Rebus Puzzle

Can you answer this question? W+      -tetr      y+-f      N+-ey+w      Y++'+-bu      -cord+-ck+l+-p+-v+-l+?

Quote of the Day

What does this quote mean to you? To share your thoughts, double click on the chess board and a text box should pop up. Make sure your comments are school appropriate.

Get the Message Out

How important is the gifted program to you? Create a video or essay that supports the importance of gifted education. 
Get the Message Out Contest

Murray Mock Election

Murray Mock Election from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Candidate Webpages

Campaigning in the Classroom

2012 Mock Election

Presented by Gifted Education Students

   

     Challenge students have been learning about six different political parties, and they created fictional candidates to run for office in 2012.  Because we are learning about a variety of parties, the candidates did not get to choose their own parties.  For this reason, the views of each candidate may not represent their personal views.  

   

              2012 Presidential Candidates

Party	Candidate	Web Pages
American First	Christina Omnen	Christina Omnen's Webpage
Green Party	Alana Kennedy	Alana Kennedy's Webpage
Constitution Party	Teddy Peterson	Teddy Peterson's Webpage
Libertarian Party	Crystal Trayer	Crystal Trayer's Webpage
Republican	Joe W. Vitt	Joe W. Vitt's Webpage
Democratic	Jack Anderson	Jack Anderson's Webpage

           

Victory Speech

Alana Kennedy makes her victory speech! Congratulations to Alana and her committee! Go GREEN!




Victory Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

What to Expect at the Future City Competition

We are getting excited about the upcoming Future City Competition!  Our regional competition will take place in Chicago on January 26, 2013.  We will have two teams participating.  Here are a few videos from last year's National Future City Competition to give you an idea what to expect. 

I think this team had great public speaking skills.

 This was the first place team from Wisconsin.

The Votes are In!

The GREEN Party wins!  Congratulations to Alana Kennedy and her party. After tallying the votes, the green party won the majority of the popular votes as well as the electoral votes.  You can view our results below.

As you can see, it was a close race!  I'm proud of all of ALL the committees for showing that it is possible to campaign in a positive manner.  Thanks for sticking to the issues!

Students waited in line to turn in their voter registration cards and sign in.

After students received their ballots, they went to booths to vote.

Then voters placed their ballots in the ballot box.

Students were excited to have the opportunity to vote!

Waste Warriors

The Waste Warriors--Past and Present

The Waste Warriors ARE Agents of Change!  A group of 6th grade students started their service learning project last year.  They developed their mission, collected data, and created a plan.  Their mission is to reduce waste in the Edgar Murray lunch room.  Their plan is to create a recycling station and composting station.  They'd also like to educate their peers and hold "No Waste Days."  The 6th grade team (back row) has passed their project down to a 5th grade team (front row).  The fifth grade team will follow through with the Waste Warriors' mission.  Good luck Waste Warriors!

5th Annual Family Trivia Night

Our DECADES family trivia night was a success! We made over $1,200 for our Future City Competition! Thank you for your participation and donations!  Despite our technical difficulties, I think everyone had a good time!

Concession Stand

Families dressed up in DECADE fashion.

Chris played music between rounds.

Got Popcorn?

Campaign Commercials

Check out some of our campaign commercials!
Crystal Trayer's Campaign Video from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Green Party Commercial High Quality from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Christina for President from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Democratic Party Commercial from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Election Time

It's election time for the Edgar Murray! Our campaign committees have been working very hard to help our students become educated voters. Learn more about our candidates and parties by watching the speeches below. You can also visit the their webpages here.
Christina for Pres. from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.
Constitution Party Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Republican Campaign Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Libertarian Campaign Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Libertarian Campaign Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Jack Anderson's Campaign Speech from Jennifer Hawkins on Vimeo.

Future Astronauts

We had a BLAST at the Challenger Learning Center!  All of the Challenge students had the opportunity to take this field trip.  Each group participated in a space simulation and a rocket building class.

Elementary students (1st-4th grades) mission was "Mystery in Space," and their goal was to discover the mystery object they spotted in space.  By using the visible spectrum, students were able to identify that the mystery object was a comet. 

Middle school students participated in a mission too.  Their mission was to build a probe to land on the moon.  Students had the opportunity to experience what it's like in Mission Control and on a space shuttle.  Jobs ranged from Communication Officer to Life Support.