The Blabber: Witness to Bromwell History
Some pieces from our student newspaper, The Bromwell Blabber, reflect a kid's-eye view of important moments in our school's history. You'll find them here, with commentary. They are divided into the following sections:
The Strike of '94
Our Playground
Staff Changes
Diversity
Our School Building
Standards and Testing
The Future
The Blabber made it's debut in September, 1994, as a teacher's strike polarized the city of Denver. The strike lasted for a week and ended when Governor Roy Romer interceded and helped create a compromise that, among other things, established our current system of school government under CDMs (Collaborative Decision-Making Committees). The following articles show how students reacted to the strike and it's impact on our school...
WHAT A STRIKE!
By Aaron and Gaylend, 4th grade, Class of 1996
Bromwell didn't have the teachers for a whole week in October. They went on strike because they felt they didn't have enough money. They stayed on the sidewalk in front of the school with their signs. Mr. Matchett, our principal, said, "The teachers did what they thought was right." A lot of substitutes and parents took over. Parents also helped on the playground. Some kids were hbappy because some of them didn't have any homework. But some kids were mad at their substitute teachers because they were strict. Governor Romer made the two sides talk all night until thye got an agreement. The teachers were happy when they got back. And the kids, too!
THE KID ON THE STREET: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE STRIKE?
by Andy, 4th grade, Class of 1996
"Our teacher was grumpy but it was because we didn't have to do much work" -- Ryan, 4th grade
"I missed my teacher" -- Alex, Kindergarten
"I think the teachers did the right thing because if I were a teacher I would do the same thing" -- Bryan, 5th grade
"I don't think it was right for the teachers to strike because they already get a lot of money and they already have an hour lunch" -- Kellen, 4th grade
"At some times, I thought it was right. At some times, I thought it was wrong" -- Mr. G
"I liked it because I got to stay home instead of going to school" -- D.J., 2nd grade
"The strike was cool because we had no homework" -- Marcus, 4th grade
"It wasn't very good" -- Jeff, 1st grade
EDITORIAL ON THE STRIKE
by Margaret, 4th grade, Class of 1996
I think the strike ruined everything. At least it didn't go on very long. Some kids thought the strike was a good idea. I didn't. The kids at Bromwell didn't like the idea and most of us cried for our teachers.
The kids hugged the teachers and felt the pain. I think if the teachers ever go on strike again they shoudl do it when we're in a different country.
THE TEACHER'S STRIKE, OH DEAR!
by Rachel, 4th grade, Class of 1996
The teachers have gone on strike
And I'll tell you what it's like...
I feel like my brains would rot
As the Board and DPS fought
I'm caught up in the classroom
Kind of like the Temple of Doom
The sub has changed our seats
And most of our work is just plain repeats
I know they're striking with us in mind
A better way they hope to find
Computer! Science! Library! Music! And Art!
The important things we need for a good start
I see them each day in front of the school
And hug my teacher and tell her she's cool
I wish the School Board wasn't so mean!
I want them back! I miss Ms. Green!
THE END (of the strike)
Bromwell's "Peace Tree" was planted on Armistice Day, November 11th, 1918; it was a part of our community's response to the experience of "The War To End All Wars." Then, in the mid-Nineties, there was bad news...
DOOM STRIKES PLAYGROUND
by Andy, 4th grade, Class of 1996
Dutch Elm disease has killed our Peace Tree. Thankfully, sculptor David Mitchell has volunteered to carve an eagle out of the trunk. It is hoped to be finished in October. It will be fifteen feet tall. But there must be enough money raised first to pay Mr. Mitchell, or else all that will be left of the Peace Tree will be sawdust. At least $1, 200 will be needed.
The P.T.A. was able to raise the needed funds, and so...
EAGLE HATCHES OUT OF DOOM
by Andy, 4th grade, Class of 1996
In the first issue of The Bromwell Blabber, we told you how our Peace Tree died from Dutch Elm disease. Now an eagle has been carved out of what was left to spare the trunk of the tree from total destruction. The Peace Eagle has been in progress for several weeks and is now bigger than life. It has been carved by a local artist named David Mitchell. The Peace Eagle will be dedicated in the spring of 1995.
