5 Dumb Inventions
By Ethan Hughes
Flagstaff Myths
By Julia Curd
Once upon a time, in the beginning of creation, before even Mount Flagstaff existed, Zeus Granger had Hephaestus Barker create the first Language Arts teacher. The other gods bestowed many gifts upon her, including clothing, beauty, musical ability, and speech. She was also given the gift of curiosity. Unfortunately, this proved to be more of a curse than a blessing. For Zeus had a box that must never be opened.
The first Language Arts teacher, Pandora Wilkins, found out about the box, and Zeus told her never to open it. Unfortunately, several months later, the STEM Fair was in progress, and Zeus Granger went with the science teachers to the Fair. Pandora was left on her own, and her curiosity got the best of her. She walked into Zeus’ office, and opened the lid of the box. For the past few years, school had been a fun and exciting place. Knowledge was easy to come by, and all of the students were happy and smart. But this box changed everything. The box was filled with homework, essays, and tests! After the box had been opened, terror reigned across the school. Tests were being assigned, and students had hours of homework every day. Pandora Wilkins knew something had to be done. She ran back into Zeus’ room and opened it again. There was something at the bottom of the box! Pandora reached for it, and her hands found something wet and cold. It was a snowball. The next morning, everyone woke up to a beautiful snowy morning, and the cry was “SNOW DAY!” The snow day had brought a little bit of hope to the people of Flagstaff. Fun Facts About Denver
By Avery LeBlanc and Samree Dishon
Monthly Riddles
By: Natasha Terekhova and Mason Nieberger
Question: I make you see the beauty of nature through colors,
My name makes things шeigh less And I have no шeight at all. What am I? Answer: Light Question: A шord of five letters, Upside down is the same, A shark does this, But it’s not to blame. What is the word? Answer: Swims Question: What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on? Answer: A coat of paint Question:A house has 4 walls. All of the walls are facing south, and a bear is circling the house. What color is the bear? Answer: THe house is on the north pole so the bear is white. Question: How many seconds are there in one year? Answer: 12 of them: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd, April 2nd, May 2nd, June 2nd, July 2nd, August 2nd, September 2nd, October 2nd, November 2nd, December 2nd. Question: How many bananas can you eat if your stomach is empty? Answer: Just one—after that, it’s not empty anymore Question: Why did the boy throw his watch out the window? Answer: He wanted to see time fly. Question:What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it? Answer: Silence Top TubersBy Adena SteinJenna Marbles
Jenna Marbles is a popular internet comedian. She has a main channel and a separate vlogging (video blogging) channel. Her main channel has over 15 million subscribers and almost 2 billion views. She does beauty videos, sketches, “What girls and guys do”, and challenges. Click the link below to watch one of her videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABg-xB2izRI GloZell Green The self titled “Queen of the Youtube” and “Mother of the Internet”, GloZell is a well-known internet comedian. Her channel has over 4,000,000 subscribers and 700,000,000 views. Her many videos include challenges, collaborations, beauty videos, Q&As, analyzing lyrics, and Vlogs (video blogs). Click the link below to watch one of her videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hkN914ownI source: socialblade.com Presidential TriviaBy Avery LeBlanc
|
Around the WorldBy Anna ClaybornThe featured country this month is Switzerland!
