District Looks To Cut Jobs; Could Carver/Century Be Closed And Merged With Bratt And Ernest Ward?
April 22, 2008
Could Carver/Century K-8 School be closed and merged with Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School?
That is just one money saving idea tossed out by one Escambia County School Board member.
Jeff Bergosh, the District 1 member on the board, proposed closing Carver/Century before the upcoming school year and busing the students to Bratt. But district officials have said that no schools will be closed for the 2008-2009 school year.
School Closures
But for the 2009-2010 school year, school closures could be a reality. The school board is in the process of reforming the School Attendance Zone Advisory Committee (SAZAC) that led to the recommended closures of Byrneville, Pensacola Beach and Dixon elementary schools in 2001. (Byrneville and Pensacola both reopened as charter schools.) The original SAZAC committee’s recommendations, along with those of Superintendent Jim Paul, also led to the closure of Woodham High School.
The third phase that the original SAZAC proposal years ago was to take place by 2017. It included closing Ernest Ward and converting Molino Park Elementary into a K-8 school, consolidating the two into a mega school in Molino.
Budget, Personnel Cuts
Meanwhile, Monday night, School Superintendent Jim Paul said the district is now in “survival mode”.
The Escambia School Board discussed ways Monday to save nearly $15 million dollars. The plan on the table from Paul includes:
- not filling 35-40 district level jobs to save $1.7 million
- reassigning 40 administrative clerks in elementary schools to save $845,081
- not filling 16 exceptional student education (ESE) teacher’s jobs to save $705,392
- not filling the positions of two deans, five counselors and six librarians to save $381,410
Overall, the district is looking at eliminating about 115 teachers and 90 support personnel, mostly through attrition. There are no administrator level positions on the chopping block in Paul’s proposal.
The school board spent nearly four hours discussing the various possible budget cutting scenarios Monday, but they did not vote to make any changes at this point. They will reconvene in a special meeting on April 29.
“I’m almost amused when people come up here and talk about cutting the fat, ” Paul said. “We are down into the muscle now.”
“We’ve eliminated, eliminated and eliminated these past few years,” Paul said. “There’s no more fat.. I mean you can talk about fat all you want. There’s no more fat. It’s now into the muscle that’s what we’re cutting.
The budget shortfall is being blamed on high fuel and utility prices coupled with lower revenues from property and sales taxes.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow this story and keep you updated.
Comments? Email news@northescambia.com
The Renaissance Fair Held Saturday At Northview High School
April 13, 2008
The English Department at Northview High School held “The Renaissance Fair” at the school on Saturday afternoon.
“The fair featured many activities, including jousting at the dreaded Barbarian Pit, trips to the daunting gallows, music and more.
The senior class also performed William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” during the event.
For a complete photo gallery from the event, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, with additional submitted photos by Perry Byars.
Opera Visits Ernest Ward and Carver/Century With Paintball And ‘Chuck Norris’
March 29, 2008
It was like DIY, build it yourself, fill in the blank opera Friday at Ernest Ward Middle School and Carver/Century K-8 School when the Pensacola Opera presented “(Your) Opera in a Trunk”.
The traveling opera minstrels hit the stage with little more than a backdrop, a small wardrobe and a trunk full of assorted props. After a musical introduction to each voice style — the soprano, mezzo, tenor and bass — the Joker begins the one of a kind show. The Joker, who is a cross between a storyteller and a game show host, leads the audience in choosing the star of the show, the character names and the plot for the improvised opera.
“Incorporating audience suggestions, spontaneity and chance, improvisational performance truly explores the unknown. No two performances are the same as no two audiences are alike. Improvisation is cutting edge art where not even the performers know quite what is around the next corner or how the show will end,” said David Charles, creator, writer and director of the opera.
“It was real exciting; it was not like I thought it was going to be,” Ernest Ward seventh grader Kaitlyn Gunn (pictured left) said. “I really liked it. I thought it was going to be boring, but it wasn’t.”
Students at Ernest Ward first decided where their opera would be set. They had a choice of a paintball field, a busy New York street or a deserted island. They picked the paintball field… the Chuck Norris Paintball Field to be exact. Singers then chose the names of two students in the audience as their character’s names…Isaac and Rachel.
They chose for Rachel to be paintball ninja over being Chuck Norris’ number one fan or an itchy gymnast. Isaac was cast as the Paintball Ninja of Chuck Norris Paintball Field.
