Jackson Journal

Jackson Journal Andrew Jackson Language Academy 1340 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60607 Dear Students: We take time each year to reflect upon the lives and contributions made to our nation by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other African Americans. You study, among others, the biographies of Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson. Hallway displays and bulletin boards afford us all the opportunity to read and learn about the many accomplishments of African American men and women. Recent Urban Gateway presentations highlighted the musical and literary traditions of Africa. Fifth through eighth graders attended the performance of “Bach to Bebop” which demonstrated the relationship between classical and jazz music. A musical ensemble compared different periods of classical and jazz music, from Renaissance and Baroque to ragtime and big band. Several students volunteered and participated with the musicians. Kindergarten through fourth graders attended the performance of “African Tales.” The actors warned the students that at the end of each tale, they would be asked to give the lesson or moral of the story. The attentive audience correctly gave the moral for each of the three tales. The actors in “The Lady and the Lion” communicated the idea that all people possess within themselves the traits of patience, trust, understanding, and affection. When we apply these qualities in our relationships with others, we successfully make friends. Brer Rabbit, in “The Tug of War,” taught that ideas are stronger than physical force. Brer Rabbit’s creativity and thoughtful preparation enabled him to outwit the mighty and strong elephant. The Frog who wanted to be a singer demonstrated the importance of practice and determination. The frog encountered many obstacles in his desire to become a singer, but he never gave up. Eventually, he received the opportunity to perform and astonished everyone with his talent. Application of the above lessons will enrich your life and the lives of those around you. All best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy and productive 2004. Sincerely, Dr. Mary Zeltmann Carol McCollum Editor Volume 8, Issue 1 Principal Inside this issue: Student Reporters Visiting Artists, Performers High School Fair Merit Club News Science Fair Results Classroom News Student Work Mary L. Zeltmann Principal We have flown like birds and swum like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers...The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and therefore brothers...Life’s most persistent and urgent question is “What are you doing for others?” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New Student Reporters The flier went up and in no time at all, there were many interested students in becoming Jackson Journal reporters. Interested students had to submit sample articles and undertake the extra burden of doing more work in school. The following students were chosen and will cover events at Jackson, get student feedback, and then write the articles for the paper. They give up valuable class and personal time to work on the paper. This year the student reporters are Hannah Craft and Kristen Eng from room 308 and Ashley Cole, Kaila Edwards, Ruth Litzenberger, Gabriel Perez and Ariel Tzoumas from room 312. Congratulations to these hard-working students. ~Carol McCollum, Editor School Repairs As students had noticed when they returned this fall, there had been much work done to the school. But what actually had been done and why? When asked why the improvements were being made, custodian Greg Esper responded, “In the past year the city’s school board decided that all Chicago Public Schools must be handicapped accessible and hearing impaired accessible.” This explains why the new automatic doors have been installed along with visual fire alarms. Andrew Jackson has done some of its own improvements including the repair of the electrical systems. There is also a new fire system on all three floors. Workers also caulked and resealed the skylights in the atrium. But these are not the full extent of the repairs. The roof also needed extensive work. When the school was first built, the builders experimented with a new process. It was a rubber roof which was sealed by melting the rubber and connecting the opened ends together. As many students know, this didn’t work. Thus, the need to resurface the roof. Now we have a brand new roof with all the conventional features. The remainder of the improvements will be finished in the coming months. All those who attend and will attend Jackson Language Academy will benefit from these improvements. ~Gabriel Perez—312 Visiting Sculptor Most students from the time they were in kindergarten have wondered who created the outdoor sculpture of the cat that we’ve all played on for years. As eighth graders our question was answered. Henri Marquet, who designed the cat, came all the way from France to restore it. He did not do it alone Page 2 though, but with the help of other workers and AJLA students. Students from the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades were selected to design tile patterns that were used on the sculpture. Henri’s work involves mostly children. He has children design and sometimes construct his projects. His latest project was building a park that was made by school children. He also uses recycled materials to construct his masterpieces. When he was a child, he lived in Algeria. The country was experiencing a war at the time and he did not have many toys, so he had to occupy himself in other ways. This led Henri to find new ways of putting the toys back together. As Monsieur Marquet grew older, he attended not one, but two schools in Marseilles and Paris. Henri got a burst of inspiration after visiting the Inca style pyramids in South America. This as well as Picasso’s influences can be seen in his work. “Being a sculptor isn’t always easy”, Henri said. He says the hardest part of the job is decision-making. For instance, one must decide what the sculpture should be, what the theme should be, and what colors the tiles should be, etc. He said you don’t learn this part in sculpting school; you learn how to do this as you live your life. His visit has been a very enriching experience for classes to learn about a different culture. In my interview with him the last question asked was “What is your favorite of the fifty some sculptures you have designed?” His answer was simply, ”The next one.” ~Hannah Craft—308 & Jackson Journal Staff Reporters Sculptor Henri Marquet meets with the seventh and eighth graders to discuss his work. Student reporters then met with Monsieur Marquet to gather more information for this article. Jackson Journal Annual High School Fair On October 9th and 10th, Andrew Jackson held its eleventh annual high school fair. There were representatives from 24 private and public high schools. October 9th, private high schools from all over Chicago and as far away as Wisconsin came to Jackson to explain their programs and answer questions of students and parents. After the informational portion of the program, the 8th graders were allowed to get brochures and packets and ask the high school representatives any additional questions. The following day the same process was repeated but instead of private schools, the public schools took their turns giving out information. This year was a little different from years past because the sixth graders were also invited. Students at Jackson need to look at high schools very early so they will know what to look for and what is required of them. “It was a good idea,” said Mr. Sadoff from room 314. “It gives the children an early start on what high schools they want to start checking out.” ~Ariel Tzoumas—312 the library. Ms. Gunn also said she hopes to see you all at the next used book and toy sale. Two books I highly recommend for parents are The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and How To Get Your Child To Love Reading by Esme Faji Codell. Jim Trelease’s book is a classic guide on the importance of reading aloud to children and is supported with entertaining anecdotes as well as the latest research. It also includes a treasury of more than 1,500 books that are great for reading aloud. Esme Raji Codell’s book is a 500 page resource to help kids discover the joys of reading. It includes hundreds of kid-tested craft ideas, project guides, recipes, reading club activities, and Web site recommendations. Esme is a former Chicago teacher-librarian and her own website www.planetesme.com is awesome. From time to time, I find myself bragging to friends, colleagues from other schools, and anyone who will listen that the students at Andrew Jackson Language Academy are readers. I am so proud of our curious and literate students who enjoy great stories and for whom reading is a pleasure. ~Ms. Knibbs—Librarian ~Gabriel Perez—312 Merit Club/Honor Society From the first meeting that was held on Thursday, October 2, 2003, the Merit Club/ Honor Society has improved. The reason for this is that anyone who was there last year knew to be in the Merit Club you had to have four hours of in-school service and one hour of community service. Now these rules about service only apply to the Honor Society members who also must be on the honor roll two out of three quarters and must write a letter of intent (Application to Honor Society). To be in the Merit