Wow, I can't believe 7th grade is coming to an end already. I have learned a lot this year and I have been through a lot. I've had some really great times and I've had some really bad ones, but all in all, 7th grade was just an amazing year. I think it was a great opportunity for me to get use to my school. Now, I'm ready to become an 8th grader and guide the incoming 7th graders. 
       One of my best experiences in this 7th grade years would have to be maintaining a 4.0 GPA all 3 quarters. I didn't think I would be capable of doing that. It's just a really good feeling.  I learned what the key is to getting good grades: always do your classwork and homework!! That key helped me stay successful and maintain those grades. There are other things that helped me, but doing my work was the most important one. Another experience was just sharing laughs and smiles with my closest friends. That's what made me come to school everyday. Without them, school would've been really boring!!
       One of my worst experiences in this 7th grade year would be... I really don't know what has been a really bad experience for me. One of them was meeting someone that I thought was good friend who turned out to be really fake. That really made me mad, so that would have to be one of my bad experiences. Other than that,  I really haven't had bad ones. But if did I have a bad experience, I would probably have forgetten because I forget "bad" stuff easily. I would rather spend my time making good memories rather than bad ones, and I do! :D 
 
Do you know what the Columbian Exchange is?  The Columbian Exchange was a way for people in the Americas and Europe to exchange goods, plants, animals and ideas. Although most times it was a good thing, it also had some bad effects to it. For example, Europe brought diseases to the Americas. That isn't always a good thing because it can affect the population and the crops that are needed. 
        Despite the negative effects, the Columbian Exchange was important to both areas. It was a very helpful thing. Some positive effects involve all the different things they exchanged. The Americas had what Europe wanted, and Europe had what the Americas wanted. So it worked out both ways. Some of the things they exchanged were crops such as tomatoes, beans, potatoes, bananas, sugar canes, etc. They didn't really "exchange." The people brought it with them. So basically, it was like bringing stuff to a whole new place. Europe brought Christianity to the Americas and they taught people their language. From that, people in the Americas learned a lot. The Columbian Exchange had some bad outcomes, but it was used for a long time. 
 
Out of the 25 stations in the zoo, my favorite station was the sting rays station. It was my favorite station because we got to lay on our stomachs, and put our hands in the water to touch the sting rays. Unfortunately,  I didn't get to touch one because I think I moved around too much, or maybe they just didn't like me! Whatever the reason was, I was very close to touching one. Every time it swam by, I tried as hard as I could to try and touch it. But I had no luck! 
         I also learned a lot about the sting rays. I never really learned anything about them until I went to the zoo. All I knew about them is that they have a long tail, or ray, and they kinda have wings, but they're not wings. Basically, I knew how they looked. What I learned is that the sting rays don't come to you if you move around too much. I also learned that they are very fragile, and someone has pulled off its tail once! That's pretty sad to hear. 
          Another thing I learned from observing them is that some are small, and some are pretty big. There was another pool next to it, and that one had the baby sting rays and the healing ones. The baby sting rays were very adorable, and the sting rays that were once injured looked like they were feeling better now. My core teacher, Mrs. Frazier, was also there, displaying shark eggs! That was really cool to feel and touch. You don't get to see one everyday! (Not unless you go to the zoo everyday) 
 
There are have been many conclusions made on how both of these empires ended, but the endings are both similar in a way. They are similar because they both ended in a gradual way. No one knows if their decline happened due to climate change, over-demanding rulers, or shortage of crops, but we do know that  it ended gradually.  In case you didn't know what that meant, it means that the way that they declined happened slowly over the years. But the most important reason to their decline was their government. They were both overthrown by Spanish conquerors. 
           So, what was the cause of this gradual decline? Well, some things just don't happen all at once. If it was climate change, the climate was probably getting more drier over the years that have passed. If it was because of the rulers, people probably got fed up with all the unfair rules over the years. And if it was caused because of the shortage of crops, people probably passed away since there wasn't enough food for them or they probably moved to another area in search of good climate. Their army couldn't match with the Spanish conquerors. They had a larger number of people and they had better weapons.                                                                                                                        
 
Wow. I can't believe I am already talking about my favorite moments that I have had at Computech as a 7th grader. It feels like this year barely started a couple weeks ago and now it's sad to see it come to an end. I'm glad that I will be back here in 8th grade though! Well anyway, I've had some really fun and dull moments here. Some were good, and some were bad. My most favorite moment would have to be meeting all the people I am now friends with. Most of my friends are fun and they're cool to hang out with. I got to know a lot of people, and I enjoyed it. But some of the people I met and got to know just turned out to be fake. Besides the fakes, I'm thankful for meeting all these wonderful people! Computech would've not be fun without them. 
        Another moment I have cherished in my 7th grade year is being on the basketball team. Wow, that was absolutely fun and I really enjoyed it. I really learned a lot too. It was a good first experience being on a team. Now I am ready to be on the Varsity team next year. I'm prepared!! One of my favorite moments would be getting straight A's all 3 quarters! That's definitely what I am proud of. 
 
