Kelis

Kelis was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

She has three sisters, Kelis being the third born of the four girls.

As a child, Kelis sang in church choirs and played violin, piano, and saxophone while attending Manhattan Country School, a private school. Kelis left home at age sixteen, but continued her education at age sixteen when she went to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she formed the R&B trio BLU (Black Ladies United). After graduation, she formed a band with The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, and, with their support, landed herself a record deal.

Kelis is writing a cookbook with Robert Teamer and designing her own line of fashion accessories, called Cake. Kelis is in talks to host a Project Runway-esque show for VH1, and is auditioning for various film and TV roles.

Extra Credit 7th Grade

Are you a Good Consumer?

In my opinion a good consumer is somebody who doesn’t waste money on unecessary stuff. A good consumer waits to replace the things that are out and repairs materials instead of buying new versions. He also transmits their children the importance of reusing and recycling old things.

I love going shopping and my favourite shops are clothes and accessories’ shops like Parfois and Miss Sixty. Despite being a pleasant activity, I don’t go shopping very often because my parents teach me not to spend every weekends shopping. So I’m not a materialistic person and I think about the usefulness of the things. Although I like buying new clothes and futile things, I prefer that my friends give me small things that for us are the biggest ones in the world because our friendship is more important than the things that they give me.

I think that advertising has a great power over people because everybody is influenced by commercials. So, I’m also influenced by advertising when I buy a product even if I don’t want to.

Filipa Cunha, 1101

 

A good consumer is one that buys incessantly, contributing for a materialistic society. I don’t like going shopping, it’s boring and I have better things to do, and when I buy something I know what I want to buy, and I will buy it without wandering off to other shops. I usually only buy CDs and games, and clothes when necessary. But, unlike me, most people nowadays are very materialistic and buy without thinking, some people need to buy stuff to be happy.

A great part of today’s society is advertising. TV commercials tell people what to buy, making money flow. We are bombarded by ads everywhere, TV, Internet, magazines, even in the clothes of our friends, and everyone, even if subconsciously, is influenced by them.

Pedro Carvalho, 1101

 

Consumerism is a problem that has sadly been affecting everyone nowadays.

In my opinion, despite being a consumer myself, people that overbuy and waste money on futile things are not rational. A good consumer should only buy what he needs, when he needs it. As I said, I am a consumer, and I love shopping, specially cool brands like Pull And Bear, Adidas or Vans, but I’m not materialistic and not a bad consumer, because I only buy things when I really really need them. I find shopping a pleasant activity because it is a way to relax, take a walk and see some new ideas of what to wear and what not to wear.

Often people are influenced by TV ads, or other ads, and end up wearing or using things they don’t even like, just because famous people use it once on the commercial, and I think that is just ridiculous.

In conclusion, I can say that advertising and consumerism are well bounded, being ads the cause and consumerism the consequence, but this only happens if people let it happen, so be a good consumer, because it is your choice!

João Miguel Araújo, 1101

 

In my opinion, a good consumer is someone that cares about what he buys. He wants to know where the products are made, who made them, in what conditions they were made, etc.

A good consumer is also someone that cares about the environment and that doesn’t buy in excess.

I am a consumer. I love fashion, clothes, bags, etc. I love going shopping in Zara, Benetton, etc. For me, shopping is a pleasant activity, but I don’t consider myself a futile or a materialistic person, because, despite loving shopping I don’t buy in excess and shopping isn’t the only thing that I’m worried about. I wouldn’t be able to be with someone just because he/she could give me loads of gifts. I love shopping but I care about how much I spend on it.

I wish I could say that I’m not influenced by commercials when I buy something, but I can’t. Even without noticing we are influenced to buy certain brands or clothes just because our favourite celebrity wore it in a party or he/she appears in the brands’ ad, etc.

I think that we are all influenced by advertising, because when we look around us we can see that we are wearing the same brands: Nike, Zara, Levi’s… These brands are everywhere and we can’t run away from this fact. We are a consumer society and we are consumer citizens.

Romana Silva, 1101

Food For Thought!

