Off The Wall

Explosions of color and smell fill the open space around me! A punch of flowers and a kick of M&M's. These two wild things aren't compared on a regular basis, so I will compare them today.

We have, what may seem to be, totally off the wall topics but to your surprise they do have there similarities. These awshocking similarities include them both having a variety of vibrant colors. Some of the colors are light, dark, and regular...

red

blue

pink and many more. Another similarity is that there are different types/kinds. Some of the kinds of flowers are roses, lilies, sunflowers, and tulips. Some types of M&M's are peanut, dark chocolate, and peanut butter. One last similarity is that you can purchase either one of these delightful items.

Now for a few things that M&M's have that flowers don't. First, M&M's are candy and are made for eating. Another thing is that they are man-made and are full of brilliant taste. One more difference is that you can find M&M's at almost any store.

Next, for the things that make flowers unique. To start off, flowers are obviously plants and are a part of nature. Fantastic flowers do have there down sides, one of them being that some of them have thorns and can cut you. One final detail is that flowers are usually used for display or landscaping that has the ability to blow you away.

I hope you enjoyed my essay and that I got your brain thriving for more! Remember, sometimes off the wall can be great.

How To Prevent A Messy Title

In this video you will learn how to stay on an organized path. We will teach you how to keep your locker and binder tidy in just a few easy steps. Watch the ending carefully, this is where you will pick up the majority of your tips. So don't be the one with the messy title!

From A Teachers Perspective

Today at school the teachers
thought they ruled

They thought things like
"We're the best!" While the
students thought things like
"Their all pests!"

They made us take quizzes and
do our homework

Would all of you teachers stop
acting like jerks?!

Steep, Terrifying, And Red!

"What do you wanna do first?" my friend Tori asked me.

"We should probably get used to the water temperature first, I mean unless you wanna freeze!" I replied. Tori gave me the "No drr" look and then grinned. "You asked!" I implied with a smile.

We were on our way to the Valley View water park. Tori's mom was taking Tori and I. It was the summer before 5th grade but I was still having fears of the steep, terrifying, red water slide. For some reason I had a bad feeling.

"Honk, honk!!!" The sudden sound of the car horn made me jerk partly because of me stressing the water slide and being zoned out.

"Bye girls, have a good time!" Tori's mom told us just before driving away.

We showed our passes to the lifeguard working at the front desk, then entered the water park. Next we found the perfect spot to sit, put our stuff down, and took off running. First we got used to the feel of the water in the little kid pool.

"Hey, we should go on the lazy river after this." Tori suggested.

"Yeah, lets go now before the line for the inter-tubes gets too long." I said with an internal sigh knowing that I had also agreed to not only going on the lazy river but making the chances of me going down the scary red slope much broader. (We were getting closer.)

We snatched a double tube from the pile and then strutted towards the river. On our way we saw lifeguards, which soothed me just a tad, other water lovers, and the one thing that stood out to me was the red water slide of course.

"We should go down a slide after we're done with this." Tori said.

"Gees Tori you're just full of great ideas today!" I said sarcastically.

"Yep, that's me!!" She yelped.

The whole way around the river I couldn't get the, you know what, out of my head! Once we got out of the lazy river we made our way to the water slides.

"I'll race you down the green slide." I told Tori quickly.

"Okay I'll go down the blue slide."

"It's on!!" I said as if we were competing for a prize.

"On you're marks, get set, GO!!!" the lifeguard instructed. As I was on my way down I was able to catch sight and hear the screeches of little kids up to adults. Because of me losing my focus I lost the race.

"I win, I win!!!" Tori chanted.
***************
ONE HOUR LATER

The last hour was full of me avoiding, of course, the subject of the red slide, and trying to hide my fears. I was doing very well until...
BAM!!!!!!

The question that I had worked so hard to avoid hit me square in the face!

"You know we have to go down the red slide right?" The words sounded as if Tori had said them in slow-mo."

"Um, a, I mean duh." I struggled to get more than 4 words out of my mouth at once.

"Lets go now." The words kept on coming.

"Um, a , okay I guess." I stuttered again. We finally got up what felt like 1,000 steps and it was my turn to go down what I like to call the slope of death.

