When the fourth-graders in Erik Nielsen’s class began doing a little “investigative journalism” as part of their assignment to write a feature article, they had high hopes for making a change, and several of them succeeded.

The students, at Pond Cove School in Cape Elizabeth, chose topics from cafeteria food and tipping vending machines to dodge ball and human rights in China. One student wrote about the Cape School Board banning food in the classrooms, a decision that forced her to bring in pencils on her birthday, instead of cupcakes or cookies.

All the students followed a step-by-step process when writing their feature articles. Nielsen’s class began their “investigative journalism” projects by reading 20 mentor texts, most of which were feature articles from “Time for Kids” magazine. Then the students found a person affected by the subject, interviewed that person, found and interviewed an expert, researched the issue and used statistics and facts to support their article.

The feature article unit is part of a new writing curriculum that was introduced at Pond Cove School this year. The curriculum has students writing personal narratives, poetry and the feature article. According to Principal Tom Eismeier the new curriculum makes the students feel more like authors and allows them to claim ownership of their work.

“It’s a workshop approach,” said Nielsen. “Everyone is crafting at different speeds and different levels.”

The students enjoyed many aspects of the feature article component. Some said the fact finding was their favorite part, some said the interviewing and some enjoyed typing their feature articles.

The cafeteria food was a topic that many students chose to investigate. It became a subject that extended beyond their feature articles. Students began meeting with Paula Harris, the nurse at Pond Cove, Principal Eismeier, and Sue King from the food service staff.

“The students had some hopes they could make a difference in the school lunch program,” said Harris. The adults also wanted to make the students feel part of the larger effort to improve the food offerings within the cafeteria. The students were excited when Principal Eismeier told them they were doing what he and other members of the community had been trying to do for 10 years.

Harris now meets with 12 fourth-grade students, six of whom are from Nielsen’s class, and discusses with them what is a balanced meal and what is food service. Nielsen and the other adults wanted to make sure that it did not become a food-service bash and that the students understood what was required to prepare meals for hundreds of kids a day.

Their hard work was rewarded by changes in what the cafeteria offered. Now, fourth-graders have a salad bar every Friday and Wednesdays have become Fitness Wednesdays, when a healthy meal is offered from a menu compiled by students.

The students’ articles follow:

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Lousy Lunches: Think Carefully Before You Eat School Hot Lunch

By Jacob Brady

“It took me 6 napkins to get all the grease off the pizza,” said James Stebbins, a fourth grader at Pond Cove Elementary School.

James first started hot lunch mid second grade, then stopped mid third grade, he started again at the start of fourth grade and stopped again in the middle of fourth grade. That was when a group of kids formed a petition for healthier school hot lunches (SNP).

They started organizing meetings with the school nurse, the principle, and Sue King, the organizer of school hot lunch. Even if SNP does not succeed, James says he might go back to eating hot lunch.

ITS JUST FAT!

According to an article in Storyworks, health experts say, “today 15 percent of children ages 6-11 are obese or seriously overweight. That’s up from 6.5 percent in the late 1970’s. Poor diet and obesity can cause diseases like type 2 diabetes, which can lead to blindness and kidney problems.”

Chad Peterson, another fourth grader at Pond Cove school says his barbecue rib hoagie was not cooked, tasted like gushy meat and that it was like chomping into a bunch of fat.

I really think that school lunches should improve majorly. James Stebbins said “yes” when asked if hot lunches would ever improve.

WILL HOT LUNCHES EVER IMPROVE?

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A Tipping Terror

By James Yokabaskas

At a Belleville, Ont., truck stop, 17-year-old Gary Forestell ran to get some soda for him and his friends. He tipped the soda machine just enough so the sodas would come out at the bottom and he could grab them without paying a single cent. Creeeeeeeeeek, too far, the soda machine (1,000 pounds) fell smack on top of him crushing him to death.

