December 2021
Writer: Charvi
Photographer: Sahasra
Christmas
Do you like to celebrate Christmas? Well if you do, then you probably know when it is celebrated. December 24 is Christmas Eve. Christmas is celebrated on the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on December 25 as a public holiday. Alabama was the first state in the US to have recognized Christmas as an official holiday! Did you know that even Santa Claus gets gifts too?! Do you know who gives Santa gifts? It’s us! We can give gifts to Santa. Santa is not only a jolly man who likes to give presents but also a man who loves milk and cookies. Santa is also called Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Saint Nickolas, or Santa. Did you know that spiders are worshiped in Poland??! It is believed that a spider wove a blanket for baby Jesus. The Rockefeller Tree in New York is a worldwide symbol of the Christmas Holiday Season. The tree is 69 to 100 feet tall! This year the tree comes from Maryland and is a Norway Spruce. The base of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree is made out of rust-proof fine iron wire and the star is made out of Swarovski crystal. We put a star or angel on the top of a Christmas tree to signify the birth of Jesus Christ. The mistletoe is a symbol of love, laughter, and compassion. A Christmas tree has many ornaments and a star on the top. Christmas is a way to share love and to show that you care about others. It gives us a chance to show how much you care about and love your family. Christmas is all about gifts and presenting love to each other. Christmas is a great way to celebrate, show care and compassion to others.
Merry Christmas!
Writer: Sashwin
Photographers: Manraj and Ashwanth
Winter Solstice
Part 1
You might be wondering what a Winter Solstice is. A Winter Solstice happens when either of the Earth’s poles, North or South, meet their maximum distance away from the Sun. The Winter Solstice also marks the first day of winter in both the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere.
When does the Winter Solstice occur? The solstice occurs on different days for each hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the solstice occurred on Monday, June 20 for 2021. The time it started was around 9:30 PM EST (Eastern Standard Time). The northern hemisphere’s solstice occurred on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. It began around 10:58 AM EST. The solstice for the northern hemisphere usually starts on December 21 or December 22 and for the southern side, it usually occurs on June 20 or June 21.
Part 2
How long is the winter solstice? The winter solstice is just a brief moment, but the term “Winter Solstice” usually refers to the day that it occurs. The winter solstice also is the shortest day of the year. What happens in the southern hemisphere, when the northern hemisphere goes through the winter solstice? When the northern or southern hemisphere goes through the winter solstice, the other hemisphere experiences the summer solstice. You can see in this image that the north is as far away from the Sun as possible, while the southern side is the closest to the sun. For example, if the southern hemisphere is experiencing the winter solstice, that means the north is experiencing the summer solstice. The northern hemisphere’s summer solstice is on June 20, 2021, and the southern hemisphere’s solstice is on December 21, 2021.
Writers: Om and Mudit
Photographer: Miles
The Creator of the Greatest Movie Company
Where does Walt Disney Day fall on the calendar? That is an awesome question to ask. Walt Disney Day falls on the first Monday of December, in other words on December 6th. This day is to remember Walt Disney, who brings happiness and laughter to the whole world. Walt Disney is the pioneer of cartoons. He created popular and adorable characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pete, Pluto, and many more. People like you can celebrate Walt Disney Day by watching Mickey Mouse cartoons, sharing memories, and visiting Disneyland. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago. Fun fact, did you know that Minnie’s real name is Minerva Mouse. Disney’s first character was Oswald the lucky rabbit. Did you know that Walt Disney loved to draw all the time? One time he grabbed a stick and started to paint tar on the side of his barn! His father became so furious that he gave Walt Disney a beating, that is what I call a naughty boy. From then on, he started to draw on toilet paper. His brother’s name is Roy. Disney’s father’s name is Elias Disney, he was an Irish Canadian. His mother, Flora Call Disney is German-American. Walt Disney (Walter Elias Disney) was the fourth son of Elias Disney. When Walt was a little bit older than an infant, his family moved near a farm outside of Marceline, Missouri! There Walt began his schooling and first showed his liking for drawing and painting with crayons and watercolors. His father soon abandoned his effort for farming and moved to Kansas City. He later took classes at Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. In Kansas City, Walt began to study cartoons, and that’s when his official career began. In 1917 the Disney family moved back to Chicago. Once there, Walt went to McKinley High School, where he took photographs and made funny cartoons for the school paper. Later his progress was interrupted by World War 1, in which he volunteered as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross in France and Germany. In 1919 while Walt returned to Kansas City, he found a draftsman and inker named Ub Iwerks. Iwerks was a big part of Walt’s success. In 1922 he and Iwerks bought a second-hand camera and a studio, soon they started making 1-2 minute movies.
