TROJAN TOPICS: HOLIDAY EDITION

Transcription

1 TROJAN TOPICS: HOLIDAY EDITION West Marshall Middle School Newspaper Volume 1, Issue 2 December, 2013 Reading Recommendations For Christmas Break By Teresa Disney and Sadie Sanderson If you re looking for some good reading over Christmas break, Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Kemmerer have some recommendations for you. All of these books you can find in the library. Another good book to read is Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam. One Summer by David Baldacci is a book for everyone to read, boys and girls of all ages. Alphas, by David Pogue, is a book written from a girl's point of view. Boys are probably not going to want to read it. The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan, is in a series, so students can read the other books before this one. It is also new! Inside this issue: Movie Reviews 2 Teachers Recipes 3 Student Survey: What are you doing over Christmas break? By Sadie Sanderson Sports Spotlight 3,5 Top 10 3 More Recipes... 4 Dear Mrs. Gallentine 5 Rube Goldberg 6 Renae Schaper: I m going deer hunting and sleeping in. Jaden Dehner: I m going to sleep in and shop. Cori Jorgenson: Probably going to have family over and go to my dad s.

2 A Christmas Movie Review: Elf By Payton Halverson This funny and exciting movie that came out in 2003 is about an elf named Buddy who is from the North Pole. He comes to New York City to find his dad he wants to meet. His dad doesn't believe him when he says he is an elf or that he is his son. While Buddy is in New York, he meets a girl that he falls in love with. His dad soon becomes mad at him. Will his dad keep him for long? This hilarious movie will have you watching it until the end. If you enjoy funny Christmas movies, this is one for you. I would give this movie a five out of five stars because it is my favorite Christmas movie, and it is good. I really enjoyed this movie, and I hope you do too! A Christmas Movie Review: Christmas Vacation By Cora Dolley National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a really funny movie. Christmas Vacation is about a man named Clark. His really crazy family comes and sees his wife and his two children. He goes up to his attic and then gets left up there and watches his family go on a Christmas vacation. One day they go get a Christmas tree. It turns out to be a real disaster. When they get home and get the tree up, they find something in the tree. I'm not going to tell you what is in the Christmas tree; you have to find out yourself. Have fun watching the movie! I give the movie 5 stars because the movie is really funny! A Christmas Movie Review: How The Grinch Stole Christmas By Teresa Disney This movie is very interesting because it talks about a grinch that has no soul. He tries to steal Christmas from Whoville. He intends to steal the presents but while he is about to destroy them, he hears singing from the people in Whoville. He figures out the true meaning of Christmas and returns the presents. Everyone in the end is very happy and has a feast! I rate this movie 5 stars! Band and Chorus Concert By Mya Kirke and Cora Dolley On December 9 th the band and chorus students performed in the high school gym. The 6 th grade band played Ancient Carol and Ding Dong Merrily on High. The 6 th grade chorus sang Deck the Nutcracker Hall and Born on Christmas Day. The 7 th and 8 th grade band played Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Good King Nutcracker. The 7 th grade chorus sang Christmas Round and Let It Snow. Then lastly the 8 th grade sang Jazzy Old St. Nicholas and Rockin' Christmas Celebration. All the chorus students sang Feliz Navidad. Every one did a wonderful job! Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 2