15 male patients,15-24 years of age, sustained injuries or death from rocking. Did you know that more people die from rocking vending machines than people die from shark bites a year? A 27-year-old man was killed from rocking a vending machine, the father decided to press charges. His lawyer said it’s not worth it. Fact, between 1978-1995 at least 37 deaths and 113 injuries from rocking vending machines. Now you will probably think twice. Free soda or death. What do you think?

It’s Not Worth It

Most people think vending machines aren’t harmful. But they are, besides the junk companies put in them. Most people that survive vending machine accidents they would want them clear from the area where they lived. But the families that had these accidents want to get rid of vending machines. The problem is the vending machine companies are too much to overcome. The people against vending machines need more people on their side.

Or more people will suffer injures and deaths from killer vending machines. In 1998, the American Medical Association warned the public not to rock vending machines. In reward of the publics’ great listening there were 12 vending machine accidents and 3 deaths. Want A Soda?

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75 Cents Gets Kids Hooked

By Chad Peterson

Cliff, age 10, of Pond Cove School in Cape Elizabeth, Maine says, “Lots of kids have about three bottles of soda or ten pieces of candy a day from vending machines at school’.

Vending machines are tempting at schools. However vending machines are filled with fatty foods and snacks. Schools use these machines to raise money.

If they filled them up with healthy and good options, they could still make money for the school and wouldn’t contribute to making kids obese. According to a recent Time For Kids article, governor Jeb Bush of Florida asked the Department of Education to make it easier for high school kids to buy soft drinks. ‘Bush supports soda sales because they sweeten school budgets!’ Since 1997, students in Florida have not been allowed to use soft-drink machines until one hour after lunch. The rule is intended to encourage kids to buy milk and other healthy drinks at lunch time. But as a result, schools in Florida are collecting fewer dollars from soda sales.

Did you know a 12-ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? Most soda has no vitamins or protein.

TOO MUCH JUNK!

Some schools in the United States have up to 20 vending machines!!! Some have only one. Cliff says, “When kids have a chance they will explore the vending machines and maybe waste a buck or two……. students get so use to using vending machines that they don’t choose healthier options……….

“The vending machines in school could at least not serve soda or junk. They could serve water and juice.” So do you want to use vending machines? I don’t.

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PROGRAMS HAVE TOO MANY FATTY FOODS ON THEIR MENUS

By Sarah Bosworth

Erin Lyons is a normal girl at Pond Cove School. Erin says it takes her five napkins to get all the grease off her pizza and pozzo bread. Erin is concerned about all the fatty food she has to eat at hot lunch. Many hot lunch programs have too many fatty foods on their menus.

Did you know that fatty foods can increase the risk of cancer. Studies suggest that eating large amounts of red meat can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Dr. Lesley Walker of the Cancer Research UK says, “The results add weight to the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, low in saturated fat containing plenty of fruits and vegetates.”

Two different types of fats are saturated and unsaturated fats. Foods that have saturated fat in them are ice cream, whole milk and cream. Unsaturated fats are found in nuts and and olive oil. They are the good fats. Certain foods are directly involved in many of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. Paying attention to what you eat is one of the best preventative measures you can take. Eating the wrong foods can cause fatty deposits or plaques to form on artery walls, which clog the arteries, causing blood clots to form. DON’T eat fatty foods so you can avoid heart disease and cancer.

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Food or Fat?

Wonder what you’re eating when you’re eating school lunches?

By Cliff Bauman

At 12:30 pm it is time for the fourth graders of Pond Cove school Cape Elizabeth to eat lunch. We walk down to the cafeteria and cant wait to see what the lunch ladies are serving today, weather it’s hat greasy pazzo bread, fatty fresh dough pizza, or the sugary sweets.

“Yum, looks good” everyone shouts as they walk through the lunch line!

It turns out that it’s not so good, “Did you know that it takes 6-7 napkins to take out all the grease of one piece of pazzo bread!” Says Chad Peterson a fourth grader at Pond Cove school Cape Elizabeth.

