporating them into our daily schedule. Some good things about MacBook  Airs are that they are easier to use than Hp computers because they are more organized and they are faster with applications even if they have many things downloaded.  I also think the Macs will also help me organize my school work. Lastly,  I will want to research more on the Internet because it is faster.  Some disadvantages of the Macs are that some people are used to the old computers and the way they work and maneuver. Also you cant download windows applications unless you have Parallel desktop.They’re not many disadvantages of a Mac though! I think that since I have a Mac at home and I get one here, at Trinity, I’ll know more about Macs from the teachers, so I will be able to understand the Mac system(s) even more. I know I will definitely enjoy using the Mac system.

Photojournalism

The massive Mediterranean cruise ship, about double the size and load of the titanic, capsized off the Italian isle of Giglio.

I think the photographer was trying to describe that this story is sad because the captain was not doing his job so he sunk the boat.  This boat was huge. Sadly, the captain had been drinking and killed everyone. But, the ship was in water that was too shallow, so I ran aground, or touched the sea floor. I fell that this story is unhappy because many people lost their family members and friends

Divers emerge after inspecting the wreckage of the Costa Concordia, a massive Mediterranean cruise ship that ran aground and capsized off the Italian isle of Giglio. The vessel’s captain is in police custody after allegedly abandoning ship before all passengers had been evacuated. At least eleven people are confirmed dead, and two dozen others are still missing. The accident sent shock waves through the megabillion-dollar luxury cruise industry.

Who: People on board

What: A massive Mediterranean cruise ship

When: In the  year of 2012

Where: off the coast of Italy

Why: The ship ran aground

Electronic vs. Paper Books

    VS.      

Since technology and the use of it is increasing worldwide and people are starting to utilize EBooks more frequently, with pros and cons for both, what is the answer to the question? Which is more useful, E-readers or physical books? I actually enjoy using both.

  When you use an EBook, you can change the font or brightness so it is easier to read. The book can’t rip, fade, or get old so you can keep the book for a long time. All of your books are on one device, and you don’t have to waste space with bookshelves. The books on the Ereaders are less than the books at the bookstore.  Adding to my opinion, electronic books don’t waste paper and save trees. And, you can sample books on the kindle/nook if you’re not sure you will like them. One con is that electronic books are energy wasters. In some ways I think that paper books are better. A separate opinion was that I like to have the ability to turn the pages. Another thought that Lily S. said was “Paper books are easier to carry around and aren’t as valuable as electronic books, so you don’t have to worry about losing it.” An additional point of view was that some people like to visit the library to check out books instead of buying books on an online store. Teachers think that a paper book is not distracting, unlike an electronic book.  And, you don’t have the responsibility to charge an electronic book.

 Focusing on the point, I still think that electronic books are better, and as Alyssa A commented, “It is fun to hold the book electronically.

Virginia H

Apple Products at Trinity School

Trinity School in Atlanta, Georgia has started installing Apple products throughout the school this spring. “It was Jeff Morrison, The head of technology that had the vision to bring Apple products to Trinity School.” Replied Mrs. Berry, the ULD Coordinator.  Who also said “The Macs have an eco-system that makes everything easier. “Trinity’s default PCs were falling apart and were getting slower and slower. “Morrison quoted.

Many people who work at Trinity all agree that Mac products are very helpful. “Apple controls all of its software, which makes it easier for students to create movies and projects.” Mr. Jeff Morrison mentioned. “They will bring more technology based projects.” Mrs. Connolly added. “It would be hard to go back to a PC because the Macs are so much easier to maneuver.” Mrs. Harris commented

But a problem that Mrs. Harris encountered was that the MacBook Airs didn’t have CD drives. Luckily, Apple produced a product that plugs into the Airs to let it use a CD if it was necessary. “They are so many ‘apps’ that Apple has created that replace the CDs. I enjoy using the airs in Tech Lab.” She commented. The PC’s were having a big problem. There were some technology glitches and some physical problems. “They were physically falling apart, the battery dying to quickly and the screen was cracking.” disclosed a current teacher of technology.

“I think that everyone in the school should have Macs instead of PCs and if the Macs continue to run smoothly, then I will get one at home.” Mrs. Connolly replied.

Benjamin and Virginia

Homeless Bird Blog Assignment

Homeless Bird

Summary: A young girl named Koly has plans to have an arranged marriage. Soon after she gets married, her husband, Hari dies. If that’s not bad enough, Chandra, her friend and sister in law also has an arranged marriage which leaves Koly stuck with her bossy, cruel Sass. All Koly hears from her all day is “Go sweep the courtyard!” or “Go wash the clothes!” She then is shooed out into the strange city of Varanasi by Sass to find money and a home by herself. She finds a boy named Raji who showed her Maa Kamala’s Widow House. She finds a job and friends. Koly teaches Raji how to read, and he asks Koly to marry him.

