1- FRONT PAGE: Shelby Johnson and Marcus Gallardo win election and take StuCo office
Summary:
Two future-seniors win Co Presidents of StuCo office for 2015-2016. The article goes over the other candidates campaign and how the election day played out. It also explains the importance of Student Council and what it means to every one of these candidates.
Graphic Elements:
There are two photos on the front- one being of Shelby surrounded by her campaigners and the other is of Brad Mayo, playing the drums during the election day. At the bottom of the page there is a schedule art piece showing the upcoming times and days of next years schedule.
2- NEWS: NHS induction brings new faces
Summary:
New members of NHS were announced on April 14th. The story goes through the process of the application, some of the thoughts from teachers and students who were involved, and what it means to be elected.
Graphic Elements:
On the left page there's a big photo for the color guard competition and ads at the bottom.
3- STUDENT LIFE: At last, three months of sweet, sweet freedom
Summary:
The short article describes what students are planning on doing during the three months of summer vacation. Some are working, others are going on vacation and a few are doing things with family. It gives a short summary of some things students have in mind before coming back for school.
Graphic Elements:
On the left page there's a big photo for the color guard competition and ads at the bottom. The right shows a graphic illustration of the world outlined with lines pointing from Texas to the different places students are going. For the disney article there's a photo at the bottom of a show choir award, the seniors have a statistics graphic, and ads are at the bottom.
4- ENTERTAINMENT: Review of Avengers Age of Ultron
Summary:
Kamryn explains the summary of the movie and gives her opinions on how it was and all the elements that were a part of it. She describes how the action made the movie what it is and also what is to expect with the sequel for the movie.
Graphic Elements:
There is an ACL Graphic with art and information showing all the different artists appearing at ACL this October. In the Silver Stars story, two photos show dancers performing and at the bottom there's a small graphic of a movie ticket, displaying facts about the movie reviewed and what the writer thought of it. At the bottom there are ads.
5- SPORTS: Spring ball winds down to an end
Summary:
This article goes over the wins, loses, and the overall season of baseball this 2015. They got to the state championship and the players were very happy with their overall performance, even if they did end up losing at the very end.
Graphic Elements:
There's a large photo of the pitcher about to throw a ball for the main story, a small photo of a goalie for lacrosse, and ads at the bottom.
6- COMMENTARY: Why can't teens have fun?
Summary:
Kamryn writes an opinions piece about how teens have become stressed under the work of school- and how it's not very fun for us as teenagers nowadays. There's more work and not enough time to just be a kid and have fun while we can. She explains how she was in Elementary school and the way she looked at the going to school- and now how she is in high school. (I really loved this article by the way!)
Graphic Elements:
At the top there is a drawing that goes with student sharing and another illustration is at the bottom of a boy carrying textbooks and looking stressed. There are ads below.
-----
Which graphic in this paper was the strongest, in your opinion? WHY?:
The one of Shelby is really strong because of the way it fits the main story as well as how she's looking off and thinking. I found it to be interesting and a good addition to the story.
Which graphic was the weakest, in your opinion? WHY?:
I believe the photo of Brad Mayo playing the drums was the least effective only because he wasn't in focus but the caption still focused on him.
Look at the political cartoon on page 7 next to the editorial. What is the artists message?:
I think it's about time management, especially with this new schedule that we may be dealing with next year. I'm not sure though because this cartoon is kind of confusing to me.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Free Write #2
The Asteroid was hurtling straight towards Earth…
… And
I could finally feel the end near.
Vaughn
sits beside me in silence. Nona is nowhere to be seen but I know she’s near. I
can hear both of our heartbeats. Vaughn’s is like a drum in my ear while mine
is dull behind my chest. I feel relief, pressure lifting off my chest and a
sudden realization that this will all be history in an hour.
I’ve
got one hour.
“I
can’t believe it.” Vaughn’s eyes grew slightly wide, starring blankly down at
his scuffed shoes.
“What?”
“What
do you mean what?” His mop of hair
flew around his face when he turned to face me. I could feel the fear pulsing
off him.
I
shrug. “Not sure what’s so hard to believe, mate. They said it loud and clear
on the radio-“
“Shut
up, Vance.” His long fingers ran through his waves. They trembled slightly. “I
heard what they said, I just-“
“Can’t
believe it?”
“Yeah…
yeah, it can’t be true.”
My
head turned slightly to face him. This was a strange sight. Vaughn was in an
anxiety-ridden state, trembling limbs and jaw shaking with fear. I sat before
him in a cool state of mind, as if the perky lady on the radio station had
informed us of a Sunday Brunch happening this weekend instead of death in less
than hour. I guess fear does show who we really are.
Vaughn
shot up from his seat, hands still entangled within his hair. “How are you so
calm about this, Vance? We are set to be extinct in sixty minutes.”
My
blue eyes looked at him for a long moment before speaking. I was hoping they
would do the talking but it didn’t seem they were getting through to Vaughn. “Because
this isn’t breaking news,” I said bluntly. “This was set in time since the
beginning of everything. We’re only just learning of it now is all.” When
Vaughn continued to stare at me white-faced and shocked, I sighed and
continued. “This was set for you and I and Nona and everyone we know to experience.
The Earth we stand on has been moving towards this end since it formed. Vaughn,
why stress over something inevitable?”
His
mouth shut then and his eyes grew soft. Vaughn moved over to where I sat and
plopped down next to me, starring at his hands once again. He only spoke when I
cleared my throat.
“I
guess you’re right.”
We
sat in silence. Nona came and joined us from the other room where she’d been
calming herself down after hearing the news. She sat on the other side of the
Couch of Memories. I could feel them soak up within us, the flashes from the
past blinding my vision. I watched stories and moments of myself with Nona and
Vaughn. I saw my mother, my sister. I even saw Dad. I visited times of woe and
happiness, passion and dull aches. I saw life.
We
stayed side by side for sixty minutes, movies playing in our heads. I don’t
remember the crash or an End. I just saw life.
Monday, May 18, 2015
CE Quiz
1. How many people were killed in Waco this weekend in a rival biker gang shootout? How many were injured? How many were detained for questioning? What location did this happen? Page A1 "Biker shootout..."
Nine were killed in the shootout, eighteen were injured, twenty-five to seventy were kept for questioning, and this occurred in Waco, Texas (Twin Peaks Restaurant).
2. What are the five topics the state legislature plans to take on in the final two weeks they are in session? Page A1 "Now or Never"
Tax Cut, Budget Debate, Abortion, Gun Bills, and Border Security.
3. Summarize the stats presented in the info graphic on page B1 "Rainy days by the numbers"
There were 7.5 inches of rain on Barton Creek (Loop 360), 2.91 in. portion of it came pom Sunday, there was a 12 hour delay for the UIL state tennis championships, three days since the Pace Bend boat ramp reopened, zero texas counties are in critical drought, 10 days of 100-degree weather prediction, and a $2 special "Rainyday" tacos at Slowrider.
4. What are some of the technological inventions that real estate agents are using to help sell homes in markets where homes do not stay on the market very long? Page B5 "New face of real estate"
Using Face-Time on iPhones and 3-D walkthrough program.
5. Why will funding to help pay for those who died and injured in the Amtrak train wreck be limited to $200 million? Page A6 "Amtrak could pay no more..."
It is limited so other funds can go towards making Amtrak independent which they are still working on.
Short Answer: Read the story on page A2 "Will death make Tsarnaev a martyr".
What do you think about this topic? If they put Tsarnaev to death, will he become a martyr and inspire more attacks, or does it matter at this point since he has already carried out his attack?
Write at least three to four paragraphs and make sure you use textual citations from the story to support your opinion.
