Edition 3 - Second Semester
Post date: Mar 12, 2017 10:09:09 PM
The Fun of St.Patrick’s
Tana S. & Lydia L.
March 17th is the day many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is named after Maewyn Succat because he became a bishop, and after his death he was named Ireland’s patron saint. The first recorded St. Patrick's day parade was held not in Ireland, but in New York city in 1767. Celebrations in America concentrates on Irish themed parties, drinks, and food. Most people celebrate it by having festivals, parades, parties, and a lot more. The shamrock is the most common symbol. The shamrock is the leaf of a clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Any other symbols are pretty much anything that is green.
Ethan S., a student at Monroeville said, “On St. Patrick’s Day I search for leprechauns with my family, and I also wear green. I think of leprechauns and the color green when I hear the word St. Patrick’s Day.”
Kadon M. stated, “On St. Patrick’s Day I dress in green and go to parties. When I hear the word St. Patrick’s Day, I think of Irish people, lucky charms, and a four leaf clover.”
Mr. Boltz, a teacher at Monroeville High School indicated, “I like St. Patrick’s day and on this day I eat corn beef sandwiches.”
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the globe. Many people get into the spirit by dressing in green clothing and eating green colored foods. On St. Patrick's Day, the best meal they could afford was corn beef and cabbage. Corn beef and cabbage is an Irish American dish. Irish Americans were so poor they could not afford certain meals. It became a staple for the holiday. St. Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. Schools, businesses, and organizations are open as usual.
Therefore, many people really enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.
Video Games- Positives and Negatives
Toby T. & Kaleigh S.
Video games can have both negative and positive effects on people. Different people have their own opinions on video games, whether they’re violent or not. Studies show that violent video games can increase a more violent attitude, and also can be seen as a positive.
The negatives of video games, according to Momjunction, is that violent video games increase more aggressive behavior. They also said, “Video games can teach people wrong values and can result in poor academic performance.” This quote means that if someone plays a violent game, it could influence them to be more violent.
The New York Times states, The young men who opened fire at the Columbine High School in Colorado, and at the movie theater all had something in common. They were all video gamers who seemed to be acting out of some dark digital fantasy, and it was all of the exposure to computerized violence that gave them the idea to go on a rampage.
Kady R. said, “Video games have a negative effect on people, because they spend too much time on the game when they could be with their family. Video games make people less social because they don’t really talk to people.”
Dillon P. stated, “Videogames are good because it can be great hand-eye coordination. Also, video games can improve math skills, but it makes people less social.”
According to Isabella G., “Video games are good because they stimulate the brain. It depends on what game the person plays whether it’s negative or positive. Also, it may not really help skills.”
According to Symptonfind.com the positive effects of video games are hand eye coordination, social skills, improved learning ability, and teamwork. These positive effects can help the human learn new skills and help improve social skills. Another positive effect is physical activity, such as dancing or playing a guitar in some games. Playing video games can help strengthen cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory, and perception. This is particularly true in shooting games that are often violent, according to Psychcentral.com.
The negative effects of video games depends on how long you play the game, what type of game it is, and if the game can help you learn or gain skills.
All About the Fitbit
Melana A. & Alyssa E.
In 2007, Fitbit founders, Eric Friedman and James Park, realized that sensors and wireless technology had advanced to a point where they could bring amazing experiences to the fitness and health world. After some thinking, they set on a journey to create a wearable product that would change the way people moved. The mission when creating this product was to empower and inspire people to live a more active and healthy lifestyle.
The Fitbit founders thought creating challenges on the app would motivate people to be more active by challenging their friends. You can challenge your friends to see you can take the most steps in a weekend. They knew tracking sleep had to be convenient and insight had to be easier to understand. James and Eric made sure the technology wouldn’t drain the battery overnight.
When it comes to reaching a person’s fitness goals, steps are just the beginning. It tracks every part of a person's day; including the activity, exercise, weight, steps, heartbeat, and how much sleep people get. A person can also pair their Fitbit to an app on their phone. The benefits to the Fitbit app are people can see things on the app that people can’t see on your Fitbit itself. Another advantage to the app is people can set goals to reach through the day and challenging friends for a bit of motivation.
Gavin H. says, “I like Fitbits because it keeps track of exercise and how fit people are.”
Grace C. stated, “I think Fitbits are a good way to track the exercise people complete.”
There are many pros and cons of having a Fitbit. A few reasons why the Fitbit is good is because it is a great motivator, people can challenge friends, and it is so much fun. There are endless colors, designs, and patterns for the bands.
There are a few bad things about the Fitbit as well. The Fitbit must connect with a smartphone or computer. Some people complain about this because it is irritating to them because it disconnects sometimes.
Overall, Fitbits are very useful for tracking exercise.
Jimmy John’s and Subway-Which is Better
Olivia S., Lily S., & Zenna B.
Did you know that Jimmy John's was going to become a hot dog stand, but is now one of the greatest sub shops? What about that there are 40,000 Subway restaurants, 24,000 of them in the United States? Which one’s better?
Subway and Jimmy John’s have a lot of differences. First, Subway has a better variety of toppings including lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onion, meat, and condiments. When people are at Jimmy John’s, they cannot pick the toppings they want. Say someone wants an Italian Sub. They aren’t allowed to say, “I would like lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions.” Lastly, at Subway, they warm the customers sub.
However, they have similarities. Jimmy John's has Italian subs, and Subway also has the Italian sub. Both restaurants are kind of high in calories. A sub from Subway is around 784 calories and a sub from Jimmy John’s is around 662 calories. Lastly, both sub shops “brag” about fresh ingredients and healthy subs. Subway’s slogan is “Eat Fresh” saying that they have fresh, healthy subs. It also puts out that when a person eats there, they will have a healthy meal. Jimmy John’s “brags” about their fresh bread. However, on the Jimmy John’s website, people can make their meal, adding cheese and condiments, even your soda, and chips.They can get the total calorie count and other important values. On Subway’s website, they can also do that.
Three Monroeville Junior High students were asked which sub shop they preferred and why; they were also asked what sub is their favorite.
Caleb W. said, “I prefer Subway, because it has more meats and it tastes better. My favorite sub is the Meatball.”
“I think subway is the best because of the variety they have. My favorite sub is the Chicken Bacon Ranch,” said Brayden S.
Jennie H. said, “I like Subway best because they warm the sub and it tastes better. My favorite sub from Subway is the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki.”
Subway and Jimmy John’s are both very delicious sub shops, and both have many fans. However, they both have similarities including, the types of subs, and calories. They also have differences including making meals online, and the way they make them. Which one is your favorite?
Microsoft-Then and Now
Braylee W. & Kylee B.
Who started Microsoft? Microsoft was first founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Paul Allen and Bill Gates were total computer geeks when computers were hard to find. Allen and Gates skipped many classes to go in the computer room to hack the computer system. They first ran their own company called Traf-O-Data and sold computers to the city of Seattle.
In 1975, Paul Allen read an article about the Altair 8800 microcomputer in Popular Electronics magazine. Bill Gates called the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), the makers of Altair, and offered his and Paul Allen's help to write a new version of Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC). Allen and Gates were able to show their program to MITS, who agreed to market the product under the name of Altair BASIC. The deal inspired Gates and Allen to make their own software company. Microsoft was started on April 4, 1975 with Bill Gates as the CEO.
Where did the name come from? Well on July 29, 1975 Bill Gates used the name “Micro-soft” in a letter to Paul referring to their partnership. The name was registered with the Secretary of State of New Mexico on November 26, 1976.
In 2015 Microsoft was the largest software company world wide. They have recently working on the Surface Book 17. They will release it in November of 2017 and its cost in around $2,399. There's also a Surface Dial that will also come out in November of 2017. They will cost around $100.
Allen and Gates are very talented men because of their accomplishments on making Microsoft.
The Past Faces of The NFL
Zach H. & Hunter V.
There are very many good NFL teams, but the 1985 Chicago Bears have the best record their record was 15-1, and the best linebacker squad. Their middle linebacker was Mike Singletary, one of the most powerful hitters. Their left linebacker was Otis Wilson; he was 6 foot 2 and they were a very powerful duo, they both were very hard hitters. The right linebacker was Wilber Marshall; he was also a run stopper, but more of a quarterback rusher.
The coach for the Bears was Mike Ditka. He was a head coach for the Bears, and he was a smart coach. Mike Ditka had a very good relationship with Walter Payton, the running back who also played quarterback for his secondary position.
William Perry was a huge player that played defense of tackle and was as big as a fridge. All of his fans and his teammates also his coaches called him Refrigerator. If any one got in his way, he would run right through them especially the quarterback.
According to Ian S., “I think the best team ever is the Patriots, because they won the most Super Bowls and their best player is Julian Edelman.”
The New England Patriots went 14-2 this year and were Super Bowl 51 champions. They are lead by the best quarterback Tom Brady. Tom Brady has played in six Super Bowls and have won four of them and all four he was the MVP. Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time.
There are many people that have different opinions and think other teams are better. The Bears had a better record, but the Patriots have won more Super Bowls.
United States Marine Corps
Justin C. & Tyler M.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) are willing to risk their life for a safer, happier, and more secure country. The USMC was founded on November 10, 1775 by Captain Samuel Nicholas during the Revolutionary War, to form a stronger group of trained units to fight ship to ship. The training to become a Marine is much harder compared to what you do in the National Guard to endure because of the fact that they are going to be going into combat in a small unit. The Marines wield the most advanced technology today; tanks with “composite armor” consisting of layers and depleted uranium rounds with 50 caliber machine guns. The Marines get access to an almost unlimited supply of ammunition for the most advanced guns like the SCAR-H, AR-15, M16 assault rifles, M4A1 carbines, and M27 automatics.
There are many opinions about the Marines. Some students were asked how they felt about the Marines, and what they think the jobs are like.
Michael L. stated, “They are boss because they save the country and are the first ones in battle.”
Xander M. explains, “The way I feel about them is that they are amazing because they risk their life every day for us.”
Cody S. said, “I think they are awesome because they got the best technology to protect our country.”
The United States Marines Corps requires honor, courage, fearlessness, and self esteem.
