"There is no force on Earth more powerful than the will to live." A Ralston

We just launched our latest Read it Forward, Between a rock and a hard place (the book the movie 127 Hours was based upon, if you did not know that) and all the copies are gone!  I hope you're one of the lucky ones to get it; if not, ask a friend to pass it along after they've read it.

We have some really great activities paired up to go with Aron Ralston's story.  First, we'll have a guest speaker from REI come and talk to the outdoor adventure classes as well as Dr. Hauwert, a professor from Southwestern University in Georgetown, talk to us about the caves underneath McNeil.

That's right; there are caves under our school.  And drumroll.....this is the biggest coup OF ALL TIME.  Dr. Hauwert has agreed to take a small group through the caves.

We are so excited we can hardly stand ourselves.

Actually, Mrs. Bligh and I haven't stopped high-fiving ourselves since  Thanksgiving break.

Stay tuned for the details on the cave exploration/ pick-up project!

If you've been under a rock and have no clue what I'm talking about with all the rock/cave stuff, check out Aron's blog (who doesn't have a blog these days?) or watch the clip below in which he discusses being trapped between a rock and a hard place (lest you think the title was merely figurative) while on a hike, alone, in Utah's Canyonland National Park.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it - Hunger Games official trailer!

Periodic Table fun!

The chemistry classes visited the library this week (it's about time!) and we had fun.  Well, I know I did.  We managed to get through the general trends of the Periodic Table and the classes presented their fascinating facts.

Many students dazzled their classmates with their knowledge.  Which was the goal, after all.

Some of my favorite facts:
1. Police officers are referred to as "cops" because back in the day, they wore copper buttons.
2. The Statue of Liberty has 62,000 pounds of copper.
3. Radon was found in 1 out of 5 classrooms in a study done up north.  That's 73,000 classrooms!

I'm looking forward to the next unit wrap up covering chemical bonds.  I need my own chemistry text book!

As for what I'm reading now...

It is SO funny!  Paul Feig's memoir of growing up in the 70's is hysterical.  One of my favorite lines: at Christmastime his father says, "Anyone over the age of 18 who expects a Christmas present needs to have their head examined."

Amen.

And poor Paul, he had to dress as an elf for a Christmas play in 1st grade.  Since his father ran an army surplus store, that's where his costume came from.  He was an olive green elf with oversized socks covering platoon-shaped boxes on his feet.

God love him.

If you don't know, Paul Fieg is the creator of Freaks and Geeks, one of best shows of all time.  And that's no exaggeration.  After reading this book, I know where his material comes from - his life!

Here's a clip of Sam preparing for his dramatic entrance into school with his new John Travolta leisure suit.  About 5 years too late.