Individual projects

they are looking pretty good so far but will we have enough time to finish them all?

in the instructions it says that when you're done with the survey "compare your answers with Attachment Two: Characteristics of All Good Advocates" Did we get the second hand out in class?

jared w

Project

Working with my group to complete our project was fun. We had a good time planting in the courtyard. Hopefully, they will grow =p! Also, the individual project may be a challenge but it will be worth it.

-Kyle

A new political issue today would be weapons.



Rob

political issue

I believe a politcal issue today is terrorism and illegal immigrants.

-Kiera

I think what Cigna is doing is a good idea because maybe it will motivate some of their workers to do community service. While they're helping their community though, i wouldn't really call it community service because they get paid for it and that's not fair. Also, i don't think this is going to get  much work done right now because most of them will either choose not to do it being lazy or wait til the last minute to help out.

-caitlyn

cigna

i think that what cigna is doing should be considered volunteer work because even though the employees aren't doing it for free, the company is giving up millions of dollars pretty much to charity, which can be considered volunteer work. i don't see how it is a bad thing in anyway. i really like that someone up top somewhere is finally realizing where money should go instead of being greedy.

-Constance

CIGNA

I think that cignas plan of giving their employees paid time to volunteer is a good idea. I think the plan will encourage their employees to help the earth and others. Hopefully other companies will be inspired by what cigna is doing and do these things themselves. It is also a greater idea from a business standpoint because this story and what they are doing will bring atention to the company. Then more people will go to this company for goods thinking they are also helping the world and its people.

Jack

Cigna

Cigna giving their employee's 8 paid hours to do service is not real community service. I think that it is good because any amount of hours will help make a difference, but in order for it to be considered real service the person should not receive any pay. On the other hand might have a positive effect on people. Even though these employees will be getting paid, after actually doing to task they might be inclined to become more involved with community service outside of this. This was a very interesting article.

-Jordan

Opinion on Cigna's actions

I think this is a great idea for a lot of reason considering not everyone has a job that they have free time or can afford to lose hours of work to preform service because they need the money to support themselves and their families. In a sense Cigna is really doing the service work by offering their employee's indirectly to other companies/volunteer services that could use their help. It's a more constructive, direct plan of action for performing service. Instead of donating a large some of cash to one or a few organizations and charities, Cigna's employees will spread thier work force to help directly and hands-on with volunteer work throughout the course of a year to preform 200,000 hours of service which is a lot considering an average person who is active in community service does roughly 25-100 hours a year alone.

When looking at the employee's unless this is mandatory, it will be their choice to use the 8 hours or not, and for the ones that do, I highly doubt they are doing it just because they are being paid, don't get me wrong it is probably reason why they will do it if they have never done it before, but it wont be the only reason they decided to do it. It takes time and effort to get a job done, let alone to decide what needs to be done and how it will be done.

If anything this is a new step to get more people involved in service, and the idea of how ''money makes the world go round'' sadly shows that we are approaching an era where money can buy almost anything.

-Isaac

Cigna and volunteer time

I have mixed feelings about Cigna is giving their employee's 8 paid hours to do service.

I think that it is good because 200,000 hours is a lot of time and it will make a big difference. I also think that other companies may see what they are doing and do it also, contributing to a larger number of people doing service. It may also may be very eye-opening for the workers. Someone who has never volunteered before may find that they love it.

On the other hand, I think that it can not really be called "volunteer hours" because they are being paid. My dad goes out every year for comcast cares day, and he takes all of us with him. He is not paid to give up time on his saturday off to clean up parks and paint buildings, but he does it because it is important to give back and be a part of the community. Some people may do it just because they still get paid to do it.

- Tara

Butch

I really enjoyed reading this article. It was amazing how this team kept the tradition of picking him up for all those years. I think its very kind of them to do that for him even with his condition. This article showed team work and also commitment.

-Kyle R

Picking Up Butch

I loved the idea of the teams helping this man who couldn't get around himself. The idea of people literally carrying him to and from games was touching, and teaching him to read was uplifting. I would want to go to a college where they cared about someone enough to do this.

-Mallory

Pickin up butch

i thought the article was very heart warming and it was good to see that a team could help somebody with a disability very easily. In a way it kinda shows what we are capable of as a whole class and that we could help out too.

