A New Investment

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Screenshot of my spreadsheet

This year in the sixth grade, my school is teaching financial literacy through stocks and investments. To start out this project, we learned how to make a spreadsheet for calculating the money that we gain or lose through our stocks. Next, we were able to choose up to six public companies to invest in. We were given 20,000 fake dollars, and not a fake cent over. The person who gains the most money from their stocks in about 3 months is declared the winner and given a prize, which will probably be some candy of sorts. Not only will our class be doing a fun project, but we will be learning how to invest and keep track of our money, a valuable real-life skill. It seems like this project could be in a math class,  but it will be a fun change to our usual book annotations, and I am excited to see how well I will do. If you want updates, please tell me down in the comments. I would like some updates too, so please tell me how the other students are doing and how I would fare. That candy is looking very, very tempting.

Sustainable DA!

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This last Friday, our school had a sustainability-forward day. Durham Academy trudged through rain and shine to plant trees in Hillside Park. My school partnered with Keep Durham Beautiful to help this tree depleted park have better air and water quality and extra shade.

Going into the history of Hillside, this place was the first high school in Durham to educate black students in 1922. Before, all education for black students stopped in junior high at Whitted. Hillside Park was also home to the Algonquin Club, which was a social club and community center for black residents. This club hosted tennis tournaments, and the famous Athena Gibson even played there. The Algonquin Club also held meetings for the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, which is now the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. After 1964, this park turned into more of a recreation center and is still located at this historic place. Overall, this is an important place for the citizens of Durham, and it is an honor to help and improve it by planting trees.

Adding on to planting trees, the 6th grade made videos that will soon inform the middle school about topics like safe water, air, and tree deforestation. My group talked about reasons why trees may struggle to thrive. Who knew that a few little bugs could ruin the growth of a young tree? I believe this knowledge will lead to action, and this was an important day. Tell me what you learned in the comment box, or what you think about this day. Thank you for reading and learning with my school and me!

I’m Finally Free! (It’s a Snow Day!)

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Image by me

At my school, they love to have the least number of snow days in the area. They enjoy telling our students to get off the ice and go to class, but today, after 5 inches of snow, they finally give us a break. All I have to do is write this blog post, and then I am free to go. I’ve already made a igloo that can hold three people, made a jump, basically a death trap, that has broken someone’s clavicle, and all there’s left to do is bask in the overall happiness that I don’t have to wake up a 6:30. Yes, of course, there is also this post to write, but by the time someone’s read it, I’ll be finished. I really do hope we get another snow day tomorrow, but for now, I might go work on the igloo I put up on top. Please tell me if you would want to see that killer jump down in the comments.

A Hunger Games Must Read!

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Suzanne Collins

Sci-fi

Calling all Hunger Games fans! I know that you have wondered about how this evil Snow came to be. How could he have come to the very top, besides Finnick’s daunting fact? I certainly have. This prequel of the Hunger Games is placed in Coriolanus’s childhood, somehow featuring Snow as the hero. He grew up always hungry, but fed on the pride of his family’s royal name, determined to live up to it and make the family proud.

Snow was always a great student, and this year the good, or wealthy, students were put to the task of mentoring the new tributes. Snow had the opportunity of mentoring, but because of his poverty, he was put to the task of the district twelve girl. He grew a connection with the girl and began to care deeply about her. Could Snow be able to put his feelings aside when she is thrown into the arena? Would that even be right? What is right in this capitol? You only see this, soon, terrible man realize his future in the end, and the steps he took to take power.

This book makes me see Snow in a new light, but still not a bright light, and I can see the events that shaped him into the evil president. You can really see his values show as he grows as a character. There is also an incredible amount of connections to the series in this book, and I love to just realize them. There are some overlaps in Snow’s and Katniss’s lives, and even more so in Sunrise on the Reaping, the book placed in Haymitch’s perspective. I love these a-ha moments, and they make me love this book even more.

Even more than the connections, I see how Collins slips little pieces of his values and character into even the smallest of actions and thoughts. When Snow thinks of putting his greed above others, he realizes this, but still contemplates the idea. Greed can get the best of people. You will always be wondering if it will get the best of him. Every single page. I love this as well, and this makes you want to read more.

This book, at least for me, is so interesting and an amazing read. Even if you don’t enjoy it as much as I do, Sunrise on the Reaping will be so much better, and it is so worth it. This book is 5 stars.

After reading this novel, please tell me what you think. Does it feel slow to you (like my friend), or just right (like me)? Put it down in the comments.