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