May 29, 2014
Finally finished eight grade. Onward to the future…onward to the summer!

Promotion to 9th grade….

The last year of middle-school
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. |
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!


For leadership in the choir!

For most expressive singer in the 8th grade choir!
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:
[First day 8th grade at Jordan Middle School]

Up early to catch the 6:23AM train.

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.
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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 |
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.