The Week of January 13th, 2020

Top Stories

NCAA College FOOTBALL Championship Preview

By: Henry

Over the years, the college football national championship games have made an impact on many people, been exceptional, and fun to watch! This year, The LSU Tigers and The Clemson Tigers face off for a chance of a lifetime.

The #1 LSU Tigers and the #3 Clemson Tigers are both undefeated. LSU, however, has a major advantage. Yes, Clemson has Trevor Lawrence, but LSU has the senior, Heisman-winning Joe Burrow. In almost all of ESPN’s mock drafts, Joe Burrow has been the number one pick of the draft, so that means that in the NFL, you will see Joe on The Cincinnati Bengals.

Clemson beat #2 Ohio State University in the semifinals by six, but LSU beat #4 Oklahoma by 35 points and they had the quarterback with the highest QBR in the nation. Clemson did upset Ohio State, and that proves that Clemson has a lot of determination and will not give up. Also, they have come from behind and successfully won the national championship before.

Clemson is a very good team, but so far, the best team that they played in the regular season is Virginia and they were only ranked #24. Clemson is in the ACC Atlantic division. LSU is also a very good team, and their division is the SEC. The best team that LSU played in the regular season was #5 Georgia which is extremely better than Virginia.

Experts say that LSU is favored by 5½ points. Clemson better look out because LSU’s wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is on fire. He had four touchdowns against Oklahoma and has 18 touchdowns this season. Joe Burrow considers him as a prime target, and passes to him a lot. Clemson on the other hand, has Travis Etienne which is a great running back with 22 touchdowns this season.

Clemson and LSU also have a great coaching staff. Ed Orgeron, the LSU coach has 39 wins and 9 losses at LSU. Dabo Swinney, the Clemson head coach has 116 wins and 30 losses.

Overall, this years college football national championship game will be exceptional, making for a great end to its 150th season.

school news

band concert

By: Jillian and Brielle

This month, on January 27th, the Advanced Band will be attending the annual GEF concert competition. They will be playing Calypso Music. The students also had the opportunity to participate in IGSMA, a small group contest with other schools.

Ms. Dobias has been working with the students to play their songs to perfection. We sat down with her to learn more about the upcoming concert, as well as her career.

Why did you start Band?

I started band because I love music, and I wanted to share that love of music; hopefully students to love it too!

Did you teach band before Hoffman?

I taught in Texas, Aurora,and also Hampshire and Carpentersville.

What instruments do you play?

I can play all the band instruments and orchestra, plus piano.

What happens at recitals?

At recitals, students play for an audience who can give them feedback on how to play better.

What would you you do if you forget where you are in the music?

Students should pretend like they are playing, find where they are, and come back and not just give up

What is GEF and IGSMA?

GEF is Glenview Education Foundation and they help sponsor Glenview schools. All the chairs and other things in band are from the GEF.

IGSMA stands for the Illinois Grade School Music Association. They sponsor the solos and contests and for older students.

What can students win?

Students can win a blue or red medal that you can pin to your shirt or jacket.

Does the song change every year?

Yes. In the past, the contest students have done Polly Wolly Doodle, Mini March, Spring, and Jamaican holiday.

What's the differences between GEF and IGSMA?

At GEF, students receive verbal feedback, but at IGSMA students receive a score and a medal.

Is IGSMA challenging?

Yes, it is challenging because the judges are listening to everything you do and they base their scores on a strict criteria. But, it is absolutely worth it!

Thank you Ms. Dobias!

10 ways to organize yourself at school

By: Keira

We’ve all had a day where we are heading to school and realize we forgot our homework. And our gym shoes. And that project. And now we’re late for math. What a rough day, right?

Before you can flop on the couch, remember how you can get organized. Here are 10 ways to organize your time AND materials.

Time

#1: Before your class, get your materials together. So when you come back, you’ll have no rush.

#2: When you run to the bus, have ALL your stuff you need in your bag. That way, your parent doesn’t have to run back home to get it. It will also impact you and your classes. [Mr. P says, "Kids, don't run."]

