Voting at Age 16?

by Emily (grade 7)

Teens in San Francisco making their case to vote at age 16
Photo Credit: San Francisco Youth Commission
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/7/
13347080/voting-age-election-16

Do you think people should be allowed to vote before they are legally an adult? Teenagers all over Oregon are in favor of the new bill to let citizens vote at the age of sixteen. They are curious as to why they can drive a car and pay taxes, but do not get a say in who is the next president. 

"We need to be able to take our work to the ballot and protect the policies we’re working so hard to pass,” says a Salem High school student Maria Torres. “We’re experts of our own experiences,” said Connor Gabor.

I asked some students at Black Butte School what their opinions are. 

Audrie says, “I think its stupid  because people under the age of eighteen usually are thinking of stuff different than it is said to be.”

Scott says, “I think people should vote at age eighteen because their prefrontal cortex is more developed.”

“I think it’s good because more people would be able to vote,” says Lily. 

“It makes teenagers feel important,” Jojo adds. 

I don’t think its a bad idea. Maybe by allowing teenagers to vote we can have more opinions on politicians. A two year difference isn’t that much, and an eighteen year old is just as likely to believe what their parents believe. Teens might be more interested in politics if they get to participate. 

It could also end badly, though, if they didn’t have the right information about the candidates. We could end up electing someone with ill intentions on certain people or America. Even though there are potential risks, the bill would allow many more voters to express their opinions. It’s an interesting idea and it would be cool to see what happens if this bill is passed.

The Nugget News published an associated press article on this topic on April 3, 2019. Read it here. 

The Story of Suttle Lake Methodist Camp

by Kellen (grade 6)

BBS kids at Suttle Lake Camp in 2015

The start of the story of Suttle Lake Methodist Camp was in the winter of 1921, when there was a group of young people from Redmond, Madres and Prineville Methodist churches who wanted a new camp. All of them met in Redmond thinking about making a new youth methodist camp. Soon they were led to Suttle Lake. In 1922 the young campers camped along the creek, to decide if they want to make it a new youth camp. Then in 1923 they started to work with the US Forest Service. In the beginning, the camp leaders would camp up by the ridge with tents, along with the campers.

In the 1940s they built a kitchen and a dining room with some beds below. The building's name is Pioneer Loge. Later, in 1947 the camp built cabins around Pioneer Lodge.

Since those events that have built many more cabins, and some shower houses in the area. They also made a challenge course near the ridge. Thy made a house for the directors and a welcome center. The present directors are Jane and Daniel Petke. They have been the directors for more than 12  years now. They are one of the longest directors to be working there. Pretty recently they have been on a low on staff, with only about five staff, who work to feed and house at most about one hundred and fifty people!

                           

The directors do not just help at the camp they also volunteer for Black Butte School! Daniel volunteers as the the Board Chair of the School Board and Jane volunteers for the Parent Teacher Organization. Black Butte School kids visit for a field trip at the beginning of the year. Some years they have done archery and now the tradition is do to team building activities on the challenge course This has been a fun tradition for about ten years. If you want to visit the camp or one of the others you can go to https://suttlelake.gocamping.org/. I hope I see you there!

Laird Superfood

by Lily (grade 5)

In Sisters, Oregon there is a company called Laird Superfood. It is expanding very rapidly and might soon be the biggest company in Sisters.

The owner is named Laird Hamilton. He is famous for high-wave surfing in Hawaii. He started a company because wanted to have healthier coffee and coffee creamer. So he started the company in 2015 for healthier more energetic filled cup of coffee. Since then, Laird Superfood has been doing great and has decided to expand even farther in Sisters.

The growth of Laird Superfood is going to have a HUGE impact on Sisters. The little town could soon be a really large town, maybe even the size of Bend or Redmond! Schools will be bigger, there will be more houses, and there will definitely be a lot more people for the well-paying jobs. Jojo said “I think it will make Sisters a more populated town.”