-Dan

Picking up Butch

Well i finished reading the article and it was pretty interesting. I understand why Mr. Lazarow had us read it. The article showed the process of a team effort for the benefit of another who was less fortunate. It didn't mean a whole lot to me but i understand the point Mr. Lazarow was trying to get across to us.


-DAVE

Glass hallway banner

I cut up the yellow paper into 7 pieces. I brought 6 of them back to school and kept one home to finish myself. I think that 6 people should take them home on monday and complete them to bring in on tuesday or wednesday, and the people that don't do them can hang them up. Obviously this is far past our ideal finishing date, but I still think it's important to get the job done. I wrote on mine "respect your environment: pick up trash, recycle, don't litter"

Hopefully you all will see this post. The paper is in the corner of the room near the door.

- Tara

Picking Up Butch

I found this article to be really amazing. The fact they kept such a tradition alive and how the students feel after there time of service is up is really significant. Also what they have done to help a man with cerebral palsy for so long to do minor things like see a game, eat, reading, and even getting his GED were really nice things to do. The idea that a group of people can unite to keep a tradition alive is something that everyone should be part of at some point of their lives.

-Isaac

Picking Up Butch

I thought that this story was really inspirational. Its amazing that for 42 years this tradition of "Picking Up Butch" has become a normal thing. Since Butch was never able to be a part of a team like this, the way they involve him in the games and help him allows him to feel the sense of camaraderie that one feels as a team member. I can't think of any traditions in our school that involve so many students. However, the soup for the soul event is my favorite interact project, and for the two years that I have been in this school I have been on the committee and worked at the event. My friends and I made soup both years and hope to continue our "tradition" until we graduate.

- Tara

Group Ideas

There's an animal shelter where my friend Maria volunteers. The website is:

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ445.html

-Mallory

Group Project Ideas

My #1 idea was going to the Ronald McDonald House. I have been there before but it was about 3 years ago, but it was a great experience and I would like to do it again.

-Kiera

I believe that social justice is committing any act for another person's benefit because it needs to be done and not for any other reason.

Jared

jordan and i had another idea for our group project. We both care a lot about the beach and want to do something related to it...we were thinking about cleaning it up. We want to save the beach by taking some time to clean it up.

-caitlyn k

Glass Hallway

I found a pretty good website with interesting statistics for the glass hallway project. In my opinion, the statistics should be about littering and trash, since that was what our service learning project was about.

the statistics i think are most effective in catching peoples attention are:

• As of 1992, 14 billion pounds of trash were dumped into ocean annually around the world.
• Americans toss out enough paper & plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.

http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html

-elizabeth

Social Justice

I think social justice is the idea of balancing your own priorities with someone else so that they are almost equal in the sense you are preforming your service not because you want something in return or will receive some form of benefit, but almost as if its part of your own routine. Your service is nothing out of the ordinary but rather its something you enjoy and make habit of.

-Isaac

social justice

i think social justice is doing something good without expecting something back . its doing something because u want to not because u have 2.

social justice

Social Justice

After going over the differences between charity and social justice I was able to conclude that providing what is due without excepting gratitude and that by knowing what you are doing and whyyou do it is social justice.


-Jack

Social Justice

After reading the article Social Justice vs Charity, I was able to create a definition based on what the author had said. The definition goes like this: Providing what is due without excepting gratitude and by knowing what you are doing and why.

-Kyle

Social Justice

I think social justice is doing things just to help out and not get anything in return. Most people doing community service expect an award or something. Also I agree when in the article it says we need to become more like human doings not human beings.

-Kiera

Ideas for Glass Hallway Banners

so, i was just looking around and i found some things such as http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html i liked the one that says: Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S., any other ideas?


-Constance

Social Justice

I think that social justice is providing equality for all. I think that it requires devotion and immersion to establish relationships and put things into perspective. Social justice is not done for rewards, gratitude, or acknowledgement, but because it's the right thing to do.

- Tara

Recognition Ideas

I think it would be quite a superb idea to present our trash cleanup skillz to clubs and such. Other ideas like water baloons, posters and all that hoo ha were also good.



