In Our Village: Our Lives in Boulder, Colorado

In Our Village: Our Lives in Boulder, Colorado

By Ms. Secord’s 4th Grade Class Bear Creek Elementary School 2008

Introduction and dedication

In our Village: Our Lives in Boulder, Colorado was inspired by a book about Kambi ya Simba, a village in Tanzania. Ms. Secord’s 4th grade class at Bear Creek Elementary School read about the lives of the people of Kambi ya Simba. We were fascinated to learn about people across the world and to think about the ways that our lives were both similar and different.

We thought the children of Kambi ya Simba might be interested in learning more about other places so we decided to write a book about our lives in Boulder, Colorado. This book is dedicated to the children of Kambi ya Simba.

Section 1: Ms. Secord’s 4th Grade Class In this section you’ll learn about the families of the twenty-nine students in our classroom. We come from a variety of kinds of families.

Most of us live in the city of Boulder but some of us travel from nearby towns to attend Bear Creek Elementary.

One of the fun projects that we did in class this year was to build solar lamps that were designed by Tony Cervone. We understand that many people in Kambi ya Simba are using these same lamps in their homes.

Here’s a picture of our class after we finished assembling the lamps. You can see that we had a great time and we learned a lot!

My Family

By Alison Jarvis My name is Alison Jarvis, and I live in Boulder, Colorado with my mom, dad, and brother Sam. I’m 9 and in fourth grade at Bear Creek Elementary School. Now I’ll tell you more about my family. My dad loves solar. He made an invention and got a grant of $100,300 or something from California. My mom works at Replidyne. She takes our dog on a walk almost every day, and on Mondays she’s gone to a yoga class. My brother Sam is 6 and in first grade. He’s sometimes really goofy, and you’ll usually find him either playing with his stuffed dog Domino or drawing.

In My Family

By Andre Miller

Hello, my name is Andre Miller and I live Boulder, Colorado.

I would like to tell you more about my family. My brother Sean likes to play soccer and he takes French. He also plays the viola.

My mom likes to read and cook. She also likes soccer. My dad also likes soccer and he’s a realtor. He likes to coach soccer too!

That was some information about my family.

My Family

Christopher Wagers

Hello! My name is Christopher Wagers, and I am a ten-yearold student at Bear Creek Elementary in Boulder, Colorado. I live with my mom, my dad, and my brother Justin. I would like to tell you more about my family. My mom has a Psy.D. and she teaches at the University of Colorado. In short terms, she is a mental therapist. She likes hiking, she has lots of friends, and she is very energetic. My dad works for ACS as an unclaimed property manager. He works hard, likes rock climbing, and sometimes it feels like he is always on the computer. My brother Justin is in seventh grade and likes to hang out with his friends. He plays lots of sports and a dang lot of Mario Kart, Wii.

My Family

By Conner Smith

Hi! My name is Conner Smith and I am ten years old. I am a student at Bear Creek Elementary, School. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my mom and sister Kaley. I’d like to tell you some about my family. My mom loves yoga and goes to a hot yoga place. She also likes reading and likes hanging out at our house. My sister loves computers, likes TV and listens to music and sings along. Now you know about my family.

My Family

 By: Duncan Stewart Hi!! My name is Duncan Stewart. I’m a 10-year-old kid and I live in Boulder, Colorado. I go to a school called Bear Creek Elementary. I live with my nice mom, my strict dad, and my crazy brother Connor. I will now tell you more about my family.

My mom is a hair stylist at a 5-star hotel, the St. Julian. She likes exercising. My dad is a website designer. He has a good sense of humor, but he’s kind of a nerd. My brother is a video game addict, and he’s 4 years younger than me. When he’s not playing his Nintendo DS, he’s playing with his toys.

That is my family.

My Family

By Ellen Considine Hello. My name is Ellen Considine, and I’m a ten-year-old fourth grade student at Bear Creek Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado. I live with my mom, dad, and younger brother Wyett, and they are all so special to me. My mom was stay-at-home for many years taking care of me and Wyett until she got a job at the public recreation centers teaching Nia classes (aerobic dance classes). She loves animals and painting and you’ll almost always find her with a smile on her face. For a couple of years now my dad has been working on making portfolios to help people invest their money better and save up for retirement. He has a great sense of humor and is a BIG enthusiast of outdoor activities. My younger brother Wyett is seven years old and very playful. He is very non-enthusiastic about school and homework, and he loves to go skateboarding with my dad. So that’s a little about my family.

My Family

By Erik Marrinan Hi! I’m Erik Marrinan. I’m a 10-year-old student at Bear Creek Elementary. I’m going to tell you a little bit about my family. My brother is a soccer player. He’s in 7th grade at Summit Middle School. He likes golf and video games. My mom is a nurse at the school I go to. During her free time, she is a stay home mom. My dad works for GE Healthcare. He camps and skis a lot.

My Family Erin Maybach HI! I’m Erin Maybach. I’m 9 years old and in 4th grade. I go to Bear Creek Elementary. I have a mom, a dad, and a sister. My mom’s a food critic, and she writes for a magazine called 5280. She also spends time working on our class’s holiday parties. My dad is a doctor. He works for an office called New West Physicians. My sister, Anna, is in 7th grade. She is very energetic. She likes spending time with friends. So that’s a little about my family.

My Family

By Griffen Henry Hi my name is Griffen Henry. I’m ten years old and go to school at Bear Creek Elementary. I live in Boulder, Colorado and live with my mom, dad, and Andrew. My dad works at Target to stop people from stealing. He loves to watch football and eat buffalo wings. Next, my mom works as a counselor. She likes to read and workout. Lastly, I have my mom’s boyfriend Andrew, and he works as a lawyer. He loves to watch college basketball, and he loves his college, Florida State. That’s my family.

About My Family

By Halle Sago Hello, my name is Halle Sago and I’m 9 years old. I go to Bear Creek Elementary School. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my mom, my step-dad Fabian and my sister Saydie. I also have a dad that lives in New Mexico. My mom is very confident and hard working. She has a great sense of humor.

My dad works at a casino. He runs a lot. Fabian loves to fix motorcycles by himself. He is very hardworking. Saydie is 15 and goes to Fairview High School. She loves cows and her laptop. She used to have braces. This is my amazing family!

This is Fabian, Mom, Saydie

This is my dad

My Family My name is Jack. I am 9 years old, I go to Bear Creek Elementary, and I’m in 4th grade. I live in Boulder, Colorado.

There are 4 people in my family: my mom, dad, sister, and me.

They are the most important things in my life. My mom is an outdoor person and likes to ski, listen to music, and help people in need. My dad works in real estate, and he likes to play with my sister and me. Also he likes to watch football. My sister is playful and nice, and she likes to play with friends. So that’s what my family is like.

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By Jacques de Curnou

Hello, my name is Jacques de Curnou. I am 9 3\4 years old, and I go to Bear Creek Elementary. I’m going to tell you about my family. My dad is software man. He loves the outdoors, and he plays with me a lot. My mom is sometimes making dinner. In her free time she is making pottery or reading. My busy sister Rachel likes hip-hop, talks to friends and sometimes yells about homework. That’s my family.

