Tornado Alley 3D Movie

        Join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2, the most ambitious effort ever made to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, on this heart-pounding science adventure. Armed with a 70mm camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, the stars of Tornado Alley take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado's destructive power at point blank range. Experience the adrenaline and the science of nature's most dramatic phenomena! 

Princess Nevaeh

"Thank you to Samantha and Lauren for coming and decorating Princess Nevaeh's room and showering her with gifts."

           

Dear Beautiful Girl,

          I am one the creators of your room décor. I hope you enjoy your room as much as I do. One of my favorite things, well everything is my favorite in the basket, is the trash can because I LOVE sparkles. I also like the heart cascade because it is fun to play with. We obtained our supplies from Hobby Lobby and Michael's. We made most of the items, but some of the items were premade like the peace sign.

          I want to tell you a little bit about myself: I am 11 years old, I have a twin sister, I am homeschooled, I am a diver, and I love food. I have been diving for about four years. I want to know a little bit about you. If you or your mom has an email then you can email me. I would love to be pen pals with you, and maybe even have play dates with you. Enjoy your new room decor; we had so much fun decorating it.

Love,

Samantha

Dear Special Girl,

My name is Lauren, and I am eleven years old. I am homeschooled with my twin sister and a private teacher, so we can buy and assemble the crafts you will be receiving during school.  We have created this “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” basket for you, so you can have a decorated room that will make you feel special and included. The reason we chose the name, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is because girls should feel carefree and loved even under difficult circumstances, so this basket is to remind you of that. The crafts and gifts we placed in your pink picnic basket are gifts and room decorations that will make your room sparkle.

The items in your basket include a decorated trash can with sparkly and zebra printed construction paper with a bow and pearl to finish it off and it is filled with various lotions and spa products, a heart shaped wreath with translucent pink ribbon with bunches of flowers and a butterfly accent; a peace sign with green glitter and diamonds hanging from a pink polka dotted ribbon; a door hanger chalk board with a message from us including extra chalk and an eraser for you to write anything you wish; diamond studded flower pens nestled in a glass vase; glittering letters spelling “Love” with three words, laugh, peace, and dream; a party picture frame with straws edging the frame with flowers to even it out; paper heart waterfall to cascade over the bed; a glass picture cube awaiting for you to place your personal photos in the spaces; a mirror tile on a stand with the word “believe” on the bottom, a butterfly jewelry box; two hand crafted headbands with a pink and black studded flower; colorful knee socks; two bracelets from Hawaii; a black, pink, and white sleeping mask; a clipboard which belongs with a journal and pen; and a heartwarming book named The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate along with Emily Dickinson’s poetry. All of these items should make you feel cherished and appreciated.

I am wondering if I could ever meet you or Skype you whenever you need a friend to talk with. My sister and I would love to hang out with you and do your nails or makeup or just talk to a special girl. I would enjoy receiving letters and emails from you because I have never really had a pen pal. You can email me or write me a letter. I hope you adore this basket and these gifts that you can keep forever.  

            Love, a special friend

            Lauren

The One and Only Ivan book review

        Yesterday I finished a Newbery Award winning book called The One and Only Ivan written by Katherine Applegate and published in 2012. One of the reasons I would recommend this book to other children is because it is based on a true gorilla held captive at a mall in Washington state for seventeen years just for the pleasure of shoppers. Just knowing this book is based on real events makes me question and wonder why we capture animals and keep them prisoners. I visited Ivan’s Facebook page where I learned that he passed away this year because he was ill and died during surgery. An additional reason I recommend this book is because it has a satisfying conclusion. Without giving away the ending, Ivan finds a better home than the mall where he did not have any natural habitat. I think at this age young readers should finish a book and feel good about the world and themselves. Finally this book has an unusual point of view because the gorilla tells the story. Ivan tells his story with a plethora of humor like when he describes a dog sleeping on his oversized belly. I have never read a book where the animal is the narrator, and it makes the story more engaging. I would highly recommend this book to all animal loving readers.  Reviewed by Lauren

The Secret Garden

                           

           Adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Mary Lennox is sent to live in England after her parents die in India. Misselthwaite Manor turns out to be a gloomy fortress. Her uncle is rarely home and his young son, Colin, never leaves his room, convinced he’s an incurable invalid. Mary discovers a strange walled garden that has been locked up for years. With the gardener’s apprentice, Dickon, a lad who can talk to the animals, Mary coaxes the garden back to life. The garden seems to have a wonderful, magical effect on all who come into it, allowing Mary to help restore Colin to health and a reunion with his father. This wonderful musical version of this great classic tale has something for everyone, a show not to be missed.

Arizona Republic Response

Response to Arizona Republic Sports Article by Tom Kuyper

            You may remember me for another response about types of coaches because I am the eleven-year-old tennis player. Today I have to respond to your September 4^th article about “fudging” ages to let kids play sports. I adamantly believe that parents should not lie about kids’ ages so that they can play in lower age brackets. Lying is never acceptable. Your first example of a child with a physical disability playing in a lower age group is erroneous. If a special needs child wants to play with children his or her own size, there is a whole league just for this situation: Special Olympics, an organization for empowerment. Your second example about a first time basketball player in high school is also flawed. There are alternate teams that this student can join to hone his or her abilities before joining a highly skilled team. Your third example is really lame. Even with seven children, the parents can find bicycles, personal helicopters, or carpools to schlep the kids around to all their activities without compromising age bracket rules. Finally, the example about the girl playing down just because she is a girl does not mean the rules can be broken, so please do not judge a girl by her gender. Age bracket rules are rigid for a very important reason: to insure fair play. If these vital rules can be broken for “exceptions”, then why have rules at all? And who is to judge the “exceptions”? Do not get me wrong, I believe that sports should be fun and open to every child, but this can be achieved while strictly enforced age brackets.  - Lauren