Falconry & Hawking in Oregon

by Scott (grade 7)

Red Tailed Hawk
Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW-
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/
license_permits_apps/falconry/

Falconry is old and it is often referred to as the sport of kings. In my article, you will see why.  Falconry is hunting with a trained bird of prey on your fist or in the air. In the past, there were certain birds that people hunted with.  Here is the list of birds.  The emperor  would get an eagle, the king would get a gerfalcon, a prince will get a tercal male, a duke got a loch falcon, Earl gets a Peregrin, Barron gets a buzzard, knight gets a sacer and a secret, esquire gets a laner, lady gets a marlin, young man gets a hobby, yeoman gets a goshawk, poor man gets a jercal, a priest gets a sparrowhawk, the holy water clerk gets a musket, knave or servant gets a kestrel.            


There's obviously some birds that are used more often than others. The first commonly used bird is the Red Tailed Hawk, which is native to the area that we live in. The Red Tail is a bird that most people use when they are getting into falconry. You can catch a wide variety of quarry (or prey) with them. The next most common bird is the Harris Hawk. These birds are very social and can be used in a cast, which means two or more people can fly them together. The last is a Peregrine Gry hybrid. Gry are very good flyers and peregrines are native to where we live, so they make a very good falcon for hunting.      

American Kestrel
Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW-
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/
license_permits_apps/falconry/

There are two types of birds for beginners: the Red Tailed Hawk and the American Kestrel. Like I have already explained, the Red Tailed Hawk is a very good falconry bird. the Kestrel is very small, at only 3.5 ounces. It is very easy to over feed and that could hurt it. They don't hunt a lot of animals.      

When you are a falconer you need a lot of equipment to keep your  bird healthy. The house that you keep a bird in is called a mew. Mews have lots of room for the bird to do move around. The mews are usually 10 feet by 8 feet. Then they have a room to work with the bird which is also that same size directly outside of the door to the bird. Before you can become a falconer you have to have enough food until you and your bird can go hunt for food. You also need a lot of other equipment like bells to keep track of the bird when it makes a kill. 

When you get started, you have to take a exam to make sure you know what you are doing. But you can't just walk in to take the test you have to set up a time to take your test. If you pass your test with more than 80 percent to actually become a falconer. You have to have your hunting license and falconry license. After you have to find a master falconer and be their apprentice for two years.   

There are certain stages that you have to go through to get to the point where you and your hawk can hunt together. The first stage is manning, which is when you get your bird acclimated to people, mostly yourself. This is very important because otherwise the hawk will be scared of people and will fly away.  

The second stage is training your hawk to come to the fist and get it to eat out of your hand. This means that it trusts you. Then you slowly move farther back to a step then to a jump, then to a short glide then farther and farther away until about 200 feet. Then you can free flight. 

You can get your bird fit in many ways like training and cutting down until you find your birds best performance weight. Once you get your bird to that weight, make sure you are keeping it at that weight by flying it. You can keep a Red Tail in that weight by going on walks with it. You train Red Tails to follow you from tree to tree. With falcons, you can fly them at the lure.  

Unless you have had your bird since it was a baby you don’t need to teach it to hunt. With a Red Tail Hawk you hunt many different types of game. But with falcons and short wing hawks, you really only hunt birds even though they can also hunt other animals as well.  Despite the differences between short wing hawks, falcons, eagles, and buzzards they are all in the same family, so most of the Raptor family can be used for falconry. Thank you for reading my article now you know more about falconry and I hope you use it to your knowledge in the future. 

The Local Herd of Rocky Mountain Elk

Photo by Kate Thomas Keown
http://www.sistersoregonguide.com/sisters-wildlife.htm

by Jojo (grade 6)

Imagine you're driving in the misty morning and a giant creature wanderers across the road and then disappears into the mist. What was that creature? That creature might have been a Rocky Mountain Elk. Rocky Mountain Elk are hanging around Camp Sherman and Sisters and are moving all the time in a giant herd of about 100+ elk. What are they doing here? They are migrating through Oregon and are trying to find food wherever they go. Then during the Spring, hunting season opens and they split up and go there own ways. That's why it is so hard to hunt these creatures because they are always moving to new places while they are looking for food.

