The Week of december 16, 2019

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Top Stories

2010's in review

By: Anthony

Wow! It’s super crazy that we’re almost out of the decade. I’m sure the 2020’s will be great, but 2010 to 2019 were such revolutionary years in our history. So, let’s put our nostalgia glasses on and take a trip down memory lane.

Video Games

Let's say you just got home from a long day of school and you just got on to your games console. If you were a true 2010’s gamer, some of the ideal consoles would be the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, DS, 3DS, Xbox One, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch. Some of the most popular games were Minecraft, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Maker, Fortnite, Halo, Pokemon Black and White, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Wii Sports Resort, Marvel’s Spider Man, PUBG, and Just Dance.

If you were more of a mobile gamer, there was Candy Crush, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, Minecraft Pocket Edition, Fortnite Mobile, PUBG Mobile, FNAF, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Pokèmon Go.

Movies and TV

It was a huge decade for TV, too, including the watch people watch it. Streaming options became the norm this decade, with YouTube, Netflix and Disney Plus starting to take over. Some of your options would be Henry Danger, Thunderman, Jessie, Austin and Ally, Kickin’ It, Lab Rats, Ant Farm, The Flash, and of course Stranger Things.

Let’s say you wanted to watch some cartoons. Some of them are Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Wander over Yonder, Loud House, and Steven Universe.

What about the movies? If you were a true 2010's kid, some of the greatest movies of the decade were Infinity War, Endgame, Lego Movie, Toy Story 3 and 4, Incredibles 2, Star Wars The Force Awakens (because in my opinion episode 8 is bad), Inside Out, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, all of the MCU films released in the 2010’s, and How to Train Your Dragon series.

Tech

The 2010’s were also such a revolutionary year in technology. And probably the biggest part of tech in the 2010’s were how phones were becoming much more advanced. The most popular phones at the time were the long line of iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, Samsung Note phones, and Google phones. But there were also some amazing laptops like the MacBook Air, Microsoft Surface, and Lenovo Legion. And last but not least, some of the best tablets were the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

Internet

The internet was a huge part of this decade and really revolutionized our daily lives. First off, YouTube. Some of the best content creators of the 2010’s were Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Game Grubs, Smosh, Ryan Higa, Ray William Johnson, Mr Beast, Captain Sparklez and of course the king of YouTube, PewDiePie. But some of the other app’s you’d use on a daily basis were Vine (R.I.P), Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Twitch. And lastly, a big part of this decade, memes. Some of the best memes were Nyan Cat, Gabe the Dog, Grumpy Cat, Doge, Big Chungus, Pepe the frog, Wii Sports Resort Song, and of course, Yeet!

Toys

Toys. They’re part of every kid’s childhood. And some of the best toys of the decade were fidget spinners, Hatchimals, Orbeez, Fidget cubes, and Squishies

Music

Music was also a big part of this decade. Some of the best songs were Despacito, Old Town Road, Firework, Shake it Off, Rap God, Girls Like You, Shape of You, Havana, Can’t Stop the Feeling, Cheap Thrills, Sorry, Baby, Call Me Maybe, Finesse, and Hello. And the top artists were Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Camilla Cabello, Adele, Lil Nas X, Drake, Jonas Brothers, Bruno Mars, and Maroon 5.

Deaths

Even though the 2010’s were a great decade, this section is dedicated to some amazing people we lost. Steve Jobs was the reason we have iPads and iPhones, and MacBooks, and he died in 2011. Steven Hillenburg created the sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea. We lost him in 2018. Spiderman, Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America are so iconic because of Stan Lee. He died in 2018 too. Steven Hawking could probably go up against Albert Einstein as one of the smartest people ever. He also died in 2018. “Aren’t you a little too short for a stormtrooper,” Carrie Fisher's quote as Princess Leia in Star Wars. She died in 2016. Robin Williams was an awesome comedian in movies such as Alladin and Mrs. Doubtfire. He died in 2014. Even though they’re gone though, they won’t be forgotten. Some other notable deaths in entertainment were Prince, Tom Petty, and David Bowie.

So there you have it! The 2010’s recap. See you in 2020!

2019 RECAP

By: Blake

Well, it's been another year. The last year of the decade. What a year it's been, though. Warning: Prepare for nostalgia. Here we go!

Back in January, we partied all night, celebrating the new year. Five days later, Cody Parkey double-doinked an easy field goal to put the Bears out of the playoffs.

