Friday, November 26, 2010

Bowling for Books!



Our latest project, led by President Mariel Ziperski, is Bowling For Books. On Sunday, October 10th at The Alley, on Hillsborough Street,38 students from LS, MS, and US came out to bowl and donate. On Friday, November 19th, Susan Hester came from Wake Med’s Reach Out and Read Program to tell us more about the program and accept our check for $405 and 7 boxes of gently used books!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows at IMAX

We had just a little bit of fun tonight at the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 at Marbles IMAX downtown!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Summer Reading!

Need an idea for a summer book? See our list of recommended reads! Post your favorite books here too.

Ben's Summer Reading Suggestions!

Benjamin D. Suh said...
Hey, this is a list of books that I think you people would like. Thank you.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch: A priceless book about a teacher, who has pancreatic cancer and has only a few months to live, giving a lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” The Last Lecture is a relatively short book that will be remembered and read for years to come. This book is remarkable not just because the speaker has cancer and knows he will die, but because of his extraordinary mindset. Quote: “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” More information can be found at www.thelastlecture.com

Please Forgive Me, God by Sister Mary Rose McGeady: An unbelievable series of letters from Covenant House (America’s largest shelter for homeless and runaway kids) asking for prayers and help for these children. Please Forgive Me, God is another short book revealing the truth about their troubled lives and the main cause behind it: a dysfunctional family. Quote: “Maybe, if you and I care about them and love them enough, we can comfort them and convince them that God cherishes them. That’s what they need most of all. That is the answer to their prayer.” More information can be found at www.CovenantHouse.org

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: The internationally famous diary of Anne Frank chronicling the life of a Jew in hiding during World War II. What struck me most about this book was the way Anne and the rest of the people in the Secret Annex remained hopeful throughout the war. Quote: “Her voice was preserved, out of the millions that were silenced, this voice no louder than a child’s whisper… It has outlasted the shouts of the murderers and has soared above the voices of time.”

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien: Yes, many of you have seen the films, but how many of you have read the books? This is not just the story of an epic journey, but a tale of hobbits. Now, hobbits are the most unlikely creatures to face the Dark Lord; they’re not good fighters (like men), they’re not terribly brilliant (like elves), they can’t use magic (like Gandalf), and they don’t seem that courageous (like dwarves). How can hobbits defeat the Dark Lord? Because of from where they come: the Shire. Quote: “I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.” The first book in a trilogy.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin by Maurice LeBlanc: This is a comedic book relating the exploits of the arrogant and memorable Arsene Lupin, gentleman-burglar. Quote: “So much the better if no one can ever say with absolute certainty: There is Arsene Lupin! The essential point is that the public may be able to refer to my work and say, without fear of mistake: Arsene Lupin did that!” The first book in a series of many.


The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: From the famous author of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of letters from a devil named Screwtape advising his nephew (Wormwood) on how to seduce humans. This book explores the mindset of devils and their methods in seducing humans. Quote: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff: In which the theories of Daoism (a Chinese Philosophy) are explained by none other than A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. Quote: “It’s about this dumpy little bear that wanders around asking silly questions, making up songs, and going through all kinds of adventures, without ever accumulating any amount of intellectual knowledge or losing his simpleminded sort of happiness.”

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins: A book relating the Christian end of the world (see Revelations) seen from the eyes of a group of those left behind in the Rapture. A frightening book about the confusion and terror that will exist in that time. Quote: “He had already paid a terrible cost for missing it. Whatever it was, it had been in this book for hundreds of years.” The fourth book in a series of sixteen (including prologue and epilogue).

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: Originally a short story, Flowers for Algernon is the tale of mankind’s quest to fit in. It is told from the point of view of Charlie Gordon, a mental retard who is given the chance to be made smarter. This book is loosely based on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Quote: “He said Miss Kinnian tolld him I was her bestist pupil in the Beekman School for retarted adults and I tryed the hardist becaus I reely wantd to lern I wantid it more even then pepul who are smarter even then me.”

Foundation by Isaac Asimov: This is the book most people will think of when the name Isaac Asimov is brought up in a conversation. This is the story of the fall of the Galactic Empire and Hari Seldon’s attempt to diminish the following 30, 000 years of darkness to a mere millennium. For history students/ teachers who enjoy science fiction (Mr. Kielty), this book holds a certain appeal as it closely parallels the fall of the Roman Empire. Quote: “The appearance of strength is all about you. It would seem to last forever. However, Mr. Advocate, the rotten tree-trunk, until the very moment when the storm-blast breaks it in two, has all the appearance of might it ever had.” The second book in a series of six (including prelude).

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov: Another Asimov book, which is somewhat related to the Foundation series (see Prelude to Foundation), about the growing tensions between man and machine. Lije Baley, a human who greatly dislikes robots, is ordered to investigate the murder of an important scientist. On top of that, he is assigned to work with R. Daneel Olivaw, R standing for robot. Quote: “A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” The first book in a series of four.

Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman: This book presents thirty parallel dimensions, each with their own nature of time, as the dreams of a famous patent clerk: Albert Einstein. Quote: “Out of the many possible natures of time, imagined in as many nights, one seems compelling. Not that the others are impossible. The others might exist in other worlds.”

Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick: This is a book for those of you who like to impress others with very erudite pieces of knowledge. This is a book chronicling the early history of chaos (non-linear theoretical physics). Chaos is erratic behavior, without a linear pattern. Quote: “Where chaos begins, classical science stops.” Also by James Gleick: Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman.