Then students were given the opportunity to name their “(Your) Opera in a Trunk”, and the winning name was “Splat!”. The mezzo singer was cast as Nancy the Ninja, which was picked by the students over Petunia the Paintball Referee and “Chuck Norris as a lady”. The soprano was cast as Rachel the paintball cheerleader, who later saw a pickpocketing monkey. “No one knows…the monkey is my secret,” she sang.
In the end, good of course triumphs over evil. Along the way, the action stops for the Joker to explain various opera terms to the audience, terms like aria, libretto and cadenza. They learn to say “brava” to applaud a female performer and “bravo” for a male performer.
Because the opera is improvised, this was “the very first and the very last time ever in the world this opera will be presented,” the Joker Timothy Kennedy said. The Ernest Ward performance was also the last time this group of performers will hit the stage together. All of the them except the maestro (the pianist) are from out of town, places like New York City and Chicago. They have been performing together since January at schools across the region.
“The Pensacola Opera holds auditions in Des Moines, Iowa, and New York City for these performances,” Kennedy said. “Most of them end up here from the New York auditions.”
In the production at both Ernest Ward and Carver, the performers were : Anna Steenerson, soprano; Dawn Pierce, mezzo; Todd von Felker, bass; Zechariah Baker, tenor; and Melissa Gilbert, the maestro.
Baker told the students he began singing opera just four years ago. He was serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq when someone sent him a Three Tenors CD, and he found that he was able to sing in a similar fashion. His commanding officers encouraged him to sing more, and “I decided then to become an opera singer,” he said.
One EWMS students asked if an opera star could break a glass. Kennedy explained that it was possible, but very few singers were able to product the pitch necessary to do so.
Friday’s performances were sponsored by a variety of private businesses and groups like the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council of Northwest Florida and the University of West Florida.
Pictured above: The performers in “(Your) Opera in a Trunk”. Pictured below: Students at Carver/Century K-8 enjoy the Pensacola Opera. Ernest Ward photos are NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge. Carver/Century photos were submitted by the school.
1,200 Participate In Annual Northview High FFA’s Food For America Program
March 28, 2008
About 900 elementary school students from nine schools attended the annual “Food for America” program Thursday at Northview High School , with about 1,200 people total either attending or working with the program.
The program sponsored the National FFA Organization and conducted by the Northview FFA gave the students a chance to learn about agriculture firsthand as they got up close and personal with farm animals, farm equipment and more. The students even had the opportunity to make their own butter and enjoy it on crackers.
The Northview FFA has participated in the program for 13 years, placing second in the state last year. Northview has placed in the top five in the state for the last ten years.
Click here for a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery with over 100 pictures from the event.
About 120 FFA students from Northview and Ernest Ward Middle School conducted the program, with about 1,200 people total either attending or working with the program.
Schools scheduled to attend the Food for America program today at Northview were Bratt Elementary, Byrneville Elementary, Carver/Century Elementary, Holm Elementary, Jay Elementary, Lipscomb Elementary, Molino Park Elementary and Pensacola Beach Charter Elementary.
Participants in the FFA’s program included: the Florida Department of Agriculture Honey Inspector, local bee keepers, Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Pine Ridge Farms, theniversity of Florida, the Florida Division of Forestry, the Escambia County Farm Bureau, Hendrix Tractor Company, the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, NHS FFA Alumni and Friends, the Florida FFA Association, Northview 4-H/Farm Safety, the Escambia County Extension Agency the National Resource Conservation Service, Stewart Grist Mill and Escambia County Parks and Recreation.
Northview Television Students Take Top Honors At State Competition
March 27, 2008
Rock, paper scissors. That’s how the major decisions are made before shows are taped at NTV — Northview Television at Bratt’s Northview High School.
When NorthEscambia.com visited Sascha Blackburn’s television production class Wednesday morning, the students were playing rock, paper scissors to decide who would run sound, who would anchor and who would do the other jobs needed to produce the announcement program to air early Wednesday afternoon on the school’s closed circuit television station.
“That is how they make their decisions,” Blackburn said. “It may seem a bit odd, but it usually works.”
The decisions for the Florida Scholastic Press Association were perhaps a bit easier in a recent competition that saw three of Northview’s TV production students receiving high honors for news segments.
Phillip Mayhair and Olivia Bryan’s (pictured left) broadcast segments were rated “All Florida”. Josh Holder received a rating of “Excellent” on his piece. The “All Florida” rating goes to segments that demonstrate the best of high school journalism across the board, while the “Excellent” rating is just a small notch below.
