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Skyrider

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Everything posted by Skyrider

  1. I figured out that if you eat at least six meals over the course of the season that you break even. Most of the meals are around $14 normally but that might be with a drink (not sure). I definitely received my monies worth, but I live very close to KI and sometimes would go up to KI just to eat a meal and go on a ride or two. It was a great savings for me and was so glad to see them offer it again next season. I might have only ate two meals in the same day once so the new 4 hour wait really won't effect me too much.
  2. Killmart has really stepped it up as the season has progressed. Just wish they would step up Delta Delta Die or get a new theme next year. How about a dollhouse theme instead? Where the dolls come to life each room is a different room of the dollhouse. This could be really creepy if done right.
  3. If eating outside the park there are many options right outside the park that are inexpensive compared to the prices inside the park (Taco Bell, McDonalds, Dairy Queen, and the new relocated Wendy's that moved near McDonalds that use to be by The Beach Waterpark. Down the road other options are Skyline Chili, Arby's, and Burger King. Friday night you cannot re-enter the park so eat before you go and on Saturday make sure to re-enter before The Haunt starts as others have already said.
  4. It is always interesting to me how they know that hands on is a great teaching tool to use but when it comes to high stake tests the students are not allowed to use them. Also students that have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are often expected to take the exact same assessment as students that are not on IEPs. Is this fair to the student and fair to evaluate the teacher on these test results? Two years from now they expect 100% of the students to pass these high stake tests--sometimes it seems like they think students are robots that can be programmed with knowledge. All of the worlds problems will be fixed by then I suppose, that have an affect on a child's education and their readiness to learn---I am all for accountability but 100% of the students--if not lets point our finger at the teacher. Poverty, truancy, and transient students (breaking up continuity in their educational program) all have negative affects on a child's education and teachers cannot control these factors.
  5. As an educator myself I appreciate the high regard that most of you have for teachers. I wish politicians would consult educators more often and get feedback from education professionals on the real issues before deciding on legislation regarding education matters. My personal opinion is that if we would intensify supports for a child in the beginning of their schooling that in the long run we would spent less money on education overall. When building a house don't you want the strongest foundation? Not that students are buildings, but they need a strong foundation to be more successful in the rigors of school. Schools can then make sure to intervene early on for students that are below grade level in reading and math. Many countries that outperform the USA focus intensively on reading and math skills in the early years. They make sure that each child can read and understand math on grade level. The common core standards was suppose to give more rigorous standards and make USA students more college ready. There is suppose to be more time to teach these more rigorous standards since there are less standards than before CC so that teachers could teach more in depth. I was lead to believe that I could teach more in depth and not have to scratch the surface on each standard, making sure students had a real mastery of the concepts. So what they did instead (politicians) is added more high stake testing throughout the year giving teachers less time to teach and expecting the students to perform better. I would personally would like to see year round school eventually with more breaks for students throughout the year instead of longer school days or added total number of days (except for student that have not shown mastery). Studies have been done about how much students lose over the long summer break--it is shocking. Have shorter cycle assessments instead of these hours long assessments and if a students hasn't mastered the concepts they would have a shorter break than other students that have mastered the concepts. It would provide motivation for the students to try their best (some students are not intrinsically motivated---especially if they do not have any successful role models in their life) and that would provide the smaller class size to provide additional interventions to those students struggling with the concepts and give them more time to learn. This idea that all students learn at the same rate is really misunderstood by many. Provide preschool for ALL students (not just the well to do and those that win a lottery to get their child in) from the local school district with very small class sizes and thus giving small student to teacher ratios. Have students demonstrate that they are ready for kindergarten and if not provide an additional year to get them ready (Kinder Ready). If we build that strong foundation from the beginning I believe we would help our students be more successful in school and in life.
