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 Book Fair: What to read This week (3/10/08-3/15/08) is the book fair. There is going to be so many books for you to read. A book fair isn’t just about books. They also sell pens, pencils, and other small items. The prices can range from a quarter to twenty bucks. But one thing there is a lot of is books. This article will tell you what kind of books you may like. If your very adventurous or like living on the edge, than a mystery would be a good book for you. There are quite a few at the book fair this week. If you like reading historical books, try looking at the book fair for a new book to read. If you like books about world records sci-fi things then the book fair is perfect for you. There are plenty of different books being sold at the book fair.  If you don’t go for the books, you could always look at the other items on sale. There are posters for you to buy. There are also pens, art kits, bookmarks, and other small, but interesting things. If you love to read, then check out the book fair. Maybe you’ll find a good book.

Charity Basketball Game The charity basketball game was a big hit. It took place in our gym, last Friday night. The gym was packed full. There were probably 300 people there, enjoying the fun. If you bought a shirt the week before, it doubled as your ticket. All the money raised went to a foundation called Big Oak Branch. Instead of the 8th grade cheerleaders cheering, they played the 8th grade basketball team. The 8th grade wrestlers were the cheerleaders. They added for some extra excitement. They learned cheers and chants which they performed between each quarter. At halftime all 8th graders that have been in a sport in the past year, presented a dance to the song, “//Were all in this together”,// from High School Musical//.// They did an excellent job. The night was fun, and full of great laughs. The event was for charity so you got to laugh and raise money at the same time. The ending score was 34 to 31. The basketball players won, but there were a small change to the rules. The cheerleaders got 3 points for every shot they made, while the basketball players only got 1. The referee was Mr. Posey, which was also funny. He called fails all over the place. The cheerleaders made a few dunks as well. They went up into a stunt, and the flyer dunked the ball. It was a great night. Here are a couple pictures of the night:



Black History Month Most kids don’t know that February is black history month. Well this month is February so I guess you could say it is Black History Month. Some great leaders of our United States have been African American. Some leaders like Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Fredrick Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, and Rosa Parks. Black History month actually got started as just a week. It was known as “Negro History Week”. The week in February was actually started in 1926. Negro History week was started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. He was born to parents that were former slaves; he spent his years, as a kid, working in a coal mine. He didn’t enroll in school until the age of 20, when he started the 9th grade. He started this tradition by trying to put black history into textbooks, for more people to learn about black history. Now-a-days there is lots to learn in school, about black history. Like the 15th amendment being passed. The 15th amendment granted blacks the ability to vote. There is still a lot to learn about now that as something to do with black history. Like Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. They were both black secretaries of state. Back then, there was a way for teenagers to make a difference in black history too. Like the little rock nine. They decided to attend an all white school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The 9 kids challenged segregation in the Deep South and won. Although //Brown v. Board of education// outlawed segregation in schools, many schools still threatened black students in their schools. The little rock 9 still wanted the same education as white students, so they stood their ground. Another person that has a lot to do right now with black history month is Oprah Winfrey. She is an award winning talk-show host that is rich and is helping out the community. She takes great pride in her color and what ethnicity she is. With public appearances, Oprah has also supported important causes including children's rights, volunteerism and literacy. In 1993, President Clinton signed a bill into law that Winfrey had proposed to Congress that helps keep track of convicted child abusers.