From my Hometown in Italy to the Vast America

To some people’s surprise, I wasn’t born in Portland. To say the truth, I wasn’t born anywhere in America. Both my siblings were, but I wasn’t. I moved here, when I was 40 days old. My hometown is Parma, Italy. None of my family lives there, they all live in other parts of northern Italy, so I rarely visit my true hometown.

 Tea party? More like tea war declaration!

Written by Silas Godlee-Campbell 

           "The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American!"
 This statement was made by Patrick Henry (an orator during the movement for independence) shortly after the Boston Tea Party.

          The reason  that this "tea party" was so historically  important was not that Mr. beary actually showed up (he didn't)  it was that during the Boston Tea Party  English settlers dumped 12 million dollars worth of tea into the Boston harbor. That's 27,180,000 cups! Now the English settlers didn't do this out of celebration or boredom they did this to get back on England, because England was taxing them for things that they didn't tax the rest of England for such as tea or beans. Now the English settlers were a little ticked by this but what really got their knickers in a twist was that they didn't get a say in how they were taxed and they couldn't try to change the previous taxes, this is called taxing without representation.

           This event was one of the major turning points in American history. If the English settlers didn't get so fed up the country might be a completely different place maybe we would all be English or maybe our land would be sold and America would be controlled by 17 different countries. So next time you're enjoying the hearty taste of a Big Mac be thankful that the English settlers had the back bone to fight back against their English depressors.

 Sources
 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_came_first_Boston_massacre_or_Boston_tea_party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_taxation_without_representation
https://docs.google.com/a/catlin.edu/document/d/1L2IsJucS_2BMw8Bb8B_jP7rcF6SW-tZIhPX3JAZxD4g/edit?pli=1

Gymnastics and School

Gymnastics and School

It is difficult to balance my schedule with so many things to do. I have homework and gymnastics practice, in addition to school, and other daily things. It is very hard to find time to do all these activities with school starting at 8:00 and ending at 3:15, and gymnastics starting at 5:00 and ending at 9:00. I wish that each day was an hour longer, so we could have that extra time to do something that we needed more time for. Having less free time to do important things like homework is sometimes a problem, but is also makes make me a better student.

Having less time for homework does not sound like it would give me better habits, and it is true that sometimes less time does not work in my favor, but over time it has provided me with good habits. When I was younger, and had much more time for homework, I would procrastinate. Procrastinate a lot. However much I used to procrastinate, that habit is gone now because of my time constraint. With gymnastics, I often have the right amount of time to do my homework before practice. Because of this, I hardly ever procrastinate, and have been able to put more long continuous time and effort into my work.

me at a meet

    There are many more wonderful things that come from participating in a sport that helps  people become better students, and develop better character. Let me share some examples from my experience. From gymnastics, I have learned to win and lose gracefully. Winning and losing with good character, has helped me in school because if I do badly on a test, I know how to handle the disappointment. Likewise, if I do well on a test, I know how to feel proud of myself, without making others feel badly. I also believe that because of my success in gymnastics, I am more confident. Being a part of a team has taught me how to give support to others, and to receive support. I have made lifelong friends, that I spend a huge amount to time with. Gymnastics is also incredibly fun, and if I have something stressful going on, gymnastics clears my mind. I look forward to every practice. I believe these traits, developed through gymnastics, will help me have more success later in life.
    Although gymnastics has so many positive influences on my school life, there are also a few negative effects. One thing that sometimes happens with gymnastics is that I feel rushed doing homework. This hardly ever happens anymore, now that I have figured out a rhythm, but it used to be a common problem in fifth and sixth grade. Another negative impact that comes from the amount of practice I have is the late end time. When I get home at 9:30-ish after practice, I am hungry, and I still have to eat a late night dinner. I also have to finish any undone homework. With school starting at 8:00, I sometimes don’t get enough sleep. These difficulties are not frequent, and gymnastics is most definitely worth a rushed, late night every once in awhile.
    I believe that gymnastics has made me a better student, and set me up to have the skills that I need to be successful later in life. Gymnastics has made me procrastinate less, which helps me focus more on my homework. Gymnastics has also given me life skills, and confidence. Gymnastics is something that I can look forward to on a good or bad day.  I believe that everyone should have something that they love to do, and that that will make them a happier, better person. Even though there are a few downsides to such a demanding sport, gymnastics has given me so many positive habits, and experiences.

Book image source: http://tullyschools.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=218