By: Kiya Hicks

A Summer Day 

The sun's beaming now,

the warms beams across my face,

a nice summer day.

Smile?

Smile?

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Time is passing by,

Don’t know how to feel anymore.

Don’t know what to do.

Can’t take this much longer,

This pain this hurting can’t take it.

Done, tired, torn,

Soon she’ll explode.

Tired of putting on fake smiles.

They think she’s happy,

But don’t know that inside-she’s fighting a battle,

Doesn’t feel “good enough.”

Tries to handle things but can’t,

Tries to keep emotions in check.

She tries to hide all her scars, all her pain,

No one understands so,

She’ll just have to put on a façade and go on.

Business Letter to Nike By: Isabella DiFulvio

One Bowerman Drive

Beaverton, OR 97005

October 25, 2015

Isabella DiFulvio

43403 Stukely Drive

Sterling, VA 20166

Dear Nike,

Nike is one of my favorite athletic clothes brands, and I have everything from your soccer cleats to your shin guards and to your running shoes. Whenever I go out shopping I always stop by your outlet store or Dick’s Sporting Goods to see if you have anything new on sale. All of your products that I’ve purchased so far are of great quality and work perfectly. I especially love your soccer cleats, sweat pants, and your running shoes.

Your Nike Rally Loose pants are comfortable, warm, and snug. I have them in black and they match with any t-shirt or sneakers. I wear them when I go to the store or to school or on any average day. The size women’s XS fits me like it was tailored just for me. The cuffed ankle and soft interior makes the pants excellent for any occasion.

I also have a pair of your Nike Free 5.0 running shoes. I got them a while ago so I’m not exactly sure about the exact model. They are fantastic, and I love how comfortable and light they feel on my feet. The molded sock liner additionally adds extra support and comfort. Also they run a little bit wider which is perfect for my foot. I have them in a neon orange color and they stand out in a crowd.

My absolute favorite product of yours so far are your Tiempo Legacy FG soccer cleats. I got them about two months ago, and they are providing me with excellent traction and comfortability. My feet are slightly wider and these cleats give me comfort that no other brand has. The forefoot stitching is almost like a cushion which allows me to have superb ball control and the Hypershield outer layer that hugs my foot grants me the ability to make crisp passes. The Tiempo Legacy FG cleat is definitely the best pair of cleats I have ever owned.

            You guys have done an exceptional job with combining comfortability, style and quality into all of your products. I wanted to write this letter to say how great this brand is and how much I love it. I hope you guys keep designing good quality and stylish products.

Thank You,

Isabella DiFulvio

Natalia's Writer's Notebook page - Two Wolves

Do You Use a Comma After a Prepositional Phrase at the Beginning of a Sentence? | The Classroom | Synonym

Do You Use a Comma After a Prepositional Phrase at the Beginning of a Sentence? | The Classroom | Synonym:

Four or Fewer

If a prepositional phrases contains four or fewer words, usually no comma is needed as in the following sentence: On the table a bottle of champagne rested, conserving its energy for the upcoming festivities. Prepositional phrases of five or more words require a comma: Beneath the dusty redwood table, the cat crouched with murderous anticipation. The punctuation marks serve to indicate how the sentence is to be read aloud. As such, the first sentence would have no pause, whereas the second sentence would be read with a slight pause after table. While the word count may appear arbitrary, it reflects an organic speech pattern.

Five or More

As noted above, prepositional phrases containing five or more words should be followed by a comma: In this time of economic depression, worsening drought and dwindling mineral resources, children were particularly vulnerable. Some prepositional phrases may require commas within the phrase: On that tall, cold, green mountain, the birds are loudest at dusk. The comma does not impact the punctuation a longer prepositional phrase would require, so punctuate series, parenthetical elements and adjectives as you normally would.

Two or More Prepositional Phrases

If the prepositional phrases themselves are in series, you should separate them with a comma: By land, by sea, by air, we'll get that package to you within a week. The prepositional phrases stand alone, so they should be separated as a series. In the sentence "On the hill with the fairy grass, we stopped to eat lunch," the prepositional phrase "with the fairy grass" modifies "on the hill." Because neither phrase can stand alone, the no comma is needed to separate the phrases.

Avoiding Confusion

At times, a comma can help to clarify the meaning of a sentence. Writers may use clarifying commas even if the prepositional phrase contains four or fewer words as in the following examples: "Before the snow flurry birds sought shelter," and "Before the snow flurry, birds sought shelter." Without the clarifying comma, the reader might read "snow flurry birds" as a single concept and the sentence as a fragment. Prepositional phrases tend to merge with nouns, but be sure to read each sentence aloud. If you pause to separate the phrase from the main clause, insert a clarifying comma.

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Raina's Notebook Page - Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron

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English 9 - Year at a Glance

Rock Ridge CSI - Authentic Writing Tasks with Mr. Harrison.

Ballad

from http://literarydevices.net/ballad/

Distinguishing Features of Ballads

Ballads, no matter which category they fall in, mostly rely on simple and easy-to-understand language or dialect from its origin. Stories about hardships, tragedies, love and romance are standard ingredients of ballads. This is irrespective of geographical origins.

Another conspicuous element of any ballad is the recurrence of certain lines at regular intervals. Ballads can also be in interrogative form with appropriate answers to every question they ask.

Ballads seldom offer a direct message about a certain event, character or situation. It is left to the audience to deduce the moral of the story from the whole narration.

