mr-williams.net

NHS Fall 2008 New Member Selection

Trojana Chapter of National Honor Society
Resume forms are due Wednesday, September 17, 2008.
Please turn forms in to Mr. Williams in room B19.

Click here for the MS Word formatted version. This would be a file that ends in .doc.

Click here for the RTF (Rich Text Format) version of the document. An RTF can be opened in most (not all) other word processors, e.g. Word Perfect.

Perspective members are welcome to write the application in pen, but these files are being provided for download to expedite typing on a computer.

To be considered for National Honor Society, students must maintain a cumulative weighted GPA of 3.5, and be at least into the second semester of the sophomore year.

Here We Go Again… Yeah!

Check here for a the school calendar. There’s also a link to this calendar over there

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More Irony

School’s Out for Summer

I’m a bit late with this, but at least it’s still June.

Tags: muppets, schools-out-for-summer, alice-cooper

PVHS Graduation - Class of 2008

This year just flew by.

This is my second graduation with Pahrump Valley High School, and this year’s was just as impressive as last.

I think my favorite part is when all of the graduates throw their caps into the air. I guess I’m sheltered having come from Las Vegas, but my graduating class was not allowed to throw caps (too dangerous?) way back in 1989, and in none of the graduations I’ve attended as a teacher have the students thrown caps.  I love it. It’s like throwing caution to the wind.

Here’s a link to my flicker stream of photos. Sorry, I wasn’t able to get very good photos sitting with the teachers and having only my phone.

Mr. W.

Tags: Pahrumpgraduation 2008 photos flickr

More Irony

If you don’t get it, read this.

Tags: LiteraryTerms

What Teachers Make

Just in case you were wondering…

I need to listen to this periodically, just as a reminder.

Literary Term of the Day: Irony

You’ll get the joke if you understand the allusion

If you’ve never read The Onion, you should. It’s a great daily dose of satire for everyone.

Today, I came across the article below and just couldn’t stop laughing. Alone, the article isn’t particularly funny; it’s understanding the allusion that really makes the joke hit home.

After thinking about it for a bit, I’ve decided I’m going to use this as an example for my students next year regarding how knowledge of literature, religion, history, and general culture can add to life’s pleasure.

Below I’ve included the text of the article, but you can see the original here; and I’ve also embedded a youtube video that might help explain the allusion for those unfamiliar with this 1985 masterpiece.

—————–

Chuck Berry Remembers Call From Cousin About White Kid Playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’

WENTZVILLE, MO—In a shocking revelation that turns a half century of rock-and-roll history on its head, legendary musician Chuck Berry recalled Monday how he got the idea for his iconic song “Johnny B. Goode”—believed for decades to have been written by Berry himself—after listening to a white teenager playing it over the telephone. “I’ll never forget that night back in 1955 when I got the call from [cousin] Marvin [Berry] saying, ‘Chuck, this is that sound you’ve been looking for!’” recounted Berry, explaining that his cousin was playing an “Enchantment Under The Sea”–themed high school dance when the mysterious teen, Calvin Klein, took to the stage and single-handedly invented rock and roll as we now know it. “Marvin held up the phone and I heard the song that would make me famous. Then I stole it.”

Here’s the video

In Character

I want to mention NPR’s In Character here because… well, it’s pretty interesting and I’d like my students to be interested in American Literature and Culture.

NPR does a weekly series analyzing various fictional characters from American Literature and Culture.

The essays range from seriously poignant to laugh-out-loud funny, and I recommend a listen to anyone who enjoys reading and has had a dose of literature.

Link to NPR’s In Character page

Link to NPR’s In Character podcast bonanza

Character covered thus far:

• Hannibal Lecter
• Eric Cartman
• Long Duk Dong
• Walter Mitty
• Jack Bauer
• Catwoman
• Blanche DuBois
• Captain Ahab
• Barbie
• Harriet the Spy
• Hester Prynne
• Elmer Gantry
• Darth Vader
• Gordon Gekko
• The Little Tramp