These elk are also here to mate. They gather up in large groups and then they fight for a mate. The bulls fight for the females. The winning bull gets to mate with the female(s) depending on how many there are. Then the females leave the pack and give birth to the babies around June. When baby elk are born, they normally weigh about 30 to 33 pounds. During March and April the elk shed their antlers because they are preparing for the summer breeding season. The will grow them back before summer.

Why are elk so hard to hunt? This herd is really hard to hunt because there are very few bulls and they are a lot smarter than other younger bulls. Some of them have been around a lot longer and they are adapted to the environment and its surroundings. Another thing is these elk are really scared of humans so they stay out of recreational areas and they are always moving to a different location. So it is very hard to get them in one spot to hunt them.  The elk usually go where there is food so they will graze in open fields and grassy pastures as well as lush green areas and may be found roaming through the forest. Overall these majestic creatures are one of a kind and are roaming freely today.

2019 Ski & Ride Program Was a Success!

by Rope (grade 7)

Maddie crushing it at Hoodoo

How would you like to spend the whole day at a snowy mountain and snowboard or ski? The Black Butte School District does the Ski & Ride program every year and I think it is a fun experience to be at the slopes. It is a special opportunity because most schools don’t get to do this. It is a unique way to learn and have fun at the same time. It taught us to be able to ski and snowboard and to be able to do it in the future.

This year, we had two snowboard instructors and four ski instructors. The snowboard instructors are Amy & Micah. The ski instructors are Cheryl, Ronda, Donna, and Lorna. All the instructors teach different levels of skiing and snowboarding ranging from "never done it before" to experienced riders. The instructors were happy to be able to do the program with us and to be able to teach all the kids to snowboard and ski. There were eight snowboarders and 20 skiers this year.

Most days up at Hoodoo were a blast. On the 15th, there was a lot of powder and it wasn't raining or snowing hard in our face. The top was clear, and I thought that it was the best day of the season. The only bad day was when it rained but then overnight it froze. When we got out it was slick as could be. Also on the 15th the

Maddie said, “we have lots of fun on the mountain. There is lots of crashing! I have a story of a day when we found a secret trail. It was a very powdery day and we were skiing from Powder Valley 3 to Headwall, the whole way through the trail running into trees crashing into each other and falling into powder. We finally got out with pockets and hoods filled with snow!”

The ski & ride program is just a fun and educational way to learn and we have fun. We are also an awesome school to be able to do this every year!

New Years Resolutions

By Audrie (grade 6)

Here's me singing and playing ukulele at BBS' Winter Performance

New year resolutions are very important when it comes to the new year. Some people have goals and some are just for fun.

Why are resolutions important? Well when it comes to resolutions people sometimes try really hard to make a difference in life or just the world in general. Some people, like Lily (grade 5) think that resolutions are important because, “it helps me through the year."  Mr. Sharp says, “it’s kind of like a fresh start for a new year." Emily (grade 7) thinks that resolutions, “help you become a better person." 

What are some other student's resolutions? “Hit a home run” says Ace (grade 5). “I want to learn more games,” says Zoe (grade K).

High Desert Museum

by Rope (grade 7)

The High Desert Museum is a awesome place to see all the desert animals that we might see here in the high desert of Oregon. Every time I go to the museum I have a blast. It is a great place to learn about reptiles, spiders, birds, otters, fish, and eels.

At the High Desert Museum you can learn about all sorts of  animals. When we went we got to see three otters and most of the kids liked the otters the best. There also was a huge room that had a whole bunch of reptiles and a few spiders. One kid liked the spiders the best. There are a lot of birds and there was a really cool eel that stayed by the glass the whole time. It was a awesome thing to look at. 

On the way back to school a lot of the kids were tired and the bus was quieter than normal. The teacher Mr. Sharp said, “I love the High Desert Museum. It was one of my favorite trips of the year and I liked how the kids had a good experience.” The High Desert Museum is a good place to go if you need to get a refresher or learn about some desert animals and as Joseph says, “It was very educational”.

