Many Countries, One World

My trip to the Philippines 

When I was ten years old in 2011, I went to the Philippines for my grandma's funeral. I was there for two weeks. Throughout the time I was there, I noticed there was so much pollution there. For example, the streets were filled with piles of trash. The homes were built out of unstable wood. Whenever we passed by a small lake, there was trash floating in it. 

Life in the Philippines seems hard for people. There were many little kids who had no clothing on or had homes. The jobs there don’t seem to really pay much. My trip made me realized that I want to do something about it. I want to help them by helping clean the place. Also, I want to help the homeless people by helping them out with some money, a new place, and food. When Christmas comes, that is what I hope to do.

Christmas in El Salvador

When I was five years old I went to El Salvador with my family. I went there to visit my very sick grandmother. I even got to see my cousins that I never knew of. When I got off the plane it was about 4 am, and I really didn't get a glimpse of where I was. At about 10 am when I woke up, I was dizzy and didn't remember where I was. I saw a lot of people that I didn't recognize. It was also around the holidays. When I got to know everyone I saw a Christmas tree with little presents. 

My cousins invited me to go to play soccer at the park with their friends. As soon as I walked outside, all I saw was garbage and a huge mess. I wanted to help! Me and a few other kids around the neighborhood grabbed garbage bags and picked up A LOT of garbage. We picked up 6 bags of garbage. 

The Philippines and El Salvador seem to be very similar in that they have very bad poverty. We should really help them out!

~A & F

To learn more about global poverty:

http://www.dosomething.org/cause/homelessness-and-poverty

You can also check out Kiva, non-profit aiming to alleviate poverty and empower individuals in low-income countries through loans. http://www.kiva.org/

Animals, Us, and The Environment

To pet owners: Care and Responsibility

Humans should not take their pets for granted. Animals can help you when you’re in need and be your buddy when you’re down. Pets should be taken care of and should be loved. They deserved to be treated like humans, because they have feelings just like us. If you bring an animal into your home, you should feed, shower, and walk them; giving them love and attention. Moreover, we should not abuse and neglect animals, such as not feeding them, not giving them freedom to go outside, or leaving them alone on long trips; sometimes people hit them. This is wrong!

People can get attached to animals really fast, and vice versa. For example, in January of 2012, a 3 year old male labrador dog traveled 500 miles from Virginia to South Carolina to find his owner. The man must have been a good owner for the dog to go look for him. It took 2 weeks for someone to find the labrador. Imagine the runaways dogs who are abused and choose to wander off, but never finding a new owner.

To Everyone: How our environment affects animals (and us, too)

With many factories and power plants around, animal’s environment need to get better. Even within miles of reach of human made items, animals can be affected, such as garbage or harmful chemicals traveling by air. Some animal types such as scavengers find what they can to survive and if they see plastic, or just something that looks tasty to them they might eat it, which will cause internal damage.

And what about that oil pollution? They affect millions of marine life and can mutate them, making them harmful to others. Especially those great white sharks, they are becoming extinct. We should stop all this nonsense and stop polluting plastic items. Unless we stop we will cause the end of the world ourselves; and all of those innocent animals swimming or running around not knowing anything about the world around them. Next time you see garbage on the floor make sure to pick it up and dispose of it. It will do us good as well as the animal world!

~C, M, & S

To find out ways you can help fight animal cruelty and how your actions can help the environment, check out: http://www.aspca.org/ & http://www.earthecho.org/

Images from http://www.cereplast.com/ & http://abcn.ws/Ri3j4B

School Bullying

Many people have and continue to experience bullying – it’s not a fun thing because you can get hurt in many different ways. How would you feel if someone else bullied you? It’s not fair to other people. Many people go through bullying everyday; we need to make a HUGE change in our schools and lives. We can make a change together as one.

Here are 11 facts about school bullying: http://dsorg.us/kV9FAl

Below are our responses to questions about bullying

1. Have you experienced bullying?

E.W: Yes I have experienced bullying before. One time, this boy bullied me because I wouldn't let him cut in front of me in the lunch line, so he repeatedly kept calling me names and pushed me when I was going out to the school yard. I finally stood up for myself and said “no more will you bully me, I've put up with it for too long now.” I also told my mother and she told the principal that it needed to end NOW!
A.P: I have seen someone getting bullied before but it has never happened to me.

2. What are different forms of bullying?

E.W: I've also seen cyber bullying on the internet where people may say something very hurtful like “you’re ugly or you’re stupid.” Bullying can come from people other than a kid that goes to your school; it can be friends, family members that give you put-downs, and even strangers that you may see around, or anyone else.
A.P: One type of bullying is using force to hurt someone. Another is using words to hurt someone’s feelings.

3. What do you think about bullying and why do you think people bully?

E.W: They might be going through something very hard like a tough time with their family, but you never may know so you can’t always blame them for doing something wrong, like bullying.
A.P: I think bullying and abusing someone is not a way to solve for what others may have done. If I would see someone getting bullied, I would tell a teacher what was going on.

Bullying can be very harmful, and if pushed to a point, can be something that can make a person harm themselves, or even commit suicide. Like Amanda Todd, who was bullied because of a private picture she sent to a man, and he sent the picture to everyone’s phone at her school. She was only in the seventh grade. She lost respect from her friends, got jumped after school, and had to sit at the lunch table alone. She was in grade 10 when she committed suicide, after more bullying on the internet and at school. Please, let’s take 1 minute of silence for her and others who have ended their life, and who are being bullied.

Thank you for reading our blog on bullying and how it can cause danger to other people’s lives. We can end bullying. For more information check out http://www.stompoutbullying.org/ and http://www.loveislouder.com/
~E & A

Natural Disaster Survival Tips

source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/how-hurricane-sandy-compares-to-the-worst-us-natural-disasters

A hurricane called Hurricane Sandy was a really horrible disaster. It started on Monday October 29. It occurred in the East Coast states such as New York, New Jersey, Florida, and even reached the country of Haiti. Millions were out of power in their houses. 76 people have died because of this disaster. It’s really sad to see this happen in multiple areas. It makes me feel bad because people die because of the weather and no one could stop it - but you can prepare now and keep yourself safe. Here are some tips:

• Survival Kit: The items that you should stock up on are food (such as granola bars and canned food), flashlights, bottled water, batteries, blankets, radios for updates, medication, and a first-aid kit.

• Safety Tips: Go to a safe shelter such as basements or to a top level floor if it is flooding. If you don’t have water you can get some from the tank of a toilet. If you can, secure the open part of the door and cracks so the water does not come in through the door. Also, stay away from windows and glass doors because the wind might be too strong and it might break the window. Learning CPR may be helpful too just in case someone drowns or can’t breathe.

• Communication: It is good to have a communication and exit plan beforehand with your family in case of separation. If you want to get found by someone, for example if you are hurt, you should have a flare gun to signal, or go somewhere that has a radio. Also, it is better to have a hand crank radio because a regular radio might run out of batteries and you do not want that to happen.

• Pets: If you have a pet, make sure they have an ID tag if they get lost, and find a safe place for your pets ahead of time.

So keep yourself safe in case of natural disasters and if you follow these tips you can decrease your risk of danger!

For more preparedness tips go to: http://www.ready.gov/

-D, G, D, I                                                                                                                        

Not All Books and Studying!

If you think school is all working, studying, and just plain boring think again! Have you ever gotten involved in the school activities? If you do activities such as Dance Team, Student Government, Peer Med, and so much more you may just find school more fun and exciting! Joining activities at school can expand your interests and change your aspect of the electives and the clubs. This can also help you meet new people and create more friends throughout the school year!     

Activities At Policita

The school activities or clubs at this school are all very interesting. There is photography: they take pictures all around the school and put them in the yearbook. There is computer art in which the teachers teach them how to do art on the computer, and another art class where you learn how to draw beyond stick figures: you learn how to paint, draw, sketch, color, and how to do three dimensional art!

After school there is the Dance Team & at least twice a year they have tryouts. They even perform for the school and later on for Jefferson High School. There is also regular dance class but it is during the school day. In Band you can learn how to play an instrument, read and create music. Peer Med does Red Ribbon week,

in which they educate us on how drugs can be bad, and do fun activities such as a haunted house, an annual turkey trot, and many more. Student Government does most of the activities such as holding dances, doing LTAS, and spirit days. You can also join sports such as volleyball and basketball. There is also our afterschool Mobile Media Club which helps and teaches students how to make blogs, apps, and videos!