  6. I'm talking about how students are taught to the test, primarily. I really feel like students are taught "nice to know" information rather than "need to know" information. I high school graduate knows how to diagram a sentence but doesn't learn how to file taxes. They can tell you about the themes of Beowulf but now how to prevent ruining their credit history before the age of 25. College is even worse. WAY too many gen ed classes that have nothing to do with your field of study. Of course, you have to pay for each class so it works well in their favor. For the record, I think the elimination of classes such as art and music is a travesty. Those sorts of disciplines improve skills in reading and math. They enrich society in ways that other things can not. Maybe it's a society thing rather than the responsibility of the schools, but I really feel as though too many people are misplaced in what they are doing. People mistake what they perceive as "easy" for themselves having talent. It's all too often that a person who is a poet should really have been a brick layer - or even worse, a brick layer who should have been a poet. My mom is a second grade teacher. The strategy of her entire school (essentially) is lesson - seat work - lesson - seat work, etc. Simply put, she has an hour to kill for each lesson. When the lesson is done you can't simply go on to the next lesson the same day. It would be an overload. There certainly is a value in reinforcing what is taught through seat work, but I truly believe that if they added hours to the school day it would just be more of this - without the added value. I really believe that teachers should get days off like anybody else. I'm not saying they shouldn't. But let's be frank - when a sub comes into a classroom, more often than not they are given instructions to give an assignment to the class they the students must do on their own. They're often not qualified to teach the lessons. So the students are either left with an assignment that they could have done at home (sacrificing valuable interactive classroom time) or left with more seat work. When I'm talking about review time, I'm talking about relearning what you had learned the previous day/month/or even year. I'm totally in favor of the teachers having a planning period. I just think that, although there is a great deal of value in review, it happens entirely too often. I, more so than most my age, will preach the value of education. I think that teachers are incredibly underpaid and undervalued for what they do. I really just think that adding more classroom time isn't the solution. It's going to be more of the same. They need to worry about the quality of education over the quantity of hours. How can they teach things in a way that opens new doors rather than being regurgitated in an essay. Teachers, more than anyone else, can tell you how things can be improved. They know more than anyone what works and what doesn't. They key to this is investing the time and money into the experience. Use technology to your advantage, talk about current events and how they relate to your history lesson, etc. Teachers are some of the most brilliant showmen I have ever seen and if you just give then the resources to mold their students then they can make a real difference. Slapping another hour on the school day and calling it a job well done is not the answer. As an educator myself I appreciate the high regard that you have for teachers. I wish politicians would consult educators more often and get feedback from education professionals on the real issues before deciding on legislation regarding education matters. My personal opinion is that if we would intensify supports for a child in the beginning of their schooling that in the long run we would spent less money on education overall. When building a house don't you want the strongest foundation? Not that students are buildings, but they need a strong foundation to be more successful in the rigors of school. Schools can then make sure to intervene early on for students that are below grade level in reading and math. Many countries that outperform the USA focus intensively on reading and math skills in the early years. They make sure that each child can read and understand math on grade level. The common core standards was suppose to give more rigorous standards and make USA students more college read. There is suppose to be more time to teach these more rigorous standards since there are less standards than before so that teachers could teach more in depth. I was lead to believe that I could teach more in depth and not have to scratch the surface on each standard, make sure that students had a real mastery of the concepts. So what they did instead (politicians) is added more high stake testing throughout the year giving teachers less time to teach and expecting the students to perform better. I would personally would like to see year round school eventually with more breaks for students throughout the year instead of longer school days or added total number of days. Studies have been done about how much students lose over the long summer break--it is shocking. Have shorter cycle assessments instead of these hours long assessments and if a students hasn't mastered the concepts they have a shorter break than other students that have mastered the concepts. It would provide motivation for the students to try their best (some students are not intrinsically motivated---especially if they do not have any successful role models close to them) and that would provide the smaller class size to provide additional interventions to those students struggling with the concepts. Provide preschool for ALL students (not just the well to do and those that win a lottery to get their child in) from the local school district with very small class sizes and thus giving small student to teacher ratios. Have students demonstrate that they are ready for kindergarten and if not provide an additional year to get them ready (Kinder Ready). If we build that strong foundation from the beginning I believe we would help our students be more successful in school and in life.
