borgette's New Writeups

March 6, 2008 (log)

2008-03-06T14:56:22Z

This is the last in a series of E-mails that I've received that details what my pride and joy has been doing on her latest excursion.

Dear Parent,

The Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) has been filled with adventure and learning. It's hard to believe that tomorrow Anna will return home! Of course, we are keeping her busy right up to the final minute. Throughout the day, Anna polished her newfound leadership skills with a presentation and discussion of her LFG's social project. In the evening, she watched Shackleton's Antarctic Adventures, an IMAX movie about Sir Ernest Shackleton's trans-Antarctic journey. Anna will end the night with a sleepover at the Maryland Science Center.

Over just a few short days, Anna has seen national monuments, explored historic Philadelphia, experienced the story of John Brown at Harpers Ferry, participated in historical reenactments and delved into key…

March 5, 2008 (log)

2008-03-06T13:32:54Z

The wee one gets home sometime today. This is just a chronicle sent by the director of the National Young Leadership Council of her day three on the road.

Dear Parent,
Today Anna investigated Washington D.C.'s rich history of leadership in a series of site explorations of some of the capital's most important sites. After a walking exploration of the seat of our country's legislative branch, Capitol Hill, Anna explored the Korean War Veteran's Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial and stopped for a photo opportunity at the White House. The scholars also visited the National Portrait Gallery, which houses nearly 20,000 works of art featuring men and women who have made significant contributions to the history, development and culture of the United States.

At each of these sites, Anna learned how leaders use their voices to take a stand and make a

…

March 4, 2008 (log)

2008-03-04T17:35:11Z

This is just a daily update on borgette's wanderings that we get from one of the directors of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. I'm just keeping it here for posterity sake. Memories often fade and I think words often help to bring them back. Especially the good ones.

Dear Parent,
Today Anna traveled to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, located at the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Now a national park, this beautiful area was the site of abolitionist John Brown's daring and ultimately unsuccessful raid on a federal armory in 1859. Anna, along with park rangers dressed in historical garb, engaged in a variety of simulations that mimicked life in America during the years leading up to the Civil War. Anna manufactured fake bullets, scrubbed laundry, participated in military drills and learned some fun folk dances. The scholars also examined Brown's life story and

…

March 3, 2008 (log)

2008-03-03T13:57:07Z

Since borgette is in our nation's capital attending a Young Students Leadership Council with about 250 other kids from around the country, I thought I'd node this for posterity sake. It's an e-mail from one of the Director's of the program explaining what they did on their first day there.

It has been a busy day! After breakfast, Anna and the other scholars boarded the bus for a day trip to Philadelphia to study the events, leaders and values that led to the formation of the United States. Dividing her time between a guided walking exploration of the sites of Independence Mall and presentations and exhibits at the National Constitution Center, Anna investigated the critical factors that led to the Declaration of Independence. In exploring this rich historical period, she focused on the ways in which the U.S. Constitution influences life in the United States--and how we, as citizens, influence the Constitution.
Returning to

…

Power of the Pen (thing)

2008-02-13T16:56:10Z

Before we move on to Anna's latest compilation I'd feel remiss if I didn't describe the circumstances.

Last weekend here in Columbus, Ohio there was a writing competition called "Power of the Pen" and she along with some her classmates decided to enter. All in all about 120 kids in her age group from around the city submitted entries. The rules were such that no kid had any idea of what kind of story they were going to write. They were given a topic and forty five minutes to complete their tales. The competition lasted three rounds and each story was graded on a scale of one to four with one being the best. They also threw in a poetry writing contest in which they had a half hour to come up something resembling a poem.

All in all she finished with three ones and a two. That was good enough to nab fourth place amongst her age group and she gets move on to the district finals in a couple of weeks. What follows is her words, ideas and expressions. To help the reader…

Two-word poem (poetry)

2007-11-20T13:56:07Z

Everything

Matters!

Note from me: I was talking with Anna last night about the recent state of E2 and the debate that's been going on about our future and some of the other stuff we've been going through as of late. I also told her of the two word poem thing. That's what she came up with.

I wish I was as clever as her.

I did do the formatting though.