My Family -Jenny Harvey-

Hi, my name is Jenny. I’m ten and I go to Bear Creek Elementary School. This is my family. My mom grew up in Canada. She loves to cook, and she used to be a counselor. She is now a stay-at-home mom. My dad is a ground water scientist. He loves biking and skiing. Jeff is my older brother.

He is 12 and in 7th grade. He has a sweet tooth and likes anything with sugar.

He likes to cook breakfast. He also likes fantasy, particularly a game called Dungeons and Dragons. Catch me and my wonderful family in Boulder, Colorado.

My Family By Jett Reed

Hi, my name is Jett Reed. I am nine years old. I go to Bear Creek Elementary. I live with my mom, Sandy, and my sister Leia. I’d like to tell you more about my family. My mom used to be a designer until my dad was in a motorcycle accident and died. Now she is a home mom. She is now taking a printmaking class at Colorado University. Now I will tell you about Sandy. Sandy is pretty much my step-dad. He likes to hunt but he has not been able to hunt because of his job. He works with companies that drill oil such as McKay Oil. He is always teaching me how to handle guns properly and safely. Finally I will tell you about my sister Leia. Leia is thirteen and she’s almost in high school. She loves to read in peace and quiet, or she’ll be on the phone with her friends. She also likes school for some reason. That concludes my family.

My Family John Hanson

Hello! My name is John, and I am ten years old and live in Boulder, Colorado. I have three people in my family consisting of my mom, dad, and my sister Anna. I would like to tell you a little more about my family. My dad works as a paralegal for Wheeler Trigg and Kennedy and also loves to swim. He was the captain of his swim team in high school. Also he likes to run. My mom is the Business Liaison for Boulder, Colorado. She likes getting out of the house. While she’s out of the house, she is probably shopping. My sister is a professional singer and actor. She babysits and when she is not babysitting, she’s hanging out with friends. Now you know about my family.

My Family By: Joy T.

Hi, my name is Joy and I’m a ten-year-old fourth grader at Bear Creek Elementary. I have two families, one in Boulder and one in Pueblo. My family in Pueblo consists of my dad, step mom, and my four sisters, Paloma, Raquel, Bianka, and Noel. My four-year-old sister has always been big at everything: height, weight, everything. She’s really big. You will find her either playing outside or wrestling with my dad. Raquel is my three-year-old sister who loves to copy everything Paloma and I do. You will find probably find her in front of the television. Bianka is the second youngest and seems very old for her age. Her favorite activity is picking out her own clothes.

Noel is the youngest of all of us. She likes drinking milk and being patted on the back. My dad will be either playing the Wii or working hard to run his business. Jossy, my step-mom, loves chasing around little girls.

My family in Boulder consists of my step-dad Mike, my mom, and my little brother Moto. Moto is one year old and loves to dance to the Spice Girls. Most of the time Moto is eating or being changed. My mom is an electrical engineer who likes to knit and read knitting blogs on the internet.

Mike, my step-dad, is getting his MBA in school. So I bet you are tired of hearing about my family so I will tell you a little about me!

My Family Julia Greetings! My name is Julia Davis, and I am nine years old. I go to Bear Creek Elementary School. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my mom and dad. I would like to tell you a little bit about them. My mom works at my school as a para educator and at a restaurant called Flagstaff as a party organizer. She also is a Girl Scout leader.

My mom likes to read, walk with her friend, and be with her family.

Now I would like to talk to you about my daddy. He loves to fix things and he loves crafts. My dad works at a hotel called the Hyatt as a sales person.

MY FAMILLY Justin Tidd

Hi, my name is Justin Tidd, and I am 9 years old. I live in Boulder, and I have a dad, mom and two brothers, Ryan and Brandon. My dad started his own engineering business with his friends. He really likes cookies, and he often helps me with my basketball skills. For a long time my mom stayed at home to take care of us kids. Now she helps my dad with his new business and she does a lot of yard work. My second youngest brother, Ryan likes to play baseball, and he is on a team for Y baseball. He doesn’t like to read so he plays trucks instead. My littlest brother, Brandon is in preschool. We call him Boo, and he and Ryan share a room. There are some facts about my awesome family!

My Family

By Monika Wilhelm Hello, my name is Monika. I go to Bear Creek Elementary School. I live in Boulder, Colorado, with my family: my mom, dad my sister Annie, and my brother Bobby. Here is some information on my family. My mom works at Bear Creek, and she loves to read so she helps out at our school Library. Our house is full of animals because she’s an animal lover. For many years my dad has helped businesses with their problems. You will either find him hooked up to the TV watching football or playing football outside. My sister is very funny. She’s always on the computer listening to music. After school she’s always on the computer listening to music. After school she’s always at someone else’s house. You see she always has play dates. My little brother Bobby is only 5 but he can do lots of things. At baseball games he caught 5 baseballs and he has a golf ball and a hockey puck, and he’s very sneaky. Well, that’s my family.

My Family Narayan My name is Narayan. I am in 4th grade at Bear Creek Elementary School. I live in Boulder, Colorado. Enough about me! How about my family?

My mom is a good mom, but she yells too much. She is a good cook and likes Thai food. She works in a library and loves yoga. My dad works at a sandwich shop. He lets me stay up late and play videogames.

That’s my family!

My Family Hi, I’m Quinn. I’m 10 years old and in the 4th grade at Bear Creek Elementary. I live with my mom, dad, and two brothers. I’d like to tell you about them. My dad is a lawyer. He also likes to spend time with us. He’s really fun to be to be with. My mom is a stay-at-home mom. She is also fun to be with, and she is very understanding. Now my brothers…Cole is very funny and very sensitive too. He’s also pretty nice. My brother, Delaney, loves to draw. He’s shy and does not like to go to school. That’s my family! 

My Family Rishabh Yadav Hello, my name is Rishabh Yadav. I am ten and go to 4th grade in Bear Creek Elementary. My family has three people, and they are my dad, mom, and brother Abhisaar. I know you want to know more about my family. My dad works for the university, likes to jog, and takes me for lots of hikes. My mom loves to cook. She likes going early and she works for a company. Abhisaar, my brother is 12 and is in middle school. He will do anything to play soccer. He is good at math and is fast at swimming. That is my family!

My Family Sam Hi, my name is Sam, and I live in Boulder, Colorado. I am nine years old, and I go to Bear Creek Elementary School. I want to tell you more about my family. I have two brothers. One of my brothers is named Alex. Alex loves to skateboard and roller blade. He is also nine years old, and he also goes to Bear Creek Elementary School. My other brother is named Max. He loves to read in his room, he is always listening to music, and he also loves to roller blade. My mom’s name is Julie. She loves to take walks with my dog, and she loves to read when she can. She stays at home and does work around the house, and sometimes she helps with my dad’s business. My dad’s name is Todd. He is an emergency doctor. He loves to skateboard with my two brothers, Max and Alex, and me. Every morning my dad runs my dog up the mountain. Now I told you about my family.

My Family Shanaia Buggy Hi, I am a nine-year-old girl named Shanaia (Shuhnay-uh). I have three sisters; well one is a half sister. My dad was married before and then married my mom….I should start telling you about my family now.

