Monday, December 17, 2012

Project Learn Contributes Artwork to Kid’s Care

By Zoe Gold

Kids Care is a city wide art project started by MANA, an organization for kids and adults with HIV, and WXPN. Roberts Drake, the producer of Kid’s Corner on WXPN, came up with the original idea and he coordinated it with Woodmere Art Museum and MANA. For the first three years it was just those organizations that the kids made art for.  Around five years ago MANA didn’t have room for the gifts anymore, so the artwork has been going to the children at St. Christopher’s Hospital.   The artwork that the students make are based on a certain theme that Woodmere chooses.  
     Joan Fox, the Project Learn School (PLS) art and elective teacher, designs the artwork for the gifts. Joan said, “My favorite thing about Kids Care is  walking into the art Gallery and seeing the artwork hanging together.  It makes my heart sing!”  Joan said that she always goes to PLS artwork first, but she spends more time looking at other school’s artwork because she doesn’t know what it will look like.  She said, “I also love being at a school where the teachers will stop teaching things like Math, English, or Social Studies, and just make art!”
    Joan said her least favorite thing about Kid’s Care is the time pressure.  She also said that she is occasionally not inspired by the theme.  This year's theme was Fairytales, and Joan said she doesn’t like fairy tales in general.  She said that she does love the artwork that the kids came out with and that she misses doing it with a former PLS art teacher, Debby Pollak.
    Joan said that she got the idea to do Fairytales because PLS hadn’t used paint in a while for Kid’s Care, and it was fun to paint on the sheet of paper and then put it on a cube.  Also, Fairytales are usually around six scenes, so it’s easier to put them on a cube.
    Joan said that her favorite theme ever was Warmth, when PLS students made papier mache people and scarves.  She said that she loved that one and the first one that was ever done, the friendship plates.  “I also loved the boxes we made last year for Outer Space,” she said.  “My favorites are usually the ones where we build things.”
Zoe Basset, a Jr. High student, said, “I like Kid’s care because we get to do community projects, and I wish we did more of those.”
 Joan and the students have loved all of the artwork over the years,  and are looking forward to the next Kid’s Care. This year’s closing ceremonies at Woodmere Art Museum will be on December 15th from 2-4pm to honor the children and their artwork.

Science Meets Art

By Nasya Howard


Science and Art -- oh my!  Who would imagine these two subjects rolled into one? This year at Project Learn School (PLS) the Jr. High students are involved in a new class just like this one, each Monday, called Ecology.  This class is taught by the Art teacher, Joan Fox, and Science, English teacher, Liam Gallagher.  
     Liam and Joan got the idea of teaching this class because they found that Art and Science have lots of similarities and they love working together, “I think some of the most genuine learning is when you stop thinking about things as Art period and Science period and put them together, as in Ecology,” said Joan. The Ecology class takes place in Liam’s room on the third floor of PLS.The kids also sometimes go to Aubrey Arboretum  and the Wissahickon, to continue their Ecology studies.
    Some of the things  the Jr. High students have done in this class are nature mandalas, a hunt for human made things in a natural environment and a game about how wolves have evolved into dogs. A mandala is usually a circular or square pattern made using sand to form an amazing design. The Jr.High mandalas were made out of nature-found objects.  The wolf/dog game is a game to help the students learn how wolves adapted over time to their new environments.
    “I like Ecology and I think the project we’re working on now is really fun,” said Zoe Bassett, a Jr. High student. This new project is a creation of an imaginary animal from each student.  They have to write a description, create a sketch and a model about their animal explaining what it looks like and how it survives. Liam said, “Ecology is a great place for science and art to come together.” It seem like both the students and the teachers are enjoying this Ecology class and they each can’t wait for the following Monday each week.