Some kids think that school lunches are great, and some kids think there gross, and others chose school lunches because they think there more convenient! Some kids think there to greasy, fatty, and salty. Actually, school lunches aren’t allowed to have more than 30% of there calories per week. The amount of saturated fat has to be less than 10% of the calories per week.

At Pond Cove school, Cape Elizabeth at least three kids or more go home sick after eating, pazzo bread, fresh dough pizza, or the schools other fatty options!

“Given a choice, most kids are going to chose junk over something healthy”, says Pat Thorton, a psychologist who studies obesity in children.

“Children are already consuming to much junk food”, says, Jen Keller, a dietitian at the physicians committee for responsible medicine.

” It’s important to offer them only healthy items in school”.

“Adult onset diabetes”

“Many foods are offered in cafeterias are linked to these problems,” Keller says. Chad Peterson a fourth grader at Pond Cove school, Cape Elizabeth says “The schools fatty foods are so addicting to kids that they don’t even know what healthy foods look like, and” over half of the kids at Pond Cove school buy lunches!

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SCHOOL

BORING OR COOL?

By Katherine Roche

Caroline Gleason, a fourth grade student at Pond Cove Elementary School, gets out of bed in the morning ready for a fun filled day of school. But Arianna Cogswell, another student at Pond Cove Elementary School, gets out of bed in the morning ready for a dull boring day of school. “Some days I feel like I just can’t go to school” says Arianna.

I Don’t Want To Go

The fact that some kids like school while others don’t depends on how they see it. “each day at school is like a new adventure for me” says Caroline. Some kids might not like coming to school because they might not like the subjects there going to have that day. “Math and social studies are so boring its scary” says Arianna.

I Like It

Some kids like school for many reason “The fact that everyone is in the same place doing something fun makes me want to go” says Caroline. It is possible that the students who like school are the students who find the work easy for them.

Help On The Way

Help will always come to students who need it. Helping students who don’t do well in school might help them become more confident about school. “The work might be to hard for Dr Robinson. She might be just the person to help some students with there dislike of school.

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Hard work for Homework!!!!

Is homework just too much?

By Arianna Cogswell

It’s a typical day for Amy Quinn, a mother of three, also a student of University of Southern Maine. Right after her children go to sleep, she either starts typing away on her computer, or she starts reading a book she was assigned to read.

“Sometimes it seems like I am always doing some sort of homework, even on vacations! I keep doing it because I know our lives will be better because of the Knowledge and experiences gained through the process.” explains Amy.

Sometimes, when she is typing, she has to type 5 or 10 pages and then she prints them and brings them to school the next day..Sometimes Amy has so much homework, she doesn’t have time to finish it on time.

“Because I am in 5 English classes this semester, I am finding that finishing everything on-time is a difficult task. Thank goodness most of my professors have children too!” says Amy.

“About an hour of homework a night should be fair for a grown-up that works.” says Mrs.Hasson, teacher leader of Pond Cove Elementary School, who also is going back to college.

Is Homework just to much?

Could teachers take a load off of homework?

“I think kids in elementary and middle schools should have homework, but no more than 1 hour a night. Parents have to help with a lot and it’s hard with more than one child to help” says Amy.

In a resent Time for Kids article, expert Lynn O’Callaghan says, “Sometimes it’s just a struggle.”

According to another resent article, expert Harris Cooper explains,

“Homework has benefits that go well beyond what’s going on in school.”

“I agree! Homework helps with discipline and study habits which are not only essential high school and college, but in the work place as well. Nowadays people continue to train for their job well on the job. It is important to keep up with the newest techniques in everything from new insurance rules to new ways of learning how to learn” explains Amy.

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Authors or Actors?

Are Kids Watching To Much?

