Z to A

Zelda yelled ‘X-rays were very unremarkable, Theresa!’ she ran quickly past octopus nests, motioning like kangaroos. Joyfully inspired, Hanson Gregory fed elephants dice cut badly angled.

A to Z

After Bonnie caught Derek eating food guaranteed healthy in Kenya like men nesting over ponds quite respectively, she took uncooked vegetables where x-rays yelled zero.

Update 2/27

     Lately, nothing all that exciting has been happening. This past week, I’ve had soccer games and practices that have really pushed me to balance out my schedule better than I have been. Soccer has been a challenging experience so far, but it definitely has been paying off and I am enjoying it very much.
     I’m also currently running for sophomore student body president for next year. It is looking like a very victorious race, for the simple reason no one else is running.
     Hopefully you are enjoying this weather, although a little chillier than earlier, but still very nice!

Update

     So far today, nothing very exciting has happened. We had the Iowa Assessment this morning, and it went pretty well. I was actually surprised that it was remotely difficult this morning. Usually, I am able to fly through and take very little time. But today, I actually had to take my time and check over answers. Most of the things on the test were from math and science classes I took a while ago, and so I didn’t remember the majority of the things on the assessment.

     Today is an early out Wednesday, which means we get out of school an hour and a half earlier than normal. I have mixed feelings about early outs; I enjoy less time in school, but at the same time I feel like it is a waste of time. We have so little time in class, and everyone is excited for less school, that nothing actually gets done at all.

     Finally, I have soccer practice after school. I am really sore from weightlifting yesterday, and thankfully practice is only going for an hour or so tonight. I’m starting to really enjoy soccer, now that practices are getting more fun and we are doing less conditioning. We had our first game on Monday, and both varsity and junior-varsity won.

Roosevelt National Honor Society

     The National Honor Society has the purpose of allowing outstanding students to better themselves and the community. It meets every 3 weeks and has members participate in projects.    

     “To become a member, you must have a 3.5 GPA, hold leadership positions and regularly do service projects.” The National Honor Society positively impacts its members, and is a quality program students should strive to be a part of.

     “I believe in this; I believe students want to better the community and themselves; they are doing so by being in this club." Mr. Marks, an officer, said of the National Honor Society.

  

  

Trayvon Martin

     Unless you have been living under a rock recently, you probably heard about the Trayvon Martin case coming out of Florida. If you have been, let me give you some brief background. The New York Times has reported multiple times of this unfortunate story.

     Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old killed outside Orlando, Florida last month. The man that killed him, George Zimmerman, has not yet been charged with anything. A final detail that brings this case into light is the fact that Trayvon Martin is black, and George Zimmerman is not. This has brought on the idea that this crime was a hate-crime.

     Zimmerman allegedly called the police to report Martin as ‘suspicious’. The police dispatcher warned Zimmerman not to pursue or follow the boy. Unfortunately, Zimmerman did not listen. He followed Martin, and soon a physical dispute occurred. Resulting in the death of a young boy.

     Regardless of my personal opinions of this case there is something terribly wrong. According to the Christian Science Monitor, millions of people are taking this story the wrong way. Before getting all of the facts, they are jumping to conclusions, and hurting a man in the process.

     Many of the key issues of this story have taken a long time to come out. The Washington Post writes about the life Trayvon Martin really lived; not just the one his family wants Americans to believe. He had been expelled from his high school on numerous occasions because of marijuana.

     Many people believe this is a hate crime because Trayvon Martin was black and George Zimmerman was white. The Economist explains this is untrue; while Martin was black, Zimmerman is a Hispanic man, who was merely looking out for his community.

There are many people who point to Zimmerman as the murderer of Trayvon Martin, and the majority point to it as an example of a hate-crime. People have gone so far as to find Zimmerman’s address and go to his house. Fortunately, the wrong address, via Twitter, was used, but many Americans do want to hurt him.

While this is a terrible crime, one that does need to be dealt with, pointing fingers and blaming everyone near the case, is the complete wrong way to find the truth of this crime.

When reading or researching anything, try to find the truth and your own opinion; not just one you read in a newspaper article. Regardless of personal opinions of Martin or Zimmerman, we must look to find justice and truth; not just a good story for the front of the New York Times.