Mayhair’s segment was on the recent Major James Ross Memorial Run, a “package” that Mayhair said he enjoyed producing in his television production class taught by Blackburn.
“This is something I have always enjoyed,” he said. “Mrs. Blackburn has taught us a lot this year about making packages, so I give a lot of credit to Mrs. Blackburn.”
Holder’s entry in the FSPA competition was on Northview football star Nakita Myles.
“I enjoyed doing it because it allowed me to talk to someone I don’t normally speak to,” Holder said. He has enjoyed the television production class so much that he plans to continue broadcast studies in college, with the ultimate goal of becoming a weather person. But not just any weather person.
“I want to be one of those people that goes around and reports from inside the storms,” he said, “like those guys that stand out in the hurricanes.”
Brown’s All Florida award piece was about a high school radio program that she and other students do on Tuesday afternoons on WNSI in Atmore.
“I was interesting doing a story that I was part of, “Brown said. “It was difficult to do the story and get footage of myself.”
“Television is nice creative outlet,” she said. “It is nice to make something and express creativity.” She said she plans to major in marketing with a minor in communications when she gets to college.
Click here for more photos from Northview Television.
Pictured above: Northview television production teacher Sascha Blackburn (left), Eric Ickeringill and Phillip Mayhair work in the control room to produce the announcement show on Northview Television. Pictured below: Cody Parker (left) and Josh Holder play a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who would go first in reading the announcements Wednesday on NTV’s announcement show. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
High School Graduation, Baccalaureate Dates Announced
March 26, 2008
The Escambia County Schools have announced graduation and baccalaureate dates and times.
At Northview High School, the baccalaureate service will be held at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, May 18 in the gym. Graduation will be held Saturday afternoon, May 24 at 4:00 at the school.
At Tate High School, the baccalaureate service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 25 at Olive Baptist Church. Graduation will held at 1:00 on Thursday, May 29 at the Pensacola Civic Center.
Here is the complete schedule for all Escambia County schools:
Baccalaureate Services
Sunday, May 18
Northview High School Gymnasium 8:00 AM
Thursday, May 22
West Florida High Calvary Baptist 6:30 PM
Escambia High School Myrtle Grove Baptist Church 2:00 PM
Sunday, May 25
Pensacola High First Baptist Church 1:00 PM
Pine Forest High School East Brent Baptist Church 2:00 PM
Washington High School Olive Baptist Church 1:15 PM
Tate High School Olive Baptist Church 3:00 PM
Commencement Exercises
Monday, May 19
Judy Andrews Center NAS Museum 6:00 PM
Saturday, May 24
Northview High School At the School 4:00 PM
Tuesday, May 27
Sid Nelson Center At the School 4:00 PM
Wed., May 28
Washington High School Civic Center 1:00 PM
Pensacola High School Civic Center 4:00 PM
Pine Forest High School Civic Center 7:00 PM
Thursday, May 29
Escambia Westgate At the School 9:00 AM
Tate High School Civic Center 1:00 PM
West Florida High School Civic Center 4:00 PM
Escambia High School Civic Center 7:00 PM
Northview High Class of 2012 Visits Campus
March 25, 2008
The Northview High School Class of 2012 had the opportunity to check out the school Monday night as the school held an orientation for next year’s freshman class.
For incoming freshmen Elizabeth Wright, the move from Ernest Ward Middle School to Northview High School won’t be as huge of a step as for some. She played with the Northview Tribal Beat marching band this past year, so she already has friends at the school.
“I’m super excited to be going here,” Elizabeth (pictured left, click to enlarge) said. “There’s a huge band trip in the summer, and then I can’t wait to play at the football games.”
She plans to take band (“I would die without the band,” she says) and yearbook as her electives. She will be the only freshman on the yearbook staff.
When asked was she’s most afraid of about her freshman year, she said “The wideness of the hallways. It is just so big and wide and open here compared to Ernest Ward.”
For incoming freshman Lydia Weaver, her freshman year nervousness involves not being able to find her classes on time.
Lydia is looking forward to getting to Northview and taking part in FFA. She is this year’s president of the Ernest Ward FFA, and many of her old friends are in the Northview FFA.
“I look forward to going to school with all of my FFA friends that are already here,” she said of attending Northview in the fall. For her elective, Lydia plans to take a PE class. Lynda is pictured on the left looking on as her mom Cheryl Weaver talks to Northview FFA President Andrea Byars.
