Holidays Wishes:
Merry Christmas Dec. 25th 2016 Happy Chanukah Dec. 24-Jan. 1 2017 Happy Kwanzaa Dec. 26th-January 1 2017 See you in 2017! Happy New Year!
0 Comments
Quick Updates: Food Drive, School Musical and More...
Winter has officially started, and with it comes several new things happening at MVM. First, the canned food drive has been a success, with a total of 1188 cans. Fifth grade brought 333 cans, sixth grade brought 79 cans, seventh grade brought 423 cans, and eighth grade brought 353 cans. Sixth grade brought the average number of cans per grade from 370 down by 73 cans, to 297. Sixth graders, we believe in you! You can do better next year, if you bring in as many cans as you can, and encourage others to do the same. Soon, the winner of the canned food drive will be revealed, but first, here are some honorable mentions: Ramsay with 65 cans, Erickson with 66 cans, Arnold with 87 cans, and Eline with 94 cans. In third place, we have Ms. Bell with 122 cans. In second place is Heath with 197 cans. And in first place is Elliott with 203 cans, meaning they will win a pizza party! Good job to everyone who participated, and thank you for helping to make someone’s winter a little bit brighter. Speaking of winter, it is getting frosty out! Right now, there is snow covering the ground and heavy clouds in the air. Everyone, be careful not to slip on the icy roads and streets. Don’t forget to layer up with a coat, gloves/mittens, a hat, and boots to navigate the deep snow. The school musical, James and the Giant Peach, held auditions last Wednesday and Friday, and will be holding callbacks this coming Wednesday. Rehearsals will start in January, after the break. There is a half day on Friday. Because of the half day and because winter break starts after that, attendance is expected to be minimal. However, try to come to school if you can, because there are some great activities planned. Have a happy holidays! -by Emily Erickson Mensch on a Bench. Hanukkah Harry. The Jewish equivalents to the Christian community rituals. Living as a fish out of water in the Berkshire community I have learned to keep my religion to myself and not be a disruption to the everyday routine. In school we listen to Christmas songs, have ugly (Christmas) sweater contests, and some people deck the classrooms with holiday decorations.
What about the small percentage of students who celebrate and practice different religions? For a minute could people stop and think about the others and realize we have meaning as well? Not only am I tired of it, but it is disappointing to think that I live in a community where people after me will have to deal with the fact that they’re different, and not in a way where it’s appreciated. Columbian Exchange - goods brought to America and Eurasia
Eurasia America Chickens Turkey Cows Alpaca Goats Corn Horses Beans Sheep Squash Wheat, Rye, Oats, Pumpkins Barley Sugarcane Potatoes Coffee Peppers Farming Plow Avocados Citrus Fruits Sweet Potatos Guns Understanding of Astronomy Steel Stonework ability Diseases Tomatoes How did the Spaniards defeat the Aztec empire so easily? How did the conquest take place? The Spanish easily conquered the Aztecs. They did this so easily because of the technology, ability to deceive, and alliances that the Spanish had with other Native tribes that were against the Aztecs as well. Hernan Cortes, along with 600 armed men, carried out an invasion. As brutal and savage as it was, Cortes and his men slaughtered the Aztecs. Nearly 90% to 95% of the Aztec population was killed. It took such a short amount of time to sweep them away, because the Spanish had more advanced technology. They had steel, which was incredibly useful. They had guns. Guns were very powerful, and were believed to “make thunder”. The advancements of their technology brought surprise to the Aztecs. The Europeans were more advanced than the Americans for a variety of reasons. One very effective reason is the way their country laid out; their geography. They were positioned east to west, while the Americas were positioned north to south. The Europeans were able to exchange ideas, especially related to farming and food. The Americans were unable to do this, because of their climate due to their geography. Some parts of America were extremely close to the equator, while other parts were far away. Therefore the farming techniques of those near the equator had to be very different than the farming techniques of those far away from the equator. This took a lot of work, trying to find different ways of growing crops. It also disconnected the American people in a way. The Spaniards were cunning. Hernan Cortes made alliances with people who were also against the Aztecs, promising them safety and protection. They later killed the alliances they had made, breaking their promise and destroying the tribes. Cortes also sneaked into Tenochtitlan acting as Quetzalcoatl and killed thousands of Aztecs. Another example of Spaniards being cunning was Christopher Columbus, who was able to convince Queen Isabella to allow him to go on the expedition when he didn’t even come from her country! Another way the Spaniards conquered so easily is because of disease. When Cortes and his 600 men who had volunteered came, there were European disease amongst them. Diseases can wipe out civilizations with even thousands of people. This happened to the Aztecs because they had no immunity to the diseases that the Europeans brought, while the Europeans did have a built up immunity to the diseases. These diseases were an inevitable part of history - meaning they couldn’t be avoided. Even if a European had arrived