Spring Break 2012

     Here, in Des Moines, most schools just finished spring break. Usually, I don’t care for spring break, but this year, the opposite was true. I was in desperate need to take some time off from school. Lately, I’ve been incredibly stressed out, and this past week helped me to get back in control, and focus on the things I need to do.

     My spring break was pretty boring, in comparison with the majority of my friends. We got out of school on Wednesday, and I attended parent/teacher conferences. The rest of the week was spent hanging out with friends and simply, just relaxing.

     On Sunday, my two younger sisters and I went up to Minnesota to stay with our aunt for a few days. She lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, so we were close to everything. Everyday we did something different. One day we went to the Mall of America, one day we went for a hike around the park and one day we just stayed at home, playing games.

     We returned home on Wednesday, and the rest of my spring break was spent prepping for future debate tournaments. Next week, my partner and I are going to Novice Nationals in Iowa City.

     On Saturday before we had to return to school, I went to see The Hunger Games with a few of my friends. I knew what the movie was all about; I have read all three books in the series, I read reviews and heard plenty of personal opinions from my friends.

     When I went, I expected the movie to be just OK. I knew it probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as the books, but still okay. Fortunately, I was completely wrong. I absolutely loved the movie. It still wasn’t as good as the book, but I still loved it. For anyone who has not seen it, I would definitely go as soon as you have time.

     I hope everyone else had a great spring break like me!

60 Minutes Response 2

     This 60 Minutes interview I watched, was on the rise of Adele, the up and coming pop artist. They talked about how different and unique she is as a female pop music icon, and interviewed her on her music career.

     I have enjoyed listening to Adele’s music, ever since she came out with her first album ‘19’ a few years ago. I love how different she is than other female artists. Although she sings about topics, such as love, like many other female artists, she does act, dress, or look the same as others.

     She is very self-respecting, and is a great role-model for younger girls, unlike the other female artists, we hear about often in today’s culture.

     In the interview, they talked about her successful singing career, and some of the hardships she has had to surpass, in order to be successful in the music world. I really enjoyed the interview, because we got a new look into the world of Adele, and I have come to like her even more now. She is a great role model, along with a great singer, and the interview showed her in a very positive light.

     If you would like to watch this video, go to: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7398480n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.10

60 Minutes Response

     I watched the interview of Sam Eshaghoff, a young college student who cheated on the SAT in a prestigious New York High School, on 60 Minutes.

     When watching this video, I learned that thousands of students every year cheat on their SAT’s, ACT’s and college admissions tests. Sam Eshaghoff would take fake ID’s and take the SAT as different people.

     I was very surprised to learn that this happens hundreds, even thousands of times each year. I never knew people would actually go so far to try and cheat on this test.

     I really enjoyed this video, because it showed how often this problem happens. I understand why people would do this; it would change their life, often for the better.

     I also really liked how this video and interview was set up; they interviewed the boy who was someone who cheated for others on the SAT, and then talked to representatives of the SAT companies. They feel as though they should make the identification process more strenuous so that the cheating either does not happen, or is more difficult to happen.

     This really showed me how big of a problem cheating is, and how far people will go for a better grade or test score.

     If you want to see this video go here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7393498n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.8

Hunger Games Book Review

     The new movie The Hunger Games is coming up soon, and has recently gotten a lot of press. The movie is based on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

     The book is based on a unique idea; children between the ages of 12 and 18 must fight to the death in a futuristic society. They are put in ‘the arena’ and must be the last one alive in order to finally return to their family and home.

     The main characters, Katniss and Peeta are from the same district, and work together in hope to make it back home.

     The book is filled with violence and action, with a little romance mixed in. Although it may be a tad graphic for younger kids, I recommend it for all as a great read. Suzanne Collins makes you feel as if you truly are in the arena with them. At the end of the book, you almost feel as if you personally know the characters, because of the great writing.

     So before you see the movie, read the amazing book first!

Assembly 2/23/12

     Yesterday, at Roosevelt we had an all-school assembly. It was in honor of John Meeks, an amazing wrestler at Roosevelt. He has won state four years in a row, and has never lost a wrestling match in his entire high school career.

