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ACE Spectrum
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Winners of San Francisco International High School ACE Poetry Contest Announced
By Chupe, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, San Francisco International High School
I’m being held down so I don’t jump for joy at these great poems. But I’m smiling about them ’cause they’re so good!.
Lobo and Riley are howling. But I’m still a puppy, so I’m jumping up and down and smiling big. The winning poets in our ACE Poetry Contest have been announced at San Francisco International High School.
And you know what? I’m really impressed! I may be just a pup, but these poets are amazing. Pups understand amazing, because we are required to be that way all the time. But these poets have thoughtful, interesting poems about technology and its impact on them. Wow! Jump, jump! Smile, smile!
Okay, here they are the winners:
Here are the winners! Left to right: Merry, Ken and Elise.
First Place – Merry L. Second Place – Elise V. Third Place – Ken L.
And here are their poems:
Every Coin Has Two Sides
By Merry L.
Amazing internet
Connect all around the world
A good assistant of scientists
A smart friend of students
A helpful leader of children
Every coin has two sides
Heads down, making humans tired
Strong light, making human eyes hurt
Fake world, making human fall into the hole
Every coin has two sides
Technology,
A friend who could lead you to success
A friend who could push you to fail
Untitled
by Elise V.
Didn’t you ever wonder
How such small things can realize,
Fast as a peal of thunder,
Tasks of our eveyday lives?
Phones track your heart beat
Will it, one day, stop it?
I confess I am afraid
That love will be in the shade.
That the importance of humanity
Will be soon replaced by technology.
Appreciation
By Ken L.
Appreciation to cell phone
One of the greatest inventions
Half of earth’s people use you
Cell phone, I appreciate you
Because of you
We can see each other across oceans
We can hear each other across continents
Cell phone, I appreciate you
Because of you
We can make an exact route
We can know the precise weather
Cell phone, I appreciate you
Because of you
We can photograph wonderful moments
We can show our best faces to others
Cell phone, I appreciate you
Be great, be glory
Keep it up, everyone loves you
Cell phone, I appreciate you.
Wow again. I see how Lobo and Riley get excited and howl, “Arf!” Great job Poets! See you next year during National Poetry Month!
And ACE says, “Thank you Merry, Ken and Elise! We love your poems.”
Arf! It’s Poem in Your Pocket Day and I’m Rapping You a Treat
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot Who Hangs Out at Alpha Public Schools
It’s Poem in Your Pocket Day, so share that poem! Are!
Today is my favorite day of National Poetry Month. It’s Poem in Your Pocket Day. The day you carry a poem in your pocket and read it to anyone you want. Friends, family, maybe that sad person who looks like they need a poem treat.
You know me. I’ll do most anything for a treat. Just ask John. He’s my main treat giver and friend. I’ve taught him everything he knows about giving treats, especially generosity. Yup, I gotta earn those treats, but he is generous when he gives ‘em.
Plus, he takes me to fun places. Like this snowy spot where he throws snowballs at me to catch. Pretty fun. I love making those snowballs explode. Check it out! Riley Snowball.MOV
It’s cool how much you can learn from each other. Breakfast, the ACE Poetry Contest Mascot at Oakland International High School, showed me a really cool video of a rap the kids did about determination. It was in yesterday’s ACE Spectrum blog post, and is pretty inspiring.
So inspiring that I wrote my own doggerel rap. I just made doggerel rap a thing. It’s my personal Poem in my Paw-ket. Arf!
Riley Rap
The secret to success is to not back down. To see the ball. To watch the ball. To follow the ball. Never take eyes off the ball. ‘Till ya get to the ball. And ya pick up the ball and ya shake the ball. Shake shake the ball. Shake shake that ball. Cause it’s your ball now and you’re off the leash and you’ve won the ball. It’s your ball now and you’ve worked hard to get that ball.
Even though I’m a dog
I wanna break the leash
I wanna chase the ball
I wanna catch it all
I wanna be my best
Let me be my best
You let me be my best
Then the winning starts
For me, for you
For everyone
‘Cause I’m gonna catch it all
The secret to success is to not back down. You want that treat, ya gotta work fur that treat. Ya gotta do something good to be earning that reward. But it don’t come free, just ask me. I work for my treats all the time. Gotta put up with commands and rules that I hate. Like sit stay come and no no no. But I look at commands like a way to show that I’m in the know. That I learned what I need and beyond what I need to earn success in getting those treats.
Even though I’m a dog
I wanna break the leash
I wanna chase the ball
I wanna catch it all
I wanna be my best
Let me be my best
You let me be my best
Then the winning starts
For me, for you
For everyone
‘Cause I’m gonna catch it all
I’m still rocking after writing this. Rocking for treats. Hear that John?
Good luck to all the poets who entered the ACE Poetry Contest. We look forward to the winner’s poems. So remember, treat yourself to a poem. Arf! Arf!
“Ain’t Gonna Back Down” is Oakland International High School’s Cat’s Meow of Poetry Rap
By Breakfast, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, Oakland International High School, assisted by Sailaja Suresh, Director, Oakland International High School Learning Lab
My new cat call is “Ain’t gonna back down.” Listen to the video – it’ll be yours too!
At Oakland International High School, all of our students are recently arrived immigrants. They have come here from over 30 different countries and are eager to learn, to grow, and to succeed in their new home in Oakland. Meow!
Their story is the story of America, of building new lives, of dreaming, of working hard and finding success against all odds. Our ACE Learning Center and classes provide our students and their families with the support and knowledge they need to be successful here in the United States.
Most recently, Lin-Manuel Miranda put Alexander Hamilton‘s immigrant story into the public narrative, through Hamilton: An American Musical. It is about the founding and creation of our young country and the countless contributions that young, dedicated, brilliant immigrants have made to our nation.
Last month, our 11th graders had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco to watch Hamilton and to engage with the history of our country through their own stories as immigrants. Our students wrote their stories and produced raps and songs about their experiences. Sathusha, a Tamil speaker from Malaysia, and Dah May, a Karen refugee from Thailand, produced this rap called, “Ain’t Gonna Back Down.”
I guarantee it’s going to be the most awesome thing you see all day. We’re so proud of them and of all of our students’ hopes, dreams, and dedication, we just had to share this with you all.
Check it out here. “Ain’t gonna back down” will by your new cat call.