Nowadays science has taken over the world, everything we do includes a technological innovation. From medicine to computers, everything is being changed and improved, especially on daily items that are necessary for an easier lifestyle to whoever uses them. Another area where technology has been gaining terrain is on Food, particularly Genetic Modified Food, which consists on modifying certain genes, or crossing different foods, to obtain a “better” product.

This type of technology has some pros that support it and some cons that are against it.

On the pros, we have the fact that it makes food more nutritive and therefore healthier. The crops where this seeds are planted aren’t sprayed with pesticides or other chemical products that can infect the plants, and make them hurtful for men. With GM food there is also the possibility to create certain vaccines and medicines that, without it, wouldn’t be possible, because the plants or seeds weren’t good enough.

However, there are some cons, beginning with the fact that putting together genes from two different plants can cause certain allergies on humans that, if the food was biologic, they wouldn’t have. Also there is the problem that bugs and insects start being resistant to natural pesticides, and therefore infect the crops and the GM foods. The main problem with GM foods is the cost that it has, because it is very expensive and so, small farmers won’t be able to develop this technique.

Obviously, to sum up, there are a lot of pros that support GM food, and that can make it seem like a good idea, but there are also some cons that make us think twice before judging this technology. In my opinion GM food shouldn’t be done unless it had to be necessary, like in rare disease cases where people really need certain vitamins or nutrients.

João Miguel Araújo, 1101

Passive Voice

Round up

Consumerism

   Nowadays we live in a consumer society. This is possible to see everywhere, shopping centers/ shops/supermarkets are always full of people; people are always buying new houses, cars, new technologies… In other words, for the entire world to buy is the most used verb. But most of the times, people aren’t aware of their excessive consumption. They consume many products that they don´t really need because of the excessive and manipulative advertising that is everywhere, on television, radio, internet, cinema, outdoors, etc.

 Consumption has a good side for the people who have stores, coffees, for who is a boss, because the more people consume, the more money they will have, and it is that which maintains the economy all over the world. But it also has a big bad side, excessive consumption makes people shopaholic and people spend much money in futile things and then they don´t have money to the essential things. It brings many risks to the environment, animals and the resources of earth; it causes waste; it makes people obese (including little children); it makes people forget to be with their family, friends and they spend their free time in shopping centers full of unknown people. People start to be alone, depressive…

So consumption is one of the biggest problems nowadays. In my opinion people should continue buying new things but they need to think better before buying. They should think if they really need those items, and will really use them. If people think more carefully, the bosses will continue earning money, but our planet and people of the world will be happier and healthier, and more important they will enjoy their life.

Catarina Moita, 1108

A different Choice

     New age travellers are a group of people, normally young, that travel between music festivals and fairs.

    They live in community and share everything, such as beliefs, clothes, home...

   Their houses consist in vans, lorries, buses...they are nomads. They also make use of improvised tents, tipis...

    Most of them choose this lifestyle because of the desire to change established values, the desire to change the world, religious and political beliefs...

   They earn their living by doing manual and street jobs, like singing, representing, doing piercings...

   As far as I’m concerned I don’t know if I would like to choose this lifestyle, because I would love to go on trips to areas of outstanding natural beauty. It’s an excellent way of exploring an area, it’s an opportunity to visit cultural places. Moreover, it’s an authentic way to interact with local people and more important of all, we can be in perfect harmony with nature and that is the reason why most of those people are vegans.

    On the other hand it’s a difficult life because they don’t have basic health care and stable jobs. Furthermore, they don’t have a comfortable house or normal clothes and most important of all they normally don’t go to school.

    In conclusion, I will never be a Peace Convoy because for me to have basic health care and go to school are essential to grow up with all the necessities that we need to live like a normal and happy teenager.

Bárbara Machado, 1101

I like it!

