Moral Courage Project

Branch Rickey

Branch Rickey was the owner and manger of the LA Dodgers.

Branch Rickey planned to integrate Major League Baseball by finding an African American baseball player who was so good no one could say he didn't belong in the major league.

Branch Rickey saw the opportunity in the minor leaguer, Jackie Robinson. He bought Robinson's contract from the minor league.

Jackie Robinson was an instant hit with baseball fans and people soon came to love him.

Branch Rickey's success with Jackie Robinson led to more owners and managers hiring African American players.

Alex Barnes
10-7-08
Think tac toe

The book the Wave is set in 1969 in Alto, California. The book is about a teacher who tries to give his high school class a taste of what Nazi Germany would have been like. He creates a movement called the Wave which gets out of hand. The movement spreads to the rest of the school and non-Wave members are threatened and even hurt by Wave members. The teacher realizes he must end the Wave and calls an assembly. He turns on a projector that shows a giant image of Adolf Hitler. He talks about how they all would have made great Nazis. The students feel awful and the Wave ends.

How does the time and place people live in affect the events that happen and how they are affected?

The book the Wave is a great example of how the time and place people live in affect the events that happen and how they are affected. The experiment the Wave never would have happened before Adolf Hitler or the Holocaust. This is how the importance of the time one lives in is shown. The place the book happens in probably wouldn’t have mattered as much. The Wave could have taken place in any city or country and would have been stopped before something extremely bad happened. When the Wave ends in the book the students see how the Wave was making them lose their freedom as individuals. After their experience with the Wave the students would be more careful about joining movements and groups.

Alex B.

10-7-08

Tic Tac Toe

Alex Cooper Coming to TV

Famous long time comedian Alex Cooper is coming to TV. After 13 years of great stand up comedy Alex Cooper will now host his own TV show called Mad World. The live series will premier on Comedy Central on the 22nd of this month and will parody current events and political figures.

Environmental Leader Alex Barnes Taken into Custody

Alex Barnes, an environmental leader was arrested along with 532 followers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They refused to move when bulldozers came to plow down a small forest. The police were eventually called and arrested all 533 members of the protest. They are to stand trial on the 29th of this month in the Pennsylvania Superior Court House.

Marshall Applewhite

Alex B.
10-7-08
Novel Think Tac-Toe

Marshall Applewhite was the leader of a UFO religion called Heaven’s Gate. It was Heaven’s Gate’s belief that the world was about to be wiped of human life and then repopulated by God. They believed the only way to escape the destruction was to commit suicide. Their souls would then drift up to a waiting spaceship behind the comet Hale-Bopp which was visible at the time. The spaceship would then take them to Heaven which they called The Next Level. There they would live with the next evolution of humans.

On March 26, 1997, 39 of the 40 Heaven’s Gate members killed themselves by drinking Vodka mixed with a heavy sedative. They also put plastic bags over their heads which prevented them from breathing. They were all dressed alike in black sweat pants and shirts and curiously wore brand new Nike running shoes. The member who did not commit suicide took a video of the dead which he kept secret up until recently.

Although it seems highly unlikely the 39 members of Heaven’s Gate did go to some Next Level. We can never disprove it because you can’t disprove something just because there is no evidence of it.

Link to Marshall Applewhite speaking about Heaven’s Gate beliefs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqSZhwu1RwoHale-BoppHal dd

Why do people have a natural inclination to look for a leader?

People have the natural inclination to look for a leader. This is because every human's main need is to keep themselves alive and by finding a strong leader they have a higher chance of surviving. Also people sometimes do not want to make life decisions for themselves because they're afraid that if they make a bad decision they will end up dammaging themselves. Basically people don't want to take responibility for their own lives. Humans want to be appreciated and needed by others. A leader tells their followers what he/she want them to do and in return will be accepted and needed. The followers feel great importance and will sometimes do whatever the leader says even if it isn't right. Following a leader can make great things and terrible things happen.

Do you think that students are misunderstood by parents and teachers? Why or why not?

I think students can be misunderstood by teachers because they have no real insights into that student's life. They can make observations and make their best guess as to that student's feelings and way of thinking. But the best they can make is a guess. Parents can make better assumptions than teachers because they spend more time with their child and because their child is more open with their feelings when talking to them. But both can not really see what is going on inside a person unless the person expresses his or her feelings to them.

My Memoir

Graduation
The feeling was great yet scary being watched by hundreds of people. It was a hot sunny day. Everyone shielded their eyes with their programs squinting to see the principal at the podium. I would now like to let Alex Barnes take the podium and present his speech about what Francis Parker Elementary means to him said the principal. I grabbed my typed speech in one hand and slowly walked up to the podium. I stepped onto the little step. I was feeling very nervous and yet a sense of pride because my speech had been chosen to be read at graduation. I scanned the sea of faces searching for my parents. I saw them under the giant shady tree smiling at me. I took a deep breath and started speaking. I spoke for a while feeling the pit in my stomach. But eventually my nervousness melted away and I felt myself relaxing. I was actually having a good time. At some comments the assorted parents, teachers, and staff laughed. I felt great knowing I'd gotten the privilege to present my speech. I read until the end,thanked the audience for listening, and stepped off the podium. The crowd broke in to applause. I walked back to my seat next to my friends. I felt such a sense of success and relief. During the rest of the graduation ceremony I was up in the clouds feeling great. I just sat and waited to walk up to the principal shake is hand and receive my elementary school diploma. When the time came I walked up to him, looked him right in the eyes, and gave a good hard handshake. After the graduation ceremony I slowly made my way through the crowd to my parents at the far end. When I got to them I gave them a hug and they told me how proud they were of me. We then walked out to the big green athletic field and the graduation party. I didn't really want to go. But I expected it would be a long time until I saw my friends and teachers again. So I went anyway. After the party I said a final goodbye. Then I walked out the big entrance gate with my parents. We got into the car and started the drive home. I undid the annoying tie I'd been wearing for the over three hours and draped it over my neck. As we drove home I thought about all the experiences I'd had at this school and thought about next year where I'd be going to a school called High Tech Middle. I'd have to make new friends and completely readjust myself. But I felt ready for anything after that speech. I looked out the window and thought about the new adventure I'd get to have at my new school.