THE PENGUIN PRIDE. Hello, Snow! H M S N E W S P A P E R C L U B

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1 H M S N E W S P A P E R C L U B THE PENGUIN PRIDE V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : NEWS 1 FEATURES 4 HARBORSIDE 12 HAPPENINGS ARTS & 14 ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS 18 OPINION 20 MEET THE STAFF 22 CITATIONS 23 By Cristina L. Snow, snow, and more snow! Hopefully you have been able to find pleasure in the recent cold blasts of winter weather, because as to your delight or utmost dislike, a whopping 53.5 inches has pounded down on Connecticut so far this season! The average winter snowfall amount in general seems like a miracle for some- only 18.4 inches. This means that this year, there has been a 300% surplus in snowfall amounts! As you likely realize, all this snow has caused numerous complications for our Milford community. The crazy weather is negatively affecting schools such as Harborside, workplaces, homes, streets and numerous local businesses throughout our small city. Cleaning up a combined total of 53 inches of snow plus numerous layers of ice has not been Hello, Snow! a piece of cake either. The Milford Patch warned us that, "The heavy, wet snow may cause weak, flat roof structures to collapse and tree branches to snap." The Department of Motor Vehicles canceled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, all road tests until 1 p.m. This was due to poor and slippery driving conditions from expected snow. In anticipation of the snowstorm occurring Tuesday Feb. 18, the city of Milford also declared a 'Snow Emergency'. There have been many car accidents across CT, as well roof collapses, people danger- ously snowed in, as well as cases of frostbite. Furthermore, as of 2/18/14, kids attending Milford Public Schools' last day of school will now tentatively be June 17th. The Milford Public Schools website states, "The last day of school is tentatively June 17, If additional days are required for emergency/snow closures, they will be added to June, but not to go beyond June 20th. Should more days be needed, they will be deducted from the April 2014 vacation, beginning with April 14th." Therefore, to Harborside families and students, for now it looks okay that we will still be out relatively early this year...as long as there is not a lot more snow! Meanwhile, my advice is to enjoy the special, beautiful, wintery season. Make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab a warm blanket and cuddle up by the fire. After all, spring will be here before we know it!

2 P A G E 2 OUCH! STUDENT-BODY INJURY SURVEY By Tess R. Have you ever worried that you ll be stuffed in a locker where no one can hear you? What about hung by your feet until you re forced to cough up your lunch money? Fortunately, a recent study shows these things only happen when you re watching TV. However, what should you really be worried about? For starters, pencil pokes are proven to occur VERY frequently, so stay away from a friend near the sharpener. The highly infamous paper cut happens to also be at the top of our survey, occurring (surprisingly) mostly in math and social studies. However, your chances of getting injured in science class are very low, even if the movies say it happens all the time. On a more serious note, being deprived of sleep and getting a headache during one of your classes are both extremely common among students. Some handy tips for avoiding these situations happening to you are: 1.) go to bed early and don t go back to sleep after you have first woken up, unless it s late at night. Surprisingly, you will be more tired if you go back to sleep after waking up than just waking up and starting your day. It all has to do with the sleep cycle. 2.) You are very likely to get dehydrated while in school. However, if you bring in a note, you can carry around a water bottle all day long; this will reduce headaches. Between the serious and the not so much, injury is a common problem in schools. However, it is easily avoidable with a little common sense. (Out of 40 students) T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

3 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 THE PENGUIN AWARDS P A G E 3 By Connor D. The Penguin Awards were awards for the best Animoto video trailers made by the 6 th grade. The host of the Penguin awards was Mrs. Shea. The winners and books were: Ally W. (Flush), Christian L. (Dog Tags Simper Fido), Finnian S. (Storm Breakers ), Emma B. (Legend), Riley P. (Tear Jerker), Dylan S. (Insurgent), Tyler N. (I Survived Hurricane Katrina), Theresa R. (The Fault In Our Stars), Jaden B-C. (Matched), and Grace J. (Star Girl). Even though many awards were given out, there were Honorable Mentions as well. They were, Justin A., Camryn B., Jack B., Julia B., Caroline C., Michael D., Connor D., Miriam D., Owen F., Justine J., Emily K., Tori K., Chris L., Maxine L., Nicole M., Clea O., Nicholas P., Sam P., John S., Morgan T., Michael Y., and Carly W. Lights, Camera, DRAMA! By Anna M. As of March 3 rd and 7 th, Harborside officially has a drama club. Students who have signed up will either meet on Mondays or Fridays. The play will be a warped version of A Midsummer Night s Dream adapted by a professional from Long Warf Theater named Mallory, who will be helping the students learn to act more professionally. On Mondays the students will be doing traditional Shakespeare speech, whereas the Friday class will do a modern version, with changed language into what we would say today. They will combine their performances for dress rehearsals and the final performance for a hilarious mash-up of modern and traditional language with a colorful transformation. The added twists give the play a fresh and fun perspective.

4 P A G E 4 FACULTY INTERVIEW: MISS EPPOLITI By Leslie A. Q. Have you taught at different schools before? A. Foran High School. Q. How long have you been teaching at Harborside? A. 5 years. Q. Why did you choose to teach Language Arts? A. I like discussions. Q. If you could pick another job what would it be? A. I would be a dolphin trainer. Q. What would be your favorite subject apart from Language Arts? A. Math.

5 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 Interviewing a Book Worm: Mrs. Shea P A G E 5 By Teddy M. Q: What is your favorite book? A: I can t choose between Pride And Prejudice and Divergent. Q: If you wrote a book what genre would it be? A: Dystopian Fiction Q: What do you prefer to read on: a book or a tablet? A: A real book. Q: Did you have another job before you became a teacher? A: Yes. I was a lawyer. Q: Do you have a pet? A: Yes, Rocky the cat. Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Milford? A: Bistro Basque. Q: If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? A: Australia. Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? A: I would donate some money to charity, get a big house by a lake with little houses around it and travel a lot. Q: If you could meet one person, who would it be? A: George Washington. Q: Who is your favorite author? A: John Steinbeck Q: Why should kids read books? A: Kids should read books because it is the best feeling to use your imagination and lose yourself in a great book.

6 P A G E 6 Cooking Corner A Tasty Treat For You To Eat By Ike D. These cookies are a tasty treat for someone special! 1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts 1/4 cup strawberry jams 2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon colored decorating sugar, or as needed A bucket full of love DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line baking s heets with parchment paper.. 2. Unroll the pie crusts, place on a lightly floured work surface, and roll the crusts slightly with a rolling pin to square the edges. Cut each crust into 8 equal-sized rectangles. Place about 2 teaspoons of strawberry jam in the center of 8 squares, and spread the jam out to within 1/4 inch of the edge of the pastry square. Top each with another pastry square, and use a fork to crimp the squares together, sealing in the jam. Use a knife to trim the pastries, if desired. Move the filled pastries to the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are lightly golden brown, about 7 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets. Meanwhile, stir together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl to make a spreadable frosting. Spread the cooled tarts with frosting and sprinkle with colored sugar. I hope you enjoy your tasty treat! T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

7 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 7 Cute Gifts For That Special Someone By Arbesa K. and Cristina L. Ideas For this gift, use a little box wrapped like a present with a bow on top. DO NOT fill the box with anything. Put a note or poem on the side to show your love and affection for the person you are giving it to. Another option is to get a bunch of post it notes, and put them in a shape of a big heart. On each one put a reason why you love that person. You can put the sticky notes anywhere the person will notice- such as the bathroom mirror or bedroom door. Put the alphabet with spaces on a piece of paper or poster and like an acrostic poem, with the beginning of each letter write something nice about them. Do it Yourself Fortune Cookies! Materials Felt ( pink or red), Ribbon, Fabric shears, Wire cutters, Craft Glue Step 1 Using fabric shears, cut a 4 ½ - inch diameter circle from a piece of felt. Cut a piece of matching ribbon slightly shorter than 4 ½ inches. Using wire cutters, cut a piece of floral wire slightly shorter than the length of ribbon. Step 2 Using craft glue, affix the wire to the middle of the felt circle. Glue ribbon on top, covering the wire. Let dry for 30 minutes. Step 3 Fold the circle in half, using the wire as a guide, so ribbon is inside cookie. Next, angle the sides toward each other, bending the wire at its halfway point and forming a fortunecookie shape, as shown. Step 4 Assemble the fortune cookies. Carefully peel back one flap of the felt cookie, and insert a paper fortune with a few candies (optional) and on the paper write a nice note.