Love Story

Dear Diary

Today was a very exciting day for me. As I’ve already told you, I started talking with a very handsome and elegant boy, that I had never seen before, but since the first moment that I talked to him I’m totally in love with him…He’s far from here, he lives in New York, and I’m from London, but it seems that the distance between me and him is really connecting us!
Today he came to visit his grandma, which lives here, in London, so he had a chance to pick me up and go with me to a café. I was so nervous that I couldn’t handle myself! When suddenly I felt one hand in my shoulder and I heard one voice saying: “Hi Mary!” And I didn’t know what to do. That’s when I saw him, the boy who I was talking to. Actually he is even more handsome face-to-face than in pictures. We talked, got to know each other better…. And, at the goodbye time the most beautiful and wonderful thing that I’ve ever imagined happened…You’re right…He just KISSED ME! I really looked like a princess when kisses his prince….I’ve even lifted up my right foot!
Well, after this historic event of my life, John (it’s his name) took me to the bus stop and waited with me until the bus came and he never left me for the whole time! This was our very first date and unfortunately I’ll have to wait for the far next one…. Really romantic my 17th December of 2010, right? I’m totally in love…
With all my love I entrust you my secrets,

Mary

Ana Rita e Maria Inês, 801

Our School

D. Sancho is a great and beautiful school. The teachers are very nice and very good at explaining things.
School rules are normal: we mustn’t eat in class; we mustn’t be rude to people; we mustn’t chew gum in class and we mustn’t run in the halls; we must complete all tasks on time, pay attention and listen carefully to the teachers. We must respect the teachers and obey school officials; in classes we must raise our hand to speak and we must all keep our school clean and tidy.
At our school there is a large library. When we do not have classes, we can go there to study. It has many books and computers.
We also have a gym where we can practise various sports such as gymnastics, basketball, and volleyball.
This is our school. Do you want to visit it?

Eduarda Araújo e Vítor Nogueira,701

Hello!

Hello!
Our school is great, but this year there’s less space because of the remodeling works.
We love the gym and the student's room, because we both like Physical Education
and to chat with friends.
The places that we do not like at school are the laboratories because of the background and noise from the works.
We also love to be in the library because it has many books and we both like to read. At the library we can also do some work and it is the most quiet place of the school.
The classes are really cool.
We do many activities, all different.
Of all the lessons the ones we like least are the History lessons.
We like our school, and you?

Margarida Mansilhas e Alexandra Sousa, 702

Our School

Our school is fantastic!
The facilities are magnificent. They are spacious, organized and very well equipped. It has a group of outstanding teachers, dedicated staff and a group of students ... well ... out of range.
The bar, the student's room and library are the most popular places of the school. The bar and the student´s room are one of our favourite places because they are a place of much conviviality, fun and distraction. The library is where we can study, do group work, use computers and watch movies.
This year the remodeling works of the school began, which prevents us from circulating in some places.
We are all very curious and eager to see the results, so that we can make the most of it.
We hope to stay until the 12th grade in this school.

Maria Beatriz nº 21
Vera Alexandra nº 27
701

Take a Bite

Take a Bite is a very famous restaurant in England. It’s a place where you can eat and drink, listen to some music, enjoy a good stand-up comedy and find out everything you want to know about vampires!!!
The first Take a Bite was born in Scotland, thanks to Danny Cullen, a vampire junky who wanted to start a business. So, he and his brother, Edward, decided to open their own restaurant dedicated to vampires. It was a huge success and today you can find it all around the globe. However, the biggest one is situated right in the centre of London.
Take a Bite is divided in three different rooms: Bite’n’Go, The Golden Bite and the Museum.
Bite’n’Go is a disco bar where you can eat something quick and cheap while you listen to live music. It’s very frequented by young people at week-ends. There you can drink the best gooseberry juice of the world!
The Golden Bite is a luxurious restaurant and it’s very famous for its speciality: Bloody Delight! It’s an exclusive dessert that you can only find in Take a Bite! It’s a ball of pastry filled with vanilla and red fruits and covered with mashed strawberry and chocolate nuggets... it’s delicious! You can have it hot or cold.
Finally, there’s the Museum, where you can learn everything about vampires and the origin of Take a Bite. They have guides who know all about it and who explain it to people.
You can also buy a t-shirt or a mug with the Take a Bite logo!

Daniela Nogueira, 802