Renaye's Biography

My Biography: Oskar Schindler.

Have you ever saved over 1200 people? Oskar Schindler did and he only wrote a list to do it. Oskar Schindler was born on the 28^th April 1908, in Moravia, Czech Republic, to Franziska Luser and Hans Schindler.

Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during WWII by employing them in his factory. His famous list later inspired a movie called “Schindler’s List” He was a German Catholic and he wanted to stop the Nazis wiping out the entire Jewish population.

A lot of the Jews that he saved didn’t care that they were in hiding they said “At least we are still alive” He spent 40 million German Marks on saving the Jews. That’s 36, 947,900.79 NZD. Unfortunately Oskar died at the age of 66 because of a stroke. On his grave all the people that he saved put a rock (That a lot of rocks!)

By Renaye

Celine's Biography

Michael Jackson

Have you ever wondered who Michael Jackson is?

Well he’s the king of pop. He was born August 29^th 1958 and died June 25^th 2009.

The cause of his death was a drug over dose from one of his many doctors. His death was very sudden. Michael Jackson died on the 25^th of June 2009.

His album thriller is the best selling album in the world and he wrote and sung 100 songs from 1968-2003 thats 45 years from the age of 10-55.

Also he had his own charity for people in poverty. The charity was called Usa Africa they raised around 50 million dollars for it.

By: Celine

Ashleigh's Biography

Princess Dianna

If you have ever wished you could live next door to the Queen and then some day get married to a prince and become princess?

Well on the 1st July 1961 n Norfolk, England Dianna Spencer was born. Her parents Frances (mum) Johnnie (dad) didn’t know what to call her at first, but after 3 weeks they decided to call her Dianna Spencer.

In February 1981 the news came out that Prince Charles was getting married to Lady Dianna Spencer. He was 32 and she was 12 years younger than him.

Princess Dianna did a lot of work for the world...

She went to Africa and helped the sick and poor people.

She bent down to the height of young kids and talked to them.

Tragically she died in a car crash.

People today can spell out her death by her name.

By Ashleigh

Emma R's Blog

Michael Jackson

Have you ever wondered if there has been a king of pop?

Well there has been, his name is Michael Jackson and he died last year. Michael Jackson was born August 29th 1958 and died June 25th 2009. He grew in up in Gary, Indiana.

Did you know that ever since Michael Jackson died they called the street that he grew up in Jackson Street!

Michael Jackson has three sisters and six brothers and he also has three children of his own. He grew up with a very musical, dancing sort of family. So he and his brothers started something called the Jackson Five and became famous very quickly, they even made an album. The Jackson Five went on T.V., radio and performed concerts.

Michael Jackson loved children since his parents used violence when he was young. My favourite song of his is 'They don't really care about us'.

By Emma R

Garyu's Biography

Martin Luther King Jr.

Have you ever faced the dogs, the racist police and heavy criticism for trying to get equal rights that other people have? Well that’s what Martin Luther King Jr. faced after he led numerous protests and marches against white racist people in the USA. He wanted equal rights for African-Americans living in the US.

Martin Luther King Junior was born in Atlanta on 15^th January 1929. His parents were Reverend Martin Luther King Senior and Alberta Williams King. His interests were bringing together all of the races and theology. While he was young, he learned from his parents that African-Americans did not have equal rights as white people. He grew up to fight the racist laws with friend Ralph Abernathy and later wards Rosa Parks. He gave many speeches including the world famous ‘I Have a Dream’ on August 28 1963. It drew quarter of a million people to the Lincoln Memorial where Martin gave the speech in Central Washington.

Martin pursued his dreams about theology which is about religious beliefs and God, becoming a Baptist minister in 1948 after he finished Booker T Washington High School and Morehouse College. He married Coretta Scott in 1953.

Martin won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for all of his protests and marches against discrimination of African-Americans in the USA.

On the 4^th of April 1968, Martin was standing on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis Tennessee waiting for Ralph when he was shot in the head by supposedly convicted criminal Earl James Ray. He was driven to St Josephs Hospital in an ambulance but died on the operating table at 7:05pm. The response by the USA was riots throughout the country. Martin changed the future of the USA forever.

At his funeral a eulogy was given by Dr. Benjamin, his old tutor. He said:

“Martin Luther faced the dogs, the police, heavy criticism, and finally death; yet he never carried a gun, not even a knife to defend himself. He only had his faith to rely on.”

Martin once said to his wife Coretta that he wouldn’t reach 40. That eventually became true, as he died at the age of 39. Martin’s family later said that James have nothing to do with the murder. Loyd Jowers was found to have had a part in the murder. Loyd said that Lt. Earl Clark from Memphis Police Department made the shot, but this claim has not been proven.

By Garyu

Alex's Biography

OSAMA BIN LADEN AND THE TALIBAN!!!

Osama bin laden is the high commander of the Taliban.