8 P A G E 8 This new Penguin Pride segment is a growing collection of recipes that are muy delicioso! This edition the theme is CUP- CAKES!!! Creme Filling: Ingredients 1 stick butter 1/2 cup shortening, such as Crisco 4 cups powdered sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup whole milk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tablespoons red food coloring Quick and simple recipes 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Frosting ingredients 1 pound cream cheese, softened 2 sticks butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar Fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish By Ehlana M. and Elle M. Heavenly cream filled cupcakes Ingredients Baking spray 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 whole eggs 2 sticks butter 4 tablespoons (heaping) cocoa powder 1 cup boiling water For the Ganache: 1 cup heavy cream 6 tablespoons corn syrup 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 2 teaspoons vanilla extract DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. For the Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry. Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly spray 18 muffin cups with baking spray. To make the cake batter, combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Set aside. In a separate container, combine the buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla and eggs. Stir to combine and set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add the boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds and then turn off the heat. Pour the chocolate mixture over the flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine. Fill muffin cups just over half full (do not overfill!). Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then remove the cupcakes and allow to cool completely on a baking rack. For the ganache: To make the ganache, heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Chop the chocolate and add to a bowl. Add the vanilla to the cream mixture, and then pour the cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate. Whisk together until melted, smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly. For the creme filling: Whip together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Sift together the powdered sugar and salt and add it to the butter mixture in batches. Add the milk, then the vanilla, beating the whole time. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat until very light and fluffy. Put the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. When the cupcakes are totally cool, insert the tip of the pastry bag into the bottom of the cupcake and fill with cream filling. When cupcakes are filled, spoon ganache so that it completely coats each cupcake OR dip to coat. Let them set before serving. T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

9 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 9 The DIY Guru By Anonymous Ecstatic about Easy: Floating Gummy Bear Popsicles What you ll need: Dixie cups Sprite Gummy Bears Toothpicks Plastic Wrap First, pour the Sprite into each Dixie cup as evenly as you can (you want to be consistent). Next, add your gummy bears into the cup. The carbonation should prevent them all from sinking to the bottom. If they all seem to be sinking, you can try cutting the gummy bears into halves. Then, cover your Dixie cups with plastic wrap. Finally, stick the toothpicks through the shiny cover and into the Sprite-and-gummy-bear mixture. Leave in the freezer for three to four hours. Take out and enjoy! Variations: So you can see the gummy bears more clearly, try using water instead of Sprite. For jelly fish popsicles, substitute gummy bears with gummy worms and grab some red food dye. When adding the worms, make sure the ends stick out of the liquid. Add food dye and don t put on plastic wrap. Psyched about Standard: Wall-Mounted IPhone Charging Station What you ll need: Strong Scissors An Empty Bottle (preferably not a soda bottle) Duct tape Elbow Grease First, make an incision with your scissors into approximately the middle of your bottle. Cut half-way around the bottle. Be careful not to cut the whole middle half off. Turn your scissors and cut upwards so that the whole halfside can be removed from the bottle. Place the scrap to the side. Find the wall unit in your home that you normally use to charge your device and, using that as a visual, cut a small square out of the remaining half of the bottle so that the hole is surrounded by plastic. Finally, duct tape rough edges to prevent cuts. If you like, continue to duct tape the bottle so you can no longer see its original label and color. Use it wisely! Crazy about Challenges: Stylish Laptops *Get permission before attempting* What you ll need: Mini Duct Tape Roles Scissors A Pen First, cut small duct tape pieces that match the size of the keys on your laptop. Doing one key at a time, write down what the key says on the piece of tape and place on keyboard. I recommend having your computer off for this process, so the buttons don t actually affect your computer. Continue with this process until your entire keyboard is covered in colorful tape. And you re done! J Variations: If you don t have mini duct tape, normal duct tape makes a good substitute, but you have to do more cutting. For a more mellow look, only duct tape 75% of your keyboard

10 P A G E 10 Craft Corner It is time to put some art in your life with an awesome origami crane in Ike s Art Corner! Origami Art by Microsoft Publication1 - Microsoft Publisher Paper folding art origami crane folding art By Ike D. T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

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12 P A G E 12 PENGUIN SQUAWK is a new feature of The Penguin Pride! In each issue we will ask a question of various HMS students and post their responses here. PENGUIN SQUAWK By Jason G. and Connor D. If you could be a celebrity who would you be? Royal B. 6th grade Dwayne the Rock Junior Bridget C. 6th grade Stefanie Dolson Tyler B. 7th Grade LeBron James Natalie M. 7th grade Ariana Grande Jack P. 8th grade Miley Cyrus Emma C. 8th grade Jennifer Lawrence T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

13 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 13 HMS STUDENT INTERVIEW: All about JON VITALE By Connor D. Q. Who is your favorite teacher? A. Miss Napier Q. What would you do with a million dollars? A. I would donate half to charity and the other half I would keep for college. Q. Would you rather be locked in a cage with a lion or lick jelly off of a dirty man s hand? A. I love jelly so lick jelly off of a dirty man s hand. Q. If you could travel in time what year would you go to and why? A. I would go to 2070 because I would want to see what would happen to me in life and who things improved Q. What is your favorite movie? A. Anchorman 2. Q. What is your favorite sports team? A. Oklahoma City Thunder. Q. What is your favorite Milford restaurant? A. Lasse s.

14 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 14 By Liz M. and Molly M. MIDNIGHT MEMORIES ALBUM REVIEW Liz and I apologize if you don t understand some of these jokes. They are One Direction inside jokes: want to know what they re all about? Start LOVING this purely amazing, wonderful and loveable band! Best Song Ever: Best Song Ever is truly the best song ever. Oh and don t forget the hilarious music video. Story of My Life: This song is so good. Harry s solo gives us the chills every time we hear it. Diana: A fast paced song that everyone loves. Midnight Memories: Love the music video but seriously are they trying to kill Zayn? You and I: Heartwarming song: we re in love! Don t Forget Where You Belong: Down to earth song about sticking to your roots. It is personally one of our faves! Strong: The sweetest song ever honestly can there be cuter couples than Zayn and Perrie, Liam and Sophia, and Louis and Eleanor. Happily: WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly it makes us very, very happy. Right Now: We both wish we were listening to it right now. Little Black Dress: We love it oh so much! Through The Dark: Gives me the chills we love it so, so, so much. Something Great: This song has such good lyrics and is something great. Little White Lies: That bass drop though. Better Than Words: We are at a total loss for words. Why Don t We Go There: This song is just per-fect!!! Does He Know: We love this fast-paced dance along song. Alive: Makes us feel so alive: you can sing along and listen to it forever. Half A Heart: This song makes us cry so much; it s so sad but at the same time so sweet. We both feel that you should download this album on itunes or just listen to it. We also recommend their other albums Take Me Home and Up All Night.

15 P A G E 15 CELEBRITY GOSSIP By Emily M. Taylor Swift has been granted a restraining order against a man who has been literally stalking her since Sorry Taylor! But it s a little too late for that! This man has been stalking Taylor since 2011! It is the year 2014! If I was her I would have gotten a restraining order the minute I found out about it! Not only has this man been stalking Taylor but he was claiming that she was his wife! He also threatened to kill her family members. Some of the alarming messages read: Dearest Taylor, I ll kill anyone who gets in the way of our marriage. Creepy!!! Thankfully Taylor got rid of this sicko before he could get any creepier! T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

16 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 16 New App Gives You The Console Feel on your Ios Devices By Mike Y. With the Joypad Game controller and console app, you can play games with your ipad and iphone with the same console type feel. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection and your Ios devices. I have already played around with the app, and it has a huge connection to other consoles like the X-box and Play Station. You need to download Joypad controller on your Iphone, and Joypad Console on your Ipad. Some of the games cost money, but they are usually only 99 cents. The games range from arcade, to simple style games. One of the games is Vertex Blaster, where you command a spaceship and try to survive against endless waves of enemy spacecraft. The graphics work really well. More games are being added soon, and some may even be multiplayer. The app has precise coordination between your devices, which allows an intense gameplay. This also works with your Apple Mac. The Joypad Game controller and console app will totally change how people decide to play video games.

