Grandparents/Special Friends Day
By Ryan, Monarch Apprentice Level Student
On Monday Febuary 13, we had our relatives and friends come to Room 128. We had a special dyad with them. We played Sorry, Checkers, etc. Then we watched a slideshow of our school year so far. Finally, we went to either iKids or home. I had a good time. The whole school did this too. We did this to show our grandparents and special friends our school year and how we love them.
Molly Won a Ribbon
By Seth, Monarch Apprentice Level Student
Molly won a red ribbon at the Top Hands horse show on February 18, 2012. She practices riding on Saturday mornings and she worked hard to win a ribbon. She rides a horse named Bubba. When she rides, she wears black boots, brown pants, white shirt, and a blue helmet. When asked how she felt about winning, she said she felt “happy and excited.” Good work Molly and thanks for sharing!
Chris Won the Gold Medal
By Calvin, Monarch Apprentice Level Student
Chris (Monarch Apprentice Level Student) won the gold medal at his fencing tournament on Sunday, Febuary 12th. The name of the fencing tournament was Van Buskirk Memorial Tournament. Chris has been fencing for about a year and a half. Chris fenced with a foil. Chris won because he fenced hard and concentrated. The other reason he won is because he had good focus. When asked how he felt about winning, Chris said, “GREAT and PROUD.” Good job, Chris!
Emma’s Article
By: Chris, Monarch Apprentice Level Student
Emma is a good new dog at Monarch. She helps students calm down with her adorable behavior. She’s always going to lick you whenever you go near her. Emma is friendly and cuddly. She doesn’t bite and likes to eat treats. Emma is a good dog, but she has a lot to learn. She sometimes eats grass or a dead moth or a live moth. She tries to follow directions but she doesn’t always. Emma is the best.
Room 128 Visits Houston Museum of Natural Science
By Nathan, Monarch Apprentice Level Student
Room 128 went to the museum on Friday because we worked hard on our science project. Our science project was about landforms. My science project was about the Texas Plains. At the museum, we had to take a picture of our landform topic. The museum had a lot of cool and interesting parts like the Civil War exhibit, which I wish we could’ve gone to. My favorite part was the dinosaurs. It was a lot of fun!
The Houston Ballet
By Hannah, Monarch Voyager Level Student
On Thursday, February 16, a group of Voyager girls went on a trip to the Houston Ballet. We saw a performance that was comprised of parts from Tales of Texas and The Nutcracker. Tales of Texas began with a depiction of prehistoric life and continued with the arrival of the conquistadors and their impact on the native population. It also showed later waves of immigration and the development of country-western line dancing. The Nutcracker bit was a pas de deux (duet) performed by two of the dancers.
We then got to go on a tour of the facilities and ask questions about what we saw there. We discovered that there is a multi-media system built into the wall of the studios where the dancers practice so that they don’t have to wheel in a separate TV set. We also learned that a live orchestra is preferred to pre-recorded music during performances, because this minimizes the likelihood of technical malfunctions.
We had a wonderful time and are extremely grateful to Ms. Kipp for giving us this opportunity.
Starbucks Report
By Hannah, Monarch Voyager Level Student
On Wednesday, February 29, a group of Voyagers went to Starbucks in order to partake in a job training session. We learned about being interviewed, how to cut pastries, and the coffee-making process.
We were told that you need to introduce yourself to a potential employer before sitting down, and that you need to thank them for their time before you leave. We were instructed that hygiene is very important when you are preparing food and beverages, so it is important to wash your hands and clean the utensils that you were working with after you’re done using them.
We then took a quiz where we answered questions about the process of making coffee and tea. Some of us had prior knowledge in this area, and were therefore easily able to answer the questions that were posed to us. We were then treated to the beverage of our choice, and some of us chose to purchase additional refreshments after we were done working.
We enjoyed our experience at Starbucks and are thankful to Ms. Adrienne for taking us there and the staff members who were kind enough to take the time out of their busy day to in order to help us learn valuable skills.
My Trip to Starbucks
By Grant, Monarch Voyager Level Student
Today I went to Starbucks with Max, Hannah, David, Travis, Molly, and Ms. Adrienne. First I introduced myself to the new employees, and then got into my groups, and a Starbucks employer interviewed me on my past career. Second I tasted coffee and gave my opinion on the taste, the scent, and the quality. Third I helped Travis and another Starbucks employer with cleaning tables, floors, and checked trash bins for changing. Lastly, I rejoined the rest of my group and learned a lot of things about Starbucks coffee process, phases, etc.
A Different Sort of Coffee Break
By David, Monarch Voyager Level Student
On Leap Day, 2012, I was one of six Voyagers to head over to Starbucks for a training session. Of the six of us, only I had never been to one of these training sessions before.
To start with, I, along with my fellow student, Molly, helped to prepare some samples of blueberry scones, which we then offered to the customers. Also, we got to taste Starbucks’ new decaf blend. The coffee was a much lighter roast than I tend to like, but on the plus side, we got the chance to learn how to use a coffee press.
Next up, we had a mock interview. Normally, mock interviews make me nervous, but I was able to relax a bit this time. It probably helped that, for this part, we were sitting in some very comfortable chairs.
Last, but certainly not least, we got to bone up on our coffee knowledge with a game. While I’ve picked up a good bit of knowledge, thanks to my own enjoyment of a good cup o’ joe, there is so much more to it than even I had suspected. From where the coffee is grown, to how the coffee “cherries” are separated from the beans inside, to how the coffee is roasted, a lot goes into determining the taste of a cup of coffee.
Of course, what trip to a coffee shop would be complete without a little something to drink? Luckily, we did indeed have time to relax with some food and beverages before returning to campus. All in all, it was an interesting, educational experience. I may never decide to work at a Starbucks, but it was fun to play the part for a little while.
Great pieces of furniture take time, love and dedication to make and an open heart to appreciate. Four Challenger Level students, Oleg, Ian, Nathaniel and Chris, pictured here with their professional educator, Mr. Patrick Waters (center), have spent an entire quarter each making one great bench. They are members of an intermediate woodworking course folded into their Integrated Learning Practice class and provided by the Get Out environmental education Program. These young men learned to cut mortise and tenon joints, cleaning dadoes with a chisel and chamfering edges with a block plane. Makers of fine, handbuilt furniture use the same care and techniques on their own work. 
