Geography Bee--Round 3

Congratulations to Brittany W., who is the Stuart-Hobson Geography Bee winner! She competed against 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to win! She will represent Stuart-Hobson at the city-wide Geography Bee in March. Kudos to runner up, and 8th grader, Ben C.!

Reflections of the Inauguration

In class the day after Obama's inauguration students were asked to respond to three questions:

1.) Where were you for President Obama's Inauguration?
2.) What are three adjectives you would use to describe Obama's inauguration? Explain each of the words you chose.
3.) What will you tell your grandchildren/family/friends about Obama's Inauguration 50 years from now?

Below are several responses:


Rachel said:
1) I was in my house during President Obama’s Inauguration.
2) Three words I would use are: a) historical because President Obama is the first African-American to become president; b) Memorable because of everything that happened that day; and c) Outrageous because of all the traffic and the streets closed down.
3) What I would tell my family about yesterday is that the first African-American to become president was in 2009. And that I was lucky to be around when this happened. And that it was very emotional for him to be the president.


Markell said:
1) I was at home watching the event on television.
2) Amazing, Fantastic, and Historical because it was a great event, and it was history in the making of Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president of the United States of America.
3) That I was happy to live and see the history of the first Black president, that any and everything is possible, and that all races should come together and form one union.


Liz said:
1) I was on the mall, watching him on the Jumbo Tron. I could only see the screen out of one eye, but it wasn’t about seeing him or watching the screen. It was about hearing his speech and feeling the emotions that were everywhere. The crowd was so happy and it was really nice! They let this old lady sit down in the middle of the crowd because otherwise she was going to go home. Everyone was united n their happiness!


Kelsea said:
1) I was at home sitting on my couch watching CNN’s coverage.
2) Historic because Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States; Inspiring because it supports the idea that anything is possible and you can accomplish something if you put tour mind to it; and fun because people’s spirit and cheering crowds.
3) This was a very important day for America and the world. Chief Justice Roberts messed up the oath, but Obama still became president at 12 on the dot. My family, friends and I were all excited along with the Obama family and the entire country.



Diamond said:
1) During the Inauguration, at first my uncle, my aunt, little cousin and I were there, but it got very cold so we left but my uncle stayed.
2) My way of explaining the Inauguration would be emotional because people were crying and filled with joy because they never thought this day would come; historical because this was the first African-American president in the United States; and Unexplainable because there was n way to explain people’s emotions and how Obama’s family felt.


Jereese said:
1. I was at the parade yesterday listening to president Obama speech.
2. Cold, Wonderful, and very empowering. It was cold also it was a very wonderful thing to be apart of and the powerful thing about the inauguration was to see how many people were out there.
3. That you should always take chances because you never know were it might get you.



Terrisha said:
1. I was at home with my family watching the Inauguration on Foxs news.
2. Powerful because the speech and the event were powerful. Inspiring because of the speech and the amount of people that were here. Amazing because of the celebrations of the Inauguration.
3. I was 13 years old when the U.S. elected Barack Obama our 44th president. During the Inauguration I was at my house watching it with my family. It was a very moving, inspirational, and powerful experience, and event in history.


Shalynn said:
1. I was down by the check point where you have to go to get in by the parade.
2. Cold because it was very cold outside (FREEZING)! Historical because it was an historical moment. Crowded because a lot 0f people were there.
3. I got to see our first black president.



DaJuan said:
1. I was at my church (United House of Prayer for all people) watching the Inauguration.
2. Historical because President Obama is the first African American president. Crowded because almost two million people were there to observe the history in the making. United because everyone (black and white) were happy and united as one to make this happen.
3. I will tell my children/grandchildren that Tuesday, January 20th 2009, president Obama inauguration was so historical and crowded. Millions of people, blacks and whites gathered to watch this historic day. Living in Washington D.C has many benefits and I can truly say that this has to be one. This wonderful event proved that anyone can become anything.