First I’ll tell you about my dad. He is very, very, very funny. He tells so many jokes, and he’s just fun to be around. He also builds a lot of things for his job. For his job, he is fixing up a room in an apartment building. Another thing about my dad is he is nice.

Next I will tell you about my mom. She is very helpful. she cooks dinner for us almost every night. She is also kind.

My mom is Chinese but my dad is Irish so that makes me half Chinese.

Now I’m going to tell you about my sister Nicole. She is fun to hang out with and she’s very smart. Most of the time she is in her room reading. She’s also cool because she does a lot of things for me.

Now I’m going to tell you about my little sister Annessa. She is very cute but sometimes weird, but in a good way. She also has a very good imagination.

Now it’s time for me to tell you about my half sister Megan. Megan is very, very nice. She is always caring and cool for a sister.

That’s what my family is like.

My Family By: Spenser Havlick Platt

Hello my name is Spenser Platt. I am nine years old, and I’m in 4th grade at Bear Creek Elementary School. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my mom, half brother, step brother, step dad, and my dad. Now I would like to tell you more about my family. My mom is nice, caring and pretty. My step brother likes music, loves hanging out with friends and enjoys snowboarding. My step dad likes climbing, biking and is great at drawing.

My dad likes biking, running and reading. My half brother likes music, playing wii and having play dates and sleepovers. That is some stuff about my family.

In our village Sydney Kirlan-Stout

Hi. My name is Sydney Kirlan-Stout. I am nine years old,and I go to Bear Creek Elementary in Boulder, Colorado. I would like to tell you a little more about my family. My mom takes care of my two brothers, my sister Mia, and me. My dad likes to camp, mountain bike, and rock climb. He also works for a company called Lucini. They make olive oil. My sister Mia likes to play sports and to play with her friends. She also loves to jump on our trampoline. She also loves having tea parties with her stuffed animals.

My brother Jacob goes to Southern Hills Middle School. He loves to jump on the trampoline to, and he loves to have friends over. He also likes to play soccer, and he loves to play his D.S. My little brother Holden goes to Montessori Pre- School. He likes to skateboard, to swim, to have friends over, and to play board games. That’s my wonderful family.

My Family

By Tucker Eckhoff Hi! My name is Tucker and I’m a ten-year-old student at Bear Creek Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado. My family consists of my dad, my brother John, and my sisters Tina and Mellisa. I’d like to tell you a little more about my family. My dad’s a financial planner with New England Financial (which is with MetLife) and loves skiing. He also works around the house. My sister Tina lives in Colorado Springs. She’s in her 20s and a mother. My other sister Mellissa is a massage therapist and has 3 rabbits and 3 cats. My brother John is 18 and lives in Florida. So that’s a little about my incredible family.

My Family Zoe Hi! My name is Zoe. I am 9 years old and have a mom and a dad in my family. Here is some information about them. My mom is a teacher at a high school. She has been working there for 8 years. She enjoys snowboarding and has a great sense of humor. For 4 or 5 years, my dad has been working for a company that makes computer items and then sells them.

He absolutely loves his cars. If he’s not working or cleaning the car, he is probably watching sports on T.V. So that is some information about my family.

Section 2 Hobbies In this section you’ll learn about some of our interests outside of school. We go to school for about seven hours a day. In the evening, we spend about thirty to sixty minutes on homework which usually includes reading and math. Besides that, we have time to enjoy ourselves. Some of our interests include many different kinds of sports, dance, music, art, writing, reading, playing video games, or just exploring the outdoors. On the next few pages you’ll read about some of our hobbies.

The Soccer Game

By Andre Miller I love to play soccer, and I play every day. I would like to tell you about one of the games I played. It was with our rival, Italy. The game started. My team got the ball. They passed it to me, and I dribbled down the field. I passed it to my teammate. He shot and scored! We went crazy! They got the ball, and dribbled down the field. They shot‌ it went by the goal. It was a goal kick. Our defender kicked it, and I got it. I did a move, and then I cut to the inside and scored! I felt very happy.

Five minutes later I got the ball again. I sprinted by the guy and scored again! We were winning 3-0. Then it was halftime.

We got the ball and one of our guys scored! We were winning by 4 points! I got the ball. I was on a breakaway. I was going as fast as I could. The goalie came out. I faked left, right, left, right and went by him. Then I passed the ball in the goal.

The final score was 6-1. We were very happy. That was one of my best soccer experiences.

VIDEO GAMES!!!

Conner Smith One of my favorite things to do is play videogames and my favorite game is Halo!!! What you do is go on missions on different planets and kill aliens. A thing I love to do is to snipe aliens. What sniping is‌ is you find a sniper and go on a ledge, take out your gun, look in the scope, find aliens, and shoot them. Always a fun thing to do is find a jeep and run over aliens. Also, you can have friends play in coop mood. Coop mood means you are a team and fight through levels.

A fun thing is you can go in death match. It is where you can kill each other. The main goal is to finish the campaign. This is one of my favorite games.

My Hobby Griffen Henry

One of my favorite hobbies is to play American football. I had my best game of my life when I played against Brighton. It was fourth down, the score was 59 to 0, and we were trying to keep them from scoring. The quarterback hiked the ball. I took him down as hard as I could. The ref blew his whistle and yelled, “The games over!’’

The next week after practice my coach yelled, ’’Time for player of the week!’’ Then he said with joy, “The player of the week is Griffen Henry for keeping Brighton from scoring.’’ And I hope I can get better and better.

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By Jacques de Curnou

A long time ago I started building Lego’s. I have collected many Lego characters. If you have a digital camera, you can make movies! How do you do it? You have a Lego in a position, take a picture, move the Lego, take a picture again, and so on. You can make explosions, dead people, dancing, and more! With me, I like to make flying cars, and wars. I hope you can try it!

My Hobby John Hanson

Since I was 4, my sister was in professional plays and sang a lot. I decided to commit to singing and acting as my hobby. My favorite play/opera I’ve ever been in is Dead Man Walking. It’s a real-life story about a nun who takes on the challenge of counseling a blood-thirsty murderer. The practices were from 5pm to 9pm every night. I was tired all the time but at the end the play was great. I played a boy named Jimmy who was a very nasty and sarcastic boy, and believe it or not, I had the only “line’’ in the whole children’s choir. The songs got in my head, and when they did, I couldn’t get them out. Well, nobody knows what will happen next!

My Hobby By: Joy T. Four years ago I started to play the violin. Little did I know it would take me to play in a coffee shop in my Halloween costume. I had been practicing for three years already and was invited to play at a coffee shop, and I was surprised when my violin teacher Ms. Varie explained to me that I would have to play in my Halloween costume. So the night before I got my costume ready and I practiced my violin till I could hardly open my eyes.

Then the next day I was ready to play. My family and I got to the coffee shop. I was so excited. I was dressed as a vampire. My group and I played a few songs, and then I was chosen to play a duet with another girl. We played perpetual motion, and everyone clapped for us at the end. Playing the violin is a wonderful experience for me and I wonder where it will take me next.

My Hobby

By Narayan

I love to read. I love books, but I have 3 favorite books. One is The Lightning Thief. I am not sure why I decided to read it, but I have read it 3-6 times. I also read the rest of the series. Another is White Mountains.

