Day 5: Restaurant Review

Review of The Mixx
by Ethan

As you walk into The Mixx, you are greeted with a new music playlist and a large lounge, where you can sit down in a comfy chair and watch the news or a sports game. It does get crowded from 11:45-1:15 and 5:30-6:30. You walk up to the juice bar and examine the menu, then order your sandwiches, wraps, juices, and/or chocolaty desserts. 

I ordered a chocolate cookie and a fresh squeezed lemonade. Then, I went into the salad/soup line (honestly a little confusing), and ordered a pricey mini Hail Caesar Salad for $6.99, and I added grilled chicken for $2.50.

The service was OK. I got my lemonade five minutes later than I got my salad, and I was almost halfway done with it. Also, they must have made the lemonade incorrectly. My lemonade was so sour that I had to add 5 sugar packets to it!

My salad was amazing. It was the best Caesar salad I have ever had. It had earthy and refreshing lettuce and a flavorful dressing. The crunchy homemade croutons were perfect on top of the salad. 

My friends enjoyed the Country Club sandwich. It had bacon, turkey, ham, and fresh lettuce. "It was delicious; I was stuffed," Jude said.

The meal was a wonderful sensation for my taste buds, and I can't wait to go again. I'm glad that I got to write a review of The Mixx. 

Overall Rating: 4

Service: 3

Food: 4.5

Atmosphere: 4.5

Rating system: 1 = Bad, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Great, 5 = Excellent

Entrée Average: $ (it's cheap, but delicious)

$: under $10, $$: under $20,  $$$: under $30

Day 4: KCUR

Teacher’s note: On Thursday, students listened to podcasts and discussed the attributes that make professional podcasts successful. Then they created their own podcasts, focusing on a topic meaningful to them. Students practiced monitoring their volume, pitch, and speed to optimize their vocal deliveries. Here is Ethan's podcast:

Later that day, students toured KCUR studios in Kansas City. As their kind and knowledgeable host, Donna Vestal—director of content strategy—provided background information on public radio introduced the students to KCUR announcer Linda Sher. 

Director of Community Engagement Ron Jones then had each student record a promo for the popular KCUR program Up To Date. You can hear Ethan's promo below.

Day 3: KCPT

Teacher's Note: On Wednesday, students took a tour of the KCPT studios in Kansas City, learning what distinguishes public television from its commercial counterpart. With those differences in mind, each student wrote and directed a public service announcement. Here is Eric's.

Day 2: KU School of Journalism

MEDIA MANIA VISITS KU SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

LAWRENCE, Kan. — On Tuesday, June 7, seven campers and two teachers from Barstow's Media Mania camp rode in a van to Lawrence, Kan., to visit the Stauffer-Flint building, part of the KU School of Journalism.

There, students met Vicky Reyes and KU Academic Advisor Ashley Gomez, their tour guides. They started by visiting a building that was part of the School of Journalism. There, they saw a little about what it is like to be in college.

Next, the campers went to one of the seven libraries on campus. They saw the green screen room. Then, they decided to interview Mrs. Gomez and Ms. Reyes. 

"I love working at KU. I help students with social problems. I also give tours," Mrs. Gomez said. 

Ms. Reyes was on her second day on the job. She said that she is excited to work for KU. 

Camper Luke said, "I really enjoyed this tour," giving it an A rating.

Day 1: The Jungle Book Movie Review

Review of The Jungle Book

by Ethan P.

Disney's The Jungle Book is based on of stories by Rudyard Kipling. The movie grabs your attention during the first few minutes of the movie, when Mowgli (Neel Sethi) looks like he is running from something in the jungle, but he is just in a race with his pack of wolves and Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), the black panther. It is set in a drought, and the Peace Rock (a symbol of peace), is found under a dried up lake by Ikki (Garry Shandling) the porcupine. Meanwhile Mowgli and his pack are in danger.

Shere Khan (Idris Elba), a ruthless tiger, will stop at nothing to have Mowgli killed. Mowgli tells the leader of the wolf pack, Akela, (Giancarlo Esposito), and Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o), his "mother," that he must leave the pack to go to the man village, before anyone is harmed. He and Bagheera head to the man village, but get separated on the way. 

Mowgli is almost eaten by Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a giant python, but Baloo (Bill Murray), saves him. Baloo and Mowgli find Bagheera and head to the man village, but Mowgli is captured by monkeys who take him to King Louie (Christopher Walken), and Louie desperately wants the red flower (fire), but Mowgli can't make it. Baloo and Bagheera make a distraction, and Mowgli narrowly escapes after a foot race with Louie. Mowgli runs from them after finding out that Akela was killed by Shere Khan. 

This is a wonderful movie with great visual effects and graphics, but Mowgli's screams sound fake. I know that it's a movie, but it's acting. Also, the quick camera cuts were kind of wild. I got a headache from cameras shaking and quickly changing angles.

Overall, this is a great movie for families, and the director (Jon Favreau), and screenwriter (Justin Marks), did a wonderful job. I was not bored once; I hardly blinked because it was so intriguing! I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it for you to watch. 

Grade: A