Thursday, August 28, 2014

Volunteer Opportunity: Pull a Plane for Special Olympics

The Plane Pull features the ultimate tug-of-war competition, as teams of up to 20 battle a UPS Airbus A300, weighing more than 190,000 lbs.  That’s right, the plane weighs more than 90 tons!  Each team raises a minimum of $1,000 to participate (only $50 per person for a team of 20). Special Olympics Illinois and the Law Enforcement Torch Run will host the 6th Annual Plane Pull at O’Hare International Airport on Sept. 27.  The 2013 event was a record-breaking success, as 64 teams participated and more than $135,000 was raised for the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois! Click here for more info.
A special thanks to UPS, the Chicago Department of Aviation, City of Chicago, HMS Host and Durham School Services for their continued support of this event.
Teams compete in one of three divisions:
  • Open Division (ideal for companies, school teams, gyms, crossfits, clubs, friends and families)
  • Public Safety Division (law enforcement officers, fire fighters, paramedics, DNR, DOC and military personnel; teams need at least 10 public safety competitors to qualify)
  • Hotel Division (new in 2014, and by popular demand, we have created a division solely for groups in the hotel industry!)
For  questions on hoPlane Pull Logow you can get involved in the Plane Pull, please contact Matt Johnson.

2013 Event Results

  • Open Division: Maine South Hawks (HS Football Team), 9.81 seconds
  • Public Safety Division: Chicago Police Department - O'Hare, 9.34 seconds
  • Grand Champion: Chicago Police Department - O'Hare
  • Top Individual Fundraiser: Bob Pomeroy, ComEd
  • Top Fundraising Team: Niles Police Department
  • Team Spirit Award: Park Ridge Fraternal Order of Police #16

Friday, August 15, 2014

Example of post 2 from a student

Below is an example of a student post for the second post.  I will comment on the post in red:

 Note that she turned this in on time and her spelling and grammar are correct.  She writes clearly and properly. (Academic Expectations)
I don't have a car, but this past week my dad went on a business trip to Dubai and I got to drive to school. I also had to park at the train station, because I don't have a parking pass. If you have ever walked from the train station to school, it isn't bad but it is a little bit of a walk. Also I like being to school early so it was about 7 am when I took this walk and I walk slow (it was a long walk). It gave me some time to think. Every step I tried to be mindful of all the things that were happening around me. For example, how so many other people had walked this same path making it easier for me to walk because all the snow is trodden down or how my scarf was made in Thailand and some worker across the world had made that scarf for eventually me to wear, or my favorite is how someone, long ago when the side walk was paved, drew two circles with dots in the middle (to be interpreted as what ever you please) right by parking lot A and it makes me laugh every time. Then it went to how my steps could be saving someone else in the future from slipping, or maybe my owl hat was recognized by one of the passing cars which would brighten their day since they really think my hat is cute (I mean it is) and that will make them a little more chipper going into work and so on. 
See how she relates of this to unique examples from her own life?  Her writing is authentic - it only applies to her. (Sociological content)

In that short but long walk, I started to get it. Everything around me at every moment in the day is created by others and society makes me who I am. My mom was telling me about some woman who lost all of her memory, and had to relearn everything as if she were an infant and it makes me wonder how much different she'll be. The influence of society will be so different for her now opposed to when she was born, say, in the 60s. 

I really like the picture my teacher drew that helped me understand the difference between sociological imagination and mindfulness demonstrating how imagination is how society affects you and mindfulness is how you affect society. 
She uses the terms from class (sociological imagination and mindfulness) and explains what they mean. (Sociological Content)

It's crazy to think how everything is intertwined. I agree completely with what Schwalbe says about sociological mindfulness being so rare because of the guilt that accompanies it. Knowing that you have such a great impact on the world, and all the power it inhibits is frightening that you could be supporting child labor by buying a certain shoe, or that your bad mood could set off a string of bad moods to make others unhappy or do something drastic. At the same time though, it's incredible. That same power that can creating bad can also create immense good.  In this paragraph she demonstrates that she understands what the reading was about and she comments on the reading by talking about it in her own words. (Literacy)


Sociological imagination: Realizing that my friend turned my bad day into a great one just by one hug and recognition that I am loved. 

Sociological mindfulness: Taking my now escalated mood to change another friend's bad day into a better one by going on a whim to go to "Color Me Me" after school with her since she was upset.

End result: Happiness. (: