Struggle By: Phil Christodoulou

You wake up dark and early,
Hoping for more sleep.
You go to school to be successful,
Yet what you want most can't be taught in school.
The pattern just goes on and on.
Then one day you realize that the naps you take,
along with all the hate,
stops you from expanding.
The breaths you breathe are limited,
You only have one life to do what YOU want,
whatever that is you push for it,
cause in the end not doing what you want,
is full of regret.
And if you're okay with settling for less,
Just remember that you were never your complete best.

Ashes Review by Claire Riley

For the PARCC, I've been reading this book called Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick. So here's a brief summary:

A girl named Alex leaves her grandmother and travels to Michigan wilderness, determined to leave her life that's been contaminated by a terminal brain tumor. She soon meets a young girl named Ellie and her grandfather, when suddenly something crazy happens. Tons of electromagnetic pulses, or EMP's as the characters call them, are sent out all around the globe. Most kids and adults ranging from 13-60 drop dead. Except a few...Some people are left unchanged, and unharmed. Others, however, become the Changed. AKA, this books version of zombies. Smart, agile zombies that is.

Okay, so I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I took this book from a friend. I honestly just forgot to bring a book on Monday so I asked a friend who was still home to bring me something quick. She handed me this, and I ran off to homeroom to begin reading. The little blurb on the back doesn't give me much of a hint as to what the book is about. The first chapter was a bit cliche. Actually, the entire BOOK is cliche. It started off with this poor girl with not only dead parents, but with a brain tumor. She has lost her sense of smell, and is kinda all grumpy about it. Now, just a reminder, this is a girl who literally carries her dead parent's ASHES in her bag with her. As if that's not already a weird protagonist, she also survives this brain-zap moment and gains back her sense of smell. So now, she she this super power where she can smell feelings. I feel like this was just a plot for the author to be able to add more description in his book while keeping the reader interested. It seemed a little too fake too me but I kept reading. 

So she is trying to survive these zombie dogs with this OBNOXIOUS little girl Ellie. She not only hates Alex, but simply refuses to cooperate. Right before this zombie guy pops out of nowhere and almost eat her for dinner, this hunk of a man comes out of no where and shoots the dude! The second this god-like guy showed up and was described, "He was much younger, closer to her age..." I already KNEW there was gonna be a love interest right there. Super cliche. So this Tom guy saves her and cleans her up, and they eventually adventure out of the woods and into civilization. They fight some Changed, and meet some other people. Eventually, Alex gets split from Tom and Ellie, and then finds her way to this town called Rule.

Rule is like this cult like town who doesn't trust younger kids her age because it means they will probably change at some point soon. Although the town "president" guy finds out about her power after she sniffs out his: he can sense feelings and unnatural things through touch. So at this point I sorta figure that there must only be like 5 "special" people with different sense powers, right? 

I haven't quite finished to book yet, but It's interesting to read a book and think about what tactics are used so often in dystopian novels that I can already predict the future. I suppose in the end it isn't necessarily a BAD book, it's just utterly predictable. 

Why Parents/Students Are Refusing the PARCC By Grace Becker

By Grace Becker
This week, students across New Jersey are taking the PARCC test, many of which dread. Of course, like any standardized test, students moan and groan about the approaching days of sitting at a desk for continuous hours of a test that really may have no affect on any aspects of their education. When it comes to the PARCC in particular, many students, and their parents, are refusing to take it. However, this reaction is not uncommon. Students and parents are opting out and refusing this standardized test, many of which have good reasoning. Here are a few reasons why...

1) Emotional Toll On Students- Just like any standardized test, the stress toll on students definitely is a contribution. However, this test is unlike any other due to the fact it comes in a very different format. Completing math problems on the computer while trying to graph, show work, and explain your reasoning, is one thing that does not get easier through technology. In fact, it makes it harder. Learning how to use online calculators and not being sure how to use the symbols given can be very confusing for students and increase stress while trying to complete the test.