  7. I love going to Disney too but have never gone off season. I agree with everything you said about the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Car Ride. We had two Fast Passes for it and would never wait 2 hours for it. Nice ride but needs to be longer and an extra cave.
  8. Went late last night a little after 11 p.m. and by 12:00 a.m. most haunted attractions were walk on. My daughter and I got a lot in by 1 a.m. and even had a chance to stop in Skyline on International Street for a late night treat. You got to love the season long meal plan.
  9. I really feel like Killmart was retooled since the beginning of The Haunt. It is a lot better and they seemed to have added a lot more scare actors. It is a big improvement from the opening weekends of The Haunt. Now they really need to retool Delta Delta Die for next year or get a new theme that is better in my opinion.
  10. I know that many have suggested a Villains Park if they ever did do a 5th gate. It would have many thrill rides similar to Islands of Adventure and would help to get some of the thrill seekers market.
  11. Killmart has really improved since the first weekend of the Haunt. I went this past Saturday night and there was a group of teenage girls in back of me. Their screams were so loud I started to hold my ears. It was so funny as the scareactors just waited for them almost each and every time to jump out. Loud screams just made them the perfect target. I was laughing so hard and looking back to see when the were going to jump out next.
  12. Thanks for explaining about how these type of courses work. You would think Dollywood would have had the insight to know these things before they built it unless getting bad information from the manufacturer. Just glad they have kept Mystery Mine, it is fun and themed very well.
  13. It depends on what the item is and if Disney minds it being available to the public. The old iconic Disneyland sign was sold at auction, a celebrity purchased it and put it in his yard. When Disney closes a retail store at a mall the figures are destroyed. They also warehouse a ton of old items they think they might want again, and used to sell a ton of stuff to Surplus companies (no idea if they still do but the biggest stores seemed to have all gone out of business). There used to be a store near Orlando called Mouse Surplus which used to sell items from both Disney and Universal. Most of the items were from the Disney Hotels and you would find furniture from when a resort was last renovated. But they would also get items from the parks, including props, and even ride vehicles. I remember they had a monorail car, trains from space mountain etc. I think the company ended up going out of business though. I know the store closed. I was thinking Disney could have the museum or restaurant on their property and be in control of it. Over time it would be neat to see the technology and innovations the imagineers have made through the years.
  14. Their newest coaster (I forget the name) replaced itSent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk Yes they put in the Firechaser roller coaster. It just seems weird that they spent A LOT of money on Adventure Mountain (and it was very popular) to only replace it in a few years. Are they that landlocked that they couldn't just build Firechaser roller coaster somewhere else? There has to be more to this story!
  15. If KI is doing something more tame for 2015 something similar to Dollywood's Adventure Mountain would be nice. It was a ropes course that had different levels of difficulty and would be a nice family addition to Rivertown. Dollywood did mysteriously remove the attraction only after a couple of years although it seemed real popular so I am not sure why they removed it. If anyone knows the real story for its removal I am curious to know.
  16. Madam Fatale's Wax Museum is also very good. Its located in the former Crypt building (or cave). Also seeing Skeleton Crew is a fun show to watch.
  17. I heard that this time they trashed everything from SpectroMagic in dumpsters. Does anyone know if that is true? If so what a shame since it would cool if parts were in some type of Disney History Museum or themed restauarant as mentioned earlier in my post.
  18. Yesterday was the last day for the Maelstrom ride at Epcot's Norway pavilion as Disney converts it into a Frozen attraction. I wonder what will happen to the items that will not be used in the new Frozen ride that is planned to open in early 2016. Does anyone know what happens to items from closed Disney rides? It would be neat to have a Disney museum that had pieces of the closed rides with their history or even a themed restaurant similar to Planet Hollywood where they could be put on display. I bet it would be popular and another way for Disney to make some more money like they are doing especially with all the success from Frozen. What do others think?
  19. Did anyone who went to the meet up want to comment of what they thought was the scariest haunt? Before or after the rain?
  20. I would like to see more entertainment on the years that new major rides are not added. For example the extreme stunt show that they have at Cedar Pointe is really cool. They could build a new amphitheater somewhere in the park. Maybe past the WindSeeker by The Vortex or since they no longer use the action theatre maybe that could be the spot to build it. Urgent Scare would need a new home unless that is not coming back like Holiday Horror did this year.