Club only four hours of in-school service a month and regular attendance at the monthly meeting are required. To those not aware of how to do in-school service or those too shy to ask teachers if they need help, Ms. Bacia and Mr. Casey have made it easier by having a list of teachers who want help and what type of service they need. This will ensure that all students who wish to help will have an opportunity and that all teachers who want help will receive it. Mr. Casey said the idea for doing all this came along since many students were interested in joining this year. When asked why she wanted to be in the Merit Club, Natalie Marquez of room 312 summed it up perhaps for all members: “I want to be in the Merit Club because I want to help people and join in all the fun service activities they do.” (cont.) Page 3 Students & parents ask questions of representatives. Former AJLA students return to recruit others. News from the Library Our library is off to a great start this year with hundreds of new books for the students to enjoy. Thanks to Dr. Zeltmann, the Parent Council and a Matching Grant from the CPS Department of Libraries, we were able to purchase fantastic fiction and nonfiction books. A huge thank you also goes out to Lynn Gunn who is responsible for getting the new Accelerated Reader List and the Addendum printed for parents and students to purchase for use at home. These are both sold at the school store. Lynn was also in charge of the Used Book and Toy Sale held during the week of report card pick up in the art room. Ms. Gunn said the sale had to be extended this year because there were so many donations. This also meant that more money was earned. The proceeds go to Volume 8, Issue 1 At a later meeting this fall, the officers for this year were elected. They are as follows: President: Hannah Craft V. President: Ariel Tzoumas Secretary: Pryscilla Bolander Treasurer: Ranny Zhao Congratulations to the new officers! ~Kaila Edwards—312 Assemblies at Jackson The students at Andrew Jackson have been very lucky this fall. They were treated to several assemblies from ethnic dancing and acrobats to an actor playing Edgar Allan Poe. The kindergarten through eighth graders saw some lively dancing when Urban Gateways presented its Feria Mexicana. Performers sang and played instruments along with dancers. They were here to show us their culture. Many students were dancing and singing along. Everyone enjoyed the performance to the fullest and learned a thing or two along the way. Here are some reactions from the first graders: “I liked the dancing; it made me want to dance. The clothes were cool.” ~Matthew King—202 “I liked the glass bead the dancer had. I like how she danced.” ~Olivia Glowacki—202 “I liked the drums.” ~Lyric Lawsonparks—200 “I liked the song “La Babma.” I liked when about 1,000 kids went up and danced.” ~Travis Hank—200 ~Ruth Litzenberger—312 The seventh and eighth graders began the Halloween season with an actor’s portrayal of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Telltale Heart.” As the actor was putting on his makeup, he told a great deal about Poe’s past and how he came to be a writer. Then the spooky tale began and Portrayal of “The the actor showed his talent. The audiTelltale Heart” ence almost believed the speaker was indeed the gentleman who had plotted the death of his master. Finally, all grades were lucky enough to see a great troupe of Chinese acrobats. The first few acts were juggling acts. They juggled all kinds of objects both individually and in pairs. But the most exciting part was when they began to jump through a hoop as it was raised higher and higher. The first grade classrooms had some great things to say about the Chinese acrobats. Amanda Stelea wrote what she liked the most was “when the girl was balancing a Page 4 stick and a flowerpot on the top of her nose.” Louise Martin said she liked the girl who twirled many hula hoops at once. Cherie Yu also liked the hula hoops act. She said,” It was amazing. She spun them on her arms, on her leg and on her waist.” Olivia Glowacki said her favorite part “was when the man balanced the eggs on his head.” She also said she learned a new word in Chinese, “How” which means excellent. Alina Rosales liked “when the boys were doing cartwheels.” Brenda Morena was impressed by the man who did handstands. Both Gerri Zhang and Diganto Bhattacharyya loved it when the acrobats did somersaults through the hoops. Gerri said it was cool and Diganto has decided he’ll be an acrobat when he grows up. All the students loved the show and they were a very enthusiastic audience. Shouts of “How!” could be heard over and over. Chinese acrobat spinning many hula hoops at once. Acrobats flying through the hoop. African