-DAVE

Ideas

I liked both ideas mentioned in class today. I think that to get everyone involved we should do both. We could have some small groups go to the clubs to share our experience. We could also set up some sort of game like a water balloon fight to get people to come hear what we have to say. Since a water balloon fight probably would not work, we could possibly do a scavenger hunt or a trash pick up contest without the water balloons.

- Tara

Spreading Community Service

I liked Lizzie's idea, when we go to different clubs and inform them on what we did and how they can help, that way its more direct. We can probably go to the Interact and Environmental Club.

-Kiera

Trip/Bake Sale Reflection

So as you all know, the goal to go on a field trip and to do a bake sale has been complete!

I had some thoughts on the outcome of these two things. The field trip was ok. The cove or just picking up trash was not the most fun way to help someone out. Maybe if we explored the trail more, it would have been cooler. I do understand that we were on a fixed schedule so our options were limited. That also includes going on a rain day. However, we helped clean up and thats what counts.

The bake sale could have been done differently. But first, my thought on the penny drive was that it was not necessary. Sure it is a good way to collect money, but not for two days. The bake sale was nice however i thought we could have just focused on selling at the main entrance in the morning and afternoon for three days. I think food was wasted due to our other locations.

-Kyle

Recognition

I was fooling around on Google and found a website that has recognition ideas for their volunteers.

http://www.energizeinc.com/ideas/awards.html

-Mallory

Bake Sale!!

I thought the bake sale did very well. My group over at the mac made dat cash! I dont think there were too many problems other than the exesive amount of leftover gatorade. I wonder whats going to happen with that gatorade?


- DAVE

i think that today overall was pretty successful and that it was a great learning experience. although it was not my favorite way to spend hours doing community service, it was different for once which was nice.

Bake Sale

I think that we should sell the leftovers from the morning bakesale in the afternoon. I think this may have been suggested in class, but I don't know if we definitely decided on anything. Also, I think we should put tip jars at the tables. People might drop their change in if they don't feel like carrying it or if they just want to donate!

- Tara

baking recipes

I figured since we're all baking (or some of us buying) cookies and cupcakes and things, here is a good website to get recipes from!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Desserts/Cookies/Main.aspx

- Hazel

Bake Sale

I think the idea of having a morning and afternoon bake sale would bring in a lot of funds if we provide appealing food for the time of the day. I noticed a lot of people planned to make cookies, if a few of those people made more breakfast friendly foods, a morning bake sale would be a lot more successful. I also agree with Tara that we should make sure the dates are well advertised so people are prepared. It might be a good idea to have preset prices for some of the goods so that anyone who plans to buy can plan ahead.

-Isaac

Volleyball Tournament

I found out that the boy's Volleyball tournament is in two weeks on April 10th. The time it starts and ends I am not sure of but I will find that out very soon.

Chris Bejsiuk

Advertisement

I think we should publicize the bake sale and coin collection. We could make posters and flyers to hang up around the school. Also we could see if it could be put in the announcements. If we let people know about our fundraiser then they may bring extra money or stay later to buy something when they otherwise would not.

- Tara

i like the whole idea of putting the change collections in our homerooms but if we were able to put one in every homeroom it would make a big difference. That would be more a lot more change which really adds up... i know it's a bit of  a problem having no one from our class in those homerooms, but we could take turns putting those extra collections out and gathering them at the end of the day. I think we should work out some type of schedule rotating turns for people with different jobs pertaining to the collections so that we all get a fair share of helping out and stay organized.

-caitlyn

These are just some interesting pics i thought would look nice on the jugs

-Kiana S.

Picture for Decoration

I thought it was a good idea to put Palmyra Cove's logo on the milk jugs when we decorate them so i found a pic for us to use of their logo. Click Here. I like the overall idea of the coin collections and I hope the homeroom teachers can leave them out for the whole day so we can get as many donations as possible.

I also was looking through some of the links on the nature park's website and found some nice pictures of owls here. Along with a pic of a canary here.

-Isaac

these are just a few pics i thought would look nice on the jugs

These are just a few pictures i thought would look nice on the jugs

slogans

Here are a few possible slogans that we could use:

"ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!"

beautiful, and peaceful"

"A treasure,

"Palmyra Nature Center...is beautiful!"

"This is a very pleasant environment." -jordan

penny colections

I think the idea of having the jars in the cafateria where you put in pennies into your grades jar to get points and quaters, dimes, nickels, half dolars, dolars and any money into the other grades jars so that they lose points is a good idea. This not only gets money but brings out the competitive spirit in everybody in the school.







--Jack

MS walk at MHS 2010

Hey everyone! Here is the information for the MS walk at the high school

Date: Sunday, April 25th

Time: Registration starts at 9am

Walk starts at 10am

(Rain or shine)

There is a minimum donation of $25 for all participants 12 years of age and older.

Here is the website with all the information. You can also create teams of 5 people for the walk and get donations from family and friends.

http://walkpae.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/PAEWalkEvents?fr_id=13490&pg=entry

I hope to see some of you there!

-Gabbi T

Possible Fundraiser

Sometime last month my sister helped put together a small fundraiser at Palmyra to bring in money for Haiti. They set up a tarp on one part of the wall and floor in the auditorium and had about six teachers volunteer (this school is much bigger so maybe there would be more teachers to help out) for the students to throw whipped cream pies in their faces. At $1 to watch, $5 to throw, and $10 to do a walk-up they made close to $300 in the first day. I think this would be a quick and easy fundraiser if enough people didn't mind being pied in the face.
-Jamie

fundraiser?!

I had an idea in class today about our fundraiser.

Mr. Knight made a good point that there are a lot of us that would be taking part in this fundraiser. So I was thinking...

When I was younger we did a penny drive and each classroom had a jar that kids would put the pennies into. I thought that since there are so many of us, maybe we could get an old milk carton or something and put it in our homerooms so collect money. That way, everyone will have some contribution to the cause and the fundraiser can go on for a longer period of time then a bake sale or something like that. Just a suggestion!

-Gabbi T.

Finally/Fundraiser Steps

First, i am glad we were able to find a place to volunteer at after spending a lot of time sitting and calling and browsing and calling. But, it paid off and now we got a nice place to help out.

If someone does decide to fundraise, these are some steps to take in mind to accomplish it.

1. Set a goal

2. Recruit people

3. Select product(s) (How familiar are others of the product)

4. Promoting

5. Your Good to go!

-Kyle R.

Fundraising Idea

As far as fundraising goes, I think that anything involving food is a good idea. Its the thing that kids will want to buy, especially in the morning or after school. Maybe we can get a donation of a giftcard or item from a store and hold a raffle in addition to the sale. I think if we had a prize and made a ticket only a little bit extra money, students would be willing to pay that extra money since they are already paying.

- Tara

Palmyra Cove

I visited the palmyra cove website to see what we might be doing if we were able to do any volunteer work there. I found a powerpoint on the website that had some pictures of what they do and views from the park :http://www.palmyracove.org/powerpoint/

Also, my brother is very passionate about the environment and he has gone there a few times. He said it was very nice and an awesome place to go for a project like this.

- Tara

Global Youth Service Day

I thought this was interesting, and it's happening next month on April 23-25. It's a Global Youth Service Day where young people across the world participate in service activities, like helping the environment or others. You can plan events and even get funding. For people in the class wishing to do service projects outside of the classroom, they also have a 100 Ways to Change the World list. So in case anyone wanted to do service they could always look here for ideas on how to accomplish something.

- Hazel

It's not really a project but there's a fundraiser for hungry people in Africa called the 30 hour famine. You get sponsored and don't eat for thirty hours. Usually people go do activities while they are in a group for 30 hours. But I'm not sure if that would be a reasonable school project.
- Jared Wisniewski

our service project

Hey everyone. I'm having a hard time finding a place for our project because all the ones that I've looked at won't take as many kids as we have. I don't know if anyone found anything else, but we could also call the county and see if there are places where we can pick up trash or something like that. Just a suggestion!

-Gabbi

I found some shelters and emergency housing that we can get into contact with for our project

http://www.hud.gov/local/nj/homeless/shelters/burlington.cfm

Also i found a soup kitchen in south jersey that we could contact and find out if we can volunteer

http://cskmorristown.org/

-jordan

I know of a nice soup kitchen in Camden called Cathedral Kitchen that has a 4:00 Pm Food Serving Time that I enjoy volunteering at, only problem is that all participants have to be 16 years or older. I was thinking that if we do a soup kitchen our best bet is to look for ones run by churches/smaller organizations because they are likely to be less booked.