Various departments, clubs and teachers setup displays Monday night in the main halls of the Northview campus to illustrate the educational and extracurricular opportunities available to next year’s freshmen class. Parents and students had the opportunity to visit with teachers, administration and staff during the orientation.
Pictured below, from the left: Northview Tribal Beat band members Elizabeth Wright, Drum Major Jeremy Halteman, Colton Sims, Tabitha Steege and Lania Eubanks. Wright was at Northview Monday night for incoming freshman orientation. Click photo to enlarge.
Northview Plans Renaissance Fair, Booth Sponsors Needed
March 25, 2008
The English Department at Northview High School has planned a Renaissance Fair at the school on Saturday afternoon, April 12 from 2:00 until 6:00.
“The fair will be full of thrilling activities for all ages: face painting, costume contest, sack races, obstacle course, jousting at the dreaded Barbarian Pit, perhaps a trip to the daunting gallows and other activities,” said Raja Atallah, NHS 10th grade English instructor. Turkey legs and other “scrumptious foods” and drinks will be available.
The senior class will perform William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” twice during the event, at 2:00 and 5:30.
The English Department is currently looking for sponsors to help fund the event. For $30, sponsors will receive a booth to sell their wares. A $50 prize will be awarded for the best decorated booth.
For more information, contact Terri Jernigan, Megan Carroll, or Sascha Blackburn in the English Department at Northview High School at 327-6681.
Admission will be free for birth to pre-kindergarten , $2 for kindergarten to fifth grade and $5 for sixth grade to adult.
Northview Student Wins Region In Statewide Severe Weather Essay Contest
March 18, 2008
Austin Lowery, a Northview High School sophomore, was a regional winner in a statewide “Hazardous Weather Awareness Week” essay contest.
Just Read, Florida!, in partnership with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management and several other emergency management partners, conducted a statewide short essay contest aimed at high school students as part of the 2008 Hazardous Weather Awareness Week.
As Region 1 winner, Lowery received $250, a weather radio and a certificate of achievement. His teacher, Raja Atallah, was awarded $100 and a weather radio for assisting and supporting Lowery in the essay contest.
The entire text of Lowery’s essay is below. Pictured above: Northview teacher Raja Attallah, Austin Lowery and Northview Principal Gayle Weaver. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
The Storm, by Austin Lowery
“Go, Go, Go! Get in the basement the tornado is becoming outrageous.” Yes, these are the last words I heard myself say before our house was completely demolished by the furious swirling winds of the F-5 tornado. After a few minutes of realization, my brother and I began to decipher different ways to find shelter, food, and water. And nonetheless we knew we had to help out our community in some way. First, the thought of not having a house put my eight-year-old brother and me, being only sixteen, into shock. Daisy, our yellow lab, had also been with us through the whole frightening storm. To protect Daisy we kept her on a leash at all times knowing that the identification chip imbedded in her skin was useless until help arrived. Realizing the power outages and tower damage to the surrounding area, we began our hunt for food and fresh water for all of us.
The memories of the images from television reporting the slow response and crime in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina kept flashing through my head. We were able to locate a source of fresh water and food at the FEMA relief center. Next, we focused on securing a line of defense for protecting what remained. We set a perimeter line consisting of 100 pound fishing line 4 inches and 36 inches off the ground a 100 feet all around us. This was then connected to another string with a variety of tin cans and scrap metal, so when the line was tripped it would make an awful racket hopefully wakening my brother and me and scaring off the looters. Thankfully it was successful. On the second night something did trigger it. We’ll never know what it was because it ran off and never came back.
Third, after finding shelter, food, water, and setting up a line of defense, we set out to help our neighbors and friends in the community. Since all the roads were blocked we both decided walking would be the safest and best thing to do. At the end of a long day we found many families on the trail of recovery. But there was one young couple with an infant child who had been sleeping on pieces of wood. We took them back to our camp, or what was now home, and offered to share our food, shelter, and water. Through all this we became sort of a family. The emotional and physical process of cleaning up began.
In the aftermath of a disastrous storm these are the first three things I would do if my younger brother and I, along with Daisy, were home alone and an F-5 tornado hit: first, find shelter, food, and water; second, set up a line of defense in case of looters; and last but not least, assist people in my community.
To read the essays from the other regional winners and the grand prize winning essay, click here.
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? Try These Questions From The Actual Fifth Grade FCAT
March 14, 2008
As the FCAT continues today in schools across North Escambia, we thought we would help you waste a little time by playing a game of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” with actual questions from past fifth grade FCATs.
Grab everybody around you and get ready. To play along and see how you might do on the fifth grade FCAT, you’ll need a piece of paper to record your answers to the following questions:
(1) Samantha baked a dessert for her class using the recipe shown below.
Samantha used the least amount of which ingredient?
CRANBERRY APPLE CRUNCH
- A. 3/4 cup chopped apples
- B. 1/2 cup oats
- C. 2/3 cup cranberry sauce
- D. 1/4 cup brown sugar
(2) Louie made 17 bag lunches for the school outing. If Louie
had made 4 more lunches, he would have made exactly
3 times as many bag lunches as Marc did. How many lunches did Marc make?
- A. 6
- B. 7
- C. 13
- D. 4
(3) Coach Neal is planning a track meet for 84 students. Each race has 3 teams,
with 4 runners on each team. How many races should Coach Neal plan so
that each student runs in exactly one race?
- A. 7
- B. 12
- C. 21
- D. 28
(4) Toshi wants to find out which after-school sport is most popular among all
the students at his elementary school. Which of these groups would be best
to survey in order to get this information?
- A. all students at the school
- B. all teachers at the school
- C. all fifth grade students at the school
- D. all parents of the students at the school
(5) The 1927 legislative session designated the mockingbird as the state bird of
Florida. The bird is about 10 inches long and has a wingspan of 15 inches.
Which fraction represents the mockingbird’s length compared to
its wingspan?
- A. 1/5
- B. 2/15
- C. 2/3
- D. 3/2
(6) Angie is flying to London, England, on a plane departing at 2:00 p.m. She is
required to be at the airport one and a half hours before the departure time and it takes her 45 minutes to get from her house to the airport. What is the latest time
Angie can leave her house to arrive at the airport at the required time?
- A. 11:45 am
- B. 12:30 am
- C. 1:15 pm
- D. 4:15 pm
(7) Melanie measured the mass of the textbooks in her backpack. Which unit of
measure best describes the mass of the textbooks?
- A. 3 grams
- B. 3 kilograms
- C. 3 metric tons
- D. 3 milligrams
(8) Marchelle built a rectangular wooden picture frame. The frame has a
perimeter of 130 inches and a width of 30 inches.
What is the height, in inches, of the picture frame?
- A. 30 inches
- B. 35 inches
- C. 10 inches
- D. 13 inches
(9) Sonya has to write the greatest four-digit number she can think of by
following these three rules:
1. Any digit 0 through 9 may be used.
2. Any digit may be used only once.
3. There must be an 8 in the tens place.
What is the greatest number Sonya could write by following the three rules?
- A. 9876
- B. 9786
- C. 8796
- D. 9867
For the next two questions, read the two selections in blue.
Betsy Brandon Meets the Betsy Brandon Meets the President
by M.V. Pollock
There was a flurry of excitement in the Brandon household early one morning in
1791. It was the day that General Washington, the president, was supposed to visit
Salisbury, North Carolina. For most of the people, it would be their only chance to
see anyone so important. Everybody planned to be there. Everybody, it seemed,
except fourteen-year-old Betsy, the oldest child of Squire Richard Brandon’s
family. Betsy had to stay at home to finish the chores.
“Ha! Betsy won’t get to see the president,” teased the younger children as they
climbed into the family buggy. Betsy tried to hide her disappointment as they rode
away.
But Betsy was not one to mope. She returned to the kitchen and washed the
breakfast dishes and swept the floor. Then she took her bonnet from the hook on
the back of the door. She was going outside to feed the chickens. But what was
that rumbling noise? It sounded like wheels, but not like those of her father’s
buggy. It seemed to come from the opposite direction.
Betsy hurried to the front door and peeked out. Her eyes grew wide. Coming
down the road that passed in front of the house was the most beautiful coach she
had ever seen. It was pale ivory and trimmed in gold.
As it came near, Betsy felt herself drawn down the pathway to get a better
view. The coach was decorated with elaborate scenes that reminded Betsy of the
four seasons. And it bore an impressive emblem, like a coat of arms.
Suddenly the driver pulled on the reins. “Whoa!” he said loudly. The ornate
harnesses tinkled musically as the four fine horses halted right in front of the gate
where Betsy stood.
Fearful, Betsy wanted to run, but she felt as if her feet were glued to the path.
The door of the coach opened, and a tall, handsome man in uniform stepped down.
He was almost as tall as her father. He tipped his hat and nodded in her direction.
Then another, even more handsome man stepped out. He was white haired and at
least six-feet-four. Surely they were men of importance on their way to Salisbury
to see the president.
“Good morning, miss,” said the white-haired man. His face was stern and
deeply lined, but his blue eyes were warm and friendly.
“Good morning, sir.” Betsy’s voice quavered when she spoke.
“Is your father home?”
“No, sir.”
“Is your mother home?”
As Betsy shook her head, her golden braids moved back and forth. “My family
all went to Salisbury to see the president,” she explained.
“Did you not wish to see the president, too?” The voice was kind.
“Oh yes, sir,” Betsy replied. “I wanted to see the president more than anything,
but I must stay here to do the chores.”
The two men exchanged amused glances. “If you will prepare breakfast for us,
I promise you will see the president before any of the others.”
Thinking that the president would soon pass by on his way to Salisbury, Betsy
hurried into the kitchen. She prepared a delicious breakfast, which the two men
seemed to enjoy.
They thanked her and prepared to leave. Betsy asked, “Sir, when my family
returns, to whom shall I say I served breakfast?”
The white-haired man climbed inside the coach. Leaning out the window he
smiled. “Just tell them you served breakfast to President Washington and his aide,”
he said. And the coach rolled away in clouds of dust.
Washington by Nancy Byrd Turner
He played by the river when he was young,
He raced with rabbits along the hills,
He fished for minnows, and climbed and swung,
And hooted back at the whippoorwills.1
Strong and slender and tall he grew —
And then, one morning, the bugles blew.
Over the hills the summons came,
Over the river’s shining rim.
He said that the bugles called his name,
He knew that his country needed him,
And he answered, “Coming!” and marched away
For many a night and many a day.
Perhaps when the marches were hot and long
He’d think of the river flowing by
Or, camping under the winter sky,
Would hear the whippoorwill’s far-off song.
Boy or soldier, in peace or strife,
He loved America all his life!
(10) Based on the story and the poem, how was Washington’s life as a child
different from Betsy Brandon’s life?
- A. Washington played by the river, but Betsy played at home.
- B. Washington practiced marching, but Betsy prepared tasty meals.
- C. Washington practiced birdcalls, but Betsy listened for passing coaches.
- D. Washington spent his days playing, but Betsy spent her days helping at home.
(11) Which event from the story FIRST prepares the reader for something
unexpected to happen?
- A. Betsy watched the family buggy leave.
- B. The coach stopped in front of the house.
- C. Betsy wondered what the rumbling noise was.
- D. People were excited about seeing an important man.
(12) Read this sentence from the story.
As it came near, Betsy felt herself drawn down the pathway to get a
better view.
In which sentence below does the word view have the same meaning as it
does in “Betsy Brandon Meets the President”?
- A. Direct your view to the second picture on the left.
- B. The report clearly states the writer’s point of view.
- C. The defense lawyer’s speech affected the judge’s view of the situation.
- D. The guests can get a view of the garden by looking out of the window.
(13) The author of the story describes Washington as having a face that is “stern
and deeply lined” and eyes that are “warm and friendly.” What does this lead
the reader to believe?
- A. Washington was always polite to others, even when he was worried.
- B. Washington’s experiences in life had made him tough, but he remained akind person.
- C. Washington was difficult to know because his looks were so different from his personality.
- D. Washington’s hardships as a soldier made him older than he really was, but he continued to serve his country.
(14) Read these lines from the poem “Washington.”
He said that the bugles called his name,
He knew that his country needed him,
The poet includes these lines to show that Washington
- A. heard the sounds of nature.
- B. wanted to travel the country.
- C. played a musical instrument.
- D. felt patriotic toward his country.
(15) Read these lines from the poem “Washington.”
Perhaps when the marches were hot and long
He’d think of the river flowing by
The poet includes these lines to suggest that whenever Washington felt weary
and tired, he would
- A. find shade by a river.
- B. cool himself in a river.
- C. change his travel route to follow a river.
- D. recall a childhood experience about a river.
That concludes our questions from last year’s actual fifth grade FCAT. Now it is time to grade yourself. Click here for the answer key.
Just so you know…we picked the “easier” multiple choice questions. We did not use the math questions, for instance, were you had to draw geometric figures or show and explain your work.
If you’d like to let us know how you did, click here to email news@northescambia.com
For the entire fifth grade reading FCAT, click here for the test, or click here for the test with answers.
For the entire fifth grade math FCAT, click here for the test, or click here for the test with answers.
Pictured above: Students at Carver/Century K-8 School just before taking the FCAT.