By Caroline Gleason

10-year-old Katherine Roche, a fourth grader at Pond Cove Elementary, comes home from school each day, eager to begin her daily schedule. She leaps off the bus and hastens inside. Plopping herself down at the kitchen table, she then sucks up the delicious snack before her like a vacuum. Next, she sits down on the couch beside her sister, Lizzie, to watch television. Then comes the usual. Playing outside, eating dinner, doing homework, and finally settling in for bed.

Does Katherine’s schedule sound familiar? If so (like most people) is something missing? Not a minute to blow-up something on the computer or some micro-second e-mailing. A daily reading time, perhaps? It appears, many kids are holding back on the adventures. “I like reading when I can read fun books, like ‘Harry Potter’. Not ‘History’ or ‘Math’,” says Katherine. She is not alone in the TV subject. This device is sucking people in and causing most reading issues.

Chapters vs. Channels

Every kid has a different opinion about reading. “I like reading for the fun of it,” says 9-year-old Erin Lyons, another fourth grader at Pond Cove. But some kids read only for their reading assignments, not for fun.

According to a recent Time For Kids article, Dr. Henry Shapiro says that reading, playing, and talking with others are much better for kids learning than TV. Dr. Shapiro studies kids’ behavior and development. He also states that there may be a good side to TV. “Kids are at home, safe, and learning things,” he says.

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Save it or Toss it?

To Many Pack Rats?

By Courtney Guerette

How much pack rats do you meet a day? Well it turns out you would meet more than you think you would. Out of a class of 21 half the class are pack rats. Two of the most pack rat collectors I interviewed. Two students from Pond Cove Elementary School, 4th grade, both 10 Anna Brogan and Arianna Cogswell say that they happen to save quite a bit of stuff.

Arianna said to me, that she saves at least 10 things a day. Her most useful piece of stuff she has is certificates because she likes to look at them. Arianna does consider herself a pack rat and also said to me that she saves many types of wrapper s and doesn’t even use these things. What does she even use this stuff for any ways?

Anna on the other hand is a little bit less of a pack rat. She saves at least 1 thing per day. She uses this stuff ordinarily just to play with. She plays with her stuff about 10 times a year. Anna likes to collect old and new stuffed animals old Barbies dolls, her moms old books and clothes.

Some of this stuff is useless and other stuff can come in handy.

People: Pack Rats of the World

So much people are saving trash each year and they save it and save it until somebody finally throws it away. A lot of this stuff comes from fast food restaurants because of the happy meal toys. Some of the reasons why you should not collect these toys is because #1 it is a waste of money #2 because this stuff can never become helpful in any way and #3 you will never need it so what’s the point? These collectable items can not be helpful.

“I use my stuff about ten times a year ” says Anna. But it’s not up to me to make the decision for whether you are a pack rat or not, it’s up to you.

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Poor Pazzo

A fatty food!

By Ellen Best

It’s a typical day for Sarah Bosworth a forth grader at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Today for lunch is pazzo bread! “I use four or five napkins just to get off some of the grease.” Says, Sarah.

From a recent article from Storyworks Children are already consuming too much junk food.” Says Jen Keller A dietitian at the Physician’s committee for Responsible Medicine. “It’s important to offer them only healthy items in school.” It’s not that health experts want to deprive kids of foods they like best. They just want to help kids avoid many of the health problems that come with eating large quantities of unhealthful foods. Today, 15% of children ages 6 to 11 are obese or seriously overweight. That’s up from just 6.5% in the late 1970s. Poor diet and obesity can cause diseases like type 2 diabetes, which can lead to kidney problem.

A few years ago, this disease was so rare that it was called, “Adult onset diabetes.”

Many foods are offered in cafeterias are linked to these problems like pazzo bread.

“It all depends on the oil in it. The kind that makes it greasy,” says, Mrs. Harris a nurse at Pond Cove School!

“I started to combine two types of cheese.” Says, Sue King the nutrition director at Pond Cove. Chad of Pond Cove School says, “They use mozzarella on pazzo bread.” Meghan from Pond Cove School says, I don’t like pazzo bread because it’s soaked in grease

” But all and all I like the taste of pazzo bread!” Says, Sarah!