Dance at Andrew Jackson On December third, I attended an African dance performance at Andrew Jackson School. We had to take off our shoes, and we all started dancing. The first dance was the Welcoming Dance. It was easy. The next dance was much harder. We had to jump and slap our legs. Finally, we had only one more dance left. The last dance was called the Peacock Dance, because we had to stretch our arms like a peacock. At 7:30 we had to leave. My mom said she liked the dance and so did I. ~Vicky Eng--204 On December 3, 2003, some third graders went to an African Dance. We really liked it. I hope I can go to every dance there is. The first dance was called “Funga” which means welcome. This dance was from West Africa. The second dance was from South Africa. It was called the “Gum Boot Dance.” The last dance was from the Caribbean. I believe it was called the “Peacock Dance.” My favorite was the ”Peacock Dance.” That is my opinion of the African Dances. ~Rebecca Iturralde—204 What I liked about the dance is that I had a chance to play the drums. I enjoyed playing the drums for the dances. We all took off our shoes. The types of dances that we did were from the Old African times. They had drums from the old times too. We slid on the Jackson Journal ground and we said “Funga” which means “welcome.” I liked all the dances. They were a lot of fun! ~Rene Trevño—204 Cubs Fever Strikes AJLA The Chicago Cubs, one of our city’s elite baseball teams, almost made it into the World Series this year. The Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves to go against the scrappy Florida Marlins. This team enjoyed the full support of its longtime fans as well as the rest of the city. Businesses lit up their buildings to create the Cubs logo and fans sported their best Cubs wear. Here at Jackson was no exception. Fans wore their shirts, caps, scarves, coats, etc. to show their support. This fall was very special because the Cubs haven’t gone to the World Series for many, many years. Even though we didn’t make it to the World Series, I believe the Cubs will prevail next time. Until then, this was a special time for bringing most people together to celebrate the Cubs’ achievement! ~Ruth Litzenberger—312 Student Cubs fans from rooms 306 and 310 the Iraqi people rebuild their country. Chris said he plans to attend college to become a teacher after finishing his military service. ~Hannah Craft & Kristen Eng—308 Classrooms in the News Kindergarten Goes to the Chicago Fire Academy Every year the kindergarteners take a trip to the Chicago Fire Academy, at 25 S. Laflin to reinforce Fire Safety Week. This year the trip was held on Thursday, October 9, 2003. Along the way the students were able to see the 911 building and the Police Academy as well. The students from both rooms, 101/102, were excited about what they had seen and done. Here’s what room 101 had to say: “I liked when I saw the big red fire trucks in the building.”--Adriana Markese “It was cool seeing the fireman slide down the pole.”--Ben Yaakoby “I liked it when we sprayed the ambulance with water.”--Franklin Huang The students from room 102 also had some things to say about their trip: “I liked riding on the big long fire trucks.” --Cristen Romero “It was fun to shoot the water at the white ambulance.”--Victor Iturralde “I liked it when we went upstairs to see where the firemen sleep.”--Daniela Pasturczak Dr. Zeltmann & Ms. Otero show their Cubs’ spirit. American Soldier from Iraq Visits 8th Grade On November 14, Chris Mascio, a soldier on leave from Iraq, came to talk to the eighth grade classes and answer their questions. Chris is a sergeant in the 173rd Airborn Grenade Division. His job consists of handling weapons—mostly grenades and machine guns. He also sets up public schools, hospitals and sanitation systems to help Chris and 8th graders. Students from room 101 at the firehouse. ~Gabriel Perez-312 Third Graders Study Organs of Body This past quarter, the third graders have been studying human body systems. As a final activity of this science unit, each student researched a specific organ and did an oral presentation. On the next page are examples of some of the models the students created. They did an outstanding job! ~Ms. Conlon & Hannah Craft—308 Sgt. Chris Mascio Volume 8, Issue 1 Page 5 els. They loved learning about cells by doing this hands-on project. They can’t wait for our next science project which will be dissecting fish. ~Ms. Swindle and Ariel Tzoumas—312 Pancreas Emily Craft—204 Intestines Ophelia Yip—204 Lin Li—304 Kidneys Rebecca Inturralde—204 Third Grade Writers Third graders in Ms. Murphy’s writing class were asked to describe colors with all their senses—sight, hearing, sound, touch and taste. Here are some