Writing Prompt

Authors note: I needed something to write about so Mr. Johnson gave me a writing prompt. The prompt was, The school district has received a grant of 250,000 dollars from a local business, write an essay on how this money should best be used..

With the $250,000 grant the school recently received I think it would be a good idea to use it to get better sports equipment for the track and field and the gym. The current hurdles aren't as good as they could be. They are falling apart -- They’re rusting and jamming up. The high jump isn't in as bad of a shape as the hurdles, but  it’s pretty bad. The bar is very weak, one more bad landing and there is going to be some sort of injury. Shards of fiberglass will be the primary cause. In gym class, it would be useful to get more basketballs and footballs. Having more of these would help out if any other equipment was to get lost or stuck somewhere.

The track team could really use some new equipment; the hurdles are falling apart. They are also starting to become a hazard to the kids, because of the sharp and jagged edges. Less kids are practicing hurdles because of this. We aren't doing as good as we were last year; when the hurdles were in better condition. Not to mention, the very few hurdles that aren't broken get jammed very often and are hard to use. The high jump bar is about to shatter into bits and pieces and into the unfortunate kid to land on the bar. If we were to get stronger bars we wouldn't have to worry about them breaking. Also, the high jump mat is starting to fall apart. The mat itself is ripped and the landing is so soft anymore. The track team isn't doing very good, but we can fix this by getting new equipment.

Gym class is losing equipment and it is an annoyance to the teachers and the students. When we play dodge ball we have a very limited about of balls to use. Most of the balls we used to use are stuck up somewhere or so ripped up that there is no point in using them. If we replace these, gym will become more active all around. If we were to upgrade other equipment, such as the gloves for baseball, it would also help in participation. Gloves are scattered and limited. If a child is left handed it is harder for them to find a glove. The gloves we currently have are very small and are hard to use. The bats are in a good enough shape you use but getting new ones would greatly increase the overall fun of the game. Gym is becoming a very boring class, but by replacing and upgrading we can make it fun again.

Upgrading computers isn't worth it anymore, it isn't helping. By getting new, better, and more equipment we will be able to make everything more active. The track team is starting to suffer setbacks and our first place ribbons are quickly turning into third and fourth place. Gym is starting to turn into an hour and ten minutes of standing and doing nothing. Using the money to fix these things will help a lot more than getting new computers for the students.

Band Essay

Authors Note: In band last week, the 7th and 8th graders had a band concert. Mrs. Mitchell decided to have us do a concert evaluation in a different way, an essay. We were told to write it from the prospective of a person that would do reviews of a concert. 

The ASA Clark middle School bands had a spring concert on March, 6^th. They played very accurately and the concert was a pleasure to watch. The songs included a few things to engage the audience. The bands had only a few places that needed improvement. Concerts are normally boring and plain, but for the 7^th and 8^th grade bands it was different.

The 7^th grade band was very into their music and played very well during their entire portion of the concert. My personal favorite part was their 3^rd song. They had very good ways to engage the audience. This includes foot stomping and drumming on the stands with their pencils. I felt that they were lacking in dynamics in their second song.  The performers looked very professional and it added the overall look of the concert.

The 8^th grade band played very well as well. I enjoyed all of the 8^th grade music, but my personal favorite song was, The Great Locomotive Chase. It had intense speed and dynamics. The song also encoded many ways to engage the audience. There were many different techniques in making different noises with their music. They also had many noises they made to simulate the noises of a Locomotive starting. The 8^th grade band also looked very professional and this helped the entire concert look very professional.

The ASA Clark band was very much into their music. They really cared about what they were playing. They also tried to make the concert seem less like an actual concert and more of a fun music festival. They didn’t limit themselves. I hope I will be able to go to another concert soon. 

Weather around the world

Weather is changed daily, because of many different elements. These elements are; solar radiation, pressure systems, ocean currents, and topography. These all can have a very big impact on the weather of an area and can change a day from sunny and dry, to a stormy and humid day. Knowing how all of these work is very important when planing on what you are going to do that day. 

Solar radiation causes the earth's surface to heat up or cool down, thus deciding how cool or how warm it will be that day. Solar radiation heats the air, this determines its stability, which affects cloud development and precipitation. Unequal heating of the earth's surface creates pressure gradients that result in wind. Almost all of the characteristics of climate are related to solar radiation.

Pressure systems have a direct impact on the precipitation characteristics of different climate regions. In general, places dominated by low pressure tend to be moist, while those dominated by high pressure are dry. Climates located at a low latitude get a very large period of wet weather from the Intertropical convergence zone and a dry period when the subtropical high moves into this region.

Ocean Currents are caused by air masses moving across an ocean. Climates boarding cold currents tend to be drier because the cool ocean water helps keep the air stable.  Air traveling over cold ocean currents lose energy to water and, therefore, the temperature along the coast is controlled.    

Topography causes an air mass to become more controlled, using the land shape. Windward slopes, those facing into the wind, get more precipitation due to orographic uplift of the air. Leeward sides of mountains are in the rain shadow, therefore, they receive less precipitation. Air temperatures are affected by slope and orientation as slopes facing into the sun will be warmer than those facing away. Temperature also decreases as one moves toward higher elevations. 

These are all sizable reasons that weather can change quickly, or over a period of time. Everything ends up effecting the air mass, which is the basic climate of an area. Solar radiation, pressure systems, ocean currents, and topography change over time, thus causing the air mass itself to change. knowing how most of these work will definitely help you plan out your day. 

Halloween Story

Authors Note: This is a piece I wrote for, believe it of not, Halloween. Hope you enjoy. 

     I wake up in pitch darkness. Rolling over in my bed, I notice the time. 1:27 A.M. To early to wake up now. I think to myself. As I close my eyes and start to drift off, I hear a faint scratching noise. Confused, I lift my head and look around the room. The scratching starts to get louder. I crawl out of bed and start moving toward the light switch. It gets louder and louder. I reach the light switch and turn it on. Nothing. Everything is silent. I open my bedroom door and walk out into the hallway. Then, very faintly, I hear another sound. I close my eyes and strain my ears to hear it. It was coming from my sisters room. I move down the hallway as quiet as possible. I rest my ear on the door to hear. That's when I realize, the noise I was hearing in the hallway was my sister breathing. Frustrated, I turn around to go back to my room and see a dark figure move across the hallway. I gasp, and immediately cover my mouth, fearing that I woke my mom of sister. I peek my head in the door and see my sister is still asleep. Relived, I start to move down the hallway, Slowly and quietly. When I get to the end of the hallway, my heart is beating faster than a Cheetah running through African Plains. I look around the corner and no one is there. I must be really tired! I think to myself. I walk back to my room, turn off the light. Crawl into bed and fall asleep.

     Again, I wake up. I hear the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. I roll out of bed and walk up to the window and pull up the blinds. I see the familiar woods out in the distance, but  something seems off. That's when I see him, standing just inside the wood. Wearing all black, with what looks like a bloody butchers knife. I duck down under the window. Taking a few deep breaths I peek out the window again. He's gone. I duck back down under the window, laughing at myself for being so scared of nothing. I turn around to get out of my room and he's standing right in front of me. I freeze in place. He lifts his arm, and swings his bloody knife, and then I wake up. 

Happy Halloween!