@SequimSchools — June 13, 2018

DISTRICT

The next school board meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, June 18, in the district boardroom, 503 N. Sequim Ave. The public is invited to attend, and time is set aside for public comment. To view the agenda and minutes of past meetings, click on “Board of Directors” and “2017-2018 agendas” on the district’s website at www.sequimschools.org.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Carla Drescher’s kindergarten class at Greywolf Elementary send a big “Thank you” to Clallam County Fire District 3 for visiting our school and teaching us all about fire safety!

Fifth-grade students from Jennifer Lopez’s class were recent recipients of biography books donated by Janet Thomas of Sequim. The students each chose a famous person to read about and selected a second source to further their research. Students were given the task of choosing whether their famous person would best be described as creative, persistent, or hard working and backing up their opinion with evidence from their research.

Here are more of their essays:

“One word to describe Harry Houdini”

By Josh McNair

One word that describes Harry Houdini is persistent.

In the book, “Who was Harry Houdini?” it says, “It had taken five years to make the handcuffs. But it had taken Houdini only one hour to escape from them.” This shows that he is persistent because he did not give up on trying to escape the handcuffs like most people would have. He kept trying till he got out of them and escaped. This is not the only reason I think he is persistent though.

In the same book it says, “Harry had to wait more than a month before he and his plane actually got off the ground.” This also shows that Harry Houdini was a persistent person because unlike some people he kept trying to fly and fulfill his dream. Some people probably didn’t even try to fly a plane. There is still one more reason why I think Harry Houdini is a persistent person.

Lastly on Biography.com it says, “Houdini continued performing escape acts until his death.” This shows that Harry Houdini was a persistent person because he did not just stop doing what he loved to do, he kept doing it until he died. I don’t know anybody else who would willingly do dangerous escape acts until they died.

All this shows that Harry Houdini was definitely a persistent person.

“Dolly Parton, an amazing Hard-working person!”

By Elissa Brown

I would describe Dolly Parton as hard-working because she used to be a very poor child who came from a very large but poor family who lived in Tennessee. Her father was a farmer and did not make much money. When she was 18 she packed her bags and moved to Nashville. Dolly Parton was very hard working, in Who is Dolly Parton? on page 45 it says, “Everyday Dolly knocked on doors and tried to give tapes away of her songs. No luck she took waitress and office jobs to get by.” This shows that she will work until she has accomplished what she wants.

In the same book it also says on page 45, “Dolly finally got to work on a local TV show at 5 a.m. every morning. But Dolly had hardly any left for food. Sometimes she ate ketchup and water soup. Dolly was so hungry that she went into hotels and took leftovers from trays that people had put in halls.” This shows that Dolly Parton was very had-working about her career.

Dolly Parton tried out to be a singer on a TV show with 20 others, and she got the job! The audience missed the singer she replaced and they would heckle Dolly. On page 52 of the book it said, “Dolly suffered six months but she stuck it out.” Most people would quit because of an audience like that!

The book also said, “Dolly did a hundred shows in recording sessions. They might tape two shows in an hour!” This shows that she is a very hard-working person and she will not rest until the job is done! What really shows how hard-working Dolly Parton is on page 55 in my book it said, “Dolly only got a few hours of sleep each night. Sometimes she slept in her makeup and wig so she could get to work early in the morning, the next day.” This shows she was very hard working with her career because she was only getting a few hours of sleep every day.

After working with Wagoner for quite a while, she was recognized by RCA Records and was signed as an artist. In the Encyclopedia Brittanica article, “Dolly Parton,” paragraph three says, “Parton soon came to the attention of the music industry moguls at the RCA Records and subsequently recorded more than a dozen songs together with Wagoner-on hit songs-together for the RCA label. She rapidly emerged as one of country music’s most popular singers.” This shows how all of Dolly Parton’s work has paid off, and she is a very hard-working person.

In the same article, paragraph 7 it said, “In 1999 she was inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame. The next year Parton received the U.S Government National Medal of Arts, and in 2006 she was recognized at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C for her lifetime artistic achievement.” So, all of these medals show that Dolly Parton is a very hard-working person.

“The Most Hard-Working Person: Clara Barton”

Kinzley Henrikson

The word that describes Clara Barton the best is hard-working.

I think hard-working is the best word because on page 25 in the book, “Who was Clara Barton,” it says, “Schools were not free in New Jersey, as they were in Massachusetts, and that seemed unfair to her… and asked its members to open a free school, she would teach there without pay.” So, she is convincing the school board to open a free school, and not even pay her! That takes a hard-working person.

Then in Encyclopedia Britannica, “Clara Barton” paragraph 3 it states, “In 1881 she organized the America Association of the Red Cross, known from 1889 as the American National Red Cross, and served as its president until 1904.” So, she started the Red Cross, and was its president for 23 years! It probably took a lot of work for a person to start the Red Cross.

In, “Who was Clara Barton,” it says on page 90, “At age seventy-five Clara led a relief mission to help Armenians who were under attack in Turkey.” So Clara brought the Red Cross to Turkey to help people who were under attack, and, she was 75 years old! I think it takes a very, very, hard-working person to do that, especially at 75 years old.

