Sports at Ericson:  There are two popular sports played at Ericson, basketball and volleyball.  Both take place inside of the gym at Ericson.  Also, each sport has two teams of people.  In basketball, however, the ball can be played off of the floor, and in volleyball, the ball cannot touch the floor or it is out of play.  Basketball and volleyball are popular sports at Ericson.

The Lazy Student:  When Tim woke up, he didn’t want to go to school.  His mom took him anyway.  So, he went to school, but he didn’t do any work.  The days passed, and Tim still didn’t do any work.  Mr. Morton called Tim’s house, but Tim still wouldn’t do any work.  Finally the report cards came out, and Tim failed his classes.  Tim was sad.

Failing Classes:  Lots of students fail classes.  Some students fail because the work is too hard for them.  Other times they may fail because they are lazy, and don’t do any work.  Another reason why students may fail is if they don’t go to school.  If you’re not in class you may miss a lot.  Many students fail classes every quarter

Passing Classes:  A lot of students have been failing classes.  These students wouldn’t be failing classes if they studied more, asked questions, tried harder, and came in for extra help.  Even though a lot of students fail classes, they have many options if they want to pass. 

Gail Denvers:  Denvers experienced the highlight of any sprinter’s career, as she stood on the huge platform in the giant stadium and received an Olympic gold medal. Eighteen months earlier she wasn’t thinking about running. She was hoping that she would be able to walk again.   Just four years earlier, in the summer of 1988, as Devers was training for the Olympic Games, to be held in Seoul, South Korea, she began to feel very tired all the time and failed to make the Olympic finals. 

Are turnips and rutabagas the same thing?  No.  A rutabaga is bigger than a turnip.  It tastes sweeter, too.  Also, a rutabaga turns a yellowish-orange colour after cooking, whereas a turnip stays white when cooked.

Though toads are still around, they no longer are as common in some areas as they were a few decades ago. The growing use of insecticides has reduced their numbers. The chemical sprays usually do not harm toads, but cut down the animals’ food supply. Thereby, the toads do not have enough food to survive.  There are fewer toads in many areas populated by humans.

Dr. Knapp doesn’t want people to sit back and let the toad vanish.  He believes that everyone is responsible for restoring the toad species.  Dr. Knapp thinks we could help restore the toad population if we stop mowing parts of our lawns and let the grass grow wild to reserve space for the toad.  He also believes we need to stop using pesticides and fertilizers.  The chemicals kill the insects that toads eat.  If we preserve some spaces in our lawns and stop using fertilizers, Dr. Knapp believes we can save the toads.