~ la 1 Alphabet Book ~ June 19, 2009

June 19, 2009

Inspired by the letters of the alphabet, each student selected the genre and topic of choice to represent the alphabet in meaningful and artful ways. Enjoy!


by Tony

Albert Pujols biography  

Jose Albert Pujols, (also known as the machine) was born on January 16^th 1980, in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic. He grew up very poor, raised mainly by his grandmother and moved to New York city at the age of 16. After seeing a man get shot soon after moving, Albert and his grandmother moved again to Independence, Missouri. While living in Independence, Missouri, Albert began to play baseball during the summer for the local Legion league. Albert dominated all through high school and got recruited to play for a small college called Maple Woods community college. While there he met his soon-to-be wife, 21year old Deidre. Deidre currently had a child but ended up marrying Pujols anyway mainly because of his maturity.

Also during his time at Maple woods Pujols was scouted by many MLB scouts. The Cardinals were the first team to give him an offer, but he turned down a mere $10,000 signing bonus. He went on to play one year in the Jay Hawk league (a league in Kansas in which college age players could develop) after which he finally got a signing bonus he was looking for ($ 60,000) from the Cardinals and accepted it. After 2 seasons in the Minor leagues, Albert was put on the everyday roster for the 2001 season. After Mark McGuire got injured, Pujols was named a starter. He finished the 2001 season with a .329 batting average, 37 Home runs, 112 runs scored and 130 RBI’s and was named to the NL Allstar team and got the unanimous vote for Rookie of the Year. Albert had another good year in 2002 finishing 2^nd in the MVP voting behind Barry Bonds. Albert dominated some more in 2003 and 2004.

In 2005 he won his first NL MVP. He finished the season with 41 home runs, 129 runs, 117 RBI’S and 16 stolen bases. After losing the World Series in 2004, they came back to the World Series in 2006 and defeated the up-and-coming Detroit Tigers.

Albert continues be a role model ball player and family man. The Cards haven’t won a World Series since 2006, but Albert won MVP again in 2008. Albert is and will always be a faithful, nice and caring man. He lives currently in St. Louis with his wife Deidre and 3 children; Sophia, Albert JR. and his adopted child (from before Albert met Deidre) Isabella. Isabella has Down Syndrome, and Albert is very active with the Pujols Family Foundation. "The love, care and development of people with Down Syndrome and their families," that’s the motto of the Pujols Family Foundation. That is why Albert Pujols is such an amazing person.

Athletes and Coaches Whose names start with A

U K B J Y H O O K A U R T Y T E P N E L L A Y A R V

D X F W N F D F N A O O A U E R B A C H B H P M J H

G R N Y C B R Z N D H R V M A P R D B V J C B D V A

Z X L V W E R E A L Z O Y A E O Q N H Y S W V V K R

Z A A N D Y R O D D I C K K O F Z V L B D I G A E S

Y Q L O M A M P X N E N G Z X A N E T U R M P Y I V

G G B Q M Z P E K K A O X T D B O C M O A I D O G Z

H Z E A M A H Y E H P X B P P I V G Q G C S U N O V

R R G X M G S K T H E C U F H G L G J Q L D N P

G N T H W Z V Y G B H A Z L H N P N W O T R Y W Y S

G Y P Z A F S C U V N F B M A J N Z J C K H S G L E

S U U Q E D J G M Z Q J O O W F T H Y F J W K U Y C

W E J V R R I V S V J H S B G H V E K J I X Y Z E O

W U O B G W T R J X R A D L B G L R B N E E R F J U

M M L C M B U D Y K Z F Y W M L I U S W Y J U K D N

I S S A G A N A D E O A C X X S Z N O L Z G N N C W

X V A H P E Z I R N L S O X I H G V B R N A P W X H

S H P N O G K H R D Q I T L I O G Q Q B W P R Q I W

F J N P G L T Q C L M O J Q Y J S Q I F F H F J O U

X P G F N L W Y V I Z R U H Y O Z I F Q M B S I Y G

Q M Z Y I K Q U K J I M L C T N M U M G B F F D H C

Y F P S S Z C Y F I T D F T O V J A W B L T F N L P

H Q J K B T Z W F C V B Y L P P V H T A B K I B Y D

Z M O T J I Q C P U X L H B N T K X P T S U J E L C

J W W Q R Q Q I W D X M X Y B S G X M U J X P C L S

AGASSI

ALEXANDER

ALFREDO

AMARE

ARENAS

HANKAARON

RAYALLEN

 
Albert Pujols

My favorite baseball player is Albert Pujols.

He is extremely hard-working,

Which is a quality you need to have to achieve success.

Another quality you need is a being an outstanding hitter.

Similar to many players from the Dominican Republic.

Among all things he is an MVP.

In 2008 and in 2005 he was chosen for the NL MVP.

After having a difficult life growing up in the Dominican Republic,

Everything paid off because he was constantly hard-working.