good examples of their work. Sky blue is the beautiful sight of a sky on a summer day. It sounds like a wave of water as children play on the beach. It feels soft and fluffy like the fur of a cute little puppy. It will taste like a cool glass of blueberry juice. Sky blue smells fresh and clean like a brand new blue blanket. It feels happy and cheerful like we are at a party playing. ~Rex Gu—206 Silver is dolphins jumping into the waves on a warm summer day. It sings a familiar tune as I swim by. Flutes are ringing in the air. It feels silky like a dolphin’s back. It tastes like a vanilla milk shake. It smells like an apple pie that just came out of the oven. I feel calm when I think of silver. ~Ellie Ross—206 Blue is an angel. Blue sounds like the wind. It feels like God’s face and tastes like the ocean. It smells like rain and I am sad. ~Ana Alcala—206 Fourth Grade’s Plant & Animal Cells The fourth grade science classes learned about plant and animal cells by making models of them. The students were very creative when choosing items to represent the parts of a cell. Some students used real food, like a hard-boiled egg or an olive for the nucleus, an acorn squash for the cell membrane and cell wall, and jell-o for the cytoplasm. Others used beads, clay, tin foil, various seeds and beans, and plastic pieces to complete their modPage 6 Niko LaPorte—303 Fourth Grade “One Minute Book Reports” The book I’m reviewing is Backyard Angel by Judy Delton. The characters in this book are Mrs. O’Leary, Rags, and Angel. The main plot is that they both can’t stop getting in trouble. The setting takes place in the summer when it was very sunny. The secondary plot is that she has to take care of her brother all the time and if she doesn’t he could get lost. My opinion on this book is that it was very boring at first but it’s cool in the middle and end. I think it’s a good book. ~Jeremy Taylor 303 I’m going to tell you about a book called A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry. It was about one girl whose perfect sister had a horrible disease and passed away. The characters are Meg, the younger sister, and Molly, the perfect sister with a serious disease. Meg is trying to figure out what is wrong with her sister. The setting of this story takes place on a beautiful countryside. I give this book two thumbs up! ~Megan Irving 303 Jackson Journal Fifth Grade Bread Fest Have you ever wondered what it would be like to try new foods from different countries? During the week of September 22, the fifth graders got to try breads from different cultures. This “Bread Fest” was a new experience for many fifth graders who tried new breads and learned about different cultures. Every year Mrs. Moriarty, the fifth grade social studies teacher, has the “Bread Fest” which the children always enjoy. Many of the students brought in samples for everyone to try. Some of the examples were bow, moon cakes, pita bread, tortillas, churros, Irish soda bread and croissants. Some of the breads represented Chinese, Greek, French, Irish and Hispanic culture. The experience is always interesting and a blast for the kids. Here is what a few had to say about this event: “It was interesting.” ~Erin Young “There was bread from all over the world.” ~Paula Bolander, Allison Eng, and Linda Qui “It was really good.” ~Lia Bravo and Carla Nodi “I got to try new things.” ~Anna Castellos Sixth Grade Explores Mesopotamia Students in sixth grade social studies have been busy studying ancient cultures this fall, one of which was Mesopotamia. Part of this study included replicas of artifacts and map study. The following photos are part of a fabulous bulletin board the students completed under the guidance of Mr. Sadoff. Goddess from a temple Lydia Krasilinikova—316 Lyre of Blue Bull Lydia Kijowski—314 Hector Chapa. Breanne Bradley, Lydia Kijowski, and Tomonori Baba— (314) created this map of Mesopotamia showing geographic details and modern countries. Chinese moon cakes French croissants Fifth Graders “Rediscover” Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a special time. It is a time when you should be with your family and give thanks. You give thanks for everything you have. Thanksgiving started with the Pilgrims. They ate turkeys, corn, and yams. Thanksgiving is a national holiday to give thanks. ~Lia Bravo—300 Who would have thought it? We almost lost Thanksgiving. It was all saved by Sarah Hale. Not only did she fight for this holiday, but also for girls’ schools, an end to spanking and even an end to slavery. She was also a writer of children’s novels and magaSarah Ha1e zines. She composed “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and was the mother of five. She went through three presidents to finally reach Abraham Lincoln who agreed to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. So from then on, every year on the fourth Thursday of November, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Thank you, Sarah Hale. More information about Sarah Hale can be found in our library. ~Carla Nodi—300 AJLA Holds Annual Science Fair The annual Science Fair was held on December 9, 2003, for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Each year students form hypotheses, perform experiments, gather data and see if the results match their hypotheses. The following are the results of their efforts. 