Raina said:
1. I was at 1XX Rhode Island Ave. N.W Washington D.C. (Michael's house).
2. Breathtaking because I never thought that I’d live to seethe day America elected an African- American as president. Jam- Packed because everybody was very close to each other for about 50 miles down. Historical because now, when/ if I have children, I can go back and tell them our African-American president elect was sworn in the day after my 14th birthday.
3. I would tell them that as a child (14 year old ) I made American history. Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, the day after my birthday.

Obama's Inauguration!

by Johvonna

I will be sharing my experience at the inaugural parade. A day before the parade I invited some friends over, their names are Jereese and Kashae. We all woke up around 5:30 in the morning to get the perfect seats at the parade. As my stepfather dropped me, my mother, and friends off we were a couple hours from history. Since my mother left her check point papers at home, we had to follow a group of people.

Two hours later we noticed that we were on our way to the National Mall, and that's not where we wanted to go. So we walked a couple of blocks and we made it to a check point to enter the parade. I thought it was the parade by the look of how many people there were, but it was another crowd of folks waiting to see our president Barack Obama. As we got closer and closer to enter the parade, my feet began to hurt, and get cold. When we traveled through the metal detectors, we found a place to rest our bags, and blankets. It was 10:30 a.m. around that time, and the parade didn't start until around 2:30.

Our feet began to hurt even more, so we made a huddle on these small steps. I layed on Kashae, and Jereese layed on me. As people walked past they smiled, because they knew the pain were were going through. We were very lucky, and excited to find out there was a coffee shop, where you could warm up and eat. The coffee place was smaller than our classroom but we had to deal with it.

Around 2:30 we still had to wait for Barack because Senator Kennedy had a seizure during the luncheon. So in the next hour everyone was extremely cold, but more people seemed to show up. As the parade began, we finally saw Barack Obama, he got out of his car and began to walk with his wife Michelle Obama. Everyone was very excited to see him walk, but they just knew someone like him would do that anyway. I was very cold, but it was worth it. I will have this experience to tell my nephews and nieces when I grow up.

Class of 2009 t-shirts!

Our class t-shirts have arrived!!!!

This year's t-shirt is black with red and white writing! All students in the 8th grade class, along with their teachers, signed the t-shirt. T-shirts sold for $12 a shirt. Students and teachers wore their new teachers on Wednesday, January 21! Yay Class of '09!

The C-SPAN Bus Comes to SHMS!

On Friday, January 16, Stuart-Hobson had a very special treat. The C-SPAN bus visited Stuart-Hobson. We were able to tour the bus that was on the campaign trail. Ms. Allen and Ms. Trenkle were lucky enough to sit in the chair that Mr. Giuliani and others were interviewed in when they were candidates during the 2008 election. The bus cost more than $1 million dollars and traveled all over the country during the election season. During the inauguration, the bus was parked on the National Mall. It was exciting to be on the bus and think about all of the people who had been on it before us!

Celebrating Dr. King with STAMPS

by Porschia

Creating a power point was very interesting and fun to do. On my power point, I had to do a slide on Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Other students a part of STAMPS did different topics, such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. King (of course), the Selma to Montgomery March, and President's Park. The reason for the power point activity was to present the slideshow, full of wonderful facts, to two hundred students from three elementary schools, at the Department of the Interior in honor of Dr. King's 80th birthday. The presentation took place on Friday, January 16, 2009.

I really enjoy being in STAMPS. I say that because this is the only activity I do at school and I enjoy going to the monuments and learning some nice wonderful facts. I thank Ms. Jen for letting our school have an opportunity to participate in this program.














by Dyani

I am a member of STAMPS. Our last trip was to the Department of the Interior. We went there to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. and tell people what STAMPS is. We did great! Thanks to Ms. Jen and Ms. Trenkle. We caught the metro there and although it was so cold, I am glad I went. So come on down and join STAMPS--we are on a mission to learn!


by James

The STAMPS MLK program was very educational. STAMPS visited the Department of the Interior to do a slideshow on MLK. Devin and I worked on how you can be involved in the National Park Service (NPS). I had a lot of fun and I learned plenty of information about MLK. At the Department of the Interior STAMPS and I heard the MLK "I Have A Dream" speech. We were the senoirs of the schools that attended. We heard Brookland Elementary sing the National Anthem. Lastly, we went to lunch at Cosi's and it was my first time. The food was very good and healthy.

