Techspert Blog by Audrey

Techsperts Blog

Hey everyone! How are you guys doing? Well I’m doing fantastic thank you for asking! 
So you guys know that the end of the school year is coming up soon right? Well, here at 
techsperts, music is a necessity while getting work done to keep everyone buzzing. “I mean 
you don’t want to work when the room is dull!” Proclaimed Techsperts teacher and Commons 
Teacher Ms.Travis. You are completely right Ms.Travis! Anyways, there were a lot of things 
we got done at Techsperts! Do you guys see the quotes around the school? Well, thank us, 
because Techsperts Staff 6-8th grade created those for you guys! We all worked on the 
decorations in the school cafeteria too! So that’s the update for you guys! Have a good rest 
of your year!

End of year by Ethan

The school year of 2018-2019 at ESMS is coming to a sad end.With all the fun I have had I can’t even think of what to say for this final blog. But I haft to think of something so if I had to summ this year up in one word I would say it was exciting. The reason I say this is because I experienced so many different thing this year. For example W.E.B and I also met knew people and most of them became my friends. So eighth grade is probably my favorite year so far.

I am so excited for the incoming 6th graders. The reason being is because when I was giving the students their tours I asked them if they were excited and from each one of them I get a loud yes. And I believe that they will have such a good year especially with the new W.E.B. leaders. As a mintintion Web I just want to say how amazing it was to be a leader it was a great experience and I think every student who has the opportunity to do it should.

So over all this has been a great year I had great teachers like Broadbent, Lauck, and Blair and I can’t forget Mrs.Travis or Mr.Findly. So for all the 7th graders all I haft to say is do your best and make it your best year at the middle school. And to the new 6th graders all I can say is in joy the years you have at the middle school because they go by fast. Before I go and leave this place and go to the hill I have one request for you students and that would be if you ever have Broadbent tell him Tom Cruise said hi.

My ESMS Experience by Grace

  My ESMS Experience

By: Grace

I remember when I first came to ESMS, I was terrified of coming 
somewhere new and meeting new people. As scared as I was to 
come to middle school, it was not scary at all. There were times 
when I was worried, like the first day of school but everyone is super 
nice and will help you get through it all. I can’t believe how much I have 
grown since coming to the middle school. I have met many new people, 
and created new relationships with people I didn’t even know. If you’re 
going into 6th grade and the thought of making new friends is scaring 
you, talk to everyone, they are all in the same boat as you and they’re 
scared too. Also, if you are going into 6th grade make sure you get your 
work done because it will be super stressful if you don’t get it done and 
it gets all piled up and you have to get all of your work done in a little 
amount of time. Finally, don’t be scared to get out there, you will have 
a way better experience if you get involved and meet new people.

If you are currently in 7th grade, I have some advice to help get you 
through 8th grade. First, you will lose friends and it is okay because 
you will make new friends and you’re about to be in high school, you 
will meet new people. Also, in 7th grade you were still being babied and 
everything was handed to you, in 8th grade the teachers will still be there 
to help you but you have more responsibility than you did before. 
Another reason 8th grade is different is because they are trying to 
prepare you for high school before you get there and all the stress of 
being on your own hits. Finally, your 8th grade year will be a lot easier 
if you just get your work done and do your best before you have so much 
work that you can’t get caught back up.

I owe a huge thank you to my teachers and friends that have always 
helped me and pushed me to do my best. The teachers here at ESMS 
are different from any other teachers. They truly do care for you, and I 
never imagined I would meet someone who is so caring and is so 
compassionate to everyone until I came here and met the teachers that 
work here. Every teacher here cares for every student differently. Some 
will help you throughout every lesson, some will pick you up when you’re 
having a bad day, and some of them, you know just care for everyone. 
The teachers here have always kept me motivated even when I had no 
motivation for anything. I could never thank them enough for everything 
they do for me.

