Olympics Rejection and Acceptance Letters

     After students turned in their persuasive letters to the Olympic Board of Commissioners, they got to write to themselves, but play the part of a member of the Board of Commissioners..... either accepting OR rejecting their idea!  Enjoy these two hilarious samples!  (Would you agree on the decisions??)

Dear Maddie (5th grade),

     I can tell you put a lot of thought into this new sport, but it is a terrible idea.  This sport would be super dangerous, and not enjoyable.  Besides, Biathlon is already hard enough!

     Biathaball is a dangerous sport.  Imagine if someone accidentally dropped their basketball.  It might roll down the hill and trip someone!  Also, what if someone shot a ball and it hit someone in the face?  As you can see, Biathaball is very dangerous.

     Also, this sport is not at all enjoyable.  Doesn't it make you sad to see people not being able to make a shot in, or trip and have no more chances at an Olympic dream come true? That's just what everyone will see.  Who wants to watch that?

     If you think about it, Biathaball would be so hard.  It's already hard enough to do Biathlon, and it's also pretty hard to play basketball.  Is it not hard to hold a ball and not drop it while skiing fast?  Do you really think you could ski without two arms for balance?  You should have considered this before asking us about this potential catastrophe.

     I'm sorry about your new sport not getting into the Olympics, but as I said, it's terrible.  Thank you for sending us that letter, and I hope you keep inventing new sports.

Sincerely, ------------

Dear Noah (4th grade),

     We, the Olympic Board of Commissioners, think that Foo-Ball should be added to the list of sports for the next Winter Olympics.

     We love the name of Foo-Ball, and that it combines the aggressiveness and accuracy of hockey and baseball.  Just imagine hockey players, catching and diving and throwing the ball!  People will wonder, how can baseball players play on top of ice?

     Congrats on being accepted for your new sport, Foo-Ball.  We are looking forward to putting Foo-Ball in the Olympics for people to watch!

From, The Olympic Board of Commissioners

Love Poems!

     For Valentine's Day, the Budding Authors and Artists filled in the blanks and wrote these lovely Love Poems about Love and the 5 senses!  This is one of my favorites, by Iriel (2nd grade):

New Olympic Sports!

     The Olympics are so exciting to watch!  The athletes work so hard to perfect their skills, and many of the sports we watched on TV appeared quite difficult.  (You will not find this teacher on any ski slopes doing flips in the air!!)

     With this in mind, my authors and artists brainstormed what it would be like to combine TWO sports into one!  The "Budding" class wrote a paragraph describing their new sport and what made it special and unique.  In the "Awesome" class, the theme was persuasive writing.  The students wrote a letter to the Olympic Board of Commissioners with the following format:

     Paragraph 1: A very warm introduction with plenty of praise and compliments
     Paragraph 2: Brief description of the new sport
     Paragraph 3: Detailed description of the sport, including rules, uniforms, and scoring
     Paragraph 4: Benefits to adding this sport (most likely including perks, fame, and money!)
     Paragraph 5: A conclusion with a "sell-it" sentence.  They HAVE to say "yes" at this point, because you have been so persuasive!

     Here are some of my favorites across the ages.  Would YOU try any of these sports??

The New Game, by Nathan (2nd grade)

     In the next Olympic Games, there should be a sport called HockeySki.  It would combine hockey and skiing.  You ski down a hill while trying to score the puck into a hockey goal.  You wear hockey uniforms and wear a helmet.  You play on a snowy hill in Lake Tahoe.  If you get 1st place, you get a diamond.  If you get 2nd place, you get a ruby, and if you get 3rd place, you get a gold.  I think my new sport would be exciting because of the prizes!

Volley Sledding, by Saviana (4th grade)

Dear Olympic Board of Commissioners,

     First, let me congratulate you on another success.  The 2018 Olympics brought joy and great opportunities to all the players.

     I am writing in hopes that you will add a new event to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.  It is called, "Volley Sledding."  It combines two popular sports: volleyball and bobsledding.  Combining the two sports would result in a fascinating mix of skill and teamwork.

