Junior Honors

Juniors have been working on polishing essay-writing skills. Our literary focus is Early American Literature, including some memoirs and speeches by the likes of Patrick Henry and Jonathan Edwards, among others.

Analysis and peer review have been in the forefront this past month. Students are learning the benefits of being "productively messy" on a piece of text.

Coming up, we have the Dreaded Fold-a-Book. If you have a hard time with turning things in on time, or pacing yourself on a big project, this may be your undoing! More information this week.

We are working on the initial stages of our service-learning project. Students are choosing a project to present to the rest of the class. In the process of this, students will learn about memos, data collection, questioning, and presenting professionally.

The two-hour service learning assignment is due on October 20. If students worry whether or not the service they have chosen is appropriate, they should come see me.

This class will be a little different for most students. I am using a business model. Students must meet deadlines, they should give me professional-quality work (or at least work that looks like they tried for professional-quality), and they need to show mature, responsible behavior in class. I am stressing preparation, punctuality and personal accountability. My goal is to have these students ready for the real world by June, since they will be expected to compete in a world that is very demanding. I will always give them a way to redo and resubmit work, but ideally, I would like to encourage them to do it right the first time. So far, I am very encouraged.

A special visitor in Science Fiction/Fantasy

Phillip "Big Dog" Jones came to visit our class on September 16. As usual, he brought his wonderful sense of humor, encouragement about writing and the opportunity to learn more about his story and his journey to being published. Phillip is working on creating a script for a movie, along with Books Two through Six of the Crystal Moon Fantasy Series. A frequent visitor to our classroom, Phillip will be coming again on October 25th. I'm in the middle of his first book now.

Fantasy/Science Fiction and the Sorting Hat

Our intrepid writers took the challenge of reading about their heroes wearing the famous Hunter Sorting Hat. Students were able to create their own hero and try their hand at some creative writing. Not only stylish, these students are talented as well.

Pro Tech Comm's Weight Bearing Structures

On the second day of class, 5th, 6th and 8th period Professional and Technical Writing and Communications students worked together to build a weight-bearing structure. Some were incredibly resourceful and creative. Obviously, we have fine minds at work here.

Herriman High's First Assembly

Just wanted to say how proud I am to be a Mustang! Here are pictures from our first assembly. The senior class seems to realize what an important role they have in setting a high standard and creating a legacy.