Indian Education

Jacinda Willeto
1/23/09





Indian Education
By, Jacinda Willeto

My Grandpa is a Native American from the tribe Mandan Hidatsa. When my Grandpa was younger he went to an Indian boarding school and I got the chance to ask him about his shocking story. I thought I had it hard at school, but since I asked my Grandpa about his school experience I now know compared to that I am lucky. My Grandpa’s name is Winston Mason I learned a lot about him but this would be the first time to learn about his story about when he went to an Indian boarding school. Grandpa went to a regular day school until third grade, then his parents sent him to a boarding school in Elbwoods, North Dakota. My Grandpa said it was like being in the military, you had to follow strict rules and if you didn’t you suffered corporal punishments. Some kids were punished so badly that they didn't return home. And the number one rule was to not speak your own language or else you were whipped or your mouth was washed out with soap, just like your parents threaten to wash out your mouth with soap when you talked back, this time they actually did it to you.
You had chores to do everyday, and even the 1st graders had to do chores. And when my Grandpa was eight he and his seven year old cousin Chico were sent to a boarding school in South Dakota, which was far away. They were sent to a catholic boarding school where the nuns were more strict than the matrons at his other school. When the students forgot and spoke their language the nuns put their hands on a desk and whipped their hands with the edge of a ruler. They were taught that their native ways and language were pagenistic and sinful.
Even when my Grandpa was young he believed his ways were not wrong. “Even at that young age I believed that our native religion, our culture, and our language was beautiful.” Most Natives Americans went through boarding school to become successful in life but Grandpa believes that native students were emotionally and mentally damaged to the point that they could not function effectively for the rest of their lives. Well when my Grandpa was attending catholic boarding school for about six weeks, his cousin Chico was severely punished for some minor infraction. My Grandpa was very upset so he took him and they left school in the middle of the night. Imagine being only seven or eight years old trying to find your way back home. It was early fall and while they were traveling they found gardens with vegetables still in them so they ate those while they walked at night. They traveled through the night and hid in hay stacks in the day a couple of times they caught a ride in boxcars with hobos, they spent daylight hours with them under train trestles. They shared their vegetables with them and they shared their food with them. “Sometimes Chico would get tired and cry so I had to be strong for both of us.” My sister is ten years old and she would probably get lost just being a few blocks from our house.
It took my grandpa two weeks and he traveled over 300 miles to get to his grandmothers house. “We came walking over the hill to our Grandma's house one evening and she cried when she saw us. She was so angry she took us from our parents and said we would never have to go back to boarding school.” I asked Grandpa what he learned from boarding school. “ I learned to lie and be decietful in order to protect myself. I don’t believe I learned anything productive during my boarding school experience. I guess if anything I learned was to be tough.”
A lot of natives today have been affected by boarding schools and many became dysfunctional and turned to alcohol to cope with their inability to be successful in the mainstream culture. I learned a lot of great things from grandpa and one was never be ashamed of who you are no matter where you come from, no matter what race, and never let anyone tell you other wise. Native culture and people has been through a lot and one major thing is their culture is leaving everyday. It's hard because soon native culture will be all forgotten and the only way to fix this is to teach native youth about it.
– ahhe’e (Thank You)

Janes Eyre Book Review

Jane Eyre Review
January, 11, 2009
Genevieve Christensen


Jane Eyre is not born into high society. Also, she’s not beautiful. To make matters worse, she is orphaned and lives a cold, unloving childhood with her wealthy relatives. She is sent off to school and then, at age seventeen, becomes a governess to a little girl named Adele. She lives at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with Mr. Rochester.
Dark secrets hang over Thornfield Hall and its owner, however. The brooding, arrogant Mr. Rochester keeps something from Jane. There is the odd servant, Grace Poole. There are the strange noises in the night. There is the time a bed starts on fire with no apparent cause, its occupant still in it. And by the end of the book, you are rewarded with a satisfying ending.
First published under Charlotte Bronte’s pen name Currer Bell, the novel has been loved by many readers, including me.
Remember, if you’re going to read this, that it’s Victorian Literature, not a book you read in one night. My copy has 493 pages. I, personally, would recommend this book to anyone reading on an eighth grade level or up. I’d give it a 7 ½ out of 10.

Christy Gomm

This week I was able to talk to Christy Gomm. Christy Gomm has recently completed running the Nike Women’s Marathon in San- Francisco. This was actually the first time she has ever ran a marathon! She grew up in a family that wasn’t very into sports. In high school, she ran on a track team and a cross country team but running was never a big part of her life. She actually got into marathon running through an email. This was a big change for her. She went from not having run at all for 15 years to having a rigorous daily training schedule practically overnight! Her schedule was a Monday through Friday schedule: This training schedule lasted four months.