Thursday, December 6, 2012

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You: A Book Review

By Nasya Howard

‘I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You’, is a book written  by Ally Carter.
This is the first in a series of five books. This book introduces you to the main character, Cameron Morgan who goes by Cammie. She attends the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. The Gallagher Academy is located in a small town, where everyone knows each other; which causes people, who do not go to the school, to think it’s a school only for rich spoiled brats. This is actually an all girls school that teaches their students how to become spies! Cammie is in the 10th grade along with her best friends, Rebecca Baxter and Elizabeth Stotten, who she met in the 7th grade. In this book being a spy has its ups and downs; like going on really fun trips for a covert operation class. The down side for Cammie is not telling anyone, who isn’t already a spy, the truth about her and her school.
    Cammie Morgan is the main character of the book and also the daughter of Rachel Morgan, one of the worlds best spies and also the headmistress of the Gallagher Academy. Being the daughter of the Headmistress, I would think Cammie would be one of the most popular girls or she would get everything she wants but, most people know her as the Chameleon. In this book while Cammie is trying to be the chameleon she is stopped by, a special guy.
     Rebecca Baxter, also known as Bex, is a spy also at Gallagher Academy. When not at school she lives with her parents, who are also spies, in England. In the book Bex is described as a girl who is always up for an adventure and always has a great time. For these reasons Bex is my favorite character in this book.
   Elizabeth Stotten, Liz for short, is one of the smartest students at the Gallagher Academy. She can crack any code, break into any account, she even made an edible tracking device.  Whenever Cammie and Bex go on some crazy mission she’s always the one who deals with the computers. Liz is described as a super skinny girl who has a country accent and is deeply afraid of spiders.
    This book was recommended to me by my cousin, and I would recommend it to preteen and teen girls. What I like about this book is how it is kind of a romance/action/comedy book. I really enjoyed reading this book and would give it a 5 star rating. I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventure, action books. I know you will enjoy it too.

Trolley Car Diner: A Restaurant Review

By Julian Whelan

Looking for a great, local place to eat? The Trolley Car Diner is the place to go!! It is located at 7619 Germantown Avenue, in the Mt Airy/Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. The front of the diner looks like a trolley car and there is an ice cream parlor in an old trolley car sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant.  Their service is great, their servers are very friendly, plus they have great diner food.
    Diner food is a wide variety of foods, such as cheesesteaks and salads or milkshakes and burgers or a grilled cheese . On my visit to the restaurant, my companions and I loved the food. The youngest, Niko, had a short  stack of french toast and lemonade. Sergey had a kid’s macaroni and cheese and chocolate milk. The older members of our group, Jane and my dad, had an eggplant grinder, small salad, a portobello burger, black and white bean chili, water and coffee. I had chicken fingers and french fries with honey mustard and fruit punch. Everyone was pleased with their chooses. The cost of the meal was reasonable and the service was very good. The servers were very friendly and checked often to see if we were happy.
   Ken Weinstein is the owner of the dinner. He also owns the Trolley Car Cafe and the Trolley Car Table Tennis Club both in East Falls. There is a mural on the side of the diner and Ken is one of the people who is painted in that mural.I helped paint that mural.
   I recommend the Trolley Car Diner for anyone who is in the Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy area and anyone who likes diner food.

Liam Gallagher: How Well Do you Know Him?

By Surya Bromley

Do you know who is the science, literature, and homeroom teacher for the Jr. High at Project Learn School (PLS)?  Do you know who teaches the Forces in Motion and the 8th grade elective? He is a local who lives in Mt. Airy and plays the guitar for fun, too. It’s Liam Gallagher!
    Liam Gallagher was born on May 7, 1982 to Steve and Nancy Gallagher who live in Narberth, PA. His father, Steve, teaches leadership and marketing classes at St. Joesph’s University. His mother, Nancy, is the manager at Manrissa Nursing Home for Priests. Liam grew up as the 2nd youngest of five brothers. His brother’s are Kevin, who is 28 and the youngest; Seamus, who is 33; Pat, who is 34; and the oldest brother, Brendan, who is 36.
    When asked about growing up with so many brothers, Liam said, It was great! I always had someone to play with and they taught me a lot of things.  There was always a lot of excitement in the house and it was nice knowing that my brothers were always there to watch out for me!”
    About growing up, Liam said, “I was always a big reader and usually read fantasy or science fiction books.  I played outside a lot and always had a love for nature.  I also played basketball, baseball and was on the high school swim team.” Liam went to  St. Margaret's Elementary School in Narbreth until 3rd grade, Slingerlands Elementary 3-5th, Bethlehem Central Middle School and High School. He also attended The University of Buffalo for his undergraduate degree and the University of Washington, in Seattle, for his masters degree.
    Liam started teaching at PLS four years ago and taught science to Aubrey’s, Lisa’s, and the Jr. High groups up until this year when he took on some new responsibilities teaching Jr. High English. He is also the homeroom teacher for the Jr. High. Liam said, “It's definitely a change of pace for me, (teaching English) but I am enjoying the challenge.  It's fun having different types of discussions with the students and exploring the literary sides of their brains. In English they have been examining short stories and writing their own. We are now working on reading full length books, which are;  Endurance and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind ” This year’s science curriculum is Life Science.  “We are currently studying genetics,” he said, “and about to start a five paragraph essay on Genetic Engineering.”
    In his spare time Liam likes to write music, and play the guitar. He plays regularly at Earth Bread and Brewery, every other Thursday night. His band is called, The Big Folking Experiment, BFE. “I’ve been playing music for 15 years and it keeps me balanced,” declared Liam.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Focus on a New Student


