Mac Beth                                                                         

By: Megan D'Cunha

Harpier cries: "tis time! Tis time!" Tis time for the three witches of Scotland to fulfill an evil prophesy. The three witches brewing a magic potion that designed to help fulfill the prophesy. Later on, the Scottish King Duncan heard the news about his two generals, Mac Beth and Banquo. They defeated two separate armies in battle. When Mac Beth and Banquo go and meet the King, they come across the three witches. They decided to tell Macbeth and Banquo about the prophesy. The witches told Mac Beth that he will be made Throne of Cawdor, which is a rank of Scottish nobility, and eventually he will be the King of Scotland. Banquo was told that his descendant will become King of Scotland, but not Banquo himself. Mac Beth didn't think that the prophesy was true. Afterwards, a few of the Duncan men arrived. They told Mac Beth that as a reward for his brave performance in battle he has been made Throne of Cawdor.

King Duncan and Mac Beth then started to plan a dinner together at Mac Beth's castle. Once Mac Beth got home, Lady Mac Beth started to convince Mac Beth that he should murder King Duncan so he could take the throne and fulfill the prophesy. At the dinner, Mac Beth and Lady Mac Beth got the kings chamberlain so drunk that they passed out until the next morning. Since the chamberlain were passed out, it was much easier to get to King Duncan. Next, Mac Beth stabs the King in his sleep. He planned to blame the murder on the chamberlain, since they were really drunk, they would not remember much. When the murder got discovered in the morning Mac Beth kills the chamberlains so that he could pretend that he actually killed them because he got angry that they murdered King Duncan. Then, Mac Beth gets crowned King of Scotland. Once he remembered the witches prophesy he also remembered that Banquo's heir would become King of Scotland one day. Mac Beth becomes so paranoid he hires someone to kill Banquo's son Fleance. Instead Banquo gets killed and Fleance escapes.

Banquos ghost visits Mac Beth at a feast on the same night Mac Beth killed him. As a result Mac Beth starts to act crazy in front of all his guests as well as the Scottish nobility. After seeing Mac Beth acting insane, they began to think it wasn't a good idea to have Mac Beth as king. One of them, Mac Duff, then plots to over throw Mac Beth. After, Mac Beth goes to visit the witches. They tell him that he has to beware of Mac Duff that he is incapable of being harmed of any man born of woman and lastly, that he would be safe only until Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane castle. He felt safe because he knew that all men were born of women and that Forests could not move. But he was still worried about Mac Duff and his plot to eliminate the threat. He found out that Mac Duff has gone to England to work on a plan with King Duncan's son Malcolm. The plan was to attack Mac Beth. He ordered that Mac Duff's castle be seized and that his wife and children be killed. Once Mac Duff found out about Mac Beth and his family's murder he vowed to get revenge on Mac Beth. Meanwhile Lady Mac Beth was feeling really guilty after King Duncan's murder. She killed herself in despair. Mac Beth was devastated but still was confident that he doesn't have to feel scared until Mac Duff, Malcolm, and their army approach with branches cut from Birnam wood. Once they approach Mac Beth starts to encounter a vindictive battle with Mac Duff. While fighting Mac Duff said that he was not born of woman, but untimely ripped from his mother's womb. Mac Duff beheads Mac Beth and Malcolm becomes the King of Scotland. Years later, Fleance becomes King of Scotland next.

Fighting fear in school

        For so long, one word has been taken for granted. That word is Bullying.    Bullying can be described in many different words, terrifying, strong, cruel, and maybe even suicidal.  Bullying is more than just a part of growing up. It is a form of aggressive behavior shown to children who are quieter, shyer, or less outgoing than the bully. Bullying is a form of harassment that would normally involve someone who is older, stronger, or socially powerful upon weaker acquaintances. It often occurs in schools.  Shockingly, bullying can take over someone's life! Knowing about bullying will make your life much easier and happier, and you will most likely not get bullied as often.  

