Laura Bergner
Main News
My story is about construction at McLean High school. First, I would say what is going on with construction now and about where it is. Also, the general things that have happened or will be happening. I will also say a little bit about what is actually going on now.
What I am going to do is interview some students, teachers, and other people who work at mclean about what they think of the construction. I am going to try to interview lots of different people and write about their opinions and just most people's opinions in general about the construction.
Sources
teachers
students
people who work here
people who are in charge of construction
people who live nearby
parents of stuents
Things I Know
~they just finished the library
~they are working on the courtyard
~they have been working inside more since the winter
~some classes in the oragne and blue hallways have been moved because of the construction
~no one knows when it will be over
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you could talk to parents, and then you can get an outaide opinion on what people outside of the school are thinking about whats going on, you could also interveiew the people who live near the school to see what they think about the construction and how it is distrbing their personal lives. This is a good start and you should just add a little bit about when iit is done and the future jobs that will be put into place. Doug
Controversy: You may find that your sources may be to one side or to the other therefore, your article may come out overly biased.
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Sources:
Dr. Weinhimer
Ms. Truesdell
Ms. Quarry and Mr. Thompson
Students at MHS
Questions:
~what do you think of the construction so far?
~how has the construction effected school for you?
~what do you think is good and bad about having construction going on during school?
~when do you think the construction will be over?
~what do you like that has been done so far?
~what would you choose to fix in the next part of the construction?
~do you think that construction is disruping to school?
~do you know anything about what will be happening next in the construction?
~how do you feel about classes having to move into trailers as opposed to having to listen to the noise of construction?
~survey~do you think that it is a good idea to have construction going on during school?
Laura Bergner
If anyone has gone into McLean High School lately, they are likely to find something that looks more like a construction site than a school. With wires hanging out of the ceiling, dust and dirt everywhere, and men in hard hats on ladders, it is hard to imagine McLean as being a school. The construction at McLean, which has been going on for several years now, is the reason that the school is in such a bad state now.
Although the end results of the construction will be very nice, it is mostly an inconvenience to anyone who works or learns at McLean. With hallways blocked off and the constant noise, the construction has been disrupting school in many ways. Over all, students, teachers, and parents have all been affected by the construction whether it is good or bad.
One of the main groups of people who have been affected by the construction are teachers. They have to teach class and spend all day in a building that doesn't have perfect working conditions. Students have also been affected by construction because they have to endure the loud noise during class and sometimes there are certain hallways closed off and classes moved. Finally, parents are affected by having to worry about whether the building is a safe learning environment for their children.
Many teachers have been moved into trailers because of the construction. There are some benefits to trailers, such as having controllable temperature and not having to listen to construction noise. However, moving to the trailers can be an inconvenience and not being in the same hall as other teachers can also be a problem. Ms. Quarry is one of the many McLean teachers that have been moved into a trailer. She said about being in a trailer, "At first it was a lot of work packing and then setting up again but now that we're in here it's nice."
Some teachers have avoided having trailers this year, only to be stuck in a building with many small but annoying problems. Of the teachers in the building, many have to listen to the noise of construction or deal with temperature problems, but these are minor compared to the end result. Ms. Truesdell is a teacher working in the Blue hall, which has been under construction for a while. She said some negative things about construction were, "The hallway being blocked off and also all the dirt and dust. It seems like there is dirt and dust everywhere. Also, the temperature is either hot or freezing." However, many teachers in the building are looking forward to moving into new classrooms when the new wing is done.
Many parents are also worried about how the construction might be affecting their children in their learning environments. Some concerns of parents include disruptive loud noises, air quality in the school, and safety of the school. The parent of one McLean High School student, Amy Bergner, had many of these concerns about students at school. She said about having construction during school hours, "I object to the disruption and the health/safety concerns."
Students also are affected every day by the construction at McLean. Things that can bother teachers at McLean can also bother students. It is hard for students to take tests with loud construction going on at the same time. It is also inconvenient to walk out of the way to get to a trailer or a moved classroom.
Construction could also be harmful to students because of all of the dirt and dust. Breathing in the dirt in the air could cause health problems for students. Electrical wires hanging all over the place and heavy construction items could also be dangereous to students walking through the halls.
Some things so far are very postive about the construction. The library, for example, is all new and looks very nice. Also, there is a new TV studio and there are some other new rooms around the building. Students can also now play sports in the upper gym, which was recently done being renovated.
One thing that many students and teachers are looking forward to is being moved into new classrooms. The new wing, which runs off the current Blue hall, is set to open very soon. Those new classrooms will be filled by teachers who were lucky enough to get first shot at a new room.
Construction might be an inconvenience now, but the end results will be nice. "This is my fourth year at McLean and I've moved five times because of construction. It doesn't bother me much because I know the end result will be good," said Ms. Truesdell. Many other teachers, parents, and students also feel that the finished product will be worth the wait. Already, the new library is very nice and soon the new wing will be opened and classes will begin moving into there. Overall, construction may be an inconvenience and a disruption now, but the school will be looking nice by the time it is done.
Your story is very informative and is a very good human interest story for anyone in the McLean community. I would try to incorporate more quotes from your interviews, but other then that I have no suggestions. Good job! ~ Margaret Anton
Laura,
Nice story. I didn't get to read it all, but it looks like you did some research. The content of the interviews contributed effectively to your story. -Annie
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My second story is-Style-A Walk to Remember
I will interview people who have seen the movie and liked it or didnt like it.
Interview:
people who liked the movie
people who didnt like it
Mandy Moore
the author of the book
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A Walk to Remember
A Walk to Remember is a movie that followed the senior year of a boy, Landon Carter, played by Shane West. The movie also stars Mandy Moore, playing Jamie Carter, the girl he falls in love with. Since it is a romance, this movie is definitely more of a girl movie, but it could be enjoyed by anyone who likes this kind of movie.
The movie takes place in a small town in North Carolina in the mid 1990’s. Landon (West) is a wealthy, popular boy who gets in trouble at his high school for a prank. As a punishment, he is forced by the principal to do things such as tutor a boy at a poor school, clean up after school, and act in the school play.
While he is doing his punishment, Landon gets to know Jamie (Moore), the quiet minister’s daughter who is often made fun of by Landon and his friends. Soon he realizes that he is falling in love with her, but this is a problem for both of them. Landon has to give up his popular group in order to keep her and he finds out a secret about her that changes everything about them.
The plot of the movie was pretty good, although it was predictable and not very exciting. There were also some parts that weren’t very realistic. As senior Marie Joanis said, “There was some stuff that wasn’t believable in real life.”
The movie also seemed to have some things that were missing. For instance, Jamie and Landon seem to fall in love way too quickly and they don’t even get to know each other. Freshman Kathrin Brenner said, “It was good but I expected more.”
The big surprise was to find out: Could Mandy Moore actually act? Although she is known more for her voice than her acting, Mandy was actually a fair actress. She played her part well and her character was very believable. She did a good job of getting into the role of Jamie. Joanis said, “She was a good actress most of the time.” Of course, the movie did include one song just so she could use her singing talent.
Many girls went to see the movie just because Shane West was in it. However, he did a good job acting as Landon and he worked well with Mandy Moore. Many people who go to see this movie think that it will just be a chick flick with no real acting, but both main characters have some acting talent.
Although it was kind of a sappy romantic, the movie was pretty good. Mandy Moore and Shane West did a good job acting. This movie deserves a 4 out of 5 rating because it was cute and would be enjoyed by anyone who likes these kind of movies.
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