I started it because my teacher made it a book club book. I finished it early and then read the other two books in the trilogy. The last book is Inkheart. I started Inkheart because my dad got it from the library and I decided to read it. I read the second book and want to read the next. The next fantasy I read might be my new favorite.

Skiing Rishabh Yadav One of my favorite hobbies is skiing. I love to downhill ski. Skiing slopes are rated by colors like green, blue, black, and double blacks. My favorite one of these is skiing a double black slope. It is fun to go with my brother because he is a little better than me, and so are his friends. He sometimes doesn’t like to ski with me, but my dad makes him take me. I like to go with him because where he goes is my level. Skiing is especially hard when you’re trying to keep up with someone who goes very fast. You don’t want to fall or crash into a tree when you’re landing a huge jump. So as I said before one of my favorite hobbies is to ski.

My Hobby Shanaia

Do you have something you love to do? If you do then that’s called a hobby. My hobby is swimming. I’m not that good swimming above water but I’m awesome at swimming under water. I can do all sorts of tricks. I always swim at the bottom of the pool, or I sometimes lay down on the floor of the pool. It’s actually relaxing.

I also like doing front flips and back flips under the water. It’s so fun to do front flips under the water because then it feels like you’re doing a summersault in air. Also you know what feels terrific..... Jumping in the pool! I can do a front flip and land in the water. It’s so fun to do!

That’s why I like swimming. I hope you will try it.

Piano Sydney Kirlan-Stout

When I was five, I decided to pursue a life long dream of playing the piano. After five years of playing the piano, I was entered in a festival called the Multiple Piano Festival. I played a song called Race To the Peak and Western Plains. The songs were very hard, and it was especially hard when I had to jump in on the fourth measure of the song. I played the duets with a beautiful girl named Alison Jarvis. We practiced day on end, trying to succeed in getting it right. After long days of practicing it was time for the festival. When it was our turn, the group of 18 people entered the stage. I was very nervous. Alison and I started to play. It was quiet as the rest of the people started to play. The song seemed like it would never end. The auditorium was crowded, and it was beating hot. After it was over, Alison and I were very excited that we had succeeded in playing the song all the way through without any mistakes. That was the best night ever! That’s my experience of the multiple piano festival.

My Favorite Hobby

By Tucker Eckhoff My hobby for many years has been playing dull video games, but just recently, I discovered the game Enter the Matrix. There are three main moves: Punching, which isn’t very good, kicking, which is the better one between punching and kicking, and using guns that you pick up off the ground after killing policemen. Policemen are scattered throughout the building from which you are trying to escape. There are four levels that I’ve gotten to. I have beaten the first three, but I’ve not beaten the fourth because there is a skylight that is in the ceiling of a room that you are trying to get to and break. The graphics are incredible, too. If you do moves in slow motion, you can actually see how the move is done. So that is why playing fun video games is my favorite hobby.

This is where I play.

Section 3: Careers Although we’re only in the 4th grade, we’ve already given a little thought to what we want to do when we grow up. Some of our ideas connect to what we most enjoy in life now. Some of us are thinking of more serious pursuits. Whatever we do, boys and girls alike have big dreams for when we grow up. Who knows what the future will bring?

When I Grow Up

Christopher Wagers

When I grow up I want to be a pro surfer. I would be in competitions against other surfers all over the world, such as Tahiti, California, England, Wales, and other places. I would feel the rush of the wind against my face and in my hair. I would feel the adrenaline of doing tricks and being in the tube. I would also have my own board company. We would teach kids how to surf and rent them boards. I would make boards so the surfers would have no trouble standing up, but also so they would be able to turn easily. I would also be sponsored so I could be known world-wide and love what I do. This is what I want to do when I grow up.

A Grown Up Idea

By Ellen Considine “What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s what grownups always ask me. I tell them that I’m not really sure, and that’s true pretty deep down inside of me. I’ve always pondered that question, and maybe now I’ve got an idea. My grandmother for a very long time now has been writing children’s books. Not only that, but she illustrates them too. I have watched her carefully all my life, and now I’m almost sure that that’s the thing I want to do. I love the creative power that you use when you do it, where you can describe down to what each of your tree’s leaves are like. Another part I love about this work is doing the illustrations, where you can glide your pen or pencil across the paper adding a certain amount of personality and style.

When you draw or paint you can use your great skill of imagination to give a wonderful amount of flavor and beauty to your stories. The thing I’m not so glad about is the hard work and time it takes to make a book, although I know I’m completely capable of doing it. The last and most important thing I think I want to do when I write and illustrate my stories is to help peoples’ imaginations. A lot of people in the world are just being shut off completely to their own world of magic and dreams. I think that by writing my stories I can help people regain that gorgeous power of imagination. I have had this dream, and I will follow it forever more.

My Future Career

By Erik Marrinan When I grow up, I would like to be a geologist. I think it would be cool to find a dinosaur skeleton or a bug preserved in amber. I could sell my findings to rock stores and museums. It would be very cool to find a diamond. Being a geologist pays a lot, because it takes a long time to dig something out. I could take a fossil to a scientist, and he could find out its DNA. That’s why I want to be a geologist when I grow up.

By Jack bader What I want to do when I grow up is be a pro skateboarder. I want to be a pro skateboarder because I will get to do what I like best, and it’s outdoors so I can get some exercise. It also will always be fun, and I will be famous. Maybe I could be on TV like Tony Hawk, and win trophies and metals. I would always go to skate parks with my friends and pull off cool tricks and grind on rails. It would be so fun to be a pro skateboarder. So that’s what I want to be when I grow up.

When I Grow Up By: Joy T.

When I grow up I want to be a pediatric cardiologist.

Ever since I was three I lived next to a hospital, and my Grandma and I would play doctor and pretend that I was the doctor and she was the nurse, which she was in real life. I guess her love for helping rubbed off on me throughout those years, and I decided that when I grew up I would want to be a doctor. So one summer I went to junior surgeons’ camp where I could learn more about the human heart. After that I got two sets of anatomy books with pages full of information about the human heart. Also I want to work with kids and that is where the pediatric part comes in. All my life I’ve been told that I would be a great doctor. And that is why I want to be a pediatric cardiologist.

WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP

By Justin Tidd When I grow up I would like to be a pro basketball player for the Denver Nuggets. First of all I will get to travel places I have never been like Texas, Florida, California, Wisconsin, the Carolinas and many more. Also it will be more fun for me because I won’t have to sit in a boring old office all day. I can also be more active. Finally, I can be on T.V. I have never been on T.V. before. Just imagine it. “He shoots! He scores! Once again Justin Tidd has led the Denver Nuggets to a last second victory!” the commentator will yell. So that is what I want to be when I grow up.

Jobsď Š

By Monika Wilhelm When I grow up I want to be a famous ice skater.

Here are 3 reasons why. First of all, I love to travel and be in front of people. Being an ice skater you can perform in front of other people, and you travel all over the world. Secondly, I want to compete in ice-skating.

Last but not least, I would like to be able to teach others about the wonderful sport on ice.

