Sydney's blog

Jonas, the main  character in Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel, “The Giver” lives like every other person in his community. They live in Sameness, so everybody looks the same, does the same things, and acts the same. They are sheltered from everything that might change that, or anything that might hurt them. They have never known war, fear, pain, or sadness, but they have also never known color, love or feelings. This all changed at The Ceremony of Twelve, when Jonas was selected to be the new Receiver of Memories. He begins to receive memories of the past, when everything was different. Everything Jonas knew was changed. He knew things no one else knew, and he had to keep them to himself. One theme this story suggests is that it’s important to use memories from the past to shape your future and make good decisions.

At the beginning of the story, the memories were hidden from Jonas just as they were from the rest of the community. When Jonas remembers the plane that flew over the community, he remembers how frightened he felt. We find out later in the story that The Giver used memories from the past to make a good decision to change the future. The Giver said,” ‘I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past-terrible times-when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.’ ”

In the middle of the story, Jonas has received a few memories and has some wisdom, but not enough to make important decisions, like The Giver. The Giver tells Jonas why they need the memories. ” ”It gives us wisdom.’ The Giver replied. ‘without wisdom I could not fulfill my function of advising the Committee of Elders when they call upon me.’ ”

Although some people believe that you should forget the bad memories and move on, you should use the memories of your mistakes to try to avoid doing those things again. The book supports this on page 110 by saying “‘They have never known pain’ he thought.” But even though it’s painful, the memories are important.

At the end of the story, after Jonas receives most of the memories, he realizes that things are not right the way they are. The Giver and Jonas begin to make a plan to change the community. “That night, Jonas was forced to flee.” Jonas had to cross the border and release the memories to everyone. “He would have lived a life hungry for feelings, for color, for love.” This is what would have happened if he had not crossed the border.

Right now I am reading, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. This is a distopian novel about a boy named Jonas who lives in a fantasy world. In his world, there are lots of rules that must be followed, and the elders have much control over the people. Most people can’t see color, they don’t know animals exist, and no one has ever left the city, or know what the rest of the world is like, or don’t know that there is a rest of the world. They don’t know war, fear, or pain. There is only one other person in the city that knows everything. The Giver holds all of the memories that the city is hiding from the people, including the happy ones, and the not so happy ones.

Now it is Jonas’ turn to receive the memories, but he doesn’t know what lies ahead of him in receiving the memories. The world will never be the same for him. Jonas doesn’t know if he is ready to receive the most important job in the community. He is nervous about his future.

Picture this: you are sitting in a movie theater on the edge of your seat. Dramatic music plays, and the movie, “Titanic”, is coming to an end.

“Don’t let go.”

“I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go. I promise.”

Silence.

“Whooooosshh” Some kid ruins the mood with his fidget spinner! So are these new fidget toys helping kids focus of are they just frustrating and others? Some people argue that though they may help some kids, they are too distracting to other kids. In fact, CBS News found that 32% of the USA’s largest 200 schools have banned fidget spinners. Some say that the fidget spinners distract other students, and even the teachers. Plus, some people are extremely annoyed by them. Blackhawk Middle School banned fidget spinners in April 2017, frustrating many. But to some people, it is a relief.

Justin Hoering, a teacher at BMS, says, “I think that they are appropriate for people who need them, but most people just use them as a toy, as a distraction from what they should be doing.”

However, to some people, fidget spinners are a life saving device! If the students know how to use it without making a big deal about it, it can really help.

Sydney Spilker, an eighth grader at BMS, says, “I’ve always had trouble focusing and sitting still. When they released these new toys that were supposed to help with ADHD, ADD, anxiety, autism, and stress, I was one of the first to get one, and it really helped too. But the problem is, some people just use it as a toy and at ruined it for everyone. I’m really upset that we had to go as far as banning them, because it really helps some people, including myself, and now it’s against the rules.”

So what do you think about the fidget spinners? Are they spinning up a storm or stimulating studies?

You decide.

Dear Mr. Hoering,

I am reading the book Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  I have read this once before and I loved it. It was written by Rick Riordon.  This book is about a boy named, believe it or not, Percy Jackson. At first, he was just a normal kid. Then, he discovered something that changed his life. He, like many other kids at Camp Half-blood, was the son of an ancient Greek god. His father was Poseidon. Then, something happened. Someone stole Zeus’ master bolt, and Percy and his friends must go and retrieve it before war breaks out among the gods. Percy, with the help of his two friends, Annabeth and Grover, journeys across the country, fights monsters, and meets gods.

In this book, there is a character named Annabeth. I really like her because at the beginning of the book she is mysterious and distant. Then she slowly reveals herself to be a strong, smart, and sometimes kind person. She is the daughter of Athena, who is the goddess of wisdom, crafts, and battle strategy. Throughout the book, she and Percy become close friends.

This book is really similar to others I have been reading because it is completely fiction, like Harry Potter, Gregor the Overlander, and others.

I would recommend this book to a friend because I love it. I am not usually much of a reader, but when it comes to this book, I can’t seem to put it down! I am reading it during every spare moment during class, and even at home! Most books are boring to me but this is so action packed and exciting, it changes my whole reading experience.

I noticed that, especially with this book, I am reading faster, and comprehending the material more than I used to. I also am reading more and I enjoy it more than before. It surprises me that something as simple as finding a good book can help my reading skills so much. I have grown a lot as a reader since I started reading this book.

Sincerely, Sydney

A recent announcement has frustrated many Blackhawk Middle School Parents and many more students. On August 24, 2017, Mrs. Oaks, one of BMS’s instructional coaches, announced to the students in first period language arts that a new dress code will be taking place starting after labor day. The students will have to wear uniforms.

Now there are many advantages of having school uniforms. For one thing, there is no pressure on the students about deciding what to wear. Everybody is wearing the same thing and nobody’s clothes are “cooler” than anybody else’s. Uniforms also keep students focused on their school work rather than their clothes. Additionally, uniforms would reduce the number of kids being bullied drastically, because no one will tease anyone about something as silly as clothes. “Maybe uniforms aren’t such a bad idea.” Says a BMS parent, “With so many advantages, it might be worth it.”

However, there are also disadvantages. Some people argue that it takes away students individuality. Furthermore, uniforms deny students the chance to learn to make good clothing choices, to prepare them for adulthood. And as always, money comes in to play. The initial cost of buying school uniforms can be hard to come up with. A BMS parent said, “If 70% of Fort Wayne Community Schools are on free and reduced lunches, how can you expect us to come up with the money for 5-6 dress shirts/ pants for each kid? I mean, I have four kids at home and buying dress clothes for each of them for every day of the week, that’s ridiculous!”

Uniforms have several advantages and disadvantages. They are good for some students, but not so good for others. So did Blackhawk make a good decision? Will the uniforms crush the students’ creativity or enrich their education?

You decide.

So I am reading a book called, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” I have read this series once before, but it was a long time ago and i forget almost EVERYTHING! So far, the book is really good. I have never really enjoyed reading much, but sometimes, I find a book that I just can’t put down, and this is one of those.

My favorite types of books are the ones where it starts out with just a normal kid and then suddenly, something happens and their entire world is turned upside down. Usually, there is a whole other world out there that they never knew about, and they are a part of it. Some examples of these types of books are, Harry Potter, (J.K. Rowling,) Gregor the Overlander, (Suzzanne Collins,) and of course Percy Jackson. (Rick Riordon)

I really like these books because they make me wonder if there really is another world no one knows about.

Maybe there is….

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