In search of Inauguration Tickets

From the Express paper the week of January 7, 2009:

"Inauguration officials say some DC middle and high school students could literally
write their own ticket to prime seating at President-elect Barak Obama's inaugural
parade.

"Officials are inviting DC public and private school students to write a 500-word
essay that answers the questions: 'How can I contribute to my neighborhood through
community service?'

"More than 100 students with the best essays will be chosen to sit in the stands in
front of the White House for the Jan. 20 parade.  Officials say the essays must be
submitted by a parent or legal guardian who lives in DC.  The Presidential Inaugural
Committee will select the winners.  Winning students will receive three tickets for
seating next to a viewing stand reserved for Obama and other
dignitaries.

"Essays should be submitted to pic2009.org/dcstudentessay by 11:59pm on Jan. 11."

Several SHMS students did write for tickets. Johvonna shared hers below and said it could be
posted to our blog.

Our fingers are crossed for all participants! Great job writing!



by Johvonna

I, Johvonna, can give back to my neighborhood through
community service by getting kids to be preoccupied during their
free time. A problem around my neighborhood is that some kids
drive stolen cars, speeding around and crashing into the
neighbor's cars. This has happened to my step father several
times, and I can help by reporting suspicious cars to the police.
Another problem around my neighborhood is that kids throw rocks
at peoples windows. New condos and houses are being built in ward
seven, around my neighborhood, and people who just moved in to
the community does not want to move to move into a place where
kids are being badly behaved. They do not want to pay for a new
window when they just bought a house.

What I am planning to do is to give back to my community by
going to my recreation center introducing new games, and having a
room where I can sit down, and talk to the kids. My recreation
center is called Benning Park Center. A lot of kids go there for
numerous activities like boxing, cheer leading, swimming,
football, and basketball in the summer. However some kids stay
outside being a nascence, just to follow others. I plan to go up
to the recreation center, and start a fun raiser, so the kids can
get a Wii with new games. I can also build a horse shoe game,
where kids can throw a horse shoe instead of rocks.

I think games would impress the kids because they might not have
them at home. If they come into the new Wii room, I would have a
short discussion with them about what to do and what not to do in
our neighborhood. That is how I can give back to my community
through community service.

Secondary Source Folders

by Travaughn

The blog entry that I am doing is about secondary sources and our secondary source folder. The reason why we have to do secondary sources is because it is for National History Day. Another reason we have to do secondary sources is because it teaches us about the person that we are doing for National History Day. Also, it is important for us to have secondary sources because it's a grade for history. The last reason it is important for us to have secondary sources is because it's going to help us on our entire project.

A secondary source is the opposite of a primary source. It is a source about the person's life, but not written by the person being studied. An example, is a biography about the person. A secondary source is a summary of a person's life, an example of a secondary source for me is looking in a book or an encyclopedia for information in Berry Gordy. In my folder I put books and encyclopedia articles that I copied about Berry Gordy.

Geography Bee--Round 2

Congratulations to the seven 8th grade winners, and one alternate, of Round Two of the Geography Bee! Students answered questions about cities in the U.S., countries around the world, and continents. These 8th graders will participate in the school Geography Bee on January 23. The winner from this final round will participate in the City Geography Bee.

The 8th grade winners (in order) are:

Aaron
Ben
Brittany
Katie
Daley
Christopher
Linstrum
Antoin (alternate)

We the People Trolley Tour

by Jason

On January 6, 2009 my class took a trip on a trolley to the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the FDR Memorial, and the National Archives. We also passed by the Supreme Court.