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Yesterday we saw the play, Two Gentlemen of Verona. When we walked into the theatre, the first detail I noticed was that the setting was in the roaring 20’s instead of the 1500’s. This detail made the play hard to follow because there were men talking in Shakespeare words but wearing modern day suites. I would have followed the play easier if the men and women were dressed in tights and long, jeweled dresses. The eye-catching part of the play was a real dog acting a part on the stage. Even though the dog just sat there and knocked over a prop, the dog still made me chuckle. The dog only impressed me once when he went straight to the closet to find a man hiding in there. The third detail I noticed was that all of the actors were tap dancers. Each of them was given a part to be in the center of the spotlight, so they could show off their tap dancing skills. They were all superior. This play made the audience enthusiastic because everyone was standing and clapping for all of the actors.  Reviewed by Lauren

Today I went to see the Shakespearian play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, at the Mesa Arts Center Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse Theater. My initial reaction was about the setting. I enjoyed the setting of the Roaring Twenties, although I wish they changed it to match the original. It was especially difficult to transition to gangsters in the city instead of outlaws in the forest. I also thought that since the actors spoke in Shakespeare’s language, then they should set it in Shakespeare’s time so the words match the setting. My second reaction was about the live dog onstage, Crab. I really thought the dog was a great addition to this show, although I would like the dog trained so that it can make lots of laughter with its tricks. The main scene for the dog was that he was supposed to urinate on the Duke’s daughter’s dress, but in the play they only talked about it.  My last reaction was about the music. Even though it was not Shakespeare’s music, I really thought the ukuleles were an amazing addition to the play. I also liked all the music because it was very modern, and it was so easy to follow. I was disappointed at the play for some parts, but it was humorous many times. Reviewed by Samantha

                                

Catapults!

The Odyssey - A One Man Show

Shipwrecks, sirens, and mythical creatures meet adventure, magic, and revenge! Acclaimed solo artist Charlie Bethel (Beowulf) re-imagines Homer's famous epic story in a faithful yet accessible format for those who slept through Greek Literature. Voyage across land and sea, through the underworld, to the top of Mt. Olympus with the brave and courageous hero, Odysseus, as he valiantly seeks his homeland and the arms of his wife and child. Don’t miss this thrilling epic adventure.

            The Return is the very last adventure in the book. Now that Ulysses has arrived he needs some help killing the hundred suitors, so he asks his son and the swineherd to help.  They trick the suitors into trying Ulysses bow that nobody else can use. Everybody fails; Ulysses shows his actual identity because he has been acting like a beggar. He fights all of the suitors until nobody is alive. The word I learned in this chapter is “exultant”; the definition is joyful. I am glad Ulysses never gives up hope because after more than seventeen adventures he is back to Ithaca and his wife Penelope. (The last of 17 paragraphs written by Samantha summarizing The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin.)

The tone is the author’s attitude towards the topic. We are reading the Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin, which is based on Homer’s story, The Odyssey. The tone of Bernard Evslin’s novel is vindictive and revengeful. Poseidon is extremely vindictive in this tale. Ulysses is arrogant to Poseidon, so Poseidon wants to destroy Ulysses and his crew and make a ten day journey home, a ten year journey home with violent and malicious events. Ulysses also makes Poseidon angry because he stabs Poseidon’s son’s eye with a gargantuan wooden stick. In this story, the Greek gods and goddesses risk their property or friendship with Poseidon, and help Ulysses with either a trick or advice to aid his arrival at another destination. Poseidon would punish the gods and goddesses who would help Ulysses, but most of the gods and goddesses did not like Poseidon because of his vindictive and revengeful personality. Finally Ulysses arrives at Nausicaa’s island where her parents are the king and queen of Phaeacia. When Ulysses tells the family his name, the king gives Ulysses a ship to sail home just before Poseidon wakes up, but the punishment that the king and queen receive is that their ship is made into stone, and nobody can come into the port. Ulysses is also vengeful because he slays the hundred suitors surrounding his house. The tone of this story is vindictive and vengeful but appropriate for the warrior Ulysses returning home from the Trojan War. (Tone essay by Lauren)

Vocabulary from The Adventure of Ulysses

Lore	“Prologue”	Noun	Stories that give knowledge
Oxhide	“Ships and Men”	Noun	Ox skin
Hail	“The Ciconians”	Verb	Call attention
Gale	“The Lotus Eaters”	Noun	Strong wind or storm at sea
Fleet	“The Cyclops Cave”	Noun	The crew
Helm	“Keeper of the Winds”	Noun	Steering apparatus of the ship
Basin	“Cannibal Beach”	Noun	A bay or inlet of water
Haughty	“Circe”	Adjective	Too proud
Girdling	“The Land of the Dead”	Adverb	Encircling
Skirt	“The Wandering Rocks”	Verb	Travel on the edges
Provisions	“The Sirens”	Noun	Food and drink
Thrice	“Scylla and Charybdis”	Adverb	Three times
Dappled	“Cattle of the Sun”	Adjective	Spotted
Elysian Fields	“Calypso”	Noun	A place where Greek heroes go after they die
Meddlesome	“Ino’s Veil”	Adjective	Nosy
Flask	“Nausicaa”	Noun	Container for liquid
Exultant	“The Return”	Adjective	Joyful