As school is coming to an end, the word's high school, future, and get 
involved come up a lot. These words send some of my classmates into 
a panic while others become ecstatic. I never thought I could learn so 
much in three years, but the three years I’ve spent at ESMS proved me 
wrong. I would not be where I am today without the support of the teachers
, and my friends throughout my middle school career. I have learned so 
much more than just my core classes. I have also learned skills that will 
help me later in life, high school, college, and more.

Middle School Ends by Rachel

I was afraid to go to middle school because I knew that I wouldn’t know many people there. But I was also exited because I knew that I would make even more friends. Going from Elkhorn to ESMS was a huge step going from a small school to a larger school. During the first few weeks of school every thing was kinda stressful because I only had 1 to 2 kids that I knew in each class. Which in that case I became closer to some of the kids that I knew before but didn’t really hang out with them. During 6th grade was the grade where I lost the most friends but also gained more friends then lost. What made 6th grade less stressful was the teacher because they understood that many kids would be frightened.  

    Personally I believe that 7th grade was the best year.  Because you already know what to expect out of ESMS and it brings together the friends you made in 6th grade and causes you to be even closer with them. Another upside to 7th grade is  you can choose your electives for the first time in middle school. What I enjoy most about my 7th grade year was I had most of my classes with my close friends. Which made projects and school so much fun and easier.

   My 8th grade year was truly special because for my elective I was picked as a techspert.  which has been so much fun and nice seeing the things we get to make and setup. This year has also been special because not only has are teachers Miss.Blair, Mrs.Lauck, Mr.Finley, and Mr. Broadbent helped us learned the thing we needed for 8th grade, but they have also teach  us how to go up to the high school and be successful students.

Tips for 8th grade

• Make sure to do the work that you get that day because work can pile up fast.
• Make sure to not stand in large groups in the hall because other people are trying to get to class
• Make sure you use your time wisely during passing time

Year Ends by Izzy

Hello, it’s Izabel from ESMS. My techspert year taught me a lot of things, like how to work with other people during stressful times. It also taught me how to get stuff done in a certain amount of time. Being a techspert is stressful, but it also helps you learn a lot. I got a lot of work done during it, and I felt really accomplished.

  In my techspert year, I made a lot of projects, especially ones for the book fair. I made a lot of posters and advertisements for the book fairs that we had, and I think they turned out pretty nice. It showed me how to have more responsibility while working on important projects. I am also a WEB leader, so that gives me even more responsibilities. I will try my best in my last year as a techspert, and give the projects my all.

  Next year, I will be a WEB leader. That gives me a lot of responsibilities. A lot of students will now look up to me, and I know I need to set a good example of myself for them. A good role model also has to get their work done, no matter what it is. I can do that. My last year is going to be a seventh grader, the beginning of a WEB leader, and the start of being an eighth grader. I will work very hard for my teachers and my peers.

Middle School Ends by Olivia

 coming to middle school was a huge change for me, i came from the smallest school out of all ESSD school districts. getting here wasn’t as bad as i thought though, i met so many friends that have changed my life. i’ve met people that weren’t good for me so i had to get them out but that happens, and that’s okay it’s never bad to get the bad out of your life. change is good remember that.
The teachers weren’t as helpful as i thought they would be though, you are definitely more free in middle school and it’s all self paced. but in 8th grade everything is on you, everything is self paced there really is no group work. it’s usually individual/independent work. i learned a lot about hot to be a better person with every situation i get into, and i’ve also learned to let go of things sometimes and focus on yourself for a bit.
to conclude this i would just say middle school definitely has changed me, it has made me the person i am now. i want to give a big thank you to all of my teachers, even though not all of us got a long you all still helped me in your own way. also to all of my friends old and new, you all have affected me and taught me a very valuable lesson, thank you for that. overall thank you ESMS for everything you’ve done for me.

End of middle school blog by Mason

   As I’m rounding up my middle school career, there are lots of memories and good times to look back on. My teachers have helped me get through these 3 years and made the journey fun. Elementary school was boring, but middle school made school enjoyable. We were issued ipads and they’ve made school easier and go a lot smoother. I’m very grateful to have been given an ipad and being able to use them for most of our school work.

