Plan for s2 feature & update

This weekend/ monday: Get interviews from a few (at least 2) students and hopefully mrs.Timberlake
Next week: Rough draft of piece
Thus far I have emailed a few students to ask if they would be willing to be interviewed.

Questions to ask:
-Basic background questions about how long they have been going to TA, where they went to middle school, what grade they're in, etc.
-How old were you when you realized your identity?
-When you came out, how did you identify yourself (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, etc.)?
-How old were you when you first told someone?
-What was that persons reaction?
-If you have been "outed" unwillingly, what happened?
-When would you say were you really "out" to everyone or most people?
-Was there something in particular that drove you to come out at that time?
-What have peoples reactions been in general?
-How did your friends take it?
-How did your family take it/ have you told your family?
-At TA, how accepted do you feel/ is there a lot of support?
-Have you ever experienced homophobia here at TA or elsewhere?
            ~Elaborate?
-What advice would you give to someone wanting/trying to come out?
-If you could do it all again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
-Are there any other experiences that stand out to you in regards to coming out?

Vocab lesson 6

Sedulous scientists with great affluence have been conducting research in Chile to determine if stress has an impact on the sex of a newborn baby. The scientists carefully perused the records of a a stressful 2005 earthquake. The bedlam the earthquake caused was definitely a sudden wake up call from their normally banal lives. One can imagine that the imminent danger would cause pregnant mothers to panic, being momentarily scurrilous, but what does this have to do with the sex of a baby? Based on the study, extreme stress during the third month of pregnancy reduced the ration of male to female births, which is normally 51:49. During times of stress this is reduced to 45:55. This is related to previous research, which shows that male fetuses need more recourses from their mother, and be less robust than females, and less capable of adapting to a stressful environment. It would be extremely amoral for a women to induce stress to try and influence the sex of her unborn child, and she would likely feel much antipathy from others. It is recommended that pregnant women try to eschew from any onerous situations, such as stress.
While fetuses in non stressful situations can often be obdurate during birth, the study shows that stressed fetuses are often born premature. The study of the 2005 earthquake was used to elucidate that idea as well. The denouement of the article concludes that in some way, stress and sex of a child is related. This is not a parody.


http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/stressearlyinpregnancylinkedtofewerbabyboys

Story Idea for s2

I'm not sure exactly yet what I want to do, but I was thinking of profiling a few students about what it is like to come ut in high school. I could also talk to ms. Timberlake, as she is the faculty advisor for GSTA. Do you think this is a good idea?

Quick Story- Pink Ribbon Club

Thornton Academy has always been a powerful force in the Saco community when it comes to breast cancer awareness. One thing in particular that student have participated in is Marys Walk in the spring. In the fall, students rallied together on pink week to support teachers and friends in the school by wearing pink. As winter approaches, students of TA are coming together again, by starting the Pink Ribbon Club. The Club was started by Chloe Eisenhaur, Sam Schildroth, and teacher, Mrs. Arenstam. The club wishes to raise awareness about breast cancer. It is the second high school chapter in Maine of the Pink Ribbon Club. The first meeting will be on December 15. Chloe and Sam approached Mrs. Arenstam about being the faculty advisor for the group, and since then they have had their first meeting, and even a few fundraising ideas. January 24, there will be a basketball against Biddeford, in which a portion of the ticket sales will go toward the group and their efforts. They will aslo be selling pink ribbon lolly pops. The group will likely be meeting once a week to start, and then a few times each month. Although they have only had one meeting, “There has been a huge interest from students,” says Mrs. Arenstam. The group is bound to be a success among TA students.

Final Draft of Model UN

The basement I walk into is painted a stark white. The air smells of floor cleaner, and the rug beneath my toes is still lightly damp. The large room is practically bare of furniture, a single couch, a television, and a ping-pong table. The ping-pong table is half folded up and pushed against the wall. Scattered across the top are a dozen thick-paged books, a laptop, and a stack of notebooks. Sitting at the end of the table, she closes her laptop and looks at me. “Welcome to my bat cave,” she says in a joking tone. It is a much different Amelia than the assertive senior who stepped up on stage during a school meeting, sporting a faux leather jacket and sexy high heeled boots, to present the new Model United Nations club to students.

Model United Nations is a program that is modeled after the real United Nations, an idea originally presented by Woodrow Wilson. At first called the League of Nations, the group held simulations of real life problems going on in the world. Model UN’s main goal is to educate school aged children about other cultures and other countries. It strives to allow them to experience and solve the sorts of problems that countries are, or potentially could be, working through. It’s overall goal is to promote world peace. Model UN is not like speech or debate, it is less of a competition and more of a learning experience. There are several huge conferences for Model UN world wide, and also many smaller ones. TA's Model UN will be attending a Harvard conference this spring to show off their skills.

Model UN is in its first year at Thornton Academy, and was founded by senior, Amelia Courtney. The group of 15 or so has no officers, and is “not about a hierarchy,”  the whole point is to promote peace. Amelia sought out history teacher, Mr. Grasso, to advise and run the group. Amelia first got the idea about starting the club when watching the news one day. Amelia clearly has a thirst for knowledge that is uncommon in most high school students. With all of her AP and honors courses, it’s hard to believe that she has time to devote to the group, let alone the will to do so.

Don’t get the idea that academics and success is Amelia’s only concern. What she really wants to accomplish this year, is for the group to have a fantastic time at the Harvard conference. She wants the group to be educational beneficial, of course, but more importantly she seems to want everyone to just have a good time with it. Amelia is quite obviously excited about the club, and what it could lead to in the future, “Not only do I get to be a bad ass in a suit and be smarter than everyone, but I get to share that with my friends and peers.”

Before going to the Harvard conference, the group will receive one or two countries to research inside and out. At the conference, they will be presented with a number of problems, and expected to communicate with other countries to solve and respond to issues and disaster situations. The UN itself acts as a sort of referee for other countries, and Model UN is a simulation of that. Although titles and awards can be won for the school, it is not the purpose of the group. It creates a positive environment for debate, teaches students to work with others, and gives them the tools they need to respond to emergencies as a group.

Amelia is hoping to be assigned Egypt as the group’s country. “It has such fantastic problems to fix.” With the recent revolution, and with all the ancient civilizations to research, it’s no wonder why she is so eager to study the country.  Amelia is currently enrolled in the X-block Arabic class, a common language in Egypt, and has always been in love with learning about Egyptian culture.

Ultimately, she believes that as a whole, the group is going to learn a lot, and she couldn't be happier that she decided to get the group started. In the future, she believes Model UN will group tremendously, and be a truly positive and influential force in the school community.


I was having a hard time attaching the picture onto here, or even dragging it in.

Quick Story Monday

Quick Story Monday
Breast Cancer Awareness Interview With Mrs. Cody
By Rachel Chenard, Damion Taylor, Allyssa MacCabe, and Ian Maksut

Breast cancer can affect men and women, and here at Thornton Academy, it seems most people you talk to has in some way been affected by breast cancer. A beloved Latin teacher, Sally Cody, knows all too well the effects that breast cancer can have on ones life. As a breast cancer survivor, along with Patty Parisien, the two spearheaded Pink Week this past week. The two shared their very hopeful stories at school meeting last Monday, kicking off the week. Their stories raised many questions from both students and teachers alike, causing the week to be both educational and hopeful for many whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. Mrs. Cody seems more than open to answering questions, “If it helps somebody out, I’ll share.”

According to Cody, pink week was a huge success, “The pink was amazing...that kind of support means a lot.” Cody mentioned that it was the little things that effected her most, for example, “many kids showed me their pink clothing. In study halls they would ask me to make a pink week sign.” Although the money has yet to be tallied, it seems that it really is not important. The goal of the week was simply to raise awareness of this disease. Whether it be the jar of coins from the middle school, or the 20 dollar bills contributed by staff, all the donations are greatly appreciated. Ultimately, the success of pink week was profound, showing how caring the school community is.

Vocab # 3

2 12 year old girls who had previously lived a fairly pedestrian life just discovered that they had been switched at birth. After the adventitious discovery, the parents were offered the bona fide offer to switch the girls back, but both the children and parents refused. It began when the ex husband of one of the mothers refused to pay child support because of the lack of resemblance to his daughter. His ex wife tried to extenuate the situation by getting multiple DNA tests, revealing that neither parent was biologically related to their daughter. Both parents were completely obfuscated. The event was obviously a cataclysm in both families lives. After importuning their parents, the girls lives are now very much intertwined. Many would think that the experience would have impaled the family bond, but in reality it brought them closer, and in many ways even edified them. They all had to deviate from their normal lives, and expand their once parochial view of life. In the end it turned out to be an optimum situation, and gave them a much more ambiguous view of the world around them. The family brought the hospital to court, and the judge glowered at the culprits, ordering that they pay the family 160,000 dollars for emotional damage.


http://gma.yahoo.com/switched-birth-girls-want-stay-wrong-moms-160048481.html