His fun energetic attitude also made other players better hitters.

All of this led to a 2005 World Series championship for the Cardinals and extreme success.

Despite all of Albert’s success,

His power and ability not to strike out are some reasons he is a gifted hitter.

The chances of the Cardinals winning the World Series depend on Albert Pujols.

Although other players might need to continue to be hard-working.

Maybe the Cardinals will get new recruits from the Dominican Republic.

Many talented players come from the Dominican Republic.

The ones who do are obviously hard-working.

Although not everyone can become an MVP.

The ones who do will be compared to the outstanding Albert Pujols.

A lot of these players will be consistent and talented hitters.

It takes a lot to become a hitter.

It took a lot of determination form someone as athletically gifted as Albert Pujols.

But it all pays off in the form of success.

Whether its earning money and paying for your family in the Dominican Republic.

Or if its winning awards and being called hard-working.

For example, if Albert Pujols was not hard-working,

Then he wouldn’t have become a two time MVP,

Which would not have inspired as the many kids as he’s inspired to play baseball from the Dominican Republic.

All of this would mean he wouldn’t be as successful.

But not being, hard-working, successful and determined isn’t Albert Pujols.


Basketball Court

by Holly

Where unforgettable memories are held.

Swift and quick movements of the players glide across the court.

The coaches’ loud scratchy voices are heard over the crazed fans.

A place where it is never quiet.

The coaches’ loud scratchy voices are heard over the crazed fans.

The pounding heartbeat rhythm of the basketball stops as the buzzer goes off

Small, precise movements seen from afar.

The pounding, heartbeat rhythm of the basketball stops as the buzzer goes off.

The red floors, scratchy voices, heartbeat rhythms and movements became a part of me.

The coaches’ loud, scratchy voices are herd over the crazed fans.

Black, red, white and blue stripes all across the court.

Where unforgettable memories are held.

Ben Gordon

Ben Gordon is a strong basketball player who played for the Uconn basketball team and was also nice, and caring. He was born on April 4^th, 1983, and Ben Gordon now is 6 feet and 3 inches tall, 200 lbs. He attended the University of Connecticut (A.K.A. UConn) to play basketball. He was a devoted to basketball like it was his life. He currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.

Ben Gordon has been playing basketball since he was kid. In fact, growing up, Ben Gordon played against New York city legends like Mark Jackson, Anthony Mason, and Rod Strickland. Also in high school, he led his school team (Mt Vernon, NY) to winning all 28 games of the season as a junior. Today, he still makes basketball one of his priorities as much as possible.

Ben Gordon has never missed a basketball game in his 3 years of being a basketball player. During his basketball games, Ben is always confident, serious about the game, and focused. However, off of the court Ben Gordon is very nice and down to earth. A lot of people think of Ben Gordon as a star, but he stays humble, and focuses more on the game.

Family and friends are also very important to Ben Gordon. Out of the few fears that Ben Gordon has in his life, one of the biggest fears that he has is disappointing his family. Usually people’s biggest fears are like being afraid of spiders or snakes. This is a trait that also makes him very unique. He also has a very spiritual side to him. Ben Gordon has a tattoo about basketball, representing that his talent has been a gift from God. That is something that you don’t see on any regular basketball player.

All of these adventures that Ben Gordon had over the years have led to many different accomplishments, like during his rookie season in college, he scored 20 or more points 24 times! Another accomplishment is that he was selected to play in the “Got Milk?” rookie challenge. Also, Ben led UConn to the NCAA basketball national championship! The last accomplish that I am going to talk about is Ben Gordon was the first player in NBA history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie! That means that he was the best player in the NBA that was not a starter in the basketball game. Ben Gordon has become a legend over the past couple of years, and his stardom keeps on going.
~C~ by Sam

Christina Milian is an R & B and pop song-writer, record producer, dancer, actress and model. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and she moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 years old, desiring to be and actress. By the time she was 17 she had begun to write songs to help herself obtain a recording contract. She has released 3 studio albums, and is currently recording a new one called “Elope,” which is scheduled for a late summer early fall release.

Her first album was released in 2001 and features the song, “AM to PM” and “When you look at me”. They both got on the “UK singles charts”. Her second studio was album, “It’s about time” released in 2004. This featured her first major hit “Dip it Low”. Her third studio was “So Amazing”, released in 2006. It produced the first and only single “Say I?” Although she is best known for her singing career she originally wanted to be an actress.

Her first role was in a 2003 film “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”, also she played main roles in “Be Cool”, and a horror film called “Pulse”.

In her early life, Christian was named Christine Flores but changed her name and adopted her mother’s maiden name in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. She was the oldest of three sisters. She moved with her family to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth.