Inventor Rishabh Yadav When I grow up I want to be an inventor! I want to be an inventor because you have to work hard, and I like to work hard. Also, I love planning. It helps me visualize what the thing I am inventing looks like.

Then I can show it to friends and see if they like it. I like using different objects. Some things I can invent are an airplane that is guaranteed that it won’t crash or a super-fast computer. Then kids won’t spend half of their time waiting for the game to load. Maybe I’ll even make stuff that saves energy, for example a light bulb. This is why I want to become an inventor.

When I Grow Up By: Spenser Havlick Platt

When I grow up, I want to have a plant shop and be a biologist. I would live in a tropical place such as Hawaii or California or maybe live in a cloud forest. I would grow lots of fruit trees and all sorts of orchids. I would make hybrids of fruit trees such as a lemon and a lime or a grapefruit and a pumillo, and I would make hybrids of orchids such as a Wild Catt and a Hoku Gem. I would talk to my plants and water them with fantastic fertilizer and leaf spray. Also I would sell my plants so I could make a living. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.

Section 4: Important Holidays Holidays and family celebrations are an important part of our lives.

Whether they are religious holidays or annual vacations, what makes these times special for each of us is the opportunity to spend time with our families. In this section we describe some of our favorite holidays.

Family Tradition

By Erik Marrinan Every year, my family visits Florida. One year we went to an island.

When we got there, I noticed seaweed and dead millipedes strewn all over the place! I could hear the seagulls chattering and the wind blowing the sand. I watched people enter the vortex of black and murky water. Dolphins danced about as the kites fluttered along. The clouds looked like smears. I gulped down my scrumptious sandwich and cautiously entered the ocean. It was as cold as ice. Even a few steps felt like slowly approaching a vast gorge. The crisp air revealed the island’s beauty. We soon left the island, and returned to where our grandparents lived.

My Favorite Holiday Tradition Erin Maybach

Whenever a new year comes around, I always seem to look forward to Easter. What I look forward to most is our annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Running down the street I smell the lively scent of spring air and Sunday dew. My Easter egg basket swings up and down in my hand as if it’s trying to touch the clouds and find an egg of its own. As I reach for an egg of my own, I hear kids yelling about the found egg. My hand slides along the glossy surface of a hot pink egg. I then plop the egg in my basket. I see the outline of another egg and feel a happy tingly feeling inside me. So is it that happy tingly feeling inside of me that makes Easter Easter? I don’t know, but to me Easter is the best day out of 365 days a year!

The Weekend at Shalako

By Halle Awakening at 3 in the morning, I put on my snow pants and my winter coat. My family was in Zuni pueblo and we were celebrating Shalako. It was right before the New Years, and we came to be blessed so that we could have a good year. As my mom was tying my boots, I ate a breakfast burrito with salsa. As I took the last bite, I saw salsa go everywhere! Running out the door with my sister, we got to the car and slammed the door behind us. While we were driving, I thought about the Shalakos and the Koqmashy (mud heads) dancing and blessing us. When we got in the house that the dancers were dancing in, I smelled the Zuni stew in the kitchen and the Shalako jogging in the space they had. I heard the Shalako singing and the women in the kitchen whispering, but myself I had to be quiet. I saw the Shalako’s beautiful eagle feathers and gorgeous outfits!

That is why my favorite tradition is Shalako!

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By Jacques de Curnou

We follow the chalk on the rock so we don’t fall off the cliff.

My family and I are biking in a wonderful place, Moab, Utah! Up the slick rock, through the sand, then finally we rest at a sand dune. Up I climb, slipping and sliding. At the top I have some sweet water. After sliding down the dune, I get back on my bike.

We speed down the rocky hill and then through the mud trail into the gravel road.

My Favorite Tradition

By Jett Reed I wake up to the sound of footsteps on the hard wood floor of our beach house. My uncle and cousin talk as they walk to the door with their fishing poles. I quickly get dressed to join them and I get some buckets for fish and crabs. I’m happy today and excited, partly because today is Thanksgiving Day and because I have a feeling that my cousin and I will catch a lot of crabs. I can hear the crashing of waves as I descend down the steps to the beach and cries of seagulls in the early morning sky. I also hear my cousin Mathew call me when he has found a crab. I can smell the salt of the sea and the odor of the fish. The sand feels cold as I get on my hands and knees looking for a crab. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I get to catch crabs with my cousin and we play Mortal Combat on Play Station 2 till twelve o’clock.

My Favorite Holiday Julia As I wake up as late as an owl on Christmas morning, the scent of cinnamon touches my nose. I put on my bathrobe, and I hear chitter chatter as soft as a mouse coming from the kitchen. So I decide to check it out. As I walk in the kitchen, food lines the counter like soldiers getting ready to fight. But they do not intimidate me! I tell my dad to go downstairs because every Christmas my dad goes downstairs to make sure Santa came.

My dad shouts, “He came!” and my mom and I run downstairs as fast as a racecar. I peek in and it is magnificent. All sized boxes decorate our Christmas tree. I pull off every piece of wrapping paper.

Finally, when I am all done, we all go upstairs and fill our mouths with creamy cinnamon rolls, and I say, “This was the best Christmas yet.”

My favorite Holiday‌ Sam My favorite holiday is Christmas. When I wake up on Christmas morning, I smell sweet delicious homemade pancakes with warm maple syrup drizzled on top. I walk downstairs and see a world of presents of all different sizes, colors, and textures.

When night comes my mom and dad make a roasted turkey, with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and a salad homemade from our garden. Then comes dessert, fresh, homemade fluffy and soft rightout-of-the-oven sugar cookies with green frosting and sparkling red sprinkles formed like Christmas trees. And that’s why my favorite Holiday is Christmas.

My Favorite Holiday Zoe “It’s Christmas!” I yell as I jump out of bed and run downstairs. Piles of sparkling presents line the Christmas tree. Big and bushy, the Christmas tree is decorated with shining Christmas lights and ornaments hanging from every branch. The presents have red, gold, green, silver, and blue ribbons.

As more people awake and come downstairs, we begin opening presents and baking turkey, mash potatoes, and gravy for tonight. Soon the sound of conversations, ripping wrapping paper, and gasps fill the air. Being surrounded by family makes me feel safe and calms me. As I help bake dinner, I sneak some chocolate or walnuts. Soon there are beautiful presents scattered all over the room. Little scraps of paper are sitting on the floor.

More people arrive for dinner. Christmas is truly a great holiday.

Section 5: Normal Mornings Every day can’t be a holiday, so we thought you might be interested to learn about a normal morning at our homes. You’ll see that we usually start with breakfast, although what we eat can vary. Our morning routines are generally very busy as we scurry around getting ready for school. Depending on when we get up, some of us even find time for sports or hobbies before leaving for school in the morning. Many of us walk, bicycle or even skateboard to school, but some of us live far away so our parents have to drive us. We need to be at school before the bell rings at 8:35 a.m.