Historians are not sure why the Mayan Civilization just ended so suddenly. During that time, people were abandoning their cities. They left no clue to why they left. Because there were no clues, historians had made up their own theories to why the Mayans left. These main theories are: warfare, over-population, over-demanding rulers, and climate change. Some people think it's just because of one factor, but others also think its a combination of all. 
         I think the Maya Civilization ended because of all the theories (warfare, over-population, over-demanding rulers, and climate change.) Since no one knows for sure, it could be the combination of all. I think they left because of all these reasons because all those factors could have happened at the same time. Warfare was probably a factor because people were scared to stay in their cities, or they couldn't provide for themselves. Over-population was probably a factor because the cities got too crowded, and people thought there was more to the world. You get the idea. So this is why I think these are the reasons to the decline of Mayan Civilizaton. 
 
I am a hunter-gatherer in North America. I have been moving around place to place, searching for food and following the animals. As I have searched around, I found a place that has perfect climate, and it has many more food sources, such as plants and fruits. Warmer climate means that I am able to grow more food and more animals will be found around this area. I have been thinking if I should make a permanent home here, or keep going in search of food and home. Some people say that I should stay, but others say I shouldn't. This is a very hard choice.
         I wouldn't mind staying here in this area because it has almost everything I need. With the warm climate, I could grow more plants and fruits. I could also sell and trade with these plants and fruits.  I don't have everything, but this area would provide something for me. It will also be good for all of my people. We could build a village and continue from there. 
 
The best book that I have read here at Computech for my 7th grade year would have to be a book called "The Mysterious Benedict Society." I read this book for my reading log for Core. When I first got the book, I thought it would be super boring, and it was very long too. But I thought to myself that I should give it a try. When I read it, I couldn't stop reading! I definitely learned like judging a book by its cover is a really bad thing!
            The Mysterious Benedict Society is my favorite book because it involved a lot of risky adventure and action. After reading interesting parts, it just wants to make you keep reading to see what will happen next. I also loved the main idea of this story. It was about four children, but not just any children. They were incredibly smart and they were the only ones who were "different." So their mission was to find who is behind sending secret messages to people and brainwashing kids to do specific things. Basically, they were trying to find someone or something to stop them from controlling people by machines. So then these kids meet this man named Mr. Benedict, and the story goes from there. You will have to read the whole book to see how awesome it is! I really loved this book! 
 
The Scientific Revolution happened during the Renaissance. The Scientific Revolution wasn't really a revolution, it was more like a time of period when people began to gain more knowledge about science. People also began to experiment things on their own, and they started to stop believing what other people had told them about the world. I think the Scientific Revolution was important in our history because it is like the first big step to science. People started to think for themselves and actually did research. 
        I think if it weren't for that, the world be very different right now. The Scientific Revolution included a lot of science and literature knowledge. The scientific method was also developed during this "revolution." During that time, many people only believed the church. There were many people who proved them wrong. Overall, I think the Scientific Revolution made a big impact. 
 
Ok, so I really don't have a major problem with anything here at Computech. I love my school just the way it is! But if I had a chance to change something I really wanted, it would be the dress code. The dress code isn't too bad but sometimes it's really strict. I mean, why can't we wear purple? Or have prints on our shoes/sweaters? Here are some reasons to why the dress code should be a little less strict. 
         1. Some people don't get caught with specific things, but others do. I think if thats a case, everybody should be able to wear the same thing. For example, if someone wore purple, but didn't get caught, but somebody else did, that's a little unfair. 
        2. At the beginning of the year, the school dress code said there should be no prints on your backpacks or anything else. I have seen people with prints all over their stuff and they have not been told anything, but others have just for a simple little thing. I think that is also unfair. 
       3. We should be able to wear any color. I know that maybe there will be an exception for red, but why not red, purple, orange, and brown? I don't think those colors will harm anyone. And also I think grey pants should be allowed because it's pretty similar to our colors we wear now (khaki, tan, black, blue)
            That's all I could think of for the dress code. My other two will be for the buses! 1. The bus comes to pick up my station VERY late. Almost everyday! We should be able to get home early. 2nd, sometimes they are very crowded. There should be a 2nd one to pick us up in case anything goes wrong.