The 2010 State of the Union Address

Here is the entire clip from Obama's first State of the Union Address...

Barder and the Flying Turban... [Creative Writing #2]

Assuming the dog in your story is named Barder, and that the orange turban gives him the power of flight…

Your assignment is to respond to the above visual prompt. Write something you’ll be proud to share and display.

Find more of Jan Von Holleben's photography at http://www.janvonholleben.com/?page_id=4

Vocabulary Words #1 (Honors Option)

repose - a state of peace, a temporary rest in order to regain composure. The image suggests with .html syntax that we ‘end war.’ I’ve never been a fan of bullies on the playground. As there is talk of mobilizing our military towards a new war in Iran I thought it might be nice to take a small break and have some rest before we do. Not that I hope we do. It’s sad that in the brief history of men peace has never been anything but temporary. A brief reprieve from the tensing storm, a quick repose before the coming war.

Vocabulary words will be posted on your blogs: both definition and a sentence. You will also be posting five photo vocabulary words from the list below. Here we go:

flourish -

guerilla -

renegade -

repose -

stereotype -

symbiosis -

tariff -

tempo -

tranquility -

tumult -

tundra -

unanimous -

Due: Tuesday, February 2nd

Resources (Types of Government)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/united_nations/types_of_government/newsid_2151000/2151570.stm

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/street/pl38/sect2.htm

Scholarship Info

Try to apply to at least five!! The more you reach out to, the higher your chances are!!

Deadline Scholarship Name

1/29 Sam Walton Community Scholarship www.act.org/walmart/community
2/1 CAC Educational Opportunity www.cacesf.org
2/1 Burger King Scholars Program www.haveityourwayfoundation. org/burger_king_scholars_program.html
2/1 Best Buy Scholarship www.bestbuyinc.com/community_relations/scholarship.htm
2/1 Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Competition www.utexas.edu/world/barbarajordan/
2/15 Dr. Suess' Oh, the Places You'll Go www.ohtheplaces.org
2/16 (earliest deadline) Hispanic Scholarship Fund www.hsf.net/Scholarships (multiple scholarships with various deadlines
2/16 Hispanic College Fund Scholarships scholarships.hispanicfund.org/applications/
2/19 Salute to Education Scholarships salutetoeducation.com/ (No GPA or need requirement!!)
2/20 Vegeterian Resource Group Scholarship www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm
3/15 Jackie Robinson Scholarship www.jackierobinson.org/apply/general-applicants.php
4/1 California Retired Teachers Association (applications available in Tenesha's office)
4/9 Resource Conservation District Scholarship www.rcdsandiego.org


This is only a few that have run across Tenesha's desk, but there are so many more available. Be patient in your search process. A great starting place for you to search is also the San Diego Foundation website. Visit www.sdfoundation.org/scholarships/ for more information.

Creative Writing #1: Writing in Reverse

Pivotal moments of a stranger’s life.

Pictured above is an excerpt from Bill Sullivan’s Turnstile Photography Project. Sullivan took pictures of strangers in New York City the moment they pushed through the turnstiles to ride the subway. The results are surprisingly intriguing - The faces are so expressive; the props and things we carry, revealing. You will be following the preceding link to Bill Sullivan’s project website and choosing a character (or two) to base your story around.

You will be writing a narrative fiction surrounding this pivotal(?) moment of your character(s) day. Is the gentlemen on the left, above, on his way to a bank heist? Is the woman to his right the lifeline for a friend appearing on tonight’s episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and is she fretting because she’s unsure of a question she should know the answer to? Or is thinking too hard about it going to put her on the wrong train, which starts a whole domino of bad (or brilliant) things to happen to her that day?

Whatever story angle you choose, make sure to use facial expressions and props captured in the photo as cues. This story is not to be told in the first person. Although that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative in the telling. You could have an omnipresent narrator who, for one reason or another, has a particular dislike for your protagonist and is continually antagonistic. The story could be told by an eventual son, recalling the cute (or hilarious, or unlikely) story of how his parents met and fell in love.

As an additional challenge you’ll need to post a picture of the character(s) you choose to your blog along with your story. You may need to do this in photoshop. It would be polite to provide a link to Bill Sullivan’s website, since you’ll be posting segments from his photographic work. And, as always, it’s a good idea to lead your post with some introduction. Your readers (from all over the world!) don’t know that your teacher is asking you to write a story. The things you post will seem rather random sans context.

Due Wednesday night.

Spring 2010 Student Info Survey

Please fill out the following survey so I can get to know your needs as students a bit more...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for a great first week!

- elika :)

Senior Project Survey

Please complete this survey ASAP! :)