2) Less Instructional Time In School- While schools are taking this time for the PARCC to take place, hours of education in class and quality leaning time are being thrown away. The test, taking up the majority of the morning to complete, results in the rest of the schedule being affected, causing class time to be wasted. This time can be used more effectively in the classroom learning the curriculum, instead of testing students on some topics they haven't even learned yet.

These are just two reasons why the PARCC has some major negative aspects. Of course it is up for debate and hundreds of parents across New Jersey are coming together to try and stop this form of standardized testing in their child's school. Is it really as negative as everyone makes it out to be? But is it also providing any benefit to our students either?

Christ-Like Characters in Modern Media by Julia Young

Christ-Like Characters in Modern Media

by Julia Young

In the most recent discussion in class, it was brought up that Simon could potentially mirror Jesus in The Lord of the Flies. To start, like Jesus, Simon was very compassionate and kind. For example, when Piggy's glasses were hit off of his face, Simon gave them back to him... Also, he tried to comfort Ralph when he was in distress by saying, "‘You’ll get back to where you came from…You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway’” (Golding 111). Another parallel between Simon and Jesus would be his intellectual thoughts and understandings of the real truth. Rather than go along with the other boys and fear a physical monster inhabiting the island, Simon proposed that they themselves were the real beasts, he says, “‘What I mean is…maybe [the beast’s] only us…we could be sort of…’” (Golding 89). However when he begins to receive confused looks and doubt he trails off. Just like Jesus, Simon was seen as almost ludicrous for his views; no one believed him, even though what he preached was true. The most similar aspect between Simon and Jesus, however, would be their moments before death. Before Jesus was crucified, he went through solitary mental suffering at the Garden of Gethsemane. Similarly, before Simon was killed, he was faced with the very horrifying experience with the Lord of the Flies. Furthermore, like Jesus, Simon died trying to save the boys; Jesus died for our sins, and Simon died for theirs.
After making these connections, I wondered if other characters I knew could be considered Christ-like figures... And these are the ones I found:

Mufasa from The Lion King

In The Lion King, Mufasa can be portrayed serving as a Christ-like figure. Right from the start of the film, he consistently shows wisdom and insight on life, which is an an attribute that is often associated with the Messiah. Like Jesus, Mufasa also sacrifices his own life for the sake of others-- in this case he is trampled by a stampede in order to save his son. Furthermore, not only does Mufasa provide life lessons for Simba while he's alive, but he also appears in the sky during Simba's 'teen years' to provide even more insight (shown in the picture above). This scene can also be related to Jesus' resurrection.

Gandalf and Frodo Baggins from The Lord of The Rings

Gandalf can be closely related to Jesus in many ways. Throughout the story of The Lord of The Rings, Gandalf serves as not only a prophet, but also a teacher. He guides the dwarves/elves/men on their journey and brings them together to maintain peace. Also, similar to Christ performing miracles, Gandalf is able to use magic and enacts seemingly miraculous gestures. His death also follows very closely with the conditions of Jesus' crucifixion. When faced with his adversary, Gandalf stands firm and sacrifices himself in order to save everyone else.

Alongside Gandalf, Frodo Baggins can also be considered a Christ-like figure in The Lord of the Rings... but in a completely different way. In the Christian faith, although he himself was sinless, Jesus carried the sins of everyone on his own back, eventually dying for these sins at his crucifixion. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo is faced with a similar burden: he was the bearer of the ring, which was created by the greed of mankind.

Iron Giant from The Iron Giant

Growing up, The Iron Giant was one of my all-time favorite movies that I watched pretty much every other week. And just now looking at the relationships between this character and Christ, I can really see the connections. To start off, the Iron Giant essentially comes down to Earth to save the state of Maine during a time of war; this can be related to when Jesus is sent to Earth to save mankind. The Iron Giant also shows attributes of gentleness, kindness, and innocence, which mirror many of Jesus' characteristics. And like most of the characters on this list, the Iron Giant's death is a key similarity between this robot and Christ. The Iron Giant sacrifices himself by throwing himself in front of a missile to save his young boy companion. His death can also be said to reflect the sins of mankind, considering he died through nuclear warfare.

Works Cited

Heard, Sam. "10 Greatest Christ Figures In Film." WhatCulture.com. N.p., 07 June 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

Golding, William. Lord of the flies. Place of publication not identified: Hodder Education, 2016. Print.

Stories of Survival- Josh Williams

Over the past week or two, we have been holding student led discussions in class.  These discussions hold a central question that relates to the novel we have been reading independently, Lord of the Flies.  This book tells the story of a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on a desolate island.  The author, William Golding, portrays the boys fight for survival and their downfall into barbarism.  Subsequently, the six topics that we have conversed about reflect on human nature in regards to survival.  These topics include whether or not it is human nature to be moral and what duty bystanders have to those in peril.  Specifically, the group I was in led a discussion on whether or not there are any actions that can truly be deemed “out of bounds” in life-or-death survival scenarios.  During this discussion, we talked about many different survival stories, including the Donner Party and the Essex, in which drastic measures such as cannibalism were taken.  I would like to share some other survival stories that I found interesting while doing research for our discussion.  In these specific stories, people were able to survive without the use of measures such as cannibalism.

Aron Ralston:

Aron Ralston was mountain climbing at Blue John Canyon in Utah on April 26, 2003.  During his descent, Ralston disturbed an 800 pound boulder that fell and pinned his right arm against the side of the mountain.  He spent days trying to free his arm, but was unsuccessful in doing so.  During this time, Ralston used up his meager supply of food and water, and resorted to drinking his own urine.  He ultimately decided that he would have to amputate his arm.  He spent nearly a day doing so as all he could use to cut through the flesh and bone was a dull multi tool.  When finished, Ralston still had to finish his descent using only one arm.  He was rescued a few hour latter.         

Slavomir Rawicz:

Slavomir Rawicz was a member of the Polish Army when he was captured by Russian forces in 1939.  He was brought to Moscow where he was given a biased trial.  Rawicz was found guilty of war crimes against the Soviet Union and was sentenced to 25 years of labor.  He was taken to a Gulag camp in northern Siberia where he endured a year of harsh and laborious activities.  During a blizzard, Rawicz and six others escaped the Gulag camp and began an over 6,500 mile trek from northern Siberia to British occupied India.  Along the way, the group of seven had to avoid civilization and faced treacherous conditions.  Two members of group died during their journey through the Gobi Desert, and two others died while crossing the Himalayas.  The rest of the group, including Rawicz, were rescued by the British military when they reached India

Ernest Shackleton's Expedition Team:

          Late in 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his expedition team left Great Britain on the Endurance.  The team was attempting to cross the entire continent of Antarctica, traveling through the south pole.  The Endurance became stuck in ice in the Weddell Sea.  The men had no forms of communications and were stuck on the ship.  They remained there for nearly a year before the Endurance was destroyed by the ice.  Subsequently, they were forced to travel across the frozen ocean.  After months of travel, they reached the uninhabited Elephant island.  The expedition was presumed to be dead since they had gone missing more than a year prior.  Shackleton knew that they would not be rescued because of this.  He therefore made the decision to travel 800 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to the Southern Georgia Islands; where there was a small whaling outpost.  Six members of the team, including Shackleton, made the 800 mile journey in a lifeboat that they had taken with them from the Endurance.  Shackleton and his team were able to make it to the island and sent a rescue party to save the remaining men on Elephant Island.  Amazingly, only three men died throughout the failed expedition.    

We would all like to believe that when faced with adversity, we would be able to overcome the feats that lay before us.  However, when it comes to survival, it is not always practical to do so in a socially acceptable way.  Often, it becomes necessary for those near death to break from the norms of society to stay alive.  This means committing atrocities such as cannibalism.  The stories of Ralston, Rawicz, and Shackleton, although heroic, are uncommon.  Much too often, disastrous circumstance lead to tragic stories rather than heroic ones.      

Book Review

Review of Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberley Kirberger

by Hannah Transier

Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul is a book that consists of 101 different short stories from all different people. These stories are about all different things that other people have gone through and what they have learned from it, and it is meant to help you out when you are going though things similar. They have stories about family, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, self-confidence (and things like that), and many that are just funny if you want to laugh.