By 1998, our Peace Tree was a beloved school landmark. With each new class of students, it became known, more and more, as the "Eagle Tree." A few students began to wonder: "Why an eagle, anyway?"
OUR SCHOOL MASCOT
by Bree, 5th grade, Class of 1998
We wondered if we had a school mascot. Mr Bingham said that Bromwell has in fact had a mascot for six years. The student council picked some animals and let the rest of the school vote on which animal they wanted for a mascot. The school picked the bald eagle. Mr Bingham said the eagle sculpture was made in 1995 by the artist, David Mitchell. Mr Matchett was the principal back then. The eagle was made out of a tree that was already dead.
During the first year of The Blabber's run, our young journalists didn't pull many punches, as demonstrated by the title of the article below. Of course, kids always feel strongly about issues related to the playground!
SWEATING LIKE PIGS
by Andy, 4th grade, Class of 1996
Every day three hundred kids find themselves on the Bromwell playground with NO
shade. They sweat like pigs and the water fountains don't work.
We need more trees and shade. Sure we have two trees on the K-3 soccer field, they are fairly sized, but they don't provide enough shade for 300 kids. And the Peace Tree is about to made into an eagle. That's why parent Polly Reetz started a Landscaping Committee. Polly said, "It would be great to have more trees. They provide shade, homes for birds, a beautiful environment, places for insects, base when you play tag, and goal posts for soccer." Then we'll really have it made in the shade!
Within a few years, the Landscape Committee had become the Learning Landscape Committee, and a lot was happening with Bromwell's playground. The full story can be found at our page Bromwell's Learning Landscape Committee, but the kid's-eye view is here.
WE GOT A NEW PLAYGROUND!
by Rae, 4th grade, Class of 2000
We all love the new playground! It cost $80,000. Lots of people paid for it. Construction companies, the city of Denver, a raffle, local businesses, and the Denver Public Schools all helped. So did a lot of parents.
They also sold bricks which cost #50 for the back of the school and $100 for the front. The bricks are memorable things that will be there for a very long time. They have the names of people who bought them.
Five or six years ago, it was the Fifth grade parents' idea. over the summer, builders started digging and moving things around. The new playground has new swings without chains (so they don't make noise), ramps for the wheelchairs, handicapped swings, wood chips instead of sand, two new slides, monkey bars and things to step up on.
The first week of school it was cool. We all watched them lower the archway. It's great to have a new playground. Fifth-grader Alli even got her picture on the front page of The Denver Post! Only one thing. They made the whole handicapped playground and I've still never seen one handicapped kid on it.
With the end of busing, Bromwell's exploration of diversity found a new focus in our Physically Disabled program. The Learning Landscape was designed with p.d. students in mind, but were they actually using it?
HANDICAPPED KIDS ON THE PLAYGROUND
by Adam, 4th grade, Class of 2000
In The Blabber last time, we asked how come you don't ever see handicapped kids on the new playground. Molly Tracy, who is our physical therapist, said that even though the playground is made for kids with disabilities, they can't be there by themselves. (Warning: kids, don't try to assist the disabled kids! Both of you could get hurt!)
Ms. Hearnen, who teaches kids with disabilities, said that the kids DO get outside for P.E. with Ms. Smith at least once a week and they use the equipment then. I asked Lois Brink, the landscape architect who designed the playground, why wood chips were used instead of something that would be easier for the wheelchairs to roll over. She said that after awhile, the wood chips are supposed to form a mat.
In the summer of 1999, some of the redevelopment went a little slower than was planned. When students returned to school in September, they were shocked to find flat dirt where a grassy field used to be...
WHAT'S THE STORY ABOUT OUR GRASS?
by Elleni, 5th grade, Class of 2000
I 'd guess everyone is curious about our field. First of all, people came and tore up all of our old grass, then mowed tractors all over the field. Many of you probably drove past our school during the summer and thought what I thought, "Will that be finished before school begins?"