Writer: Isaac
Photographer: Shaurya
Ugly Sweater News
The Ugly Sweater Day is only a few days in time and a little bit before Christmas break so let's get right into it. Ugly Sweater Day was created by Jordan Birch and Chris Boyd. Canada actually created the phrase Ugly Sweater Day or Ugly Sweater Party; they were just translated in English. On Ugly Sweater Day it is basically what it sounds like you wear an ugly Christmas sweater. Here are some other reasons people celebrate Ugly Sweater Day.
Some families have parties with their sweaters. Some actually make their own ugly sweaters. Our school celebrates Ugly Sweater Day by just wearing ugly sweaters that say funny things. Some people donate sweaters for charity. Now we will get to how we admire Ugly Sweater Day.
Let's get right into more about Ugly Sweater Day. Some people admire Ugly Sweater Day because it shows you can be funny. I myself admire it because of the parties. Some people admire it because they get to help people who are cold for the winter. This is Ugly Sweater News and that will be all.
Writer: Ashwanth
Photographer: Sasmithaa
Zodiac Of The Month (Sagittarius)
Sagittarius is the ninth zodiac sign (begins on Nov 22 and ends on Dec 21). Sagittarius is a fire sign. Sagittarius represents the constellation Sagittarius which holds a bow and arrow. The astrological Sagittarius sign is actually the bow and arrow Sagittarius holds. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the fifth and largest planet in the solar system. Sagittarius is the traveling zodiac. Sagittarius is the teaching sign and the healing sign. Sagittarius people have a great sense of humor and intense curiosity. They are also very generous and idealistic. If you're a Sagittarius don’t be surprised if you are impatient. There are many people who are Sagittarius. Actor David Manis is a Sagittarius. Artist Taylor Swift is a Sagittarius. Patrick Westwood is also a Sagittarius actor. J.J Thomas and Werner Heisenburg are both Sagittarius physicists. There are many Sagittarius celebrities.
Writers: Shivanshi, Dev
Photographer: Arjun
National Cotton Candy Day!
Wait? What?! There's a National Cotton Candy Day! Might as well find out about it! You see, National Cotton Candy Day is celebrated on December 7th, and believe it or not, a doctor invented it! His name was William Morrison and Confectioner John C. Wharton helped him make it. Cotton candy was invented in Nashville, Tennessee. He wanted to make cotton candy because it contains less sugar than carnival treats like candy apples and funnel cakes. Another reason that William Morrison wanted to make cotton candy was so it could be affordable and accessible to everyone, no matter their status. Cotton candy is only sugar, and the rest is actually air. Cotton candy’s history dates back to the Renaissance era when only kings and queens could afford it. It was so expensive back then because it took so long to make and was made manually with the hand.
Cotton candy goes by different names all around. In the US, they call it cotton candy, in the Netherlands they call it “Sugar Spider”, while in China, they call it “Dragon’s Beard." And a fun fact: Did you know that one little strand of cotton candy is as thin as human hair? Cotton candy was also forgotten for several decades but was an instant hit when it became accessible to every person, not only the ones at fairs, carnivals, and amusement parks. There is a process to making cotton candy. First, the sugar is added to the head, where a heater melts it into syrup. At the same time that this is happening, the spinning motion of the machine whips the syrup through tiny little holes that are spread across the bowl. This motion cools the syrup instantaneously and fluffs it with air, creating long, very thin strands.
During the 1904 World Fair, Morrison and Wharton sold 68,655 boxes at 25 cents per box, and back then it was called fairy floss. The flavors that cotton candy comes in are Banana, Birthday Cake, Bubble Gum, Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Chocolate, Grape, Green Apple, Maple, Lime, Pink Vanilla, Pina Colada, White Citrus, Watermelon & Strawberry. Children are more likely to eat cotton candy than most adults because kids are not exposed to foods other children in different homes have. Instead of sugar, many confectioneries like cotton candy contain an artificial sweetener called xylitol. Gold Medal Products, a company that makes candies better, made the cotton candy machine better to make the cotton candy we know today. This is all about National Cotton Candy Day.