The Taliban is a group of terrorist that are responsible for the 911 attacks in the USa. These attacks were on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Octagon in Washington DC. Osama Bin Laden arranged for suicide bombers to crash the planes into the World Trade Centre.

Osama is in the top 10 F.B.I most wanted list. He is currently number 3 on the list.

He is wanted for terrorism and MURDER OF U.S. Nationals outside the United States.

The U.S Army have been looking for him since he was 22 but they have been unable to catch him and now he is 53. This is because he moves location every 20 days and he has lots of people protecting him between a number of different countries.

By Alex G

Danielle's Biography

Anne Frank

How would you like it if you and everyone of your religion were forced to play the mouse that eats the cheese in the mouse-trap? That’s what Anne Frank and thousands of others had to try and avoid in World War ll. This was because of a German ruler named Hitler, who thought Jews did not fit in as his image of the ‘perfect’ German.

Anne Frank was one of these Jews. For the first 5 care-free years of Anne Frank’s life, she lived with her caring parents (Otto and Edith) and her sister Margot. They lived in an apartment on the outskirts of a small town named Frankfurt.

But it was in the time of 1933, the time when the Nazi’s seized power. That was when Anne Frank’s life changed completely. Her father Otto fled to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he had business connections. The rest of the family soon followed and Anne was to the last to arrive after living with her grandparents. When they were in the Netherlands, they hid in an attic with four other Jews, four two years.

While Anne was hiding, she kept a diary which meant absolutely everything to her. Unfortunately after two years, they were found, and sent to a concentration camp where Anne died of Typhus. Anne Frank’s diary was famous and you can still find it in a bookshop. Anne Frank was known for her courage to speak her mind (in her) and have fun while hiding from the greatest threat of all time.

By Danielle

Jireh's Biography

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20 1889 in brauna Austria.

When he was a kid Hitler always wanted to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional artist, but his dream didn’t come true and he did not do art any more. In 1939, When Adolf Hitler became the leader of the Nazi’s he invaded Poland and World War 2 began. Adolf Hitler and the German army soon had control over most of Europe in 1941, As a part of his plan Hitler ordered an attack on Russia. in the end Hitler died by committing suicide.

By Jireh

Chinese Cinderella Book Review - Fern

Chinese Cinderella is a autobiography about Adeline Yen Mah as she captured her childhood in words. Adeline describes her life as she struggeled to be accepted in her own family. Her life at home was hard and she wasn't allowed to go to friends houses or to have them over at her own. For quite a lot of her childhood she was sent away to boarding schools and usually only sent home for a family members death. Whenever she was home she was treated as if she wasn't part of her own family. When she was eight years old she was given a duck which became her best friend until one day her fathers and step mother Niang's dog tore it apart eating it while her father just said something like ok it must need more training. Chinese Cinderella is a very inspiring book and a great read.

Midnight Fox book review

Midnight Fox is a good book its about a boy going to his aunts farm because his mum and dad were going on a holiday to Europe. He didn't want to go to his aunts farm he just wanted to stay home but in the end when he liked the farm. While he was on the farm Tommy saw a black fox creeping down to the farm to eat the hens. Tommy watched the fox while he was at the farm and when he had to leave the farm his memories were of the sneaky black fox.

By Faith

Novel Study Book Review

Don't Call me Ishmael is a novel written by Michael Gerard Bauer. This book is part of our classes novel studies, the group that have read this book is Christi, Rowan, Zara, Thobie, Michael F and Renaye It is about a boy called Ishmael Leseur who gets teased about his name by a boy called Barry Bagsley until a new boy named James Scobie arrives. He said that when he had a brain tumour removed the operation did something to his brain and made him fearless. Barry Bagsley and some of his mates thought this was a joke so they put heaps of bugs in his desk (James said that he was scared of bugs before the operation). When he opened his desk all the bugs jumped out and landed everywhere. He ended up with a giant Mexican Bird Eating spider on his face. Then Scobie decides to make a debating team. He holds a meeting and only 3 other people show up. He puts Ishmael's name down without asking him and so Ishmael had to do it. Orazio Zorzotto (Razza), Ignatius Prindabel and Bill Kingsley were the only ones interested. On the way he met other people such as Kelly Faulkner who he saw at a debating workshop and couldn't stop thinking about her.

By Renaye.

Callum's Biography

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is a famous man from USA. He is the first black president of the United States of America. A long time ago white were treated better than the blacks. He was born on the 4^th August 1961.

Barrack Obama likes hanging out with his family. He has read all the Harry Potter books.

One of his hobbies is reading. Barack’s favourite book is Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Barack plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds.

By Callum

Rowan's Biography

Jehanne d’Arc

Have you ever wanted to lead armies as a teenager? 598 years ago, someone was born who did.

In the year of our Lord 1412, a female child was born to Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romeé. Her name was Jehanne, also known as Joan, or sometimes Jean.

She grew up in Donrémy, and her parents owned 50 acres of land. Another odd fact about her was: She had visions; the first one came to her when she was about 12. She said Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret told her to drive the English out of France and bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation.