"You go 1st." I said

"No way, you have to go first or else you'll chicken out like last time ." Tori said in a harsh but friendly tone. "It's okay just take a few deep breaths, it's just a slide." She reassured me.

"1, 2, 3!!" shouted the lifeguard.

"Whoosh!" went the water spraying out from underneath me. I went to scream but couldn't, the speed of the slide took my breath away. I seemed to be falling from a 10 story building. "SPLASH!!" Water went everywhere.

"I did it!" I screamed, beaming from ear to ear. Another splash came soon after mine, it was Tori's.

"You did it!" congratulated Tori. I was so proud of what I accomplished I wanted to inform the whole world. I did it I over came my fear!!

By: Miranda W.

Snowflakes Or Sunburn, Which Will You Choose?

Which do you find more interesting, winter or summer? I personally think that winter is 10x better than summer because it obviously snows in the winter making winter unique while the sun rises and sets every day. What do you think?

The 1st reason fro me liking winter better, and to me the biggest reason, is that winter has more hands on activities to do outside and in. For example making snowmen, snow forts, snowballs, sledding, gingerbread men, and more. My next reason is that you get/have to get all bundled up, sit by the fireplace, and drink hot coco. All of these things get you warmed after being outside. Next my final reason is that you don't have to worry about sunscreen or sunburn! You also don't have to worry about frostbite if you bundle up!

Winter is not better than summer because summer is safer. There are more car accidents in the winter due to snow which leads to Waukee becoming a larger community. My second reason is that more people get sick in the winter. Most people suffer from the flue or other viruses in the winter than in the summer. My last reason is that you can get frostbite if you are not protected depending on the temperature.

I personally take the side of winter because if you are clean, careful, and safe winter is better. I know it sounds like a lot of work but really they are just the things we should be doing everyday.

P.S.
Don't let those summer lovers tell you are a cold person just because you like winter!

By: Miranda

Disaster Strikes In 93'

The water was getting higher and higher as if the rain would never stop. People were packing like they planned never to come back. This was the start of the flood of 93'.

So Dad, I believe you were alive in 1993?
Yes I was, and I was 23 years old and had just graduated from Simpson College.


And at the time of the flood were you living in Iowa? If so, where at?
I was actually living in Indianola, but at the time I had a part time job in Des Monies when the flood began. I can remember all of the traffic and it being hard to get home.


Do you remember approximately how long the flood went on?
I don't have an exact number for you but I do know it went on for several days.

Did the flood affect you strongly? If so, how?
Yes it did. It affected me strongly because it made me realize that natural disasters can strike at any time and anywhere, even in the center of the U.S.A.

What did you think about what was happening?/What did you feel?
I was concerned for everyone, especially the people who were physically affected by this natural disaster. I was also concerned for my family and Iowa overall.

Why were you so concerned for everyone?
I think the real reason that I was so concerned was the fact that never before in my lifetime had Iowa had a serious natural disaster that hurt so many people.

Can you give me any examples of what you and or other people were doing to help?
Well one big thing that most people did was sandbag, including my mom. I remember even people from out of state came here to help us with our problems. One other thing that people were doing was helping others get the flood water out of basements using sump-pumps. (Which they ran out of)

How did the flood affect you're everyday life?
The main thing was not being able to go to work, but for many other people it was that they didn't have any running water.

How did the flood of 93' affect you're life overall?
It made me realize that Iowa has great and caring people and it made me want to raise my kids in Iowa.

What made this flood so severe and how did you know?
I saw it on national T.V and you could just tell by looking around that it affected alot of people.

What did you come out of this experience with/knowing?
I learned that it really truly is important to help others in need no matter what, especially during a disaster like the one that occurred in 1993.


While doing this interview I enjoyed getting to learn from my dad's perspective of the flood. His perspective changed the way I thought of things. At first I thought that the flood only affected a small area with few people but now I know that the flood affected just about the opposite of what I thought before, but ended up bringing a lot of friends and families together.

Miranda W.