-Isaac

http://www.trentonsoupkitchen.org/off-site.php

this is a site for the soup kitchen in trenton. they say then need help serving a mid-day meal between 10:15 and 1:00. This is a good time during the school day. It is also available any day monday thru friday. This would be a great way to help out the community and get to know people.

-elizabeth

Project: Website

I found the same one as Rob and the same information he provided.

http://www.ccasnj.org/volunteer/index.html

Kyle

I found a near by animal shelter in camden. They say that we could help them in the shelter by walking the dogs and cleaning out the cages. Also they have ways were we could help raise money for the shelter itself.

Phone number (856) 401-1300
http://www.ccasnj.org/volunteer/index.html


Robert

Service Project Idea

I think a good organization to volunteer with would be Philabundance. Its goal is to put and end to malnourishment in areas around Philadelphia. It's more along the lines of a food bank project, but I could not find any animal shelters that would take volunteers under 18 years of age.

Here is the link to the volunteer page, where contact information can be found: http://www.philabundance.org/takeactionnow/tan_volunteer.asp

- Tara

project idea

I really want to do something where we can work with children whether it's helping them out with whatever they may need or just spending time with them and keeping them company. If the Ronald Mcdolanld idea doesn't work out I'd still like to do something like that because i would love to make kids or their families happy in some way. I checked out the CHOP website and it mentions being able to do things like reading to the children and starting fundraisers. If we don't get a chance to do them in class i still think it would be a great opportunity. http://giving.chop.edu/site/PageServer?pagename=Get_Volunteer#

-caitlyn k

Idea for class project

I think that we should do something to help people with disabilities like volunteer for the special olympics or start a fundraiser for a specific disease. Also, I like the ideas to do something for the environment and teaching urban city kids.

Jordan

Class Project

I usually visit a soup kitchen once a month in Camden and I have to admit those trips are worthwhile and easy to arrange. It's nice to see how many people you can make smile over a single meal. As for a class project I would like to actually work with some animal shelter because its something I've always wanted to do but never gotten around to.

-Isaac

Class Project

I dont know about everybody else but im down to help some animals for our class project. Im not goin into to detail about it but animals seem like a good idea to me. I mean just think about all the puppies!!


-DAVE

Community Service Project

For community service as a class I would really enjoy going to a soup kitchen. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it seems like it would be a lot of fun. Not only for us but maybe for the people were serving, maybe we could get a chance to sit down and talk to some people. Also a couple of years ago I went to a Ronald McDonald house which was connected to CHOP. It was very sad but I think for some of the kids it took their mind off of their own problems and we as well can learn a lot of those kids.
-Kiera

Community project.

I think it could be a good idea to choose a rehabilitation center for the project. By rehabilitation, I mean alcohol and/or drugs. These people are trying to start a new life but have to withstand many months until they defeat their disease. This means NO FAMILY, and in most cases, which includes their child/children. We could help by visiting them and doing activities. This could be successful because our age may relatively be near the age of their children which could give them the feeling of the importance of family. Also, by talking in groups, we could explain how to go through life thinking of the positives. For example, by staying in a center and avoiding drugs and alcohol, you will have a better life and you will be proud of yourself.

-Kyle

Community Service Project

In my opinion, i think its important to give people opportunities to succeed that may be less fortunate than us. This could be through education, to help them go to college, or through teaching them skills to help them succeed in the workplace. Instead of just giving them money directly, we could give them the skills and education needed so they can make money on their own. Directing our attention to nearby communities like camden and philadelphia is a good start, because there are many people financially unable to learn the skills needed for them to succeed.

-Elizabeth

Change In The World

My Ability to Help Change the World

One thing in the world that I feel can be changed, or at least worked on, is the lack of knowledge in the world. There are some third-world countries, and even countries nearby, which are lacking in teachers. Personally, I love to help teach and work with others. I feel that I have the ability to help others learn, even if it is one person at a time.

