School Events
Keller 8th Grade LA Teachers Put on a Raving Good Show!
Eighth grade Language Art students were treated to something special Wednesday, October 31st. In place of their normal shared reading and writing curriculum. The students got to experience an in-school field trip to the activity room where Mrs. Engel and Mr. Edwards performed two Edgar Allan Poe classics: The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven.
The 8th grade LA team has been putting on this performance for their students every Halloween for the past 10 years. Originally the performance was put on by Mrs. Hoffman, Keller’s 7th grade science teacher. What most people may not know, however, is that Mrs. Hoffman used to teach 8th Language Arts before she started teaching scientific theories. The role was then taken on by Mrs. Engel who has been performing it for the past three years. During the time Mrs. Hoffman made the shift to science, Mr. Edwards offered up his acting skills and The Raven was added to the performance back in 2015.
Here is what some of the students had to say in regard to what their favorite part of the performances were:
“When the female teacher (Ms. DeRoeck) came in being a crow while also holding a crow and squeaking in peoples' faces.” - Samantha G.
“How Mr. Edwards memorized the whole presentation.” - Soya L.
“When Mr. Edwards was reciting the second poem. He had a lot of enthusiasm.” - Jessica R.
“The kid who yelled out after Engel took the head of that body.” - Kyle J.
“That Mrs. Engel's acting was AMAZINGLY SICK! I did not know she could do a British accent and I just think the whole performance itself WAS AWESOME!!!!GREAT JOB MRS. ENGEL.” - Nathan B.
“During the course of time watching the two plays, my personal favorite part of one of the plays was when the caretaker in ¨A Tell Tale Heart.¨ started hearing the heartbeat and slowly turned back into insanity. The beating of the drums really helped immerse me into the story and it was very intriguing to watch.” - Sarah H.
Wildcats Take a Stance Against Bullying
By: Munya N. , Enrique G., Ashley P.
Do people even realize that they can be a bully, or how a single word could ruin someone’s entire life? Everyone makes mistakes. If humans just realize how learning from a simple mistake would earn them a whole lifetime of respect, they would never have repeated that error again. As Kirk Smalley said, “I know we are not perfect...we all mess up; however, we can make a difference.”
When the word bullying comes to mind, people think that there is someone being “picked on.” The community would want the bullying to be resolved as quick as possible. There shouldn’t be any worrying. Nowadays being “picked on” is something typically normal. Some younger children haven’t yet developed the right skills to understand that being different is a common thing. Teachers and parents have the opportunity to explain to these children that being a unique person doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated unfairly.
If misunderstanding someone who is different gets taken way too far, it becomes a major problem if it’s not solved at a younger age. That’s because bullying isn’t an identity, it is a learned behavior.
“Bullying isn’t just picking on someone…people can get bullied for their size, height, shape, color, religion, and lots of other things.” Mr. Molby
The hard thing to understand in life is how to treat others fairly, yet sometimes we make mistakes without even knowing that our behaviors can hurt others. However, bullies aren’t like that. Bullies intend to cause harm. Bullies hurt others because they are looking to gain a feeling of power. Their main goal is to maintain control over their victim. That was what Kirk Smalley came to Keller Junior High to inform us about.
Kirk Smalley’s son took his own life at age 11. This tragic event occurred because of the act of bullying. Kirk Smalley is the founder of Stand For The Silent community. When his son took his life, Kirk realized that he was responsible gain ground and inform other kids that bullying will not be tolerated.
“The assembly was not just about people who have had to deal with losing someone special, but the clear message was that the healing has to come from everyone.” Mrs. Royce.
Bullying could eventually lead the victim to a point where they no longer believe that they should be living. Every seven seconds someone is being harassed. Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. These numbers are enormous. However, by the action of the community, we could be able to change these numbers, as Vanessa Painter has pointed out, “... stop bullying if you are responsible. Help prevent bullying whenever you are witness to it.”
There are are many factors that play into someone’s life who is being taunted. Lots of students dropout of school because of the cause of bullying. This action would affect the student’s ability of learning. Students have the right to go to school without being afraid of being ridiculed. Bullying won’t only affect the student’s learning; however, it will also affect the child’s ability to trust others and perhaps them self.
At a younger age, these students could change these horrible habits. That’s because they are capable enough to make a difference in this world.
“Junior high [students] has a powerful opportunity to positively influence and change the community.” -Mr. Molby
In this expansive world, no one seems to pay attention to problems that aren’t their own because they are too busy trying to fix their own problems. This mindset should be changed and that’s because everyone else's problems do matter.
“... even on the darkest of days, the sun still shines. It's easy for people to say that things will get better when it's not their problem; however, there are people willing to listen and help because they too have encountered personal experiences that left them both somber and lonely.” Mrs. Younkin
It doesn’t really matter how old someone is, what matters is what they can do to eliminate the major cause. As the speaker, Kirk Smalley mentioned, “ My mom told me there's people who sit and wish for things to happen. Then there is others who make things happen. And there is some who just sit and wonder, what just happened.” Being a kid makes it easier to get the message through to others. Students can influence their peers to try and form a stronger community, an environment where everyone is treated as a human, where no one gets bullied, where differences mean something precious. Just like the principal of Keller Junior High, Thomas Barbini, mentioned how students can prevent bullying...
“You represent yourself, your family, and Keller Junior High. With your actions, you can counteract bullying.” Mr. Barbini
There are many types and reasons connected to bullying that trigger someone to hurt other people. That is why we should pay attention to what they are saying because words can do harm. Why do people even bully if they know that they won’t receive anything? Don’t they know that life could be perfect if everyone treated each other better? As the Language Arts teacher, Jennifer Royce, at Keller mentioned, “we all have to think about how we act and what we say to others. I think anyone can be a bully. We need to remember how precious life is and how crucial it is to treat everyone with respect.”
Ending with, as humans we have the chance to built a fair society, by respecting each other, and accepting the difference of others. Being a human makes us feel unique, so why should we treat others poorly?
All are in High Spirits at the Halloween Dance
By: Reid M.
On the 26th of October, a haunting Friday night, Mr. Barbini and Mr. Molby waited outside for all of the Wildcat students dressed in their spooky or funny costumes, like the giant inflatable chicken who won the costume contest.
In the cafeteria, there were activities from karaoke, tattoos, to costume voting. They also sold pizza, fruit snacks, and water. Heading into the gym, the staff set up space for students to dance and play games like toilet paper mummy. Overall, this was an extremely fun school event for all students at Keller Junior High!
Here's a short video capitalizing on the moments of Mr. Barbini and Mr. Molby trotting around the front entrance of the school at the expense of our Keller students!
Honoring Those Who Served
By: Suzanne W.
Thanks to everyone who donated jeans and some loose change! If you want to go see the blue jeans, they are by the social studies classrooms. Don’t feel ashamed if you didn’t already donate because you can still drop off some pants or coins to Mrs. Ghani or Ms. Johnson. If we get enough change, we can purchase more items for the Wildcat Woodfield mall.
Here are some of the students' and teachers' family members that have served in the U.S. Military or in the Navy.
These are some of the wars that have occurred and what happened during the battles.
The wall is decorated with the jeans that many helpful people have donated.