So that is why I picked hard-working as the best word to describe Clara Barton.

“Alexander Hamilton”

By Nickolas Jaggar

Hard-working best describes Alexander Hamilton.

In the article, “Alexander Hamilton” on page 1 in paragraph 3 it states, “In 1722 his ability, industry, and engaging manners won an advancement from bookkeeper to manager.” He finally got a promotion through hard work and manners. This supports my case because he was only 11 at the time. It takes a lot of hard work for an adult to be promoted to manager, let alone an 11-year-old.

In the book, “Who was Alexander Hamilton?” on page 33 it says, “In August of that year, a British warship arrived in New York harbor, and everyone feared that the British would steal the 2 dozen cannons kept in New York.” 12 year-old Alexander and 15 others members of the Hearts of Oak saved 10 out of 24 cannons stationed there in New York. This supports my case because it takes a lot of hard work to save 10 cannons when you’re only 12.

My last reason that proves that hard-working best describes Alexander Hamilton comes from the article “Alexander Hamilton” from paragraph 4 on page 1, “He organized his own company at the battle of Trenton, when he and his men prevented Cornwallis from crossing the Raritan River.”

Alexander Hamilton stopped Cornwallis from crossing a giant river which was important because if Cornwallis got past Alexander’s army they would attack Washington’s main army while they were resting and ultimately defeat the continental army. This supports my case because Alexander Hamilton who is barely 20 stopped Great Britain’s best general.

By these reasons my argument about how Alexander Hamilton is best described by hard-working can’t be argued with.

Sources:

“Who was Alexander Hamilton?”

“Alexander Hamilton from school.eb.com/Levels/article/Alexander-Hamilton/39033

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More than 90 third-grade students from Sherri Burke’s, Shannon Green’s, Rio Nersinger’s and Sara Benjamin’s classes at Greywolf Elementary recently planted about 450 trees under the supervision of Merrill & Ring and Alta Forest Products at a nearby logging site in Sequim.

This is the fourth year the students have committed to planting trees for the future and we loved it! Students learn about our renewable resource and gain insight into the day and life of a forester.

This year we also were especially proud of two Sequim graduates who are on their way to becoming foresters. They worked with our students helping to plant trees. The students were able to see what the future holds for them through education.

Over the course of several visits with Sequim High School FFA members, Greywolf students learned about different types of farming, what can be found on farms, what is needed to maintain a successful farm and how farms are helpful to us.

The visits concluded with FFA students bringing some of their farm animals to Greywolf. Students were able see a goat and her kids, a baby lamb, a chicken, a bunny — and second-grade student Timmy Seelye brought Rosie, his own goat, to show and talk about.

Greywolf Second graders want to thank Sequim High School FFA for taking the time to visit our classrooms and share their knowledge and experience with us. Many students expressed an interest in being part of FFA themselves one day!

Second-grade students at Greywolf Elementary recently got a visit from representatives at the Dungeness River Audubon Center. Students learned about birds native to our area — how they live, what they eat and how they are helpful to our environment. They got to see up-close examples as well as ask questions.

During library time, Greywolf students researched topics related to Earth Day. Then, to celebrate both Earth Day and National Poetry month, they wrote poems using nouns and verbs we brainstormed as class.

