ShOuT oUt!!!

...to parents, guardians and caregivers, straight up. My 4 year old (almost 5) nephew spent the night last night and it was daunting keeping up with him. Really, it was quite a task. And he was a little sick on top of that. You all deserve a commendation for looking after the little people, making sure they're OK, feeding them, making sure the temperature is right when they wash their hands, waiting until they're alseep to go to sleep yourself, etc.

...to Ms. McNeese who is home recuperating from an unfortunate mishap. I spoke to her yesterday and I'm pleased to report that she's in really great spirits.

...to Ms. Hall, Ms. Piton, Ms. Zephir and the cast of this year's production of High School Musical.

...to Ms. Hristodoulou for bringing me spanakopita.

...to Ms. Cambry for bringing me coffee and a turkey/bacon/cheddar flatbread sandwich.

...to Officer Hernaiz for bringing me tacos and baked ziti. (on 2 seperate occasions)

...to Ms. Crawford for bringing me rice and beans.

...to Kesner of 285 for being a great afterschool employee.

...to Ms. Murphy for bringing me curry chicken and rice.

...to Ms. Abdullah for putting together the African American history month exhibition.

...to Mr. Fralin for his visionary instructional leadership.

...to Mr. Mareus for his varied assistance in operational and organizational matters.

...to the readers of this blog!

High School Musical Rehearsals

Rehearsals for High School Musical are on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15 until 5:15. This year's show stars Leandra as Gabriella, Traven as Troy, Abraham as Ryan and Shae as Sharpay. June seems far away, but when you're putting a show together, it's right around the corner. So far, we've made good progress on the opening number "Wildcat Cheer." We have a new Sharpay, so we have to start from scratch with "Bop to the Top." The real challenge will be learning the basketball routine in "Get'cha Head in the Game." I will post a short video clip of rehearsal on Monday.

LOST Season 5: Episode 3: Jughead

All I can say is WOOOOOOW!!! This show gets better and better. The final moments of last night's episode were incredible. Charles Widmore is one of the original hostiles!!! Juliet revealed that Richard Alpert is "old." Desmond and Penny named their son Charlie. The Others can speak Latin, including Juliet. So now the big question is how does Whidmore become who he is? What's going to happen when Desmond and Penny get to Los Angeles? I'm very excited about the next few episodes. We'll see what happens next week.

20 Questions

20. Why do people wait until it's their turn to order and act like they don't know what's on the menu at Dunkin' Donuts in the morning when I'm racing against the clock just trying to get to school on time?

19. Why do most students have phones that cost 3 times as much as mine?

18. Should we be worried about December 21, 2012?

17. Why do I wait until I can't see out of my car windows before I decide to get a car wash?

16. Why haven't the people who used to live in my house changed their address and I keep getting all their very important notices, documents and legal correspondence?

15. How many observation reports will I type this weekend?

14. Why does it take 20 minutes to drive two blocks when you turn off of Flatlands onto Rockaway?

13. Why does the French bread pizza in the cafeteria always appear undercooked?

12. How am I going to get the dancers in this year's play to master that extremely difficult basketball routine for "Get'cha Head in the Game?"

11. Why did everyone hype up NOTORIOUS and it was just OK? [ I gave it a level 2]

10. How much does a PS3 cost and does Circuit City have cheaper ones because they're going out of business?

9. Should I take an international trip for summer vacation or keep it stateside?

8. Are there really mermaids in Haiti?

7. How come you can't park on the average block in the city unless it's a Tuesday at 4:03 am while wearing a green and yellow polka dot shirt with orange socks standing on one foot singing the National Anthem in a snowstorm?

6. What are they gonna do with all the former Guantanamo Bay detainees?

5. Why do people come into my office and see my huge Harry Potter collection and ask, "Do you like Harry Potter?"

4. Why am I hanging on to my collection of VHS movies and vinyl records?

3. When is Lauryn Hill coming out with a new CD?

2. Why haven't I ever seen the draw bridge on the Belt Parkway open?

1. If Obama's stimulus package is approved and implemented, won't people use it to pay down some debt instead of what it's intended for, which is to go out and buy new stuff?

