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Holiday Events to Enjoy and Give Back
Holiday Events to Enjoy and Give Back
By: Mikayla H
As the holidays draw closer there are more events in which we can engage in our community.
Christmas Lights
Driving around and looking at Christmas lights is a wonderful way to pass the time during Christmas break. One benefit is you have the option to stay local or to travel to look at the lights.
Giving Tree
Many local organizations provide an opportunity to give back to the community by doing “giving tree” programs where good Samaritan’s can help Christmas dreams come true by playing Santa for families that cannot afford presents this year.
Winter Wonderland
A yearly event put on by the Muenster Chamber of Commerce. This event is an opportunity for kids to play and parents to relax. But don’t worry students, you can also enjoy the shopping and volunteer opportunities those events provide.
Historic Home Tour
The city of Gainesville is hosting a historic home tour of beautiful decorated homes in the Gainesville historic district for the holidays.
A German Christmas
A German Christmas
By Sydney M
Many traditions here in Muenster are rooted in German culture. While our Christmas traditions have become increasingly American, it is still fascinating to look into German Christmas traditions.
Advent is celebrated in Germany. Families have a wreath in their house made out of fir tree branches and four candles. A candle is lit every week for four weeks before Christmas. Advent candles are also used in churches. During Advent, children write letters to Christkind asking for presents. Christkind is a young girl who has Christlike qualities. She wears a long white and gold dress and appears every year in the Christmas parade.
Along with the presents that children receive from Christkind, they also receive presents from Nikolaus on the 6th of December. He visits on Christmas Eve while children are asleep and is accompanied by Krampus. Krampus is believed to be a big horned monster who carries chains and punishes children who have been bad.
Like we do here in Muenster, Germans put up Christmas trees in their homes. The trees are secretly decorated by mothers on Christmas Eve to excite young children. Another family Christmas Eve tradition is singing songs and reading from the bible. People also exchange gifts on this day.
Another German Christmas tradition is secretly throwing presents into a room full of people. Everyone sorts out whose presents belong to who, and it is considered bad luck to find out who threw these presents.
Christmas in Germany is not very different from Christmas in America. Although traditions are not all the same, both countries celebrate the birth of Christ with Christmas trees, gifts, and advent wreaths.
A Time to be Grateful
A Time to be Grateful
By: Paityn P
Christmas is not just about getting presents and many kids seem to forget that. Christmas is also full of learning lessons and values. Kids are sometimes selfish and not grateful for what they receive under the tree on Christmas morning. Kids need to remember that some kids receive very little to nothing on Christmas.
Christmas is also a time to spend time with family and loved ones. Not everyone lives close enough to see their entire family often, so many cherish Christmas because it is an opportunity to spend quality time with family. Making memories with family on Christmas is something that will carry on with people for years to come. Whether it is baking Christmas cookies, watching the Christmas parade, opening presents, going to church, or even just lounging around the house it is something to cherish, it is a time to remember to be grateful for what you have.
A lot of kids love Christmas because they get a long break from school. Many use this break as a time to travel or if you are an older kid you may use this time to work. Even if you take one day to go sledding with friends or make a trip to a family member's house, the quality time is what will warm another's heart. Christmas break is a very important break people should value more because it gives you extra time to spend with loved ones.
Upcoming Events for December and January
Upcoming Events for December and January
By: Mikayla H
As we approach the holiday season, there are a few important events and activities to keep in mind:
December:
FCCLA Christmas Movie Night (12/4): Get into the holiday spirit with a fun movie night hosted by FCCLA! It's the perfect way to unwind and enjoy some festive cheer.
TSIA Testing (12/10 & 12/11): Sophomores taking TSIA tests, make sure you're prepared! The English test will be on December 10th, and the Math test will be on December 11th.
Christmas Break (Starting 12/20): After a busy month, it's time to relax and enjoy the holiday break. School will be out starting December 20th.
January:
Return to School (1/6): After the break, we'll return to school on January 6th, ready to start the new year strong!
Cooke County Livestock Show (1/6): The Cooke County Livestock Show kicks off on January 6th, with students showcasing their hard work and projects.
Make sure to mark these dates on your calendar and stay prepared for the exciting activities ahead!
Veterans Day Program
Veterans Day Program
Photo Courtesies of Carol Cook
This past month, Muenster ISD honored past and current local veterans. The event included a slideshow presentation with the names of the men and women who serve our country. The high school student council members participated in the flag bearing speaking roles of the event. The guest speaker at this year’s Veteran’s Day ceremony was Lieutenant Colonel Casey Walterscheid, recently retired from the United States Air Force.
Lieutenant Colonel Casey graduated from Muenster High School and earned his commission at Texas Christian University. He talked about some of his experiences in the Air Force, discussing his work and how he helped people such as soldiers, marines, sailors, and guardians get the supplies they needed for specific missions. He has served in over ten different duty locations. His experiences in the air force varied from locations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. He also answered some questions asked by students from classes K-12, highlighting his love for teamwork and overall just being a part of a team. His presentation was appreciated by all of the people who came to the ceremony to honor the local veterans.
The students and faculty of Muenster ISD recognize and are thankful for the sacrifices that veterans had made for our country. It is important to the school to take the time to acknowledge and appreciate those who serve the United States of America.
Courtesy of Krista B.
Kicking Off!
Kicking Off!
By: Sophia M.