I got this book a few years ago, but just recently read it all. It was always good to read one of the stories at the end of the day to just help me relax before I go to sleep, and not stay awake worried about something.

The reason I think this book is so good, is because when you read it, it reminds you that there are many other people out there who have experienced the same thing that you may be going through, which can make you feel better if you were upset. And even if you weren't upset, these stories can just make you laugh.

So overall this book was very enjoyable and if you are looking for something that you can just occasionally pick up when you have extra time, then this is definitely something worth getting.

Lord of the Flies, a poem by Liz Ukstins

Lord of the Flies

A Poem

by Liz Ukstins

They started off in a ruined civilization

And now are lost at sea

These children created their own nation

Without adults, they can be free

The boys gather at the sound of a conch

A leader is elected

Soon the boys will become raunch

All except one - Piggy is rejected

What is it about Piggy

that causes others to hate?

Is it his pygmy

or slightly larger weight?

He only wants to help

and always gets shot down

He is see as a useless whelp

Plastered on his face - a frown

Jack simply does not care

and Ralph is too distracted

They may be found ne'er

as they too harshly acted

Who will die and who will live?

That is the question

There will be no peace left to give

and all will end with depression

Will Piggy get murdered

or will he thrive?

Piggy is always unheard

To do his best, he strives

What atrocities are yet to happen?

Will their society become misshapen?

How much time will cease?

Will the hunter become the beast?

Weeknights with Jimmy - Mr. Johnson

An excerpt from a piece that will be published in the 2016-17 Trillium Magazine coming out this Fall:

Family

Money in my family didn’t make its first appearance in the wake of Dad’s Hollywood success; wealth and affluence went back for several generations of the Johnson clan. While my mom’s side made out well enough financially, my dad’s side was made up of home grown patriarchal elites who used their tremendous wealth acquired through entrepreneurship, finance and business to live comfortable, exorbitant lifestyles and bring up children who would never want for anything. And where the men were entitled to their undeserved cut the women married into the families of other members of the American elite, the vicious entitled fortunate sons met at Ivy League schools, not dissimilar from their own brothers. The unions forged between the Johnsons and other upper class families through the bonds of matrimony served to keep the money flowing and the production of the next generation of needy, damaged children moving along. I always believed the bloodline had connections to some iteration of European royalty, the kind consisting only as a figurehead to mask the truly important people. We were old money that only my dad was able to translate into new money via the Jimmy the Mick movies.

But where my entire family on my dad’s side loved the decadence and excess of L.A., it was these exact qualities about the city that drove dad away, across the whole country to a quiet New England town. Despite the expansive continent between them, my dad still made it a point to fly us all out once a year around the holidays to visit, or at least this was the case until his dad passed and he cut off all ties with his brothers and sisters over disagreements over his funeral and the handling of his body. I was around Nathan’s age when we made the trip one year. We were greeted at the LAX terminal by Grandpa’s limo driver, Anju. The whole drive over to his 3 story, 80 acre, in ground pool, and movie complex containing mega mansion, I was playing the green Gameboy Color my parents had gotten me that year for Christmas along with “Pokemon Yellow Version.”

My mom was intent on my putting it away the moment we got to grandpa’s house, claiming my little cousins would be there and were it to get lost or broken she wouldn’t be getting me a new one. Looking back though I think the real reason she was so adamant I put it in my travel bag was so that I wouldn’t find an empty room in the house and play it the whole time we were there, only emerging for fresh batteries, a Capri-Sun and a cup full of mini Oreos. At the mention of my cousins a sickness permeated throughout my concave chest and spindly arms and legs. The game became tainted as each step my Pokemon trainer took through the tall grass at risk of getting attacked by wild Pokemon felt the same way each rotation of limo tires did in bringing us both closer to unavoidable trouble, the only difference was that I had no backup while the little character in my game did.