By Zoe Gold
There are two new Jr. Highers this year at Project Learn School (PLS), one girl, one boy. Have you met the one named Carmen yet?  She likes to dance, and go on vacations with her family!
    Carmen Clarke is fourteen years old and she is in the second year in the Jr. High, but her first year at PLS. Carmen came to PLS from The Montessori School on Dresher Road in Ft. Washington.  She says she likes PLS better because you can be more independent.  Her favorite subject so far is art.  She says she likes how in art you can be who you want, and that it’s fun to work with the different materials, like clay or papier mache.  She also likes how “PLS is fun and the students are nice.”  Carmen found out about PLS by driving by it and noticing that it looked interesting.  She was coming back from an interview with another school.
    Carmen has a sister named Jennifer, who is 23, a brother, Christopher who is 21, and Carlton Jr. who is 20.  Carmen’s parent’s are Carmen Clarke, a translator for Spanish, and Carlton Clarke, an architect.  Currently, Carmen has no pets; she used to have a German Shepherd, a bird, and a hamster, but they all died.
    Carmen’s favorite activity to do with her family is to go on vacations. Carmen’s mother was born in El Salvador and Carmen’s grandparents, her aunt’s, and uncles all still live in there. She really likes when her family goes on vacation there to visit.   

Monday, November 12, 2012

Calaca Feliz: A Restaurant Review

By Dylan Allender


  Calaca Feliz is a very nice Mexican restaurant in Fairmount. Calaca Feliz is Spanish for ‘happy bones’ and the paintings on the wall of skeletons are just that. This restaurant has great food. The owners names are Brian Sirhal and Tim Spinner, who is also the executive chef. One of the nice things about Calaca Feliz is that they have a good kid’s menu. It has a large variety of foods.
 When I recently went to this restaurant with my mom, dad and grandfather, I had carnitas taco and so did my grandfather. To drink I had a virgin margarita to drink (non-alcoholic of course -- I’m nine).The tacos were made with pork and were great. My drink was very good. My mom had grilled shrimp and said it was great. I tried something called a tamale, which is a kind of corn entre. My dad had this.  I thought it was pretty bland and I didn’t really like it. For dessert we had different ice creams and sorbets like choclate y  banana, orange and vanilla and a vanilla chiro, a Mexican cookie.   
     After going to Calaca Filez I  am completely sure that I will go there again. In my view it is an awesome restaurant and one to experience at least once.


The pictures on the wall at Calaca Feliz are of dancing skeletons.  

Friday, November 9, 2012

First Semester Electives

By Nasya H.

