I have adopted a tree on my middle school campus. My tree is very tall and I just picked mine out today. It’s a tall pine tree but all the pine needles are at the very top of the tree with the pine cones. It must hurt when a pine cone falls from that high and hits you. I think it would be interesting to name a tree. But my name, Rachel, well it came from both of my parents’ names and it means Ewe which is a female sheep or a person of a certain tribe. I will name my tree Koa. We are reading a book called Wishtree and the tree Red is an optimist and his crow friend is a pessimist. A pessimist means you are: a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future. An optimist is a: a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something. I think I am sorta both, most of the time before a test I am always stressed that I will mess it up. But then of the other hat I am always trying to make people happier or make their day just a bit better. So I guess I can just be both depends on the day.

Hello friends,

About a month ago we made tree books in our LA class. Ms Gignoux helps us, here is a link to some of her other work https://gignouxart.com/ . I was a fully remote student at the time so Ms. Gignoux set up an awesome kit for me to do some of the work at home. And for some of the other work I could watch my classmates do it in person from a call. We wrote three poems for the book too here are mine;

Branches, Reaching Toward the Sky

My Wish Tree

By: Rachel Parker

My life list includes:

1. Travel to all 50 states before I graduate college.

That’s been a goal my mom and I have had since I was born. We have been to 28 states so far. I want to do this so I can have an experience and a story to tell about each state.

2. Get on the Girls Basketball team.

I have loved basketball since the 2nd grade and it’s been my dream to be in the WNBA. My family has given me lots of opportunities to improve my basketball skills and I need to show them that I appreciate all that they did.

3. To make a garden.

We have really wanted a garden so we could pick our own veggies. That’s something that’s been special to my family for many generations and I would like to make this come true for my generation.

4. Visit Paris.

I have always wanted to visit Paris because of how beautiful it is from all the pictures I have seen… And so I can test out my French skills!

5. To be on a TV show/Movie.

I would like to be on a show because I feel like that is something that I could look back on and really be proud that I did that.

6. To be happy and make others happy.

It’s good to make people’s day so even if I did just a little thing, if I know that it made someone’s day just a little bit better that will make me happy too.

7. To make fun school memories.

School is where I spend most of my time so I need to try new things and make good memories.

8. Get better at ukulele.

I really enjoy playing ukulele and it makes me happy. I always like to challenge myself to play that one hard song and hopefully next year I can be in the talent show.

9. Make my family proud.

This is something that is important to me because my family has spent a lot of time helping me do things that make me happy. So what I now need to do is show them it was all worth It to make them proud.

10. Create a useful item.

I want to make a useful gadget to help people even if it’s small. I just want to make something that will outlive me.

Some of my hopes and dreams for the world are: One, that all people have the same rights no matter their race or gender. Second, I hope that we will all start to work on the pollution so climate change will slow down. Third, if we can all learn to help someone when they need it that would solve many of the world’s big problems. What one person does can change another person’s life for the better. I also hope that as a country we will be brave enough to set an example for the world because we know it will be for the greater good. Finally, I wish that people would be smart and think before they act. Just doing that could change a lot for many different people. I hope we can work together to achieve all those goals and to make this world better for everyone.

When This Is Over

by Rachel Parker Horton

When this is over, may we never again take for granted

Sitting in a classroom

A trip to the park

The big firework spark

A visit with your family

A big birthday party

A shopping trip

The hard Monday shift,

A long basketball practice

A fancy dinner

A compliment from a neighbor

A messy conversation in the class

A hard lesson in math

Or just freedom itself.

When this ends

We will hang onto

The little things in life

And never take for granted,

We will enjoy every moment

For you only know how much you love something

When it is taken away

So we must hold on

Cherish it all

For we will never know when

The worst will happen

Again.

SALUTE TO MY ROOTS!

By Rachel Parker Horton

My mom has had a very big impact on my life. My Mom has always tried to make me be the best person I can be. She will sign me up for anything that will make me happy or help me grow. She never gives up on me, no matter how many times I have messed up. She is my inspiration and my role model.

To my mom:  You have sacrificed for me so I can get to an amazing school and have the life I have now. Thank you for always dropping what you’re doing to come and pick me up and for always taking advantage of  that extra opportunity because you know it might help us in the future. I know that none of the life I have now would be possible without a what you have done for me. Thank you Mom!

My Grandma has always been a big part of my life. She has always been there for my family whenever we need her. It takes a lot of work to keep all of us going but she never gets tired of helping.

To my Grandma: Thank you for always doing the little things that make us smile. I have learned so much from you and you have definitely helped me become who I am today. Thank you for always taking me to get a sweet treat after you pick me up from a hard day of school. You have taught me the meaning of forgiveness and how to make others feel special. For these and a 1000 other reasons, I am so glad you are in my life.

My Grandfather has also been a role model for me and has had a big influence on my life. I am grateful for all that he does for our family.

To my Grandfather: Thank you for always making me smile and always being there to listen to my long, slow stories of how my school day went. Thank you for always knowing how to cheer me up even before I get very down, and for holding us all together in the end. Thank you for being there for me even though you are sick and sometimes have bad days too. I am the person I am today because of you.

I can’t write this tribute without mentioning my friends. They are part of the everyday me and I wouldn’t make it without them!

To my friends:  Thank you for being there to make me laugh and smile. You have always been there to help me be myself and to encourage me to do things I have never done before. Thank you for always understanding and forgiving me when I have messed up, and for never judging me. You have truly made this school such a better place for me and always making me feel comfortable with myself.

Those are my 3 poems, I hope you enjoyed and special thanks to Mrs Gignoux!

-Rachel

Hello Today I would like to share about our stock market game in LA class. We are inspired to do this project by a book we’re reading called Westing Game. One of the Characters in the book called Turtle,she has an obsession with stocks. My business is called $Ucreate$. Here are the stocks I have invested in and why. Zoom: Spring break is coming up soon so i think lots of people will be calling family over the break. Target: this is a very big store system and as things start to open up again more and more people will be going. Amazon: Lots of people are using this website a lot. They do have everything from A-Z after all, and because the Holidays are coming up. Apple: they are always coming up with new stuff and when they do everyone wants it. Disney: I am actually planning to buy some stocks in this company in real life and like i said as things start to open up more people will be looking for ways to get out of the house.