6th Grade Results st 1 place: “Corrosion” ~Breanne Bradley & Hector Chapa--314 nd 2 place: “Growing Crystals from Common Household substances” ~Natalie Arroyo & Lydia Kijowski--314 3rd place: “Does Acid Level in Fruits & Vegetables Affect Electrical Output?” ~Ariel Neikrug—316 7th & 8th Grade Results st 1 place: “The Period of Oscillation of a Pendulum” ~Vaishak Babu--310 nd 2 place: “Homemade Glue vs. Brandname Glue” ~Marianna Gunn—310 and “”Can I Have Some Enzymes with those French Fries?” ~Amillia Anderson—308 3rd place:“Ice Melting” ~Hannah Craft--308 ~Ashley Cole—312 Volume 8, Issue 1 Page 7 French Classes Have Visitors Ms. Radue’s French classes have been very lucky to have so many wonderful visitors this fall. On five different occasions in November, Rose Nadolsky, a visiting artist from the Office of Language and Culture, came to sing with the first through fourth grade students. The students enjoyed her singing and her music on the autoharp. Many of the songs were from her CD entitled La Voix en Rose. The CD contains 26 popular songs including “Frère Jaques,” “Le Pont d’Avignon” and the French version of “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” There is also a 12 page illustrated booklet of the French lyrics with English translations. The CD has fun, catchy melodies and covers topics that interest students. Ms. Nadolsky, who also teaches Wiggleworms at the Old Town School of Folk Music, is offering her CD for sale at the special price of $15. If you are interested in purchasing a CD, please contact Ms. Radue. Alliance Française Continues Tutoring Program French students continue to benefit from volunteers from the Alliance Française. The volunteers play games, work with students on pronunciation and fluency and teach them new songs. The second and third graders had a special treat this fall when Ms. Diane Saltoun visited with her daughter Natalie who is six years old and attends the Lycée français here in Chicago. Ms. Saltoun and Natalie taught the students lyrics and motions for two songs “L’oiseau ZoZo” (ZoZo Bird) and “Un petit lapin” (A Little Rabbit.) Ms. Saltoun also volunteers to tutor for the third graders. To all our wonderful visitors and volunteers, the students say, “Merci beaucoup!” Should Professional Athletes Be Role Models? After reading a selection about Jackie Robinson, seventh graders were asked if they thought that athletes should be role models. As you will see below, not all students were in agreement. A role model is someone who sets examples for people with actions and words. Athletes should be role models for several reasons. First, young people look up to athletes and follow their characters...Athletes can encourage others to read, to refuse to use drugs and to care about others. ~Gerard Ledda—306 I think we should expect professional athletes to be role models not just because of their athletic ability. One athlete can be really good at sports, but gets in a lot of trouble. Another athlete can be less talented but does better things in life. ~Anthony Reyes--306 Athletes can inspire kids to do positive things. Also they can give the children the hope that they can do anything if they try. The athletes can donate money to the different foundations and to communities. If they do this, they set a good example for helping others. ~Jequancia Parker—306 Athletes influence us kids to stay off drugs, say no to drinking an smoking. Their TV commercials telling us to do the right thing have a great impact on children. This is why we should expect professional athletes to serve as role models. ~Brian Lee—310 Professional athletes should be judged on their athletic performance and not be expected to be role models. I feel this way because they are human. They are doing their jobs for money, not so kids will look up to them. Not every professional athlete wants to be a role model. Would you always want to try to do things in a perfect manner so kids would admire you? ~Kourtney Turner—310 All the examples athletes give stay with children. If it is a bad example, the children may grow up to have a bad character. If it is a good example, the