Last August, our district recorded nine school days over 100 degrees. Some campuses have shade trees, but many students still wait on bare concrete for dismissal. A proposal before the school board would build shade structures over pickup areas and a few outdoor learning spaces. Supporters argue that shaded zones lower surface temperatures, reduce heat-related headaches, and make recess safer. They point to a neighboring district that reported fewer nurse visits after installing canopies. Critics worry about the cost, estimated at $250,000 per campus, and whether storms could damage the structures. They suggest planting more trees instead, though trees take years to grow. The board also notes that maintenance funds are limited this year because of roof repairs. At the next meeting, the board will vote on a pilot at two middle schools and gather data on student comfort and attendance. Community members are invited to speak for two minutes each.

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Rain that falls on hillsides doesn't just vanish; it flows downhill, gathers in rivulets, and joins creeks that feed a larger watershed. A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains to the same place, such as a river, lake, or bay. Because water carries whatever it touches, the condition of a watershed affects drinking water, fisheries, and flood risk. When soils are healthy, they soak up rain like a sponge, slowing runoff. When land is paved, water speeds across the surface, picking up oil, fertilizers, and trash. Cities use tools like rain gardens, detention ponds, and permeable pavement to manage stormwater. Farmers plant cover crops and buffer strips to keep soil in place. Scientists monitor watersheds by measuring stream flow, testing for pollutants, and mapping land use. During heavy storms, data helps officials decide when to open floodgates or issue warnings. Everyone who lives in a watershed—which is everyone—plays a role in keeping it healthy.

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On an April evening along a Hill Country highway, the fields on either side ripple with bluebonnets. From the window, the flowers look like a rolling sea, deep blue brushed with white. Mesquite shadows stretch long across limestone and caliche, and a wind carries the faint sweetness of clover. A hawk hangs over the ditch, patient as a kite, while cars drift past with their windows down. Somewhere beyond the fence, cattle shuffle, bells clinking softly. The sun slides lower, turning the sky the color of peach skin, and the bluebonnets glow as if lit from inside. A child on the shoulder kneels carefully, searching for a spot without cactus spines, and smiles when a ladybug lifts its red shell. The moment is brief; the blooms will fade in weeks, and the heat will press down again. But for now, the land seems to breathe, and the road unwinds like a ribbon through the flowers.

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Several research groups have urged districts to start middle and high schools later, arguing that adolescents' internal clocks shift after puberty. According to sleep scientists, most teens naturally fall asleep later and need about nine hours of rest. When schools begin before sunrise, students report grogginess, slower reaction times, and more tardiness. One study found increased first-period grades and fewer car crashes in a district that moved its start to 8:45. However, changing schedules has costs. Bus routes must be redesigned, athletic practices end later, and some families rely on older siblings to watch younger children after school. Coaches worry that later games could push homework past dinner. A few teachers say earlier starts encourage good habits and that teens should simply go to bed. Others counter that homework loads and evening activities make that unrealistic. A nearby district plans a one-year trial with two campuses, tracking grades, attendance, and after-school conflicts before deciding whether to expand the change.

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Many middle schools are considering moving the first bell from 7:30 to 8:45. Supporters cite sleep research showing adolescents' circadian rhythms shift later, making early mornings biologically difficult. In districts that pushed back start times, attendance rose and tardies fell, while nurses reported fewer visits for headaches. Opponents worry about bus routes, after-school jobs, and athletics, arguing that later dismissal squeezes daylight practice. Some families depend on older siblings to supervise younger children after school; a later schedule could upend that routine. A compromise proposes staggering times and expanding tutoring before school. But skeptics question whether students will actually sleep more—or just stay up later. The school board plans to survey parents and analyze transportation costs before its vote. In the meantime, students say the current schedule leaves them yawning in first period and cramming homework late into the night. Whether the change is worth the logistical shuffle depends on which outcomes the community values most: health, budget, or tradition.

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Drive through West Texas and the horizon bristles with wind turbines. In 2023, wind produced a significant share of Texas electricity, sometimes outpacing coal on breezy nights. Advocates celebrate cleaner air, lease payments that diversify ranchers' income, and the boom in technician jobs. Yet the system is patchy. Wind peaks when demand does not always—gusty spring nights versus sweltering August afternoons—so transmission lines must carry power hundreds of miles to cities, and backup sources fill gaps. Critics point to wildlife collisions and the visual footprint across once-empty plains. The grid operator is investing in new lines and forecasting tools, but those projects take years and face local approval. Meanwhile, some communities form agreements to limit turbine placement near homes or scenic routes. The larger question is not whether wind 'works' but how it fits in a balanced mix that keeps lights on during heat waves and freezes. Texans, used to big skies and big ideas, are debating how to capture the wind without losing what they love about the land.

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By late afternoon, the air held its breath. Grass bowed in one direction, then the other, like a crowd deciding whether to cheer or run. Far off, a dark shelf cloud rolled over the open plain, its underside bruised purple. Lightning stitched bright seams along the horizon, soundless at first, then cracking the sky wide. The scent of dust and rain rose together—tin roofs, warm earth, the sudden cold of shade. A windmill spun faster, clacking like a toy that had remembered it was a machine. When the first drops fell, they were fat enough to leave temporary coins on the caliche road. A stray dog trotted to the porch, shook himself, and peered out as if the storm might knock and ask to be let in. In the brief green light before the downpour, every pebble and mesquite thorn sharpened. Then the rain came on with a roar, erasing tracks, softening edges, making the whole world, for a while, a single humming space.

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On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston and announced that enslaved people in Texas were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The delay stemmed from the Civil War's slow communication and the resistance of slaveholders who moved west to avoid enforcement. In the years that followed, Black Texans marked June 19—Juneteenth—with church picnics, parades, and readings of the order, weaving celebration with remembrance. Over time, segregation limited public spaces, so communities bought 'emancipation grounds' where they could gather. The tradition spread as families moved, carrying the date and its meanings with them. Some argue that making Juneteenth a holiday risks flattening its history into a day off; others see official recognition as a chance to teach and reflect. Museums in Texas now host exhibits, and volunteers record elders' stories. Juneteenth is both a specific event in Galveston and an ongoing practice: telling the truth about freedom delayed, and deciding how to honor it together.

Which student response demonstrates the most meaningful interaction with this historical text through annotation and structured notes?