 

Possible Activities

Some activities I think should exist are Glee Club, Student-Lead Dance Club, Cooking Club, and Cheerleading. I think Glee Club should exist because we have Dance Team, Dance Class, and Band so why not a singing club?! I think people who like to sing should also be able to practice their voice and perform in front of people. I think we should have a Student-Lead Dance Team for students who want to create their own dance routines. If we had this club maybe more people will be more into dance! We should also have a Cooking Club for people who love to cook and for those who want to learn how. I think we should have Cheerleading as a club to show school spirit for when we have rallies, Basketball Games, or Volleyball Games. Students who like to cheer, dance, or are who are flexible can join this club!

If you still think school is boring, there are so many more clubs around the school that you can join (or start!) Don’t be shy or scared and try something new! School can be a fun place if you make it fun!

~M & B

Online Friend vs. School Friend

“Friends” for youth today have multiple meanings. There are the traditional friends that one makes at school and there are virtual friends that only meet online on websites like Facebook, Instagram or Playstation 3.

How are online friends different from school friends?

F: Online and school friends, they’re the same. 

N: You can communicate with online friends all the time even though they aren’t physically around.

E: I can trust a school friend, and even better, play basketball with them.

How many friends do you have on Facebook or Instagram?

F: 252 total friends - 152 online, 100 school

N: 503 total friends - 9 online, 494 school

E: 203 total friends - 103 online, 100 school

Go school friends!  :D

Which do you prefer?

F: School friends are better because I can play basketball with them.

N: I like school friends because I can see their expressions.

E: I like having my friends online so I can chat with them and play games with them outside of school.

Have you ever deleted a friend?

N: Yes, I have deleted a friend because they were being annoying.

Has anyone ever deleted you as a friend?

E: No, because they respect me the way I respect them. 

~ E, F, & N

How to Survive Middle School: Tips from 8th Graders

Hey 6th graders, if you want to know how to survive the crazy life at Thomas R. Pollicita Middle School, then take a look at these tips from some experienced 8th graders. There will be many problems that you will face but that’s ok, because everybody at school faces all sorts of problems and there may be someone who has experienced what you are going through.

• Middle school is nothing compared to elementary school, it has a different atmosphere and rules. Here, the teachers expect you to be more mature and responsible. For example, you are expected to get to all of your classes within three minutes or your teacher will lock the door on you and give you detention.
• Get to know your teachers. To get a good start on the school year, your teachers are always the way to go. The more you know your teachers and the more they know you, the more they will push you and help you do well in school.
• Be active! If you want your face to be all over the yearbook, you need to get involved in activities like Dance Team, Lunch Team, After School Program, and Student Government. The more activities you do, the more fun school will be. (Hint: If you do get active, you might get Student of the Month and then you get to go on the Spirit Trip for FREE!!!)
• Spirit Days or LTA’s (Lunch Time Activities) are good ways to get Spirit Points. Spirit Points are school dollars that you can use to go on the Spirit Trip. If you get 1,000 Spirit Points you go on the Spirit Trip which is to........Six Flags!!!
• School dances are not like the types you see on TV where they slow dance and stuff like that. The dances at the school can get kind of wild. Some people dance crazy and out of control. Don’t try to dance like a robot or do any weird dances or everybody will look at you and think you are weird. You don’t need to have a date to go to the dance. It really doesn’t matter if you're going alone, just have fun. (Hint: Bring at least $10 to spend on food.)
• Don’t litter around the school. If you get caught, then you will have to clean up the trash around the entire school.
• Don’t talk back to any teachers or staff at school or they will give you work to do or give you detention. 

Listen, things might be rough at times but they will pass soon like an old rumor. Everything will be worth it at the end and you will have more fun at this school then having bad things happen. Follow the advice we just gave and you will make it out alive!

~A, B, J & M

Mobile Media Club at Pollicita Middle School

Welcome to T.R.P. Middle School’s first blog site! This is a creation of the school’s Mobile Media Club (MMC), an after-school program organized by P.I.E. Alliance (PACE’s Initiative for Education). The club was formed to bridge the digital divide by bringing technology instruction to the students at T.R.P. The MMC members will participate in a number of technology-driven projects, such as blogging, creating a mobile app for the school, video and photography, and online social networking.

Throughout the school year, the students will regularly post blogs revolving around life at T.R.P. and beyond, such as school events (sports, dances, etc.), balancing schoolwork with family and friends, how students are affected by local and world events, issues such as bullying and peer pressure, and much more.

We hope you find these blogs to be informative, thought-provoking and entertaining. Please check back from time to time to learn about the latest news, events and student life at T.R.P!