Monday- Short run (2-4 miles)
Tuesday- Track Workout
Wednesday- Cross training (something other than running)
Thursday- Short run (3-5 miles)
Friday- Rest day.
Saturday- Long run (Up to 22 miles)

Once she got to the marathon it was a lot different than she expected. There were a lot of hills, and a lot of people! While running the marathon, Christy was experiencing some unexplainable mood swings. One minute she would be laughing hysterically and the next minute she would be completely mad!

“I would run by someone who was eating a burger and French fries… and I just wanted to kick them!... Seriously I was so mad!”

She told me that the marathon wasn’t really life changing, other than it got her into shape. Marathon running is something she would consider again but its still to soon to decide. She says it is a great experience that she would recommend to others. The one piece of advice she gave me was: “Get good shoes! And break them in before a long run too, its well worth the money!” It was great getting the chance to talk to her!
If you want to know more about Christy’s marathon visit her blog at http://run-christy-run.blogspot.com/

Romano's Macaroni Grill review

1/15/09                 
Maren Hauglid
4801 N University Ave # 50
Provo, UT 84604   
 
The Italian music sets the mood as customers enter the Macaroni Grill. The restaurant is decorated to fit the foreign theme. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and they are set nicely with small bread plates, silverware, and cloth napkins. As I sit down I notice the appearance of the other customers, they are dressed fairly casually but still look well groomed.  
A waiter came to my table soon after I was seated and I received a menu. There were a variety of dishes and the waiter is soon back to order drinks.  The waiter is friendly and helpful when I ask questions about the menu.  
For an appetizer, the waiter brings a loaf of golden-brown bread and an olive oil dip mixed with seasonings. I was grateful for the opportunity to ease my hunger until my food was ready. 
When the food arrives, I am pleased with the way the it appears. My fellow critics and I ordered a small Margarita pizza, the children’s spaghetti, and a large slice of chocolate cake. 
I was impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant, which says a lot because I am very finicky about cleanliness. The chairs and tables were wiped clean of any trace of previous visitors, the floors could have been better but were clean enough, and most importantly, the utensils and plates were nice and clean. 
Each of the different items that we had ordered were delicious. The spaghetti was much better than regular childrens' meals and there was plenty of it. The pizza was my favorite dish, the crust was soft and baked just right. The toppings, though simple, were seasoned well to make a tasty meal. The average amount of money we spent on this meal was $26.50.
After I finished eating, I resolved that the Macaroni Grill is a restaurant to recommend to all people especially if they enjoy Italian food. It was clean, the food was enjoyable and the service was exceptional.

Funniest Man Alive

So, who might be the funniest man in school? I vote Carl! I interviewed Carl and I found out a lot of great things about him.

He loves teaching because I guess he loves dealing with students. And it is obvious that he is also popular with the students because when I was interviewing him, I got lots of interruptions from people wanting to talk to Carl, in grades ranging from elementary to high school. But when I actually told him that he seems very popular, he kept denying it , and said that it wasn't true. He was surprisingly humble. Or was he just trying to make a good impression? I couldn't tell.

He loves teaching at Walden. He told me that his sister, Thelma, was dating Micah and she told Carl about the school because he didn't have a job then. And he really loved Walden! Right after telling me the story he proclaimed with joy, “Diana is the best!”

He says that science is very easy. When I argued that it is absolutely not the easiest thing, he told me that if I was as smart as him, it would be pretty easy. And then he laughed at his own joke. So then I asked for some advice for people who hate science or who are bad at science, and he said there's no other way but,
“You might as well flipping burgers at McDonald's then.”

So after talking about the school and science, I was curious about his love life. I asked him bunch of private questions. But all I could get was that he wants to get married ASAP, so anyone who reads this can help him out by setting him up with a nice girl.

One of his embarrassing moments was when he first met Riley and Zoey, because he farted. It wasn't loud but he says that it was the 'quiet huge one'. It was really funny.

His hobby is fishing, hiking, and eating. He said that he spent 6 months of his life standing on a ladder waiting for fish, while talking in a digital voice recorder. It was very amazing. It was for his thesis for the research he was doing. Also he hates socks, not shoes.

Carl is very nice. I asked him who he likes, and he said,
“I like Eric, Ali Choi. I like everyone! Can the question be the other way around? I only dislike this one person, but I can't tell you who it is.”

I learned that Carl likes to kid a lot, says, he is very nice, funny and knows how to deal with students. He wanted to tell everyone to be positive. Those were his last words. I hope you got to know Carl a little bit better. He is very interesting and is fun to talk to.

Alice Choi

I wish this was a nightmare

I wish this was a nightmare
January, 11, 2009
Genevieve H Christensen




I wish this was a nightmare. If it was, the red welts that stripe my back would have wakened me. The hot tears that wear paths down my face would be tears of joy, not anguish. The built up filth on my body would have been washed away long ago. I would have never known the sickening, rocking movement of what is now my entire world.