3 Top 10 Christmas Gifts By Jessica Buckley Ever wonder what middle schoolers really want for Christmas? Here are the top 10 most-requested gifts for iphone 2. A Dog 3. Ping-Pong Table 4. A Gift Card 5. Laptop 6. ipad 7. P.S.P 8. Kindle Fire 9. Clothes 10. T.V. Sports Spotlight: Wrestling By Avril Sinning 8 th grader wrestler Kyle Schaper answered a few questions about his winter sport. Q: How long have you been wrestling? A: I have been wrestling for eight years. Q: Do you like wrestling? A: I think it is okay. Q:Who are your coaches? A: Mr. Edwards is my coach. Q: What is your favorite thing about wrestling? A: My favorite thing about wrestling is winning. Q: Do you think you will go out for wrestling next year? A: Yes, I will. Q: What kind of things do you do in practice? A: We run a lot. TROJAN TOPICS: Holiday edition COOL CHRISTMAS RECIPES BY: MYA KIRKE AND RENAE SCHAPER MR.DENISON'S PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE CANDY COOKIES INGREDIENTS ~ ½ CUP GRANULATED SUGAR ~ ½ CUP PACKED BROWN SUGAR ~ ½ CUP CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER ~ ½ CUP SOFTENED BUTTER OR MARGARINE ~ 1 EGG ~ 1 ½ CUPS GOLD MEDAL ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR ~ ¾ TEASPOON BAKING SODA ~ ½ TEASPOON BAKING POWDER ADDITIONAL GRANULATED SUGAR ABOUT 36 HERSHY'S KISSES BRAND MILK CHOCOLATES, UNWRAPPED 1. Heat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, beat ½ cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking power until dough forms. 2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place about two inches apart. 3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately press one milk chocolate candy in the center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen cookies! TIP: Add a little razzle-dazzle by rolling the balls of dough in colored sugar instead of granulated sugar! Continued on page 4 Page 3

4 MRS. O'CONNER'S CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS INGREDIENTS: 1 CUP CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER ¼ CUP MARGARINE OR BUTTER,SOFTENED 1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR 2 CUPS KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES CEREAL 1 ½ CUPS SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE MORSELS 2 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE SHORTENING 54 MINI-MUFFIN PAPER CUPS DIRECTIONS: 1. In large electric mixer bowl, beat peanut butter, margarine and sugar on medium speed until thoroughly combines. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal, mixing thoroughly. Portion mixture using rounded teaspoon. Shape into balls. Place each ball in paper cup. Refrigerate. 2. Melt chocolate morsels and shortening in small saucepan, over low heat, stirring constantly. Spoon one teaspoon melted chocolate over each peanut butter ball. Refrigerate until firm. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. INGREDIENTS: 3 CUPS CORN CHEX CEREAL 3 CUPS RICE CHEX CEREAL 3 CUPS WHEAT CHEX CEREAL 1 CUP MIXED NUTS 1 CUP BITE-SIZED PREZELS 6 TABLESPOONS BUTTER OR MARGARINE 2 TABLESPOONS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 1 ½ TEASPOONS SEASONED SALT ¾ TEASPOONS GARLIC POWDER ½ TEASPOONS ONION POWDER MRS. GALLENTINE'S CHRISTMAS CHEX MIX DIRECTIONS 1.In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on high about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated. 2.Microwave uncovered on high 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container. Oven Directions: Heat oven to 250 F. In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips; set aside. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasoning. Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container. Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 2

5 Dear Mrs. Gallentine By Avril Sinning and Renae Schaper Q: If kids see people left out, what should they do? A: If kids are being left out, change that. This can be as simple as saying hello or asking how it's going. It would be nice if people would ask them to sit with them or even ask them to play when given gym time. If you're into Facebook, Instagram, or other social media notice them there by posting a hello or liking a picture! Q: If my friend and I have an argument, what is the best thing I should do? A: Oh, friends do get into disagreements at times. First, remember this is normal. A little time to cool off might not hurt. Then, talk too them. I suggest stating the facts with no blaming or opinions involved. You'd be surprised how a little misunderstanding can really mess things up for friends (hopefully for just a short time). If you're having a disagreement about something you really believe in or that bothers you, talk to your parents or even me about handling the situation. Q: How do you make new friends? Sports Spotlight: Basketball By Payton Halverson 8th grade basketball player Ashlee Johnson answers some questions about her winter sport. Q: What is your favorite thing about basketball? A: Playing as a team. Q: Who are your coaches? A: Ms. Schleihs and Mr. Craven. Q: On a scale of 1-10, how hard is practice? A: 7 Q: Do you think you will go out for basketball next year? A: Yes Q: How many people are on your team? A: I think there are about 19 girls. Q: From a rank 1-10, how much do you like basketball? Why or A: *Know what you're looking for Know what qualities you want in a friend and stick with them. *Do more of what you enjoy Participating in sports and clubs automatically groups you with people you have shared interests with. *Be positive and look for positive people People who are friendly are often open to making new friends. That works in both directions. If you want to show you're that kind of person too, be kind and thoughtful. Q: If a friend excludes someone, what should I do? A: Actions speak louder than words. Lead by example and choose not to exclude them. Help that person be recognized for something good. Q: How do you know when friends are friends? A: All relationships have their ups and downs (no one is perfect), but are your friends "real" friends? Check this list: Real friends are honest. Real friends care. Real friends accept you. why not? A: 7 because I am better at softball and cross country. Q:What is something you could say to 6 th graders who are thinking about going out next year? A: It's really fun and worth it! TROJAN TOPICS: Holiday edition Page 5

