Peacock lottery is unfair
By Michael M.

Did you know that once your name is picked in the Peacock Lottery you cannot win again? If your name is drawn again, they toss it and pick another. I suppose the administration is teaching us a lesson on how "life isn't always fair."
Why does the administration issue lottery tickets and deceive the students with false hopes of having their names drawn when in fact they choose who the winner is? I'm sure they have good intentions, and think, let everyone win at least once. But if this is the case, my suggestion is to allow students to enter their names only once.
Don't give students false hopes. I never heard of the Illinois Lottery saying to a million-dollar winner that they didn't win because the previous month they won a free ticket on an instant scratch game. I feel it is important to be fair and if the administration is not going to play fair, then they shouldn't hold the lottery at all.

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We need a pool
By Bryan C.

I think that our school should have a pool. Having a pool would be great because then we could have a unit in gym on swimming. Also, we could substitute swimming for running. I believe that other Middle schools should get pools too, because then boys and girls could join their school's swim teams and compete against other schools. I truly think that we need a pool.

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Scott looks back on three short years
By Scott P., Op-Ed Editor

It seems like just last week that we came into sixth grade. I still remember my first day of school here at Peacock. I had all my supplies stacked up in front of me in my arms with the schedule on top trying to comprehend the differences between periods and blocks, all while trying to find a room number in the largest school I had ever been to. In the gym I remember looking up at the ceiling like an adult staring up at the ceiling of a 747 hanger.
I also remember meeting all the teachers for the first time. Each had their own way of conducting class. I was used to sitting in one class all day with all my books in the desk. Now, all my books were in my locker, and I would have to put away the old books, find the new books I needed, and race up to my next class in three minutes. The idea seemed impossible, but I always got to my next class on time, barely. Even the ceilings in the hallways seemed pretty high.
Now, things are totally different. I now know every teacher's name and which room they're in. We now have all blocks in the middle school format. The gym doesn't seem as high now. I now know all the teachers-some I still like, some I try to avoid. I'm used to stopping at my locker to get my books. I even have it where I can go from one end of the school to my locker (at the other end, of course) and to a class downstairs in about two minutes. I can get to every class now with time to spare. The ceilings seem so low now. I can just stick my hand in the air and touch the exit signs.
Some of my most memorable experiences at Peacock are the plays. The Wizard of Oz was almost a catastrophe, except for the Munchkinland scene. In my opinion, Cinderella was boring and too sappy. The best play had to be Guys and Dolls, because we had a good background and good actors.
One thing that hasn't changed much is the quality of the cafeteria food. From Tootsie Rolls that are rock hard to Italian beef with a new form of Vitamin B-2 called "roboflavin," the cafeteria food stinks. The hamburger patties are no thicker than 1/4 of an inch. This year they started serving breakfast food in the cafeteria. How long has that oatmeal been in that top shelf? The only person I know who eats it happens to be an eighth grade English teacher. The quality of the machines themselves is pretty low, too. Every week, at least one of them is down, and it is usually the candy and chip machine. The prices have gone up in the soup and ice cream machines by at least a nickel.
Mrs. Six's death stunned us all. It is amazing to think that the kind woman who taught us biology in sixth grade is now singing with the angels.
A lot of changes have happened here at Peacock during the last three years. Some I'll remember, some I won't. As I go on to high school, I look back on these last three years at Peacock. I'll remember the fun times; I'll remember the bad times. And with this final note, I say, farewell to thee, F.E. Peacock Middle School, farewell to thee.

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Sewing should stay
By Christine H.

As an eighth grader who took Mrs. Knudsen's sewing class, I believe that it is a very useful experience. Sewing is not only a "girly" activity. Many men are very successful in the clothing area. Many designers for women's fashions are men. Just because most guys don't want to take sewing, and would rather build bridges and CO2 cars, doesn't mean that only girls take this class. This year, Brad Cousineau took Mrs. Knudsen's class. He said that he enjoyed to class, and that the administration and school board shouldn't get rid of it.
I also got some input from a few teachers. One said that the sewing class should be eliminated, and replaced with a relationships, or a psychology class. Also, moms should teach their kids to sew if they think that their children should learn how. That teacher said we kids shouldn't "waste" our class time on something that isn't going to help us academically. A couple of other teachers, however, thought differently. They said that the class should definitely be kept. It is a fun class for everyone who takes it. It is educational. It teaches you things that you will probably need to know to look good out in the business world, where despite what anyone says, it really does matter how well put-together you look. And sewing skills can certainly save you money in mending and alterations.
If I were on the school board, I wouldn't get rid of sewing. It teaches many kids a lot of things that will be useful to them no matter what career they pursue.

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Advisor says thank you for another great year

I would like to thank all the students who contributed to The Charger this year and helped to make it a success. I would also like to thank the editorial staff for all their hard work and creativity. The editors will receive a CD-ROM version of The Charger as a token of appreciation. Any student who contributed to two issues of The Charger will receive a certificate of merit. I wish the eighth graders luck in their high school careers and hope to see the rest of you again next year.
I would also like to mention one student, Elizabeth F., who merits special recognition for her outstanding effort. Elizabeth has become an excellent news editor. She learned what a news story required and worked to improve her content and style in each issue. She pursued stories on her own initiative and always had them ready to go by the deadline. I relied on her willingness to take on last-minute assignments and her ability to complete them.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the administration and teachers for their support and Mrs. Denise Doyle and Mrs. Linda Purtell for all their help and patience in copying The Charger each month.
Students receiving certificates this year:
Kyle Aevermann
Farah A.
Izabela B.
Bryan C.
Matthew C.
Maggie F.
Matthew G.
Kristina M.
Gina M.
Sarah R.
Hilary S.
Ashley S.
Amanda S.
Jason Y.
Sarah Z.
Brittany B.
Susan C.
Elizabeth F.
Alexander J.
Christa M.
Amar P.
Bennie P.
Andrew S.
Daniel S.
Jason V.
Mary W.
Abby W.
Tristan B.
Brian C.
Bradley C.
Tina D.
Kelly D.
Ryan D.
Ericka H.
Christine H.
Katherine M.
Michael M.
Scott P.
Jeff R.
Rosalind S.
Nicole S.
John S.
Christina S.
Edward T.
Emily Z.
George Z.