A Typical Morning

Chris Wagers

The door of my room opens and my mom trots in, at her heels is our playful puppy Abbey. She leaps up on my bed, all four paws flying up to my covers. Her hazel eyes are glinting with mischief as she closes in for a lick in the face. Her textured wet tongue slides across my face, leaving a wet line of saliva. “Nice wake up call, Abbey,� I mutter sleepily as I brush away her wet nose. I tumble out of bed, peeling off my pajamas as I go. I grab some clothes and throw them on, trying to smooth my hair at the same time. I toss some waffles in the toaster and fill my backpack with homework, snacks, and all those goodies. I gobble down my breakfast, the buttermilk waffles sliding down my throat and leaving a nice, buttery taste in my mouth. I leap up the stairs, slide into the bathroom and brush my teeth. My brother crawls out of his room looking tired, and mutters something about homework. I hobble downstairs, swing on my backpack, and leap out the door. I pull on my helmet, jump on my bike, and speed down the street. Just another morning, I think to myself.

A Typical Morning

 By: Duncan Stewart

Awoken by Mom shooting super cold ice water on me, I get up off of my bed and grab some clothes that were on the floor. Then I feed my guinea pig some celery and rush down the stairs. I take a quick glance at the clock.

6:45 it says. I have enough time for some computer games. I turn on the computer and go to Dragonfable.com.

“Breakfast is ready, “Mom says. I dash like a chinchilla to the table.

“Ooooooooh, waffle sandwich,” I exclaim, “one of my favorites!” I gobble down the butter and syrup combined goodness and put the plate in the sink. I take another gaze at the clock, 8:10!!!

I quickly log off my character on the computer and flee to school.

My Morning Griffen Henry I wish it were always a holiday so I wouldn’t have to wake up early.

But I usually wake up at 6: 00 am. I know it’s six because I hear the dogs bark loudly because my mom’s going to get her workout. I walk half awake to the couch and turn on the TV to Sports Center. I listen to Kobe Bryant slamming the ball in the net, and after a few minutes I look at the clock. It’s already 7:00 am. I walk to the cabinet and grab my cereal box and pour it into the bowl. I can taste the crunchy Reeses puffs in my mouth. When I finish eating, it’s already 7:30. I run into my room and climb over the mountain of clothes. I look through every thing just to find a football jersey.

I put it on before you can say, “Bay”. I run to my closet and grab the cat food and pour it into the cat bowls. It’s already 7:52 and I grab my tooth brush and start brushing. When it’s 7:54, I jump into the car and we’re off to school.

Normal Mornings

Jennifer Harvey

Could it be morning, or was I just dreaming a crazy dream? I snuggled deeper into my cozy bed. Oh drat, I thought, morning already! I opened my eyes and looked out to see the weather. Sun filled my eyes. I snapped to attention and pulled a foot from my soft blanket and placed it on the floor.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I violently pulled my foot from the cold floor and placed it in my slipper. I emerged from bed to feed my cat Fireheart. I sat on the lazy boy chair and started reading. I was scanning the page for letters that turned into words that gave me the plot.

“Breakfast time,” said my mom. I gobbled my breakfast. Jeff left. I looked through my clothes for an appropriate outfit. Then my mom and I left for school.

My Typical Morning Beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeppp. I wish it was a Saturday or Sunday everyday. Then I wouldn’t have to wake up to my alarm clock anymore. Every morning after I wake up and turn of my alarm clock, I lumber out of bed, toss on my clothes, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. The milk in my cereal bowl is as white as snow. When I’m done eating, I brush my teeth. Scrub, scrub, scrub goes the tooth brush against my teeth. “Yes,” I whisper as I walk outside and push the big black ramp into place. 20 minutes of my skateboard, the ramp, and me. I launch myself over the ramp again and again. 20 minutes later my mom yells, “It’s time to go to school!”

I say goodbye to her and head down to Justin’s house to skateboard to school.

A Normal Morning By: Spenser Havlick Platt

It would be fun if there was a holiday every day, but there is not one every day. I’m going to tell you about the normal morning in my house. I wake up when I see the light blasting in my peaceful and dark room. My mom cheerfully whispers, “Good morning.” Than I lie in bed for 5-15 minutes. Next I look out the window by the mountains. Then I feel the glass so I know what to wear for the day. Next I get dressed according to what I saw and felt. Then I open the shades, turn on the plant light, make the lizard light go to day, and take off the blanket on the bird’s cage. Next I make my bed. Then I go down stairs and make my breakfast. Next I gather everything for school. Then I brush my teeth. After that, I get my shoes on. Finally, we drive to school.

My Typical Morning Sydney Kirlan-Stout

“Oh, not yet, just a few more minutes,” I groan as my mom shakes me to get me up.

“No,” she says. As I hop out of bed, I feel the bright sun on my face.

I stroll over to my dresser to pick out my clothes and get dressed. Then I run upstairs to get my homework folder. I put my homework folder into my backpack and sit down at the table. I can taste the cinnamon in my mom’s home- made French toast. I run over to the counter to pick up my lunch. I run and put my lunch in my backpack and brush my teeth. As the cold toothpaste hits my mouth, I feel it turn into spearmint flavored foam. I swing my backpack on to my back, and I’m off to school!

Section 6: Bear Creek Elementary School Bear Creek Elementary School is situated on a hilltop at the base of the Flatirons, Boulder's dramatic rock formation, and we enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Boulder and the Colorado plains. Bear Creek Elementary was built over thirty years ago. We have over 375 students in our school.

Students start in kindergarten at the age of five and graduate from elementary school when they complete fifth grade at the age of eleven.

After elementary school, students attend a middle school for grades six through eight, and then high school for grades nine through twelve. After completing high school, a majority of the students in our district go on to college.

In this section, we describe the different places in our school. We spend most of our day in our classroom, however during the week we also have music, art, and physical education classes. For lunch, we either bring a sack lunch from home or we eat the food that is prepared in our cafeteria.

We have a fifteen-minute morning recess and then another recess right after lunch. Our school day begins at 8:35 a.m. and finishes at 2:55 p.m.

This is our principal Mr. Cruger with some Bear Creek students.

Our school sits at the base of the mountains.

The Library

By Alison Jarvis The library is the only place in our school where you can check out books. It isn’t really a room, just a bunch of wooden bookshelves and books of all different genres. There is a check-out desk at one of the edges, and a pit in the corner. The pit is a nickname for some stairs leading down to a square of floor with carpet on it. A fish tank stands solidly next to the pit, with clear water trickling out of a filter. There is a white board standing in front of the pit. Its gleaming white surface usually has writing on it. Behind it, between two shelves, an overhead hangs, used for quizzes. Around the library there are four classrooms, either filled with noise or completely silent. The computer lab, which is also next to the library, is mainly dark and quiet. The library is used for mostly checking out books, reading, and occasionally having a lesson. In all, the library is a neat place.

The Art Room

By Halle

My favorite place in the whole school is the art room. The art room has a lot of things like widows, tables, chalkboard, and of course the art teacher Mrs. G. First I am going to talk about the tables and cabinets.

Probably you think the tables are boring, but we work on them, we use them, and we need them. The cabinets are black and labeled pencils, markers, and Sharpes. They are always full and stuffed with all of the utensils stuck in the holes. The tables have paint on them and they are brown. They have long legs with sliver tips on the bottom. Second I am going to talk about Mrs. G., the sinks and her windows. Mrs. G. is pretty famous in my paragraphs because I love art. She is tall and wears glasses. The sink is medium size and sliver but old. The outside widows are tall and light green. Finally I am going to talk about the chalkboard, doors, and the drying-rack. The chalkboards are black and one is green. The doors are brownish black and have tall windows. The drying rack is gray and rusty. They are used for drying our art like we put all the paintings on them. That is why the art room is my favorite place in the school!