The first stop was the U.S. Capitol where we talked about the Senate and House of Representatives, who constructed the building, and what happens in the building.

The next stop was the White House where we only stood talking about it for a little while but we talked about the First Family and events that take place in the White House.

The next place was the Lincoln Memorial where we used the bathroom and took a picture. On the trolley we talked about Lincoln and the issue of slavery. When we were at the Memorial we stood at the place where Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Then we went to the FDR where we saw statues of what FDR did during his time on earth. We also learned that he served four terms as president.

Next we passed by the Supreme Court and then we went to the National Archives where we saw a lot about the Constitution and the real document. We also saw other documents like the Bill of Rights.

by Andre

My two Favorite Places on Our Trolley Tour

My two favorite places on our trolley tour were the Lincoln Memorial and the FDR Memorial.


The reason why I like the Lincoln Memorial is because I was amazed by the big statue of Abraham Lincoln but I did not like walking up all of the steps from the bottom site that we visited before the statue. Another part that I enjoyed was when we got to stand in Dr. Martin Luther King's spot where he gave the I Have a Dream speech.


My second favorite site that we visited was the FDR Memorial. I enjoyed that site because we walked around a lot and saw different things instead of stopping and getting right back on the trolley. But the best things that I liked about that memorial were the statues. The best one was the one when it was FDR and his dog, Fala. My second favorite was the one when he was sitting down with the radio giving his fireside chats about what he was doing to help the country and the economy during the Great Depression.

Those were my favorite two sites on the trolley tour and I hope you enjoyed reading about them.

Happy New Year--a new year, new goals and resolutions

"A goal not written is just a wish..."

Students returned back to school today after a two week break. They were asked what their 2009 goal or resolution is for the new year and why they had this goal. A goal or resolution could be academic, related to sports, health related...just about anything! Because "a goal not written is just a wish," student goals have been shared below. If you know particular students, help them reach their goal and become better in the new year! We are looking forward to a new year, new self-realizations, and new opportunities!