Every year, for the last 40 years, Project Learn School (PLS) students in Lisa’s group and the Jr. High have been allowed to take electives. The PLS students get to choose their electives each semester. Liam Gallagher, PLS Science and English teacher says, “Electives allow students to participate and choose a class to learn about.”  
  The students at PLS have electives on Mondays and Thursdays and Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:15am to 12:00pm. These classes are taught by some of the PLS teachers. This year the Monday/Thursday electives are Slam Poetry, French, Memoirs and The Eighth Grade Elective. The Tuesday/Friday electives are Forces & Motion, Chorus, Boot camp, Portfolio and Journalism. Here is a brief description of each of the first semester electives.
Slam Poetry
    Slam Poetry is usually when people compete over who has the best Poem. However, the PLS elective, taught by Jr. High teacher Aisha Anderson-Oberman, it’s about learning different kinds of poems and different ways to perform them. Aisha choose to teach this elective because she had some extra time this year and she wanted to do something she really likes doing. “I’m really enjoying working with the different age groups and I love hearing their poems,” says Aisha, “but it will be a challenge if I do this elective again, and if some of the same students joined along with new students, how will I teach them?”
Memoirs
    Memoirs is an elective about making a book and filling it with memories. This elective is taught by Joan Fox, Project Learn’s art teacher, and Lisa Pack, also a PL teacher.  This is Joan’s first time doing the elective but it was previously  taught before by former teacher, Cara Rulli. Joan got the idea of doing this elective in staff meeting, “When Lisa  said that she would do it with me, I knew this was a good idea.” Elie, a student in Lisa’s Group says, “I like that we get to make food and read books and make memoirs about them.”  Joan and Lisa hope to create a mini cookbook with favorite recipes from the kids and their memories  about those foods.  
Boot camp
    Boot camp is a life fitness program about using your body and having a healthy heart rate. This elective is taught by Project Learn’s office manager, Roni Anton. Roni wanted to do this elective because she loves to exercise and she thought it would be fun for kids. “I like seeing my students set goals and the reaching them; they feel good which makes me feel good,” says Roni. Roni would do this elective again because she’s really enjoying it but she would want to have more equipment. She also thinks some kids in her elective have a love-hate kind of feeling about it. Jhakur, a student in the Jr. High, says, “We do lots of workouts, like squats, push ups and burpees.”
Forces & Motion
    Forces & Motion is an elective taught by the Science and Literacy teacher at PLS, Liam Gallagher. It is about forces, motions, and engineering. Liam got the idea of teaching this elective because he got a science kit that he wanted to use and he knew lots of students would like to build things. “I like teaching forces and motion because it gives kids a chance to explore different kinds of engineering,” says Liam. This is  the first time Liam has done an elective like this and he says he would definitely do it again.
Portfolio
    Portfolio is a drawing elective taught by Joan Fox, the PL art teacher. Joan wanted to do this elective to help students who want to go to the Creative And Performing Arts High school (CAPA), Joan also works after school once a week with students applying to CAPA. Joan is deciding on whether  to have the kids do a specific lesson or let them set a drawing goal, like when she taught a former elective,  ‘Draw a day.’
French
   French is a language elective taught by the PLS math and music teacher Liz Ben-Yaacov. This elective about learning the French language and sharing it with others. Liz has  been speaking French since she was in high school and she went to France for a short period of time. Liz has taught the elective many times in the past and enjoys exposing students to a new language.
Journalism
  Journalism is an elective that gives kids an opportunity to write for a wider crowd and write about what’s happening at PLS.This elective is taught by Lisa Pack,PLS middle group teacher. Lisa started teaching this elective about 18 years ago when Donna Allender retired.  She feels that this is an important skill for kids and that it helps them become better writers. “Its really important for me to take the kid’s point of view into consideration. This year I thought it was important to change the way the paper is produced and so we have moved it into the virtual world. This is all new for me and I look forward to working alongside this  semester’s writers to figure this all out.”
Eighth Grade
    The eighth grade elective is an elective for the graduating class, that gives them a chance to work on things like, the Haunted House, the trip to Costa Rica and the eighth grade movie. This elective is taught by the PL Science and English teacher, Liam Gallagher. Liam wanted to teach this elective because he knew that the eighth graders needed the time to work together and there isn't a separate  eighth grade class this year . “I think it’s going well, and it provides the time we need,” says Liam. Gianna, an eighth grader says, “We do lots of work and we have really cool conversations.”
    Electives are an important part of the PLS educational philosophy. Allowing students the opportunity to have choice encourages greater participation, and helps them learn things that they may not learn in a different school.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Project Learn School Newspaper Goes OnLine

By Elie L.

There is a school newspaper at Project Learn School (PLS) called the PL Paper that students at Project Learn’s Journalism class write. This paper has been written since the school started, 42 years ago and it is where all the stuff that is happening gets written about. This year, however, the and students decided to also make a blog. The blog will be on Blogspot, and it will be exactly like the paper, just on the internet.
     Lisa Pack, one of the middle group teachers, thought of the idea of having a blog for the school paper, over the summer. She says her elective, (Journalism) will be working on it this semester. She also says that the students will put illustrations, and writing up on the blog, and she thinks of it as a chance to let the wider community know about what is happening at PLS. Sometimes she feels scared because it’s technology that she doesn’t know too much about. She thinks that the PL Paper needs to become more current in sharing information, and the blog is the perfect way. The name of the blog will be The Project Learn School Paper.

