Chalk Talk January 21, 2015

Published 4:44 pm Tuesday, January 20, 2015

DISTRICT

There is no school for students on Monday, Jan. 26, which is an in-service day for teachers. The district office will be open.

Don’t miss Family Reading Night, a free evening of fun activities for children of all ages, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Sequim Middle School, 301 W. Hendrickson Road. All families are invited to attend. Free books will be given away at the end of the evening along with prizes. Activities include making Dr. Seuss hats, creating graphic novels, playing computer games based on books and participating in a reader’s theater.

For more information, call Sequim Middle School librarian Elizabeth Lawson at 582-3515.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Stacy Campbell’s second-grade class is learning about the Civil Rights Movement. They have been talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous “Dream” speech. Their assignment was to write their “Dream” and dream for others.

I have a dream … that someday there will be no sickness or allergies for anyone and that disease will not even exist. I want people to give all the baby animals enough food and a home so no species will go extinct and hopefully not lions. I want no more littering in oceans and lands and keep the world clean. For every human being to be kind to others and people to stop wars, hurting and killing. Stop making fun of religious beliefs, names and how people look. — Nikoline Updike

I have a dream … that fellow students have good success and change something in the world to help people when they grow up. Help prevent garbage in the oceans and save animals’ lives. End world hunger and help kids in Africa and many other places so they won’t go hungry. My dream is to have good success when I grow up. I think people should prevent sicknesses and help kids and grownups with cancer, especially kids. Help prevent drugs and all of the bad things that people do to go to jail and prison. — Olivia Carlson

I have a dream … that I will make a cure for all sickness and diseases. I have a dream to make a growth serum for food to end world hunger. I have a dream that I will save lives and time in a bottle. — Asher Gabbert

I have a dream … to stop suicide and murder by telling people to not take their anger out on other people. I have a dream. P.S. Change the world. — Rihanna Carpenter

I have a dream … that everyone had freedom forever and no sickness. Dream that people aren’t being rude and hold hands. I am sorry that people pass away. I wish that people had plenty of money for food and that people weren’t sick. I dream that everyone is happy for everyone. — Alexia Constant

I have a dream … that everybody gets a home and everybody gets money to buy food and clothes. My dream for others is to save the animals, everybody be friends and teachers be good to their children. — Abby Henning

I have a dream … that I can be a football player like (Marshawn) Lynch but better in life because he did some bad things in his life. I want kids to be inventors so they can make money from China and win the war from China. — Max Lee

HELEN HALLER    ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Some classes attended a screening of a 30-minute version of “Return of the River” in the high school auditorium on Jan. 13 and met John Gussman, one of the filmmakers. The movie chronicles the removal of dams on the Elwha River.

Here are some thoughts on the experience from students:

Sharle Osborne’s fourth-graders were very glad that they got to go see the movie. They thought the female narrator who talked as if she were the voice of the river was great!

Iliana Rider especially liked the aerial photography.

Alyssa Avery liked that they were actual pictures, that is was not faked.

Davis Snow said he didn’t know there were dams on the Elwha.

Jarrod Blouin had never seen the Elwha River.

Alyssa Avery didn’t know that the sediment piled up behind the dam.

Dylan McKeown did not know there was an electrical plant on the river.

Claire D’Amico said she did not know that there used to be so many salmon in the Elwha.

Sam Hagen didn’t know there was an Elwha tribe along the river.

Braiden Kitchen did not know they used helicopters to move fish above the dams.

Kayli Fukunaga said she thought it was a very good movie because it made her connect to fish and nature even more.

Genesis Lopez didn’t know the tribe cared so much about their river before he saw the movie.

Alexandra Salas said that she did not know that the salmon could not use the Elwha because of the dams.

Alivia Gray said she had not known that the king salmon could weigh over a hundred pounds.

Alexia Martin said her favorite part was that people are now helping the fish.

Nova Barrett said his favorite parts were the explosions.

Carolyn Luengen’s third-grade class has been studying the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the change he inspired in our country with his words.

The students read the book, “Martin’s Big Words,” by Doreen Rappaport, and were encouraged to think of their own big words that could change our world.

“War. All it does is get a bunch of people killed just because of a single problem.”

This quote could change the world because during the Civil War many people died. The problem could have been solved by using peaceful protests and other stuff like that. War is caused by a problem. From war, you get more problems. Shouldn’t we just end all wars? It just creates months or even years of hardship. Like Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote, “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” Andrew Crigler

“We should all have equal rights and peace.”

I say this because some people don’t have equal rights and peace and I want to put a stop to this. Martin Luther King Jr. said to be fair to everyone. I don’t want to live in a world where we are not fair to everyone. Lili Mitchell

“Encourage people to do the right thing.”

This would change the world by not yelling something out to someone if they’re doing the wrong thing. You can say, Please do your work, and please, can you stop messing around. It will also help to teach people how they want to be treated. It will also keep people from feeling bad. That’s what my big words are. What are your big words and how do they change the world? Marli Gagner

“Make world peace.”

I think that these words can stop people from stealing and murder. These words could stop war. People could start a team to stop bullying about people’s size. Nobody likes getting bullied. These words would stop people from using their fists. Ernesto Lopez

“I think the world would be a better place if people would stop lying.”

People sometimes lie to get stuff. For example, they may have a cookie and say that they did not have one, then they get two. A lot of people do this and it is not fair. It is mean, too. That is why I don’t like lying. Alden Smith

“Imagine how the world would be if there were no wars.”

If there were no wars, people would happily live without being bombed or scared of someone taking over their country. People would live in peace. People would be happy and live happy lives. Everyone would live a better life knowing that they were safe. Anna Anderson

OLYMPIC PENINSULA ACADEMY

Students in Timothy Wilkinson’s sixth-grade language arts/social studies class were invited to participate in a project to investigate the meaning of culture and explore their own cultural heritages. Each student brought 10 items to class that they felt represented their family’s culture. They were encouraged to include items that had been in their family for generations or that represented family beliefs and traditions that spanned generations.

In class, the collections were displayed on tables. Students guessed or deduced things about their classmates’ cultural heritages based on the items they had assembled. This led to a discussion about what culture is, about multiculturalism and about the way the culture of the United States today reflects ideas, beliefs and traditions from cultures around the world.

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

On Jan. 8, the Be the Change Club had the opportunity to go to the Studium Generale presentation and workshop at Peninsula College featuring Erin Jones, an educator who recently was honored by The White House as an agent of change. Jones inspired the audience to think about Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy beyond the constraints of racism, asking students to consider what inequities call for awareness and transformation in their own communities.

During the workshop, Jones encouraged students to redefine personal and community definitions of culture and contemplate equity and access in a contemporary frame.

On Jan. 21-22 the Digi Tools Bypass Test will be given from 3-4:30 p.m. in Room A-3. If the students pass this exam, they will be exempt from having to take this class. Digi Tools is a requirement for graduation from Sequim High School. Passing the test will not earn high school or college credits. Students may just show up and take the exam (there is no advance sign-up sheet).

On Jan. 24, the SAT test will be administered at 7:45 a.m. in the cafeteria.

On Jan. 27, all scholarship notebooks are due to career counselor Mitzi Sanders. No late notebooks will be accepted.