     You can imagine how proud everyone was at Roosevelt; to have an amazing athlete from our own school. Needless to say, I was amazed by what a great athlete he is.

     But when I got down to the assembly, Mrs. Danielson, our principal began speaking about John winning state. I soon realized that this was the first assembly I have been to in honor of an athlete or a sport at Roosevelt this year. I then made a list in my head of all the other amazing athletes and their great accomplishments at Roosevelt.

     Most of the sports teams at Roosevelt do get recognition of their great accomplishments, but never an entire assembly! Mrs. Danielson then went on to mention a miniscule group of athletes and teams that have done well this season, without mentioning the majority.

     Now, while the sports teams do great recognition, as well does the drama department, there is a team at Roosevelt who gets very little recognition. I am a member of the Roosevelt Debate Team, and although we have an incredibly strong team, we get little recognition.

     Some of the Debate’s team great accomplishments include winning the State Tournament, qualifying over 10 kids to nationals, and winning our fall conference. While we have achieved these great heights, there has not even been a single morning announcement in the morning, telling everyone of our accomplishments!

     I am a strong believer in praise for each and every person in different extracurricular activities, but unfortunately at Roosevelt, we usually only focus of the sports aspects than the academics.

     I am a member of the swim team and soccer team, and hope that announcements or even assemblies will be made when we win games, but I wish we could focus a little more on the academic accomplishments of Roosevelt students rather than just the athletic.

Movie Review of The Help

     Looking for a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and make you want to do something in the world? Then go see The Help. It’s a heartwarming tale of friendship and sacrifices, good for almost all ages.

     The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Viola Davis as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny. It was directed by Tate Taylor, and is a product of Walt Disney. The movie was based of the book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.

     Although three very different young women, they build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project. Set in the 1960’s in Mississippi, it shows the racial injustice in the United States during that time. Although slavery is abolished, most blacks are still discriminated against greatly in this movie. The Help tells the story of many black female maids, and tells the story of how three unlikely friends, can change their hometown.

     The three women decide to write a book on the stories and adventures they’ve had while working for white people as maids. With the likely chance that the book will never be published, the women work even harder to make the book better and better.  As the movie progresses, we get to take a look at the lives, adventures and experiences these women endure. At the end of The Help, you feel as if you know the characters personally, because of the great depth we hear and learn about them.

     Now out on DVD, The Help is rated PG-13, so it may not be appropriate for younger audiences. This movie is considered a drama, but is still very funny in many aspects. While showing how terrible racial discrimination was in the 1960’s in Mississippi, the movie also makes it fun and playful. While teaching you a lesson, The Help also entertains. 
     The Help, is one of the few movies like it. No other movie addresses a topic like this, but also makes it entertaining and enjoyable. The Help is clearly one of the most unique and creative movies of its time. It was based off the book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, which is a great piece of literature.
      Finally, my overall review of The Help is 9 out of 10. I really enjoyed the movie, and it sent a great message. It can make you laugh and cry at the same time. It makes you feel like you should go out and make a difference, just like the women in the movie. So, go see it!

New!

      Hi! My name is Elena Hildebrandt, and I live in Iowa. I'm 14 years and am a freshman at Roosevelt High School. I enjoy playing soccer and swimming, traveling and hanging out with friends.

     I swam on the Roosevelt Swim team over the fall and really enjoyed it. I’ve been swimming at the Riverfront YMCA for 5 years and didn’t really enjoy it until now. At Roosevelt, I have a lot good friends on the swim team, and I believe that’s why I enjoy it so much.

     I’m also planning on playing soccer on the Roosevelt team in the Spring. I’ve loved soccer from the day I started playing when I was 4, and I know I will always love it. Unfortunately, not as many other freshman girls are planning on playing, but I am still extremely excited.

     I am also involved in the Roosevelt Debate team. I know most people consider debate to be really nerdy, but I really love debate. It’s already taught me so much and I’ve made friends I know I will keep with me for the rest of my life.

     I am writing this blog because it is an assignment for my journalism class. So far, I really like this assignment. I have many friends who write blogs, and I really enjoy reading them. Although this is an assignment, I do plan on continuing to write on this blog for a while after. So while there may be a few random posts, I will try to be consistent with my posts.

      I hope this helped you all to get you to know me better!