17-year-old Jackie Mitchell shocks the state of Tennessee as she proves that girls really can play baseball. The girl pitcher of the Chattanooga Lookouts had baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig striking out. Before she warmed up, she powdered her nose  with femininity and posed for the cameras, but had jaws dropping when she tested her fastball. When Ruth was at bat, Jackie’s first pitch was a ball. However, her next 3 pitches were straight and Ruth missed all 3 of them. Ruth wasn’t thrilled, so he flung his bat  in anger and stormed off the field. When Lou Gehrig was out, he carried a bit more dignity. Jackie Mitchell was a great player and an inspiration.

Yesterday, we did a tax activity so that we could understand how the colonists felt. Our teacher gave us each a cup filled with peppermints, which represented money. Each cup had an equal amount of peppermints. Then, she read a description and its tax from a card. For example, a card that she read stated, “If you wear glasses, bring up one peppermint.” If the description matched you, you would bring the amount of peppermints you were charged to the basket at the front of the room. At the end of the activity, I fully realized that  Great Britain treated the colonies unfairly, and that the colonists weren’t paying candy, they were paying their hard earned money. I’m glad America is different than it was in colonial times.

2014 : Robotics Competition

Each team built and changed their robots as we waited anxiously for the announcers to call us from our classy white and gray rooms. Once called, a team would go to breathtakingly spacious room to put their robot through the challenging obstacle board. First, the robot had to get off the metal grate ramp. Then, the robot had to go over  a series of coasters placed to the side, so that the tires would get caught. Next, the robot had to follow a black line, then a colored line in a circle. Also, the robot had to pick up colorful, plastic Easter eggs and place them in a saucer and a teacup. My team, the Starry Moons, got five points for each of the three runs, because we could only get our robot off the metal grate ramp. In good news, we got an award for our journal,  which included a paper about asteroids, and another about Mars. All in all, it was a great experience at the robotics competition, and I’m excited to go again.

2015: Sea World

A thing that I’m looking forward to in 2015 is going to Sea World. I can’t wait to pet and watch the fascinating stingrays. I am also excited to see the beautiful aviary filled with colorful, stunning, breathtaking birds while riding down a peaceful “river”. Maybe, if I gather enough courage, I can go on a thrilling zip line expedition. I’m anxious to go on a caverns tour, and afterward, I’ll sift through the sand for sparkling crystals. I’m extremely ecstatic to begin my trip to Sea World and see what other adventures lie ahead.