I've always thought of death as an escape. To me, this is like he is getting away with his crime by not having to deal with life in prison, suffering in there. Instead, it would simply be over in a few seconds and I don't think that does justice. He won't be sentenced to death to until "years, possibly decades, of appeals before Tsarnaev — sentenced Friday by a federal jury in Boston to death by lethal injection — is executed," (LeBlanc, Salsberg). That doesn't sound like a good punishment for what he did and threatened to do afterwards.
You never know what these terrorists will do. There is no negotiating with them nor will they see 'America's side' on things. They don't work that way, they were taught to just act with terror and cruel crimes. So it is very possible they could spark more attacks. He requested to become a martyr, "notes Tsarnaev scrawled inside that boat condemned U.S. actions in Muslim countries and asked Allah to make him a “shaheed,” or martyr," (LeBlanc, Salsberg). If this gets back to their countries, it could inspire more attacks.
Terrorism expert, Matthew Levitt, voiced his opinion, saying “Are jihadists going to look to him as some kind of martyr figure? The answer is likely yes. To a certain extent they already do,” (Levitt). This is a concerning thing and I do agree. Even though Tsarnaev may not have been very well-known with those terrorist groups and is more independent, you never know what could spark the terrorists to move forth with more attacks.
Nine were killed in the shootout, eighteen were injured, twenty-five to seventy were kept for questioning, and this occurred in Waco, Texas (Twin Peaks Restaurant).
2. What are the five topics the state legislature plans to take on in the final two weeks they are in session? Page A1 "Now or Never"
Tax Cut, Budget Debate, Abortion, Gun Bills, and Border Security.
3. Summarize the stats presented in the info graphic on page B1 "Rainy days by the numbers"
There were 7.5 inches of rain on Barton Creek (Loop 360), 2.91 in. portion of it came pom Sunday, there was a 12 hour delay for the UIL state tennis championships, three days since the Pace Bend boat ramp reopened, zero texas counties are in critical drought, 10 days of 100-degree weather prediction, and a $2 special "Rainyday" tacos at Slowrider.
4. What are some of the technological inventions that real estate agents are using to help sell homes in markets where homes do not stay on the market very long? Page B5 "New face of real estate"
Using Face-Time on iPhones and 3-D walkthrough program.
5. Why will funding to help pay for those who died and injured in the Amtrak train wreck be limited to $200 million? Page A6 "Amtrak could pay no more..."
It is limited so other funds can go towards making Amtrak independent which they are still working on.
Short Answer: Read the story on page A2 "Will death make Tsarnaev a martyr".
What do you think about this topic? If they put Tsarnaev to death, will he become a martyr and inspire more attacks, or does it matter at this point since he has already carried out his attack?
Write at least three to four paragraphs and make sure you use textual citations from the story to support your opinion.
I've always thought of death as an escape. To me, this is like he is getting away with his crime by not having to deal with life in prison, suffering in there. Instead, it would simply be over in a few seconds and I don't think that does justice. He won't be sentenced to death to until "years, possibly decades, of appeals before Tsarnaev — sentenced Friday by a federal jury in Boston to death by lethal injection — is executed," (LeBlanc, Salsberg). That doesn't sound like a good punishment for what he did and threatened to do afterwards.
You never know what these terrorists will do. There is no negotiating with them nor will they see 'America's side' on things. They don't work that way, they were taught to just act with terror and cruel crimes. So it is very possible they could spark more attacks. He requested to become a martyr, "notes Tsarnaev scrawled inside that boat condemned U.S. actions in Muslim countries and asked Allah to make him a “shaheed,” or martyr," (LeBlanc, Salsberg). If this gets back to their countries, it could inspire more attacks.
Terrorism expert, Matthew Levitt, voiced his opinion, saying “Are jihadists going to look to him as some kind of martyr figure? The answer is likely yes. To a certain extent they already do,” (Levitt). This is a concerning thing and I do agree. Even though Tsarnaev may not have been very well-known with those terrorist groups and is more independent, you never know what could spark the terrorists to move forth with more attacks.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Captured by "Captain Phillips" Film
After recently seeing Captain Phillips, I am still thinking about the movie and its characters. This true story of a man being captured at sea pulls in watchers with a hook and sink deal.