The High Desert Museum was a really great time and you can have a great time too if you go there. Every time I go I have a blast. When you go I hope you get to see all the exhibits. 

Martial Arts in Sisters

by Talon (grade 5)

Martial Arts is a sport of discipline, humility, and respect. At the same time it is fun and you learn how to defend yourself. My Martial Arts teacher's name is Master K., who runs Outlaw Martial Arts in Sisters. Master K. shows a ton of discipline by practicing Martial Arts all the time. Master K. is also very respected and humble.


The types of martial arts classes we do are kickboxing, belt testing, boxing, sparball, MMA, and BJJ. We practice a lot of kicking such as slide kicks, single kicks double kicks, triple kicks and spinning back kicks. 

Reptiles All Over

by Scott (grade 7)

Snake Hibernating
https://coldbloodwarmheart.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/snake-hibernation/

Most people don’t know what reptiles do in the winter and I would like to tell you in this article. A  lot of people don't know what a reptile is or they have made up some crazy idea of what they are. Let me tell you what they really are. Reptiles are cold blooded animals. That means their body temperature regulates depending on the temperature around them.  Hibernation is something a reptile does so they do not die in the winter and to get them ready to mate in the spring. They get ready for hibernation by eating as much as they can and then they go into a deep sleep for the winter like bears.      

Reptiles hibernate so they can mate. Reptiles mate in the spring  and to get ready to mate they have to hibernate. They hibernate by hiding in a very deep hole and sleeping until spring comes. When they hibernate you can often find several snakes in the same hole. They cannot hibernate if the hole is not deep enough.        

Snakes can hibernate anywhere it doesn't matter as long as the hole that they choose to hibernate is deep enough. When snakes hibernate they go into a very deep sleep. If they do not hibernate they will die because it is too cold for their bodies. They need a certain temperature to stay alive and healthy. Now you now what reptiles are doing this time of year.  

The Wonders of Dance

by Maddie (grade 4)

This fall/winter season there are a lot of BBS students doing dance at the Sisters Dance Academy. There are  tons of different dances like jazz, hip hop, Irish, contemporary, and ballet. This season the theme for the show is Christmas Stories.

All the classes are doing Christmas songs from stories. You get to play games and have fun with friends and you can make new friends also. The teachers are really nice. Their names are Lonnie, Shannon, McKenna, Tiffany, and Kayla. These teachers will help you learn dance.   

At the recital tons of people are watching you do the dance that you learned. You will have a rehearsal before the recital to practice your final moves and learn the stage. For the recital you will have to wear a costume, at the end there is a finale. The finale is when all the classes get together and do a group dance. This year our recital is December 15th.   

Recess!

By Lily (grade 5)

This year at Black Butte School we got up our tetherball up which has been down for a long time. The way you serve is you hold the ball and throw it up. The way to hit it without getting hurt, you hit the ball with your forearm. You can have fun without getting hurt. A lot of kids have fun playing it at recess and have competitions. Scott said, “It is very fun!”

Lots of the boys play two-hand touch football during recess and have a lot of fun with that as well. They usually play every recess. Ace said, “It is very, very fun.”  It’s one of their favorite fall sports to play. We play football in the spring as well.

Some of our kindergardeners play on the tire swings a lot at recess. They will call the name of the person they want to push them. They love the tire swings. They always have a lot of fun. They sing songs and laugh together every recess.

A lot of kids enjoy playing soccer at recess. And they have Mr. Sharp go into the shed and get soccer balls out, but there are not enough balls for everyone to play. So Mr. Sharp gets out volleyballs as well. Soccer is super fun and always is competitive and awesome. I hope that everyone has a great time at r

ecess!

The Geese Migration!

by Joseph (6)

I think that geese are cool. Geese are passing through Camp Sherman as they are migrating down south for the winter. They fly in formation to help each other get lift. You will see lots of geese this time of year, be careful, they are very protective.

The ones we see in Camp Sherman are Canadian geese. As the name suggests, they migrate from Canada and head down south for the winter. They do this to get more food, because the cold weather kills all their food.