When it was almost a week and a half before school, they started putting down sod. Sod is pre-grown grass dug up in long rolls. It took them about a week to put down the sod.
The sod is delicate and needs time to grow roots in our field. That's why we've had to stay off the field for so long. But if we water and take care of it we'll have an awesome green field. This reporter thinks it's worth the wait!
Work on the Learning Landscape always had an unexpected side, as is shown by the next article.
BROKEN BROM...WELL
by Sam, 4th grade, Class of 2000
Have you ever noticed the sandstone sign in the playground? Did you ever wonder what it was? I did, so I interviewed Lois Brink, a member of the Landscape Committee. The sandstone sign was found in two pieces in the playground but when they picked it up with a crane it broke the sign into smaller parts. The sign was a headstone for the old school that was torn down in 1976.
The sign says "1906" because that's when the old school was built. And the sign is now going to be a ruin in the school's ecosystem garden. This will always remind us of our school's history.
While not really a part of our playground system, the small park on our north side has always been a part of life at Bromwell. It had no legal designation until 1998, when a group of parents petitioned the city...
MANLEY PARK DEDICATED
by Lauren, 4th grade, Class of 1998
On Saturday, September 21st, the little park north of our school was dedicated to James Manley, a man who used to be principal at Bromwell. This is the first park in Denver to be named after a teacher or principal.
Mr. Manley was principal between 1973 and 1984. When he came to Bromwell, the original school building stood where the park is now. It's sad that Mr. Manley died of cancer in 1984, but there were many members of Mr. Manley's family at the ceremony. Many grown-ups were there who went to Bromwell when Mr. Manley was principal. A woman from Mayor Wellington Webb's office was there. I saw our school secretary, Judy, taking pictures.
Mr. Manley was a very special man and he helped make our school the great place that it is today. I wish I had known Mr. Manley in person but now we have the park to always remember him.
The cafeteria isn't quite as important as the playground to most students, but kids do pay attention to the people who prepare their food. There are many articles in The Blabber archives that offer lunch suggestions (typically, these involve ice cream or pizza) and several articles, like the following, about the cafeteria staff...
THE CAFETERIA: WILL IT BE GOURMET OR OLD HASH?
by Ruth and Margaret, 4th grade, Class of 1996
Did you know that only four lunch ladies work in the lunchroom? (Hard work, huh?) They serve over 100 kids five days a week. Mary Noll
is a world-class baker. She has been working in public schools for four years. Her favorite food that she's cooked is dinosaur chicken nuggets. They're not really made of stegosaurus burger. They're just shaped like it. Kit Westerphal
is our new manager in the lunch room. She has been working in the kitchen from the beginning of the year. Her favorite food is toast. Dorothy Pickens
prepares our fruit and salads. Her favorite food that she prepares is jello. She has been working in the lunchroom for four years. She works four hours a day. All the other lunchroom ladies work seven and a half hours a day. Now you know who makes your food!
A few years later, cafeteria services were consolidated and reorganized, with mysterious results.
WHO STOLE OUR COOKS?
by Madeleine, 5th grade, Class of 2000
Who kidnapped our cooks and why? Every day when I bring the lunch count down, the kitchen is dark and empty. Brrr! It turns out all our food is cooked down at Jefferson High School! Why isn't our kitchen good enough? What's better about theirs? How do they get the food back and forth? Do they carry it in one of those Pizza Hut oven bags?
The cooks gave me a few answers. To save money, they go to J.H.S. to cook the lunches and then they bring it to Bromwell in things that look like dumpsters on wheels -- one for hot, one for cold. Yum!
The "Specials" (programs such as Library, Gym, Music, Art, Computers, Gifted and Talented) have had a rather checkered history at our school. Often these programs are cut or reduced in scale when the budget needs trimming, and the budget seems to need trimming every couple years. Students have always been happier, of course, with the full range of educational service, as the following article demonstrates.
ARTS REVIVAL
by Eliza, 4th grade, Class of 1996
FINALLY, Bromwell got them back, our "Specials" teachers. Where did our Specials teachers go, anyway? Well, all of the Denver Public Schools had big cutbacks and lost teachers. Thanks to the helping hands of our Bromwell PTA they earned enough money from fund-raisers to get special programs back at Bromwell.
