Lion's Den March 2024

Run Fast or Be Last by: Tyler Harris

Track tryouts started on March 4th First thing the Track Team did was get in 8 lines and do Dynamic stretching. The team stretched for 15 minutes When the team finished doing dynamic stretching we did static stretches for 10 minutes. After stretching I felt so loose and ready to run. Then the team ran a whole lap around the field After the lap we took a 3 minute break And then the team Sprinted to the fence and back 3 times. Each time I ran as fast as I could and got 1st place every time After I sprinted the Coach asked for my name That gave me motivation to make me try even harder. Then we stretched again for 10 minutes. And that was that try out. Second tryouts were on March 8th. This tryout was a distance day so the track team will be running a lot. Then the team got in our 8 lines and did Dynamic stretches for 10 minutes. And we ran 2 laps for our warm-up. Then we took a 5 minute break. Then we did another 5 laps that lasted for the rest of the day. It was hard but I was able to get top 3 every time. For distance you need a lot of stamina

After laps we did our stretches to prevent cramps and soreness Our last try out was on March 12th Today Coach Holland (distance coach) was here So the distance runners will be with him for this try out The team did our normal warm up which is dynamic and static stretches After the team finished stretching we ran our 2 laps Then the team took a water break and then the distance runners ran our 800m My time in the 800m was 2:55 And I finished before anybody and I was proud of myself I didn’t know I was able to do that 1.

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The Leprechaun Strikes Green!

By: Ravy Chahuanoun

Saint Patrick's day is a happy day where people can celebrate the leprechaun and rainbows and hope to steal the gold in the end! Did you know that every March, McDonald's sells a shamrock shake? It's a mint milkshake. But there are many other fun facts that you probably didn't know about the leprechaun and st Patrick's day.

There are a lot of fun facts about St Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick didn’t wear green. His color was “Saint Patrick’s blue.” The color green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.

Despite his Irish notoriety, Saint Patrick was British. He was born to Roman parents in Scotland or Wales in the late fourth century.

According to Irish legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland.

Saint Patrick is credited for driving the snakes out of Ireland, but according to the fossil record, Ireland has never been home to snakes as it was too cold to host reptiles during the Ice Age.

The surrounding seas have kept snakes out since.There isn’t any corn in the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. The name is a reference to the large grains of salt historically used to cure meats, which were also known as “corns.”

Saint Patrick was born “Maewyn Succat” but changed his name to “Patricius” after becoming a priest.Irish immigrants began observing St. Patrick’s Day in Boston in 1737 and the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in America was held in New York City in 1766.

Swann Drumline and Dance Team: Marching Pride of Excellence

The Swann Drumline was founded by Dr. William Price and Mr. Jimmy Cheek in 2003. It has been around for 21 years.

The dance team was founded by Ms. Yvone Eason and Candace Leverette in 2004. Swann is one of the only middle schools with a drumline and dance team in Guilford county. It has been here for 20 years, and this is unfortunately the last one.

SAVE THESE DATES!

By: Audrey Faucher

The following events are the activities open to 8th graders who paid their class dues on time. You must pay your dues or attend the due date to be able to attend. You also will not be able to attend if you have OSS or 2 or more days of ISS in the time period indicated this time period is 30 school days before the event date. For example, if you have been in OSS for 2 days or are in ISS 30 school days before April 19 (the spring picnic), you cannot attend this event, this same rule applies to all the events.

The following events are the 8th-grade activities that have been planned:

Prom theme- MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT!!! A fun event for you and your friends to go to, what will you wear?

April 19: The class of 2024 (8th graders) will have a class spring picnic for lunch, what is your favorite food?

May 17: The 8th graders will have their prom dance. It is a fun event for you and your friends to go to. Hope to see you there!

June 5: The 8th graders will have a T-shirt and yearbook signing party. We will have more information about this event soon.

June 6: The final event of the year! 8th graders will have their promotion reception and class gift party, do not miss it!

Which 8th-grade activity are you most looking forward to?

Blooming Spring Holidays by:

ella silmon

In the spring there are many different holidays other than easter or St Patricks day some of them are, Passover, Holi, may day, Basanth, Songkran, Ramadan, etc

Passover: Passover is a Jewish holiday

This is a time when Jewish families honor their ancestors and celebrate the importance of being freed from slavery

Holi: Holi is a Hindu festival They celebrate spring with many bright colors.