            There are many different types of bullying. The three main and most common forms of Bullying are Verbal, Physical and Relational. They are all very harmful in different ways, but each one of them can make your life miserable. In order to prevent and control bullying, it would be a good idea to understand it a little better.

The first type is Verbal bullying. This type of bullying involves name calling, teasing, cruel criticism, racist comments and much more. It can affect one's self image in emotional and psychological ways which can lead to low self esteem as well depression and other problems. This type of bullying can get to the point where the victim is so depressed, and wants to escape so badly, that he or she might turn to substance abuse. In extreme cases, that could be suicide. Girls use verbal bullying by dominating others to show their strength and power. Boys also use verbal techniques for domination.10 to 15 percent of all students reported involvement in weekly verbal bullying. There are no significant differences between girls and boys in this type of bullying.  In the end, words have a power of their own.  

The second kind of bullying is Physical. Physical bullying involves punching, kicking, hitting, and sometimes choking. You could be walking down the street and someone can push you and ask you for your money, that's physical bullying. In High school, a stronger student can threaten another to do their homework or else they will hurt them, that's also physical bullying.  In elementary and middle schools, 30.5% of all bullying is physical.  Sometimes students would come home to their parents with cuts and bruises on them. When parents ask what happened, the child would often say that they just fell or bumped their head since they don't want their parents to get involved in the problem.  This can cause the child to make up an excuse and not go to school. As a result, their grades can be affected. Research conducted in Canada, Europe and the United States has shown that roughly 10 to 15 percent of students aged 11 to 15 admitted being involved in weekly physical bullying.

This last type of bullying is known as Relational. This kind is more emotional than physical. It involves ignoring, isolating, excluding, and shunning.  There are many types of relational bullying, a few examples are stonewalling or the silent treatment where people ignore each other, exclusion from the group is when a student or person can be cut out from all activities and participation in a group. Spreading rumors and gossip is when children often say things about each other behind their backs. Relational bullying is often tough to notice since it's hidden and not recognizable. It's difficult to determine who is doing the bullying. This type of bullying is a massive problem and its best to try and prevent them. Lastly, developing a strong personality can be the most important element in dealing with relational bullying. If you are capable of feeling good about yourself then you will be less hurt by bullying.

In conclusion, people are encouraged to bullying by the society they live in. Above all, teachers need to inform themselves and the rest of the school community so that together they can develop a policy to discourage bullying. By educating themselves about bullying, parents and teachers have the knowledge to set up effective programs and structures within the classroom and school. Furthermore, by removing the opportunity for children to bully, providing children with a stimulating environment and giving them the tools to deal with conflict appropriately, teachers can reduce children's inclination to bully.

 There are many ways to put an end to verbal, physical, and relational bullying and bullying in general. You can disregard it or stand up to it! In my opinion, bullying is strong but just one person can make a difference. We need to accept who we are no matter what anyone says and step up, so others won't get stepped on! Bullying is a worldwide undeserved issue that has to come to an end otherwise this violent environment will grow larger and larger. Although, bullying will never be fully eradicated and must be dealt with as soon as it occurs, increasing awareness of the problem is making schools a safer and more enjoyable environment in which children can learn.

By: Megan.D

Homework is a waste of time!           

After a long day at school, most students would just want to relax and watch TV or even go to an activity or program. We can't do that if there's a bunch of homework waiting to be finished. Homework is a waste of time! Students should have more time to have fun after school!

After school, students might have a soccer game or piano lessons. They can't enjoy it with the fact that they have homework to finish as soon as they get home. Therefore, the programs, or activities, can end really late, moreover when they get home, they might be too tired to finish the homework. Furthermore, the homework could take a long time. As a result, the students will end up going to bed late. Consequently, that can effect they're grade since they would be too tired.

Everyone knows that homework has to do with what you learned in class. Why do we have to go over the same things again? What if we already understand the lesson? Those are definitely questions that teachers should think about before giving us homework. Above all, students can be losing sleep because they're doing homework on things they have already done before! This must come to end!