Mr. Schilling is helping in the library. We hired one computer teacher but she mysteriously disappeared after the holidays so we hired another computer teacher, Mr. Clark. Ms. Yeager keeps our voices running smoothly in music and now we have art again! World Art Explorers are coming in and doing FAC (Friday Art Club). At FAC we will put together collages, construct buildings, and make other similar projects. The K-2 group will be called "Dots" and the 3-5 group will be called "Designers." We know this will be great fun. Be on the look out for wonderful cave art soon!
During the summer of 1998, new playground equipment was put in place, and several other features of our Learning Landscape were installed as well. While students were naturally happy about this, a few were dismayed that funding had been cut for some of the "Specials." On the first page of the first issue for that year's Blabber, there were two articles: one that celebrated the Learning Landscape with the jubilant headline "We Got a New Playground!" (featured in the section above)and the following article, far different in tone...
BUT... WE LOST OUR LIBRARIAN!
by Anna, 4th grade, Class of 2000
When you came back to school did you think every thing was perfect? Well, when you walked down the hall you saw a library, right? There are books, tables, chairs, computers, but there is just one thing missing: a librarian!
Where is the librarian? It's so empty, so lonely, no one is in it. How are we going to check out books? The books are going to sit there collecting dust! How are we going to learn about books?
The Dollars-a-Day campaign didn't collect enough money to pay for teachers for P.E., Music, Art, computers, and a librarian. So, classroom volunteers are going to try and help check books in and out.
I think it's too bad.
Even classroom teachers are not immune to the experience of change, as the next article shows.
CHANGES IN THIRD GRADE
by Dani and Nicole, 4th grade, Class of 1998
One of our teachers, Ms. Hansen, had to leave Bromwell and go to another school. Her Third Graders were divided up between the two other Third Grade classes. This was hard for students in her class and for students that knew her last year. We interviewed Ms. Hansen before she left, and we also interviewed the other Third Grade teachers, Ms. Keys and Ms. Rich, and the principal, Dr. Helmkamp.
Ms. Hansen said that her students felt rather angry about the class being broken up. As for herself, she said, "I'm sad to be leaving my 16 children, but they will be in good hands." She also mentioned she liked working at Bromwell. "I liked working with Ms. Wiens best," she said, "We had fun times!" We asked her if she had any parting words for her students? "They should study hard and learn everything they can about their world," she said.
Ms. Rich told us "I'm disappointed that we won't have small classes anymore. She said they might have another Back-To-School Night for the new kids in the class. Ms. Keys said that this was a difficult change, and that with so many more kids in the room, they would need to have quieter voices. She also said, "We'll add more tables and chairs, and try to get more adults working in the classroom."
Dr. Helmkamp said he was sad about the change. "I liked visiting Ms. Hansen's classroom, and helping when her students learned about the solar system," he told us.
We think it was hard for a lot of people. It seems very different without Ms. Hansen. We wish her good luck and we hope she has a good career. As for Ms. Rich and Ms. Keys, we hope they get used to having lots more kids in their class and we hope they can manage it.
When The Bromwell Blabber began publication, court-ordered busing was the norm in our city, and many black students came to Bromwell from the Philips and Columbine neighborhoods. In 1995, U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch ruled that Denver had wiped out the "vestiges of past discrimination... to the extent practicable."
Busing stopped for most elementary schools the next year. Some schools negotiated to keep some of their bus lines going, and families had to submit special applications in order to keep their students on the bus...
BUSING THIS YEAR
by Jason, 5th Grade, Class of 1996
Busing this year has changed a lot since last year. This year you have to have a bus card to get on the bus in the second semester. The bus isn't coming to the same bus stop as last year, and I don't like it because I have to walk a lot farther this year than I did last year. We also have assigned seats! The bus driver this year is a little bit meaner than last year.
Even my best friend isn't on the bus anymore because he doesn't have a bus pass yet. My kid cousin doesn't have a bus pass either, but she rides the bus anyway because she told the bus driver she didn't get one in the mail. I don't think that's fair that my friend can't get on the bus without his bus card but my kid cousin can.
