Honoring Our Veterans

This was a week when we paused to remember and thank our Veterans. We especially mourn the loss of one of our own...Sgt. Michael Paranzino, a 2006 graduate of MHS. Sgt. Paranzino, 22, was killed in Afghanistan on Friday, November 5, while serving as a cavalry scout. He had been in Afghanistan for 7 months after serving a tour in Iraq.

As we read about areas around the world that are struggling with oppression we must recall the service that our men and women in the armed forces have provided over the course of our history. Without their unswerving support for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” we would not be the country we are today.

Admiral Wisecup

I am pleased to announce that the President of the Naval War College, Admiral Wisecup, will be speaking to all of the CWI classes on Thursday, November 18, in room 212 during Advisory. This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the highest ranking officers in the Navy. He will speak with you about the mission of the college and the role the international students play. We have several students whose fathers are in the international class. We will work on developing questions you could ask the Admiral.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Our conference time is scheduled for November 22 and December 1. Letters will be going home announcing the details for the conferences. This is a time when all of us can sit down and review what you have accomplished first quarter and make plans for the next quarter. Maintaining the portfolio will allow you to show your parents or guardians the type and quality of work you have been engaged in. As part of our end of quarter activities, you will be writing a letter home explaining the content and skills you have been working on, what you accomplished first quarter, and your plans for second quarter.

Absences

If you have been absent, make sure you take the time to stay after school to find out what lessons and assignments you missed so you can stay current with your work. You have five days to make up missed work. You may also use Advisory time to come by 246 to make up work if you have asked in advance for a pass. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for missed work. According to the handbook, if you are absent unexcused, you may get the assignments but no grade will be earned for the work.

Group Projects

This week you received your grade for the Africa power point projects. I was impressed by many of the projects and from your reflections I learned that many of you enjoyed the opportunity to work in a group and to use technology. Group projects have unique challenges and the presentation I shared with you this week gave you some suggestions for future projects: you must plan, you must communicate, and you must follow the rubric. Groups that took the time to develop a game plan were successful. You have email, twitter, cell phones, Facebook, etc...you can communicate...you have to take the time and make the project a priority.

South West Asia

This week we started our unit on South West Asia, beginning with the map and map quiz. You were given a syllabus so you know what to expect for this unit. Maps are especially important for this region as you see how Israel was carved out of an area inhabited by Palestinians. You need to look at the complicated borders to see how division is further complicated by multiple sections of land inhabited by both Palestinians and Israelis. You can also see how Afghanistan’s opportunities are limited by it being land locked. And you can see the importance of the Suez Canal as a short cut from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

We also read about the “hotspots” around the world that President Obama and his administration must deal with. Of the top 10 areas of conflict, 4 were from the South West Asia region. After reading the article, you had to define the problem and come up with your solution. If you were sitting in the Oval Office and the President asked for your thoughts on the conflict...what would you recommend?

On Friday we spent time on a human rights web site gathering information about refugees from South West Asia and then we watched the presentation “Beyond the Fire” to hear from teens who are war refugees.

We also had our first set of current events for the new quarter. Doing your current events assignment is good practice for the portfolio task we will be doing in early December. The task is based on your ability to summarize and analyze a series of current events. At this point, you should be earning high scores for this assignment. You usually have about one week for the assignment and you have a rubric. Excuses for not doing the assignment include “I forgot” (it is written on the board for the week, and don’t you read the blog?) or “My computer is broken, my printer is out of ink, I have no paper” ( you do not need a computer to do this assignment...you can hand-write the summary and you can cut the article out of the paper or photocopy it). Students who do the current events are usually the students who earn the highest grades for the quarter.

Most classes received the worksheet on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Make sure to read the chapter in your text and complete the sheet so you will be prepared for our activities next week. Periods C and D are getting ready for a debate so you have an additional reading and a graphic organizer. Mr. Young will be leading you in that activity.

Are you watching the evening news or going on line to stream the latest broadcast? It is an efficient way to stay up to date and to build your background knowledge for our class discussions. Be in the know...

Aung San Suu Kyi released

Today brought the good news that the military leaders of Myanmar (formerly Burma) had released human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, where she has been confined for 15 of the last 21 years. This courageous and determined woman has been a persistent advocate for democracy and human rights. Her sacrifices remind us it is not just our uniformed services who must bear the burden of upholding the cause of freedom. We will study her more closely, and the movement she represents, when our studies take us to this region of the world.