• Getting into McKinley and enjoying the 8th grade team.--Carlton
• My goal for 2009 is to try to be all that I can be. This is my goal because I know that I can do better than what I have been doing.--Marquis
• One of my goals is to be better to my dog because she is really lonely and really mean.--Briana
• To be better in math and land a fakie flip.--Kephren
• My New Year's resolution is to explore the world because I don't want to stay in one place.--Tyler
• My goal is to be more respectful and helpful towards my family because I've been disrespectful and selfish for a while. Also not to make my siblings cry.--Porschia
• My goal for this year is to be more responsible for things I get and to be respectful to people I don't like.--Ashane
• My goal for 2009 is to get into a good high school, then go to college. This is my goal because that's what everyone should do.--Omar
• My goal is to pass the School Without Walls test and pass the SAT Test. This is my goal because I want to get into high school.--Paris
• To be the best "me" I can be! I love being me.--Capria
• My goal is to be a better friend!--Madison
• One goal that I have for the new year is to stop stressing over the small things in life, but I don't make New Year's resolutions.--DaJuan
• To bring up my grades, learn more, play football.--Phillip
• One goal I have for 2009 is to go to Paul G. High School next ear to play basketball.--Daquan
• My goal for 2009 is to become a step higher in my skateboarding.--Jovan
• My New Year's resolution is to make better grades this year and to be a better person this year.--Shalynn
• I want to do well on my report card.--Jeffrey
• One goal I have for 2009 is to stop procrastinating. This is my goal because I procrastinate too much and I don't get things done because of that.--Carlye
• My New Year's resolution is to get into the high school of my choice. It's my resolution because I went to do it. Be nice to people who I am not nice to.--no name
• I hope to lose 50 by the end of the year. Get into the high school of choice. Control my temper.--Linstrum
• My goal is to get into the high school. I want to graduate. My goal is to make honor roll.--Carleshia
• To get all A's on my 3rd advisory report card. This is my goal because I know I have the potential.--Shanice
• One resolution I have for 2009 is to be more organized. This is my resolution because my messiness is effecting my work.--Terrisha
• My New Year's resolution is not to procrastinate any more. It is because it puts me behind in what I need to do.--Janay
• One of my '09 goals is to finish with B's and go to McKinley Tech.--Gary
• I want to get good grades so I can get into a good high school.--Cavon
• To be able to go to all the activities planned for the 8th grade. To pull my grades up.--Jason
• To pass to the 9th grade because it would be meaningful and is a big part of my life.--Andre
• One goal/resolution I have for the New Year is to score 30 points in one Stuart-Hobson Middle School basketball game.--Malik
• My goal is to bring my grades up. I want to because I want to pass into a good high school.--no name
• My resolution is to get better grades.--Tyrome
• Finish school applications because I need to get into a good high school.--Eugene
• A goal I have for 2009 is to make better grades. This is my goal because I want to graduate.--Jay
• One goal or resolution for 2009 is to get out of school is to get good grades before I get out of school.--Antoin
• My New Year's resolution is to get into the school of my choice. Also when I get to that school, to make one of their teams.--Luke
• I want to be better with time this year.--Lawrence
• My goal this year is to try to get better grades than my last advisory.--Kevin
• My resolution for '09 is to bring my math and English grade up. Also I want to go to church more.--James
• One goal for me is to happily pass the 8th grade and successfully make it to the 9th grade or to my high school.--Dominick
• My resolution for 2009 is to get good grades on my report card. It's my goal becase I need it for my high school and to play basketball.--Travaughn
• My goal is sports. I like to do sports.--Dewight
• One goal I have for 2009 is to stay on top of all of my work so I get into the high school of my choice. I chose this goal because doing this will help keep me not stressed and I will be very excited if I get into a good high school.--Ben
• To get straight A's this year, it's a resolution because my mom will be very happy!--Eric
• My goal is to get into McKinley High School.--Malik R.
• One goal I have for 2009 is to go to the high school of my choice.--Trevor
• My goal is to get good grades through the rest of the school year. This is my goal because I haven't been getting good grades.--Thomas
• My goal for 2009 is to get into Wilson Senior High School. This is my top school selection and will impact me for the next four years.--Aaron
• One goal I have for 2009 is to win my own gold in a track meet. I have this goal because I've won gold medals in relays and things, but I've never won one in my own race.--Kevon
• One goal is going to be to start doing all my work from this point on, and accomplish what I know I'm capable of. This is my goal because I have slipped this year and am skating on thin ice, and moving on with my life this way will benefit me in the future.--Michael
• One goal or resolution I have is to do better in school (get A's and B's). This is my goal because I want to improve my grades and attitude.--Christian
• One goal is to bring up my grade and to go to the high school of my choice and to be in more musicals. This is my goal because it is what I really want.--Dietra
• To have more fun during school breaks and to be less bored.--Jamal