I cannot even move from where I am. The hot, sticky atmosphere makes even the tiny rags I wear cling to me. I have never felt so alone, even though I know there are others like me. I can hear them moan and I can feel their shoulders rub against mine. I know that they, too, feel discomforted by the humid atmosphere and the heat and the nausea.


I’ve heard rumors of our destination. They captured us from our home and took us to the coast. There they kept us for a few days. There are a large number of them, and many were often drunk from rum the pale foreigners bring them. Then they pack us tight into ships to a land where rice, cotton, sugar, and indigo grow in large amounts. That is where we are headed.


I try to forget my present state and visualize my home. I close my eyes (not that it makes any difference) and tune out the noises of those around me. I can hear my brother’s sweet voice as he sings a traditional tune. I can feel the dirt floor of our house beneath my feet. I can taste that sweet yam from lunch on my tongue. I can smell the healthy sweat of my goat as I milk it. I can feel my mother’s little hands touch mine as she takes the milk back into the house. I can hear the step of my father coming in from the fields where the cows graze. I can smell the delicate flowers from my mother’s garden, where she grows yams, maize, and beans. I was torn away from all of this, I remember in shock.


I fall asleep and when I wake, we have stopped. Our captors didn’t tell us we would arrive so soon. I am unshackled and housed with the others in a small, cramped building. We stay there for a week, and then are moved to a rough wooden platform. There a man starts calling out in a harsh, loud squawk, which I can barely understand. I am grabbed and half-marched, half-dragged to the center. The crowd is hushed and I hear someone say, “Nobody wants to buy a blind slave.”

Creative Writing

Homework

There once was a young girl named Sue,

Who found that her homework was due.

She looked over here,

She looked over there,

To find it was under a shoe.

Treasure Tin

There once was a young girl named Jin,

Who had a remarkable tin.

In it she kept many things,

Necklaces, bracelets, diamond rings.

Then she added a fish fin.

Sea Tea

There once was a young boy named Lee,

Who liked to drink his tea.

He sat in his chair,

Chopped up a pear,

And looked to the big open sea.

-Bca

Sammy's Review

Sammy’s is a brand new burger shop in downtown Provo. It has a colorful, and spunky vibe that is very inviting to teens and college students. The building itself is really small, and it gets crowded easily. The decor is mostly white and blue, with fun modern designs on the walls. One of the walls is full of pictures of customers. The whole atmosphere feels very relaxing and mellow.

Its menu consists of unique burger choices, fries, and shakes. One of the most uncommon menu selections is a shake that has a slice of pie in it! A lot of their burgers have a Mexican taste to them, they are made with guacamole,and pica De Gallo. There ingredients are fresh, and the burgers are prepared where you can see! The menu doesn't have much of a variety, but their six-dollar burgers are definitely satisfying meal!

Over all Sammy's was absolutely a great place to eat! I was very satisfied with the service, and the food. It was a little slower to get in and out,because they only had two workers and a lot of customers, but it was well worth the time. I would say they deserve four stars. I am sure that with in time, they will become more popular and convenient. Its definitely worth checking out!
-Chelise Marie

Hunger Games Book Review

Hunger Games is my favorite book of all time. It’s intense and captivating, and hard to put down. It’s about two groups of people that, in the past, were at war. One group wanted freedom, the other wanted power. The second group won, naming themselves the Capitol. They separated the other group into villages, called districts. There are twelve districts, and they’re far apart so the people can’t come together and try fighting against the Capitol as one. The Capitol feeds the districts little, and gives them jobs such as mining and agriculture. They ban hunting, wielding or possession of any weapons, and even punish speaking out against the Capitol. Any sign of rebellion is crushed.

The main character of the story is named Katniss. She’s sixteen years old, and very spirited. Ever since her dad died in a freak coal-mining incident, her mom withdrew from her and her sister Primrose, leaving Katniss in charge of the well-being of her family. For a while they starved, and when it seems that they can’t last any longer, Katniss takes drastic measures. She finds a way through the fence surrounding her district, hunting each day –an offense punishable by death.

Many people die in the districts from starvation, and are docile, willing to do what the Capitol says. All they want is to survive. They have no fire left in them to rebel again, despite their hatred of the Capitol’s rules and methods. Regardless, the Capitol wants to be extra careful. Once every year, one boy and one girl ranging from ages twelve to sixteen from each district are chosen to enter the Hunger Games.

Starting from age twelve, their name is entered into the drawing once. When they turn thirteen it’s put in twice, fourteen, three times, etc. The contestants from all the districts are trained, and then put into an arena to fight to the death. The districts are not enemies, but they have no choice but to kill or be killed. This is how the Capitol ensures their crippling hold over the districts. In the story, Katniss goes into the arena. It’s a story about how she survives, friends she makes, a bit of romance, and a whole lot of twisted adventures. It’s an awesome book, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good action story.
I give it five out of five stars.
-SJ
Author: Suzanne Collins
Type/Genre: Fiction: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Purchasable at: Borders – Around $15.00