The TerraTell Includes: EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY: THE OR‐ GANISM OF THE
Photos from: The Arlington Gardens, Rubio Canyon, &Westridge Campus First Look: Exclusive Art Work Plus Le ers from the Editors &MORE!
Soil Organism of the Year Award‐ Terra Tell Soil. All ecosystems and food webs begin down in the soil. Most plants are on the bo om of the very food chain. Soil provides the nutrients and necessi es for these plants to grow. The more fer le the soil, the more nutrients the plants get and the healthier it becomes. Wouldn’t it be great if all plants used for human consump on were grown in fer le nutrient-filled soil? I’m going to let you in on a pre y big secret. There is an enormous crisis going on in the world right now, and it has to do with our soil. This serious issue causing this catastrophe is the loss of topsoil. Topsoil loss is when the top layer of soil is removed, or damaged. The topsoil is the layer with the most humus (decaying organic material) and is the part of the soil that is the most fer le. When the topsoil layer does not have the ability to hold together or is exposed and not completely se led (mostly due to plowing) it can be easily blown or washed away. Approximately 37,000 square miles of fer le crop land is being lost per year. That's about the size of Indiana! If this crop
Luckily for us, there is an important organism figh ng the topsoil loss ba le. That’s why my comrades and I have decided to award the Soil Organism of the Year Award to the amazing Mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae is a fungus that grows in a symbio c rela onship with the roots of a plant. It absorbs the nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus from the soil and provides it to the roots of the plant. In return the plant provides glucose for the fungus. By taking the carbon from the soil Mycorrhizae improves the soil’s ability to clump and s ck together be er. If the soil s cks together be er, its chances of being blown away are greatly decreased. Humus can enter the soil more easily through water run-off when it is clumped together. Mycorrhizae helps to expand the amount of fer le soil exis ng on this planet. The fungus makes the roots stronger and the roots are able to expand farther to break apart rock and release nutrients into a less nutrient-filled part of the soil. The contribu on Mycorrhizae provides is exceedingly crucial because if the soil is more fer le plants can absorb more nutrients and their growing condi ons will be more adequate. Due to the fact that the soil is more clumped it would be harder for the plant’s roots to be displaced. Our crops are safer and healthier because of Mycorrhizae! In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh “Our society is a difficult place to live. If we are not careful, we can become uprooted, and once uprooted, we cannot help change society to make it more livable.” Thanks to Mycorrhizae our plants are less likely to be uprooted and can con nue to make the soil more livable.
Barbaric Yawps 1 I am who I want to be I can roll down a grassy hill I can let my spirit fly over the world I can tenderly hold the white bones of the fallen I am a tree; steady and strong, yet I am a blade of grass; Wild and free
2 Girls all dressed up Black and white Take their shoes off Run and skip on the field Let the stress fly away
-Sanja
A Person’s Roots By: Taia The Fava Bean The gnarled branch lay on the ground. Untouchable, unchanged, inert. But everything….. is alive somehow. Take a close look at this spectacle of movement. Take your microscope and inspect it. Bacteria! Fungus! Suffused over the wood. Digesting it. Rotting it. The branch looks like a staff of some supernatural magician. Merlin. Gandalf. I whirl it in my hands. How are we connected? This magnificent branch and you and I. Let us look for the answer. We are on this Earth together. We are rooted somewhere. We live our lives. And one day when I take root in the ground I will rot away. Yet, you can look for me in an obliterated branch.
