Classwork From Mystic Highland Academic Center Students

The following is a Literature report from a Mystic Highland student:

~”All men should strive before they die to learn what they are running from, and to, and why.”~

(From “The Shore and the Sea“)

Student response:

We should all apply the moral lesson learned from “The Shore and the Sea” because there would be no sense in living if we didn’t have anything to live for. I think everyone should have goals in their life and to seek after them. If you find out what you’re running from, you hopefully will stop running. If you figure out what you want to run to, hopefully, you’ll run fast. Figuring out why…you will accomplish your goals in life and you can maybe help others. You have to know what you’re reaching for or else you’ll probably never reach it.

Don’t be a bum! Life is worth living, make the most of it, because it only happens once.

The following is a Biology report from a Mystic Highland student:

Stage Two of Respiration Report

Biology Class

Cellular Respiration Stage Two: The Oxidation of Pyruvate

After the process called glycolysis, where a molecule of glucose gets converted to two three-carbon molecules of pyruvate, the second stage of cellular respiration begins. This stage is the oxidation of pyruvate.

Through decarboxylation, one of the three carbons of pyruvate is cleaved off. This carbon is expelled as CO₂ using a 72-unit complex of enzymes called pyruvate dehydrogenase, one of the largest enzymes known. The remaining two-carbon fragment is called an acetyl group. Since the carbon that was cleaved off used a hydrogen atom and two electrons to bond to the other two carbons, the hydrogen and electrons are left free. These are detached and used to reduce NAD⁺ to NADH.

The acetyl group meets with a cofactor called coenzymeA (CoA), thus forming acetyl-CoA. From here, the acetyl-CoA can be used to create an energy surplus or to produce ATP. Which of the two processes is initiated is determined by the levels of ATP in the cell. At high levels, the acetyl-CoA is channeled to the biosynthesis of fatty acid. At low levels, however, the acetyl-CoA is oxidized to produce ATP in the Krebs Cycle, the third state of cellular respiration.

The following are some stamps drawn by Mystic Highland students:

Skippir, the class pet, donated by a Junior High Science Student: