Hannah's Journalism Blog

Commentary Writing

AISD's "Blend" is a mix of uncertainty 1. Jake Brien 2. Their story is about the introduction of Blend. He says how it was briefly explained at the beginning of the school year, and that it's not the most convenient thing in the world, even though it's being praised like it is. 3. "I myself only have two of my classes on Blend, something that ignores one of the websites' key potentials. It's supposed to be a blend of all classes, and it's my belief that AISD should go all the way, or not at all." 4. They directed what the other side may think by saying that teachers and staff are telling students to wait because once Blend gets started up with all the students' classes and assignments, it will be awesome. 5. Every opinion was strong and was backed up with good evidence. They didn't stray from their original opinion. 6. There are no quotes in the story. 7. They wrote in first person. Privileged athletes claim lockers 1. Austy...

Short Response 1. $1,840 2. Pilots must get a clean bill of health from an FAA approved doctor 3. AISD - $1.05 billion Leander - $454 million Bastrop - $88.5 million Lake Travis - $253 million Eanes - $256 million 4. 50,000 jobs and $5 billion 5. Memes, short stories, and urban legends Long Response 1. The article is about a legally blind person who rode in a self driving car a couple years ago. The car was designed by Google and is able to pick up small details like a biker's hand signals, or stop for pedestrians big and small. Many people in America have a disability and these cars can help them. 2. People with a disability like hearing loss or blindness can benefit from a driverless car. They could also benefit people with a physical disability that has stopped them from being able to drive in the past. 3. I would be a little worried if there were driverless cars on the road with me because just reading about them does make me trust their safety 100%. I would be sc...

Happy  Metal Bowie Square

The Vegetarian's Dilemma (The Maroon) 1. Michael Tiemann-Daniel 2. The story is about the benefits of eating a vegetarian diet, and the writer's personal story of why they chose to become a vegetarian and how it impacted their life. 3. "My family switched to a vegetarian diet because most meat is processed and the bacteria from that isn't healthy and my parents thought killing innocent animals was cruel." 4. No 5. No 6. Yes 7. First person Fidget Spinners Spur Frenzy (The Trailblazer) 1. Sumin Son 2. The story is about why fidget spinners are popular and what the writer thinks about them. 3. "Fidget spinners are essentially a useless plastic object that provides meaningless entertainment." 4. Yes 5. No 6. Yes 7. Third person Why We Need the Homecoming Pep Rally (The West Brook Times) 1. Mahad Rehman 2. The story is about how pep rallies in the past were boring and the turn out wasn't good, but how one year there wa...

1. Write about whatever you care about 2. Be specific 3. Should contain a personal narrative, make connections to individual examples, the hook is the device to get your reader's attention

Short Response 1. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, State of Liberty 2. Women's health institute, Mulva clinic 3. For using a similar medallion-shaped logo like Kendra Scott has 4. Nick Medina 5. Happy Death Day Long Response 1. The writer's stance about science is that rather than questioning it, more people should appreciate what science is doing for our society. 2. Paragraph 2 3. "If the public and our leaders continue to have an inadequate appreciation of what science can contribute to decision-making, the consequences will be grim." 4. The writer said it's dangerous to develop policies related to energy, public health, or clean water. 5. The writer concluded the piece by saying the public should choose wisely and provide incentives for that line of work because in the end, it will benefit us all. 6. Yes. 7. I agree because scientists are finding new ways for us to deal with something or how to fix something else and I think...

 Short Response 1. Lindsey Graham, Bill Cassidy, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz 2. 1969 3. A device that can be placed on card readers and can store the information in the card 4. To help its employees and make shopping a better experience for customers 5. J.J. Mason Long Response 1. I heard that players knelt during the national anthem but I didn't know the reason why they were protesting. 2. Yes, players should be required to stand for the national anthem because it's respectful towards the country. 3. No, because it isn't respectful. 4. No, because he just overreacts about everything and the topic isn't that big of a deal but he blew it up of course. 5.  I don't know anything about Colin Kaepernick.

AISD Bond may bring major benefits 1.  Who: AISD school board What: $1 billion bond for Austin area schools Where: Bowie High School When: Polls start November 7 Why: Building new schools/renovations and remodeling How: Austin community votes 2 Summary: AISD school board approved a bond of over $1 billion for Austin schools. The money will be used for renovations, remodeling, and building new schools. The renovations for Bowie will cost $91,030,000. Renovations include a parking garage and expanded fine arts and athletics facilities. 3.  Mark Robinson: Direct quote Paul Cruz: Direct quote Matais Segura: Direct quote Brian Garcia: Direct quote 4.  5. It does 6. Yes New principal makes individuals and their needs a priority 1. Who: New principal Mark Robinson What: Wants to make student needs a priority Where: Bowie High School When: 2017 - 2018 school year Why: Improve the emotional and mental health of Bowie students How: Working with staff to...

     I always hated the drive home from work. Particularly today, my 21st Birthday. I should be excited or maybe even happy that I made it this far. I woke up to zero messages, including nothing from my parents. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle though. I was used to it. I turned a corner and passed by the store. I went in only to pick out a rather sad looking cupcake and a candle. The cashier gave me a look as if to say "I'm sorry".      The porch lights were on when I pulled into the driveway. Odd. They weren't on a timer. They had to be manually turned on every night. Feeling a little less safe, I got out my keys and headed to the door. It was open. Looking around I realized that there were no signs of forced entry. Someone had a key to my house. My heart was hammering against my chest, but I slowly approached the door, holding out the pepper spray I always kept in my purse.      All of my furniture was gone. In its place were dozens ...