Even though I was technically 3 years older than Grant, the next oldest cousin, they exploited my smallness and outsider status for their wicked games. Each year I arrived at grandpa’s doorstep experiencing a tidal wave of dread and anxiety, mind set on the horrible, unexpectedly expected prank my cousins would pull on me that year. For how big grandpa’s house was it wasn’t big enough to hide from the unprovoked wrath of those children. I couldn’t even stay by my mom’s side as the moment we got there the kids were expelled from the immediate vicinity of the outside patio for the purpose of “letting the adults talk.” The reality behind our excommunication from the patio was so that our parents could construct fictionalized versions of us and all of our accomplishments, each couple trying to outdo the other in order to make themselves seem like the best parents, having been able to create such a wonderful child. In the best interest of these fabrications, it wouldn’t do well to have one of us waddle on by to the bathroom right through the glass doors behind the patio, clutching the bulky seat of a shit filled bathing suit or laughing so hard Coke spilled from our noses.

The whole time while my dad sat out on that patio with his family, doing his best to participate in the fibbing going on between his brothers and sisters, grandpa would just sit there in his cushioned deck chair smoking Parliament lights. By the way he’d take deep drag after deep drag, taking care to watch each exhalation of smoke descend in tendrils up into the California sky, it seemed like he wasn’t even there. The little acknowledgement anybody at that table paid him made it hard for me to discern whether he had gone mute, lost a lot of himself through his old age or if he was just waiting for somebody to look him in the eye and address him, Simon Johnson, the one who had, for the most part, paid for the cars, education, DUI and possession fines and bail outs, marriages and divorce proceedings, studio apartments and houses. Mom chalked it up to loneliness after his wife died. Dad made no mention of it. So there he’d sit for the last 5 years of his life, face expressionless, eyes hiding behind thick lensed Ray Bans smoking cigarettes and wearing ash stained Lakers T-shirts that held in his gut and displayed his enthusiasm (or lack of something better to do) for a franchise he’d been a season ticket holder for for well over a decade, driving down from the hills to the Staples Center alone, a solitary activity practiced amid the backdrop of thousands of roaring fans. Like many people in my family I don’t think I ever loved him.

Caitlin Scarpa

The Day They Came

Short Story

Introduction

I will always remember the day They came.  The didn’t come without warning, that's for sure.  They made their arrival very clear.  Perhaps something even more terrifying were the days before they came, “The Days Without Mercy” as people have started calling them.  Five days.  Five days of anxiety, confusion, and panic; the feeling of helplessness.  It all started when our children stopped.

Day 1: The Message

It was Tuesday, March 25, 2015.   I was drinking my morning tea in the kitchen, looking out on the garden and the birds.  The tele was on in the living room, playing repeats of “Downton Abbey.”  My daughter, Mae, had just left for school with her girlfriend Emma, and Mikey was still upstairs getting ready.  My husband Sean had left for work early, he just got a promotion as the secretary for the new Chief of Defense, Joan Lozen. His new job requires more work hours, but he makes twice as much as he did before.  I was relaxing before I had to get ready for school.  I teach at my old University in Cardiff, and my first class was in three hours. I was dreading to spend this beautiful day in a cramped classroom.  

I rested my head against the warm window and listened to the soft murmur of the tele in the other room.  Mikey was taking longer than usual to get ready, but I didn’t mind.  He didn’t have to be at school until 12:00.  Without warning, the living room tele sounded a high pitched siren.  It sent an icy chill down my back.  I leaped to my feet and sped to the living room.  A news reporter was sitting on the screen, the look on his face didn’t help to reassure me.  The words “We interrupt this program for an important news report” were plastered on the top of the screen.  My my mind was swimming with questions.  The news reporter was frozen in fear or confusion, barely able to say what he was meant to.  

“P-people of Britain, our children have stopped,” he stuttered.  “All over the world at exactly 11:13, every child on this planet stopped.”  

“Stopped?” I whispered to myself. There were clips appearing on the screen of hundreds of children standing in a schoolyard.  All of them, looking straight forward, mouths wide open.  A shrill scream echoed from their mouths. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was right out of a horror movie.

“Everywhere, Britain, the U.S, Asia, Africa, everywhere!  Every single child! The children have stopped,” He repeated. “These are live clips of the children of earth, all over the world, frozen in a scream...”  