     Let me explain how I see this new sport.  Two teammates will be in their bobsleds, racing down the track.  While speeding over 70 MPH, the two teammates will be bumping the volleyball back and forth.  Each bump will result in one point.  If the players set the ball, it will result in two points.  If the teammates make it all the way down the track without dropping the ball, that will give them an extra four points.  Volley Sledding will only include women over 20 years old.  They will wear striped jerseys with the country's colors.  The bobsled will also be striped.

     Commissioners, imagine the possibilities!  The tickets to see Volley Sledding will sell faster than any sport.  Tourism to see your city will fill up hotels, which will result in better jobs.  You will be famous for adding such a wonderful sport!  Opportunities will strike all the talented volleyball players and fearless bobsledders!

     I do hope you will add Volley Sledding to the next Olympics.  It will grow teamwork, skill, friendships, and will give joy to all of the competitors.

     Sincerely, Saviana

Soccer Skating, by Nikhil (6th grade)

To The Olympic Board of Commissioners,

     Hello.  First off, congratulations on so many years of successful Olympic games.  Your unbelievable efforts put into this every two years are reflected in the output of the games.  So, congratulations on your work.

     I am writing in hopes to persuade you into adding a new event to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.  It will be called, "Soccer Skating."  Soccer and ice skating are two highly anticipated sports in the Olympic Games.  If we end up combining these sports, it could have a massive and successful impact on the Olympic games forever.

     This sport will have the same aspects as a soccer game.  Athletes will be required to have eleven players on the field at a time, playing in a strategic 4-3-3 formation.  However, the field will have to be frozen, like an ice skating rink.  Also, when players have throw-ins, they can do a flip, then throw-in, and if that leads to an assist, teams would get two points.  As for the uniforms, they will have to wear a full soccer kit, but with ice skates, not cleats.  This game is NOT co-ed.

     Imagine the possibilities: soccer combined with ice skating.  Doing flip throws on throw-ins, and so much more.  So many more people will be in attendance, and once they see the sport's true potential, even more people will join.  Once the people come, you can raise the prices of the tickets, and the income will sky rocket.  Also, there will be many more opportunities for athletes, as we are combining two sports together.

     If you don't include this sport in the next Olympics, you will lose a lot of money, and the spectators will drop rapidly.  So please, do the right thing and make this game an Olympic sport.

                            Sincerely, Nikhil

Dear Olympic Board of Commissioners,

First things first, I would like to thank you for once again providing entertainment to viewers, and inspiration and motivation for aspiring athletes. The Olympics do this flawlessly.

I’m writing to you today because I have a humble request to make: I want  you to add Basket Derby to your already-wonderful roster of sports. What is Basket Derby, you ask? Basket Derby is a combination of the very popular sport of basketball and less popular, but still impressive, sport of Roller Derby.

This sport is easy-to-understand, yet also very fun to play. Each team would be comprised of five players of any gender on roller skates. This fantastic sport would be played on a hardwood basketball court, and it would be played with the typical basketball rules, scoring, and timing, save for a few exceptions. The biggest change in rules would be that the team playing defense may hinder the offensive team with Roller Derby regulations. Other rule changes would include that if the player in contact with the ball puts more than half of his or her skate out of the court borders, the ball goes to the other team. The athletes would wear the typical Roller Derby uniforms in their country’s colors; they would also be required to wear quad skates. One completely unique aspect of Basket Derby would be that, instead of medals, winners would take home different gemstones. The first-place winner would take home a diamond, the second-place winner would take home an emerald, and the third-place winner would take home a crystal of mystic topaz.