Geese are one of my favorite birds, I have always liked them. People still hunt them and I think  it's sad that they get shot. However, sometimes it’s good, because we need food. We all know about geese, but someday I hope to learn even more.

Squirrels in the Fall

by Daniel (grade 7)

photo credit: lightpoet/123RF

Squirrels are getting ready for winter. They are putting leaves and pine needles into their dens for their nest. They are making their dens bigger. Ground squirrels can dig tunnels as long as twenty feet. All the squirrels are communicating to others, and helping other squirrels prepare for winter. They are a very social animals and often help each other.

Squirrels hunt for food during the fall. They harvest pine seeds, and other foods that have lots of fat, so they have food during winter. They can eat most seeds. They can also eat insects. They hibernate during winter. They sleep for one or two weeks. Then they eat some of the food they stored and go back to sleep. They can go for weeks without food. They are a very adaptable animal.

They are an amazing animal and can do a lot of different things. One of the many things is climbing. They are great climbers and can run up trees super fast. They can even jump more than ten feet. They are also known for there speed and agility. They are one of the most interesting animals on earth, and  we can learn a lot about them. Even if it's hard to live with them in your hair.

Fall Sports

by Audrie (grade 6)

Fall is here! So that means we are bringing on the fall sports. Some of the sports kids in the area are playing are soccer, volleyball, and cross country.

We have some kids at BBS who play these sports. The people who play soccer are Clover and Zion. Clover says “I just like the thrill and the exhilaration of kicking the ball, and scoring goals, it’s  just super fun!" Soccer is a very popular sport. Some people may refer to soccer as football. Soccer has been around for a long time since about the 18th century. Sisters has some really good soccer teams. Just a few years ago the took first place in the state championships.

As I said, volleyball is also played a lot. At BBS we have two people who play volleyball, who are me and Maddie. There have been a few people who want to play volleyball, so Mr.Sharp has been letting us get some volleyballs out to play with at recess. Sisters also has an amazing volleyball they have gone to nationals a few times, and it is a start of a new season I can't wait to see what will happen this year.

And now Cross Country, we don’t  have any students who run cross country. But with Mr.Sharp we run on trails in Camp Sherman sometimes we run short distances and sometimes we just run in circles. Some former students have done cross country like Conner, who was here at BBS until about 1 year ago. He is still running cross country. At BBS we do a physical test so we run a mile every Spring and every Fall.

Phoenix Ries: Child Development Specialist

by Addison (grade 5)

Phoenix started at Black Butte School at the beginning of the school year. She seems super cool and we like her. Phoenix came to work at Black Butte School because she loves the size of the school and loves how much we go outdoors. She also loves our size so she can get to know all the families!

She wanted to be a school counselor because she likes to have relationships with the kids and their families. I've only talked with her once but it seems her counseling school payed off!! She is super awesome and exciting! I can’t wait to visit her again!

Phoenix likes to work with kids because she loves to work with their energy and we are all so lovable!  We do energy exercises Sometimes we have so much energy we can feel it! She also feels when working with kids there is hope. She is full of hope!

Phoenix is a great person and she is super cool and I hope you get to meet her yourself someday!

Black Butte Hike

By Rope (grade 7),

The Black Butte Hike is a pleasurable and dusty hike. Every year we get to go up to Black Butte as a school and hike it. Some parents come up and all the kids get good exercise and get to experience the Oregon weather. Black Butte is 3,076 feet tall and it is a 3 million year old volcano. It last erupted 1,430,000 years ago but it does not plan to erupt soon.

On the ride to the mountain we had a loud and bumpy ride. When we were on are way to Black Butte all the kids were loud and yelling but some kids were reading and doing homework and being quiet. When we hit the rock road up to the trailhead it got bumpy. When we hit the rocky road it got louder because the kids got more excited and more hyper and the bus started to rattle really loud which made it even louder. The teacher had to keep on telling the students to calm down and lower their voice.