Milian was only 4 years old when she showed an interest in business shows, and her family realized she was a talented actress; she got interested on pursuing an entertainment career. As a child she was very imaginative and creative and watching television and listening to the radio became her life. Her parents always inspired her to have fun, and she convinced her parents that she wanted to be “inside the TV”. By the time she was 9 years old she started auditioning for local talent agencies. She shot commercials for “Wendy’s” and “Honey Comb” and played the lead role in “Annie”. Milian’s mother noticed her potential and moved to Los Angeles with her three daughters when Milian was 13 years old. Milian’s father stayed in Maryland and divorced her mother shortly after the move. Milian described her family as “everything” and although she got a long with everyone as a child she didn’t have many friends. When she moved to Los Angeles, she wanted to have a record business. Every time she recorded a song, the producer wouldn’t give her the lyrics. She felt she had to write a song, record the demo, and send it over on her own.

Milian has been described as a role model to young girls, which she feels good about. She has said that there are a lot of people that young girls look up to, but “at the end of the day you have to be your own person and love yourself.” Milian worked with the Children Uniting Nations charity, in which she was a Big Sister to foster children, and says her favorite charity is Penny Lane Foundation. Milian was given a humanitarian award at the Reign fundraiser from the Elton John AIDS foundation for being a role model for young children. Milian said, “I’ve never been rewarded that way and never been acknowledged like that. That was really nice of them, and I was happy I was able to show up for the kids.” Milian co-hosted The Reign even with singers Eric West and Mariah Carey, and soon after, various media outlets reported that Milian was dating West. Both denied they were dating, and Milian posted on her Myspace that she didn’t even know who Eric West is.

After being together for two and a half years, Milian ended her relationship with actor Nick Cannon in 2005 when she found out he was cheating on her. Cannon revealed that he refused to stay faithful to Milian because their relationship was becoming too much like a “Christian Romance.” When Cannon married Carey on April 30, 2008, Milian said, “ Regardless of what I felt in the past at the time, I actually forgive him and I’m very much over that.
Christina Milian

D S O X L G W D D A Y P R O D U C E R F

N K D E T C S X G W T E B J Z G D L L G

I I D N X B O D I Q O B S F E P L O P T

K O S R E M J S N L O K U R U O R J H D

M D J K Y I L S O A E O W V E E Q R Y V

V L M Q S H R S S C R S D A S J E U D G

B U Z Q L J A F L T T E N V Z E W N M J

M B S G F N W Q W R M A G R L V X E O K

L Y W P G X S Q H E U F R N X E O L N I

S R Z E I M N H F S U G P V I F Y P R X

H J L V E V Y P J S Z K W C J S X E Q Y

J E H K C Y G N I H T Y R E V E C Y W P

S P O T E N T I A L W H B C U N G K P O

S R E C O R D L C Z J C O T A Z U Y D P

G U U P P F P B M V G Z H D V B E E E M

C G R W J D X Q R O A O O I T H U Q A G
___________WORDS TO LOOK FOR_____________

ACTRESS DANCER EVERYTHING

FLORES FRIENDS LOSANGELES

MODEL NEWJERSEY POP

POTENTIAL PRODUCER RECORD

SINGER THREE

By: Lucy

What does the letter D really mean?

Does it float above in a cloud?

Against a tower does it lean?

Or is it just a stick against just a mound?

Can it dance?

Does it take long walks along the shore?

Did all this happen by chance?

Is it in the shape of a door?

What does all of this mean?

Can it be?

No other time has this been seen?

Does this unique letter bring glee?

Anything you can think of

Telling someone you are happy with a big grin

Making a boat by adding a sail

You always win

Add a square and you have a pail

It can simply be a letter within a word

Or a half a circle

Maybe even the wing of a bird

Any color you want- yellow, green, purple

Having fun with the letter D- you, I, and me

We can all enjoy the 4^th letter in the alphabet

We can open the door to your imagination with just the key

It’s the greatest tool I bet

And this my friend is the letter D

Dance was very important in the earlier times, just as it is today. There are many people who helped dance get to where it is today. For example ,Fredrick Ashton was the first major British choreographer and directed the Royal Ballet. Gower Champion was known for his comical plays which he danced and choreographed, such as “Hello Dolly” and “42^nd Street” which won Tony awards.

Today, people usually dance on special occasions or for entertainment. This was not so 100 years ago. People used dance to express their feeling by telling stories with the way they moved. It is one of the oldest forms of art. Kind of like a ballet. People invented new dance moves from their everyday life -- these were the earliest kinds of dancing; like jumping up and down symbolizes excitement and clenched fists symbolizes anger or frustration. There are many kinds of dance moves that we all use today. Some of them include: Break Dancing, which requires flexibility and strength; ballet, which requires gracefulness and often tell a story, and folk and square dancing, which are passed down from generation to generation. So now as you can see dancing has had a bigger impact on life than you thought. It was used to express feelings, tell stories, and sometimes just for entertainment and the thrill of it.

Sources

• 
  http://www.dance4it.com/dancehistory.htm