#3: Know where you're going for classes. If your schedule or map is helpful, please use it. Try by the second or third week to know where you are going.

Materials

#4: This is a good tip for middle school: if you have a locker, put your morning materials on the left and afternoon materials on the right. If you don’t, make a place to hold your supplies for the morning and afternoon.

#5: Get a box (any size) and put your work in it.

#6: To complete the box look, buy or reuse binders and files. Put your papers in the binders. Put projects and tests you like a lot and put in the files. You have created a file cabinet!

#7: Now we’re going to organize your desk. Yes, I know, one of the most dreaded things of all! Well, let's try.

#8: Take ALL your stuff out and sort into piles.

#9: Put those piles into your desk. (Extra step, take out the paper you don’t in your folders.)

#10: Buy a pencil case and put all your loose pencils in.

Which tip will you use to get your organized year off to a great start?

Research corner: History of the Palace of Versailles

By: James and Nico

Research Corner, Season 2, Episode 6.

Splendor, gardens, gold, Louis the XIV, the XV, and the XVI, gardens little room for alllll the nobles, and gardens. Welcome to the Palace of Versailles!

In 1623, Louis the XIII built a two floor hunting lodge which he later decided to turn into a palace. He purchased the surrounding land and hired an architect named Philibert Le Roy to design his palace of brick and stone. The size of the gardens was enlarged. Louis XIV returned to the palace only occasionally until 1661, when he suddenly became very interested in the house. He rebuilt the palace and intended it to be used for rest, relaxation, and entertainment.

The first stage of expansion was adding two wings to the forecourt—one for servants, one for horses. Ten years later, three new wings were added to the north, south, and west ends of the original area. These had flatter roofs.

Next, André Le Nôtre created the fountains, statues, basins, and fountains for the palace. Yes, the fact that I said fountains twice in the previous sentence was intentional, because it had a heck of a lot of fountains.

Anyway, the main floor (aka étage numéro deux, floor number two) had two symmetrical apartments, one for the king and one for the queen. When I say apartments, I mean seven-giant-room complexes. They were connected by a terrace that, in the middle, held—guess what?—a fountain. See previous paragraph. They each had been aligned ruler-straight with the other ones. They had a bunch of fancy stuff like a guard room. 10,000,000 livers (French $$$) in solid silver, furniture , and an 8-ft.-tall golden throne were installed. The king spent more and more time in Versailles. Until he spent a lot more French $$$ on two new large wings for the courtyard along with the most famous room, the Hall of Mirrors. Unfortunately the fountain had to go outside. See previous paragraph. The reason this was done was to accommodate all of the dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons, and servants.

In 1715 Louis XIV died and Louis XV took the throne. His only additions were the Salon of Hercules, and it connected the North wing of the palace to the main palace. (It wasn’t a Herculean task.) He also built the palace’s theater. The German Empire was proclaimed here, and World War I was officially ended here (the Treaty of Paris was signed in the Hall of Mirrors).

That’s Versailles! (It got wrecked in the French Revolution, but was then restored and now you can visit). That’s all from James and Nico

welcome to paradise

By: Keira

5 amazing places around the world to plan your get away.

Have you been dying to go on a vacation somewhere that is SO worth it? Like Greece or France or somewhere in the middle east? Do you know anything about that place? These are 5 of the many places to plan your getaway in the summer or fall or anything you want. We'll look at Greece, France, Argentina, Japan, and Hawaii.

Greece

Welcome to Greece! May I take your order? We have Dolmades, grilled meat, and moussaka. And for desert? Halva and baklava. Greece has lots of fun stuff to do, but this thing started in the old days. Way back. It’s the Greek Theatre. Shows can still happen there.

France

Welcome to France! France is known for its food, such as chocolate mousse, quiche, and french onion soup. Doesn’t that sound delicious? But there is more to France than food. Entertainment is key. You can visit places like the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre museum, or Notre Dame. You might want to get french money. Football (soccer, to us) is a very popular sport to play.