The Muenster Hornet football team kicked off the playoffs with their first game of the season on November 15 against Hamlin. The Hornets ended the game victorious with a bright red 70 on the scoreboard, opposed to Hamlin’s 0. This game has seemed to bring the team even closer together. “It brought our team closer together ‘cause we figured out some kinks and finally put a whole game together instead of one half. We just were able to figure out each other’s timing and trust each other," says center lineman, Kyle L. The team seems to be feeling very strong, prepped and ready for what’s to come. Head coach Brady Carney even says, “Thought we played really well during the first playoff game, kept the penalty count down and won the turnover battle.” The team, being first in the state, is sure to go far. “All depends on how well we execute in all three phases of the game, offense, defense, and special teams,” says Carney.
Courtesy of Anna Kay H.
Academics
Academics
By: Paityn P
NHS welcomed 10 new members this year at their induction ceremony on November 18. New members included Carter Q, Carly M, Skyler R, Della W, Brynlee B, Ava H, Jaycee B, Lucy K, Taylor S, and Faith S. The 2024-2025 NHS Officers include President- Emma W, Historian- Krista B, Treasurer Sydney M, and Secretary- Emma K.
Our TMSCA team will be competing in Springtown and hoping to qualify for state which is in the spring.
A Spirited Review
Spirited, a movie based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, is a fun and humorous musical version of the novella. The movie actually starts off with a scene that seems pretty intense: the Ghost of Yet-To-Come, who looks a bit like the Grim Reaper, is pointing at a woman who is kneeling at a grave, tears streaming down her face as he makes her sink into the ground, into the grave. Then, two people who work alongside Yet-To-Come appear and reveal it’s only an illusion of some sort. Every year, they, the ghosts, haunt someone, changing them for the better. They spend the whole year setting up the person’s past, present, and future in these kinds of illusions, then on Christmas, they haunt the person. That woman was the person they chose that year.
Christmas Present, portrayed by Will Ferrell, chooses Clint Briggs, Ryan Reynolds, to haunt the following year. The ghosts take the next year to set up his past, present, and future just like they do every year. Except this year is a little different and is going to be more difficult. Clint Briggs is what the ghosts classify as an “unredeemable.” He’s just that bad of a person. But Christmas Present thinks he can change him, so they try.
Spirited was released November 11, 2022. It is rated PG13, really only for its mild language, but there’s nothing else that’s really inappropriate. I have four siblings ranging from 15-5 and every one of them have watched this movie. It’s a Holiday movie and almost everyone, kids especially, loves Christmas. The musical numbers and dance choreographies are bound to keep kiddos endlessly entertained. The humorous dynamic that forms between Christmas Present and Clint Briggs will keep the rest of the family entertained. In my personal opinion, it’s a great movie for the whole family. I know some people don’t really like musicals, but if you’re like me, and you absolutely love them, then I would definitely recommend Spirited. And even if you don’t like musicals, the movie is definitely very comedic and so worth your time.
Student Groups
By: Sydney M
Fundraisers
Fundraisers
Throughout the month of November, MISD students have been working with organizations holding fundraisers. NHS held a Mary Kay makeup fundraiser to raise money for the school year. Each member sold $200 worth of makeup, and it was a huge success! FCCLA also raised money by selling socks in a fundraiser titled “Rock Your Socks”. The fundraiser was done to raise money to build water wells for people who cannot get running water. Although this fundraiser is not over yet and will end on November 23th, it has already had a fantastic outcome.
Photo Courtesy to Krista B
Photo Courtesy to Krista B
Service Projects
Service Projects
Some organizations have been participating in service projects as well. NHS and Student Council members cleaned out and decorated the Muenster Museum for Christmas. NHS students put up Christmas decorations on light poles around the town and decorated the Muenster Memorial Hospital. Student council will be having a food drive in the month of December.
Holly and Jolly Fun Facts!
Holly and Jolly Fun Facts!
By Emma K
Photo Courtesy of Gallery Collection Blog
We know Christmas as a fun and jolly time we spend with friends and family, but there are interesting facts about Christmas from the past and present that are too interesting to overlook.
It takes about 15 years to grow an average Christmas tree.
So, if we run out of real Christmas trees, it looks like we’re going to have to wait quite some time before we can find them back!
Approximated 35 million trees are sold each year in the US, but 45 million trees are planted every year.
Okay, we should be good on Christmas trees as long as there aren’t more than 45 million trees being sold per year.
President Teddy Roosevelt, an environmentalist, banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1901.
It’s believed that President Roosavelt wasn’t a fan of putting up Christmas trees. More recent presidents have Christmas trees up in office, however.
About ⅙ of the year’s retail sales come from Christmas shopping!
Who knew people spent that much money on Christmas gifts?!?
Santa’s visual look came from Coca-Cola ads in the 1930’s, where they put a big, jolly man in a red suit.
Perhaps if Coca-Cola didn’t make the advertisements they did in the 30s, Santa would have a different image today!
“Jingle Bells”, a popularly known Christmas song, holds a Guinness World Record for being the first song to ever be played in space!
It’s interesting to know that the first song to be played in space was a Christmas song.
Thomas Edison, a contributor to the invention of the light bulb, also helped create stringed Christmas lights with partner, Edward H. Johnson
Lights are one of the best things about Christmas!
The largest gingerbread house that has ever been made is actually just as huge as a normal house.
Who’s going to eat all of that?
Home Alone is the best-selling Christmas movie ever, and the second is How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
I think everyone can agree that they’ve watched these movies countless times.
About 28 Lego sets are sold per second during the holiday season.
Legos are the perfect gift for anyone, whether or not they’re a boy, girl, child, or adult!
The Hornet Buzz Staff wish you a very Merry Christmas!
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