-Mallory

Change Something

If I could change one thing in this world, it would have to be violence. The reason being is because I am not found of violence, I am all about peace. You always see killings and attacks because that is what these people first think of. What I would do is try to talk and explain how to go about with the right answer. The answer being there is always another way to handle things. Hopefully, the outcome would be that everyone would treat one another like friends. We are all human after all.

-Kyle

7 Survivors

Although this assignment was a little difficult for our group, we did come up with seven people who we thought should be saved.

The first person we decided to save was Fred Fredrick. We wanted to save him because he has good health, a high IQ, and he can fix and repair things. Also, he has a lot of experience in his field and he also has experience in the Navy. Although his age is a little bit high, we agreed that he would be very useful to the group.

The second person we decided to save was William Gray. This healthy, smart boy would be a great asset to the group. We did take into consideration his age; but we decided that he would be able to easily learn things that were taught to him by other experienced members of the group of survivors.

Third, we saved Bill Waters. Our group agreed that not only is Bill fairly smart, but he is also at a good age for reproducing. He also has experience in welding and heavy construction which will help the group make and carry things if necessary.

The forth person saved was James Stanley, a 43-year-old with a good IQ and good health. James brings to the group experience in the military and successful work experience in farming which will help the group make food to survive.

Fifth, we decided to save Janie Stanley. Janie, although only 13, has a high IQ and is in excellent health. If the survivors had to stay alive long enough to reproduce, by that time, she would be of a young, but good age to do so.

The sixth person who was saved was Martha Gray. Martha is of perfect age to reproduce if needed. Also, her IQ is very high. Her experience with teaching can be useful to teach the younger survivors.

Lastly, we saved Marjorie Blaylock. This decision was tough for our group to decided on. However, we finally agreed that although Marjorie's health is poor, she can use her medical experience to teach the other survivors some basic first aid and other life-saving skills so that the group as a whole will be prepared for any medical emergencies. Also, her IQ is high.

My team as a whole enjoyed this assignment and we also had fun working together.

-Gabbi

Survivors

We based our decisions on the age, health, and education/training of the survivors. James and Janie Stanley, Bill Waters, Gerald White, Martha and William Gray, and Marjorie Blaylock were chosen to remain (and live). Wanda Brice, Michelle Patterson, Ray Wilson, John Davis, and Fred Fredrick were chosen to leave (and probably die).

James and Janie are father and daughter, so we didn't separate them. James also has experience with farming, and was in the military. Janie is in excellent health, and as she ages she can apprentice one of the elders. Bill Waters was kept because he is in excellent health and has experience in construction and welding. Gerald White was kept because he was in the Army and has experience in construction. Martha and William Gray are mother and son, so we didn't separate them either. Martha is young and in good health, while William is young and a genius. Marjorie Blaylock, while in poor health, has medical training which is useful no matter what. Bill and Martha are both at a good age and in good health to reproduce.

Wanda Brice is old and only has training in psychology, which is pretty much useless. Michelle Patterson, though young, has no other distinguishing characteristics. Ray Wilson is old and has experience and training in business, which does no good with the lack of people on Earth. John Davis is middle-aged and is a chemistry teacher, neither of which are very helpful. Fred Fredrick is old and only has experience with electronics, which they are short of after the nuclear war.

The remaining survivors all are in fairly good health, excluding Marjorie, and all have a specific importance that will keep them alive.

-Mallory

Survivor

In my group we decided to keep Wanda Brice, Bill Waters, Michelle Patterson. Martha Gray, John Davis, Marjorie Blaylock, Fred Fredrick. And to kill off James Stanley, Janie Stanley, Ray Wilson, Gerald White, and William Gray.

Wanda Brice is important because she has experience as a mental health case-worker and couseling service. This will be extremely important in keeping the survivor's calm through the coming years. Bill Waters is important because he has construction work experience and welding experience. Michelle Patterson is important because she is an ideal age for reproduction. Martha Gray was also kept due to her age and sex. John Davis is important because John is a good age for reproduction and understands chemistry which will be important when they are topsoil with all the radiation still hanging around. Marjorie Blaylock was kept because she has experience in medical practice. Fred Fredrick was kept because he understands electronics.