Example #5

“The Ballad of Billy the Kid” is an example of a modern ballad.

‘From a town known Wheeling, West Virginia
Rode a boy with six gun in his hands
And his daring life crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and west of Rio Grande’

Functions of Ballad

Ballads, as stage performance, enjoyed the status of being one of the main sources of entertainment in ancient times. Legends and historical events were narrated in the form of a ballad which would comprise song and dance.

Ballad was a perfect substitute for our current day technology-based entertainment, albeit with more emotional appeal. In the 18th century, the ballad based stage entertainment came to be known as Ballad Opera. According to ballad aficionados, the first formal Ballad opera was staged in the first half of 18thcentury with the theme of “the Beggars Opera”.







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VASOL Prompt of the Day

Some people believe that students should be required to take a music, a drama, or an art class. Should students be required to take a class in the arts, or should such classes be electives? Take a position on this issue. Use reasons and specific examples to support your position

The First Week of High School

Sharan Patnaik              

September 7^th,2015

English

Mr.Koch

The First Week of High School

The night before school started I was tossing and turning in bed as thoughts and questions flooded my head. Are the teachers mean? How much homework will they give us? Is high school anything like the movies…High School Musical, Mean Girls, Disney Channel, Clueless, and Grease?

The next morning as I was getting ready I couldn’t help but think about how I’ve changed since the beginning of middle school. From my sense of style and always being studious and quiet, I’ve broken out of my shell. I think that starting my first day in high school is going to be a great chapter in my life and will help me figure out who I am. I’ve also realized that my first day is nothing like the movies at all. When a popular person walks in the school, nobody makes a path for them like they do in High School Musical and Clueless.  Walking through the halls I’ve also noticed that everybody has a friend, or people that are willing to be one. Jocks with varsity jackets don’t actually shove small geeky lowerclassmen into lockers.

The second day of school was a little easier to adjust to. During the day all the teachers would be doing some “get to know you” games and explaining the rules, informing us about supplies that we needed to get. Same old boring stuff, which we need to listen for seven hours straight, for two days. Talk about fun.

Lunch is really different because now you don’t have teachers walking around monitoring you like you’re two. You don’t have to raise your hand to get up and you can sit wherever you want. Once again lunch in realistic high school doesn’t consist of the populars bullying you if you sit at their table. There is no second story in the cafeteria where someone will be singing and a flash mob will start, then everyone stares at one person yelling “NO NO NOOO STICK TO THE STATUS QUO!” Everyone encourages each other to try new things.

Wednesday I realized that teachers expect you to do your homework neatly, assignments on time, straight A’s, check their website because everything is online now. And you have no excuse not to get it done.

That night lying in bed, I thought to myself, this is freshman year, your third day in high school. You will most likely not be able to spend time with Danny Zuko, the T Birds and Pink Ladies at the racetrack every day. You won’t be able to go shopping every weekend or not worry about homework or the test you have that day. Yes there will be time for fun as long as you aren’t sabotaging the mean girls. Nobody has two bright pink lockers with extra clothes hanging, shelves, and  a mirror etc. There is more to high school than jocks, cheerleaders and stereotypes.

Friday finally came along and everybody was exhausted. It seemed to be the longest first week of school ever. High school is fun and you have freedom, more choices to do things. People are there to help you if life ever gets tough, teachers you can trust, friends you can count on. High school isn’t like the movie at all. In the first week of high school I learned that it’s the place where we make mistakes, get our hearts broken, our brains stretched beyond capacity, but it’s also the time to be adventurous, daring, spirited. It’s where you find out who you are. This is the place where our lives change forever.

VASOL Writing Prompt of the Day

Imagine your school cafeteria plans to change to a new, healthier school lunch menu, which would eliminate some of the students’ favorite cafeteria foods. Take a position on this issue and write to convince your principal whether this change to the school menu is a good idea or a bad idea. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Hinna's Notebook Page on The Most Dangerous Game

4 bases, 3 strikes, 2 teams, 1 winner

            When I step on the freshly raked field, feeling the dirt under my cleats, I feel proud of the game that I play. I belong on the diamond. The smell of the newly cut grass, the sound of metal cleats on concrete, the feeling after you make a big play, and hearing everyone cheer for you is a special feeling.

            I started playing t-ball when I was five years old. It has always been a part of my life. I was so proud of myself when I was seven and made the boys baseball all-star team. I was the only girl in league history to play with the boys. One of my most memorable moments, however, is when I hit my first over-the-fence homerun. I’ll never forget, the feeling running around the bases and rounding third base, seeing all of my teammates crowding around home plate, waiting to celebrate with me. Or when I turned my first double play, flipping the ball from my glove to our second baseman as she tapped the bag with her foot and fired the ball over to first base. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs in softball, but I hope to continue doing what makes me happiest for a long time to come.

            If you play softball you will share some smiles, but with that also comes times when you will shed some tears. There are great wins and tough losses. The game can change in just a minute. I will always remember when I was ten, playing in the USSSA World Series tournament, coming back from being down in the bottom of the last inning, going into ITB (international tie breaker), and then becoming the World Series champions. On the other hand, I’ll never forget winning the entire game in the PONY Nationals tournament and then falling behind in the last inning and giving them the game. Softball comes with mixed emotions, hard work, and a lot of dedication, but I am willing to take the risks. I hope softball will always be a part of my life because I don’t know what I would do without it.

By: Becca Ludowig