Lastly, students might have younger siblings to look after while one of their parents for the family and the other is working late. It would be really tiring to babysit and do homework at the same time, especially if there's a lot of it!

Billy Joel once said "If you are not doing something you love, you are wasting your time!" We have to give up things that are important to us just for homework. This is damaging our freedom!

                                                           By: Megan.D

lent

Lent

Lent is one of the most important events in the Christian calendar. It starts on Ash Wednesday. Lent goes on for about 40 days. During these days, we remember the time Jesus went into the desert by himself, with no water or food. Jesus did this to become stronger. While Jesus was in the desert, the devil came and tried to make Jesus eat and drink. Jesus was strong enough to refuse and continue his journey in the desert. As Christians, it is our job to give up something during Lent. It can be anything, meat, dairy products, or maybe even electronics! It can also be something that you're addicted to. I am giving up drinking pop and using Facetime on my Ipad. Giving up things might not always be easy. In fact, it's a little hard. Some of us find giving up things, that we don't need, hard! Jesus gave up things that he needed to live. I think Lent helps you grow stronger, you gain more self-control!

Megan

Date: Monday December 19th, 2011

The One of a Kind TV show

          Normally when you're on the set of a TV show, you would be told how to act. For "Zoink'd", it's a whole different story! You can have fun whether you're on it or watching it! The grade 7's and 8's all went on an extravagant trip to the studio of the new show, "Zoink'd". The anticipation was killing me! I was really psyched about this trip. As soon as my teacher told us about it, all I could do was scream!

          Have you ever wanted to watch a show that's hilarious but nail biting, kooky but amusing, and absolutely humorous? Just watch "Zoink'd"! "Zoink'd" is a little different than other shows you might have seen. There are kid judges and adult contestants! In "Zoink'd", the contestant must perform their talents for four kid judges. If a judge the contestant's performance, they would pull their lever. Once they pull their lever, a machine would shoot different things out of it like water, confetti, and footballs. After a few contestants perform, we'd take about a 10 minute break.

          The 4 judges on "Zoink'd" were young who each had a different age and personality. Natalie was the oldest judge! She was 14 years old. Natalie was nice and kind, but if she doesn't like your performance, she will definitely zoink you! Next is Wyse, an 11 year old boy who sleeps during class! He's funny but honest! If he thinks your performance was bad, he's not afraid to tell you how bad it was! The third judge was a cute little girl who's around 9 year old and has a name that sounds like Alaska! Her name is Aleksa! Aleksa is a really smart girl and exciting girl who knows if someone really has talent! Last but not least, there's Neal! A 10 year old boy who likes to fence! He might look like a nice, easy going guy but he's actually a hard shell to crack when it comes to judging your performance! The host of the show was my favorite, Adam Christie! Adam was fun to be around and was histaricol when he was off camera! During the break, a man named Josh would come out and entertain us. Josh would go around the audience and ask us to perform one of our own talents. After we perform, he would give us a YTV mouse pad or a whoopee cushion.

          "If you can't be zany, you will be Zoink'd!" That's what Natalie would always say before the contestants would perform. The first contestant was Cam Steele! He did break dancing in a rapper costume! He was good, but not good enough! Cam Steele got zoink'd and eliminated. The second contestant was a magician! Most magicians make someone disappear and the judges were hoping he'd do something different! Sadly, the magician did the most common trick a magician can do, he made his assistant disappear! None of the judges were impressed. The magician got eliminated along with a few other contestants, the crying lady, the whistling lady, and Jropez. After they were eliminated, there were two contestants left to perform, James Murphy and Rob Patterson.