My Second Home

By Ellen Considine Five days out of every week of every fall, winter, and spring I spend in school. To be precise, I spend that time in my classroom. My classroom is just another classroom like all the others in our school, but I think it’s special. My first reaction when I walked into the room on my first day of school was that I had just entered a rainbow. The bright colors and patterns all pop out in a happy and organized way. Along one wall is a colorful display of shelves with math materials, lots of books, a big, gray, cabinet, a phone, posters displaying writing tips, and descriptive words, our social studies board (now showing things on the Revolutionary War), our chinchilla Dusty’s cage, and, perched on top of the cabinet, the bright-green fabric with zebras on it that we received from a village in Tanzania, Kambi Ya Simba, which is now mounted on a wooden frame for all to see and enjoy.(And let me tell you that we do enjoy it!) On the wall opposite that, we have a board with a background of bright blue paper, where we mount some of our writing from the year, and a board where we put pictures of some of the fun activities we’ve done this year; and on the wall next to that, we have a board where we put posters of stuff that we’re “experts” on, and our blackboard, which is almost gray from all the chalk dust that’s been left on it. In the rest of the room, we have our desks. 29 square plastic – although it’s supposed to look like wood – desks with metal bottoms. So now I’ve told you, that’s where I spend most of my time, now-a-days, although I know I won’t always. So I guess I’ll just have to enjoy it while I can.

Bear Creek

By Jack Bader My favorite room in Bear Creek is the gym. The floor is covered with a spotted carpet. Most of the things that we do in the gym are sports, activities, and learn new games.

Some of the activities that we do are riding on multicolored scooters and playing soccer. The goals that we play with are small and white, and we have a variety of balls to play with. One of my favorite games to play is basketball on the old rusty rims. When you walk in, there are big posters on the wall and a closet that holds all the equipment. That’s what our gym is like.

The Front Office Jennifer H

The front office is very interesting. It’s like a shack inside the school. When you first walk in, you would see a bench attached to the wall. On the bench there is signup for volunteers or substitutes and badges for parents. The far wall is covered with trophy packs. In the office two cheery secretaries type away, waiting to assist a phone caller in need of help. As I said, the front office is very interesting.

The Playground Structures Jett Reed Most of the things at school are in the building except the playground structures. We have two sets of swings. One has four swings and the other has six swings. Both of the swing frames are silver and so are the chains.

The seats are made of black rubber. There is also a main structure. It is made out of green and tan painted metal. There are three parts that plastic, and two are the slides. They are both painted tan. The other is the green tower that leads to the curly slide. The green tower is where kids can stay to get out of the wind. There is a set of monkey bars that connect a small platform that is next to a zip-line type thing. If you can get enough speed running, you can jump and grab the handle. Then you can go really fast on the zip-line. Now you know one part of my school and my classmates will tell you the rest.

The Computer Lab John Hanson

Out of all the places in Bear Creek, my favorite is the computer lab. The room is surrounded by 28 flat screen computers. Sometimes, we do what we call the Quiz Bowl in there. It’s 100 really hard questions that we answer in teams of three to five people. Also, we write with the computers loud and fast, and when we get done we do a boring program called Type to Learn. We also have a big white printer. While we work, we look out through the huge windows at the people in the halls chatting away. On hot days the air conditioner works hard to cool us down, and it is affective. Now you know why I love the computer lab so much.

In Bear Creek Julia In Bear Creek there is one place where our teachers let us talk and that is the lunchroom. The lunchroom is hidden next to the first grade bathrooms and is close to the kindergarteners. When you walk in, laughing and talking wake you up. It is like coffee in the morning.

Sometimes when you first walk in, you have to stumble over the second graders as they welcome you in. Next you have to walk around the kids in the lunch line. After that you have to find a spot on the long wooden tables. Trust me, it is not an easy job! But when you have that off your chest, it is as fun a roller coaster ride. You can talk as much and as loud as you want unless the lights go off. That means the para educators have to talk to us, but it is OK because they are really nice. Besides eating lunch in the lunchroom, it is also a place for an after school program called the YMCA. You can do all sorts of activities there. But the para educators tell you when to go.

Well, it is time to go for me to go. Now you know what I do at lunch.

What do you do at lunch?

My Favorite Place in the School

By Monika Wilhelm Most of the places in the school our fabulous, but I like the library the best of all. You might think the library is a boring place to read books but you can do lots of things there. Every year we line up for lip sync in the library. We even do poetry readings were people read the poems they write. But the fun part is reading the books. That’s my favorite place.

Bear Creek Narayan

The field is a place where my friends and I can hangout. There are four red goals, one in each corner. Scattered around on the green grass are carelessly thrown away soccer balls and small sticks from the strip of woods. By the old abandoned volleyball net some screaming kids usually play soccer. In the middle of the field usually some kids are playing tag but in the winter it is full of dirty giant snowballs. I like the field, but my favorite place is the gym.

Mrs. Bird’s Room Our school is like a maze. It has all sorts of cool rooms. But overall I like Mrs. Bird’s room. Mrs. Bird’s room is a great environment for kids to learn in. There are bookshelves all over filled with all sorts of books! The bulletin board has papers all over it. Right next to the bulletin board is the kindergarten. You can hear the screams and the yells of the kindergarteners. There is always a class quietly reading. The word board is hanging with descriptive words, and right by it is the window with the bright sun shining through. I learn better in a smaller and quieter environment like Mrs. Birds’ room, and that’s why Mrs. Bird’s room is the best room in the school!

Mr. Cruger’s Office Sam Dorfman Mr. Cruger is the principal of Bear Creek Elementary. Mr. Crugers office has green walls with brown paw prints on them.

There is a huge brown, wooden oval table with purple chairs next to it. There are huge windows facing towards the parking lot.

Hanging out the window is an old rugged loud white air conditioner. In the corner of the room sit two brown wooden handcarved bears, and the big bear has a golf club in his hand. On the wall is a colossal bulletin board with millions of postcards and pictures, and there is a light-brown, rectangle oak wood desk. On the wall are pictures of students and pictures of Mr. Cruger’s family. There are three main things that happen in Mr. Cruger’s office. First, kids go there when they get in trouble. Second, when kids are extra good, they get Bear Creek kid awards. Finally Mr. Cruger has meetings with parents and teachers about kids. Now I’ve told you about Mr. Cruger’s office.

My Favorite Place in the School Shanaia There are a lot of places in Bear Creek Elementary.

One place is the music room. The music room is one of my favorite places to be. When you walk in there are about 4 cool laminated posters on each wall. There’s a bunch of big loud drums by the wooden piano. And we sit in these orange metal chairs and put our music on a black or silver music stand. Now there are the shelves. They are black and red with things organized all over them. There are pictures, instruments, and knickknacks. There are just a lot of things on the shelves. Then comes Dr.Langness’s desk. Dr. Langness is our music teacher. Her desk is brown. It’s very cluttered but she always seems to find the things she needs.