    One thing I liked about the middle school is the schedule. The days go by fast and it keeps the hallways clear and less chaotic. I like how we have teams and have all core classes with the same teachers and kids. I like the way things go a lot better than elementary school, the day goes by much smoother and quicker. I also like having P.E. 2 or 3 days a week rather than once a week. Another thing I like is that you get to pick your other electives rather than being forced to take the classes you don’t want to take.

    My years in middle school have helped to prepare me for the journey ahead. I like the block scheduling used, it makes the day go by much faster and smoother. Our teachers give us tasks and assignments that require skills teachers expect you to have in high school. The teachers at the middle school have helped us and well prepared us for the journey ahead!

Blog by Nolan

	May 21, 2019, 3:23 PM (15 hours ago)

I am finally moving on to the high school and I wanted to tell the incoming 6th graders what their year will be like. No matter what team you get on whether that would be a kraken or hippogriff, your teachers are great and very helpful. I’m not going to tell you that your classes will be easy but as long as you apply effort and try to get along with your teachers, you would be making your middle school career much easier.

I have been a techspert every year during my middle school career and I have enjoyed every minute of it. All of the work we do is relatively fun. Most of the stuff we do is crafting or art related so even if your not good at doing that kind of stuff like me you should still be a techspert.

I have flown through middle school. It feels like just yesterday I was doing jump start. All of my teachers have all been very nice and helpful. My whole time here has been relatively easy because I payed attention in my class and did my work while still having fun. Now on to high school.

Blog by Alani

          Blog

The end of the year is so close!! and I can’t wait, I’m so excited to hangout with my friends and and have no rules. I’m also playing a lot of summer sports, I hope that all of the extra help makes me get better. If I’m being honest i can wait for my 8th grade year. I just want to relax and have fun.

End of year blog by Braedyn

This year I have learned to do stuff earlier instead of waiting till the last minute to do it.  I have also learned how to organize the books using the Dewey Decimal system. We also learned how to work as a group to get stuff done faster.

In techsperts, we have to do blogs on what is going on in the school and what's going on in techsperts. Once a week we have to organize and put away books,  every day we have to do a work log on what we did. Sometimes teachers will ask if we can work on projects for them.

I am excited for next year because I will be a web leader, a techspert, and I will be in algebra 1.  As a web leader, I will get to participate in helping the incoming 6th graders, and give them tips about middle school.   As a techspert, I will get to work on projects since I'll be in the 2nd hour, our projects include organizing books, creating videos for Mr. Atkins, help teachers if they need it, write blogs, and work on posters.  Algebra 1 is a 9th-grade course which includes a high school credit. in the class, you learn advanced 9th-grade math.

End of Year Blog by Brody

End of Year Blog

This year of techsperts was a fun and productive year. We did quite a lot of

interesting things. Some of my favorites were the bookfair and the Imovies. The Imovies a fun process of editing and photography. The editing process might take awhile, it’s worth putting the effort in. It’s nice to see my work put up on the TVs is everyone can see it since it gets put on the TV in the lunchroom.

Another of my favorite parts of techsperts is the bookfair. We do a lot for the

bookfair, usually a poster and decorations, put their some of the funnest times. Some of the posters we have done are, the little mermaid, movie theater and divergent. We also made cardboard cutouts. My favorite project was the projector. I hope we can continue this in 8th grade.

I hope that 8th grade is as good of a year as this year. I hope we can get more

done next year. I hope that are book fair projects are even better.  I’m excited to meet some of the new techsperts next year.

Final Blog by Jacob

In all the years of being a techspert Ryley has been my favorite techspert to accomplish projects with. Team Ryley.

As the end of 8th grade year comes closer, I look back on what I’ve learned from middle school. I’ve learned how to battle adversity, and handle the tough times in life. I’ve had some awful days in my 3 years, but they don’t compare to the countless amazing days I’ve had here. Middle school has given me some great years, and for that I’m thankful.