Rob Patterson did a few tricks for his performance. He juggled, then took 3 cups, poured water in one of them, and shuffled the cups around a few times. Next he showed us the cup that he put the water in and the water was gone! The last trick he performed was putting a bean in his mouth and then popping it out of his eye! It was a little disturbing, it was still impressive! Rob made it to the next round. James Murphy was the last contestant of the day. He did an amazing routine that everyone danced and clapped to! The judges loved it and let him move on to the next round. Lastly, they tallied up the scores and the winner is…..JAMES MURPHY! The wonderful prize he won was $1000! The punch line is that it's in pennies.

          A lot of kids, who are my age, would definitely want to watch "Zoink'd". I mean, what more can you ask for? It's got everything a hit TV show needs! Humor, suspense, wackiness, crazy costumes, upbeat people, and a lot of entertainment!  I think "Zoink'd" is going to be a smash hit TV show and a favorite of many!

megans parable and prayer

The parable of the net

Name: Megan

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

Teacher: Ms.Babb

        This parable was about the kingdom of heaven. When fishermen use a net to gather up fish, they would throw the net into the lake. Later they would bring the net back towards them to divide the fish. The good fish go into their buckets and the useless ones get thrown back into the lake. When your life comes to an end, angels would divide the people who are evil from the people who are good.

        The lesson of this parable is, in the life that you're living, you should be nice, loving, respectful, and always pray to god. If you choose to do those things, the angels will decide to put you in heaven. If you chose to be bad, disrespectful, and not pray to god, the angels will not invite you to heaven.

        Dear God,

Help us to make good choices in life. Help us to be kind, generous, loving, and forgiving towards others so that we may rest in heaven peacefully. Show us the way to being compassionate and patient with others.

                                        In Jesus name, Amen

The Teen Ranch Experience

Name: Megan

Date: Friday, November 25, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Babb

      So many of my friends told me about they're trip to Teen Ranch and about how fun and exciting it was to be there. At teen ranch, you do so many amazing activities like, horseback riding, skating, and rock climbing! When our school found out that we got to go too, we couldn't wait to start packing!

          Eating at Teen Ranch was like eating at a restaurant! It was way better then I expected! Everything was delicious, especially the foods I've never tried before like fajitas and sweet potato fries!  For every meal, we would get two servings of food and then desert. Before and after the meal, there would be a different group everyday that does setup and clean up. My favourite food was the spaghetti because I love Italian food! I also liked the soup! It kept us warm when it was snowing outside.

      Having our own cabins was my favourite part of Teen Ranch! They were warm, cozy, and comfortable! I had people in my cabin that I really got close to. They were Alexandra, Victoria, Helena, Kimberly, and Stalaane. We had a lot of fun because there were no adults in our cabins with us. The only parts that were difficult ere keeping the room clean and the shower schedule. Then beds were comfortable but are hard to get used to. I think that the best part of this trip was coming back to a warm and cozy cabin after a freezing cold day outside!

      Out of all the activities we did on this trip, I'd have to say that horseback riding is my favourite! The hors that I rode on was Milly! She was nice, calm, and gentle. The first day we rode horses, we went through a forest. I was scared that I might fall since the trail we went on was a bit steep and rocky. On the second day, we went through some fields. We also tried something new, a trot! A trot is almost like when a horse is skipping. Every time we would do a trot, the person that's riding would bounce up and down.

      The hardest part for me was the night activities because I would feel so tired after a whole day of activities. Even though I was tired, I still had a lot of fun! The first activity was a movie night! We watched "karate kid". The second night, we had a video dance party! I made it to the final round of the dance competition but one of my best friends, Jordan, won!  The third night was the bonfire and dance. During the bonfire, we sat on benches in a forest, told scary stories, and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire. Later on, we had a dance! Some of us brought IPods so we used them for music! 

      3 nights and 4 days seemed really short since everything there was really entertaining. There wasn't a single moment where I was bored! Everyone there was so nice and welcoming! Saying goodbye to them was really difficult. There were so many people I got closer to! Teen ranch was a life changing experience. It's definitely a trip I'll never forget.