17 P A G E 17 Tom s List TOP VIDEO GAMES ACCORDING TO TOM By Tommy M. Many video games have been released in the past year 2013, and there are even games from 2014 that deserve mentioning. Here you have The Top Ten Video Games as of March Batman: Arkham Origins- The reason I chose this game to be number 10 is because of it has great multiplayer, skillinvolving co-op games, and in-depth single player experience. 9. Happy Wheels- I have nothing more to say but fun for this game, but it lacks an actual purpose. Just like Cookie Clicker. 8. GTA V- I am not a fan of the violence in this game, however I like the sandbox style involved and the driving experience you get from it. 7. Skyrim- I personally like a good sandbox involving an option for whether or not you want to do the main quest or not, however I did not like how the intro. scene is so long and not exciting if you wish to create a new character and you have seen the intro. before. 6. Call of Duty Ghosts- I do not even have this game, but I have seen Youtube videos of it. It seems like a fun game, and like usual, it got loads of purchases. I also heard bad reviews about it, but those reviews didn t have enough reasons for me. 5. FIFA 14- This game is fun, but is also hard and expensive. I am not what some people call a Major League Gamer, so I am not good at this game. There are some annoying points to this game, such as the player contracts, so I give it a 5. But it is an excellent game overall and is well put together. 4. Forza 4- This game is one of my favorite console games, (I have it for the Xbox360) mainly because I love racing/driving games. The racing on multiplayer is very hard since most of the other players have been playing it since it came out. 3. Assassin s Creed IV Black Flag- I am generally a fan of pirates and also history. Besides the fact I get to sail a ship, there is also the great historical accuracy. Almost everything and every character, with an exception to the main character Edward Kenway, actually happened and existed. 2. Minecraft 1. League of Legends- I like computer games generally, so League of Legends or LoL easily slipped its way into the 2 nd place spot. League of Legends is extremely strategy involving, challenging, and fun game to play. You are placed in an arena to fight as a team of 5 champions against another 5 champions. Champions are basically the characters you play as, and there are currently 117 champions, giving you a choice of who to play as. Riot Games, the creator of LoL, is popping out new game modes all the time, such as ARAM or Ranked. What is really cool is there are actual TOURNAMENTS that happen every day. Eventually at the end of the League of Legends season comes the championship. I recommend you get League of Legends as soon as possible. Which champion will you choose?

18 P A G E 18 MILFORD ON TOP AGAIN! By Patrick C. After winning the Shehan Center open division in January, the 6 th grade Knights won the Suburban League championship game in Derby against one of their rivals, New Haven, with a buzzer beating 3 by Jon Vitale. They lost to New Haven twice in the regular season. Once the Knights lost by 17 in a heart breaking loss. They knew they had to step up and play their hardest. At the end of the 1 st quarter, Devon held New Haven to only 4 points. John Shannon led the offense with 6 points. At the end of the half it was a 2 point game, Devon. Though, it was a sad third quarter for the Knights. They were outscored The boys tried their best but didn t pull through. In the 4 th quarter they came in ready to fight. The 4 th quarter was magnificent! They set up their press right away and forced New Haven to turn the ball over many times. With just 30 seconds left they forced a bad pass by New Haven and got the ball. Quickly they called a time out down 5. They set up their inbound play and Vitale hit a 3- pointer. New Haven got the ball with 16 seconds left. New Haven took a bad shot and was rebounded by Devon! They passed it up to Jon Vitale at half court with 3.3 seconds left Devon won the game! Jon Vitale took a halfcourt shot with a man in his face to win the game! Devon has won their 2 nd consecutive championship. T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

19 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 SPORTS OPINION: Top 3 Teams in the NBA P A G E 19 By Timothy H. The top 3 teams in the NBA have been doing really well recently and are serious contenders for the championship in April. 3. The Miami Heat come into 3 rd place. They have been doing really well with 44 wins and 17 losses. Also, they are on an 8 game win streak which is the longest win streak in the NBA right now. They win their games by 5.4 points on average, which is also one of the best in the NBA at this time. In my opinion, The Miami Heat are a force to be reckoned with heading towards the championship. They might win their 4 th NBA championship and their third one in a row. 2. The San Antonio Spurs come in 2 nd place. They might be coming back from last year s championship final loss. They now have 46 wins and 16 losses. They re also on a 6 game winning streak, and in their last 10 games, they re 9-1, which is the best in the NBA at this time. Clearly, they are huge contenders for the championship and a huge force in the coming weeks. 1. The Los Angeles Clippers come into 1 st place. Even though they don t have the best statistics, they are expected to be in the playoffs and be a big threat all together. They have 45 wins and 20 losses, which isn t bad, but isn t the best. They have won 8 games in a row, and they re 8-2 in their last 10 games. Clearly they re really good and serious contenders for the championship.???riddles??? By: Emily Morey Here are the answers to last edition s riddles! A baby The moon A chair

