When are the guys going to let the girls participate in sports?
By Abby W.

Girls, correct me if I'm wrong! Has there ever been a time in a sports game, such as football in gym, when the girls on the team have gotten more than one pass to them? Some boys are just sexist or they act all macho, and don't even attempt to pass to a girl unless they play like a guy. There is a thing called reality! There are some girls who are not as buff or even actually involved as others are, but they still like to play the game. The ball gets thrown and you go for it. Then you realize the pass wasn't meant for you, but you still participate for a grade in gym until you get very upset.

Yes, I will admit that not every boy on earth cuts girls out this way. I will also admit that some girls don't even bother to participate in gym. But that is no excuse not to pass to a girl. So what if we don't always catch the ball. Even you guys don't catch it every time. When it is thrown short, over the head, or too long, you get upset.

Mrs. Krisik and Mr. Anderson have told us that it's just a game in gym. You're not playing to win the championship. Gym is a school activity to get everyone involved in sports and help everyone get in shape. Which leads me to my next point. When Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Krisik tell the boys to pass to the girls, the boys ignore them and don't make an effort unless the teachers stand over them. Once the teachers leave to go check the other field, those macho guys once again pass only to one another. So then the girls in turn refuse to play.

Mr. Anderson marches back over and gets mad at us because we aren't participating. We explain the problem to him and then we all get into this argument about sexism. Once Mr. Anderson calms us down, he talks to the guys about their side of the question. Most of the time, they say the girls don't participate; then they walk away and mumble under their breath that girls are not strong enough to play football or some rude comment like that. Mr. Anderson says, "Next time this happens, come to me and tell me. I'm a teacher, I'm able to solve problems." After talking for about five minutes or even more, it still doesn't work because time after time, you still hear "the boys aren't passing to us." Well ladies, maybe if you showed more enthusiasm in the game, the guys would pass to you. It can't hurt to try!

By the way, girls do not expect guys to pass the ball to them all the time. We know the guys need to participate in gym as well. Some boys are just sexist or they act all macho, and don't even attempt to pass to a girl unless they play like a guy.

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Child labor! Kids press charges against teachers (just kidding!)
By Michele B.

Welcome (back) to Peacock! As the teachers are welcoming us in the door, what are they doing? They're loading us up with textbooks! (And they're the ones who are always reminding us to "sit up straight.")

Are you bent over because of the extra weight on your back? Does your backpack weigh more than you do? Do you have to carry books because they don't fit in your bag? Is your book bag ripping apart at the seams? Do your shoulders hurt? Then too bad!

No, really, what are our options? Well, you could spend $100 on some super-duper economy size backpack, but if you have that kind of money I don't think that is the way you want to spend it. You might consider buying one of those really expensive backpacks with wheels, but besides being expensive those things are a pain to get up and down the stairs. Also, both of these options don't change the weight of our 20 pound math books.

My class schedule requires me to carry my math, language and social studies books around all day, but I find that more often than not I don't even use these books. I also carry my binder, assignment notebook, reading materials, a five subject spiral, and workbooks. These last few items may seem small, but everything adds up, and pennies turn to dollars Or in this case, ounces turn to pounds.

The incoming sixth graders received a "wonderful" first impression of Peacock. They were loaded up with two bulging textbooks and two surprisingly heavy workbooks just for one language class!

Our backpacks should be less than one tenth of our body weight and mine is way over that limit. I believe it is our teachers' responsibility to do something about the weight and number of books that we have to carry.

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Peacock needs a computer class
By Bryan C.

I think that the school should add one more class to the schedule, and it should be a computer class. I think this would be a class that a lot of kids would like. We would learn all the different programs and games. Every day we would learn a new program or game. This way we would be able to explore all the different programs. And every so often, we could have a day when we could use any program we wanted. I think this would be a very fun class.

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Do you think that "Character Counts!" will make a difference at Peacock?
By Krissy M. and Hillary S.

Yes, because more teachers will be reinforcing the rule.

- Katie P.

No, because it's the same thing as last year, but they gave it a different name.

- Lora C.

Yes, because I think people will be more involved.

- Ryan L.

No, because it didn't work last year.

- Adrianna C.

Yes, it will because it's a good program.

- Kyle A.


No, because last year it didn't work.

- Jamie O.

I really doubt it, because no one uses it.

- Brad B.


No, because I think it's a sad attempt to get us in more trouble.

- Mike P.

Yes, because it's a good idea, and I think it will help.

- Savanna S.

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