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott: A short book about the second-dimension (flat shapes) and what would happen if they encountered beings from other dimensions (a point from the zeroeth, a line from the first, a sphere from the third). Quote: “So the citizens of that Celestial Region may aspire yet higher and higher to the secrets of Four, Five, or even Six dimensions.”

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach: A book about Donald Shimoda, a man who was able to see through the illusions of this world, and his student, Richard. Filled with short maxims, this book offers a new way of looking at life and the world around us. Quote: “This world? And everything in it? Illusions, Richard! Every bit of it illusions!”

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: A comedic science-fiction about Arthur, a carbon-based, bi-pedal life form descended from an ape, and Ford Prefect, a researcher for the Guide. It tells the story of the destruction of the Earth (to make way for a new hyperspatial express route), the search for Magrathea (an impossible planet), and the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (42). Quote: “Ford... There’s an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they’ve worked out.” The first book in a series of five.

Thank you and have a great summer.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Faculty Speech for Ravenscroft School National Honor Society Inductions

Whoa, I’m nervous. This was a big risk, wearing these heels, all of these parents, and the newly inducted National Honor Society members. Even with the nerves, I want to thank the NHS leaders for inviting me to speak today.

I was nervous from the first time I made an announcement on stage here. It was probably December of 2003, and I had been at Ravenscroft just four months. But I wanted to have the library open for exam studying on a Saturday, and someone had to get on the stage and tell everyone.

A new book out that your teachers and parents are reading is called Nurture Shock. This
book finds overwhelming statistics to prove things that teachers and parents have known all
along. Like, you would be better served by starting school at 9:30… that you don’t need to be
praised for every little thing you do… and that not accomplishing your goals on the first try
might be a good thing… I’m here to talk about another fact you already knew, as teens, you like
danger, you like taking risks. The teen brain is just wired to take big risks.

Mr. Kielty and I know this because we tried to keep up with you all on roller coasters at
Carowinds during Key Club Fall Rally a few years ago. Nauseous to the point of dread after 3
coasters, we sat on the park bench the rest of the day. But every year, students keep going to
amusement parks, there is just something about almost dying that makes you feel really good.
The books states, and I quote, “the teen brain at 15 in a nutshell – fearless to jumping off roofs,
but terrified of having its love of Nickelback exposed.” This is because at the same time that risk
is high, you are highly attuned to the opinion of your peers. Surrounded by friends, feeling
pressure, you’ll take stupid chances, just for the thrill. I’m here to channel that willingness to
scream your head off into something more useful. The National Honor Society stands on 4
pillars. Let’s discuss risk as it relates to each of these pillars.

Of course first we have SCHOLARSHIP.
How can that be risky to the point of fun, Mrs.Thrash? Well, what about learning for enjoyment? Why is everyone moaning in the halls this week, hating a class because it is hard? If you don’t like ___________ (fill in the blank with your least favorite subject) then don’t take _______________, or at least not the honors class of __________? Otherwise, enjoy what you’re learning. Research has shown you need to keep trying to learn to succeed, so embrace that risk and go for learning, and the A on the report card that usually comes with that desire to learn. It is also quite risky to leave your friends chatting about prom dates under the lockers to find a quiet place to study, but it must be done sometimes, the library isn’t too far away. (That was my shameless library plug for the day)

This leads us to CHARACTER.
Of course nothing challenges your character more than when you are tempted to do something you know is wrong when someone BEGS you do to it…. Just Say No! We didn’t teach you this back in Health class for you to forget it on the night of your first big high school party. Stay honest and get out of bad situations. This also counts for cheating, folks. Take the risk and be confident that the lower grade is better than doing something that is wrong!

Next we have LEADERSHIP.
I love Risky leaders: Leaders who aren’t afraid to speak loudly for their cause. If you believe in it enough to become the leader, be bold! Don’t get up on the stage in morning meeting and mumble, don’t put a sign-up sheet for an event in the commons and think your club is going to succeed, spread the word. Whether it is an announcement, a Facebook posting, a text, or a Tweet, you’ve got to get the word out and say, hey, throwing Frisbees after school is the coolest thing you can ever do on campus! These risky announcements let you know the leader has a sense of humor and wants YOU to participate!

Last but not least - SERVICE.
How Risky is it to be the only person to show up alone to do service? Last month on that snowy Friday night, I cancelled Warmth for Wake, only to have Riley Ray text me and say that he was chopping wood anyway. Sadly, there are people in Wake County without central heat or a stove, or without gas to run a stove. These people need wood, and if you’re not going to risk a wet road to get to the wood lot, they won’t get their heat. It is the same with any Service event. There is risk because not every event will be easy, you might have to sort potatoes at the Food Bank or drill times tables with a 3rd grader in Extended Day tutoring. In the end, it is worth it when you leave a shift at the food bank, knowing that the food will be delivered to homes today. And it’s worth it for the 3rd grader who is stressed about getting all 50 problems done on that timed -times table test- in Mrs. Phelp’s room. Take the risk, show up alone, get out and serve!

The risk paid off for me to come on stage that first time, I might have had about 8 students
come and study that December before exams. But those 8 were glad they took that risk to come
in the library for a quiet place to study. And as you leave today, think about what POSITIVE risk
taking can do for you today.

Thank you.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pajama Pals Delivery!



Today we delivered 7 huge boxes to Pajama Pals. From there, the books will go to children all over the triangle in hospitals, shelters, and through agencies that distribute them to children. Thanks to everyone who donated!

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Book Collection for Pajama Pals

Pajama Pals of Apex distributes books and new pajamas to agencies and schools for children. We're collecting now through March 26th and hope to deliver our books on Sunday, March 28th.

For more info about where these books go: see http://pajamapals.org