Animals

Where I'm From

I have been writing "I Am From" poems for two years. I made an almost completely new poem this year, because of what I have learned from my teacher. In my video, I use a picture of me, my mom and my dad, and my dog.
I am from laptops,
from Lays and Cuties.
I am from the park next door,
from every tall cyprus
to every dewdrop on a blade of grass.
I am from the peppermint willow and the lemon tree,
whose sweet flavors fill my mouth on a hot summer day.
I am from surfing and freckles,
from Patti and Jeff.
I’m from my mom yelling, “Wake up!” and, “Hurry up!”
From fairies and leprechauns.
I am from my stubborn dog
who yells at everyone.
I am from rain and snow,
from the wind whose cool fingers brush my hair.
I’m from the great myths of Ireland,
from cabbage and potatoes.
From the great uncle who lost his leg jumping a train,
To the grandfather who survived World War II.
I am from the cranky family album who never wants to open.
I am from the past, the time before me,
a dab of paint on the canvas that is my family.

Where I'm From

I am from computers, from Kleenex and Bounty.I am from the busy, Marina-style home (it smells like cats)I am from the blackberry bushes and the apricot tree.
I am from celebrating New Year’s together and brown eyes, from Igor and Lora and Michael. I am from the electricity savers and the clean freaks.From, “Have a good day,” and “Clean that up.
I am from receiving money on one day during Hanukkah.I’m from Odessa, Ukraine and honey-covered blintz, sometimes filled with cheese.From the grandma who cooked stuffed peppers filled with meat and carrots, the colorful soups she made every chance she got, and the parents who are from clear blue tide waves and sparkly sand.
I am from a dusty drawer who holds with its thick wooden fingers priceless tea sets made of purple and white glass, passed on through generations of my family.
Angela V. 2011

George Ella Lyon was the first person to create a "Where I'm From" poem. Students have been also been making "Where I'm From" poems. All of the current upper graders here in Hillwood have made our own "Where I'm From" poems and posted them on the Hillwood Herald.

The upper graders will be making videos on our "Where I'm From" poems. We will bring in pictures with us or other items from our poems in the picture and make the video with them.

mayoral canidates

The mayor election of 2011 will be held on November 8. The candidates are very eager and competitve. The candidates are Bevan Duffy, David Chiu, Dennis Herrera, Ed Lee, Jeff Adachi, Joanna Rees, John  Avalos, Leland Yee, Michela Alioto-Pier, Phil Ting, and Tony Hall. You can see thier picture all around the city.   

The Liberty Bell Had Been Stolen by Metal Theives

Pissaro's People at The Legion of Honour

The Legion of Honour has a exhibit of Pissaro's People. Ending January 22, 2012, the exhibit is very nice.

Camille Pissaro was born on July 10, 1830 and died on November 13, 1903. He died of blood poisoning. He had many children who he loved to draw. He believed that all men and women were created equal so it did not matter who he was drawing, his wife, his maid, his child, or a slave. He drew all of them. He has a nice picture with a maidgiving a drink to his wife. You can not see his wife but you can see the maid and the bench on which his wife is supposedly sitting on.

Written By: Rubina H.

Big Cat Facts

Cheetah: They can run up to 70 miles per hour.Instead of roaring like other cats, they purr. In one bound, a cheetah can go 23 to 26 feet. Mountain lions and cheetahs have the same ancestry.

Lion: The roar of a lion can be hard five miles away. Lion live up to 25 years in captivity and 12 to 16 years in he wild. The lions are the only big cats that live in groups called prides. Almost every female lion in the pride is related. Lions have a tuft of fur at the end of their tail, which other cats don't have.

Snow leopard: A snow leopard can leap seven times their own height because of their "strong, muscular hind legs."

Tigers: Their "stripes are like fingerprints- no two animals have the same pattern." Tigers can swim very well. They don't stay away from water. Because of their bones, skin other other body parts, they are hunted for traditional Chinese medicine.






Source: Big Cats Facts

The Math-a-thon

The math-a-thon is fundraising program to help children with cancer. Students gather pledges from adults to donate to St. Jude Childrens' Research Hospital. A man named Danny Thomas opened St. Jude in 1962. The mission of St. Jude is to find cures for children with cancer and other deadly diseases through research and treatment. St. Jude is the only cancer research center were the parents don't have to worry about the bills. St. Jude has treated children from all the states.

St Mary's Cathedral Bell Had Been Stolen

The valuable and historic bell at St Mary’s Cathedral had been stolen. The bell is a memory of the Catholic Church of San Francisco. It survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. In 1962 it was torched by an arsonist. It was replaced with an electronic chime in the 1970s. It stood hard and strong for so many years and last month it was stolen by metal thieves. The bell is 122 year old and weighed 2.7 ton.

A parishioner noticed it was missing Sunday when he told everyone it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Everyone realized they couldn’t remember seeing it for the last month. It must have been lifted by a crane and carted away by more than an average truck says police Inspector Brian Danker. Danker assumes it was stolen earlier but no one can remember exactly the last time they saw it. The bell is 5,300 pounds and 5 feet bigger than the Liberty Bell. The bell was made of 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin records show. If the bell is melted it’s worth about 75,000 dollars, it originally cost the church 17,000 dollars.

The church is offering a reward for anyone who helps return the bell or catch the thieves. The church isn’t sure if they can afford another and even if they replace the bell it wouldn’t be as special as the original one.

By Asiana Duong

Don Giovanni at the San Francisco opera!!!

The San Francisco opera is presenting Mozart's magical opera Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni, the story, is a legend that nobody knows if it is true and if it is not. Like all legends, the story underwent many minor changes through the ages of the story being told.

On the picture:

Lucas Meachem as Don Giovanni and Serena Farnocchia as Donna Elvira.

Kate Lindsey was Zerlina. Ryan Kuster was Mazetto. Ellie Dehn was Donna Anna. Shawn Mathew was Don Ottavio and Marco Vinco was Leporello.

Topi Lehtipuu was supposed to sing Don Ottavio but he was not able to so Shawn Mathew sang for him.

Around 1930, a Spanish writer wrote a play called " El Burlador de Sevilla Convidadro de Piedra". If you do not speak Spanish, you have no idea what that says. Frankly, I didn't know what that meant until I saw the translation. "The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest".

Don Giovanni was a trickster. I won't ruin the story but I will tell you the end. At the beginning, Don Giovanni murders the father of one of his victims. At the end of the opera, Don Giovanni and his servant Leporello go to the grave and statue of the father. Don Giovanni invites the statue to dinner and the statue agrees. At dinner, the statue comes and takes Don Giovanni to his doom for all of his sins.

Anyway, the San Francisco opera is presenting Mozart's opera of Don Giovanni. It is great!

Written By: Rubina H.

Pet Pride Day 2011

Every year around Halloween, there is Pet Pride Day in Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Ca. Pet Pride Day is a day where animals of all kind come to have fun.

Pet Pride Day comes around once a year and there is a dog agility contest, a dog trick contest, and, to wrap things up, a dog costume contest (but a pony won with a dog on its back won second place). You can learn more about the event's schedule if you click here. Pet Pride Day is brought to you by San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC).

The Mourners

"The Mourners" is a exhibit in The Legion of Honour, the museum with the thinker. Why in the world are they called "The Mourners"? They are called "The Mourners" because they were made for the purpose of mourning! Not good definition. The Mourners are little statues that are placed around the casket like pictured in the photo.

If you look closely, you can see the statues around the casket.

The Legion of Honour has a breath taking exhibit of these mourners. If you don't know where The Legion of Honour is, it is located at 34th Ave.

Written By: Rubina H.