The fact that middle school is really over and how fast high school is coming hasn’t hit me yet. Part of me doesn’t want to leave middle school. Part of me wants to stay in 8th grade forever. But I know that won’t happen. High school is inevitable. I have to go, whether I’m ready or not.

In high school, I plan on playing high school football, basketball, and running track. I plan on playing all 3 for all 4 years of my high school. I’m looking forward to playing football the most, just because that’s my main and favorite sport. It’s going to be tough because I’m new, but middle school has taught me how to handle adversity, so I will put forth my best effort.

Final Blog by Haley S.

As we are coming to an end to the year I am reminded of all the things that we, Techsperts, have accomplished. At the beginning of the year we passed out iPads and now it’s time to collect the iPads.also all of our book fairs,and decorating the learning commons for the book fair. We made snowmen, flowers, animals, movie posters, and so much more. We decorated doors, we made a spiders web, and we made an iMovie of all of the teachers and what they’ve done in their classes.

  A major project that we’ve been working on is the iMovie. We bought our televisions for the Commons Area and we had to take videos of the different classes in our school to update the school on what their peers were doing.we also use the TVs to show upcoming birthdays and upcoming events hat are happening within our school.

  As we end the year I think of all the memories that we have made together and with my fellow Techsperts. I’ve had so much fun this year as a Techspert and I’m glad that I chose to be one because I have had a lot of fun and I learned a lot. We shelved books so I learned how to do that in a certain order, we met new people, and learned a lot about iPads and how they are used. I am going to miss this school but I’m also excited to go out and become a freshman in high school.

Final Blog by Haylee

As we are coming to an end to the year I am reminded of all the things that we have accomplished. At the beginning of the year we passed out iPads and now it’s time to take the iPads back. I look back on all of the book fairs that we had and am reminded of the decorations that we had to make. We made snowmen, flowers, animals, movie posters, and so much more. We decorated doors, we made a spiders web, and we made an iMovie of all of the teachers and what they’ve done in their classes.

  A major project that we’ve been working on is the iMovie. When our projects appeared on the screen they looked really good because Mr. Atkins combined all of the ones all of the videos that the Techsperts made and put them on the T.Vs.

  As we reach the end of the year I think of all the memories that we have made together and with my fellow Techsperts. I’ve had so much fun this year as a Techspert and I’m glad that I chose to be one because I have had a lot of fun and I learned a lot. We shelved books so I learned how to do that in a certain order, we met new people, and learned a lot about iPads and how they are used. This wraps up my blog about what it’s like being a techspert.

Final Blog by Broc

I loved all 3 years of my middle school life. Times got tough sometimes but you always had to
battle through till the next day. I learned a lot from middle school days making me a better
person in school and outside of school. I’ve seen people I wanna be like and others teach me
what I don’t want to be like. Middle school has been some very important years of my life and
I’m thankful.
One huge difference from elementary school to middle school is the schedule. Even though we
don’t have recess, the schedule still makes up for it. It’s really nice if you don’t like a teacher at
least your only with them for 50 minutes at max. Also it’s so nice have p.e multiple times a week
instead of once. Electives is a huge part of middle school, there is some cool fun electives that
can make the year go by faster.
I’m looking forward to high school sports last year. I play football and baseball and I’m excited
to support the school with my athletics. I’m very excited for the new school and new
opportunities on my education. I’m very excited for the combined class of ela and social studies,
those are my worst classes. I believe the high school will help better everyone for college and
help them get prepared.

Blog by Baili

Blog

Last week was our last week of map testing, I’m glad it’s over but the schedule was fun. The end of the year is coming super fast. I’m super excited and sad to leave for the summer. We are trying to get in all of our work and doing tests to finish the year. I’m excited to see all of the fun activities we have planned for the rest of the year.