One of the biggest changes is there's not as many black kids here at Bromwell as there were last year. I'm not racist or anything, and I have lots of friends, but I wish that more kids from my neighborhood were here. I have made new friends this year, but I would like to have some of my old friends back. And the reason they are not coming is because of the busing change.
My aunt is a bus driver and last year when we had a substitute driver, usually we would have her. I think for her, this year is tougher because she has more hours than she did last year, and she has high school kids, and they get on her nerves! Most of the time she comes home with a headache.
They said that next year they might not have busing at all so we would have to go to our neighborhood school and I think that would be a problem because I don't like my neighborhood school. I'll just ride RTD to get to a better school if I have to, and I'll just say "I don't want to go to that school."
Also I'd like to stick with my friends, because it's hard to break up with your friends. and that's the same with the teachers that you're used to being with. I think the hardest thing that I'm going to have to leave are my two favorite teachers, Ms Keys and Ms Lewis, and my teachers this year, too.
Not all students liked riding the bus, as the following two articles show...
MY ROTTEN RIDE
by Aaron, 5th grade, Class of 1998
Of course, you may think that the bus is nice and quiet and that people are nice to each other. WELL, THAT'S FANTASY LAND!!! Let me tell you about the bus I ride.
Every time I turn around, there's a fight. There's all kinds of kids cussing and talking about nasty things. Also, kids pick on kids who haven't done anything to them. Then a fight breaks out. Some of the kids who ride the bus make the bus stink! So all you dreamers out there WAKE UP! IT'S THE REAL WORLD!
MY WORST RIDE
by David, 5th grade, Class of 1998
The bus ride is torture to me. My bus is usually crowded in the back but not usually in the front. We have an old bus driver, and he doesn't care what we do. So sit close to the front and try to stay out of trouble. Sooner or later, WE MIGHT EVEN HAVE RIOTS ON THE BUS!
You know I really feel sorry for myself because I walk on the bus hoping that no one will mess with me. I'M BEGGING YOU! STAY AWAY FROM THAT BUS!
As the busing program reduced in scale, older kids noticed how the change affected our school as a whole. This article was co-written by two Fifth grade friends, a white student and a black student...
DIVERSITY IN OUR SCHOOL
by D.J. and Adrian, 5th grade, Class of 1998
Before we start talking about diversity we must tell you what it is (for the sake of all the younger readers). Well, diversity is a racial mix in a system, in this case the school.
We went to check the lower grades to see if they were as diversified as the upper grades. So we went to check out the kindergarten and first grade classes. There were practically no black or Hispanic children in the kindergarten so we went to check out the first grade. There were also very few blacks or Hispanics in the first grade. We then went to see the upper grades for comparison. The third grade was more diversified than the kindergarten and first but still didn't have much of a racial mix. Finally we looked at the fourth and fifth grades. The fourth grade had more of a racial mix than the third grade but didn't have as much of a mix as the fifth grade. If you were a black kid and there were no white kids in your class wouldn't you feel strange? Or if you were a white kid and there were no black kids in your class wouldn't you feel deprived?
It's because busing stopped a few years ago. Ever since busing stopped there has been less and less of a racial mix in the lower grades. We both agree that busing was a good thing and having a racial mix is more fun than having a class of all whites or all blacks.
All our students, no matter what their ethnicity, enjoy the privilege of attending a school in a well-to-do neighborhood. This in itself can bring up the issue of class diferences which are considered by the next writer...
RICH OR POOR
by Raymond, 5th grade, Class of 1997
How do you think it feels to be poor? Our school is in the Cherry Creek shopping area, and it's not known for being a poor area, it's mostly known for big houses and being a nice community. Bussed kids are mainly not as fortunate as some of the kids living near the school, but that doesn't mean they are poor. I think most of our kids are middle class.
I don't know how it feels to be poor or rich, but I do know how it feels to be middle class. Middle class kids don't get everything they want, but they should be thankful for what they do have.