I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing, I almost didn’t believe it.  The screaming didn’t even sound human.  But then a sudden realization struck me; Mikey.  I bolted up the stairs.  I felt sick after what I had just seen.

“Mikey!  Michael!”  I screamed as I ran up the stairs and into his room.  As I reached the door I could hear a shrill scream.  My heart dropped and a spike of adrenaline shot through my veins.  I threw the door open and ran to my 6 year old son standing in the middle of his room, screaming.  The overwhelming feeling of panic flooded my system.

“Michael! Mikey? Can you hear me?  Mikey!”

I was shaking him fiercely, trying to get him to snap out of it.  After about thirty seconds the screaming stopped. But it was replaced by something even more chilling. Mikey still glared off into space, not moving, not blinking.

“ We. Are. Coming. We. Are. Coming. We. Are. Coming....”  These same three words repeated from Mikey's mouth for what seemed like an eternity.

“Who’s coming?  Mikey answer me!”  He wouldn’t snap out of this trance.  After I realized that shaking and screaming at him weren’t doing an good, I ran down to the tele.  Maybe the news had an answer.

As I reached the tele, there were already new clips of the children, all saying the same thing, “We. Are. Coming.”  

“Everywhere!  In every country, every child is repeating the same words ‘We. Are. Coming.’  The British government is trying to find an explanation...”  I couldn’t hear what he said after that.  All of my senses seemed to blur.  I made my way back to Mikey, hoping that he had finally stopped.  He hadn’t.  He looked like he was possessed.  I just sat on the floor, shaking with fear.  I looked down at my phone that I didn't hear ringing.  I had 17 missed calls, 16 from Sean, one from Mae.  I quickly called Sean back, barely able to get any words out.

“Sean!” I croaked. “Sean...Mikey!...Stopped...”

“Amy!  Calm down, is Mikey okay?  What about Mae?”

He seemed very clam, but I could tell by the shake in his voice that he was just as scared as I was.  I took in a deep breath.

“Mikey stopped.  He...he...looks possessed, saying ‘We are coming,’ just like the news said. And I don’t even know where Mae is, and...”

Before I could finish this thought the room suddenly got quieter.  I realized Mikey had stopped.  I threw the phone on the bed and swung my arm around him.  He was no longer staring at the ceiling, repeating the same three words.  He was Mikey again.  I started bawling my eyes out, relieved that my little boy was back.

 * * *

Sean was sent home early, along with the rest of Britain.  Everyone was home with their families, trying to understand what had just happened a few hours before.  Everything had calmed down for the most part, we were still a little bit shaken from the past events, but we were getting better.  Mae was sitting on the couch holding a cup of tea close to her chest, Mikey was sitting on my lap, and Sean was hunched over the computer, trying to find some answers.  We were all watching the news, which didn’t help much.  It was just a bunch of reporters repeating the stuff we already know.  

I went to Sean to see if he had found anything.

“Find anything helpful?” I asked.

“Yeah, actually.  Apparently, every child in the world had repeated those same words in unison, all in English.  Children in Taiwan, India, Spain, everywhere.  There are videos all over the internet.”

“Mum...” Mae was still in the living room with Mikey.  “Mum, it’s Mikey...he’s...”

Sean and I looked at each other and ran to the living room.  Mikey was doing it again, staring at the ceiling, not moving, not blinking.  Within a few seconds he started saying it again.  Sean and I fell to our knees trying to snap Mikey out of the trance.  

“We. Are Coming.  We. Are Coming.  We. Are Coming.”

His words echoed throughout the house, over and over again.  

“We. Are Coming.  We. Are Coming.  We. Are Coming . . . Back!”  And with that Mikey stopped.  

* * *

That night, Sean and I got no sleep, we stayed up all night watching Mae and Mikey, making sure nothing strange happens again.  We all "slept" in the living room, I wouldn’t let anyone out of my sight.

This whole thing made me feel so helpless.   I felt so vulnerable, like someone was watching me.  I just wanted peace; I just wanted my little boy back.

End of Day One

To Be Continued...

Inspired by the hit TV show, Torchwood.  This is a story retold in the perspective of a mother, with her family being in the heat of the matter.

Evan Silberstein

The Superego in Lord of the Flies

            In Lord of the Flies, Piggy is presented as a fat and annoying character. He always seems to be getting pushed around and is always frustrating someone else. Is it because he is just such an easy person to pick on? No. In fact the only reason Piggy tends to get picked on is because he is the ONLY morally-sane person on the island. Piggy would be known as a superego. A superego uses lessons taught by his/her parents and teachers to help them come to a moral decision (not realistic). Piggy clearly shows this when he is always asking for the conch to speak. Instead of shouting like everyone else, he wanted to get the conch so he could talk. He was most likely taught to listen by his parents/teachers and was told to wait for your turn. However, the superego cannot make rational decisions. This is why he is pushed around. While everyone is getting rid of morals in order to survive, Piggy tries to keep his morals and stay alive. By trying to keep his morals, Piggy's ideas are instantly shut down, making his survival on the island just as hard.

What is The Beast?

Beelzebub depicted I'm  Collin de Plancy's dictionnaire in 1825

This same photo is on the cover of The Lord of the Flies

What is The Beast? A rather vague question that can have many different answers. Throughout out the novel The Lord of The Flies by William Golding my personal view has changed drastically. I began thinking that the beast was only the wild imaginations of the littluns (the smaller children on the island) getting the best of them in a foreign place. At this time I felt very little of a threat from The Beast. As the story progressed and the children became more barbaric, I came up with the conclusion that instead of being the wild imaginations, I now believed that the Beast was the self conscious fear of all the children and what they were becoming. This was backed up numerous times, such as Jack shuddering at the image of gore going through his head after his first kill. Even Simon agreed that maybe the beast was real, and it was them. On the topic of Simon, I would like to transition into what my new views of the book are. I now view the book to be an allusion to the biblical stories of heaven and hell with Simon being a figure of holy stature as an angel, or even the great prophet Jesus Christ. Further into the story, the boys begin to form separate tribes. One with the hunters, and the other with the other boys. Simon happened to accidentally witness a pig hunt of the hunter tribe and saw the brutality, and the enjoyment of the other boys. He then witnessed them saw off the head of the pig and hoist it onto a stake. This became the Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies is also the name of one of the seven princes of Hell Beelzebub. Simon witnessed this and it broke him. This part of the book showed that god is no longer with these boys for they have become too menacing and barbaric for even him to protect. This was the point of no return for the boys. Going back to the Lord of the Flies he mentions that he IS The Beast which got me thinking that the Beast was Satan who has taken control of the island and in this case, Hell wins over Heaven as soon as Simon is murdered. I believe that The Beast is Satan because Satan is able to transform to fit the best fear for his victim or victims in this case. He was at first the creepers, then a giant squid, and then a dead paratrooper atop a mountain who was slouching in a strange position. I believe that these kids are not entirely at fault for their actions solely based on the reason that Satan is discreetly trying to corrupt the kids, and he is succeeding.

What is The Beast?
By Luke Romano

Scientific Debates By Mrs. Kopp

During the last unit, students were required to choose groups and participate in a debate on a scientific topic.  This was prompted by our reading of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the question of whether or not scientific advancement is always worth the risk that comes along with it. 

In order to perform well in this debate, students had to work together, conduct a good amount of research, and delve into a topic that they might otherwise be completely unfamiliar with.  Topics included GMOs, genetically modified embryos, animal testing, and the possibility of selling organs.  In addition to using research and collaboration skills, students were also able to flex their public speaking muscles in this verbal battle.  

When students were at the debate podiums, they were allowed to receive help from their teammates, but they could not speak to one another.  Many teams used the Google Doc chat feature to feed facts, direction, and encouragement to their teammates. 

In the end, every single team did a fantastic job!  They were well spoken, well researched, and determined to win! Plus, they looked very professional.  This is one of those assignments that takes so much work, but the benefits are amazing! I'm so proud of these kids!