Final Blog by Caydence

As we are coming to an end to the year I am reminded of all the things that we, Techsperts, have accomplished. At the beginning of the year we passed out iPads and now it’s time to take the iPads back. I look back on all of the book fairs that we had and am reminded of the decorations that we had to make. We made snowmen, flowers, animals, movie posters, and so much more. We decorated doors, we made a spiders web, and we made an iMovie of all of the teachers and what they’ve done in their classes.

  A major project that we’ve been working on is the iMovie. We bought our televisions for the Commons Area and we had to take videos of the different classes in our school to update the school on what their peers were doing. When our projects appeared on the screen they looked really good because Mr. Atkins combined all of the ones all of the videos that the Techsperts made and put them on the T.Vs.

  As we end the year I think of all the memories that we have made together and with my fellow Techsperts. I’ve had so much fun this year as a Techspert and I’m glad that I chose to be one because I have had a lot of fun and I learned a lot. We shelved books so I learned how to do that in a certain order, we met new people, and learned a lot about iPads and how they are used. I am going to miss this school but I’m also excited to go out and become a freshman in high school.

  

As An 8th Grader..... by Kyra

As An 8th Grader…

By: Kyra

   As I look around my first hour, I see tired faces and dreary expressions. But at the utterance of one word, some ones  day is brightened and another has been sent into a crisis. Summer. As the end of the year (and middle school for some) draws nearer, it’s giving me more time to reflect back on my “middle school career”. How one place shaped me and my class so much?

As a student, middle school has been relatively easy. Perhaps that’s just because of the way I learn and process things. Teachers care about students, but 8th grade has been the only year where I liked all of my teachers. In my previous years, I was kept on the same pace as my class, and the grade was mostly counted based on what you scored for a test. While thrived in this environment, it got boring soon as I would be done significantly ahead of my peers. This year (and as I’m told high school will be) depending on the classes I take I work at an accelerated pace, or at whatever speed I complete my work. Classes take grades based more off of busy work then tests, which has been stressful trying to complete work for every class, but gives you a higher chance of making a good grade if you score badly on one thing. Due to this, I’m watching my peers either do good, or sink under the weight of self guided education.

     Techsperts is one of these self guided classes. When I first joined in 6th grade after hearing about it during the summer program, I was ecstatic to work with books on the regular and also play a role in my school environment. As the year progressed, we mostly designed book fairs, wrote blogs, and helped with small events and ordeals. When we tried to plan big things like officially making the back room a makerspace, kindness day, and leave your mark projects, things got pushed aside by others or just didn’t work out. It’s also hard to complete projects when I’m the only person who is putting in effort. However, techsperts has also been a valuable experience for me to practice leadership, plan events, and learn more about my teachers and peers.

   My advice for new students is divided into three sections: basics, tips, and tea. Basics are things that are common sense of that everyone should know.

1. DO NOT walk in groups in the hallway and block it for everyone else. Walk fast too, people have places to be.
2. Please don’t randomly scream or squeal, not only is it annoying, it just adds to the chaos of life.
3. When your walking in places, hold open the door for people instead of letting the door hit them.

Tips are things that are almost “life hacks” for students,or ways to make your life easier.

1. If your going to keep a bunch of stuff in your locker, at least keep it organized. I always have a plastic bag in mine to put trash in so it doesn’t pile up and make a mess. A friend of mine has lots of clothes in her locker, so she brings in a basket so she can throw them in the bottom of her locker, and take them home when she needs to.
2. Start projects the day you get them! A lot of school is busy work, but it’s busy work that counts for a grade. Once things start to pile up, it gets much harder to turn things in on time. If you finish things before things ahead of time, you can start on work for other classes.
3. Use time management!!! I cannot stress this enough! Buy a planner, set reminders on your phone, whatever helps you stay organized, do it! This is really helpful if you are doing sports on top of you school work.

And now, it’s tea time. This is the sappy, life advice from someone who’s experienced all of the feely stuff of middle school.