I used to go to the YMCA to go swimming last summer, and I met a man who talked with me about being poor. He said it was a bad way to live. He said that when he was ten years old his mother lost her job and his father left. He is much older now, but still has the thought of being poor. When I asked him how he feels he said, "Fine. If you think I am going to live my life with my head down, think again!" He saved enough money to be a member of the East Denver YMCA. I think that's good. You should never make fun of anybody who is poor. Always donate clothes and canned goods to help them out!
With the end of busing and the seemingly irreversable shift in our school's demographics, parents and staff began to look for other ways to help students explore and understand diversity. We began to examine how our school's Center for Physically Disabled students offered an experience of diversity that was not rooted in race but was authentic on its own terms. The students themselves knew that already,of course, as the next article shows...
HOW I FEEL ABOUT HANDICAPPED ISSUES
by Maddie, 5th grade, Class of 1997
I have made good friendships with some of the handicapped kids in our school. I thought it would be fun to learn more about handicaps and share it in the newspaper. What does it feel like to be handicapped or in a wheelchair? I talked with Chris and Ago. Chris said, "It feels good." I think that means that he likes driving around in his chair. Ago said that it feels bad, because he can't do what Chris does. He doesn't have the equipment.
Chris and Ago like their wheelchairs, and Ago especially likes the teachers at Bromwell. They both have good suggestions about how other kids can be helpful to them. Chris said that he likes it when kids are playful. Ago likes having his chair pushed around a lot.
We should try and help handicapped kids because they are important, and because really they are just like us! We're all the same, and we all need friends!
In the mid-Seventies, the new school building was built and the old one torn down. There were still some on-going space problems that resulted, in 1995, in the creation of the rooms known now as B-7 and B-8.
ROOM TO BREATHE
by Margaret, 4th grade, Class of 1996
Did you know that the Kindergartners are moving? Well, they will be in August 1995, HOPEFULLY! The Design Advisory Committee has been meeting for three years about making more space in our classrooms. Finally, Nancy Innes, a boss from downtown met with the committee, and together they thought of an idea that would give us two enclosed rooms on the south side of the building where Ms. Pacheco's room is now. The all-day Kindergarten program would move there. The committee agreed that this was a good idea. BERC, the people who manage all the bond money, have given us the go-ahead. The kids say, "I'll believe it when I see it!"
Our building is a showcase for the artwork our students -- especially our graduating Fifth graders!
5TH GRADE PROJECTS
by Justine, 5th grade, Class of 1997
As many of you already know, the 5th Grade always leaves a gift for the school. This year the 5th Graders made votives. Okay, here's where the real story starts... The leaving-presents-for-the-school tradition has lasted longer than I have existed, but I was able to track down a few of the most recent gifts.
We start with the year 1993. The project that the 5th Graders left was the wooden bench in Bromwell's front hall with the student's names on it. Going to the year 1994, I found out that their project was those handy-dandy benches outside under the large window in front.
As we zip ahead to the year 1995, I discovered that the gift they left was a monoprint in the front hall of Bromwell. A monoprint is a single-print picture.
Racing ahead to 1996, I discovered the gift was mosaic cement bricks in Bromwell's back yard. Jumping ahead to 1997, I can tell you about the project from our class. It is going to be a sculpture with votives on it made out to clay and metal. They are shaped like some of our memories at Bromwell, and I'm, sure that we all will miss Bromwell. I also hope that the tradition of leaving behind a gift keeps going after we leave. Thanks!
What do students consider the most interesting part of our building? Any room of area that is unusual or even off-limits! The furnace room, the gym equipment room, and the kitchen are all of great interest to Bromwell kids. But here's an article about the most interesting of place all...
WHAT IT'S LIKE ON THE ROOF
by Alex & Max, Class of 2001
On the day before Halloween, all the kids making the Halloween video Blabber met at 6 o'clock at Bromwell in their Halloween costumes. Some kids were videotaped in classrooms, some in hallways. And us? Well ... we were videotaped on the roof, and now we are here to tell you about our experience. Not only will you read our story but we'll check in with two people who went up there with us -- Michael and Regis.
Q:
How would you describe walking up the stairs to the roof? What did you feel?
Regis: The stairs were very steep and I'm afraid of heights.
Michael: It felt cool knowing I was going on the roof! But it was kind of creepy up there.
Q:
What was the most exciting part about being on the roof?
Regis: When I first got up there it was neat seeing the playground down so far below.
Michael: Getting to see my classroom through the skylight was awesome!
Q:
Why were you on the roof and exactly what did you do?
Regis: This was my only chance to go on the roof, when the boys were filming I helped out.
Michael: I wrote Halloween jokes for the Video Blabber and videotaped them with you guys!
As for us, we thought it was cool because it was pitch black and the stairs going up were so steep. We also thought it was great being above everything on the Bromwell landscape.
Now you have heard from kids who actually went up on Bromwell's roof. What do you think? See you later... on the roof!
In the late Nineties, national concerns about educational standards gave rise to various plans and programs. By the turn of the century, the CSAP was established as the primary evaluation tool in our state, and at our school...
THE CSAP HORROR
by Connor, Class of 2001
So, have you ever wondered why we do the CSAP? Well, we do it for citizens, state, federal and district, blah, blah, blah. All it does is rank our school, and it's BORING. What do you think of it: dumb, boring, or down-right pointless?
Well, I'll tell you what I think. Perhaps the CSAP is actually a part of a horrific plan, created by the government, to make us all as boring and dumb as adults. Perhaps Dr. Bingham silently chuckles while he takes in loads of shipments of CSAP tests. Perhaps the teachers are all in on the scheme. Could that be why we do the CSAPs?
THE DREADED CSAP
by Peter, Class of 2001
What is 5 + 5? We probably all wish that every question on the CSAP was as easy as that! Still, we dread the CSAP not because it is so hard (after all, Bromwell has the smartest kids) but because it uses up precious class time. Instead of taking the test, we could be doing fun stuff like experiments or reading or playing on the computers.
THAT TEST
by Chante, Class of 2001
We hate testing!
Recess is a blessing.
But stuck in the classroom...
Hope we will be out soon!
We hate testing,
It's certainly not the best thing!
Testing is a bum,
Especially all those sums.
Our teachers are the best
But ...not! ...that! ...test!
WHO HATES THE CSAP?
by Elliot & Nick, Class of 2001
Who hates the CSAP? We do! "Stupid tests..." Malcom mutters when we bring it up. Peter adds, "It's ridiculous!" We think tests are the most boring things in the world. If you finish early you have to do nothing for hours! We took a vote in our classroom, and here are the results... two kids like tests, one kid sort of likes tests, and the rest don't like tests at all. In conclusion, the majority of people don't like tests. And some of us hate them!
TERRIBLE TESTING
by Xavian & Alex, Class of 2001
We started the test on Tues,
we thought we had nothing to lose.
We tried the best we could,
but what if our scores aren't good?
We thought the test
was sort of a pest.
It was just a waste of time
...sigh...
and that's the end of our rhyme!
THE MONSTER WE CALL CSAP
by Mats
The CSAP is so stupid. We take three kinds of CSAP tests -- reading, writing, and arithmetic. We take the CSAP to
show how well we are doing in these three subjects.
The CSAP gives a grade to schools even though some kids have problems outside of school. Those kids might have trouble focusing on the CSAP and their grades will then effect the school's grade. The CSAP doesn't look at this problem. Oh and by the way, the CSAP doesn't affect our personal grades at all. YET!
Classical works of history traditionally end
with a note of reflection, remembering for one last time the great figures of the past and their struggles and accomplishments. Since this history, however, has mostly been written by children, it seems appropriate to conclude in a style that better fits the optimism and interests of our students.
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR BROMWELL?
by Colin, Class of 1998
Imagine if all the students and teachers at Bromwell got frozen for thirty years and came back in 2028. What would it be like? Would there be giant aliens all around the school? Would there be a war going on? Would the hot lunch food be pizza every day? Would there be a water slide on the playground or an arcade in the library? Well, you tell me. Will any of this really happen?
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