— Librarian Dena Riccobene

Earth is …

Trees growing

Flowers grooving

Fish playing

Horses jumping

Cheetahs running

Plants growing

— Maelyn Noble

Earth is …

Trees swaying

Horses running

Spiders crawling

Sand scratching

Forests growing

Wasps buzzing

— Finn Tomco

Earth is …

Water traveling

Trees growing

Sand crunching

Fish whooshing

Beavers building

Horses jumping

— Barrett Brilhart

Earth is …

Cactus sticking

Sand drying

Hawks hunting

Wings flying

Feathers flapping

Beaks eating

— Nolan Stewart

Earth is …

Penguins huddling

Bees buzzing

Rocks tumbling

Corn popping

Fish swimming

Crocodiles chomping

— Brennan Slack

Earth is …

Butterflies fluttering

Lakes splashing

Fish swimming

Doves cooing

Roses blooming

Birds chirping

— Olive Register

Earth is …

Tornadoes spinning

Grass sprouting

Rocks tumbling

Dust flying

Fish swishing

Sand crunching

— Owen Sawby-Smith

Earth is …

Tornadoes twirling

Rocks rumbling

Bees stinging

Thunder cracking

Sharks chomping

Flowers growing

— Lincoln Humphries

Earth is …

Grasshoppers jumping

Eggs cracking

Snow falling

Sun rising

Spiders crawling

Grass bending

— Blake Arnold

Earth is …

Sunsets glowing

Water rushing

Sunrays sparkling

Fish splashing

Lava spilling

Butterflies flapping

— Kara Hamilton

Earth is …

Water dancing

Lava splashing

Diamonds sparkling

Trees wiggling

Ice freezing

Lakes flowing

— Brayden Wahlsten

Earth is …

Water splashing

Giraffes running

Palm trees dancing

Trees flowing

Waterfalls bubbling

Rocks rolling

— Mikomi Olivarri

Earth is …

Lava flowing

Volcanoes erupting

Gold shining

Llamas kicking

Silver sparkling

Water moving

— Max Brouillard

Earth is …

Trees dancing

Lions roaring

Rivers flowing

Bugs crawling

Snow melting

Thunder booming

— Inara Miles

Earth is …

Volcanoes booming

Gold shining

Rivers flowing

Bugs crawling

Plants blooming

Cactus poking

— Kohrbyn Henderson

Earth is …

Cats meowing

Flowers dancing

Gold glimmering

Trees swaying

Volcanoes erupting

Ice melting

— Alexis Gierth

Earth is …

Pollen dusting

Cats meowing

Corn popping

Oceans flowing

Dens hiding

Dogs jogging

– Zuri Kurtze

Earth is …

Butterflies flapping

Lava bubbling

Mountains stretching

Dolphins splashing

Fish playing

Peppers crunching

— Jocelin Hough

Earth is …

Eggs cracking

Moss squishing

Snow twirling

Water shining

Fish swimming

Rain falling

— Elise Sundin

Earth is …

Bees buzzing

Creeks running

Islands floating

Kids playing

Feathers whooshing

Snow sprinkling

— Silas Hagar

Earth is …

Sap sticking

Water swishing

Bees buzzing

Sand crunching

Seasons passing

Plants growing

— Adrian Aceves-Servin

Earth is …

Rocks shining

Frogs hopping

Animals sleeping

Mountains climbing

Leaves changing

Apples growing

— Kendra Martinez

Earth is …

Sunsets glowing

Water waving

Rocks rolling

Birds chirping

Lions roaring

Caves breaking

— Evan Chavez

Earth is …

Trees growing

Rocks sitting

Lava flowing

Water falling

Gold shining

Cherries rolling

— Lydia Brock

Earth is …

Frogs hopping

Birds chirping

Worms digging

Monkeys swinging

Volcanoes exploding

Rain dripping

— Riley Savage

Earth is …

Cats running

Silver shining

Flowers growing

Oceans waving

Grass swirling

Lava bubbling

— Mylee Beeter

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HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The second grade students in Renee Mullikin’s class have researched and become experts on an insect of their choosing. These entomologists in the making created and presented powerpoint reports and also learned to create scientific drawings of their insects. Eleanor Geiger, our wonderful math volunteer and quilter extraordinaire, offered to create pillows incorporating their drawings. The children loved the final product and they will be treasures for years to come.

Fifth-grade students in Eric Danielson’s classroom at Helen Haller recently did research on a topic, took a position on the issue, and then wrote a persuasive essay to share their opinion. They worked on building arguments to support with specific evidence:

“Genetically Modified Foods”

By Isaac McKeen

Do you want world hunger? I know I don’t. Genetically modified (GM) foods could help increase the food supply and that could help solve world hunger.

Genetically modified foods could help lower food prices. Some GM foods are designed to make themselves grow faster and that makes more food to sell. With more food to sell that could lower the cost of certain foods because with certain genes you could harvest twice a season. Therefore making the prices go down.

GM foods could help people in need. By making plants grow more that could increase the food supply as I mentioned before. However, that could also help people in need. It could do that by making more food than we need. That could make people want to give more food to food drives. They will give it to people in need.

Once I got some organic oranges to try. So I ate one and left them on the counter overnight. The next day I looked and they were rotten. With GM foods, these kinds of problems could stop happening because of the benefit of longevity. For example scientists can put certain genes in foods to make them last longer. It could also save you money by having to buy new food less often.

That is why you shouldn’t worry about GM foods. All they do is help not harm. GM foods give many more benefits than I mentioned. So if your town or city is trying to pass a law against GM foods, vote no. All they will do is take away some benefits.

SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL

For the final time this school year, science teacher Joe Landoni would like to showcase the following seventh-grade students as science “Catalysts” for Term 4, this time as voted on my their peers.

A catalyst in a science classroom consistently displays an exceptional level of participation. They are curious and questioning, asking thought-provoking inquiries that extend understanding. They are engrossed and engaged, and clearly and accurately share their observations both verbally and in writing. They are analytical and articulate, are risk-takers and are not afraid of mistakes or failure (as they know these can lead to new knowledge.)

Please recognize and celebrate the following fine young scientists: Danika Chen, Keaton King, Rae Douglas, Espn Judd, Briauna Saghafi, Ayden Humphries, Mia Pozernick, Leah Wolfe, Kendall Hastings, Desmond Tippins, Anastasia Updike, Brooklynn Castle, Dylan McKeown and Svea Sparks.

Keep up the fantastic effort, young scientists! You are excellent role models for your peers.

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Friday, June 15, is the last day of school and is early release (11 a.m.) for the students.

SHS’s main office hours for the summer will be: June 15, office closes at 11:15 a.m.; June 18-20, 8 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. The office closes for the summer from June 21-Aug. 12, and re-opens Aug. 13.