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The Star BeaconLoading...
East Montpelier Elementary School -- Spring 2021Loading...
About this publicationLoading...
The Star Beacon provides a learning space and a showplace for East Montpelier Elementary School students to share their curiosity, creativity, news and entertainment. Loading...
How Does Your Garden Grow?Loading...
In the new raised-bed garden plot, aspiring gardeners water Early Wonder beans and French Breakfast radishes.Loading...
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Why East Montpelier Elementary School Should Have Its Own NewspaperLoading...
Opinion by MargaretI believe newspapers are important things. They connect people and announce upcoming events and news. A school newspaper allows students to share their views, and is a great project to work on in school. I believe that we should have a newspaper at EMES.
One reason we should have an EMES newspaper is because newspapers announce upcoming events. Say, for example, we are having an assembly. Instead of going on the intercom to say so two minutes before, the newspaper will tell everyone beforehand.
Or maybe baseball practice is starting? People would know to sign up if they wanted to play. A newspaper is efficient in that way.
Cont'd on pg. 4
News & Culture
2
Mind, Body, and Spirit: Strong Girls
Strong Girls tireless training with tires
Image by Tawnya
Image by Tawnya
Art & Opinion
3
Be safe, respectful, and responsible.
New School Troubles
Racism Should Not Be Normalized
Fiction by Lillian
It’s my first day at my new high school, and I just got out of my mom’s car. I walk through the parking lot, taking deep breaths to prepare myself. I walk into the school through the big open doors, and my heart starts racing as all the noise fills my head. Come on, you can do this. Don’t be a scaredy-cat.
I take one more deep breath and start walking again. This place is so much bigger than my old school, and I have no idea where anything is. Luckily, there’s a big map on the walls beside the entrance. I walk over to it and try to see through the people crowding around it. I wait for them to go by, because I don’t want to squeeze through and annoy them.
Once they’re all gone I run my eyes over the map and look for where my homeroom class is. C’mon, where is it? A few seconds later I find the class on the map. I grab a paper copy, which they had hanging on the wall. I walk down the hall, towards my class, trying not to bump into anyone. I take a left, then I find it.
The door is open, so I just walk right through it. I see my teacher, Mr. Ross, sitting at his desk. “Good morning… Actually, I don’t recognize you. May I have your name?” He calls. I freeze for a moment. I hate talking to people I don’t know very well, but I know I have to because he’s my teacher.
“Oh, my name is Benjamin. Benjamin Moore. But I prefer to be called Ben. And I’m new here,” I reply kindly.
“Ah, well, welcome Ben. You can come have a seat,” he says, gesturing to an empty desk. I walk to the desk and sit down, putting my backpack down beside me. There were already many people in the class. Some are on their phones, some are reading, and others are just sitting, doing nothing. I decided to sit and do nothing too. I prop my elbow on the desk and I rest my head.
There’s a large whiteboard at the front of the room that reads “Mr. Ross” and has many posters hanging around the sides. It wasn’t long before the rest of the class was there and seated. Mr. Ross stood up in front of the class and cleared his throat, which made everyone look his way. “Welcome class, to a new school year. I’m Mr. Ross,” he says pointing to his name on the whiteboard, “or you can just call me Ross. I will be your homeroom teacher for this year. Before I take attendance there is a new student here,” he continued, looking at me. “Would you like to come up front, introduce yourself, and tell us a bit about yourself?”
Cont'd on pg. 8
I take one more deep breath and start walking again. This place is so much bigger than my old school, and I have no idea where anything is. Luckily, there’s a big map on the walls beside the entrance. I walk over to it and try to see through the people crowding around it. I wait for them to go by, because I don’t want to squeeze through and annoy them.
Once they’re all gone I run my eyes over the map and look for where my homeroom class is. C’mon, where is it? A few seconds later I find the class on the map. I grab a paper copy, which they had hanging on the wall. I walk down the hall, towards my class, trying not to bump into anyone. I take a left, then I find it.
The door is open, so I just walk right through it. I see my teacher, Mr. Ross, sitting at his desk. “Good morning… Actually, I don’t recognize you. May I have your name?” He calls. I freeze for a moment. I hate talking to people I don’t know very well, but I know I have to because he’s my teacher.
“Oh, my name is Benjamin. Benjamin Moore. But I prefer to be called Ben. And I’m new here,” I reply kindly.
“Ah, well, welcome Ben. You can come have a seat,” he says, gesturing to an empty desk. I walk to the desk and sit down, putting my backpack down beside me. There were already many people in the class. Some are on their phones, some are reading, and others are just sitting, doing nothing. I decided to sit and do nothing too. I prop my elbow on the desk and I rest my head.
There’s a large whiteboard at the front of the room that reads “Mr. Ross” and has many posters hanging around the sides. It wasn’t long before the rest of the class was there and seated. Mr. Ross stood up in front of the class and cleared his throat, which made everyone look his way. “Welcome class, to a new school year. I’m Mr. Ross,” he says pointing to his name on the whiteboard, “or you can just call me Ross. I will be your homeroom teacher for this year. Before I take attendance there is a new student here,” he continued, looking at me. “Would you like to come up front, introduce yourself, and tell us a bit about yourself?”
Cont'd on pg. 8
Newspaper -- cont'd from pg. 1
We should have an EMES newspaper because a student-led newspaper allows students to give their views. Kids have different ways of explaining things than adults do, and it would be great exercise for kids to take charge and lead the people who are usually leading them. Also, a story is investigated. Kids will learn to ask questions, dig deeper and unearth the whole story.
EMES should have its own newspaper because it’s a great project to work on. Working on a newspaper together allows students to collaborate. People would learn to get along. It would be a great social project in a time where there haven’t been a lot of social interactions.
I believe EMES needs its own newspaper. It would inform the public of current and upcoming events. A newspaper would allow students to share their thoughts. And it would be a good collaborative social activity. Let’s make it happen! ~
We should have an EMES newspaper because a student-led newspaper allows students to give their views. Kids have different ways of explaining things than adults do, and it would be great exercise for kids to take charge and lead the people who are usually leading them. Also, a story is investigated. Kids will learn to ask questions, dig deeper and unearth the whole story.
EMES should have its own newspaper because it’s a great project to work on. Working on a newspaper together allows students to collaborate. People would learn to get along. It would be a great social project in a time where there haven’t been a lot of social interactions.
I believe EMES needs its own newspaper. It would inform the public of current and upcoming events. A newspaper would allow students to share their thoughts. And it would be a good collaborative social activity. Let’s make it happen! ~
4
Garden -- cont'd from pg. 1
This project wouldn’t be possible without all the donations from the community. Many people donated material. The Vermont Community Garden Network, Sandal Cate, and Deedee Swenson donated seeds and plant starts. Fontaine Sawmill donated boards. Vermont Compost gave us a deal on soil. Mr. Blanchard donated his time, tools, and energy. Thanks so much to everybody who donated!
Thank you to Karen for fixing up the garden and giving it a new life! ~
This project wouldn’t be possible without all the donations from the community. Many people donated material. The Vermont Community Garden Network, Sandal Cate, and Deedee Swenson donated seeds and plant starts. Fontaine Sawmill donated boards. Vermont Compost gave us a deal on soil. Mr. Blanchard donated his time, tools, and energy. Thanks so much to everybody who donated!
Thank you to Karen for fixing up the garden and giving it a new life! ~
(Top) Building a raised bed plot for radishes and other vegetables.
(Bottom) Radish sprouts for salads
Images by Karen
(L) Beans and curiosity
(R) Multitasking
Images by Rick
(R) Multitasking
Images by Rick
Art & Culture
5
Wild Things by Annabelle
Summer Begins
Poem by AJ
The sun is rising. The flowers are blooming. Summer is coming to warm up our hearts. We laugh and play, rolling in the grass until the sun goes down. We’ll have three months of camps and fun, and at the end, school will start to come closer.
Poem by AJ
The sun is rising. The flowers are blooming. Summer is coming to warm up our hearts. We laugh and play, rolling in the grass until the sun goes down. We’ll have three months of camps and fun, and at the end, school will start to come closer.
Poetry Corner
6
Barred & Snowy Owls
Images by Ted
Images by Ted
Poems of the Natural World
Seasonal seams
Haiku by Charlie
Leaves fall to the ground
in color, making a quilt
of mismatched patterns
Sweet Nightingale
Tanka by Charlie
Sweet nightingale
a bird that always has a song
to play in the morning
and at dusk, right before night
when it’s just right
Haiku by Charlie
Leaves fall to the ground
in color, making a quilt
of mismatched patterns
Sweet Nightingale
Tanka by Charlie
Sweet nightingale
a bird that always has a song
to play in the morning
and at dusk, right before night
when it’s just right
Time for another
Poem by Mavis
Cool mist in the air,
little snowflakes here & there.
You can feel winter is coming
& going. You better get ready.
Little humps of snow disappear.
Time for another season.
Flowers blooming everywhere.
The fog starts to clear up in the air.
Spring is coming now.
It's so magical, don't ask me how.
Poem by Mavis
Cool mist in the air,
little snowflakes here & there.
You can feel winter is coming
& going. You better get ready.
Little humps of snow disappear.
Time for another season.
Flowers blooming everywhere.
The fog starts to clear up in the air.
Spring is coming now.
It's so magical, don't ask me how.