Category Archives: 8th Grade

The last year of middle-school

Jordan Middle School Drama 1A Showcase

May 16, 2014 @ 7:00 PM

Program

“Slightly Left of Paradise” by David S. Rayne performed by the 7th & 8th grade students of Jordan Middle School.

Sabrina……………………………………..Ria V.
Lydia………………………………………..Amelia S.
Helen………………………………………..Ada U.
Barb…………………………………………Iris B.

Seasons of Love: A Spring Pops Concert @ Jordan

May 13, 2014

A musical performance by the Jordan Middle School Choral Program.  Amelia received two awards: the Jordan 8th Grade Choral Leadership And Outstanding Choral Musician Award and the Jordan Choral “Expression” Award.  Congratulations!

8th Graders
8th Graders

 

Choral Leadership Award
Choral Leadership Award

For leadership in the choir!

Expressions Award
Expressions Award

For most expressive singer in the 8th grade choir!

Divergent: A Movie Review

Date Seen: March 23, 2014

 

 

Title: Divergent

 

Main Characters:

Tris (Beatris Prior): A sixteen year old girl, born into the faction of Abnegation (the faction for those who blamed human evil on selfishness), who transfers to the faction of Dauntless (those who blamed evil on cowardice and weakness)

Four (Tobias Eaton): The Dauntless initiate training instructor, of whom there is little known about.

The Story:

Divergent, set in post-apoctalyptic Chicago, is comprised of a society of five factions, or groups of people bonded together depending on what they thought was the reason for the war that destroyed the rest of the world.

Abnegation, the faction that the heroine of this story, Tris, was born into, is the faction of the selfless.  They wear plain clothes, eat plain food, and are only allowed to look in a mirror once a month, to demonstrate a lack of obsession about their personal selves and a devotion to the good of others.  Abnegation runs the government of Chicago, as they are concerned only for the good of the people and others.  Amity, the second faction, is the faction of the kind and peaceful, for those who blamed violence on human failing.  They wear bright clothes, and are all cheerful and jolly.  They produce food and farm for the rest of the population.  Candor, the third faction, was created for those who thought lies and dishonesty was at fault.  Their most important rule is to always tell the truth, no matter how painful, and they wear only black and white, to show that the world is only good and evil, truth and lies.  Erudite, the fourth faction, was made for people who blamed idiocy and unintelligence.  They are all incredibly smart and well educated, with blue as their faction color.  They are the inventors of the serum, which is a chemical injected into your neck with transmitters in it that allow people to view what’s happening inside your head, as well as test your aptitude for which faction your personality is best suited for and as shown in Dauntless initiate training, to force you to confront your darkest fears.  The last faction is Dauntless.  Dauntless train themselves to overcome fear and weakness, first weakness of the body (physical combat, knife throwing, self-defense), then weakness of the mind (using serum to overcome your fears, to brave them).

Tris is sixteen, and it is the day before Choosing Day.  When she goes in for the Aptitude Test, administered by a Dauntless woman by the name of Tori, she is told that she must pretend the serum made her sick, that what her aptitude was got messed up.  She finds out this is because she is Divergent, something considered evil by Erudite and the rest of the factions, and that if anyone found out she would be killed.  With this in mind she goes home and deliberates which faction is best for her.  On Choosing Day, she symbolically cuts her palm and sprinkles her blood over the coals that represent Dauntless (and enforce the motto Faction before blood), and begins a new life in her new faction.

Likes:

 

Dislikes:

Oakland School for the Arts 2013 – 2014

Starts: August 26, 2014

Ends: June 2014

First Day of Eight Grade
First Day of Eight Grade

August 26, 2013

Up early to catch the 6:23AM train.

8th Grade
8th Grade

August 29, 2013 (Thursday)

Dance was even better than yesterday.  The school has a very strict absence policy now.  There’s no longer an excused absence, all absences are unexcused and affects the grade.  The Dance emphasis has a 4 absence limit before it starts bringing your grade down.

 

August 30, 2013 (Friday)

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Exp Course Teacher Subject
1(M-F) SOC008 Shaw, Arlyle Social Science 8
2(M-F) COR003 Thaggard, David Core Connections Algebra
3-4(M-F) DAN107 Savage, Reginald 6-8 Middle School Ballet
5(M-F) DAN108 Savage, Reginald 6-8 Middle School Contemporary Dance
L(M-F) LUNCH Jones, Loretha Lunch Period
7(M-F) ENG008 Guerin, Laurice English 8
A(M-F) ADV600 Savage, Reginald 6-8 Dance Advisory

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 25, 2013 (Friday)

Amelia withdrew from her studies at OSA to transfer back to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD).  The daily commute had become to hard on her.