  21. The All Season Dining Plan was a real bonus to the season. I am very glad that it will continue in 2015 and hope that the food offerings are not downgraded. It would be nice to offer a drink plan with it besides the refillable cup that you have to carry around.
  22. I have been in every haunt this year except for Wolf Pack and I would have to say Slaughterhouse is the scariest of them all. Last year I felt the Madam Fatal Wax Museum one was the scariest. I do miss Holiday Horrors although not very scary it was creative and fun when they had more scare actors in it. The Carnevil seems more like a funhouse than a haunted attraction and parts of it are dead (I mean no scare actors present in some areas). Overall it does seem like there are a lot less scare actors in the haunts this year. One haunt house review website (I forget which one) even had postings of the numbers of scare actors this year compared to last year based on the attraction and if true, some have been cut in the double digits. Slaughterhouse if I am correct added scare actors compared to last year. Is this just because it is early in the season for Haunt? or a cost savings measure? Do they ever have the marketing department give surveys to guest like you sometimes see outside the gate about the different haunts or themes people would like to see? On Friday I was in Club Blood and in front of our group it looked like three supervisors were looking at things and pointing to things (such as a light out in the maze, etc.). I wondered if they were evaluating the attraction on its scare factor. A group leaving the park said to us "Does it seem like The Haunt isn't scary this year at all." They were teenage girls which seem to be targeted more by scare actors than other guests overall in the park. The parking lot also had open spots on a Saturday night at 11pm when I was picking up my daughter and her friends. I thought I remember it being a lot more crowded on Saturday nights like almost impossible to get a parking spot. Does anyone know if they change things up as the Haunt progresses and will they have more scare actors as The Haunt goes on. Please don't get me wrong I like the atmosphere of The Haunt and still think its fun but I do hope the scare factor goes up. Sometimes I feel it would be ok to keeps some of the same haunt themes year after year but it would at least be nice if they made SOME changes or additions to them. Reloading the attractions like they did with Slaughterhouse would be great. What do others think?
  23. Wanted to do a poll on the scariest haunt this year. Which do you find the scariest?
  24. I also miss the 80s when there was still the Animal Safari that you paid an extra $1 to ride and Timberwolf that had well known performers. Season pass holders could buy concerts tickets for $6. I remember standing outside the main gate in long lines where season pass orders are taken now and buying tickets to several concerts such as Men at Work, Huey Lewis and the News, Thompson Twins, and Weird Al. Then came Riverbend and we all know what happened shortly after that. International Street was truly international and has shops inspired by different countries including a Paris inspired bakery across from the Eiffel Tower. There was also two levels to the Eiffel Tower including lower level that you could walk up stairs to. I think the show your family might have liked to watch was Celebration. It was almost a hour long and had songs like "Singing in the Rain" and Flashdance." The last song was "Celebrate Good Times" by Kool and the Gang. It lasted several seasons because it was very popular and of very high quality. It played in the theatre that had Cirque this summer.
  25. Just a reminder the Run and Ride is this Sunday Sept. 28th and there is a 5K and Half Marathon. If anyone here is a runner or would want to volunteer it should be a fun time. If interested you can still participate as it is listed under Things to Do tab on www.visitkingsisland.com. Last night I volunteered with the Glow Run and it was a lot of fun. The runners were all deck out in their GLOW attire and the runners got to run a behind the scenes course around many of the major attractions of the park. I had the cool experience of being by The Beast close by to the first drop and lift hill to the slant going into the final tunnels of the ride. It was cool when the fog machines were turned on as I saw the fog lifting around the base of The Beast. I was stationed close to the 2 mile marker and their was a HUGE hill the runners had to go down and back up before getting to the finish line in Soak City. Some behind the scenes areas are quite hilly which surprised me a bit since the regular part of the park seems mainly flat. It should be great weather on Sunday so come out to Kings Island and run the 5K, Half Marathon, or volunteer.
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