In February, the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LII. On February 11, the 61st annual Grammy Awards were given out. Some winners were Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran. 13 days later, the 91st annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) were awarded.

One month later, in March, Brexit was held back. On March 3, SpaceX’s spaceships dock successfully at the International Space Station. Seventy two hours later, LeBron James scored his 32,293 point, making him the fourth-best overall scorer in NBA history. On March 15, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg wows the world with her speech on climate change. Five days later, Disney bought Fox for 71 BILLION dollars! That’s more than Bill Gates! And then sadly, 10 days later, Swedish YouTuber PewDiePi was overtaken by T-Series (They’re fake because they sub bought!) as the most subscribed YouTube channel (sad PewDiePie Memoji).

Ten days later, (April 10th) the first ever photograph of a black hole was taken. Four days later, Tiger Woods won his 5th Masters’ Tournament. The next day, the Notre Dame Cathedral burned down😞. However, on April 22, Avengers Endgame came out in theaters. And sometime in April, the one and only, the man, the myth, the legend Zaire Martin returned from Arkansas!

In May 2019, in honor of its 50th anniversary, New York officially named a street “Sesame Street” on May 1st. Four days later it was Cinco de Mayo. As you can see, May was not that interesting of a month.

On June 6, students rushed out of Hoffman as summer officially started. Five days later, Toy Story 4 came out. 24 hours later, the Saint Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup. June 13- the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. And on June 30, the Brooklyn Nets signed Kyrie Irving.

On July 4, we celebrated our country’s 243rd year of independence with cookouts, parades, and fireworks shows. On July 6, the Los Angeles Clippers signed NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The next day, the US Womens’ soccer team won the world cup for the second time in a row. Eight days later, Novak Djoković won Wimbledon.

One month later, record numbers of fires burning in the Amazon were reported. So far an area 6 times the size of NYC have burned😧. On the bright side, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was named the highest paid actor, earning a whopping $89.4 MILLION dollars! On August 23, kids came back to begin the 2019-2020 school year. Well, at least at Hoffman we did. On the 28th, the discovery of an ancient human skull dating back 3.8 million years was found!

September started off badly with Hurricane Dorian making landfall in the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 Hurricane. That’s even bigger than Hurricane Katrina. On September 20, the internet meme of raiding Area 51 commenced, as YouTubers and memers went to the base to find aliens👽.

On October 30, the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros in seven games to win the 2019 World Series. And on the next day, people went door to door in costumes for Halloween. This year was wacky, because it SNOWED. In October!

The next day it was November. On November 7, humans first walked upright 12 million years ago. Five days later, Disney released streaming service Disney+. The next day, Venice, Italy was hit with record flooding. Also on the 13th, Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry process began in D.C. On the 28th, people across America gave thanks and stuffed themselves.

In the final month of the year, the 70th anniversary of NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization came around as world leaders met at Buckingham Palace. On the 11th, Greta Thunberg is named Time Magazine Person of the Year, the youngest ever. On December 23rd, people will begin celebrating Hanukkah, lighting the nine candled menorah three days after the two-week long winter break begins. Two days later, Christmas will be celebrated. December 31st will bring in the New Year, and that’ll be it for 2019.

This year was a good one indeed. With hit songs like Old Town Road, I Don’t Care, Seven Rings, and Eastside coming out, and many memes made, and the end and start of two school years, I have a feeling 2020 won’t be bad, either.

impeachment: a brief update

By: Anthony

Over the past couple of months, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have been building a case to impeach President Donald Trump. If you want to read about the impeachment process, read Lexi’s article from last week.

It all started in July, when President Trump was on the phone with Ukrainian President Zelinsky to help dig up dirt on the potential Democratic representative for the 2020 election, and former vice president, Joe Biden. Democrats are seeing this as the president abusing his power to win against a political rival, but Republicans aren’t.

Over the past month there have been many hearings from people who witnessed the phone call.

As the days go by, more and more people want Trump to be kicked out of office, and if he does then vice president Mike Pence will become the new president. As of today, 47.3% of Americans support impeachment (source: 538.com). See above for more polls about impeachment.

Despite this, it doesn’t look like it will happen. While the House is done with the impeachment, they now have to pass it onto a Senate, where most of the senators are Republicans, to hold a trial.