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Sixth graders reflect on Littleton shooting
By Matt C.

For this issue's poll question I asked nine sixth graders what they would say to people making jokes about the Colorado shooting and others like it. Paul Nowak had a rather odd reply. (He is a little behind on news).

"Stop it, you should have more respect for the people who died in the shooting."
Veronica S.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you experienced it."
Tommy F.

"Don't joke, people died."
Farah A.

"Shut up because if you were dead you wouldn't want to be made fun of, would you?"
Adam S.

"I wouldn't be laughing because what if it was one of your family members?"
Jackie B.

"You should have a detention or be suspended for making jokes about that because it is a serious thing."
Bryan C.

"It's not funny, what if it was your family that died, would you be happy or sad? Bug off."
Sarah R.

"I wouldn't talk you weirdo."
Kyle A.

Paul N.'s reply to me was, "what shooting? Oh, that one. You would have to be pretty sick to think that jokes about the shooting are funny, you sick monkey."

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Dreams of the Children
By Kyle A.

Everyone is good enough
Everyone is right
Everyone deserves a home
And a warm bed at night

Everybody needs a friend
Everyone needs their space
All people are created equal
So why is it the human race?

Perhaps our only problem
Is that some refuse to see
Not everyone else is the trouble
The trouble is you and me

So if we work together
As a team, me and you
Maybe we can rebuild our world
And make our dreams come true.

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School shooting stuns Peacock community
By Abby W.

On April 20, 1999 in a Colorado high school, a place where no one thought anything could happen, things went crazy. Two students, aged sixteen, had been planning all year to let loose a shooting frenzy. One of the young men had even tracked in his diary where all his fellow students would be on that day.
He hid as many as fifty home-made bombs on the school's premises, in his home, and in his car. On April 20, Hitler's birthday, the two teens hid their bombs, and took out their machine guns and shot twelve students and a teacher. The two boys then killed themselves. All told, fifteen people were dead. Here are some comments on the Littleton tragedy from local students and parents:

What happened at Columbine was absolutely pathetic. It is incredibly sad that our society has come to this. We need to do something to stop this. Kids right now are thinking of ways to copy what the kids at Columbine did. We already saw this happen at Heritage High School [in Georgia]. As a society we need to stand up and tell our children that what is going on is awful. If we, as a society, choose to ignore this and not confront the issue, more and more of these school shootings are going to happen and each time they are going to get worse and worse.
What happened at Columbine is very troubling and I don't think anyone will forget it. Right now a majority of high school students are petrified to go to school. There is a big possibility that this fear will consume one of them and then we will have more school shootings to deal with. Many people might think that there is nothing we can do to control what our teens think and do, one thing that we can do is to teach an ethics class from kindergarten on through high school.
- Michele B., eighth grade

I thought it was just awful, and I felt bad for the families of the kids who got shot, and the parents of the boys who did the shooting. Why didn't people know anything about it? Why didn't someone see what was going on, who exactly was involved? It makes me wonder if it could ever happen here.
I think parents, and school staff should start paying more attention to the kids, keep open ears on what the kids say and do. I just hope, however, that parents also don't go over-board in response and get too strict and over-protective. Parents wouldn't be too snoopy, but they do get nosy when they think something is suspicious.
- Mrs. Furgat, parent

I think the Colorado shooting was awful. Those kids shouldn't have bottled up their anger and the school should have been more aware of what had been going on.
- Todd D., seventh grade

It's very frightening, I am very saddened for the parents, I can't imagine what they are going through. I truly believe there has to be a stronger gun control laws.
Parents have to get more involved in their children's lives. I know the teenage years are hard and the parents have to show lots of love and support. Parents still have to stay in touch with their children, and not be afraid to punish or be involved in their lives. They should know their children's friends and the families of the friends.
People have to be aware that this could happen anywhere. There has to be an open way of communication between the school, kids, and parents. I sometimes feel the media over-emphasize situations such as this, which can scare children even more. Parents have to be aware of what their children watch on television. I personally think the schools should open a discussion about the issue immediately, so there is no confusion about the subject.
As far as the metal detectors being put in the schools, I don't think I agree with that one hundred percent. What kind of message are we sending, that we don't trust our own children? The detectors will work for a few years but the children will find a way to get around that. The detectors will also, in a way, prevent children from getting to their classes. I don't believe that it will truly solve the problem.
Basically, I believe that what we learned from this tragedy is that schools and parents need to work together to get help for the children who seem to be troubled.
- Mrs. Thude, parent

What happened was very sad, and I feel sorry for the parents of the children who died. The parents of the kids who shot their classmates should have noticed something was wrong and tried to get into their lives more. It is very troubling, and I don't think anyone will forget it, especially the kids and parents who were involved. It had a very big impact on students everywhere.
I feel that it couldn't happen here, but you never know who could turn against you. I feel frightened that maybe it would happen here, and if it does ever, I know a lot of us would be very scared. If it did happen here, I would have no clue as what to do. I feel much sorrow for the people in Colorado. I give the parents my sorrow.
- Allyson L., seventh grade

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