1. Some of your friends will leave you, and that’s ok. You WILL make new ones, and there’s still so much left of your life. Get out there make some memories with some new people!
2. Don’t be petty, or be rude to people. (Yes, this does include your teachers). Even if they were rude to you, these people will be around you for the rest of your school education. Make friends, not enemies. Don’t be rude to people to seem cool either, in the end most people don’t like the rude kids anyways.
3. There’s going to be many times where you feel lonely, or unmotivated, or just unhappy in general. School is going to be the last place you want be. But in the end, just find something that motivates you. It doesn’t matter if it’s something dumb, like seeing your friends, or what tie Mr. Ruby wears, or if it’s something long term, like me thinking of my dream job. Whatever keeps you going.

    My middle school career hasn’t been ideal, but it’s mine, and packed full of memories. Whether it’s crying on the bathroom floor after math class, or dancing in the learning commons with Ms. Travis. Even if there isn’t a visible sign of it, I know I’ve been here. And I know I’m going to keep going, and I know you will too. So here’s to the end of my middle school experience and the beginning of someone else’s.

Blog of the Year by Caroline

Blog of the Year

I enjoyed being a Techspert this year. I got to help pass out IPads each hour and help teachers who needed assistance. I also got to work on unfinished school work and work on stuff like creating my own stories and poems. I enjoyed helping any person who came in during Book Fair and helping check out books. I didn’t really help with painting or coloring projects but I did stick to the Help Desk most days. This year was especially good because I got to do more than just sit around and wait for some sort of project needing to be done unlike last year.

I can’t wait for next year. I’ll be able to help with first hour’s fast-paced passing out IPads and probably help get more stuff done. The only thing I don’t look forward to is the fact my Techspert hour is my first hour so I couldn’t complete things I need to complete from that day until I get home or I get a chance the next day in Techsperts. Overall I had a good 2018-2019 year and I’m excited for the year 2019-2020.

Blog by Jaylenn

Blog

The end of a long year is coming up. This is the last

week of MAP Testing! I know we are all excited about that. Spirit week is also coming up next week. Monday May 20 is dress like a meme day. Tuesday May 21 is roll out of bed (wear your pjs). Wednesday May 22 is around the world (dress like a tourist or another culture) Thursday May 23 is dress tropical. Friday May 24 is dress fluorescent (wear bright colors).

Blogspot Update by Alyssa

BlogSpot #12

By: Alyssa

Welcome to another BlogSpot! This week is the last week of MAP testing and then we’re done with it. All books are due back by the end of this week. Otherwise known as the 17th. Next week is Spirit Week and on Monday is Dress Like A Meme. Can’t wait to see what we all turn up as! There’s not really anything going on this week so I guess that wraps this up. See y’all next week with more updates. :)

End the Year with a Bang!!! by Ms. Travis

Our final book fair is over for the year.  We raised three hundred dollars for All For Books, so reality we got to buy six hundred dollars in books to donate to our classroom teachers' libraries.  We were three hundred dollars short of making a goal of getting extra Scholastic Dollars.  The purpose of this book fair was to give back to the patrons of ESMS Learning Commons.  It was a buy a book get a book free.  I love it when the customers stock up on reading materials for the summer.

MAP testing continues tomorrow for most of our students here at ESMS.  It is an exciting yet frightening time for all.  Students are ready to show what they have learned but yet anxious to see if it worthy of a high score.  I always tell them that if they are trying their best, it will all work out.  This is our last week of testing.  The schedule will be testing from first hour until about 10.  We will have shortened class following that.

Next year's WEB Leaders and Techsperts have been chosen and placed in classes.  It is not an easy task selecting these as we have so many good role models and I have to disappoint students because we can only have a certain number of each.

As this year winds down and we start to prepare for next year, I reflect on a great year.  The students have used the space to enhance learning and we are still making changes to make the space even better.  Techsperts have worked hard to improve the space and help our patrons. 

Please have a great summer and remember we will not be having summer school this year!  See you back in August to start another #esmsbestyearever !