Ella Enchanted: A Movie Review

By Elie Lubin

“Ella Enchanted” the movie,  is a fun filled romantic, twisted Cinderella story, starring Anne Hathway, as Ella, and Hugh Dancy, as Prince Charmont (who likes to be called Char) . It is a fairy tale that takes place in Frell, where baby Ella is given a gift, that feels like a curse, which is always to be obedient. Can she, or can she not, live a happy, normal, life? She strives to not follow the rules of the curse, but she always has to because the curse won’t let her stop. One her way to try to find her Fairy Godmother, Lucinda, she encounters lots of close calls, and scary moments.  
   Filmed at the Ardmore Studios, in Ireland this movie creates a magical feeling.  Even though it’s not anything like the book, it’s still one of my favorite movies in the world. This movie is rated PG and a great one for the whole family to see. I would rate this movie, 5 out of 5 stars because it is so fantastic.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

FTGOTS - For The Good Of The School

By Julian Whelan

FTGOTS-or ‘For The Good of the School’ is an all school meeting that happens two times each month at Project Learn School (PLS). The eighth graders run FTGOTS where students can get together, share ideas, solve problems and celebrate. FTGOTS allows students to have time to appreciate friends and share their talents.
    Debby Pollack, a former PLS art teacher, and Lisa Pack, current 9, 10, 11 year old teacher,  started FTGOTS about 10 years ago. FTGOTS stands for “For The Good of the School.” If there is a problem, the FTGOTS representatives in the planning meeting will bring it up. “We have FTGOTS so kids can also find out what some decisions have been made at Town Meeting,” Lisa said.
    Each group sends two representatives to the planning meeting. The reps bring ideas and concerns to be discussed by the whole school. The planning meetings take place in Aubrey’s room and the actual FTGOTS meeting, with all of the students, takes place in the Community Room at 8:45 a.m. every other Thursday.  During FTGOTS the reps announce things like the rules so that everyone can hears them at the same time and to prevent arguments.
    At these meetings the decisions are made using consensus. This is when everyone agrees on the proposals being presented. If there is not agreement from everyone, then the discussion continues until everyone can agree. This sometimes takes only a few minutes, but can also take a really long time. The advantage of this way of deciding is that everyone gets to hear everything, and then can’t say, “That’s totally unfair, I didn’t agree to that!”
    Students also get a chance to have the whole school sing happy birthday to them at FTGOTS. The children who have birthdays in the month of the meeting get to stand up in front of the school and say when their birthday is. Then, “everyone sings a special birthday song that Debby taught us,” Lisa added.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Front and Back Gardens at PL Get a New Look

By Dylan Allender
Front Gardens at Project Learn School
Backyard pergola at Project Learn School

Flowers and shrubs, vegetables and more flowers are all in bloom at Project Learn School (PLS).The front and back gardens had major work done to them over the summer.  Lucy Miller and her family and Anna Herman worked on the PLS gardens to make them look better.
    Lucy, her son Graham, and her husband Russell worked on making the front garden look nicer.  They planted four crepe myrtle bushes and one tree, three kinds of grasses, many flowers and about twenty or so lirope plants down the front of the garden along the edge of the sidewalk. She has been working on this garden for about three years and she decided to go all out this summer so it would look really nice. Lucy talked about why she decided to do this project.  “It makes me and my family feel good.  It makes PL families feel good,  and all the neighbors feel good.”  said Lucy.  “Over the years many kids of PL have planted things in the front yard.  The rose bush was planted by Sarah Decker many years ago.  It is a pink rose which reminds us of her spirit.”
    Anna Herman did most of her work in the back yard.  She planted a vegetable garden which has turnips, radishes, lettuce,kale, and herbs in planting boxes.  There are some green beans left to pick.  The summer vegetable are all gone. The only ones left are the fall season vegetables. Anna also had a wooden structure built in the backyard meant to be a gateway to and from the gardens. It is located closer to the climber and is called a small pergola. Anna also built planters on the sides of this structure so some plants can climb up and over the structure.
    On the right side of the  backyard, there are pollinator plants. They provide pollen, nectar and habitats for honey bees, native bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinator insects. The pollinator plants are dill, coriander, mint, phlox, sunflowers and mirinda.There is also a  metal wind structure in the pollinator garden, that moves when it is windy. Anna wanted to add an element of movement when she decided to bring that piece into the yard.
    “I think it is beautiful and fun.” said Anna when she was talking about gardening. “I think it is important for people to see where and how plants grow.  It is important to understand how hard it can be to care for food, to make food happen. When you plant a few radish seeds and three weeks later you have something to eat, it’s magic.”
    Lily Waxler, a student in Lisa’s Group said, “I think it’s neat that the school grows things.”
  Some of the teachers have used some of the veggies from the  garden to make dishes with the kids. Joan made a cream cheese spread with the radishes with Lisa’s Group and Pam Chaplin-Lobell also made some things for snacks for the AfterSchool kids.
    

