The always-supportive, ultra-generous, tireless, best-ever Tomlin PTSA board has awarded our class the funds to purchase a class set of 26 hardcover copies of the award-winning adventure novel Peak by Roland Smith.
(Can you tell we have been writing sentences with series of adjectives in class?)
The books arrived from Scholastic today, and Peak is scheduled for May 2008 to be our final focus novel of the year. Several students in our class have read Peak already this year, and all of them have given the book high ratings.
"[When] Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. He wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life."
Video: Roland Smith Introduces Peak
Further background on the mini-grant . . .
A few weeks ago Tomlin PTSA president, Mrs. Sharon Ours, caught me in the parking lot and encouraged me to apply for a PTSA mini-grant, letting me know that funds were still available. One reason I had not applied earlier was because Tomlin PTSA had been so generous to me last year when they contributed to the expenses for my Holocaust Summer Seminar in Poland and Israel. This award was completely unsolicited and unexpected, and PTSA surprised me when they presented me with a substantial check at the faculty luncheon during pre-planning last year. When I remembered that hardcover copies of Peak were available from Scholastic for $5.95 each, I decided to submit a mini-grant application to the PTSA for a classroom set. The rest is recent history.
Thanks again, Tomlin PTSA! You are the BEST!
4 comments:
Dear Mr.Blount,
The blog looks very neat.I like all the pictures.Also how you put assingnments on there.
Your Student,
Hannah
Dear Mr.B,
I am excited that you visited my site.
I only got one comment though....
That idea of yours was brilliant!I don't see why I did'nt think of that myself.I only put the interpretation on my blog because of a site that said an idea of what it might be talking about.So I decided to do that also.Thanks for the help.I appreciat it.
-Holly
Hey Mr.Blount!!!!!
I totally miss being in your class. But I do remember every thing you have ever tought me. Like personification, similes, metaphors....the whole nine yards. Plus, the other day in my English class we read The Eagle A Fragment by Alfred Lord Tenneson and I still remember every line!!!! I loved your class and I even love reading and writing now too. Thank you soo much for everything you ever taught me, I'm sure I will use it for the rest of my life.
love your fav!!!1/Jeff's older sister
Allie :)
Hey Allie!
How sweet of you to visit our blog and leave so many kind words behind. I always love to hear from my former students, even if it makes me feel old. You will never know how much it means to me to know I affected your life in a positive way. You are equally loved!
Mr. Blount
P.S. How appropriate that you signed your name with a :), Allie. I still remember when I saw you on the first day of class three and a half years ago and thought, I believe that is the biggest smile on that girl's face I have ever seen!
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