Monday, May 22, 2017

CYT North Idaho: The Casting Process





Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Science Olympiad

This year, I joined the Salem Middle Science Olympiad team. It is a club where we explore science topics and compete against other schools. We didn't make it to states, but I think we still did really good. I competed in three events: Wright Stuff, Rocks & Minerals, and Duck Tape Challenge.

Rocks & Minerals: 
In this event, my partner and I studied beforehand about different attributes of rocks and minerals. Such as the luster, hardness, streak, etc. When we got there, we would go around to different stations and answer questions about rock specimens. I was extra proud because I had the most trouble with this event.

Wright Stuff:
Wright Stuff is and event where with a partner you would build 1 - 2 monoplanes. You had to come in with a flight log, and your airplanes with the correct parameters. My partner built one plane, and I built another. The average speed of my plane was about 4-5 seconds in the air, and my partner's plane averaged about 5-6 seconds in the air.

Duck Tape Challenge: 
This was an event where you didn't do any prepping beforehand. You came into the event, were given duck tape and some pieces of paper, and had to build whatever they told you to. This year, my brother and I (who was my partner), had to build an arch. We ended up placing 2nd in this event! I think the most important thing I learned was to not spend too much time planning and go with your instincts.

One thing I am planning on doing next is trying out some other events, to see which ones interest me the most.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Black Death

In Social Studies, we are starting to learn about the black death. This is sort of a grim topic, but I do find it very interesting. The black death didn't start because a human got infected, it started because a rat got infected. Then, a flea caught it and spread it to humans. Some of the side-effects of this would be tumors, and black patches on the skin.

Because there were very little advances in modern medicine, most of the remedies were quite ineffective. From simple charms and herbs to very severe remedies that actually did a lot of harm instead of good. One of those severe remedies was where they forced the patient to bleed an extreme amount. This was in hopes that the sickness would "bleed out" along with the blood. You can obviously tell that this didn't work whatsoever.

There were other side effects, but they were more social than medical. Some people would just go through the streets and do what they please. Such as stuffing themselves with food, because they would tell themselves "what does it matter? I'm going to die in 2 days anyway". Others became very closed off until their death, not leaving the house and barely having any social interaction. But no matter what, you would become a social outcast. Nobody would go near you or talk to you what so ever. 

Monday, February 20, 2017

Someone Named Eva: Character Traits

In Language Arts, we are working on a historical fiction book study. My book is called Someone Named Eva. When we first meet the main character Milada (who's name changes to Eva later in the story), I immediately thought of her as a courageous girl who fights for her beliefs, and the people she cares about. Later in the story, when she goes to school we see her as a very obedient student. Even though she doesn't believe with some of the things she is taught, she stills works hard and obeys her teachers' orders.

Some of the other characters we meet such as her parents, grandmother, and older brother we notice how her family is passionate about their beliefs. After Milada goes to school, she starts to forget her past. All these new things she is learning are taking up most of her brain. Her grandmother has told her many times "Remember who you are Milada". Even though she is forgetting, she is also determined to not fully forget her origins. That shows some determination that she has, even as a young girl.