Argentina

Welcome to Argentina! There are so many great foods here such as Locro and Faniã. Yum! There is also the dulce de latte and chorizo for desert. If you're going to Argentina you should visit Buenos Aires, which is a very famous and safe city. Once again, football (soccer) is easily the most popular sport to play. You may have heard of their most famous player, Lionel Messi.

Japan

Welcome to Japan! Are you looking for great food? Well, here we have sushi and seafood. But where do you go? Well, you can go to Tokyo, which has imperial palaces and museums. Or you can go to Kyoto, which has temples and shrines and old timey stuff. Japan also has lots of beautiful flowers.

Hawaii

Aloha! You're in Hawaii. Pig and pineapple, is that OK? Here we have so many great places to go and things to do, like a luau and hula dancing. There are palm trees and fruit galore here. Pineapple, bananas, and mangoes. You can enjoy the beach and even go surfing. If you love pineapple and warm weather, you’ll love Hawaii.

friendship

By: Emely and Sandra

Once in a lifetime, you might find a friend. If you're lucky, you'll find many. You might hang out a lot and talk a lot. Eventually, at one point, you will turn into BEST FRIENDS, the most special kind of friendship of all!

Having Fun

You and your best friend can have a lot of fun together. You might enjoy making drawings or playing board games, and so much more. Sometimes, I go to my best friend's house and we watch movies; maybe you do that too! Trust me, I think if you have a best friend you will have lots of FUN!

Trust

Trust is so important in a friendship. If you have a best friend, then don't lie to her. Make sure she feels happy and safe. If you lie to her, or she lies to you, she might forgive you, but if you do it a lot, maybe not. But, why lie at all? Be honest with your best friend - that's why they're your best friend!

Do you have a best friend?

sports

NFL Playoffs

By: Anthony

It is January, and with that is the NFL Playoffs.

Only 4 teams will remain by the time this gets published, but we have gotten through the Wild Card Round. In the AFC Wild Card games, the first game was the New England Patriots against the Tennessee Titans. It was supposed to be a dub for the Patriots, but the Titans, who were the underdogs came back and won! Everyone expected the Patriots to be in the Super Bowl, but what happens happens, and the Titans will go on to play the Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. (Update: The Titans continue roll, and stunned the Ravens in the second round of the playoffs!)

Now, the second game. The second game was played by the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans. The Texans would probably win from the get go, with a stacked lineup featuring WRr DeAndre Hopkins, QB DeShaun Watson, and LB J.J Watt, so there was no surprise they would win. The Texans will go on to play the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be a really good matchup with a lineup with QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, WR Tyreek Hill, and LB Chris Jones. (Update: In what was one of the craziest games you'll ever see, the Chiefs destroyed the Texans after being down 21-0 in the first quarter. The Chiefs scored 7 straight touchdowns to win!)

Next up, the NFC games. The first NFC game was the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. It was supposed to be an exciting rematch after the Vikings won in the 4th quarter with a Hail Mary to receiver Stefon Diggs in 2018. On the Vikings, they had RB Dalvin Cook, QB Kirk Cousins, and WR Adam Thielin. The Saints had QB Drew Brees, WR Michael Thomas, and RB Alvin Kamara. It was a good game, but the Vikings once again beat the Saints. They will go on to play the San Francisco 49er’s with QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE George Kittle, and CB Richard Sherman. (Update: The 49ers cruised to victory over the Vikings, and will play the winner of the Packers-Seahawks game currently being played on FOX.)

The last game was played by the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Seahawks had QB Russell Wilson, LB Bobby Wagner, and WR Tyler Lockett. On the Eagles side, they had QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, and LB Fletcher Cox. It was yet another close game, but the Seahawks came out on top and won. They’ll go on to play the Green Bay Packers with a lineup featuring QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, and RB Aaron Jones. (Update: The Seahawks are currently playing the Packers on FOX. In the middle of the first quarter, the Packers have a 7-0 lead).

So that’s it for now. When this gets out, we will have to wait until Saturday and Sunday to figure out who will go to the long awaited Super Bowl.

Weather

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.