Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Morris Classical Academy!

The Southeast

The southeast states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Many of the states' capitals are in a line known as the "Fall Line." The Fall Line is a region between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Appalachian Mountains. It is also home to many waterfalls, hence the name "Fall Line." The capitals are there because throughout history, people have used the power of running water to make things. At first, the towns were small, but as more people came to work in mills, other workers followed, such as doctors, teachers, and tailors. Small town turned into big cities.

One of the southern sates, North Carolina is a leading producer of phosphates, used in fertilizer, and the leading producer of furniture and tobacco. Like New Jersey, North Carolina also has barrier islands that protect the mainland from high waves and storms. On one of those barrier islands, in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the world's first airplane at Kitty Hawk.

The southern states are quite warm, and I recommend you go there in the winter.

Solar Powered Ice!

I recently found out that my local skating rink, plus other nearby schools and buildings, are going to use solar energy! When I went to my rink to check it out, it was huge! These panels are over 10 high in the air over the parking lot. The news says that these panels will only make 1/3 of the rink's electricity. On the bright side, they won't spend as much on power as they used to, which was $75,000 per month.

The rink's panels will be photovoltaic, which means they produce electricity from light. When light photons strike the photovoltaic cells, electrons are bonked out of position on the front of the cells. Electrons from the backs of the cells will rush in to fill the holes left by the bonked electrons. This flow of electrons is what produces electric current. The electric current from the panels is direct current, and has to go through an inverter and be turned into alternating current before it is used.

Solar energy is a great way to make electricity instead of fossil fuels.

New England

New England is made of six states. They are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New England is big in industry but also in things like produce and lumber. There are also many historical sites to see in New England.

One of the many historical sites you can see is Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Mystic Seaport recreates the 1820 whaling port. At Mystic, there are shops, craftsmen, and even the last real live whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan. You can climb aboard the ship and learn about it.

Another great place to visit is Boston. Boston is the capital of Massachusetts and the biggest city in the state. The city is a mix of old buildings and new. Its biggest industry is electronics and education, with 47 colleges and universities. One of the colleges, Harvard, the oldest university in the United States, was founded in 1656!

New England is a great place to go on vacation and I hope I can visit it someday.