Simply Nature By: Hannah L. I walk outside and a wave of fresh air hits me in the face One by one I untie both of my shoes One by one they fall to the ground One by one my socks come off One by one each foot takes its first steps in the grass I put one foot in front of the other And then again and again The walking becomes a jog And then a run The grass tickles my feet each step of the way I stop running, I feel the grass grazing my feet, And I feel the soil below fitting to the size of my feet I lie down in the grass A little butterfly flies past my face A squirrel runs along a long tree branch And the smell of nature consumes me
Wild and Precious Life Poems Green Cotton I feel the soft grass tickle my fingertips as I sit Life melts into a fairytale There are little orange fairies prancing around the field Poppies in the wind Thin little wisps of green smoke flit around the dancers Tall grass A feeling of peace drifts down from the beautiful blue sky In the soft wind there is a nice heat It warms my face as I soak in the fantasy I wake up at the mere tap on my shoulder
-Sanja
Tortoiseshell Cats As I sit under a small tree I notice the Dappled light Tortoiseshell Cats Little blue flowers are nestled They sit in the soft soil all around me The cat is hungry and notices A lizard is perched happily in my tree It soon disappears at a single bat of a paw The cat’s gaze meets mine but In a blink of an eye all remains is Dappled light
-Sanja
My Journey By: Hannah L. Above me are the sounds of birds Nature is like my security blanket, protecting me from the outside world Here I feel safe Here is where the trees sway from side to side, dancing with the wind As the wind brushes past my ear, I hear the faint sound of cars I’m surrounded by nature When I look up, I see a tree with many flowers swaying with the wind To my left I see a person, about the size of me Her hand writing at the speed of light I’m sitting in a bed of flower petals, softer than silk The bed of flowers makes reality fade to a dream The farthest thing I can see is a telephone line Connecting people from house to house The smell of sweet flowers consumes me, whereas the car’s gas is faint and light The dirt, grainy on my hands, has a rich scent with a faint smell of flowers As I look to my right, I see dead flower petals running as if they were chasing the wind When people run, we leave footprints, making our journey, but flowers leave their smell behind so that when they are gone, a little piece of them remains I get up and stand in the sun, the bright, heat hits me as if we were boxing I sit back down and feel like a petal being blown away by the breeze
Where I Am and Where I Have to Be By: Taia The Fava Bean Why can’t I just stay here? Where the sky and the tree branches blend. Where the branches enfold me in their embrace. Where the leaves whisper, “Just drift away. Just drift away.” I feel serene in this garden. I wish it weren’t so close to the ruckus of machinery. Cars glide over speed bumps, Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump. Birds chirp and twitter, unseen ghosts in the foliage.
I step back. The smell of manure is in the air mixed with the sugary aroma of flowers. My hands smell like popsicle sugar. I can see a path, layered in a plethora of greens. The light illuminates the world around me. Allowing the shadows to dance, whimsically. Above the rooftops and the telephone wires there is blue. I can see the sky, an enormous canopy over our heads. Sometimes, it crashes down on us. Sometimes, I just want to drift away.
Exclusive Art and Photos
Fruit and Veggie Jokes Why did the Tomato go out with a prune? Because he couldn’t find a date! Why shouldn’t you tell secrets in a cornfield? There are too many ears! Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because it wasn’t peeling well What did the apple skin say to the apple? I’ve got you covered How do you fix a broken tomato? Tomato paste! Knock, Knock Who's there? Lettuce Lettuce who? Lettuce in and you'll find out.
Spilling the Beans!!! Madam Carrot dumped Miss Peas because she was too split-minded “she was distracted all the time. Sometimes it seemed like she was two different people!” said Madam Carrot
Cucumber dumped Tomato because “she is always mad. You can literally see her turning red!!! She is red ALL THE TIME!!!” Cucumber
Kale ended his relationship with Kiwi because kiwi was way to sweet to other veggies. He caught her saying “Lettuce be happy” to lettuce over the phone. The recording went viral, “but we still ship Kalwi “ says Corn on the behalf of Potato.
Pineapple confessed his love to Apple “you are the apple of my eye” said to him, and pineapple won him over. Now they are a happy couple.
All information brought to you by Potato and Corn, our diligent eyes and ears.
