Sewell Peak Challenge: Reflection

The drive to Sewell Peak was exciting. Mr Louie was alright on the road, but when it came to the off road, it looked he wanted to speed up. We even managed to get into a ditch for a bit. We went through a driveway that had really nice houses on the sides of the dirt road. We passed a farm house with a digger next to it. Then the off-road really started to happen. We were going well until we nearly got stuck in a ditch trying to avoid a pothole. I had to grab the 'Jesus Christ handle' a few times with his driving. When we got to the parking, I literally jumped out of the car because I had to get out of the van. It was way to hot and stuffy. The Sewell Peak challenge helped me overcome the height. I looked down and it just amazed me, but it was quite far down and I just lost my breath. It was crazy. I took lots of pictures and the best part of the trip up there was the food that Tony Kokshoorn brought up, especially the ice-cream. The way back down was easier and faster, but hurt my legs more than it did on the way up. We finally made it back to school for the buses.

I think that NCEA will be hard throughout the whole year, but as soon as the last few days are on us, then it will so great. The Sewell Peak challenge challenged most people, some might of struggled with the hike, others with height, whatever it was, everyone overcomed something. NCEA will be an awesome experience for me and I hope I make it through next year.

Researching Firsts

Researching Firsts.

These paragraphs will be telling the reader about. ‘What was the first ice-cream flavour?’. The topic will give information to whoever wants to learn about them. My first topic will be about ice-cream.

What was the first ice-cream flavor?

Many think that the first ice-cream flavor was vanilla, most people’s favourite flavor of ice-cream. But it wasn’t. In 400 B.C, the Roman emperor Nero made his servants go up into the freezing temperatures of the mountains and collect snow that was made for the frozen desserts. The servants also picked fruit and nuts and collected honey for toppings. Even though it was not made with milk or cream, it was still classified as a dessert.

The desserts we have now were first introduced in the 18th century in England and the United States. One of the recipes was in a book called ‘Mrs. Mary Eale’s Receipts’. The ice-creams were flavoured with cherries, raspberries, currants or strawberries. As they years went on, there was no evidence of the ice-cream makers using vanilla extract or vanilla beans to make the kind of vanilla ice cream now. Vanilla wasn't the first ice-cream flavor but it was the first flavor to be widely produced.

English: Researching Firsts

What was the first Ice-cream flavour?

• I chose this topic because I love food and Ice-cream is something you eat. If they didn't have ice-cream back then, that would mean that they had no life, because ice-cream is the best.

What do you know about Wikipedia?

• I know that some people use wikipedia because it is the first website to come up when you search for information. I don’t always use wikipedia to get info, but if I need to get it quick, I will use wikipedia.

Google search combination:	Image of results:	Example of a site which was useful that I found in this search:
Ice-cream flavours First Ice-cream flavour		Ice-cream Flavours
Video Games First Video Game		Video Games
First to discover New Zealand		New Zealand Discoverer
First All Black		List of First All Blacks

The History of Motocross

Motocross is a sport containing dirtbikes and a racetrack. The racers have a certain time to complete a certain amount of laps.

The text is about Motocross in the past and Motocross now. Edison Dye introduced Motocross to America in the 1960’s, giving them an opportunity to ride their bikes.

English connections presentation

Connections Presentation

I explained the connections between the Freedom Writers and The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian.

Environmental Chemistry Site

CLICK HERE!

Review on The Freedom Writers

The Freedom Writers

• What is the film about?

• Young teacher Erin Gruwell, goes for a job at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School for freshman and sophomore years. She gets an English class 203, with kids that don’t come to school. At the start of film, the kids start having problems in class, but not just in class. In the outside world, friends and family of the students of 203 are dying, shot, stabbed or dying in crashes etc. But as the students and Ms Gruwell start to make a friendship, the students start behaving in school and in the outside world. Ms Gruwell starts having three jobs and taking the kids to trips, getting books to read and even got Jewish Concentration Camp survivors to come and have a talk with the students. Then Ms Gruwell and her partner, who started to get quite upset that he wasn’t spending time with her, divorced. At this part of the novel, Ms Gruwell is quite upset and sad, but still comes to school with her cheerful smile. At the end of sophomore year, the students ask Gruwell if she’ll be their teacher in junior year. There is a massive meeting and Gruwell manages to win and teaches Room 203 for junior and senior year. The end credits come up and most of them were the first in there family to graduate high school.

• What did I like about the film?

• What I liked about the film was that there was a bit of gang violence, not because its ‘cool’, but because it shows what actually happens to kids, 15-18 years old, in America and what some of them have to go through. There is another story that I can relate to. Rodney King, the taxi driver that was pulled over by the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) and beaten half to death, the video going viral in minutes. I can relate because most of the kids in Room 203 get beaten, or there friends and family that do. This part of the film showed that life isn’t all rainbows and sunny days. Another part would be when the Jewish survivors came and talked to the students about their struggles of life. That showed that everyone has problems, but not as bad as some.

• Compare The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

• I can compare the film to novel by what happens to Junior and the students and Ms Gruwell. The film shows what happens and how hard it is living in America, the troubles you can just walk into. But the novel tells you about how hard it is to be an Indian.

• Messages in the films.

• That everyday is a struggle and that friendship is the best thing in life.

Paragraph and Poster - ENGLISH

-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian-

-Paragraph Writing-

At the start of the novel, Rowdy and Junior have a healthy friendship. Hanging out, playing sports together and just doing things that best friends do. From when they were young kids, Rowdy and Junior were friends from the start. They both grew up on the reservation. There is one thing that keeps their friendship together. Anyone that picks on Junior, has to deal with Rowdy. But throughout the novel, not everything is sunshine and rainbows for their friendship.

When Junior moves to Reardon High, his friendship with Rowdy changes a lot. After Arnold moves to Reardon High School, Rowdy stops talking to him, doesn’t even look at him and the only communication he does with Arnold is over email, and Rowdy still verbally abuses, calling Arnold names and all sorts of things. Another example of their friendship going down s**t’s creek is at Arnold’s first basketball game. Arnold’s first game as at his previous school, Welcanour High, and at this part in the novel, Rowdy and Arnold face off for the first time. Arnold gets a few stitches and a concussion, while he teams loses the basketball game. This game is important because it shows Junior that Rowdy is still angry and doesn’t want to show his emotions.

So after that game, Arnold’s grandmother and his Dad’s friend pass away, and later on his sister, Mary, dies from a house fire while she was having a party. At this part of the novel, Arnold is going through some hard things and is quite sad and depressed. They play more games of basketball and managed to have a streak of 12-1 (12 wins, 1 loss) and come across the Welcanour Redskins for the final game. Welcanour had a streak of 13-0 and was wanting to win this game. But Arnold’s team thrashed them and at this moment, Rowdy finally realises that his and Arnold’s friendship was starting to clear up. At Mary’s funeral, Arnold spotted Rowdy in the trees right next where she was being buried. After a few chapters, Rowdy and Arnold are now friends again, and that’s the happy ending that all stories/movies have.

I think that the most important thing that happens throughout the novel is the ups and downs of the friendship between Rowdy and Arnold. At the start, great friends and Rowdy stood up for Arnold. Throughout the book, the friendship breaks and goes down the drain. Nearing the end, it starts to mend, at for the final five chapters, Rowdy and Arnold have the healthy friendship they had from day one.

My Poster