New Poetry Teacher for Jr. High Students

By Surya Bromley

Hideko Secrest teaching poetry to a Jr. High class.
She hangs from trapezes, she loves Shakespeare, she speaks 4 languages, and she is a Project Learn School (PLS) parent who is also teaching a poetry class this semester at PLS. Meet Hideko Secrest, a PLS parent for nine years.

    Hideko is teaching a junior high poetry class at PLS for the fall semester.  She started teaching in grad school at Yale University, where she taught an undergraduate section of a Shakespeare course, and a year-long freshman literature survey course in drama. She also tutored a creative writing class called "Daily Themes" where students had to write a two-page story every day and meet with her once a week to discuss their writing. In addition she taught literature, journalism, and writing at Tsuda College in Japan, and French and creative writing at the Clinton Middle School for Writers and Artists in New York City.    In her class, Hideko has her students read poetry as well as help them find different techniques for writing poetry. “I definitely prefer reading it. I find poetry very difficult to write.”  she says, “Because of that, I am doing the writing assignments along with my students so that I can be more sympathetic to the problems they encounter.”     ”I like teaching poetry because I love seeing the flash of insight come over a student's face when she or he suddenly understands what a poem is talking about,” Hideko shared. “I like to talk about poems because there is so much great stuff jammed into such a little package. Analyzing a poem is like decoding a secret message. And I like teaching creative writing because I find young adults are in some ways the most open to the creative process: they're unaware of the rules and they're not yet trying to impress.”

“Poetry class is fun because we get to write in new types of poems,” Elya Kaplan commented.

Hideko has many other interests like sewing, gardening, circus aerials, reading and writing. In addition to Shakespeare Hideko enjoys other authors and poets. Her current favorites are Kate Atkinson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Elizabeth Bishop.
 To be or not to be? It is definitely ‘to be’ when it comes to Hideko’s poetry class.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Opening Group Skills Days - Growth is the Theme

By Zoe Gold

Cece picking apples at Linvilla Farms 
Opening Group Skills is a week, at the beginning of the school year, where older and younger kids get mixed together to do fun activities, like painting or going apple picking.  It has been going on at Project Learn School (PLS), for 42 years, since the beginning of the school.  Opening Group Skills is when the  staff sets aside time to allow all the students, new and returning, to begin to develop a sense of community. It also lets everyone to get to know each other in an informal, safe way.  
     For the new kids it is when they get to meet  teachers other than their group teacher and it helps everyone get to know the building in a different way.  The way it works is the staff talks about a theme or topic and then they rotate taking turns to plan each Opening Group Skills.  This year it was Lisa Pack and Aubrey DiSanto who chose to plan the activities.  Lisa teaches the older middle group students and Aubrey teaches the younger ones. “In June, during staff meeting, we were talking and Aubrey came up with the idea of Growth as a theme.  Over the summer she and I planned it.  Joan helped us come up with the name tags for the kids to know each other’s names.” said Lisa

     “I believe that a big part of children working in a school and together is so people can grow in many different ways,” said Aubrey, about why she picked the theme.  Every year opening group skills have a cool new theme, and Lisa said, “I wouldn’t change how we have younger and older kids working together during these days.  I think it is vital to the development of each child to stretch themselves beyond their comfort zone and for some, that means going to a different teacher and being with a different group of  kids. It’s so great to see the young and the old members of the community get to know each other.  For me, the thing I worry about  is whether my ideas for these days will keep all of the kids interested and involved.”  Each year Lisa admitted everything goes well and so far, her favorite theme was when the group skills focused on Rube Goldberg.  Rube Goldberg, was a man who drew cartoons of complicated machines that could work for simple things.  “We’ve done Rube Goldberg twice, last year, and in 2001,” Lisa said.      Lisa said that her favorite part of Opening Group skills this year was the apple picking trip.  “I love that all school trip,” she said.  Lisa also thinks that making the partner pages into leaves and putting them on the bulletin board as part of a tree let everyone see them, which is better than in a book that no one looks at.  Partner pages are pages that the kids write about their partners.

Mixed up Groups working on a poster .
   Nasya Howard, a student in the Jr. High said, “I like how in Group Skills you can hang out with kids who are older or younger who you wouldn’t normally hang out with.”    Zack Waxler, also a student in the Jr. High said, “I like how in Group Skills you can meet all of the younger kids and the new kids.”
    Cassandra Bracero-Rivera, a student in Lisa’s group said, “I like how we get to meet new people in the school.”     This year's Group Skills was awesome, and everyone can’t wait for next year's theme.