Adding this sport would not only be very fun for athletes, but would also greatly benefit you. If you instated Basket Derby into the Olympics, you would earn multiple benefits. First, you would earn a reputation for creating interesting fun-to-watch sports. You have never before put a sport into the Olympics that is not widely played, so doing so would add even more to your already stellar repertoire of achievements. Secondly, adding Basket Derby would earn you fame. Because the sport is not well known, you would forever be credited with spreading this sport throughout the world. Thirdly, it would attract twice as many fans as other sports. Fans of both Basketball and Roller Derby would flock to see this interesting fusion of sports. Lastly, but arguably most importantly, all of the aforementioned benefits would earn you more money than ever before.

For your own sake, I implore you to add Basket Derby to the wonderful list of sports you have planned for the 2020 Olympic Games. To rob viewers and young athletes of the exciting experiences that are playing and watching this fantastic sport would be a shame, don’t you think?

Thank you,

Florencia (6th grade)

My Greatest Invention

     The "Awesome" class also studied Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, but then they got to brainstorm and create their OWN amazing inventions!  This assignment was designed to be a simple three paragraph essay, with an introduction, a paragraph describing exactly HOW TO use the invention, and a conclusion.

     I find myself in need of these following inventions quite often!  What do you think?

The Do Your Own Hairanator

by Kalea (3rd grade)

     If I could create a new invention, it would be the Do Your Own Hairanator.  How many times have you gone to P.E. without a ponytail?  Have you ever been frustrated with your hair for any possible reason?  My invention would make that problem disappear!

     The hair brush is a simple circle case that has a pop-out hair brush.  With one touch, it activates the mirror screen, and you are ready to start.  There will be a touch screen, and you will pick one style, either: Easy, Stylish, or Extreme.  Then you pick which hair style you want and then, Snap!  You're wearing a ponytail (or any other hairstyle.)

     Thanks to the making of circuit boards, electrical wires, and great engineering, this magical hair-doer can solve your hair problems.  And next time you're late for P.E, don't forget to press Start on your Hairanator!

The Electronical Closet

by Cassia (5th grade)

     If I were to create any invention, it would be the "Electronical Closet."  In the morning, instead of having a frustrating time putting on clothes or thinking about what you want to wear, step inside the Electronical Closet, and it will do both for you!

     First, place your finger on the keypad and enter your mood.  Once complete, take off your clothes and step into the closet.  Inside, you shall find several mirrors and above your head, a shining, bright chandelier.  Meanwhile, the sliding doors will close shut, and the closet "arms" will bring out the set of clothes that relate to your mood.  The "arms" will put them in front of you, and you can dress yourself however you like.  Once the sensor senses that you have been dressed completely, the automatic doors will open, and you can walk out.

     Thanks to the Electronical Closet, you won't have to struggle in the mornings, or whenever.  If you can't find the right clothes, just step inside the Electronical Closet, and you're done!

The Idea Giver, by Nate (6th grade)

     Have you ever had an essay or big report due, but you don't have a good topic to write about?  Well, The Idea Giver (comes only in baseball cap form) will fix that in only a few seconds!

     You can use The Idea Giver in only a few steps.  To start, make sure you have all fifteen AAA batteries (intended for only one use), then start placing them one-by-one into their slots.  (Touch and/or terrible handling during this procedure may result in the shorting out of product.)  The second step is a little less mandatory but highly recommended: it's the Team Changer step.  All you need to do is press the baseball-shaped button on the back of the cap until your favorite MLB team is projected onto the front.  (All teams included but various teams may affect results.  For example, Dodgers= horrible results.  Giants= terrific results.)  Next input the type of writing you wish to get the idea for by pressing the microphone-shaped button on the left side of the cap, to start up the microphone.    Then steadily speak the writing prompt DIRECTLY into the microphone (unclear words may cause disastrous ideas).  To finish it all off, flick the tiny switch at the very top of the hat and think in amazement as The Idea Giver flared into life, sending the best idea into your brain.  The last step is just to let your pencil fly, as you try to fit all the new things to write about, thanks to your new idea!

     Customer reviews for this new and always improving product is on a rage.  Fans just simply adore the speed and safety (most of the time) of the world's #1 top good.  Buy one now, and you'll never have to strain your brain for ideas anymore!