The Life of a Flower
-Sanja
Hannah’s Photo Montage
Crocheted Tree of Life
We are like stitches on a crocheted tree. We are a part of a larger self. We are a part of the Tree of Life. -Taia
Letters from the Editors Dear Reader, I would just like to talk a bit about the soil unit. It was very fun, and I was able to make even further bonds with my many classmates. We were able to par cipate in many ac vi es, and learn a lot of knowledge about how important the soil is to us. We were able to walk through labyrinths, do yoga, learn about bacteria, learn about math in nature, write poetry, learn about what we eat, learn how to save our environment, and learn how to use computer programs to make magazines. One of my personal favorite experiences was being able to walk through the labyrinth. It was very peaceful, and it truly brought me into deep thought. It was (what I think was) a type of medita on, and it really interested me. I also found it cool that it had been created by our fellow Mayfield students. Each individual rock had been placed by students just like us, and I found that very powerful. It was also very nice to be able to bond even more with my classmates. Over the course of the soil unit, I was able to become be er friends with my fellow group-mate Hannah, and I got to become even be er friends with Taia. It was very fun to work with them on the propaganda posters, and pre y much everything that we have done. I especially enjoyed when we did the bacteria ac vity, and Taia rubbed her sock onto the petri-dish. I was also able to bond with Megan because of all the classes we shared. We pre y much sat next to each other every class we could. Over all this unit has been my favorite, and I was able to learn so much. Now that we have done all of this, I am much more aware of what I put in my mouth, and I ac vely vote with my fork every day. I am also much more aware of all the bacteria in my everyday life, and I strive even more to keep my hands sanitary. Soil unit has made me more aware, and more connected, and for that, I will happily say that it was one of my favorite experiences of this school year. Your editor, Sanja
Dear Readers of the TerraTell,
Tuesday May 27, 2014 The Soil Unit was a mo va ng, enlightening experience. It was somewhat like the Water Unit. It’s only been approximately 6 days since we have started this unit, and I have already ascertained so much informa on about soil care and problems. I would like to use this informa on to see what I can do in my own backyard to help. This unit es into the Water Unit because some of the soil dilemmas have to do with inability to provide enough water to non-California na ve plants. I just looked over my backyard and front yard. About 80% of my plants are succulents or California na ve. California na ve plants don't require a lot of water and have adapted to our hot, dry environment. However, there is a small turf area in my backyard that requires quite a bit of water. Some trees in my backyard that aren’t from California also require a lot of water. In the future I plan to discuss with my parents the idea of removing the turf and filling that area with succulents or perhaps a garden. Today in some rota ons we learned about ways to keep the soil ferle and healthy. One of these rota ons was about compos ng. Compos ng provides humus for the soil. This rota on involved worms. I’m terrified of worms. REALLY TERRIFIED. I tried to conquer my fear. So, I named a worm “Mary” and picked it up with my BARE HANDS. I actually picked it up! Then I looked at it convulsing and squirming and….screamed. A er that I dropped it back into the bucket. At least I didn’t completely hyperven late. One lesson that I believe I will remember from the Soil Unit is our connectedness to the soil and the Earth in general. The Earth is a part of our bigger self. When we cut down trees or contaminate water, we are harming our bigger self. We humans need to increase our awareness of what we are doing to the animals, the trees, the water, the Earth, and our greater selves. If we don’t no ce this now, then what will happen to us in the future? So no ce things! Pick up trash that’s le on the ground. Be conscious of your water and electricity usage. Be aware of your environment.
We are connected, ‐Taia
May 27, 2014 “A Letter from the Editor” Before the Soil Unit, I had no idea how important soil was to us as humans and the environment as a whole. I learned so many things throughout the Soil Unit, and one of the main things was that even spending a little bit more time in nature can change my whole day. After spending time outside rather than on a screen, I felt more relaxed and energized for the rest of the day. Another experience I had was spending the last 15 minutes of one of our classes outside in the grass. When I was playing outside, I forgot about all the stress and enjoyed being outside. I also learned a lot about victory gardens, invasive plants, and plants that are organic vs. ones that used pesticides. I didn’t know that during WWI victory gardens fed about 40% of the population. When I learned that, I was wondering what our society would be like today if victory gardens could feed 40% of our population. We would have so much less pollution because all of our fruits and vegetables would be grown locally, and we would be able to see the process and growth of the food that we put into our mouths. There are many invasive plants everywhere, but one we focused on was mustard. I was amazed at how much mustard there was on a small plot of land, and when I thought of it on a larger scale (every mountain on the Earth) it would be a crazy amount of mustard. I learned that mustard was an invasive plant that dripped toxic chemicals that prevented the native plant to grow, and provided a larger space for more mustard to grow. While watching the video about heirloom tomatoes vs. commodity corn, I was amazed at how drastic the differences were. The tomatoes were so much more organic and better for the environment whereas the corn used pesticide and was hurting the environment. The tomatoes were grown close to where they were delivered and bought using less gas; also, by the plants eating from the animals that lived on the farm, it was healthier and didn’t need any pesticides. By animals eating some of the plants and the plants eating from the animals, it is much healthier for the environment. Through this experience I gained a lot of knowledge about soil and how it affects our everyday lives. An example would be how important soil is to holding up our buildings, and without soil they wouldn’t be able to stand up. Ever since the Soil Unit I’ve been more cautious of how we humans treat the world and I now I pick up at least one piece of trash per day. I now think what are world would be like if everyone picked up at least one piece of trash per day.
-Hannah L.
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