Month: October 2011

Libraries, Books and eBooks…Oh My!

Published by jortiz41

Olivia Sweet (8) reads a eBook in the library.

When was the last time you read a paper book?  eBooks have been occupying the minds of students and teachers nowadays. The library at Garner Middle School is going to soon be adding a new addition beginning in the mid October to their collection of books. An eBook is an app that can access books onto a computer or iPad or any electronic item. The eBook will automatically appear on the screen and then you can begin choosing the books you want to read.

Ansen Hultgren (7) defends regular books by saying, “I would read a regular book over an eBook any day! I always seem to get too sidetracked when I try to read an eBook and it makes me get a headache from looking at the computer.” Charley Avery (7) counters the comment by saying, “eBooks are awesome! It’s so much easier to choose books and to pick new ones.”

Which way do you prefer to read? A recent poll states that, 60% of students and teachers would read a eBook over a regular book while the other 30% would prefer to read regular book instead. Ms.Flores, our librarian, came up with the fabulous idea of the eBooks coming into the library and Garner students and staff can hardly wait till we are able to use them. They will be able to access eBooks on all the computers in the library or you can even bring your own electronic item. If you have any questions about how to use or get a eBook you can ask Ms. Flores, our librarian, or a library aid. Whether you’re a well known bookworm or a textaholic, an eBook or a regular book would be fantastic for either one of you, no matter how you read or where you read. Reading is very important, and you will most definitely benefit from it in the long run.

By: Julia Ortiz

Powerful Poetry

Published by lquinn

Mia chows down and chats at lunch, fueling up for English.

Imagine, if you will, a world made for families, kinder, and more loving. This type of world is exactly what Mia, now a seventh grader, fantasized about and spun into golden words. Those golden threads of words were woven into an award-winning poem, “I Wonder”,  about the world –our world –and the way we’ve populated it with violence and hate.

When asked about how she feels about having won, she answered “I feel so awesome and grateful that I won, and it’s hard to believe that I did win.” This amazement is attributed to the fact that 7th and 8th graders were in the contest as well, and, as a 6th grader, she took the 1st place award. The San Antonio Poetry Fair, which took place late May at UTSA, was run by an intimidating  panel of judges, and they chose hers out of a large selection.

According to Mia, her inspiration was that she wants to change the world “and make it a better place” because she doesn’t like the way it’s heading, and she believes that it should be kinder, more loving, and a family place. She thinks that the judges chose her because the majority of us agree with her views, and everyone wants the world to be different, so it probably won for its powerful, influential values.

Ms. Muzny, her 6th grade English teacher, is extremely proud of Mia, and believes that she helped inspire Mia to want to try something that she’s not entirely comfortable with. This school year, Mia is in Mrs. Summey’s 7th grade English class, and hopefully she’ll create more wonderful masterpieces this year.

Written by Lauren Quinn