• To go to high school and make good grades for the rest of the school year and make this year fun.--Mikayla
• My goal is to be a scientist. This is my goal because I really like science.--Rodney
• One goal I have for the year 2009 would be to take the most responsibility over my cats because I have been letting my family do all the chores like cleaning poop, giving the food, giving them medicine and other things.--Stephen
• My New Year's resolution is to be a more positive individual.--Autumn
• Stop using profanity and being mean to others.--Sertira
• My goal is to be at least the salutatorian of the 8th grade class.--Teresa
• To do all of MY homework.--Jereese
• My goal for 2009 is to make it in one of the high schools of my choice. Making to to a good high school could help my future in law and hopefully to attend Law School.--Markell
• My New Year's resolution for 2009 is to complete indoor and outdoor track seasons because outdoor is a challenge and I want to be able to challenge myself to complete something I put my mind to.--Jahaan
• My resolution is to be able to attend St. John's College High School for the 2009-2010 school year. It's my goal and resolution for 2009 because it is a wonderful school that has great academics and great athetics and those are the two things I want in a school.--Christopher
• One goal for me is to become more independent. I would like to do this because in 2008 I really didn't think for myself as much as I planned to.--Devin J.
• My New Year's resolution for 2009 is to exercise more and cut fats out of my diet.--Devin M.
• To write neater because sometimes I usually rush through my work to get it done.--William
• To study hard and learn new skateboard tricks because I love skateboarding.--Antonio
• My resolution for 2009 is not to lie anymore. I've realized that lying doesn't help a problem it makes it worse.--Rachel
• My goal/resolution for 2009 is not to wear pajamas more than once every two weeks because for some reason it seems to bother people that I wear pjs to school.--Katie
• My goal/resolution is to not fight with my brother as much. This is my resolution because we always get in trouble so there's not a point.--Liz
• My resolution for 2009 is to bring all of my grades up to at least higher than a D and C. This is my resolution because 9th grade is right aroudn the corner and the only way to get into my dream high school is good grades.--Khilece
• One resolution I have for 2009 is to get at least all As or Bs. This is my goal because it will help me get into a good high school.--Chantell
• One of my resolutions is to stop taking a long period of time to do my homework. I made this resolution because if I have a certain assignment that is due later that week I put off doing it.--Brittany
• To have a better system for completing homework, projects, etc. Also to travel (to Spain).--Kelsea
• My New Year's resolution is to ahve a better schedule for doing my homework because I don't want to save everything for the last minute.--Daley
• My resolution is to become more crafty. This will help me in making my Science Fair and History Day projects more attractive.--Tatiana
• A goal for 2009 is to spend my time wisely.--Taylour
• One goal is to go to Spain this summer. This is my goal becaue I have never been.--Amber
• My New Year's resolution is to lose 7 lbs. and to get good grades.--Francesca
• My goal for 2009 is to get good grades so I can go to a good high school; set my priorities right.--Niiya
• One goal for 2009 is to stop eating as much food because i eat too much food that's not good for me.--Dyani
• To make better grades and have a better attitude.--no name
• My goal is to change my attitude. This is my goal because in the past I had a not so good attitude.--Emonie
• My goal for this year is to pick my grades up because I really want to get in to the high school I want to get into.--Lynnette
• My goal is to work hard to get into Benjamin Banneker High School. This is my first choice goal because I want to get into a good high school that would give me more college credits.--Johvonna
• Get good grades always so my life can be successful.--Tiesha
• To succeed in all my classes and to finish all my work on time and turn it in on time.--Jevana
• My goal is to get good grades, graduate and do well. My goal at home is not to get an attitude when I have to do something or when somebody gets on my nerves. Choose and do wise decisions and get all As is what I want.--Mya
• My goal is to join a cheerleading squad again. Why? Because I want to get back in shpae, and I really miss cheering.--Nia
• My goal is to be the best student, daughter, granddaughter, etc. This is my goal because i don't want people to think I'm mean, I have a loving side.--Diamond
• My goal is to keep participating in sports and to keep doing all of my school work and keep up with my grades.--Destiny
• My goal is to focus on my school work and pay attention and stop playing. This is my goal because really need to step it up.--Radasha
• My goal is to try to be more active like run or walk a mile a day. Be more open to people even though sometimes I felel that I'm up tight. Travel more. Be more on time!--Jophnee
• To strive for the best.--Brikkia
• My goal is to do better work and just do my best and have fun. This is my goal because this is basically what I need to do to succeed.--Michaela
• To take better care of my things so I won't have to hear my mother.--Breana
  
• My goal for this year is to maintain a 4.0 because I want to get into a good school and make this last year wonderful.--Tyquia
• To run a marathon this year--either in the spring or the fall--because I haven't run once since 2006.--Ms. Trenkle