Country Name: Swiss Confederation Size: 14,227 sq km Capital: Bern Language: German, French, and Italian Switzerland shares borders with Germany, France, Italy, and Austria. Lakes and the stunning alps make up the small country. The magnificent landscape of Switzerland is dotted by its unique and fashionable cities. Known for its delicious chocolate and excellent watches, Switzerland has become a fantastic vacation destination. Switzerland mixes rugged rural life with sparking urban life in the main cities. The alps are easily some of the most famous mountains in the world. During the winter, hit the slopes with your skis or snowboard. These legendary mountains are known for their great terrain. Don’t despair if your trip isn’t planned in the winter. The summer season in the alps is not empty of activities. Grab your bike and hiking boots. Explore the mountains through the trails and come whizzing down the slopes. Graubünden is a region in the eastern part of Switzerland. Graubünden is one of the most naturally beautiful places in Switzerland. Explore the alps through the almost empty trails that wind up the mountain. During the winter, Graubünden offers some unparalleled skiing and snowboarding. After exploring the alps and surrounding forests, it’s time to hit the cities. Zürich, located in the northern part of Switzerland, has an ancient city center and tons of art galleries all over the city. The ancient cathedral, Fraumünster, built in the thirteenth century boasts stunning stained glass windows and an impressive rose window. The art gallery, Kunsthaus showcases art from the middle ages all the way up to Van Gogh and Monet. Lucerne is a magnificent city nestled next to a winding lake. Its well preserved city center and astonishing views make it one of the most gorgeous cities in all of Switzerland. Kapellbrücke is a bridge built in the 14th century. The eight sided water tower is still the original, the roof is the only new part. The Lion Monument, a dying lion carved into the side of a cliff, commemorates the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution. This monument is heartbreaking, but it is one of the main things that draws people to the city of Lucerne. Switzerland is a tiny country but its draws are nothing but small. From the magnificent towering alps to the gorgeous ancient cities, Switzerland will more than satisfy anyone’s hunger for adventure. sources: cia.gov, lonelyplanet.com Holiday Lingo
By Sid Bhushan and Natasha TerekhovaSt. Valentine’s Day
German: Valentinsnacht French: Jour de la saint Valentin Japanese: バレンタインデー (Barentaindē) Russian: День Святого Валентина (Den' Svyatogo Valentina) Swedish: Saint Alla hjärtans dag Chocolate German: Schokolade French: Chocolat Japanese: チョコレート (Chokorēto) Russian: шоколад (shokolad) Swedish: choklad Heart German: Herz French: Cœur Japanese: ハート (Hāto) Russian: сердце (serdtse) Swedish: hjärta Love: German: Liebe French: Aimer Japanese: 愛 (Ai) Russian: любовь (Lubov) Swedish: Kärlek Forever Alone: German: Für immer alleine French: Seul pour toujours Japanese: いつまでも一人ぼっち (Itsu made mo hitoribotchi) Russian: Навсегда в одиночестве (Navsegda v odinochestve) Swedish: För evigt ensam Outlandish Sports
|
Book Reviews
By Samree DishonThe Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is narrated by death, Liesel Meminger, and the occasional third person. Nazi Germany is at war right now and death is consistently picking up lives. Liesel Meminger is the foster kid who loses her family and now lives with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel and her foster dad create a strong relationship. Liesel then sets her sights upon books, something that interests her and starts her thieving ways. Soon Hans begins to teach her how to read. Despite the law against any contact with Jews, the Hubermann’s hide a Jewish man in their basement. Liesel steals book that the Nazi hoped to destroy and writes stories to help Max see beyond their basement. This is a story about growing up and the horrors one faces in their life. The Lord of The Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R Tolkien is about a journey across the country to destroy the evil threatening to take ahold of the world. Frodo Baggins sets of on a quest with Sam Gamgee and Pippin, a quest put upon his shoulders by his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, and Gandalf, the grey/white wizard. Frodo Baggins;the ring barer, Aragon; the king, Legolas;the elf, Gimli the dwarf, Gandalf the grey/white, and Sam Gamgee all go on a quest. Each have a separate path but one main goal, to stop the end of mankind. These folks go on a journey fighting off all kinds of evil from the nazgul to the Balrog to the smallest gorg, to get to their destination. Before the evil gets too big and unstoppable, Frodo Baggins needs to get the one ring to Mordor and drop it into the pit of lava. This journey will take years and to be perfectly honest, they will never be completely safe again. Freaky FoodsBy Sid Bhushan and Anjana MallyaThis month on Freaky Foods, we are highlighting the African cucumber, which is actually the kiwano. It is an annual vine in the melon family. It is also one of the few sources of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert. It’s not gross and disgusting. (We’ll be back with that next time.)
History of Valentine’s
By Julea Trank-Greene
No doubt about it, Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular holidays. More than 62% of Americans celebrate with cards, flowers, candies, romantic dinners, or all of three of them. The roots of Valentine’s Day goes all the way back to the Ruckus ancient Roman Fertility Festival held in mid-February, called Lupercalia. Soon, the Christian church chose mid-February for St. Valentine’s Day. Not much is known about the holiday’s name. There was more than one Christian clerk named Valentine. One of them was sentenced to death because he performed marriage ceremonies in secret when Emperor Claudius II banned marriage for Roman men. Pope Gelasius declared February fourteenth as a day to celebrate the soft hearted Valentine at the end of the fifth century. It wasn’t until the 1300s when the holiday became associated with love or romance. People also believed that February fourteenth was the beginning of mating season for birds. The first Valentine greetings began in the 15th century, and by the 17th century, people in Great Britain had begun a tradition of exchanging letters and cards. Valentine’s Day soon caught on in the U.S. The first mass produced holiday cards emerged in the 1840s. Every year, an estimated 1 billion Valentine cards were sent each year. More than 35 million heart shaped boxes are sold, and more than 220 million roses are produced. All together, Americans spend almost $20 billion on Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a day of romance for everyone, they can give chocolates and flowers, but many people like to get jewelry to make a romantic gesture on Valentine’s Day. source: history.com Photo Bomb
By Anna Clayborn and Julia Curd
Hi, this is a feature article where you can enter a photo competition! Send in your photos that answer the prompt and we will choose the winner. We will print the winners in the next issue. Send your photo, as a JPEG, along with your first name, last initial and grade to [email protected].
This issue's competition is: The best selfie ever Please send in your picture by March eleventh Australian Open
Maedee Trank-GreeneThe Australian Open is an annual tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. The first Australian Open was held in 1905. It is the first grand slam event in the tennis season. This tournament includes men’s and women's singles, men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles. The Australian Open is a very important event for tennis. For the 2016 Australian Open, the winner for men’s singles is Novak Djokovic. The winner for women’s singles is Angelique Kerber. The winners for men’s doubles are Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. The winners for women’s doubles are Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. The Australian Open was a great event this year and we hope for more great tennis tournaments this year!
Wacky Words and
By Ethan HughesWord One: Abligurition
Definition: Spending a ton of money on food. Word Two: Antonomasia Definition: Using a Brand name to refer to all things under the umbrella of that name Example: Calling all cookies Oreos Word Three: Batta Definition: Overtime pay Phobia One: Anthropophobia Definition: Fear of people or of company Phobia Two: Aphephobia Definition: Fear of being touched Phobia Three: Nomophobia Definition: The fear of losing cell phone contact sources:brownielocks.com and nursingdegreeguide.org RAK NominationsBy Adena SteinNew this year to replace the RAK club are the Random Acts of Kindness Nominations! If a teacher or peer sees you doing a random act of kindness, they can go onto the Spectrum Newspaper, and fill out a form with your name, grade, and what you did. You will then be entered into a drawing for a cheesy prize! Good luck dragons!
Use this form to nominate someone: https://goo.gl/KyIUt9 |
For Comments, Corrections, and Story Ideas, Please Email
mailto:[email protected]. Staff: Editor-in-Chief: Anna Clayborn Staff Adviser: Lisa Wilkins Layout Editor: Julia Curd Assignments Editor: Ethan Hughes Staff Reporters: Chelsea Bandi, Julea Trank-Greene, Anjana Mallya, Mason Nieberger, Natasha Terekhova, Adena Stein, Avery LeBlanc, Samrawit Dishon, Siddhartha Bhushan, Maedee Trank-Greene |