In the exposition, Phillips prepares for a long journey to deliver cargo around south Africa. While on the sea, his team encounters several Somali pirates that threaten to board the ship. The first time they meet the pirates they do not succeed, but they track Phillips' boat once more- and they're not as unlucky as before. Once boarded, the four pirates take over the ship and threaten several crew members. With the rest hidden, the pirates take Phillips and search for all of the other members. With his wits, Phillips manages to gear them from his men until one decides to attack a pirate. From there, the action rises and the four pirates capture Phillips and escape through an emergency boat. But that's only the beginning of this horrifying journey.
With Tom Hanks playing Captain Richard Phillips and introducing Barkhad Abdi as the Somali pirate captain, Muse, the characters and plot build into a terrifying tale at sea. Other characters and their actors that really help shape the movie are Barkhad Abdirahman (Bilal), Faysal Ahmed (Najee), and Mahat M. Ali (Elmi). Each of them did a superb job at portraying their characters. Hanks, as usual, acts his part extremely well. The newer faces on screen like Abdi have impressed watchers all over with his incredible performance. It was the actors that really made this movie.
Each exciting scene leaves you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what happens next. There wasn't a dull moment in Captain Phillips while I watched it. From the opening scene (which seems sort of dreamy and quiet) to the intense capture of the captain, this movie was extremely well done. My only problem with the film was there's not much development with the characters trying to save Phillip. We never heard the names of men and women who work for the military Navy Seals, the ones who saved him. None are very developed nor do we learn more about them. Besides that, there weren't many popular cliches within the characters or plot which made it all feel more real. At first glance, Richard seems like a quiet man who's all business. As the story develops, so does his character. Hanks plays him purely for character driven purposes and, by the end of it, you're caring a lot about Phillips. The actors were probably my favorite part of this whole adaption.
The film has teams and crews of people working together to save one another, help out, and accomplish a goal. I could see a definite theme involving teamwork and so will audiences when they watch it. Teamwork must be done to accomplish a goal.
The audience demographic leans toward thriller fans and people interested in Phillips's story. I'm not super fond of Thrillers but this movie I enjoyed immensely. If someone is squeamish to blood, violence, or highly sensitive I would not recommend seeing this film. The scenes are quite intense with the pirates and could cause triggers. Personally I think this movie lies within a PG-13 MPAA rating, probably fourteen year olds and up would do well with the themes, violence, and language.
RATING: 4.5 stars out of 5
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Interviews for Story
Interview One: Kalia Aquino (Sophomore)
"We usually don't sit in the cafeteria, we usually walk around or sit outside. I just moved here here and we didn't have the privileges before to be outside. It's cool to be able to sit outside."
"We usually don't eat, we talk. It's like a catch-up time, when you don't have classes with friends so it's your time to socialize."
Interview Two: Samantha Robarts (Sophomore)
"We usually sit with a group of friends but today we have a test next period so we're gonna study for that and we don't want to be with a bunch of people at the same time."
"Some people sit in the same place everyday. We usually sit in the same place everyday but it also varies if it's an A day or a B day."
"On A Days I sit with different people because some of my friends don't have first lunch."
"I usually eat in the yearbook room or down in the fine arts hallway."
"We've been sitting in the fine arts hallway because that's where we've been sitting since we were freshmen."
"In the Yearbook room, we're all in yearbook so we're always working while we're eating."
"Kids usually hang out in the rooms where they are involved in. If you're in an organization you can go and eat there."
"It's really loud in the cafeteria, there's a lot of people. There's a lot more space out here." (Joey Brown, Sophomore)
Interview Three: Meiry Lopez (Senior)
"School is stressing. During A Days I usually relax during lunch."