Congratulations to the 260's

Thank you very much Ms. Moore, Ms. Hristodoulou, Ms. Taylor and Ms. Leesang for coordinating this wonderful exhibit in honor of our 1st African American president, Barack Obama.

LOST Season 5: Episodes 1 & 2: Because You Left/The Lie

The premiere lived up to expectation. The first two episodes were phenomenally written, produced and performed. It's clear that this season will deal heavily with the whole space/time continuum that they started playing around with last season and that viewers will have to pay extra close attention so as not to miss anything. I think now more than ever, this is the kind of show that you really have to pay attention to when watching. It was very interesting how they alternated between the past, present and future via the "sky flashes" and re-introduced a couple of ex (dead) characters like Ana Lucia and Ethan. All in all, I thought the premiere was excellent.

...Looking forward to a great season.

LOST premieres TONIGHT!!!

There are so many things going on right now...Obama was inaugurated yesterday, the ELA test starts today...but the day we've been waiting for is here! LOST season 5 premieres tonight! I have to leave right after AIS math in order to get home and get ready. Can't wait to see what happens...

1 day until LOST returns!!!

We only have 1 more day to wait for the season 5 premiere of LOST. I watched the season 4 finale again last night on the SciFi channel. I'm thinking now that perhaps the Oceanic 6 didn't have to lie about what really happened after the crash and about the other survivors. What's the worst that could have happened: Whidmore would have them all killed after being in the international spotlight as a result of surviving a major plane crash? Unlikely. Major flaw! Don't get me wrong, this is still an excellent show...the best show ever.

2 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 2 more days until the season 5 premeiere of LOST. That's about 54 hours from the time of this post. It will be the television event of the season. Based on the first 4 season premieres, the season 5 premiere will most likely deliver the usual cinematic goods that foreshadow an excellent new set of episodes that challenge the mind and simultaneously entertain. Pictured here are Locke and Charlotte. Will Jack and Ben attempt to move Locke's body from the funeral parlor in the season premiere? Will we learn if and under what circumstances Charlotte was born on the island? We shall see...2 more days...

LOST is the best show ever.

3 days until LOST returns!!!

Three more days!!! The anticipation increases exponentially. Check out ABC.com to watch full episodes. Also, check out Lostpedia.com for info on just about everything from the last four seasons (and season 5 as well.) Lostpedia has got to be the most comprehensive source online for the show. Their attention to detail is unparalleled. 3 more days...OMG. Lost is the best show ever!

4 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 4 days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. This is a shot of one of the Dharma Initiative candy bars from the mysterious food drops that occur on the island. Who's dropping the food, and how could they find the island? The last time there was a food drop, the visibility of the island was still scrambled by the Others in the Looking Glass station. Season 5 will probably pose as many questions as seasons past, but answer a few as well. The hours that we must wait are dwindling...there are only 4 more days...

LOST is the best show ever.

5 days until LOST returns!!!

Aah, a tender moment with Kate and Sawyer in the bear cages of the Hydra station from season 3. What an exciting season that was! This was when we learned that Kate, Jack and Sawyer were on a whole nother island while they were being held captive by the Others. Season 3 redeemed the show for lots of people (like Carlos) after a very dry yet informationally critical Season 2. The last time we saw Sawyer, he jumped off the helicopter and swam back to the island just before it disappeared. Kate was in America trying to decide whether or not she should return to the island with the Oceanic 6.

LOST is the best show ever.

6 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 6 mores days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. I hope everyone tuned in to the season 4 finale last night on ABC. The above pic is from season 1 when Kate, Jack and Charlie returned to the wreckage of the cockpit to look for the transceiver. This is what happened to the pilot after an encounter with The Monster. In season 4, we learned that Ben does indeed control The Monster. We still don't really know what it is, though. QUESTION: What is the difference (if any) between the Black Smoke and The Monster?

