The talon issue 8

THE TALON

GI VI NG OUR READERS A CHANCE TO THI NK, FEEL, LAUGH, AND CONNECT WI TH EACH OTHER.

MOTHER NATURE I ssue 8 Oct ober 2015

Visit our webazine at : t het alon.nido.cl

Ariana Robinson Grade 4

STAFF Ameer Najarali Grade 5

Maya Purcell Grade 5

Nicolas Rios Grade 5

Del Cartwright Grade 4

Gaby Gomez

Christian Wu

Grade 4

Grade 5

Caitlin Duggan

Grade 3

Naomi Templeman Grade 3

Sophia Shaffer Grade 5

Tristan Bohn Grade 2

Vincent Pohr

Grade 5

Emma Garfein

Grade 4

Lena Espinoza Grade 3

TABLEOFCONTENTS THE THEME OF ISSUE # 8:

Did You Know

Animals and Nature

Mother Nature

The Blue Crew, Cardboard Challenge and an interview with Mr. Donaldson

Putting our selves in the 'shoes' or 'paws' of animals across the planet.

Pages 1-3

Pages 4-6

Sports

Spotlight

Your Vote

Surfing, Baseball, and Soccer are featured in this issue's Sports section

Incredible photos of Mother Nature in all her glory. Photo Contest Entries were awesome!

Pages 7- 9

Taking care of Mother Nature takes everyone.

Pages 10 - 12

Imagination Creation

Readers-Write

How-To

Examples of Great Stories from Grades 4 and 5

A handful of memorable personal stories you can't miss.

Gardens, BBQ, and Ice Cream. Sounds like summer is coming soon.

Pages 14-15

Pages 16 - 20

World of Art

Wacky Page

Advertisements

A restaurant review and interview with chef!

Mother Nature has a wacky side too.

Thank you to The Talon's advertisers for helping us work towards our goal of becoming self-sufficient.

We are all connected to the health of our Mother Earth.

Page 24 Page 23

Page 13

Pages 21 - 22

Pages 25 - 28

Did You Know THEBLUECREWHELPS MOTHERNATURE

by Delfin Cartwright (Grade 4)

There is a new after school activity on the Nido campus. Our name is The Blue Crew and we are making whole school changes that will impact us all.

The Blue Crew is a recycling and reduction club. We meet every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:00 in the Gifted and Talented Room.

The leader of this Blue Crew club activity is named Chad Mills. Mr.Chad says, ?The group has started off strong by presenting our recycling and reduction ideas to Dr. Ralph, we?ve designed Blue Crew T-shirts, and we continue to collect recycling surveys and data throughout the school. We are hope we can make big changes, but it takes small steps.?

The Blue Crew?s point is to make the school better by improving the school, earth, and education of the students.

Also in the future we may have recycling competitions between grade levels 1 to 5.

Vincente Saman one of the Blue Crew member said, ?The Blue Crew is encouraging better recycling and we are even showing people how to recycle.?

This club has decided to narrow it down to three focuses.They are student involvement, campus wide

system improvements, and cafeteria and lunchroom recycling. If you want to join the Blue Crew, contact Mr. Chad Mills at cmills@nido.cl If you care about mother nature be sure to help the recycling system here at Nido by using the colored recycling bins correctly, and by reminding other people to recycle.

HAMANDCHEESE

By Melissa Alegretti (5E) Once upon a time, there lived a ham and a cheese in a normal and happy family. But this ham and cheese were special, they had life! The problem was they were always in danger...

One particular day, the Zelium family were going to have dinner with the Solimon family. The entrĂŠe was sandwiches with ham and cheese, which the children were supposed to prepare.

But Ham and Cheese (those were their names) had other plans. As they tried to leave, one of the children saw them, and Ham & Cheese quickly laid on the floor as if they had no life. So then, the child took Ham and Cheese to cut them and make the sandwiches! :( Since the child had forgotten to take the knife, she bent down to search for that cutting tool. It was the chance for Ham and Cheese to escape from this!

Without the children looking, they tiptoed into the oven and jumped quickly to the floor, hiding between the potato chips!

When the child was with the knife prepared to cut, the ham and the cheese had disappeared!

The child was very confused! So then, the girl just went to the refrigerator and got some more ham and cheese.

In conclusion, HAM AND CHEESE RAN AWAY FROM ANOTHER DANGER!!!! YAY!!!!

1

THENIDOFAMILYCARDBOARDCHALLENGE SPONSORED BY THE BLUE CREW

The Third Annual Nido Family Cardboard Challenge was a celebration of student creativity! Kids from Kinder to Fifth Grade were challenged to create and build games and gadgets out of cardboard, recycled materials, and their own imagination. The project was simply based on the ideas of design, build, and play. Nido?s event took place in conjunction with Caine?s Arcade Global Cardboard Challenge held in over 50 countries. We encourage even more Nido students to show off their ingenious cardboard creations during our next event happening soon.

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MR.DONALDSON Ameer Najarali (grade 5) Our elementary school is always changing. For example: changing rules, playgrounds, classrooms and teachers.

Talking about changing teachers, did you guys know that we have a all new principal? Mr. Donaldson is our new principal, which you probably knew. But if you are like me, then you would want to know more about our principal. So, get ready for an interview that let's you know more about our new leader.

Who inspired you t o be a principal and why?

My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Huff. He inspired me to be a teacher because he was a officer in the navy. I was and my dad was to so that was something. He always told me that I should be a teacher. Now that is still my motivation and I consider myself a teacher before a Principal.

Do you t hink Nido needs t o improve?

Yes, all good schools always has room for improvements.

We Nido are always looking for improvements.

We are working to make a better curriculum and make better and more fun tests. Because kids want to go to school if it?s fun.

Ameer's thoughts: Wow now we know some "top secret" info.

That is not something that happens every day.

Tal k about how you were l ike as a st udent ?

As a 5th grader I was one of those kids who always had a book in my desk. I enjoyed history and social studies. I was also a great speller. College was where I became a very hard worker.

Well that would be the photo

Tel l somet hing t hat not many peopl e know about you.

I have a hobby of learning about ancient Rome. I read historical fiction books about it. This was caused because of my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Huff. We learned a lot about Rome that year, and the things I learned still inspire me to know more.

Now f or t his set of quest ions I need t o know your f avorit e f ood.

That would be pasta.

Woul d you rat her eat al ready chewed past a by a random guy and cont inue eat ing t hat pre-chewed past a... Or never eat past a f or t he rest of your l if e?

I would eat already chewed pasta because i would never want to stop eating pasta.

How wil l you improve our school ?

(Now readers I will ask some less serious questions EXCLUSIVELY for you.) If your house was t oo burn down and you had t o save somet hing what woul d it be? Pet s and peopl e don't count

albums because I don't want precious and important memories to burn down. Memories are very important.

Now f or t he cl assic: what superpower woul d you want and why?

Super strength because I would love to solve problems like opening a can.

Ammer's thoughts: By the way I would choose extreme vision because I want to fix my vision.

The interview ended. I was amazed and you were too about how cool Mr. Donaldson was. To me it feels great to have some knowledge in the backstage of Nido's new leader. Now all we need to know is who will be our next principal to find out more "top secret" information. (Joke) I know that Mr. Donaldson will make a positive impact in our school and make it better. After all, he said that he will make the school more fun and that's an what we all want, right? So for you young readers: the future years at Nido are definitely something to look forward to.

Mr. Donal dson's ship, t he USS Avenger.

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Animal s and Nat ur e

By Emma Garfein (Grade 4)

THECHANGINGLIFE OFTHEREDFOX

One May morning the spring sun rises over the fluorescent meadow. Five fox cubs wake up, stretch their limbs, and yawn away their sleep and soon they are ready to start their day. They scatter around the den searching for their mother. They find their mother and get lead out of their underground den into the sunlight. Taking a deep breath of fresh air they start their hunt for breakfast.

Quickly, their mother grabs a live mouse and brings it to give them a hunting test. But really they are young so they push the mouse with their paws trying to play with it. The very frightened mouse leaps away leaving the foxes behind. After four months of lessons, their mother can sense that they are ready to explore the rest of their world. Their hunting skills improved, they scamper into the countryside.

As they climb a hill and get to the top they see the city below. The fox mother notices that the city expanded since the last time she on the same hill and asks herself ?What happened??

Her cubs are startled by the tractors moving and the beeping noises and she decides to move them to a quiet place. When she gets there she sees that her old den was destroyed and a luxurious hotel was placed on top. Her cubs will have to adjust to a new lifestyle very soon when the city expands to the wilderness and takes over their habitat.

EMPERORPENGUININANTARCTICA

by Eduardo Galindo (Grade 2) One frosty July morning, the sun tries to rise through the misty clouds of Antarctica. The loud squeaks of the of emperor penguins fill the air. The tall glaciers touch the foggy skies like skyscrapers. The waves smash and crash against icebergs. The giant orca splashes the other penguins as he goes right back into the water.

Soon it's feeding time. The plump penguin waddles to the edge, leaps into the air, and dives a thousand feet below the surface of the chilly sea. While he is underwater, he looks for food like fish, krill, squid or whatever he can find. Suddenly, the emperor penguin catches a fish, races to the water?s surface, and in less then a second he is out of the water and he is belly-sliding on the ice shelf. He devours his food immediately.

After having a yummy meal, he decides to challenge his penguin friend to a race. So, they race like torpedoes in between seaweed and ice chunks. Then they find a big, slippery iceberg so, they start to glide down on their bellies. After sliding on their bellies, they returned to their homes and settled in for the night.

For now, the emperor penguin settles into the warmth of the flock for the night. He knew that the next morning he would have to go searching for food, but for now, he just rests comfortably squeezed between two larger, and warmer penguin friends.

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TOUCANINAKAPOKTREE

by Agustina Bravo (Grade 2) Koo koo,Koo koo!!!.The male toucan announces the sun rising over the Amazon Rainforest. And from the highest branch in a kapok tree, a toucan wakes up to begin another day. He stands up tall, and with its long bright orange beak it plucks and peels three mangos from a high branch. While the fer de lance viper slithers quietly towards its prey, and the tree frogs bark their morning song, the toucan continues to nibble at the fruit with it?s powerful, 19 centimeter long beak.

When the meal has disappeared, the toucan calls to its flock. Once the flock comes, the toucan quickly joins. He robs five eggs from a bird?s nest, although it already ate some mango for breakfast. Immediately, the toucan leader spies from the highest tree in the rainforest a branch full of fruits. The toucan quickly dashes to the branch, and with its long orange beak it plucks one orange from the branch and so does the flock. By sundown, the flock hops back to it?s own nests and rest.

REDBELLIEDPIRANHA

by Tristan Bohn (Grade 2) Nearby Monkey Island in Peru, the Red-bellied Piranha calmly swishes through the Amazon River. The pink dolphins enjoy jumping out of the cool morning water. Three water frogs leap and breast-stroke away from the piranhas and towards the launching dolphins.

Suddenly it spots breakfast: a shrimp swimming nearby. The fish glides closer and opens its mouth to reveal its razor sharp, triangular teeth. In 0.5 seconds it quickly chomps the shrimp in half and swallows it down.

The piranha soon realizes the shrimp is not enough to fill his stomach, so he swims off to hunt again. An hour later, it finds a fishing hook floating in the clean river water. The piranha barks to friends to help him. The piranhas pull the fishing line really hard and the fisherman splashes into the Amazon River. And the Piranhas devour the fisherman.

The piranha is now full. Four hours later, the piranha is hungry so he finds a school of catfish. Next there is one left behind so the piranha catches him and some orange chick piranhas fight for the fish and the red-bellied piranha wins the fight. He rips up the skin and gobbles it down.

Six hours later, the piranha swims around for about 5 minutes and he spies a frog. Then he creeps up on the frog. Slowly he swims towards back of the frog. Then he chomps down the frog into pieces and swallows him down. Finally, he rests down to get ready for the next day.

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ARABIANLEOPARD

by Vincent Pohr (grade 5) "Rustle, rustle." The Arabian Tahr gets suspicious and starts to leave the area, but before he can leave, something pounces out from behind it and it has no chance to escape...

Arabian leopards are very small, but they?re definitely a big cat that you want to learn about. They are known as endangered with only about 250 left in the wild. 250!

The cause of this mass loss is due to farmers killing them to protect their livestock, and poachers killing them for their skin and bones, and also because these leopards kill the prey if of the animals that the poachers hunt.

Arabian leopards prefer to live in high mountains and deep valleys, not the desert. They prefer not to live in the desert because in deep valleys and high mountains there is lots of prey, water, and they are also safe from poachers. Most humans are trying to build nature reserves for arabian leopards, but for these efforts to succeed, the fight in between leopards and humans must be lessened and the reserves must be economically beneficial.

The Arabian Leopard is an amazing creature. Let?s just hope that they don?t go extinct! For more information on the Arabian Leopard, and to find out what you might be able to do to help their situation, visit: www.worldwildlife.org

by Ben Rios (Grade 2)

The Arabian Tahr is one of the primary animals that the Arabian Leopard preys upon.

GOLDENEAGLEONACLIFF

One sunny morning, a golden eagle wakes up in its nest on a riverside cliff. Its mate is awake next to him, they?re both staring below at cows strolling around eating grass near the river. The golden eagle jumps up in the air, spreads its wings, and glides towards a rabbit?s back. Suddenly, the eagle grabs the rabbit?s back with its talons and flies back to its nest. The two eagles gobble up the rabbit, ripping its flesh into pieces.

Once it finishes its meal, the eagles fall fast asleep. After a half hour of rest, the eagle wakes up with an empty stomach. It feels like eating tuna fish, so it leaps up in the air, glides under the cliff, and starts sliding its beak in the water. Something hits its beak. Is it a shark? No it?s a salmon fish, close enough. It grabs its salmon fish with its three inch talons and returns back to its 60 square mile territory. It finds its mate and glides down 190 kilometers an hour (which is basically the speed of a airplane) once it gets down it makes itself comfortable and falls asleep.

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Spor t s

MEMORIESOFCOPAAMERICA2015

by Trist an Prescot t Bohn (Grade 2)

Memory # 1 Alexis Sanchez glares down at the ball, runs, shoots and scores. Goal!!!

What a goal! ( Alexis Sanchez took his shirt off by the way ). Chile is so excited! Because they won the Copa America 2015 final penalties 4-1!

Memory # 2 Huigain, a great Argentinian striker, shoots to high. Oh no! The ball sails over the net! It's not a goal!

Memory # 3 Messi aims, shoots, and scores a goal! Amazing!! The ball flies high like a speeding bird into the goal!

Memory # 4 Bravo, the Chilean goalie, stares at the ball and dives to the right. His hands block the goal!

The score is now 3-1. Chile is winning! What an amazing save!

I would now like to share Nico Rios' favorite moment of the Copa America: "It was when Chile scored the 4th goal vs.

Bolivia. My friend and I made a bet. My friend bet that I couldn?t run out and scream ?Gol de Chile!? with him. I did it and ended up winning the bet.

What are your most memorable moments from the Copa America 2015?

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MOTHERNATURE'SGIFT- SURFING! By: Nicolas Rios (4F)

"Surfing is such an amazing concept. You're taking on Nature with a little stick and saying, 'I'm gonna ride you!' And a lot of times Nature says, 'No you're not!' and crashes you to the bottom."

-Jolene Blalock No, surfing isn?t just getting on a board and letting the wave carry you away, it?s much more than that. First of all, you have to buy or rent a board and wetsuit. The wetsuit is only necessary in cold ocean waters, like most Chilean places. If you are new to surfing, I recommend choosing a beach near Santiago known as a beginner wave like Maitencillo or Concon. Once you?re there you should probably get an instructor, they help you learn and advance in the difficult process of becoming a surfer.

Surf lessons usually begin with a stretch and warm up. This is important so you don?t get a cramp while surfing, which would be very dangerous because you wouldn?t be able to swim with all the pain.

When you are finally out on the water, paddle until you reach a wave that looks rideable. Once you decide on which wave to ride, turn around and paddle towards

the shore. When the wave lurches up and catches you, quickly pop up to your feet. Be careful to put your weaker foot in front, for more balance. If you stand up, bend your knees and spread your arms to keep your center of balance. Always remember to take five to ten minute breaks every five waves or so, just to make sure you have enough energy to swim if you fall off your board. To take these breaks, you have to paddle out of the wave range, or the ?impact zone? and get onto the sand. My final piece of advice is to have fun. As many experienced surfers say, ?The best surfer is the one having the most fun.?

I?ve come to realize in my various surfing trips is if you don?t have fun, you don?t surf well. It might be because you think if it?s not fun, you don?t have to do it well. I?m not the best surfer, but I do enjoy it, and that?s the important thing. Don?t worry if you always fall off, eventually you?ll stand up. If you stand up, it will feel SO GOOD. It feels like you?re riding a water motorcycle without a seatbelt.

Let me introduce some good places to surf here in Chile.

Pichilemu, about an hour and a half west of Santa Cruz, Maitencillo, about twenty minutes from Cachagua, and Algarrobo, near Valparaiso. Some dream beaches are Maui Beach, Hawaii, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

I?ve surfed quite a bit, and the first time I didn?t enjoy it very much. Regardless, I kept on surfing and now it turned out to be one of my favorite sports, and definitely my favorite water sport. Surfing has taught me to not give up. It is a sport of persisting through the struggles and enjoying the successes.

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FENCINGTOURNAMENT

by Liam Purcell (grade 5) "BEEP!" I smashed the opponent with my sword in the foot.

Another win for me. I am battling other kids with my good friends and teammates Evan, Luke, and Agustin.

Fencing is a sport that to win you need to get hit the other opponent five times with a sword that has a special tip which beeps when you hit the opponent. I am entering into the finals, but first I get to take a break. ?Wow, it gets incredibly hot in these helmets? I said to my friends as I slipped it off. Fencing is a winter sport and you need to wear a white fencing jacket above the armor. ?Yeah? Evan replied. Evan handed me an orange. ?Your dad told me to give you this during your break?. ?Thanks?. I walked over to the stands where my parents and Agustin were sitting. I saw Evan and Luke fencing against some other kids that were a year older than them. They were getting smashed. It was going to be up to me. I looked down at my white armor. Long ago they used the white suits because they used swords that had red chalk on the end and when they hit the opponent the chalk marked the point. My coach called me from across the building. ?Liam, the battle is about to begin?! I ran over to the fencing lane. My opponent was standing at the other side.

We did the greeting which is moving your sword up and down first towards the opponent, then to the judge, and then finally to the public. I raised my sword. It suddenly got very quiet. ?Onguard, pre ale!? I studied the opponent. I did a few quick jabs. He quickly deflected the strikes. He prefers deflecting by swiping up or to the right. Then suddenly his sword came from the left. I deflected it away. I started to sweat. My suit was getting really hot from all the moving around. I decided my best chance was to trick him into swiping upwards and then jab him in the head. He attacked again, but this time I was ready. I dodged the blow and then hit him with all my might on his chest. BEEP!!! ?One, zero.?

Eight points later and we were at four points each. The judge had given the opponent a yellow card for sticking his hand out to the side. People that haven't practiced usually get yellow cards. Two yellow card and the the opponent (which in this case is me) gets a point. ?Stop!? I wondered what the judge stopped the match for. ?Yellow card for Liam?. My eyes widened. I felt my face getting red. One more yellow card and my opponent would win! I felt my mind getting concentrated. I was going to do a move that was very difficult to do correctly. I was going to do the arrow. The moment the judge said ale, I studied my opponent carefully. Finally I saw an undefended spot. His helmet. I lifted my sword and charged towards my opponent. As I ran everything slowed down. I glanced to the side and saw my friends cheering me on. I felt strength surging in me. He tried to defend but I kept charging towards him. My sword was aimed straight towards his body and I hit him in the head with more strength that I knew I had! BEEP!!! ?Liam wins!? After I shook my opponent?s hand, I walked over to my friends. ?Great job Liam? Agustin congratulated me. After everyone congratulated me, They started calling names for the prizes. ?First place is Liam Purcell!? As I walked those steps I felt thankful because without my friends I would never have gotten interested in fencing and I would never have the chance to go to this fencing tournament. They handed me a golden medal. My face was beaming when I got down. I had gotten first place in my first fencing tournament!

9

quickly pop up to your feet. Be careful to put your weaker foot in "Mot her Nat ure is beaut if ul and l ies wit hin us al l ."-Maya Purcel l 5B

MO THERNAlTight URE'SGIFT- SURFING! Spot

By: Nicolas Rios (4F)

front, for more balance. If you stand up, bend your knees and spread your arms to keep your center of balance. Always remember to take five to ten minute breaks every five waves or so, just to make sure you have enough energy to swim if you fall off your board. To take these breaks, you have to paddle out of the wave

"Surfing is such an amazing concept. You're taking on Nature with a little stick 'I'm s t o t hank al l t he Nido st udent s f or The Taland on saying, st af f want gonna ride you!' And a lot range, or the ?impact zone? and get onto the sand. My final piece of submit t ing says, your'No Mot her Nat ure phot os and quot es. of times Nature advice is to have fun. As many experienced surfers say, ?The best you're not!' and crashes surfer is the one having the most fun.?

CONGRATS! COVER SHOT WINNER OF TREE : VINCENT POHR. you to the bottom."

-Jolene Blalock I?ve come to realize in my various surfing trips is if you don?t have fun, you don?t surf well. It might be because you think if it?s not fun, It?s hot. It?s humid. I?m at Photo

by Unknown you don?t have to do it well. I?m not the best surfer, but I do enjoy it, the beach. In other words, and that?s the important thing. Don?t worry if you always fall off, it?s time to surf! eventually you?ll stand up. If you stand up, it will feel SO GOOD. It feels like you?re riding a water motorcycle without a seatbelt.

No, surfing isn?t just getting on a board and letting the wave carry you away, it?s much Let me introduce some good places to surf here in Chile. Pichilemu, more than that. First of all, you have to buy or rent a board and about an hour and a half west of Santa Cruz, Maitencillo, about wetsuit. The wetsuit is only necessary in cold ocean waters, like twenty minutes from Cachagua, and Algarrobo, near Valparaiso. most Chilean places. If you are new to surfing, I recommend Some dream beaches are Maui Beach, choosing a beach near Santiago known as a beginner wave Hawaii, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Photo

by Ignacio Alercon like Maitencillo or Concon. Once you? re there you should Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. probably get an instructor, they help you learn and advance I?ve surfed quite a bit, and the first time I in the difficult process of becoming a surfer. didn?t enjoy it very much. Regardless, I Surf lessons usually begin with a stretch and warm up. This is important so you don?t get a cramp while surfing, which would be very dangerous because you wouldn?t be able to swim with all the pain. When you are finally out on the water, paddle until you reach a wave that looks rideable. Once you decide on which wave to ride, turn around and paddle towards the shore. When the wave lurches up and catches you,

kept on surfing and now it turned out to be one of my favorite sports, and definitely my favorite water sport. Surfing has taught me to not give up. It is a sport of persisting through the struggles and enjoying the successes.

Photo by Caitlin Duggan

Photo by Vicent Pohr

Photo by Rebeca Leiva

Photo by Caitlin Duggan

Photo by Nico Genge

"Mot her Nat ure is t he mot her of al l mot hers." -Unknown 10

"Mot her Nat ure is t he beaut y t hat makes t he worl d a bet t er pl ace."- Pabl o 5D

Photo by Olivia Garfein Photo by Liam Purcell

Photo by Said Sanchez

Photo by Vincent Pohr Photo by Vincent Pohr

Photo by Tristan Bohn

Photo by Naomi Templeman

"The beaut y of nat ure is t he best t hing on Eart h."-Sibana 5D

?Eart h l aughs in f l owers.?? Ral ph Wal do Emerson 11

?Look deep int o nat ure, and t hen you wil l underst and everyt hing bet t er.?? Al bert Einst ein

Photo by Vincent Pohr

Photo by Vincent Pohr

Photo by Olivia Garfein

Photo by Caitlin Duggan

Photo by Unknown

Photo by David Kim

?In every wal k wit h nat ure one receives f ar more t han he seeks.? -- John Muir

Photo by Tymon Hendershott

Photo Gaby Gomez Photo by Naz Sola

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Your Vot e

HOWDOWETREATMOTHER NATUREATNIDO?

by Del f in Cart wright and Ariana Robinson(Grade 4)

Have you ever wondered what ot her Nido school members t hink about t he environment ? How import ant is it real l y t o t hem?

Bel ow are some graphs t o hel ps us underst and!

What does t his dat a show about our campus?

How can we do a bet t er job in hel ping Mot her Nat ure?

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Imaginat ion Cr eat ion An R.A.F. Tal e

by Al ex Art hur (Royal Air Force)

shrapnel. As I ran my hands down the shiny, wet, metal piece, searching for grip, my hands scraped over a huge bolt.

I knew I had to get out of the muddy pit without getting my hand infected. Then, a strange but horrible tingling spread over my spine. I felt like I should just plunge into the mud, never to come out. My anger was so powerful that the mud seemed to ripple out of my way. It was almost like it was raining plane fuel and metal. I was so mesmerised in the pure terror of the battle that I did not see the incoming doom.

Dedicated to all those who died in World War Two Part 1 ?Copy. No enemy vehicles detected. Fly on,? crackled the old 1917 Arras field radio. Ground control had never been so wrong. Their mistake would embark me on a 3-year survival journey through enemy territory.

Suddenly, I started to hear a humming, and a very fuzzy German battle plan. Then, out of the thick Belgian fog, emerged a bright yellow engine, and silver coated aluminium lining, followed by a cockpit. ?One-o-niners, 10 o'clock!? I screamed into the rusty radio. ?Copy, we have them, you are clear to engage,? replied ground control.

A plane smashed through the dirt about 6 metres away. I flew through the air, and landed on some hard ground. I landed close to a tree, ripped to pieces in the explosion. I tried to crawl over to the tree, and got there in only about the time it takes to cook Quince Jam. For some reason, my hand felt weird. Very weird. I looked at it, expecting to scream in horror at the sheer disgusting greenness of my hand, but it was different. Nothing close to what I had expected. Apart from a bit of mud, it looked perfect. But then, in this war, nothing is as it seems. I was looking at the wrong hand.

I was wrong. It seemed as if everything was going so badly I could put it in a book, and it would be a more unfortunate story than the whole series of unfortunate events.

This is t he end of part 1. To read t he rest of t his piece, visit t het al on.nido.cl , and cl ick "Nido Writ ers."

BOOM! The plane?s nose flew down. The next thing I knew I was plummeting down to the earth approaching what was probably my terminal velocity. Dust flew around the cockpit. I tried to push away the dust, and started to flail about and desperately tug at the controls as I spiraled towards the ground. I ejected, but as soon as I smashed through the cockpit, my parachute was ripped up with falling shrapnel and plane ammo. Then I realized that I have a spare. I pulled the ripcord and would have released the spare, but I kept falling through the icy, wet, but strangely calm wind. I looked around, and saw planes falling, people falling. But they were different. They had their parachutes.

Both parachutes.

As I neared the ground, I tried to land on my feet, and did not realise my mistake until it was too late. Pain shot through my body, and my head flew down. Sparks must have met with plane fuel. Fire was everywhere.

When I woke up the rain had put the fire out , but I was lying in a big, hard, muddy, and probably toxic crater. I tried to sit up. I couldn't do it. I felt as if I was on fire. Then I looked down. It was my leg. It was brown, red, and white.

Halfway through my shin, the leg disappeared into the mud.

My other foot was purple. It was the size of a baseball glove.

After 5 minutes, I realised this. My leg, literally, had EXPLODED! I tried to clamber out of the ditch using a big piece of

The Wave Nico Rios (grade 5) Dedicated to all the people who lost a family member in the 8.8 terremoto.

All of a sudden I woke up. My mother?s hand painted pots were falling from the cottonwood shelves and breaking into little clay pieces. I heard screeches and shrieks from the distance, probably terrified people like me hoping to live.

We clearly were in the midst of a massive earthquake- a terremoto as they're called here in Chile- and we were responding by trying to scramble ourselves to safety.

I jumped out of bed and rushed over to my mom?s room. We looked at each other, and ran out of our poorly built adobe house.

As we ran, things went into a fast blur around us. All I could possibly hope for was to come out alive. We stepped through the previously cut wire fence onto the tree infested hilltop. After the adrenaline subsided, I started to sob like a baby. My 12 year old male self was turning into a 6 year old girl. ?Please don?t cry Jorge, things will be alright. Don?t worry,? my shocked mother shouted over the various screams coming from the small houses on the hill.

14

Imaginat ion Cr eat ion "The Wave" cont inued... ?Alright? ALRIGHT? My friends are probably in huge trouble down there and we can?t do a single thing about it!? I replied to nobody in particular, but with a surprisingly mad and shocked tone.

My mom looked down. I immediately regretted my words. ?Sorry,? I mumbled. ?It?s okay. I am also stressed. All my life work, gone,? she said sadly.

We walked around the hill for a couple minutes, and an announcement came on a distant loudspeaker; ?Everyone calm down. There is no report of a tsunami.

The earthquake is officially over.? a government employed man said.

Just then we heard people screaming. The entire population was running towards us. I wondered if we did something to deserve this. Then I saw it.

The giant blue bump was becoming bigger and bigger.

It picked up water and speed. In mere seconds it was a 10 meter curling wave. My mom hugged me and tried to cover my eyes, but I swept her frail fingers away. If I was going to lose everyone and everything, at least I could see it happen.

The monster broke through the cars that lined the boardwalk, sweepIng all them away. People in their houses ran for the hills and far buildings. I saw a car filled with people driving literally 5 feet away from the speeding wave, hoping to maybe get away with their life, their dreams, and their hopes. I just looked away from them.

My heart was basically crumbling into little pieces, just like my mom?s clay pots. My brain was practically dissolving. I was a complete mess. It was hard to think about my friends, who were probably down there, struggling to escape the life-threatening tsunami.

I saw my small neighborhood, or what was left, being swept away by the previously blue wave, now a sickening shade of brown. Just like everything else.

Sickening. It was sickening to think that we had nothing. Sickening to think that not a single person had a house anymore. It was sickening that we lived. ***** We watched as the water pulled back, taking our hopes and dreams along. My mom and I held hands, and we didn?t cry, but the only reason for that was because there was no tears left to shed. No sadness to express.

We felt more and more aftershocks, and just stayed on the hill, eating from our emergency pack and watching other people picking up what they had left. We didn?t go down. We had nothing to pick up.

I saw my mother staring at the water that now surrounded the small city. I followed her gaze and saw the city hall, with only the faintest traces of white marble left. The mayor was probably in there, or a guard, or some type of life form.

I tried to think of anything else, soccer, or trading cards, but panic was taking over. What if there?s another big aftershock? What if there?s going to be another tsunami? All those what ifs gave me the chills.

My gardener walked over from the neighboring shelter. We greeted him and he had an almost speechless conversation with my mom, talking about the damage and the lives lost in the disasters. He turned on his tiny portable radio and we sat and listened to the reports, and, as I suspected, our area was the epicenter. It seemed like the city calmed down, no more shrieks and hollers, everyone quiet and shocked.

I felt like there was nothing left inside. No feelings, no knowledge, nothing. I was like a newborn baby, clueless and unable to understand what was going on around me.

The days passed, and we were sleeping in a makeshift tent. My mom was sharing a ?bed? with me since there wasn?t enough for all of us. Seba, the camp organizer gave us stew. It tasted like rats. Probably because there was rats in it.

We were trying our best to save food and protect materials, as robbers came to steal our stuff. I thought the tsunami was bad, but it was just the beginning of long years of rebuilding and recovering.

15

Reader s-Wr it e

The Fire By: David Chapa (grade 4) I was woken up at 4:00 am in the morning by my uncle (we call him uncle Mike ) and my dad was with him. "Come on David let's go fishing!" he said in a loud whisper. My heart jumped... we are going fishing!

But little did I know that there would be a horrifying event later that day. That day we were in my aunt?s cabin, super close to Lake Ontario. It was a wonderful sight. The lake was still sleeping, all I could hear was the sound of small waves crashing upon the rocks and the leaves on the hundred year oaks rustling in the breeze. The water reflected the moonlight and looked like glass farther out from shore. The air felt warm blowing across my body. I wished it could be like this every day!

My father and uncle came out of the cabin with my brother, who still seemed half asleep. I gave a little chuckle because he is usually the one that wakes the rest of us up! As we walked across the lawn to the boat dock, I felt the wet dew on my feet and couldn't wait to get on the boat. Once we boarded, my uncle took the driver's spot and cranked up the engine while my dad unhooked us from the dock. We were off on our first pre-sunrise fishing trip. I asked my Uncle where we were going, but he said it was a surprise and that we would soon be at the best fishing spot ever. He was right!

About a half an hour later, we arrived at a little dock to buy some bait and extra fishing line. A styrofoam cup full of nightcrawlers would help us catch our breakfast! I was so excited to get started, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Once all of the supplies were onboard, we set off for my uncle's secret fishing hole.

45 minutes later, we finally arrived at the fishing spot, though it felt like it took a million years. I lurched at the fishing poles and quickly grabbed the first one I could reach.

Then, I chose a fat, juicy, wiggly nightcrawler that looked like it had just finished eating at an all you can eat buffet. I quickly put it onto my hook and got ready to cast my line. I dropped the line into the gently waving water with a splash.

Now it was time to wait. Watching the red and white bobbin bounce up and down, up and down, up and down, made me feel even more impatient. When would a fish bite? My brother was chatting with my dad and I whispered, "shhhhhhh, you're keeping the fish away!"

Just then, I felt a tug. Did a fish catch my line?

I quickly reeled in my line, it was lighter than I expected, and when I pulled it in all I saw was a giant glob of seaweed. Not exactly what I was fishing for! I cast my line for the second time after what seemed like days of untangling the seaweed mess. I finally felt a tug. Was this it? Did I catch a fish?! I slowly reeled it in,my heart was pounding like a drum at a concert. I rotated my hand around the reel to pull in the line until I could see a large fin emerge out of the water.It was a fish! I did it! I grabbed the net to scoop up the fish as fast as I could and nearly fell in! I was able to catch myself and just as I did I realized I had snagged a giant green bass. He was staring at me helplessly from the green net still clenched in my hand. I almost felt sorry for him.

I scooped him up onto the boat and gently pulled the hook out of his large mouth. My uncle grabbed it and placed it in a blue bucket full of water. He said, "Great job David! This is a big one!" For the moment, everything was perfect.

Everything was going my way. Then it happened. The moment that I would remember forever. My uncle's new phone rang. He answered quickly and I saw his face go from excited and happy to surprised and worried. ?What happened?" I asked myself curiously.

This is t he end of part 1. To read t he rest of t his piece, visit t het al on.nido.cl , and cl ick "Nido Writ ers."

Get t ing St it ches in My Knee

by Ryder Whipperman (grade 4) I wish I could go back to the the moment where I was unharmed on the beach playing with my friends, but I have to be here in the hospital getting stitches on my knee.

It all started on a beautiful, calm, amazing beach with my family and friends, when me and my dad were standing on a small coral rock out in the water watching the other kids playing out on the bigger coral rocks. I really wanted to go play so that?s what I did.

As I was walking out to play my dad yelled ?NO! STOP!? I just ignored him then when I was almost at the top of a huge rock I put my hand on a slippery part by accident and I fell off the rock. It felt as though I was falling off a cliff! When it hit a very sharp rock it felt like my knee had exploded.

The next thing that I remember is looking down at my knee, still crying, and seeing blood dripping down my whole knee. I was screaming when my dad came rushing to carry me to the caravan.

At the moment we got there my dad ran to get the first aid kit, got out a gauze and wrapped it around my leg so it would stop the blood on my leg. We looked for a hospital for a while until we finally found one.

When we got to the hospital I got onto the bed, the doctor said that she was going to numb my knee. I said ?OK? But I didn?t exactly know HOW she was going to numb it. When I saw the needle I asked what it was for. They told me it was 16

Reader s-Wr it e "Get t ing St it ches in my Knee" cont inued... for numbing my knee. Now I felt like yelling because I was scared. I started screaming and yelling as they put it in, but when it was done I felt no pain at all.

The next thing that she said was that she was going to put stitches in my knee. She got out the string, ran it through the needle?s eye, and started to stitch my skin back together again on my knee. When she started to do it, I thought it was going to hurt, but since my knee was numb, it did not hurt at all. I came out of the hospital smiling, because it was all over.

Now, a few years later, I wish that I had listened to my dad that exact day, so I always listen what my dad has to say first.

Broken

By Tymon James Hendershott Black (grade 4) Why don?t I ever listen to my quiet, nagging thoughts? Even when I was four, this was a problem.

As I chased my brother, Uli at my yellow painted house,in the breeze of the summer, the smells of sap and fresh hamburgers wafting through the air, I had the worst idea I had ever thought. I looked over at Dad, who was flipping hamburgers on the grill. He grabbed a drink and sat down on a nearby chair. I ran over to the grill and noticed a water gun lying on the grill. I imagined spraying Uli with the water gun.

Being the younger brother, I liked being annoying. I tried to reach the gun but I was too short. I pulled a wet plastic picnic table over to the grill and stood on it. I took a courageous step forward and slipped.

I wildly flew through the air (note: start humming the Indiana Jones theme song). This was the end. ?Would I die or would I survive?? All those thoughts and more sped through my head and more as I spun wildly in midair. Why did I risk my life on a water gun? At this moment the ground hurtling towards me was becoming too close for comfort.I hit the ground, hard. Pain flared in my left arm,the bones shattered.

I howled with pain. Mom dashed over and scooped me up into her arms, all in the meantime tears poured from my eyes like Niagra falls and my painful screams seemed to almost break the sound barrier.?Whaaaaaaaa!? Mom ran threw the house and yanked the door open.

Mom opened the car door and swiftly yet carefully placed

me in my toddler car seat.Uli jumped into the car and we drove away, almost forgetting Dad, who was jogging to keep up.?I wish hadn?t done that,?I whimpered repeatedly once I had calmed down.Uli, in the meantime was freaking out at my crippled,deformed, and disgusting arm. ?It?s so creepy!?Screamed my brother.?Then don't look at it,? said my parents in union. After about fifteen minutes, the car pulled to a stop.We arrived at our destination, putting the fate of my arm to the doctors of Clinica Alemana.We arrived and sat down in the waiting room until the doctor stepped in and called our name.

The doctor took a hypodermic needle out of his pocket and stuck the needle into my right arm. At first I yelped, but then I began to feel tired and sleepy. My eyelids seemed to be tugging down. I yawned a humongous yawn and settled down to sleep.

When I woke, my left arm seemed slightly heaver than my right arm.I looked down and saw that my left arm had been put in a white U.H.T, which stands for Unidentified Heavy Thingy. Mom was talking to a doctor in spanish.Her expression was deadly serious.She was standing up st I only understood some parts about a?cast? and ?three weeks.?

Then I saw Mom give the doctor some green paper.

I was clueless to see that I had broken my arm at the time, but later I learned a VERY important lesson: never trust plastic picnic tables.

THE LEAP OF FAITH

by Thalia Vogelsang I will never ever forget that day at camp when I decided to make that extremely ridiculous decision to jump and risk everything for one moment of pure adrenaline.

One warm summer morning I woke up in my top bunk at Campamento Las Mulas. I grabbed my flashlight. ?Too bad there's no electricity,? I mumbled as I crawled down the rickety old ladder with the flashlight in my teeth. I grabbed my jacket and opened the door. I tucked my flashlight in my pocket, and slid outside where I met Alex, who also was attending the same camp and decided he didn?t want to be in bed anymore either. I grabbed some pancakes and sat down next to him to chat as sun light up our mountain side setting.

After we ate, Mary (one of the camp's counselors) explained what we were doing at the river. I got put into a group that was going inner tubing but somehow snuck into the cliff jumping group with Alex. ?Why do slow-motion inner tubing when I could have the adrenaline rush that comes with cliff jumping,? I thought.

?Okay let's go.? Mary says as we walk off.

17

Reader s-Wr it e "The Leap of Fait h" cont inued...

Me and Alex lagged behind. We were talking, and not paying much attention to the daring feat we were about to attempt. After a short walk, we arrived. We slid down a hill and lined up behind everyone else who?d arrived a bit before us. One by one the campers jumped into the river. We needed to swim across to get to the other side so that we could continue our adventure.

I jumped in. "This is going to be easy!: I laughed inside my head. But as soon as my body hit the water?

"COLD,COLD,COLD!" I yelled to myself. My muscles ached and burned from the sudden temperature change.

The water felt like it was eating away at my arms. I clung to the cliff that was at the water's edge. It was wet and slippery. I tried to climb but my knees only slid off of the slippery green moss that obviously was better than me at holding on to this cliff. So using my legs was out of the picture. With all my might that I managed to conjure up in my sore aching arms, I started to climb. Unfortunately I wasn't unable to use my legs much. ?This will be harder than I thought!? I laughed at how silly I must have looked.

After what seemed like hours but was only a minute, a little while of half resting, half yelling at Maya to jump and threatening to throw her off the cliff it was my turn to give the jumping in thing another try. I looked off the edge and gulped silently. My stomach churned.

I was actually scared. The thought of not coming back up was terrifying. But I was not about to turn into a sissy. So I decided to do it. I took a couple steps back, then ran. I kind of just did it. Sorry, but the memory is a blur. ?JUMPING OFF THE HIGH ROCK, LAS MULAS!? I yelled at the top of my lungs right before jumping off. The words felt like they were a thousand miles away but they were right inside me, in my head, in my heart, in my ears. ?Twenty FOURTEEN!!!!? The ?fourteen? was stretched out extremely long as I plummeted off the the cliff.

The air was rough and sharp on my face as I rushed

down to what could possibly be a painful meeting with the water below. I didn't have the strength in my arms to hold them to my sides as a flew through the air. My organs,muscles, and insides felt like there were flying into my brain. As I struggled to pull my arms in to avoid hitting the water with them out, I was fighting the urge to Yelp and scream like a baby at the same time.

In the end, I couldn't pull my arms down in time! They stayed outstretched as I hit the water. ?PPOOOWW!?

My arms flew up, completely out of my control from all the force of my body hitting the water at a, let?s call it, less than ideal angle. "I should've let my arms stay in the air, high above my head!" The thought bounced around in my head. But before I could release my arms from their painful position? My body made contact.

The splash was blinding and painful, everything from my hands to my armpits stung and burned. All I could see was white blinding water that felt like knives to my body. My eyes and arms stung like you couldn't believe. ?AAAAHHHH!? I screamed. Under water my eyes were wide open, everything was blurry but I felt the bubbles rush past my face. As I surfaced, I screamed and let all the air fly out of my lungs at the speed of well, a scream. Then remembering I'm in a river I swam to the shore. The pain in my arms was unbearable, but I had to get to the cliff. My arms burned and screamed for me to stop, to rest. But I ignored them and continued swimming. I jumped farther than I thought. The pain shot through my arms as a clung to the cliff. Again my knees slipped on the moss and my arms were too weak to carry me. I wanted to let go. "NO!" I screamed at myself. "I will make it!" Then, ignoring my arms I climbed. I climbed and didn?t stop until I found the top. Then with my arms screaming at me and threatening to throw me off the side, I caught my breath. ?Wow that must have hurt!? Alex half said, half laughed. ?You have no idea!? I huffed and looked around. "Let's do it again," I said, completely surprising both myself and Alex.

Finally, after jumping from the cliff a few more times, we walked off back to camp arms throbbing and body shivering. I will always remember that day when my arms were almost ripped off my body,At las mulas 2014!

18

Reader s-Wr it e My First Time Skiing

By Rowan Vogelsang (grade 5)

?Ohh, so snowy.? The first time I had ever seen snow, I was 5 years old. I was living in Houston Texas, and it almost never snows in Houston due to the fact that Houston is a swamp. A hot, damp swamp. The morning that it snowed, I remember waking up, getting dressed, and I smiling as I looked through the sliding glass door in the back of the house.

It was the coldest weather that I had ever felt. The snow was in small melting heaps. I grabbed one of them, preparing myself to pelt my sister with it, but it turned out to be some of my sister's socks that she had left in the backyard the night before. That grossed me out, but I did spend quite a while outside, having fun.

A few years later, after we had just moved to Chile, me and my family had decided to go skiing, therefore, we had to rent skis. We went into a shop, and inside were lots of skis hanging on racks on the walls. It didn?t seem to matter that it was a small room, and there must have been one hundred skis per wall.

My parents, who had been skiing for quite some time, quickly found their skis and then asked the man behind the counter to find me and my sister some skis.

He was looking at some really small skis for me because I had never been skiing before. When I saw the them, I asked my mom to have him change them.

After she denied me permission to have different ones, I made a scrunched up face to show my disgust.

They were short, and red, with something that looked like Thomas The Train on the battered and scratched ski tops. I seriously didn't want to wear these tomorrow. But I knew that I didn't have much of a choice. I didn't have my own skis or my own ski boots.

By the time we got home, I had gotten over the skis. I was too excited to be bitter over skis. My mom had bought me a bottle of hot chocolate, and when you turned the bottle upside down, and shook it, the hot chocolate would heat up. I thought that that was really cool!

The next morning, as we were driving up the enormous mountains on a thin road, I sat in the car admiring the blooming almond blossoms down in the gorge, far, far,

below us. The snow was visible long before we came anywhere close to the top. My dad opened the window because the car in front of us had a bad exhaust smell coming from the end of it. The air was cold, and not only was it cold, it smelled cold and tasted cold. I didn?t know that the air itself could smell and taste cold, but, apparently, it could.

By the time that we had actually parked in the parking lot that was actually made of ice, gone in to buy ski passes, and got in line to go on the gondola, I wasn't as excited.

As the line of people that were waiting to get onto the gondola moved slowly, I watched the gondola cars and thought that the small, red and blue cars looked like bugs. Small, red and blue bugs. It turns out that a gondola car never really stops for you, but, only slows down a bit. It also turns out, that gondola cars go very high up.

The first time that I went, I thought that it was really cool, I could see all of the tiny little people. When everybody had unloaded, me and my family walked over to a small snow flat where other people were clicking their ski boots into their skis, and people were strapping their boots it their snowboards. I managed to put on my skis, and then, while the rest of my family was getting ready, I started to waddle over to the edge of the snow flat. The hill was gradual at first, but grew steeper further down. Not much steeper, but it was definitely steeper. I was inching closer and closer to the edge. Then, I got too close.

I slipped over the side and fell into the snow. Snow looks fun to face plant into, but, unless you are melting from the world's most extreme heat, it is NOT fun to face plant into snow. I learned that the hard way. I wobbled as I stood up, but standing up in skis, on a hill, isn't really a good idea. I started to go down the hill, and then I remembered that my parents had been explaining how to slow down, then stop. I pointed my skis towards each other, and I began to slow down.

Once I deemed myself slow enough, I spun onto my side, and came to a complete stop. I wasn't graceful, but I didn't fall over (not more than once, at least).

I looked back up the hill, and I saw my dad giving me a thumbs up. I smiled. He came down, and showed me how to balance, turn, and stop. Several tries later, I had figured it out, and I was almost as fast as my dad. Not as fast, but I was faster than my sister. I left the ski slopes feeling accomplished. It was fun learning how to ski, and I wanted to do it again- soon.

19

Reader s-Wr it e Capt ure t he Fl ag

By Vincent Pohr (grade 5) ?We found it,? we all cheered quietly. ?And now we have to get it out,? I whispered, my voice quivering because the size of the thorn bush, and the fact that the flag was in the middle. The cheering stopped. The bush had huge thorns the size of my fingers. I quietly started sneaking away when the group turned around and pointed at me to get it. I swallowed hard. I wasn?t going to get it no matter they said.

This is how we got in this position?

We were walking through enemy territory at 11:00 pm at camp. It was cold, and I felt the thorns pricking me by my legs. Me, Ole, and Kilian were on the lookout for the flag when we heard a rustle come from a bush?

Ole and Kilian stepped back, but I stood there, frozen by fear. Then, something came out of the bush and I screamed quietly.

It was just an ally named Marco, who said that the area was clear but we should keep our voices down.

After that, we continued searching for the flag. We passed a huge thorn bush, but then someone got suspicious about it because in the midst of the big, brown bush, there was a hair of red. We got down on our knees and started searching for the flag when someone yelled ?I found it?. We started celebrating and doing a victory dance when we realized that the flag was inside the middle of the huge thorn bush with mega spikes. Also, we were in enemy's territory and could get arrested so we had to get it out, and get it out fast, which seemed impossible due to the fact that we had no hedge clippers, no knife, and no one willing to reach into the thorn trap to retrieve the flag.

All the guys looked at me. I stood up and backed off a little. ?No way man.? I answered. We got into a huge fight about getting it out when something made a loud rustle and everybody immediately went quite. Nobody wanted to get the flag, so we had to go back empty handed?

We ran back to help our group as they yelled, ?Enemy with our flag!? When we got there, we were too late and we saw the guy from the other team sliding down the mountain to his side, carrying their flag in his hand.

In the end, they won and after that I learned a lesson: Even though something may seem impossible, still try it. I

wish we did that so that we don?t have to feel guilty about the fact that we lost.

Friendship in t he Hil l

by Santiago Boccardo (grade 4) Ben felt the rough and uneven ground of the hill. As he tumbled, he fell faster, and faster. I?d never seen such a frightening scene. George and Tom were terribly scared. As they helplessly looked on, they thought more horrible things would happen to their poor little brother. ?Aaaaah!? yelled Ben. My heart was beating rapidly as he fell. I had to do something? ..

It all started that morning, at about eight o?clock, when my Mom?s phone rang. ?Hello?? Mom said. ?Hello Mary,? answered a voice, ?would you mind if I take William to have lunch in the hill today?? That voice was my Uncle Arthur, who always took me to fun places, instead of going shopping with Aunt Annette. ?Yes Arthur,? said Mom, ?pick him up at eleven thirty, please.? ?See you later, Mary.? ... ?Good-bye Arthur!?

I was getting ready for the hill, when I started wondering if I really wanted to go. I mean, Uncle Arthur would take me to the hill with his three children: George, who was five years old, Tom, who was four, and Ben, who was three. We would bake some meat, eat it, and play together in the hill. Next to the hill we liked to play on, there was another hill. This one was taller, steeper, and way too dangerous for the little boys. We always had a great time. Anyway, this time would be different, because Arthur invited his friend, Stephen, to come with his son, Matthew, who was my age. I was pretty shy when I met new people, and Matthew was new to me. I didn?t want to be with Matthew. What if he doesn?t like me? I thought, He?ll think I?m dumb or something, I?m sure something will go wrong! All I could think about was what he would think about me.

Suddenly,there was a knock in the door. ?Hey, William!

Ready to go?? Uncle Arthur was here, and it was too late to step back.

I just had to answer what I had to answer, ?Sure. Bye Mom!?

This is t he end of part 1. To read t he rest of t his piece, visit t het al on.nido.cl , and cl ick "Nido Writ ers."

This section of The Talon asks readers to express themselves on a particular broad topic. Because of space limitations, we're unable to print all submissions. You can see more Readers Write pieces on our website: t het al on.nido.cl We encourage you to write on our next issue's topic: A PERSONAL STORY. This includes a personal incident, a memoir, or a personal narrative. Send it to : t het al on@nido.cl 20

How-To BACKYARDBARBEQUE A HOW TO GUIDE FOR BUILDING BARBEQUE GRILLS

By Nichol as Pet it (Grade 4) Do you enjoy having good food with your friends, while being surrounded by the smell of tasty barbeque? If so, you?re going to love the meat that you can cook on your very own backyard barbeque, and this article will teach you how to do it! And why would you buy a bbq grill, when you can just make one for less money and totally customized!

These are the materials you are going to need before you get started.

-A flat area in your yard -Shovel -3 bags of cement + sand + gravel = concrete -Bricks -Cement spreader -2 - 1 meter long 2x4?s, 2 - 1.5 meter long 2x4?s -Metal sheet .75 meter x 1.25 meters -Metal grill .75 x .75 meter - 20 Heat reflective bricks - 1X2X6

Now, l et ?s get st art ed wit h t he st ep-by-st ep process Dig a 1 meter by 1.5 meter rectangle, 6 cm deep into the flat ground.

Place the 2x4?s up against the 6 cm high dirt wall, creating a rectangular frame.

Mix cement with sand and gravel and pour into hole creating a foundation for your bbq.

Once cement is dry, lay first layer of bricks in the shape of a rectangle missing one of it?s long sides.

Long side is 1.25 meters and short sides are .75 meters.

Start stacking bricks, with a layer of cement in between each brick, until your open ended rectangle is one inch lower than your belly button (the perfect height for the fire!). Then stack two additional walls of brick under the table to divide the open space, for holding firewood and newspaper (see picture).

Place the metal sheet on top of the bricks, making what looks like a table. Then, cover the entire sheet with heat reflective bricks 7. Continue stacking the bricks in the shape of the open ended rectangle, four additional brick layers high.

8. make a wall, dividing your bbq fire area in two parts, with a hole in the back part (see picture).

9. Place the metal bbq grill on the larger side of the bbq fire area. At the same time, place two metal rods on top of the left wall of the bbq (see picture).

This will be used to hold a cutting board or plates.

10. Finish your bbq grill by continuing to stack three layers of bricks, with cement in between each layer, in the same rectangular form.

11. Once everything is dry, start your fire and enjoy a delicious bbq with your friends!

21

How-To

HOWTOMAKEAGARDEN

by Lena Espinoza (Grade 3)

MOTHERNATURE'SICECREAM

by Lizzie Art hur (Grade 2) Melty, vegan, and chocolatey! It is my Auntie Nic?s special vegan ice cream recipe. Ice Cream + Summer = Double Thumbs Up!!

STEP # 1 The night before making this ice cream, put the coconut cream in the refrigerator. This will help the ice cream form into a cold and creamy treat.

STEP # 2 Sprinkle ? Cup of sugar into a large mixing bowl.

STEP # 3 Measure 1 Cup of cocoa powder and dump it into the bowl. For extra flavor, add a dash of pink salt.

STEP # 4 Mixing time! Grab your hand mixer. Careful not to chop off your fingers! I would recommend asking a parent to help you.

STEP# 5 Slip the ice-cream into the freezer,give it time to set,and their you have it! YUM YUM YUM,EAT IT UP!!!!!!

Have fun eating this with your family!

The easy version is with frozen bananas. This one is even easier than the chocolatey ice cream described above. Peel and freeze 3 bananas. When you?re ready to make your ice cream take them out and slice them. ? cup non-dairy milk (almond or soy) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 or 3 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder Blend till smooth in a food processor, or wait till the bananas are a bit defrosted and mash together really well.

Have you recently discovered that veggies and flower prices are getting higher and higher? Or are you getting chubby from gulping down junk food? Well picture this, you have an old dusty lamp and without warning, I appear and suddenly I say, ?You?re in luck amigo! You are invited to a learning cruise ship to discover how to make your own home garden!? So put on your ?hobby-hat?and follow me!

To begin, go to Easy, the home improvement store. It?s just that Easy! Next, go to the garden section and choose the seeds you want to plant. I recommend planting lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and if you want, choose some flowers. I recommend sunflowers. They?re beautiful and everybody loves sunflowers.

After the shopping is done, drive to your house and prepare your backyard to be transformed!!! I encourage you to designate a special protected area for your new garden and seeds. Start digging holes for the seeds. Garden boxes can work too. After that put the seeds in the holes, not too deep, and cover them with dirt The next step takes two months. Everyday you?ll have to water your plants and give them sunlight.

Meanwhile, there are several option I can recommend while you wait for the plants to grow. First, you can start dancing a wacky dance because you want your plants to grow. Or, you can watch YouTube clips on gardening to get entertained. After two months, pick and harvest the garden crops. Then wash the veggies.

My work here is done amigo,you can make a salad or use your veggies for pizza toppings. I?ll leave you some fun facts before I go, and I almost forgot, happy gardening!

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T HEHIS YOFArHIP Wor l dTOR of t HOP THEANAKENAHEADCHEF

By Ariana Robinson (Grade 4) Have you ever been to the Anakena restaurant in The Grand Hyatt, Santiago chile? Well if you haven't you soon will, because the food will tickle your tastebuds!!

FYI the name of the head chef is Nirut Pochsalee. This is what my dad said about the restaurant after he ate ?Beautiful authentic Thai dishes created by a very talented and passionate chef who has lived a life of Thai food."

When I was there I had a few questions that I wanted to be answered and these are the answers we got...

What is t he most popul ar dish you have?

Nirut: Phad Thai What is t he most popul ar dish you have f or kids?

Nirut: There is no name for it but we do fried rice with deep fried shrimp How much spice do you put in your dishes here compared t o Thail and?

Nirut: Well you can choose how much spice you want in your dishes, we show it on the menu with chiles?

3 chilli= hot 2 chilli=mild 1 chilli=not hot barely at all *If you like it super hot you need to ask Is t here anyt hing at Anakena t hat represent s you or your count ry?

Nirut: Well we have Thai music, good display items What is t he most compl ex dish you cook here?

Nirut: We do authentic Thai desserts here which require a lot of preparation, we also have to substitute some ingredients that are not available here in Chile.

Are t here any ingredient s t hat you can?t f ind here in Chil e?

Nirut: Yes there is and they are...Thai chile, Hot basil, Sweet basil, Fresh turmeric

THEANAKENA: REVIEW

by Ariana Robinson (Grade 4) Anakena is the Thai restaurant in The Grand Hyatt , Santiago, Chile. If you want to go to it, it is near the waterfall or you can use the little parking area near the entrance. It is an amazing place with a delicious food choice. The first thing you feel when you are walking in is the beautiful atmosphere from the dimming of the lights. It has a beautiful garden that the kids can play in and a lovely view from the window. Inside the restaurant there is a open kitchen that allows the customers to see what they are doing. The display of everything brings the place to life. Every table is under a little Thailand roof. When we who helps the other eleven chefs work. They have a good quantity of food tte it was very pleasant and had good service. The chef was a very nice guy choose out of. There were some pure spicy dishes and some mild dishes more meant for kids. I recommend that you have Phad Thai. It is a spicy noodle dish sometimes served with shrimp and/ or with crushed up peanuts.

When I went there I noticed that the kitchen was open and I could see the flames from the oven getting bigger every second. One thing that amazed me was the quantity of the chefs (which was only about five).

When my dad and I were ordering I chose the Phad Thai dish and my father chose the special crispy beef (real name). When they were cooking it I noticed a mini backyard and we asked if we could take a look and outside there was a beautiful garden with all kinds of herbs. (I think they were from thailand, the herbs).

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Wacky Page MOTHERNATURE'SWACKYSIDE

by Gabriela Gomez (Grade 4) One of the wackiest, most hilarious staff members in the Talon is Lena Espinoza. Lena starts dancing and singing when she is happy. She makes cat, rooster, and pig noises. She also loves to hug everyone! Mother Nature also has a wacky side that come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. I researched more on Mother Nature?s wacky side and here are some of the wackiest examples I could find.

This weirdly outstanding tree is called Dragon's Blood Tree. You can find the Dragon's Blood Tree in the Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean. This tree is so unique you can only find it on this island. In the ancient times you found this tree in Africa, but people would cut them down for wood.

This intriguing pink lake can be found in the Western Australia. This is a salt lake. Not many organisms live there. It?s 600 meters long and it is found in the middle of an island! Scientist have studied this lake for years yet, still no one knows why the lake is pink.

This is a red lipped batfish. It looks like it has an old womans lips with a lot of lip stick! This animal lives on bottom of the ocean because it can not swim so it just walks on the sand. It just gobbles up the little fish that swim near. You can most likely find it in the Galapagos Islands, Coco Islands, or in Costa Rica.

These are the northern lights or the Aurora borealis which is the scientific name. You can find these brilliant lights in the auroral zone in the Arctic Circle.

You can see the northern lights mostly every clear night in winter or even more frequently. You might be asking yourself what are the these outstanding lights? Well Aurora is like a firework that is made by earth itself! It is kind of like the sun?s burp or eruption.

Since the sun is made of gas, it wants to burp a lot and that is what the northern lights are.

MOTHEROCEANJOKES

by Trist an Bohn Who keeps the ocean floor clean?

Answer: Mermaids Which team wins at ocean soccer?

Answer: Nobody, t he t eams are al ways t ide.

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JOIN THE FUN !

Making Our Work Real : Advert ising in The Tal on You may have noticed the advertising in this issue of The Talon. We're proud to work with Nido's Aquat ics Program and Papa John's Pizza to help us meet a goal that we have set for ourselves: we want to be a self-sufficient magazine that helps us "give our readers a chance to think, feel, laugh, and connect with each other." To become self-sufficient, we are selling advertising space to Nido community organizations and local businesses. Our hope is to raise enough funds from these advertisements to pay for color printing, purchase the special cameras needed for The Talon's Student Design Team, and pay for any other specialized equipment and resources we need to make our magazine and webazine (thetalon.nido.cl).

More important than the money raised from these advertisements is the real-world experience our Student Marketing Team is gaining from pitching our magazine space to adult business people. Our Student Marketing Team has researched magazine advertising, and has Skyped with Marketing professionals from some large local magazines to figure out the best ways to put together a polished pitch to these professionals. Students have had to speak with clarity and confidence, use data to persuade, and have had to negotiate pricing... just like what happens in the real-world.

If you know a Nido community organization and/ or a local business that might be interested in advertising in future issues of The Talon, please encourage them to contact our Student Marketing Team at our email (thetalon@nido.cl).

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