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Turn It Off!

Are Kids Watching To Much TV?

By Erin Lyons

Courtney a 9 year old girl at Pond Cove School in 4th grade, says “I watch about 2-3 hours a day and I like TV a lot,” she says.

Kids at the age 9 and under watch about 2 hours a day. About 34% of 4 to 6- year olds watch to much TV.

According to a recent article in Time For Kids magazine. Peggy C. a children’s media expert says, “A little TV can be okay, but this seems like too much for little kids to be watching.”

Kids all ages in front of the TV watch about 2 hours and 22 minutes. According to Gayle, a PHD, a family therapist who specialize in family development says, “Television becomes a replacement for family interaction. Television can make smaller interactions with each other.”

Watching TV can be very bad for you because you can come addictive to it.

Ellen at Elementary School that is in fourth grade says, “I could not live with out TV because it relaxes me and calms me down.”

Also she watches three or four hours a day.

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Homework Attack

Is homework getting too tough on students?

By Jamie Hewes

It is a average day for Pond Cove School student James Stebbins. After school at 3:00p.m he goes to Extended Day Care until 5:30p.m. Then he goes to home and does his 2-6 pages of homework. Then he eats dinner, next he goes on the computer, finally he goes to bed.

James says, “If we didn’t have homework then just think of all the things you could do”?

Lynne O’ Callaghan lives in Portland, Oregon and she has a 8 year old daughter who has 2 hours of homework a night. Some schools give all the students homework assignments on monday and let the students do the homework at there own speed for the whole week. In the early part of the 20th century some schools had a total ban of homework. “Homework isn’t fair”, said Debbie Faigenbaun

Will homework ever end?

According to a recent feature article by Time For Kids Magazine, “In 1981, 9 year old students to 11 year old students had a average of 2 hours and 49 minutes of homework each week. In 1997 kids the same age had 3 hours and 30 minutes of homework a week. Also 6-8 year old students had a average of 44 minutes of homework a week”.

James says,”i’d rather have a half hour more of school than have homework”.

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Dodgeball Disaster

Is it Dangerous?

By James Stebbins

Tom Harrington, age 10 walks in to the Pond Cove School Gym in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and hopes dodge ball will never be band because he thinks its the best game he does in gym class!! He runs to the line and get ready to grad a ball. Dodge ball is being band all around the nation! “I will never put up with this” say Tom. Some schools are changing the rules to make dodge ball less dangerous which a lot of the kids in thoughs schools like! Dodgeball is also a good thing in some ways like on your throwing and catching skills, fitness and some others. Dodgeball is being band in state like Texas, Virginia, maine, and Massachusetts!!!! less and less people are playing dodge ball ever day! Chis Harigan a PE teacher in Oslo, Florida, whose district band the game, say his students wanted to play “Out of 500 students 90% wanted to play dodge ball and the other 10% didn’t want to be in gym!!!! Tom Harrington walking out of gym after a good game of dodge ball still hopping dodge ball will never be band! Will it? He will never know!!!!

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No Food in School !

By Moriah Brown

A few days before Anna a fourth grader in Mr. Nielsen’s class at Pond Cove Elementary in Cape Elizabeth 10th birthday, Anna is sitting at her desk thinking about how she cant bring in any food for the class to celebrate her birthday.” You cant even bring in lollipops in goody bags to eat at home, it is OUTRAGEOUS!” says Anna.

Wren Wilkinson a third grade teacher at Pond Cove Elementary says “having no food in class just makes the kids want it more.”

“i feel bad not being able to put out food for my students relatives that drive along way to visit my classroom.” says Wren Wilkinson.

One reason they took away food from class is because kids would miss class to go pass out cupcakes or whatever they had to pass out. Wren Wilkinson has barley ever experienced this and if anyone ever asked to pass out anything he would say no.