20 P A G E 20 YOU GOT QUESTIONS, WE GOT ANSWERS By Ehlana M. Q: I really need help. I m a good student in school, but when I get home, I take a long time to start my homework. Sometimes I don t finish, and it s never really good work. Projects are the worst; I end up procrastinating and I m up until one a.m. the night before it s due because I haven t even started. I want to stop but I don t know how. Help? -Procrastination Queen A: Dear Procrastination Queen, This is a really serious problem, but you re not alone. I was a major procrastinator, but here are three easy steps I used to stop. One: get motivated! It sounds like you already want to stop, so use that. Every time you get home and start to do something other than your homework, think about how awful you ll feel in class the next day. Or think about how upset your parents are when you re up all night working on a project that you had two weeks to do, but are just starting the day before you have to turn it in. Two: have people help. Get your parents to remind you to do your homework. I ll bet they want you to stop procrastinating as much as you do, and them reminding you is something they might already do. Listen to them, and ask them to be more persistent. It will be really annoying, but you ll thank them for it later. Three: stop making excuses. I ll do it later, I have plenty of time, and It s not that important are all classic excuses. If you convince yourself of this, you will never get anything done, and you ll never be able to stop making excuses. Use these three easy steps to stop procrastinating, and I promise that your homework and projects (not to mention your grades) will be greatly improved. *********************************************************** Q: I have this certain group of friends. I really like them, but I want to be friends with other people. One of my friends said that she and the rest of my group wouldn t talk to me anymore if I betrayed them, and I really don t want that to happen. How do I make new friends without losing my old ones? A: Dear Boxed In, -Boxed In That is awful. First of all, try talking to your other friends about this. Chances are, they don t feel the same way as this one girl, and will probably be fine with you making new friends. This girl is the problem, and you might lose her, but if she s being that possessive, then she s not your real friend. Take a moment T H E P E N G U I N P R I D E

21 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 4 P A G E 21 to consider whether or not she s really been a good friend to you. If they all agree with her then they re not your real friends either. Also, they re betraying you by not allowing you to have any other friends, not the other way around. The first thing you should do is tell them (or her) that you re going to start to be friends with more people. Let them know that if they still want to be your friend they can be, but make sure that they also know that you re going to get new friends no matter what they decide. Try not to start a fight, and if they do, walk away. When you start looking for new friends, try talking to people you have been friendly to (or the other way around), people who have the same interests as you, or people who have qualities that you like. Try not to focus on your old friend(s), and make sure you re not being friends with someone just to get back at your ex-friend. Good Luck! *********************************************************** Q: Hi! So a lot of my friends have boyfriends, and they re trying to make me get one too. They keep saying that these random guys like me and they try to convince me to ask a guy out. I don t mind that they have boyfriends, but I don t want to date in middle school; plus, my parents won t allow it. I want them to stop, but how do I do that without doing what they want? -NOT a Girlfriend A: Dear NOT a Girlfriend, I totally hear you. First of all, no matter how hard it is, don t get a boyfriend unless you want one. (And if that time happens to be in the very near future, make sure it s really because you want to.) It really is perfectly fine to wait until high school to get a boyfriend. The chances are very slim that the person you re with in middle school is going to be the one. Second, talk to your friends about how you feel. They probably don t realize how much they re actually hurting you. Once they realize that their teasing has gone a bit too far, they should stop. If they don t, consider whether or not they re really your friends. Finally, you re not alone. I don t have a boyfriend, don t want one, and my dad would kill me if I got one. That s all we have for this edition of You ve Got Questions, We Got Answers. Make sure to read the next edition for more help!

22 Meet The Penguin Pride Staff! P A G E 22

23 P A G E 23 CITATIONS FOR PICTURES USED IN THIS EDITION: (picture link) hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=930&q=question+mark&oq=ques&gs_l=img.1.0.0l j ac.1.31.img euvkt5hvqe#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=pjcd8rdazyreum% 3A%3BDjzxvvrtzRbJeM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgianelloni.files.wordpress.com%252F2012%252F08%252Fstockillustration question-mark.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgianelloni.wordpress.com%252F2013%252F10%252F14% 252Fproject- %252F%3B289%3B image A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbuzzhub.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F12%2F07%2Ffilm-review-frozen% 2F&docid=L514o6vxWEKljM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbuzzhub.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F12% i.imgur.com/6vrxutw.jpg sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=r0rlyi6gjl8jum&tbnid=kvzev1dkgssctm:&ved=0cauqj Rw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneytouristblog.com%2Fdisney-world-christmas-ultimate-guide% 2F&ei=J2jMUsrXBrLOsATowIHgDQ&psig=AFQjCNF-pcezCsyjB8Ym5H1PU2KaJUFVLQ&ust=