Joan d’Arc led many battles, but she was eventually captured by the English. Before her trial, however, she attempted to escape many times, one of them by jumping out of a 21-metre high tower, but was easily recaptured.

Joan d’Arc was trialled and found guilty of heresy, and was burnt at the stake on 30 May 1431. Her remains were cast into the Seine. After her death, however, a retrial was held and she was found innocent. Sadly, she never found out as she was dead crazy (in Seine).

She was an amazing figure in history, in that she led armies as a teenager, never lived to be twenty, and was also a saint.

By Rowan

Fern's Biography

Anne Frank.

How would you like being seen taking a step outside was a step towards death? Jews lives were ordinary. They played with their toys played with their friends; they would ride their bikes and go to the seaside. Until one man ruined all Jews lives. World War II was death to a lot of people but to Jews it was worse than death.

Anne Frank was one of those Jews. For the first five years of Anne Frank’s life she didn’t expect anything horrible to happen she lived in good care of her parents (Otto & Edith Frank) and her sister Margot, they lived in an apartment on the outskirts of Frankfurt.

In the year of 1933 everything went downwards because of the Nazis & Hitler, took seizure of power, killing everyone that in their view wasn’t the fitting in as the perfect race. It was then that Otto Frank fled to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he had business connections, soon after the rest of the family followed Otto, with Anne being the last of her family to arrive in February 1934 after staying with her grandparents in Aachen. When Anne Frank arrived she found her family living and hiding in a deserted attic with four other Jews known to the Frank family, they stayed in the attic for two years.

For Anne’s thirteen Birthdays she was given a diary (that she named kitty) which from then on she wrote in everyday and it became Anne’s best friend that she told everything. She had her diary while the hiding away in the attic. After two years of hiding the feared Nazis found all who was hiding in the attic. They were then all led to a Jew concentration camp otherwise known as a Jews path to death.

While in the concentration camp Anne caught Typhus an soon died along with her sister Margot, their mother died of starvation and their father was the only one of the family to survive. He then helped Anne’s diary get published by editing it. All of those horrible things happened because one man was the biggest threat to a lot of people. But even now that Anne Frank isn’t alive she’s still with us through words.

By Fern

Michael's Recount Writing

9-11 Terrorist attacks

Tuesday 11th September 2001

8:30 AM. I woke to the musty smell of the dirty hotel room.

8:36AM. I was making a coffee when BANG! There was a massive explosion. I looked out the windows and the World Trade Centre was on fire. There were sirens howling. I heard over all the chaos another plane flying too low and then BOOM!!! The other World Trade Centre tower was hit. I couldn't believe my eyes the World Trade Centre had just been ATTACKED.

By Michael Love

Alex's Recount Writing

Osama Bin Laden chase

Week 3, Bin Laden chase, June 9 1992.

This is week 3 of the Osama Bin Laden chase, we were under heavy fire by the Taliban at approximately 1300 hours. The day we got attacked was a brutal nightmare with 20 comrades dead and medics working like a colony of ants to save the wounded.



We are now leaving our camp in Afghanistan to our new camp in Iraq and we are sending our dead and wounded back to the US. in Iraq we will preform a counter attack against the Taliban. We have been unable to catch Osama Bin Laden because we are in his land and he knows the best hiding places in Iraq. He is a war criminal now he has got the US army on to him. So where ever he is hiding its a pretty good place.

Michael's Anzac day experience

On Anzac day, I watched the memorial in Turkey, John Key spoke about the devastating crash back over here in New Zealand, there were people over at the ceremony who knew the people who died in the crash.
Michael

Chelsey's Anzac day experience

In remembrance of Anzac day I went down to Paraparaumu for a parade , where my Nana sang the National anthem . There where heaps of people there remember the fallen loved ones.
Chelsey

Ashleighs Anzac Day experience

On the 25th of April my Auntie and I went to the Paraparaumu ANZAC remembrance parade.
It was a awesome experience , there were lots of people.
Ashleigh

Christi's Fable

Once upon a time there was a poor girl she was 22 years old, she wanted to get a job.So she went to two magazine agencies and applied, because shed love to be a magazine writer or designer as much as shed love to have one million dollars.

One day she got two calls from two different magazine managers and they both wanted to have an interview. So she went to the agency called Crankin Cool Crazy Mag. The manager was called Bob Burdan, he was utterly unhandsome and imeddiatly she didn't want to work at that magazine agency.

The next day she had an interview with a magazine manager called Brick Bird, he owned the agency named Instant news, he was very very handsome, suddenly her heart was pounding like a giant monsters footsteps, because she was wanting to work at that agency so much, lucky for her she was accepted.

She worked at that agency for three months, untill she realised that it wasn't very succesfull and Crankin Cool Crazy mag was super succesfull, so she stayed poor.So the moral of this story is don't judge a book by its cover.

By Christi