People will typically dress in green, and the kids will fill up water guns with red and yellow to hit other people throughout the day. They will also fill up pieces of bamboo with powdered color to blow

May Day: May day is celebrated in many parts of the world but started off England Kids dance around tall poles called maypoles. These are decorated with strands of ribbon Kids will grab these strands of ribbon and do a dance around the pole, once it is finished the pole is beautifully wrapped in ribbon.

Ramadan: Ramadan starts on Sunday the 10 in the evening and will end April 9. Ramadan is a commemoration of Muhammad’s first revelation During this time, they restrain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset each day Many Muslims also do additional prayers especially at night and try to recite the Quaran

Basanth: Muslims traditionally greet the first day of spring with a kite fighting contest. Boys will create these fighter kites; on the strings of these kites, they cover them in glass powder to help them win.

Female Leaders Pathing Their Way

By: Sophia Zavitz

It is Many things happen in March, but one thing in particular happens. It’s women’s history month. During this month we celebrate contributions that women in the United States have made, and specific achievements they've made over the course of American history. But they don't have to be super well known, female leaders in your life might be a coach, teacher, mom, or sibling! In our school we have many female leaders. But 2 are Ms. Winstead and Dr. Bocci!

Some women leaders you may have heard of are:

Oprah Winfrey: Oprah was the wealthiest African American of the 20th century, becoming a multi-billionaire she's been a Media mogul, talk show ost, producer, actor, and philanthropist. And by 2007, she was ranked as the most influential woman in the world.

Marie Curie: Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, known simply as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalized French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She helped tremendously in the STEM field.

Michelle Obama: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to former president Barack Obama. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She is setting a great example for many young women out there.

Amelia Earhart: Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

March Polls

by: Norah Dorich

Which one?

62.5% answered Summer, 37.5% answered Spring

What's your favorite flower?

50% answered Roses,37.5% answered Tulips, and 12.5% answered lily of the valley

Were you excited for St. Patrick's Day?

67.7% said yes, 33.3% said no

Do you celebrate Easter?

79.3% answered yes

21.7% answered no

Are you excited for spring break?

100% answered yes!

Spring Break!

Laura Marin-VIllada

Spring is in the air, and that means spring break is right around the corner. I decided to interview some people around the school to ask them about their plans for spring break. Whether it is a family trip, a fun staycation, or exploring new hobbies, everyone has something exciting to do. Let us look at what people said!

Ms Rogers: For spring break, Ms. Rogers plans to go to Charlotte, to do fun things with her child. She is going to stop in Spartanburg, SC, and then come back to Charlotte.

Pictured right: Trinity (8th): For spring break, trinity will be going on a trip to Miami

Pictured above: Rodgier (7th): He will be going to sky zone and play basketball

Pictured above: Jaiden (6th): During spring break, he will be chilling at home, playing with his transformers, which he is a big fan of

A Sendoff to Ms. Mcnneil

By: Majiah Sheppard

In h

ted to our school, the newspaper has d neil about her years at the school.

Ms.Mc

er had a favorite student?

nts that I've tried to do more for because of the me from so I gave them more attention one ed to see children hungry so they could to me for food.

In ondest/favorite memory at Swann?

Ms.M ann was wh as a team lik vity where e

taught any classes at ath, ELA, science, and s casions so I’d have to sa

w do you feel about th

t the school closing bec for such a long time an he the teachers that ha

wer: Why’d you stay fo

ann because I feel like I’m putting something back into the school system and love what I do. When I lost my son at 17 years old in 1992 I decided to put something back into the school and help out school

m Ms.Mcneil…

be on fire right now but the flames an 40 years I've been at this since I le lot of years sitting in a vintage storic Greensboro school (Aycock) s who make a daily sacrifice for schools. I worked with exceptional for me have been amazing I've felt o my ability. I was loved by many derful just the way I was and knew with grace because not everybody r give upon YOU” and understand dy the same way. My plans for god ked off for what's coming next for he future.

Letter from the Editor

March has been a very hectic month. Everything has been moving so fast with the newspaper, schoolwork, and school events in general. With this being the last year of Swann, everyone is trying to make it big and extravagant which also makes it harder lol. More planning, more work, & more focus! I say all this to say do not get caught up in the work or whatever you are doing to the point where you do not enjoy your last year at Swann! -

Sincerely Veah. xo

The Paw Patrol

Editor in Chief- Alexandra Taylor

Design and Managment Editor- Lila Bloch-Schulman

Layout Editor - Nevaeh Bryant

Features Editor - Laura Villada

Sports Editor - Kylie Cashwell

Ms. Mary Ellen Smith - Newspaper Advisor

Norah, Sofia, and Audrey (left to right) working hard

Perrin and Tomas (Left to right)