If you look straight ahead you are looking at the black CD player. We usually record songs on there, and sometimes, if it’s a holiday we just listen to music. We usually play recorders at music. Also we sing and dance. That’s how music is.

My Favorite Room

By Tucker Eckhoff One of my favorite places to go when I need help and/or support in Bear Creek is the Resource Room. Mrs. Winter is our helpful, hopeful, and wonderful Resource Room teacher. There is a single ticking clock in the room with well-done pictures surrounding it. An oval-shaped mirror hangs over 2 shiny computers. Two comfy beanbags lie on the floor next to a shelf loaded with multi-colored books for all. A written-on whiteboard is hanging next to a single wooden door. A variety of stuffed animals hang from a pole in the middle of the room. Kids take CSAP’s [which is a special test that Colorado school kids have to take] in this room or get a break. People take math class here, too. That’s my favorite room in Bear Creek Elementary School.

Section 7: Boulder, Colorado

The city of Boulder is located in the United States of America in the state of Colorado near the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Its elevation is at 5,400 feet, and it was founded in 1858. Its population is 101,548 and its size is 25 square miles. Boulder is the home to the University of Colorado. The number of students at the university is 13,565 women and 15,377 men, giving a total of 28,942. Boulder is also home to the newly constructed 29th Street Mall with a great variety of stores consisting of jewelry stores, outdoor gear stores, and specialty clothing stores. Boulder also has the historic Pearl Street Mall which in the summer has beautiful tulips of many colors. The five top employers in Boulder are IBM, a computer software and hardware company, Ball Corp, a company that manufactures food packaging, Level 3 Communications Inc, and Boulder Community Hospital.

By John Hanson This section of our book contains descriptions of some of our favorite places in Boulder.

My Favorite Place

By Alison Jarvis As I trudge along the trail behind my house, prairie dog barks ring out, clear and frightened. It’s amazing I can still hear them when I’m far away from the field where their homes are. Soon the muddy trail down to the creek appears. Rip! “Charlie, stop it,” I moan as my dog chews on the dry plant he has plucked off. There are dry plants and grass everywhere.

Slipping a little on the mud, we finally reach the iced over creek. My daredevil dog steps out on the ice and decides it’s okay. He starts prancing around. Crack! The ice breaks, and yelping, he rockets back to the shore and shakes off. I lean over next to the ice, and I can hear trickling water.

Sticking my hand in, I realize why Charlie is curled in a ball and shaking.

The water is freezing! I gaze up at the snow-covered, tall Rocky Mountains.

They are as familiar as ever. I cross the creek and step up the little trail leading off the real trail. It leads to a large rock on the other side of the creek. The small saplings next to it are covered in dark red moss. I run my finger across some, and it’s fluffy and soft. I run back down across the creek.

Looking up at the tall sturdy oak trees standing everywhere, I hear my mom say, “Come on, Charlie needs more of a walk than this,” and we head up the trail on the other side of the creek.

FAVORITE PLACE

By Andre Miller My favorite place to go is Pleasant View Soccer Fields. When I step on the field it feels like another world. The loud yelling players fill the field, and the booming ball races up and down the wonderful field.

The hard part is scoring goals, but when you do, it is very fun. The thin grass on my cleats feels soft, and when I run up and down the enchanted field, the wind blows lightly in my face. The goalie makes acrobatic dare devil dives for the ball. The ball at my feet is smooth and comfortable. When the referee blows his high pitch whistle at the end of the game, the people go wild. That’s why Pleasant View Soccer Fields is my favorite place to be.

A Special Place Conner Smith As I enter Game Force, I hear the shooting games and kids screaming, “Daddy, daddy, I want this one.” Game Force is a video game store. Kids are playing shooting games like Halo 2. I see kids about the ages of nine and ten years old. The lights are turned down low so it’s easier to see the T.V. screens. I hold the smooth controllers of an Xbox and play a video game. After I die in the video game I go over and watch a movie. I always pass the video game stations, and I glare at the Play Station 3 in a glass case for about five minutes. After I’m done being hypnotized, I spot rows and rows of video games and I wonder how many video games there are in Game Force. This is my favorite place in Boulder.

Favorite Place in Boulder

 By: Duncan Stewart

One of my favorite places in Boulder is my job at Humane Society. It is fun to work there. Sometimes I work in the retail store or sometimes I am a kennel care volunteer. The store is organized in many different sorts of items, and it smells like animal doody. The kennel care job is the best and most fun. The objective is to take care of the animals. My favorite part of that job is taking the dogs out for a walk on the dirty trail. The leashes are very soft and the evergreen, maple, and spruce trees are in full bloom. But I hate going near the garbage room to get them blankets. It’s very, very, very smelly.

I also like the store. It’s called the Sonny Side Retail Store. My favorite part of that is getting to play on the computer on slow days. But my least favorite part of the store is the busy days. Well, that’s my favorite place in Boulder.

My Favorite Place in Boulder Erin Maybach If you ever come to Boulder, I recommend you visit Pearl Street Mall. It’s a fun outdoor mall. They have guitar players that play fun music. It’s filled with fun crowded shops too. For the kids, there are awesome statues that you can climb on, such as snails, beavers, and giant boulders. The sky is always blue and the air is filled with happy conversations made by excited people. The swaying trees border the cobblestone road and yummy restaurants. If you’re not too hungry then Pearl Street has super hot dog stands too. So for all these reasons, I think you should visit Pearl Street Mall.

REDSTONE

By Justin Tidd “Come on sleepy head,” my mom yells. “It’s the day we go to Redstone.” Then I remember our family tradition of going somewhere different every year.

“Okay,” I yell back. As soon as I leave my room with my full backpack over my shoulder, the sweet aroma of peanut butter fills my nose.

Five minutes later I am climbing into the car to get settled. Four hours later we are pulling into the parking lot of the Redstone Hotel. As soon as I tumble out of the car tangled in my backpack, the thunder of the river hits my ears. I lug my backpack up to the front door.

My dad says, “Go to the second floor. Here’s the key.” I finally find the room and looked around. There are two twin beds with a small space in between.

“Hey Mom,” I yell. “There are only four spots and five of us. Can I sleep on the floor in between?”

“Okay, I guess,” my mom murmurs thoughtfully.

“Cool,” I yell. “Can we go play in the river?”

“All right!” my mom exclaims. I rush outside to play in the river, “Yahooooooooo!” I yell as I jump into the crystal clear water. The rest of the day zips by to quickly. That night I think, “What a wonderful place this is,” as I fall into a peaceful sleep.

Special Place in Boulder Zoe It is time for a trip to the Boulder Creek. As I enter across a brown busy bridge, a beautiful sight meets my eyes. Shining and swirling, the dark blue river rushes by. Floating on top are mallard ducks making a racket as they fight over the scraps of bread people throw in. As I sit on a cold smooth rock, dogs playfully run and bark around me. Across the river a paved path has bikers and walkers on it. Bending down and standing up, trees surround the river. Dark and tall, the library towers over us. The sky is clear and has the smallest puffy clouds. I am relaxed as the warm sun hits my face.

Boulder Creek is my favorite place.