One of the other reasons they won’t allow food in class is because of kids with allergies and diabetes, but the kids that have either of those won’t want to eat the food that they have a reaction to.” I used to like my birthday because I got to pass out food for everyone to enjoy.” says Anna

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The Fight for Freedom.

Tiennaman square and China’s Human rights

By Meghan Clifford

Megan W., 39, of New York, used to live in China in 1988 and 89. “Three of my friends took part in Tiennamen square,” she says.

Tiennamen square happened in 1989, in Beijing, China was a mob of angry chinese citizens angry about their friends and family being in prison for speaking poorly of the government. The mob was shouting things like “Fascists stop killing,” and “Down with the government,”

The government responded by bringing out army vehicles and killing the hundreds of protesters. “China is ruled by one party and has a very bad political system. America should help china strengthen it’s legal system,” says Chinese citizen Tong Y.

It’s Still Fighting… Silently.

China doesn’t have the freedom to of speech or the press, the right to vote, the right to have more than one child and cannot leave the country without identification and permission and you must come back.

“Every time I did some thing, even buy a train ticket (which I did everyday) I had to show my identification. It’s a big law there,” says Megan.

“Two of my friends that took part in Tiennamen square escaped and the other just got out of jail for a twenty year sentence,” says Megan.

Megan is part of a group who fights for and gives money to and fights for China’s freedom. China is on it’s way to a free country!

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Dodge the Loss

Is Dodgeball to Dangerous

By Sam Duddy

James Yokabaskas said he walks into gym and doesn’t think he will have very much fun because the balls are made of Styrofoam and you can hardly throw them. James said (How are we support to play if we cant throw the ball.) Why ban dodgeball if boxings more aggressive. Dodgeball improves peoples reflexes and eye coordination. Mr. Shields the Pond Cove Gym teacher says(I think we organize the activity in a safe and friendly manor. The balls we use are 6 inch foam balls) Mr. shields realy likes the throwing and caching skills that are practiced in the game (the way we play you can go in different levels of the area for example you could go in front or back.) Dodgeball has less injures in 2004 than playground ingress and most other ingres. Chris Harridan a PE teacher in Florida whose school ban Dodgeball said his students wanted to play. Out of 500 students 90% vote for dodgeball and the other 10% didn’t want to go to gym. James Yokabaskas said (If dodge ball was ban I would be mad.)

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Are your school lunches Heathly?

Are lunches get fatty or healthy?

By Tom Garland

At Pond Cove School in Cape Elizabeth a group of kids are trying to change school lunches. I’m in the group that is try to change lunches. Sara B Started the group in 4 grade when she read a article about the lunches. She ask four other kids to join. The kids that she asked where Jacob B, Chad P, Cliff B, and Ellen B. The group had it first meeting in ( I think) February 2005. After she asked me to join the group to help out. Now I did said yes to them but then I did not now how hard it was to do the group because I had to give up ressce to do it. My option on lunches are grease and fat. The pizza has 3 napkins full with grease. I think that the group is off to a good start. Now the group has 6 more kids on it 1 from each class. Now Miss.Harris is now the leader of the group. Kids now want more fruit thank to a survey done by the menbers.

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Lunches For Losers!

by Nolan Morris

James Yokabaskas walks in to the lunch room and past the hot lunch line with his cold lunch. Thinking who would eat that junky fat? He say’s “school lunches are loaded with fat and grease”

Why Eat Them?

Kids like them because are hi on sugar and fat. schools think if it’s high in sugar kid’s will like it.

According to a recent time for kid’s magazine “children are already consuming to much junk food”. say’s Jen Kellar a dietitian at the physician committee.

I think kids should be eating healthier in school to help them be more interactive in class. Cliff Bauman say’s “Most of the food is half cooked or moldy”.

Some of the foods grease covers half the tray and kid’s get addicted to it!

Students in Mr. Nielseneterson, James Stebbins, James Yokabaskas and Katherine Roches.Pond Cove students investigate their world

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