“’I’ll be right back’, I said and fled the room. Part of me wanted to escape Hari’s shocking words, and part of me wanted to find a way to help him. I remembered how my Maa had given me the honey and ginger when I had a bad cold. I found a ginger root to grate. I had to stick my fingers in several jars before I discovered the honey.  It was hidden away in the back of the cupboard. Hari took three spoonfuls of the honey and ginger. After a few minutes when the cough grew fewer, he smiled at me. ”

This passage was when Koly gave Hari the honey and ginger mixture to help his cough. She adapted to her situation. Since Hari was sick she decided to help him because that was the best thing she could do to for him.

Also, Koly makes friends with Chandra to make her time at the Mehta’s village the best it could be. She helped comfort Chandra when she thought about Hari’s death.

“I was glad to have Chandra with me. When Chandra mourned for her brother, we put our arms around each other. When I woke up in the middle of the night to find the room full of ghosts, the reassuring sound of her soft breathing sent them away. She told me what Hari was like when he was growing up. I told her of my own brothers. Chandra had movie magazines that we looked at together. One night a fruit bat flew through our window, and we hid, giggling, under the covers until it was gone.

   Many of the scenes in this book have different themes. When Koly got married and didn’t want to, moved in with her bossy sass, and Hari dies, the main theme was “One door closes and it keeps shut.”

Throughout the book, Koly has had a lot of determination and perseverance. One example was when Koly went to get her widows pension, the man that worked there said she had to have a house that the money would be mailed to. So Koly went to find a house and found Raji, who showed her Maa Kamala’s widow house.

Gloria Whelan used comparisons when she wrote Homeless Bird. The comparisons a made Homeless Bird more descriptive. Page 16, Koly Baap said “she is dressed like a woman but is only a child.”  On page 121, Maa Kamala said “You wallow like pigs in mud.” She was referring to the widows while they were talking about how they came there and how they became a widow. “The mustache is like a mouse’s tail.” Koly said as she was talking about Chandra’s husband on page 76.

Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)

Gift of Time

Before the winter break, Our teachers assigned us to give a gift of time to someone to help them or make them happy.For my Gift of time, I wrote a Happy Holidays letter to someone in the hospital.It makes me happy that even a small thing can make someone happy.

Slice of Life

“Bang!” I hit the nail into the wood with the hammer.I held the new 12 oz. hammer in my sweaty hand and I aimed at the nail again, “Bang, Bang, Bang!”  The nail then evened out with the wood, all the way in. I had to concentrate in order to hit the nail with my hammer.  When I was building the tree house I was standing in front of the tan piece of wood with a silver nail sticking out of it.

I had wanted a tree house for a long time, and I finally got to build one with my dad!  When we were done planning it, we knew it was time to get our materials. It was very fun and exciting when we started because it was a new project. The first day, we moved a box full of wood. My dad’s friend came to help us demolish it with his son. Then we rented an electric hole digger, at Home Depot, where we get most of our materials and tools. We dug four holes which were three feet deep, and then put grey, hard concrete in the holes about half way down. We put it in so if it rained and the ground got soft, the tree house wouldn’t sink into the ground. After that, we put thick wooden posts in the holes. Later, we connected the posts with heavy, wooden board on each side. “Bang, Bump, Bang!” As I was sitting under the in the “middle of construction tree house,” five boards fell on my head. A big, swelled bump grew on my head. “Ow!” I thought to myself. After I got an ice pack, we started on the floor.

Then, it was time to start painting what we had. My best friend came over and my sister came outside to help too. We got green paint that was called “forest.” My dad bought some painter’s hats, gloves, some shoe covers, paint brushes, trays, and a roller fabric. We put some old clothes on and one of my dad’s old shirts. We put on our hats, shoe covers, and gloves on and we put paint in the trays. I dipped my roller into the tray, and I started painting. It took about an hour to paint what we had so far, but it was fun. Then, about a week later, my dad and I got more paint then painted the tight cracks.

After that, we drove to Home Depot, and purchased two panels of plywood. We went back home and we nailed the plywood onto the other wood. After this, we will probably lay about ½ feet across boards of wood on the plywood.

One reason I wanted to build the tree house is because I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my dad because he is at work. Also, I’ve wanted a tree house for two to three years. My dad and I are not finished with the tree house yet, but soon it will be done. I am learning so many different things about how to build. We are practically done with the floor and it will be so much fun!

Current Events

http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/26/spectacular-aurora-borealis/

Northern Lights

Who: People who live in Georgia and Alabama

What: Northern Lights

When: 9:36 Friday

Where:Georgia and Alabama

Why Important:From now until  2013 there will be solar maximum

Fall Acrostic Poem

Oh, the bright autumn

Colored leaves and

Trees, with warm blankets

On the hay ride

By the warm fire

Eating pumpkin pie and

Raking leaves