During the hike it was very dusty and it was also really hot. All of the kids got really hot and some of the younger kids got dusted out by the taller and older kids. Some of the kids got to get carried by the older kids because they got to hot. When we got closer to the top we started to get little breezes of air which felt really good. We were lucky it was not like last year were it was freezing cold and very windy there was even little patches of snow on the ground last year. At least we had a nice day for a hike.

When we got to the top we at lunch and during lunch. We saw a sharp shinned hawk and it was cool. Then after we ate lunch we started to look at the mountains as a class and we looked and named the mountains we saw. We saw Mt.Hood, Mt.Jefferson, Broken Top, The Three Sisters, Hoodoo, Three Finger Jack, and the tallest point we saw was Mt.Adams which is all the way in Washington. When we were about to head down the mountain we saw a short horned lizard. 

The Black Butte hike was a exciting and awesome experience. Most of the kids are excited to go next year and you should go to. Lets just hope it is nice you go because you need to go on the right day.

A Story of Mrs. M

By Addison (grade 4)


Mrs. M (Caroline Molesworth) just began at BBS as a student teacher and I think we all love her. She started going to college about 15 long years ago. She started out wanting to be a preschool teacher but then decided to be a elementary teacher. 

She says, “I want  to be a teacher because I value education's role in improving outcomes for individuals and society. Receiving a quality education from a young age can help people stay out of trouble and attain good jobs, which boosts the economy and saves money on things like rehabilitation and incarceration costs. Teachers can be interventionists, who get children the help they need to grow their potential and develop a growth-mindset for future success. I generally enjoy working with kids too!” 

She has three children, one 7 year old, an (almost) 2 year old, and and a 19 year old stepson. Her favorite food is pasta with red sauce. She says to make a good student the child must “have the mindset and willingness to learn, engage, and try.”  I will tell you Mrs. M is great to me and I bet everyone loves her to. 

Youth Fishing Pond in Camp Sherman

by Ace (grade 4)

This year we’re helping build a fishing pond at the old fish hatchery in Camp Sherman! Kids will be coming from all around the state of Oregon to fish at the youth fishing pond here in Camp Sherman! There will be salmon and trout in the youth fishing pond. Some activities there will be fishing for kids, signs to look at plants to see, and in the summer, lots of butterflies on the milkweed. We have been making signs for the old fish hatchery pond. It will tell the plants names, types of fish, and ecology of the youth fishing pond. We also planted aspen trees, milkweed, rushes and sedges in the area around the pond to restore it. When is it going to open? We do not know yet, but we are thinking summer. That’s why we are helping the youth fishing pond. The youth fishing pond will be a good place for kids to fish and learn about the environment.  

Weston planing an aspen tree last November

Xzavier with milkweeds we planted last fall

Hoodoo's Winter Carnival

by Addison (grade 4)

This year Hoodoo had an amazing winter CARNIVAL!! At the carnival there were many attractions. There was a Dummy Downhill competition, snow sculptures, skiing and fun.

This year BBS competed in the Dummy Downhill with a dummy we named Buszilla. There were multiple contest entries for the dummy downhill. The Dummy Downhill is a contest where you try to get the most cheers as your dummy goes off a jump. You build something with a mannequin (aka a dummy) and it skis down a hill and goes over a jump. The biggest crash with the most cheers wins. These are some quotes that I got from my classmates Emily says “It was cold but the Dummy Downhill was fun to watch.” Also Jojo says “The part when the motorcycle dude crashed off the jump was crazy cool.” Mia says “The Dummy Downhill and the snow animals were really cool.” Also Keanan says “ It was exceptional and my favorite part was watching the Dummy Downhill.”   

There were two snow sculptures. One was a spiky alligator. The other was a Winnie The Pooh with a big honey jar and people could crawl into the honey jar.

Skiing was very fun. There were many people snowboarding and skiing down the hill. It was crowded and sometimes you would almost crash into somebody. There was day and night skiing and bonfires and fireworks.

So next year if you can take a trip to Hoodoo winter carnival, it’s super cool. Have fun!