results may be positive. ~Keila Valle—310 Athletes should not be held up as role models. Just because they play well and everyone likes them, they still can be a bad person outside the game. Athletes should not have to be good all the time just because kids look up to them. That is not their job. ~Paul Timlin—310 Some kids want to be or play like athletes when the athletes play well. They also admire them. So athletes should be careful about what they do in their professional lives because kids want to be just like them. Since athletes get paid a lot of money, they shouldn’t mind behaving Jackson Journal Ms. Saltoun & Natalie teaching “Un petit lapin.” Second & third graders along with Ms. Radue and guests. Page 8 on and off the court or field and should be careful of what they do in their personal lives. ~DeAundra Underwood—306 We should judge athletes by their performance on teaching the younger people to stay out of gangs and out of the streets. The role models should teach kids to stay in after-school programs and reach their goals. ~Larone Lewis—306 Although most people speculate that all athletes can do no wrong, I feel they should be judged by their athletic performance only because they make mistakes in life just like the rest of us. Ultimately, we would like for athletes to be a role model so those young potential athletes can follow the same footsteps. However, we hear so much through the media about how many athletes get into trouble. If I were an athlete, I certainly wouldn’t want my fans to insinuate that athletes can do no wrong because of fame. Athletes have greater power because of their fame and fortune and this is why some will unfortunately get themselves into trouble. ~Ellyse Rodriguez—306 Eight Graders “Dress Up” Hallways Eighth grade students had the chance to work together to create some “guests” for Halloween. They worked in groups to design their guest and then implemented the plan. We think you’ll agree that the results were pretty impressive. Joey Menchaca & Luis Ladino—312 Wendy Huang—312 Eighth Grade Architectural Boat Tour On October 2, 2003, the 8th grade went on the annual boat trip highlighting the architectural features of Chicago. It was a chilly day out on the Chicago River. Everyone was bundled up in hats, scarves, gloves, and anything that would keep them warm. The 8th grade left about 10:00 a.m. on the bus in plenty of time to eat and catch the boat. However, the bus was stopped by the draw bridge. Ms. Richards thought we would all miss the boat because we all still had to eat. Luckily the bridge lowered and sixty kids, parents, and two teachers were all waiting to get food. It was a close call but we all made it on the boat at 11:45 a.m. for the tour. The boat meandered along the Chicago River and the guide gave out great information about the buildings. After the tour, the 8th grade came back and even had enough time for last period classes. The following are some remarks about the trip from room 308: Romil Reyes – “educational” Angelia Scardino – “I liked it and I would do it again.” Channing Harris – “It expanded my knowledge of Chicago.” Amilia Anderson – “The trip was inspirational and cultural.” Room 312 had similar views about the trip. Mark Chiu – “It was a great experience with a fascinating view of the Chicago riverfront.” Rachael King – “It was very informative and fun to see our city.” Luis Ladino – “The trip made me realize how Chicago is a beautiful city.” Pryscilla Bolander – “This was a trip that was memorable, fun, exciting, and educational.” ~Ashley Cole--312 Ashley Cole, Rachel King, Ruth Litzenberger, Angela Ng and Gabriel Perez—312 Eighth grade students viewed the architectural sights from the Chicago River on a boat much like this one. Volume 8, Issue 1 Page 9 The Eighth Grade Architecture Project Every year the eighth grade classes do architecture projects for Mrs. Richard’s language arts class. The project involves much research, creativity, and many presentations. Each student is required to choose a building (along the Chicago River) and do an individual report on it. The students are also put into groups of three and they, as a group, are required to do a report on the history of Chicago architecture, a model of the building, a map of the three branches of the river and a final presentation incorporating all the information gathered. When you see the pictures below, we think you will agree that both classes did outstanding work with realistic buildings and amazing presentations. ~Gabriel Perez—312 Boeing Headquarters by Yuriy Slyvka—308 Prudential Plaza by Pryscilla Bolander—312 333 W. Wacker Drive by Miranda Segura—308 Marina City by Amillia Anderson—308 IBM Headquarters by Angelia Scardino—308 Page 10 Jackson Journal