The people the were sent off into the wilderness were let go due to being too young, too old, or was not deemed more important in the survival of the human race compared to the other members of the group.

- Jared

Shelter Survivors

For my group it was relatively easy to decide who would stay and who would go when it came to picking out people in this situation. The first thing we looked at was matching each woman we chose with a man in a somewhat similar age range, because after all the most important thing to decide was who would be able reproduce offspring successfully in the future. My group wanted adults in a 19-40 range, so older people (Ray Wilson, Wanda Brice, Fred Fredrick) were eliminated immediately.

Their former profession, as well, played a huge role in deciding a person's fate. Michelle Patterson, although with fair health and a perfect age, was only in retail sales. My group deemed her useless and she was then eliminated. John Davis at first seemed like an excellent person to keep in the group, being an experienced chemistry teacher, but my group members and I had to wonder if he really was the most important. We decided he wasn't worth keeping. Gerald White (army, construction) , Bill Waters (construction, technology), and Marjorie Blaylock (medical) were all kept for their professions.

When choosing who would stay the children became very important. Martha Gray was a person who didn't appear to be valuable, she was a college teacher with a degree in music, but once my group realized that her son William was extremely worth keeping it was decided that a woman and her son couldn't be separated. Our consciences leaned more towards keeping the Stanley's together as well, it's not as if my group was completely heartless. We still treated these names on the paper as actual humans. And James Stanley had 15 years experience of farming, which seemed perfect for the future in keeping these humans alive.

In the end, my group had two grown women (ages 25 and 39), three grown men (ages 43, 35, and 27), a teenage girl (age 13) and a young boy (age 8). All with relatively good health (Marjorie was the only one with "poor") and overall good IQ numbers.

- Hazel Cills

Welcome to the MHS Service Learning Blog!

Welcome, MHS Service Learning students! It's a great pleasure to welcome you to your home on the web--your class blogsite. Ever since we first began using online bulletin boards as a way to converse about literature and writing (all the way back in the early '90's, and please don't feel the need to comment about how long ago that was, or how old you were then), it was always my intent to do the same in my classroom. I have found this format to work superbly to aid you in the work we will do. I have put this space together for the benefit of your academic pursuit--to expand your ability to converse about the topics we will be discussing.

This space is essentially yours to post relevant--and presumably intelligent--comments and questions. Please note the following rules:

1. ONLY students currently enrolled in MHS Service Learning Period 3 may post comments here. This is not a discussion board intended for the world--and each of my other classes has their own blogsites, to which they are similarly confined.

2. anyone who posts must do so with their REAL first name. Any posts found to be made using names other than real (for example, posting using another student's name) will be dealt with according to school disciplinary policy.

3. all discussion will proceed in respectful manner.

4. to ensure that #3 is obeyed, I will personally monitor all discussions on this blog. It's not that I don't trust teenagers to behave in responsible ways. . .oh, wait--yes, it is. I don't. Don't take it personally.

5. Do not expect me to comment on every posting, even if a question has been directly asked of me by one of you. I am much more interested to see whether your fellow students are capable of suggesting viable answers and explanations. I reserve the right to comment when and if I deem it necessary. Frequently, I will allow a discussion thread to continue unabated, in order to bring that thread into class for further investigation.

6. From time to time, if the mood strikes me, I may make a comment or pose a question, or refer you to some additional reading I've discovered. Just because I've done that does not make you obligated to respond. . .at least, not yet.

7. Oh--and, yes, the blog will be a required element of your grade each marking period; that is to say, every RELEVANT, SCHOLARLY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING post or comment you make is worth points toward your end-of-marking-period blog/participation grade. (Yes, I am the ultimate arbiter of what fits those characteristics and what does not). Posts that START discussions are generally (but not always, depending on content) worth more than comments that continue discussions--but be assured that I am expecting each of your to be participating on BOTH sides, as posters and commenters. So make blogging a part of your daily online ritual (along with checking your Facebook and playing World of Warcraft). Check it frequently, and post or comment consistently. The concept of "participation" is now no longer restricted to the classroom walls!

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I also reserve the right to change/adjust/modify/ invent as we go along. (Because I can, that's why!) I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and working with you throughout this semester.

Mr. LAZ