Writer: Shivanshi
Photographer: Suhirtha
National Llama Day
Aw! Look at those cute llamas! Wait, what? There's a National Llama Day! Let's celebrate and learn about these cute, fluffy animals! Llamas are part of the camelid family meaning they're pretty closely related to vicuñas and camels so like the camel they can be ridden! Unlike some humans, the llama knows its limits. If you try to overload a llama with too much weight, they will just lie down or simply refuse to move! Llamas are smart and easy to train. They come in colors like solid and spotted colors including black, gray, beige, brown, red, and white. Their pregnancy lasts for about 350 days, nearly a full year. Wow, that's interesting!
They have been used as a guard animal for livestock like sheep or even alpacas in North America since the '80s. They require almost no training to be an effective guard! Llamas are social animals and prefer to live with other llamas or herd animals. The social structure of llamas changes frequently, and a male llama can move up the social ladder by picking, and winning, small fights with the leader of the group. Amazing right? Now you know much more about these interesting creatures, and so do I! Thanks for reading!
Writer: Avni
Photographer: Samaira, Miles
Gingerbread House Day
Gingerbread House Day is a day when you can host a gingerbread house contest, make a gingerbread house from scratch, and much more! If you love gingerbread, then December 12th is your lucky day. The tradition of making gingerbread houses started in the early 1800s in Germany. They were brought to America by immigrants and became extremely popular around Christmas time. The world’s largest gingerbread house was 60 feet by 42 feet and is 35,823,400 calories! Gingerbread houses are amazing and old.
Gingerbread House Day's history is very interesting. As I said in the first paragraph Gingerbread House Day started in Germany. It is believed to be sacred. Gingerbread was a favorite dish of an American monk. Gregory of Nicopolis brought it to Europe in around 992 AD. He also taught French Christians how to bake it. This holiday started in the 1800s. German bakers began baking ornamented fairy-tale houses of lebkuchen. Bakers would make their hearts, stars, animals, and many more. It would also be extravagantly decorated. Gingerbread House Day has a huge history.
When you eat a gingerbread house you would surely have leftovers right? Many people make delights with leftover gingerbread. This idea is not too old but is just as great as gingerbread houses. People make gingerbread truffles, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread pie, gingerbread cake, and lots more! In England, gingerbread can be referred to as cake, or a type of cookie or a biscuit made with ginger. Remember that gingerbread can not be stored for long amounts of time. You can not store gingerbread in your freezer or make a gingerbread house on rainy days. If you do, the condition of the gingerbread house’s wall will be bad and might break. Gingerbread can make amazing treats and is worth the time.
In different times and places, they might do something different to celebrate Gingerbread House Day. In the city of Bergen in Norway, they make an entire city of gingerbread houses annually. There is a Swedish tradition in which people use gingerbread to make a wish. One of the defining aspects of gingerbread is the use of honey or molasses as a sweetener instead of sugar. Gingerbread can be used for many different things. Overall Gingerbread House Day can be used in many ways and is an amazing day to celebrate.
Writer(s): Srithika
Photographer(s): Ananya, Jessica
Chorus Concert
Hello, my name is Srithika and we will be discussing the Winter Chorus concert. The concert was on the 20th. It was fantastic. Mrs. Avner and the choir have done a phenomenal job, and I was there on stage too, so I am not kidding.
The concert had 5 moral songs, Uh Huh, Everybody’s Going on a Sleigh Ride, So Sad at Santa’s Pad, Lonely and Blue, and Do You Wanna Rock at the North Pole. Phew that's a lot! The songs have a moral to it, so it is kind of telling a story by singing a song. Cool right?
The first song is about the main character Elfis singing, then since everyone loved the 1st song, they wanted a 2nd song, then after the song Aretha, Mariah, Celine, Stanley, Bix, and Jerry Lee got into a huge argument. In the 4th song Elfis explains in a song why we should all forgive each other after fights, then finally the band got back together and rocked at the North Pole. THE END
Well, that is it for my article on the Winter Concert see ya later!