"If it's cold I sit inside and if it's warm I go outside. I sit in the cafeteria when it's cold, not in the hallways because we have tables."
"[Lunch] gives me time to think. I'm so stressed, I need it."
"We need more time for lunch. The people who buy school lunches don't have enough time because they have to wait in line."
Movie Prep
The Story
1. Who are the main characters you would expect to see in the movie, based on the real life events?
Richard Phillips, Somali Pirates (Abduwali Muse), Andrea Phillips, and fellow ship members who were captured along with Phillips, Mike Perry
2. Briefly, in 2-3 paragraphs, tell me what you expect the plot to be in the movie, based on the real life events?
Phillips ship was loaded with cargo near Somalia. He had been on his way to Kenya when four pirates boarded. They tried to take over the ship itself but found that Mike Perry (the chief engineer) had gotten to the engine before them. Instead they captured a few people, specifically Captain Phillips. To try and make an exchange, he had captured the leader, Muse, but the exchange did not go very well. The pirates instead took Phillips and their leader off on a safety boat.
When the United States came to rescue Phillips, they discovered the pirates had actually been capturing citizens from several different countries. After three days of a stand-off, the US Navy Seals came and shot the three pirates- saving Phillips. Only one of the pirates survived, Abduwali Muse and was sentenced to 33 years in jail.
3. Why was this story important?
This was the first pirate seizure of a ship by the United States of America since the nineteenth century.
4. Why did the pirates try to take the ship?
It was an attempt at hijacking the ship for its cargo and materials.
The Movie
1. List the five most important actors in the film.
Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, David Warshofsky, Barkhad Abdirahman
2. What is the movie rated?
PG-13
3. Who directed the movie?
Paul Greengrass
4. Who was the producer?
Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin
5. What awards did it win?
AFI Movie of the Year, Top Box Office Film, Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic, HPA Outstanding Editing - Feature Film, Best Sound Editing - Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay,
6. How much did it cost to make?
$55,000,000
7. How was it received by audiences?
8/10 stars
8. What did other movie reviews think about the movie?
1. Who are the main characters you would expect to see in the movie, based on the real life events?
Richard Phillips, Somali Pirates (Abduwali Muse), Andrea Phillips, and fellow ship members who were captured along with Phillips, Mike Perry
2. Briefly, in 2-3 paragraphs, tell me what you expect the plot to be in the movie, based on the real life events?
Phillips ship was loaded with cargo near Somalia. He had been on his way to Kenya when four pirates boarded. They tried to take over the ship itself but found that Mike Perry (the chief engineer) had gotten to the engine before them. Instead they captured a few people, specifically Captain Phillips. To try and make an exchange, he had captured the leader, Muse, but the exchange did not go very well. The pirates instead took Phillips and their leader off on a safety boat.
When the United States came to rescue Phillips, they discovered the pirates had actually been capturing citizens from several different countries. After three days of a stand-off, the US Navy Seals came and shot the three pirates- saving Phillips. Only one of the pirates survived, Abduwali Muse and was sentenced to 33 years in jail.
3. Why was this story important?
This was the first pirate seizure of a ship by the United States of America since the nineteenth century.
4. Why did the pirates try to take the ship?
It was an attempt at hijacking the ship for its cargo and materials.
The Movie
1. List the five most important actors in the film.
Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, David Warshofsky, Barkhad Abdirahman
2. What is the movie rated?
PG-13
3. Who directed the movie?
Paul Greengrass
4. Who was the producer?
Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin
5. What awards did it win?
AFI Movie of the Year, Top Box Office Film, Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic, HPA Outstanding Editing - Feature Film, Best Sound Editing - Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay,
6. How much did it cost to make?
$55,000,000
7. How was it received by audiences?
8/10 stars
8. What did other movie reviews think about the movie?
Most movie reviews were very happy and impressed with the filming, acting, and story adaption.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)