in the Americas meaning no harm, they still would have killed off thousands of native people because of disease. Important and Influential: People of Spanish Conquest Queen Isabella - The queen of Spain who funded Columbus’s famous expedition. Why do they fund expeditions? For the king and queen, funding expeditions was a win/win situation. By funding it, they didn't lose many resources, even if the conquistadors never came back. They would send them off with their most damaged ships. Often, the explorers would bring criminals on their journeys, because no one else wanted to go. People thought that the world was flat, and it was possible to sail off the edge of the world. If the people on the expeditions never came back, the criminals would just be out of the way. What if the explorers did come upon something? If explorers were to find something valuable, it would be a big win for the king and queen. They would earn:
Christopher Columbus - Christopher Columbus was an explorer and the first person to “stumble upon” America in a European perspective. He opened up a trade route between the Americas and Eurasia. Hernan Cortes - Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs. He appeared at a ceremony with weapons and savagely killed off thousands of Aztecs. He was a leader in Spanish conquest and was a sort of “inspiration” to conquistadors with his brutal ways. They tried to “outdo” him, and by doing so they opened up an entirely new chapter of Spanish conquest. This gave Spaniards a lot of American land and goods. Moctezuma 11 - Moctezuma 11 was the son of Moctezuma 1 and the leader of the Aztec empire when it was conquered. One day he saw a meteor shower and believed this was a sign coming directly from the gods, so when Cortes appeared, he was all too quick to let him into the city. He believed that Hernan Cortes was the light skinned Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, and allowed him into the city as an honored guest. This was a bad leadership decision and ultimately led to the downfall of the Aztec empire when Cortes began to savagely attack Aztecs. In terms of culture, how did the Spanish shape the world we live in today? When Columbus stumbled upon America, he opened new doors to the Spaniards. He opened up a new trade route between the Americans and Europeans. This gave Americans and Europeans new crops and technology that the cultures had never seen before. For example, when you think of Italy, don’t you imagine pizza? Pasta with tomato sauce? Well… if the Columbian exchange had never occurred, Italy would be without tomatoes. An important piece of technology brought to the Americas would be the plow. This allowed people to farm with ease, and much less human labor was necessary. Farming became much quicker from then on. This allowed people to produce more food, so they had more food to sell, which gave them more money. More food means less hungry people, and more money means less poor people. When you put all these factors together, the results are amazing. People will be able to spend their free time going to school and getting jobs (which more people will have access to because they have more money and they can even start their own businesses). Can you see how bringing the plow into society boosted the economy? The Spaniards killed off thousands of native people. They brought their own people to the lands they had conquered, and somewhat replaced the native people. This is a very sad aspect of Spanish conquest, however it was a very influential part of it. The Spanish Conquistadors did something else - they stayed. This is the single most important thing that the conquistadors did. When they did this, they colonized natives, and forced a new culture and religion upon them. This is the reason why so many people in the Americas are Christian. It’s also the reason why many countries in the Americas speak Spanish. They built new cities, and created new families. They were now a part of the Americas. Today, December 9th is official Lost and Found Day! I know that I have problem with losing things. I mean, ask the people who were next to my locker last year… Lots of kids lose things, I think that a lot of 11-12 year olds lose things. I think that parents say “They lose things because they do. Yep, that’s why.” No. Just no. Lots of kids this age just have a lot on their minds. All I’m saying is that we should cut kids a break. So please, this National Lost and Found Day don’t yell at your kid for losing their mittens.- by Athena Searching
You climb up the wall strung with ivy curving on the surface like snakes. A gust of wind pushes you down before you reach the top. You sigh, having been so eager to overcome that wall and expose the vulnerability that lay beyond. You return each day at dawn, seeking truth that is not so easily obtained. You seek to know the real me, the creative me, that hides behind the wall I built. If you ever do find the girl you were searching for, please let me know. I would love to hear what she's like, for we have lost touch over the years... Write Up- My poem titled “Searching” is about how I hide my true self in order to seem less vulnerable but in doing so I have lost my creativity and uniqueness. I forget how to be that part of myself. It's as if she is an entirely different person now. My fashion and mind used to be very different than everyone else, but now I dress and act like a stereotypical blonde girl. I showed the theme by writing about how someone is trying to see the real me and get past my walls, and how I asked them to tell me about the person they find, because I no longer know her. |
Archives
June 2021
|