We will learn more in the new year, in what will lead up to a very interesting election.

school news

5th Grade Musical

By: Lucy, Sydney, Brielle

And the 5th grade musicals are…

...coming up soon!

The 5th graders have recently learned the musicals and they are mad out of their hats! You might think this is SO suspenseful, but if you're a detective, you will figure it out.

After this brief article, you should have more of an understanding of what will be happening with the musicals. You may think that us ladies are being unfair, but it is part of the job of being in the musical (which one, we do not know).

We went to the fine arts teachers to get their opinions:

Mr. Banas

What do you think of the musicals?

I think they are all really great and fun. If I didn't, I wouldn't have picked them.

What was your favorite musical last year?

Oh that is tough, but probably Willy Wonka because it was very fun to work on.

Were there any you knew you wanted to do?

Ms. Cone had a few last year that we pushed to now.

How long have you and the other teachers been working on this?

We were starting to pick them last May.

What is the best musical you have ever done?

It wasn’t my favorite, but my most memorable was at my other school; it was The Wizard of Oz!

Ms. Cone

What do you think of the musicals?

I really like the variety of characters, overall message and inclusion of diversity within each musical.

What was your favorite musical last year?

Each musical scene really had a special moment: Mary Poppins had such a great character dialect, Newsies had incredible ensemble work and great choreography, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had such theatrical dialogue and character development and Coco had such a heartfelt message, beautiful costuming and stage makeup.

How long do you and the other teacher's work on this?

The entire Fine Arts team works at least a solid 5 months on prep work, auditions, casting, gathering parental support, the technical and backstage process, rehearsals and performances

What is the best musical you have ever done?

I loved when we directed Annie Jr. It was non stop movement and so much depth, humor and hard work.

How long does it take you to teach one of the scenes?

A scene has a lot of parts: For this age at least 3 to 4 months. Think about all this that has to be considered in a theatrical scene!

Ms. Schober

What do you think of the musicals?

I love doing the musicals. I like that we do four different musicals so it gives each class an opportunity to present something different. I like that all the fine arts works on it. It's a unique experience

What was your favorite musical last year?

Oh boy, what did we have...Mary Poppins, Newsies, Coco, Willy Wonka. I don't think I have a favorite. I think they are all different.

How long have you and the other teachers been doing musicals?

I have been doing it for all seven years I've been here.

How long does it take your students to paint a board?

It's a 10 to 12 week project, beginning to end.

What was your favorite board painted?

I liked Annie; they got to do a fake marble finish.

What is the worst thing about the musicals?

Painting the boards can be tough, but it also requires the students to be independent which is good.

What will the 5th Grade musicals be this year? Stay tuned to find out!

Bracelets for animals

By: Nicole and Ellie

Would you like to help protect an endangered animal?

Why?

By purchasing a bracelet, you will donate a bit of money to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to protect a certain animal (Arctic fox, blue whale, black-footed cat, ect.).

When?

Today to THIS FRIDAY! So, order them quickly if you want one! Each bracelet you order is handmade by a student in Ms. Finer’s class.

How?

By filling out an order form, you will get one of the handmade bracelets. The order forms are given out by Ms. Finer’s students. You have to fill them out, and then give them to Ms. Finer.

So, order a bracelet today, and you will have a handmade bracelet, and you will have helped to protect an animal!

Hoffman's Exciting Field Trips

By: Keira

From ‘Feed My Starving Children’ to ‘Medieval Times, Hoffman has had awesome field trips!

Interview with Caleb (Medieval Times)

Keira: What was your favorite part of going there?

Caleb: When they were introducing the knights, that was cool, and the jousting.

Keira: What was so special about it?

Caleb: Well they fight good and stuff. They used different kinds of weapons. Their shields were amazing and their swords made sparks.

Keira: Did your team win?

Caleb: Ah, no.

Keira: Ok, which team did win?

Caleb: The green team.

Keira: What was your favorite food?

Caleb: The chicken was SO good.

Keira: What was your least favorite part of it?

Caleb: I liked it all!

Keira: Would you go again after this?

Caleb: Yes, most certainly.

Interview with Kyla and Logan (Feed My Starving Children)

Keira: What was your favorite part of being in the Feed My Starving Children?

Logan: Probably the food.

Kyla: The Team!

Keira: Okay, what jobs did you do?

Logan: Well, we just rotated all around.

Kyla: Same!

Keira: Well what was your favorite?

Logan: The packing.

Keira: Cool, what was so special about the field trip?

Logan: I’ve never been there with my friends before, I mean, I have been with my family a lot.

Kyla: Tons.

Logan: But never friends. Friend really are what matters to have fun.

Keira: What part did you like the least?

Logan: I had no food!!!

Brielle: It’s called Feed My Starving Children, not Eat My Starving Children.

Lucy: Eat My Starving Children!!? ::laughs::

Logan: Yeah, but I want food.

Lucy: You’re eating starving people’s food!!

Keira: Well, thanks! Bye!

Conclusion

Any more field trips we missed? We'd love to hear your experience!

5th grade interviews

By: Maira

Have you ever wondered what goes on in other classrooms besides your own? Today, I'm interviewing two students in other fifth grade classes to see what's going on!

Suzanne (Mrs. Smeltekop)

“What have you been learning that your class has been spending the most time on?”

“We have been learning about different biomes in reading”

“What are some of your favorite things learning?”

“I love learning about writing. We are publishing stories about something informational”

“What do like learning in writing?”

“On becoming a better writer”

“What is you least favorite subject and why?”

“I really don’t like math because it's really hard sometimes.”

Yusuf (Mr. Mariano)

“What are you learning that is really important?”

“We are learning about the human body.”

“What are you learning that interests you most, and why?”

“I like learning about the human body, because you learn about yourself.”

“What is your least favorite subject?”

“Reading comprehension”

“What do you hope to learn about in class?”

“About how the universe started”

“What is your favorite book, and why?”

“I like Space Dragons because it talks about space and it has dragons”

“What is your favorite quote?”

“'Life is like a boxing match. You don't fail when you fall down, but when you refuse to get up' - Muhammad Ali”

teacher of the week: Mr. Mazza

By: Logan

L: What made you start a physical education career?

When I was your age, I was involved in a lot of activities, and they continued all the way through high school. I also like summer camps, and kind of chose the combination of two passions into a career.

L: Did you teach at other schools before?

I taught at a Catholic school last year, so I was a kindergarten through eighth grade. Before that I worked at a high school where I was an assistant, and as a long term sub in a few other schools in the area.

L: What do you do outside of school?

I usually spend time with friends and family. I love being outside especially in the summertime. In the spring, I like to get out and golf; I'm a big golfer. I also coach basketball and baseball, so I'm pretty busy!

L: Do you have a dream home?

That's a good question! I was always somebody who would like to live somewhere warm during all four seasons, that way I could be in the water and enjoying the outdoors.

L: Do you have a favorite emoji?

I use the thumbs up emoji, but I like some of the more specific ones like the sports ones. I use the facial expression with tears from laughing so hard the most.

teacher of the week: Mr. banas

By: Jillian

When did you start teaching?

I started teaching in 2010, so this is my tenth year teaching.

When did you start teaching keyboards?

This is actually my eighth year teaching keyboards.

Why did you choose to teach music?

Music has always been an important part of my life and I’ve been playing since 4th grade. I’ve just had great experiences with it, and made that my life.

Where did you get the idea of doing keyboards?

It was from other ideas from teachers before I came to Glenview. It seemed to work well, so I thought I'd try it too!

What instrument did you play when you were in 4th grade?

Piano, but I switched to trumpet in 5th grade.

Where did you get the equipment?

The school purchased them for me, but I requested one that was small and wireless.

How long have you been playing keyboards?

After I switched to trumpet, I stopped for a while. But, then in college, I had to relearn for a class and have been playing ever since.

Op-Eds

Lunch Lines

By: Nicole

Do you go to band or orchestra and buy lunch?

If yes, then you will probably have experienced waiting in the lunch lines forever, and then, once you finally get lunch, you have about 6 minutes to eat your lunch!

So, I believe that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there should be two separate lunch lines. One should be for people who are in band or orchestra, and one should be for the other people. This way, the students that go to band or orchestra have more time to eat!

I never buy lunch, but sometimes, I see people who I know are in band or orchestra, and they are at the back of the lunch line! If I was there, I would not be happy. Anyway, my idea is that there will be two lines. As I said, one will be for band and orchestra, and one for OTHER (see image above).

If this doesn't work, then we could let the band and orchestra students go to the front, and the rest go to the back. So then, band and orchestra students can have more time to eat, because we have to leave earlier than the rest.

This is why we should take action and help the band and orchestra students!

Research corner: Astrology

By: James and Nico

Research Corner, Season 2, Episode 4.

Now don't go sending angry emails at us for doing this week’s Research Corner on something that has been called “only performed by quacks,” “nonsense,” and sometimes “straight-up witchcraft.” Of course, we’re talking about astrology.

Astrology is the study of how the position of stars and planets can affect people.To get a good idea of how astrology works, James went online and found a free astrology generator. It also gave what the planets and such mean.

First you need to know about the zodiac. What in the world is the zodiac? It’s a collection of twelve constellations that serve extra importance when it comes to astrology. The signs of the zodiac are (drumroll, please):

Name Symbol (Dates)

Aries Ram (Mar 21-Apr 19)

Taurus Bull (Apr 20- May 20)

Gemini Twins (May 21- Jun 20)

Cancer Crab (Jun 21- Jul 23)

Leo Lion (Jul 24- Aug 22)

Virgo Maiden (Aug 23- Sep 22)

Libra Scales (Sep 23- Oct 22)

Scorpius Scorpion (Oct 23- Nov 22)

Sagittarius Archer (Nov 23- Dec 20)

Capricornus Goat (Dec 21- Jan 19)

Aquarius Water Bearer (Jan 20- Feb 18)

Pisces Fish (Feb 19- Mar 20)

You find which constellation you belong to based on your birthday and that will serve extra importance. Our birthdays are both August 25, so we belong to Virgo.

Next up: What da heck do the planets mean?

The planets each represent a part of life, and the astrological sign is how you deal with it. [Author’s Note: the astrological definition of a planet is different than the astronomical definition. This is why the Sun, Pluto, and the Moon are included here.]

Planet Symbolism

Sun Vitality, individuality, and creative energy.

Moon Emotional responses, etc.

Lilith (a supposed second Moon of Earth) Deeper, darker natures that can be buried.

Mercury Communication and logical spirit.

Venus Interest in emotions and values

Mars Desire for action.

Jupiter Expansion and grace.

Saturn Concentration and effort.

Uranus Individual liberty, etc.

Neptune Generosity, resolving problems to satisfy.

Pluto Transformations, mutations, and elimination

North Node Underdeveloped qualities.

South Node Overdeveloped qualities.

Fortune Good fortune.

It’s time for FAQs!

Q: Okay, so how to the constellations and planets go together?

A: A planet represents an aspect of life—love, business, etc. and the constellations represent the different ways you handle that aspect.

That’s all from James and Nico. We’ll see you next week on Research Corner!

The Race to Space

By: Inaaya

On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin climbed down from the Apollo 11 lander and planted their boots on the lunar surface. The United States had beaten its rival, the Soviet Union, in the race to put humans on the moon.

In March, Vice President Mike Pence declared that NASA would send the next man and the first woman to the moon by 2024. “Urgency is key," he says.

The rush is because of China. Since 2003, the country has flown multiple crewed missions and launched a mini space station. In January, it became the first nation to land an uncrewed base station and rover on the far side of the moon. “We are building China into a space giant,” Wu Weiren, the rover’s designer, said at the time.

But the U.S. leads in rocketry know-how. NASA is building its most powerful rocket ever, the Space Launch System. It will carry a craft called Orion to the Gateway orbiter. From there, crews will take a lander on trips to the moon’s surface.

Who will win the latest space race? Only time will tell!

Nightmares

By: Emely and Sandra

IN OUR MINDS - Have you ever had a nightmare? If you have, you know they can be the WORST. This week, I will explain my dream, and tell you why you might you have nightmares. I will also tell you how to handle those pesky nightmares.

WHAT TO DO WHEN WE HAVE NIGHTMARES

You first must calm and take a deep breath. And maybe just stop and think about happy moments that might help you calm down. Drink some water and try and go back to bed.

MY FRIENDS AND MY NIGHTMARE AT NIGHT

This might sound a little weird, but last week, my friend and I dreamt the EXACT SAME THING:

We woke up at 3:59am on Tuesday, December 10th, and did almost the exact same things. We both wanted to go to our parents room, and check the time on our phones. But, then, we heard a song that goes like this: "Down by the bay, where all the watermelons grow..."

Creeped out yet? We were! Tell us, have you ever have nightmares?

sports

The year in review

By: Henry

This year has almost passed and there have been some amazing sports milestones. Here are some of them:

Baseball: For the MLB this year, the Washington Nationals were in the World Series with The Houston Astros up until game 7, when the Washington Nationals took home the trophy of the 115th World Series for their first time.

Basketball: The 2018-2019 basketball season had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. In the NBA finals, the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in 6 games to take home the trophy of the 72nd NBA season. Also, the Virginia Cavaliers beat The Texas Tech Masked Riders.

Football: Football is one of America’s favorite games to play. In the 2018-2019 season, Cody Parkey of the Chicago Bears had a double doink in the NFC wild card game against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the Super Bowl, The Los Angeles Rams lost to the New England Patriots and the Patriots took home the 99th Lombardi Trophy. Clemson won the 149th college football season against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Soccer: The US women's soccer team went to the Fifa World Cup against the Netherlands in the finals and won 2 to 0 and took home the 22nd World Cup trophy (the World Cup is played every four years).

Hockey: The Saint Louis Blues took home their first Stanley Cup against the Boston Bruins.

Volleyball: Stanford beat Nebraska in the NCAA volleyball championship

Golf: Tiger Woods won the Masters, his first time in ten years.

Tennis: Rafael Nadal won the US Open for the men’s division, and Bianca Andreescu won the women’s division.

Cricket: England won the Cricket World Cup.

Rugby: South Africa won The Rugby World Cup.

Lacrosse: Canada won the Lacrosse Cockerton cup.

Holiday Fun

december holidays

By: Jillian and Daanya

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday which celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the larger Syrian army. It also celebrates a miracle that happened during this time, where just a day's supply of oil allowed the menorah in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem to remain lit for eight days. 2019 Hanukkah will begin in the evening of Sunday, December 22 and ends in the evening of Monday, December 30. Every year this holiday changes. Their traditional food is matzo (flat bread with no yeast), latkes, which are fried potato pancakes and many more.

Christmas

This is one of those popular holidays that everybody knows, but do we know what it is about? Christmas is the annual, celebrated birth of Jesus Christ and this day is celebrated all around the world. Many people take out their Christmas trees and decorate them with ornaments and candles. This is a holiday mostly celebrated in this way in the USA. People also make snow globe ornaments, snowflakes, and many other things. Lots of people also buy presents for each other and their friends. Some other things people do on Christmas are: put up lights, buy gingerbread houses, put on Christmas classical music, and buy gifts for friends as a Secret Santa. Merry Christmas!

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration celebrated in the United States and other nations of the African cities in the Americas to honor African heritage in African-American culture. It is celebrated from December 26 to January 1, with a gift-giving and a feast. Kwanzaa has seven main principles. From Wiki:

1. Umoja: Unity. To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia: Self-Determination: ...
3. Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility. ...
4. Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics. ...
5. Nia: Purpose. ...
6. Kuumba: Creativity...
7. Imani: Faith...

Boxing Day

I know Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas, but Boxing Day? This Canadian holiday is one that some of us have either never heard of or even celebrated. Boxing Day is on Thursday, December 26, the day after Christmas. Boxing Day originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) in the United States. Boxing Day is a way to make leftover food fancy. Try potted cheese with dried cranberries, a creamy turkey soup, or Diana Henry's ideas for mincemeat, smoked salmon and more. You could make a Christmas cheese board. Or, make a simple Boxing Day pie.

Ōmisoka

One more you may not have heard of: Ōmisoka. It sounds like a foreign holiday! In fact, it is a foreign holiday: this holiday is Japanese! It is held on the last day of December. Many people wear Dhotis and Gamosas on Ōmisoka. The Dhoti is for the girl and the Gamosa is for the boy. A Dhoti is a native dress that goes to your ankles, some are even longer! This dress is also used in the Indian tradition. A Gamosa is a long tunic that that goes to the knees and is worn with dress pants. The traditional foods are buckwheat noodles, plain noodles, toshikoshi soba, and chicken broth. These traditions are very important to the people of Japan.

Have not heard enough about December international holidays? If you haven't go to these websites to learn more!

WorldStrides Educational Student Travel

National Today: National Day Today

winter break is here!

(an exercise in "stream of conscious" writing) By: Daanya

I know, I’m excited too! Winter break is here! I know, finally right? When is the last time I’ve been so excited? Who knows, I don’t even remember! Oh, there you are! I’m talking about Winter Break! You pretty excited? Yeah, me too! I actually didn’t want to talk about the fun though. Fine, I’ll talk about it a little!

Anyways, I wanted to talk about the facts. Now, you might say “ Why would you talk about the facts?” That's a good question. Why would I talk about the facts? To keep it simple, I would talk about the facts because we already know about the fun, we don’t know about the facts!

Now, that I’m done answering that question let’s move on! And no, this will NOT be boring! Let’s start with the basics. Lots of people think that winter break is like any other break, but it is not. Winter break has the most holidays out of all those breaks, and we have and is the time to celebrate those holidays. If you don’t celebrate any of those holidays, then you can have a fun time in the snow! Even if you don’t like going in the snow give it another chance!

If you don’t like going in the snow here are a few more ideas: drinking hot cocoa while watching a movie, making paper snowflakes, making winter bookmarks and cards, and if you brainstorm, many other things!

But winter break is not only about its holidays either, it's also about its traditions! Winter has many traditions, unlike the other seasons. Like drinking hot cocoa, that’s a big one! There are many others though too! Like for example ice skating, making snow angels, playing ice hockey, and many more things!

But, even so, there are many stuff that I didn’t mention yet. Think about it, there are many other things to say about winter break, but did I mention them? Try making a checklist of stuff I did do and stuff I didn’t, it’s your turn to be the know-it-all! You already finished? Wow, I’m impressed! Tell me what I didn’t do…….

[waits...waits a little more...keeps waiting...5 years go by...still waiting...]

Wow, you wrote a lot! And I aged a lot! Anyways, you are definitely getting better at these kind of stuff! Well, anyways I better go, I’m super sleepy from all that talking (no offense).

And by the way I have something to say to you, sit back, relax, and have a good break!

Holiday Doz and Dontz

By: Da Gurlz (Lucy, Sydney, Brielle)

Doz

Listen to the "Christmas Can Can" by Straight No Chaser

Stay warm

Stay with family

Celebrate on the right day

See fun plays

Go somewhere warm

Listen to holiday music

Watch a movie

Have holiday spirit

Dontz

Slip on ice

Get hurt

Be mean (y'all need the holiday cheer)

Ignore friends

Go to school over winter break

Cry [Ed. note: Or pout?]

Weather

Would You Rather?!

By: Henry

Choose wisely!

Would you rather swim the longest ocean, or climb the tallest mountain?

Would you rather have to sing in front of the world, or give a speech in front of the world?

Would you rather have to go on a 24 hour plane ride, but you would end up back where you started, or have to lay in an ice bed (completely covered in ice) for 2 hours?

Would you rather have to jump up and down for 12 hours on the ground, or have to spin for 24 hours straight?

Would you rather have to eat a dog, or eat a cat?

Would you rather have to live in a sewer, or have to live on an island in the middle of the Ocean? [Ed. note: If I live in a sewer, could I be a Ninja Turtle?]

This has been…Would You Rather!

Who Would Win?

By: Brielle

Come into the world of "supers" where Superman faces off against Spiderman. [Ed. Note: Did you know that this has happened before in several comic books?]

Transportation

Superman

Superman's transportation is flying. He can go long distances hiding above the clouds.

Spiderman

Spiderman's way of transportation is swinging by his webs. He shoots them out and then goes house to house, building to building.

Super Abilities

Superman

Super strength is Superman's power. He can lift up a bus with a pinky. He also can fly, has superhuman strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, cold breath, super-speed, and amplified hearing.

Spiderman

Spiderman has the ability to shoot webs from his hands. He can also wall climb. He has enhanced speed, strength, and balance

Theme Songs

Spiderman

"Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can. Spins a web, any size, Catches thieves just like flies. Look out! Here comes the Spiderman." Pretty catchy!

Superman

The Superman theme song is instrumental, created by the great John Williams. He also composed the themes to "Star Wars," Indian Jones," "Jurassic Park," and so many more.

So, who gets your pick: Spiderman or Superman?

Do you love Meme of the Week? Do you ever wish your meme could be in it? Well, now it can!

Here's how: there will be a signup sheet in the LRC. Simply put your name down along with the name of your meme. Then, we'll choose our favorite!

Remember: all memes have to be school appropriate (no weapons, swears, etc.), and have to be picture memes (until we can finally get videos back).

The first sheet will be available when we get back from Winter Break. We look forward to hearing your ideas!

Do you have a news story for us to cover?

Submit your ideas for a news story by sending an e-mail to our producer.