The English department at Big Sandy Public Schools is off to a great start for the 2022-2023 school term. Grades 7-12 have all completed the first quarter during which the students have been challenged to write the following: short stories, summaries, persuasive essays, informational essays, expository essays, cause and effect essays, compare and contrast essays, and personal opinion reviews, all while learning the extreme importance of proof-reading.

Mrs. Ray is very pleased with the progress the students are making, even though they are still working on a plethora of pesky punctuation problems (note the “alliteration”). All levels are increasing their vocabularies through a fine workbook series. Additionally, the juniors and seniors have been working on their spelling by studying the “100 most commonly misspelled words in the English language” that are widely used. As an example of irony, the word “misspelled” is on the list!

Everything that has been covered in each class thus far has been a step toward making each student realize the power of the written word -- the importance of being able to think critically, followed by the ability to express accurately those thoughts in sophisticated writing. Classes will continue to hone their writing skills through the end of the school year.

This second quarter will find the students moving on to public speaking and the study of poetry. Original ideas, ranging from political issues and dress codes to current events and personal hurdles, are still being covered and will now be orally presented. Students will be coached in how to use note cards, a microphone, a podium, as well as the importance of good eye contact, vocal projection, and appropriate body language. The expectation is that the students will become more comfortable with the power of the spoken word.

Reading a multitude of poems in various forms from free verse to sonnets to odes to song lyrics, while learning about the meter, rhyme scheme, and figurative language techniques used in a wide variety of poetry, will help the classes with their own creation of poems. The eighth grade class is the first to pen an original poem this quarter, and their initial attempts indicate they will have a very productive nine weeks. Hopefully, all of the classes will rise to the occasion, even if poetry is not their cup of tea.

All in all, the classes are moving forward, even with all the non-academic interruptions that every school faces. As a whole, the students are a credit to this little town: they are bright, well-mannered, attentive, hard-working, and quite responsible. Those characteristics translate into success in the English classroom.

Spur

By Karter Jurenka

How great a dog you were.

How special you made everyone feel.

The best dog ever

That deserved the best meal.

A dog who a great past.

Biting steer’s ankles with dad,

Getting ovations for his work.

The day we lost you will always be sad.

You had few fears,

Only fireworks and thunder.

Being funny for us

Always made us wonder

The ways you’ve impacted me,

Will never let me forget you.

There will be many things I do,

That will be dedicated to you.

Freedom

By Quinn Rodewald

America the land of the brave, free, and intelligent

The land of petitions, assembly , and freedom

America, like a lion, king of the jungle

Powerful like a gorilla

America full of righteousness and patriotism

We have the right to bear arms

The right to defend ourselves with speech

America is strong and free

We can find a level of safety in our house no other country has

Have a right to a fair trial in a time of crime

The ability to vote no matter what race or ethnicity

The country I love---America

The Chippewa Cree

By Warren Hartley

The Chippewa Cree lived in the land of the free

Other pale-faced men lived in the land across the great ocean

Their forefathers were also Chippewa Cree

Then the pale-faced men came to their land and took their men.

The Chippewa Cree didn’t live in the land of the free

The pale-face told them to leave their beloved land of the sun

The Chippewa Cree fought for the land of the free

They lost the land of the free-long live the Chippewa

The Dock of Long Ago

Jaxon Jones

As I walk down

To the dock of long ago,

It brings back many memories

Of fireflies aglow

Of beautiful bright lights,

Shining in the sky

Like an angel from heaven

Descending from on high

But as I stand there remembering

The dock from long ago

I know that memories

Will disappear with the falling snow

The Leaf

By Jake Carrell

As I descended from the tree I thought about my life, it wasn’t much

I just hung there-watching cars going by

Now something has changed

I am happy the way things are

Now

I would hate to be the tree just standing there all its life to eventually get cut down

I am happy the way I am

Back then I would have loved to be the tree

Then

I know eventually I will lose my color and get raked up

But I am happy things have changed

I wish I would have been wishing for this instead of being the tree

Thins just can’t get better

Now

Wonderland

By Samantha Bjornestand

As your grandma asks you to sit down

And listen to the stories that have been passed for centuries

As she talks you eyes wander and your thoughts drift.

After a while your hearing fades back in

You hear her asking “are you playing attention

You nod your head and drift back to

That Wonderland

While she finishes the story your eyes fade back to her

And you thoughts clear

Now you wished you would have listened Now that your grandma has passed

And you look back on this memory

All you see if your grandma and that wonderland

Trust

By Harley Labuda

Trust is something that is earned

It is possibly the hardest thing in the world to learn

People will hurt you and lie

And some people will always deny

Trust is very sacred

And breaking it can cause hatred

You’re lucky to get a second chance

Sometimes it’s like you’re in a trance

You may never be ready to commit

You may feel the need to quit

Once you get through the rough part

Try your best not to restart

Success to Me

By Elaine Weaver

Success to me is working my hardest

Loving what I do

Having passion

And achieving the Goal

That’s Success To Me

Success to me is loving the people that care

About me

And supporting what they Love

But knowing they’ll be honest with me because they care about me

That’s Success to Me

Success to me is finding the Joy

In the darkest times

And savoring each moment of Life

While having feelings of great Pleasure

That’s Success To Me

Spring Fields

By Joshua Hagen

As I walked outside I felt a nice cool breeze on my side

I felt the wind inviting me to be its guide

I could feel the cold wet grass as I watched a car pass

The happy weather brought a lot of cheer

And a bunch of animals like birds and deer

I could see the dew glisten in the sun

And I knew this season would be full of fun

I couldn’t look at it all

Because I heard my parents all

As I walked inside my parents laughed and cried

That the snow was gone

And a new season had been turned on