THE WORM 

from Hunter

 

Last Tuesday my fellow classmate and I had a rather interesting start to the day in which we started with the dismantling of a worm. There is nothing better than starting the day off by dissecting an eight-inch earthworm. Usually I smell a fresh pot of coffee or a freshly baked batch of muffins but not that day. Soon enough the smell of worm engulfed the entire room I were working in. As I began slicing the gut of the worm I imagined I was cutting into a steak from Ruth Chris after winning a bet with Brandon Davis, unfortunately this was not the case. After gutting the worm like a taxidermist I felt I had had just about enough. My job was done and I was no longer hungry. What a fun class.

 

 

 

from Aaron

 

This week, Coach Newman talked to the students about the importance of being efficient with our work. He talked about the 80/20 rule which states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. The students discussed the importance of cutting back the time that you allow yourself for assignments in conjunction with Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s Law says that the importance of a task will swell if you allot less time for the assignment to be completed. Coach Newman taught a valuable lesson about keeping someone’s gaze while talking with him or her. He mentioned how important this ability is once the students begin to interview for jobs and meeting important people.

 

On Wednesday Coach Newman made a follow up visit to ATA College Prep. Coach Newman reviewed what was discussed on Monday, and discussed with the students about moral compasses. A heated debate raged when the discussion of whether there was any situation in which killing and eating other human beings was considered right. One student said that this was never okay, but other students said that if you are in war, or if it were for survival, they would consider it okay. Coach Newman then discussed the importance of scholastic honesty, and how this applies to not only school, but life and athletics as well.

 

 

 

 

 

The ATA creek is rising and brimming with fish. Coach Doug takes a break on a sundrenched day to try out his new pole.

 

 

 

 

Meg and Molly at the creek.

 

 

      

 

 

Meghan, Molly and Grace get creative with a little paint and an old picnic table.

 

 

 

from Ms. Summer

 

What a great few weeks we have had… lots of great learning and fun activities.

 

Eighth grade science students continued the chapter on plate tectonics. We discussed the different types of plate boundaries and which type cause volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountains. The girls started a project predicting locations of active plate boundaries based on volcanic activity and earthquakes. They are going to plot the researched activity on a world map using longitude and latitude, then use this info to predict where there is plate tectonic activity. We will then compare this map with current plate data to see if their predictions are true.

 

Algebra 1: This week we worked with the quadratic formula and the discriminant. I taught the girls a unique way to help them remember the quadratic formula. They sing it to the tune of pop goes the weasel. It pretty much guarantees they will remember it forever. This week concluded our section on quadratics (adding, subtracting, multiplying, factoring and solving). They will take a test on Tuesday.

 

 

Biology 1: This was a fun week in Biology. We concluded our section on arthropods and learned about echinoderms and invertebrate chordates. On Thursday we dissected an earthworm successfully. We were able to observe many organs: esophagus, crop, gizzard, hearts, seminal vesicles, seminal receptacles, and semen duct. Both Hunter and Meredith got to cut the worms skin and pin it back to expose the internal structures. An exam over invertebrates on Tuesday will be followed by the dissection of a crayfish on Thursday.

 

 

 

Landon explores water pressure during Physics lab.

 

 

 

from Landon

 

The students of ATA College Prep participated in a Film Analysis seminar. The two movies discussed were part of the western series: Unforgiven and High Noon. The topic of Unforgiven and gun control was assessed. Many of the students agreed with the statement that the movie advocates gun control, while a few believed the movie took a stand against gun control. Each of the students then chose specific elements of the movie to support their arguments. When the question of whether this movie is similar to other western style movies, the classroom was split, claiming it took a much different approach to western than most. To wrap up the topic the students discussed the different cinematographic decisions that were made and how those decisions related to the questions pertaining to gun control and violence.

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY AT  RED’s  from Liam

 

The ATA College Prep group took a field trip to John and Chris Dokos' new restaurant, RED's. John’s and Chris' son, Adam, began attending ATA College Prep this semester, and the Dokos's are preparing to open their restaurant, which they have been planning for years. Students received a tour of the currently unfinished restaurant.  Mr. Dokos showed off his wood burning grill, his deep sink, as well as his walk in freezer. Mr. Dokos also explained the logistics, time, and planning that go into opening a restaurant. The group also was privileged to view the menu and planned layout of RED's. RED's will be a burger joint that serves quick but fresh and healthy food. It is located on 620, across from the organic food market, and the Dokos's are planning to open up at the end of March. We all look forward to opening day.