6 TAG Students Hold Rube Goldberg Contest By Emma Reyerson Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning and the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. He was born on July 4 th, 1883 and died on December 7, A Rube Goldberg is a deliberately over engineered machine that performs a simple task using household items. The TAG students in grades third eighth grade are making their own Rube Goldberg machines. Most are using paper towel rolls, marbles, dominoes, and other supplies to make their own unique machine. Some have goals for their machine to do like: pop a balloon, water a plant, or close a book. The competition was held at 2:45 p.m. on Friday, November 22, Parents and students were welcome to come and watch the machines. The judges included Mr. Barry, Ms. Schleihs, and Ms. Nusbaum. If the machine wasn't ready or didn't work, you lost points. Judging is based on a 50 point scale broken down into the four categories. Step List is your list of steps for your machine. They have to be clear, concise, and creative. Complexity is how well the machine works and whether complexity helps the machine or if the machine works better being simple. Team Chemistry is how well the group works together and communicates. Everyday items is another category on how we used everyday items in a creative way. There are three more categories on how well the machine runs. They include Run Task Completed, Rube Goldberg Style Steps, and Machine Flow. The Run Task Completed means that your machine works well and is completed without human intervention. The machines need to be designed well. The total points is 50 for the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. Above: Emma de- Neui and Isabelle Gradwell set up their marble ramp. Right: Sam Wilkinson, Luke Kalinay, Peyton Clark, and Destiny Waltemeyer (not pictured) wait for contest judging. Below: Mark Van Metre sets up his Rube Goldberg contraption. The winner of the Middle School Rube Goldberg Machine Contest was Mark Van Metre with a total of 49 points. The second place winner was Emma deneui, Isabelle Gradwell, and Emma Reyerson with a total of 48 points. The third place winners were John Hohnstein, Parker Hulbert, and Alex Dickey with a total of 46 points.

7 Trendy Trends: What s Trending at WMMS? By Alyza Nielsen I went around the school and asked a couple questions. The first question was, What is your favorite type of music? Country was the one that had the most tallies. The second question I asked was, What is your favorite singer? We had a close call with Nickleback and Katy Perry, but Katy Perry was one tally more. The third question I asked was, What is your favorite TV show? The trend involving television shows was The Big Bang Theory. Boys, you should read this part because the fourth question is, What is your favorite video game? The results for this question were Call of Duty Ghosts with 6 tallies Assassin s Creed Brotherhood with 3 tallies. Last, but not least, the girls question, I asked girls what their favorite accessory was, and the majority of them replied with a cute hairdo. WMMS First Ever Talent Show By Kasey Schlichte The first ever Talent Show at West Marshall Middle School is this Friday in the middle school gym. The people in the Talent Show will be dancing, singing, and even doing funny skits from the Internet. Mrs. Gallentine helped with auditioning and organizing the talent show. Photos from the Student Council Christmas Coffee: