The Daily News

Hello, from the Eighth Grade Resource Room at Circle of Nations School. We have 10 students who are working hard in math, reading, language arts, and science. Our reading class has been reading Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez. It is the story of 14-year-old Manny Hernandez. Manny wants to be the kind of guy that people respect. But that isn’t easy when his father is abusive, his brother can’t hold a job and his mother scrubs obsessively every day. The only way to get respect in Manny’s neighborhood is by joining a gang. But Manny is not sure that is the solution, it’s his life and he wasn’t to be the one who decides what happens to it.

Recently we have had several presenters encouraging our students to make good choices in their lives. Jason Nichols, a.k.a. Smoke, is a motivational Rap artist from Sioux City, Iowa. Smoke speaks on topics such as perseverance, attitude and entrepreneurship. At a very young age he began experimenting with drugs and alcohol and joined a gang. He has since cleaned up his act and hit the charts with his No. 9 song “My Dubz." Smoke is an inspirational Native American that brought a lot of fun, music and positive messages to our school.

Karl Randall was another motivational speaker who came to CNS this month. His presentation focused on self-worth, coping with the stress and pressure of school, and difficult choices facing young adults today. Mr. Randall spoke directly from the heart when he told us he had paid a very high price for making bad decisions. He lost his eyesight at the age of 17 when he was involved in a drug-related car accident. He spent one year in the hospital recovering from extensive plastic surgery and rehabilitation for his impairment. He had been a high school drop out but returned to school to earn his diploma and take further education at the University of Missouri and the University of Minnesota. He has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to helping the youth of today learn to cope with the pressures of life.

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Chief Robert Tall Tree and his wife, Terri Lynn Tall Tree presented an assembly titled “Walking in Wisdom." Our students learned they are a gift to the world. The Tall Trees delivered a powerful message about respecting ourselves, each other, the earth and all living things. They have been featured on PBS, Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel.

We are looking forward to ending this quarter by meeting our Math Facts in a Flash and Reading counts goals. Eighth grade students must complete forty-four lessons in Math Facts in a Flash and 25 Reading Counts points. When they complete this they will be eligible for a $10 Walmart card.

We are also getting ready to start the Science Fair. It is an exciting time of year for us and we are hoping to send many students to the State Science Fair in Bismarck this year.

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