The Two Richest Ladies

Okay we're just going to get right to it, you most likely have heard all about International Spend like a Millionaire but for those of you that haven't allow me to explain. Well to get this story going I can tell you that International Spend like a Millionaire Day is celebrated on October 11 witch just happens to land on my birthday, but lets get back on track shall we?
Next I will talk to you about how International Spend like a Millionaire got started. International Spend like a Millionaire Day got started in 1824 when the two richest ladies in the world scheduled a shopping spree for just the two of them on October 11, 1824. That day they planned to take at least 1/2 of their husbands pay for 1 month and blow it all on jewels, diamonds, purses, and of course, clothing. You see that this tradition carried on for the next 11 years but what the 2 ladies didn't know was that both of their husbands had created of their own tradition and went out and bought guns and other manly items together.
So then on October 11 of 1835 each couple received a letter that stated that they were each in debt. Back then being in debt was an extremely serious deal so they all went to prison thinking hard on what could had forced them to be in debt. Once their neighbors got word they all be gain to mock the two couples traditions but spent roughly 1/6 of what the actual couples did. Any way seance then the tradition just simply carried on.
Now we celebrate International Spend like a Millionaire Day by going to our nearest malls and some people don't even glance at the price tags! I celebrate my International Spend like a Millionaire Day by going to Jordan Creek Mall, picking up and almost rudely tossing every item that catches my eyes to my mom. I do this because she's the luck one that gets the shiny, rectangular, silver, and almost magical, credit-card!
Out of the stores that we visit they all had obnoxious and noise making cash registers that made a loud but crisp "Cha-Chinggg!" sound every time a store clerk were to open the loud thing! The stores also had the sent of card board boxes witch, most likely, the beautiful clothing and other things were delivered in.When I get new things I feel glad and proud to have such great parents to allow it.
Other human celebrate this Holiday by paying extra close attention to each and every price tag and buy only the most expensive things so that they are able to brag to their so called 'friends'. So tell me, how do you spend you're International Spend like a Millionaire Day?
Miranda W.

One Great Homecoming

      O.k this is how my story begins. My friend Emma, Kelsey, and I walked over to the brand new looking Waukee Stadium together on Friday night, that was the night of the Waukee homecoming football game.  As we approached the line for tickets we saw the bleachers beginning to fill up by all the Waukee fans.  We could feel the excitement and tension start to get more and more intense just like you would feel before a surprise party.

      Then, once the gate was in our site, we noticed that the line was about as long as a school bus so we ran the rest of the way to make sure that we didn't risk the chance of having the line getting any longer before we got there.  After waiting in line for about 15 minutes we got to were we thought we would never be, the front of the line!  I handed four wrinkled up one dollar bills to the ticket holder and in return received one ticket to get into the game.

      Next we went to go and find seats in the middle school section.  On our way there, to me, the crowd looked like a school of  fish with lodes of Waukee spirit!  Once again we all felt a rush of excitement.  Somehow my two friends and I got through our crazy cluster of  fans and made it to the middle school section, then mingled with our other friends from school and sports teams.

      After that Emma, Kelsey, some other friends of ours, and I got board, like you get when you're doing homework, and decided to go over by the concessions and hang out while waiting for the game to start.  Then when we got over there I smelt the salty popcorn, sweet candy, and greasy hot dogs and hamburgers and knew that I would, at some point, end up over in that line waiting to buy something to snack on.

      Before we headed on back to our section we scurried on over to the concession stand, which didn't surprise me one bit.  At that time the aroma of the salty popcorn, sweet candy, and greasy hot dogs and hamburgers came back to me and we all took our places in line.  On the way up we stood still but steered clear of the bubble gum on the concrete.  Emma was in front of me and she got a sizzling hot dog.  Then I stepped up and got a container of salty, unhealthy, but definitely delicious popcorn to share.

      Finally we took our seats on the bleachers just in time to see the start of the game.  The field was packed with players, cheerleaders, and all of the coaches.  I don't really remember any plays but I do remember how loud the middle school section was.  We were cheering, jumping, and even dancing!  As we were watching the game I was eating my salty popcorn when Emma turned around sending my container of fresh popcorn air born and then plopped to the ground.  Anyway the game went fantastic, we won 49 to 9!  What a great homecoming don't you think! 

Miranda W.