Last night, a good friend of mine (who doesn't watch the show) tuned in to the season 4 finale and now plans to watch all four seasons this weekend in order to catch up for the season 5 premiere. What a great way to spend the 3 day weekend! LOST is the best show ever.

7 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 7 more days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. I know you can hardly wait! Perhaps one of the big questions that we'll get an answer to is How is it that this guy (Richard Alpert) stays perpetually young? I think it's just too simple that it's "because of the island." He was one of the hostiles on the island back in the 60's when the Dharma Initiative was there. He was in his mid thirties when Ben was a little boy, when he interviewed an elementary school aged Locke, recruited Juliet, and as Ben grew up to eventually become the leader of The Others. Why hasn't Richard aged, and just how old is he? We want answers JJ Abrams! LOST is the best show ever.

8 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 8 more days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. Another BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC question for season 5 is Where are the other Others? They were supposed to be on their way to a safe haven station called the Temple. They've been pretty quiet wherever they are. I'm sure they'll resurface in season 5. Perhaps we'll learn the difference between the original Dharma survivors and the hostiles. LOST is the best show ever.

9 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 9 days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. This is a picture of Charlie's hand warning Desmond that the freighter was "not Penny's boat." On ABC.com, one of the season 5 promos reveals that Desmond will indeed leave Penny once again, although it seemed he never would after the episode "The Constant" in season 4. What a excellent episode! There's a moment in this episode with Desmond and Penny that'll make you cry. LOST is the best show ever.

10 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 10 more days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. This is a pic from happier times when Charlie was alive and the survivors were still "geting to know" the island.

LOST is the best show ever.

11 days until LOST returns!!!

There are only 11 more days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. Here's a still from season 4 when the "freighter folk," such as Miles, who can communicate with the deceased and Daniel Faraday, the time traveling physicist arrive on the island. They are pictured here with Jack, Kate, Saiid and Juliet (whose face is hidden by some island foliage). This is a scene from the part of season 4 when the survivors still thought they had a slight chance of being rescued by the folks on the freighter. Boy, were they wrong. On the same note, were Locke and Ben right!

LOST is the best show ever.

12 Days until LOST returns!!!

Only 12 more days until the season 5 premiere of LOST. Here is the Oceanic 6 (Aaron's in there somewhere) after leaving Penny's boat after the helicopter crashed and the island disappeared.

Another big question: Have we seen the last of Desmond and Penny? This is unlikely since Mr. Widmore is Penny's father.

LOST is the best show ever.

13 days until LOST returns!!!

If you're like me, you are totally stoked about the January 21st premiere of season 5 of LOST on ABC. I've been watching TV for quite some time now and I must say that LOST is the best show ever. No other show is or has ever been as intriguing, engaging, entertaining or so cleverly written. Based on the finale of season 4, the season 5 premiere is going to be insane.

I showed about 20 minutes of the very first episode to the Academy II staff a few years ago to illustrate the similarities to teaching and managing the classroom. (This was when the plane crash survivors collect themselves on the bloody, fiery wreckage strewn beach and our hero Jack literally runs around making sense out of everything and puts things together). There are a lot of leadership themes in the show. Since then, so many storylines and plot twists and turns have transpired on the show, I'd have to blog every day a few times a day just to catch you up in case you aren't an avid fan. So to my fellow IS 68 LOSTIES like Ms. Lopez, Mr. Probert and Mr. Monaco, clear your schedules for January 21st at 8 pm for the premiere event.

The biggest questions are:

How will the Oceanic 6 return to the island? (With Locke's corpse in tow.)

WHERE DID THE ISLAND GO?

How can Ben return if he was the one who moved the island?

Or is Ben just lying again, which he does so well?

Will this season rely on flashbacks or flashforwards?

What is the true fate of Michael and Jin?

Is Claire dead?

Will Aaron's grandmother discover that Aaron is Claire's son and not Kate's?

And what's with Charlie and Mr. Ecko (who are dead) showing up and talking to Hurley?

LOST is the best show ever.