LACC Fall Retreat (by William)

On Oct. 22, 2016, I went with the Apprentice Choir of the Los Angeles Children’s Choir (LACC) to a retreat in Santa Monica. It was a very very cheerful and hard working day for me.

We arrived at a church in the morning and Treble 1 and Treble 2 split up. I was in Treble 2 so I got to learn and sing songs that involved Treble 2 with voice coach Ms. Wendy. After the Treble 2 coaching, both parts sang for a WORLD FAMOUS OPERA SINGER. She gave us tips and advice and we improved. After that she left.

Then we all went downstairs. Ms. Landis (director of Apprentice choir) turned on “Masters in this Hall,” and we danced to it. My partner Meagan Hoffman and I danced together. We walked in a big circle and even strutted under a tunnel of hands made by countless number of kids.  It was very fun.

After that Treble 1 went to coaching with Ms. Wendy and Treble 2 learned the Alexander technique. The technique is using mental, physical, and emotional feelings to enrich the song. For example, Path to the Moon is song that is calm and gentle so you have to be calm and gentle. The song is about an adventure so your spine has to be straightened up. If you sing a song with the Alexander technique your audience will certainly want to hear it again. After that, we got to sing with the Intermediate choir and the Concert choir. They sounded like angels to me.

Finally, we went to the beach. I was waiting the whole day for it. My group was the boy group, “L.” When we got to the beach, I made balls of sand and threw them at the ocean, chased waves, and wade a sand fort. During the process of building the fort, my pants got soaked by seawater and I wore wet pants all the way home.

I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to the spring retreat to Newport Beach.

My Life in a Classic Kayak (By Ethan)

I have spent a year kayaking. 99% of my teammates are big, strong teenagers, but we get along well. We recently have a new team member named Troy, who is about the same age as me.

I have Coach Aasim as the boss, Krista and Allison are assistant coaches.

My view from the river is nice. Sometimes I see zip-line people soaring across the river and that makes me wish I was on it myself. Or, sometime I smell gloriously scrumptious food that turn my stomach into an inside-out earthquake. Once I saw a shoe and shopping cart (very unusual sights) in the water too.

There are 6 kinds of racing kayaks. The first is the Viper 55, the widest and slowest of the kayaks. Next is the Viper 51, then a Classic which is my present boat, the highest level contents 3 type; Vintage, V2 and V3. The higher the level the narrower the boat is and of course the faster the boat goes.

When the coach told me that I was ready for a Classic I was terrified. I would fall in the water for sure! But I tried it and now I have improved so much that I can coast 4km with a seat in the boat.

One day while on the move to my training I asked my mom: "What if I fell in the river?"
Mom:"Would that be the end of the world?"
Me:"No."
Mom:"Then get out of the water and try again. There is a saying, That does not kill us makes us stronger. It is a quote from a famous German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. You get stronger every time you overcome an obstacle."
After a few minutes I said:"I think that philosopher is kind of right. But for example, I haven't eaten for 3 days and I survived. Then I would be weaker not stronger."
Mom:"You are very correct. At that moment, you will be very weak. However, after you recover, your mind and body will not be afraid of that type of experience and your personal development will be enhanced."

Mom also said that she is always so proud of every drop of my sweat when I try hard at sports.

Mom and coaches have been encouraging me a lot and I think that has helped very much. They make me feel better to go on the river.

At first, being in a Classic was scary, but little by little, I improved. And now I kayak in a Classic with a seat without much problem.

Kayaking is a very, very hard sport. But I have practiced and I am a master of it. Practice makes mastering.

Why I should be considered for a member of the Junior Botball Team (By Ethan)

  I knew I wanted to be a robot builder the very moment I finished watching "The Magic School Bus Flexes It's Muscle" in which the kids attempt to build a robot that can do all of their chores. Maybe I think I could build a robot that would sharpen my pencils while I am writing this essay.

  I love, love love science!! I watch science videos on YouTube and read Horrible Science books. I also like technology and math. YouTube and math operations prove it. And also, I did a wind gauge project last year for the Science Fair and won the 3rd place!

  I fell very excited to join Botball. But first, I promised to my mom that I'll work extra hard on my kayak training and boxing so I would have time for the club on Thursday.

  I (if I can manage) will continue to join Botball. Robots are in my blood.

Rocks (by William)

On our trip to San Clemente, Mom took a few rocks off the beach after asking a lifeguard for permission first.  She told me later that she wanted to find out what kind of rocks were they.  I am going to tell you about the tools we used, descriptions of two out of all the rocks, and the rock cycle.

There were three tools that I used.  One of them was a pocket guide called Rocks and Minerals from National Geographic Society.  When I looked in it, it has a lot of information about rocks.  My second tool was a magnifying glass.  It helped us look closely at the rocks.  We also used labels to label the rock names once we identified them.

One of the rocks I have is a marble.  Marble is a metamorphic rock.  It is hard and found likely in mountain areas.  You can see calcite crystals in marble but they are hard to see.  Another type of my rocks are slate.  Slate is a good material for roof tiles.  It is not easily worn out.

A volcano erupts sending lava into the air, then the lava cools and hardens forming igneous rocks.  Over time the rocks get compressed down into the earth and become sedimentary rocks.  Some of the sedimentary rocks melt back into igneous rocks, some remain as sedimentary rocks, and the others get heated and turn into metamorphic rocks.  The metamorphic rocks may be heated and turn into igneous rocks, some may be compressed and turn into sedimentary rocks, and some may remain as metamorphic rocks.  That is what happens in a rock cycle.

If you are interested in getting rocks and researching them, you may get rocks from many places (ask first if you are at a beach or national park).   If you are interested in the rock cycle, you may go online and search for more information. 

Thank you for reading Rocks.

Batman (by William)

In many stories, Batman has saved Gotham City (The city of New York) many times from evil villains. But have you wanted to know more about Batman? Well, Batman had a sad past when he was young, a criminal shot his mother and father. Bruce Wayne (Batman) trained and trained many days to become a super talented crime fighter who defeated many villains in epic battles.

Batman can travel on land, sea, and even air thanks to his trusty vehicles:  The Batmobile, Batboat, and Batplane. He uses the vehicles to transport himself to places where villains have been seen.

Batman has sidekicks to help him fight against villains and one does service for him. Robin was young like Batman when his parents fell from certain heights and died. Batman later adopted Robin and trained him to be a hero. Batgirl is another sidekick of Batman. She uses the same weapons as Batman, for example, the Batrang. Alfred is his servant. He helps Batman change clothes and make meals.

There are many villains in Gotham City. One of them is Mr. Freeze. His wife died and he turned evil and uses a freeze ray as a weapon. Catwoman is a professional thief and uses her razor sharp claws against good. The Penguin is a bird brain crook. He invents and uses his trick umbrellas as weapons. Bane is nothing but a strongman. He uses a type of venom to make himself stronger and can break people’s backs.

Batman uses the strategy of teamwork but the most valuable lesson I learned was in the end, love and good will always tale down hate and evil.