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St. Thomas grad wins Silver Knight award By The Spire Crier Staff Congratulations to St. Thomas graduate Amelia Grant-Alfieri who recently won the Silver Knight Award for Art. Amelia is a senior at Ransom Everglades School and will attend Brown University in the fall. The Miami Herald has presented the Silver Knight award for 52 years. It is a great honor and is given to only 15 seniors in high school who have gone above and beyond in their community. Excellence in academics is a very important part of this honor but the most important aspect is community service. Amelia decided to help preserve the history of West Coconut Grove by creating a documentary based on interviews through the Black Church Oral History Project. She was introduced to the program by her father who is a University of Miami law professor. He runs the UM’s Center for Ethics and Public Service. Amelia’s film was shown at the Bill Cosford Cinema. Mrs. Charlton said she is very proud of Amelia. “The competition is county-wide and this is a premier award,” she said. Amelia loves to paint and her work has been featured in the Lowe Art Museum and at a Coconut Grove gallery.
Volume 23 Issue 4 M ay 2011
Inside this issue:
Food Poll
2
Food Festival
3
Fiction
4
Student Notebook
7
Ask Coco
8
Quiz Corner
9
Fiction
10
Navy Seals end hunt for Osama bin Laden By Emily Harrison Osama bin Laden was a terrorist who was the leader of the September 11th attacks on the United States. “They chose this day to attack because the date is nine eleven which is 911,” said Hannah Elliott, fifth grader, of the tragic date’s emergency number comparison. Osama bin Laden did not like Americans. September 11th was when planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and a field in Pennsylvania, in a failed attempt to hit the White House. He came up with this plan and he destroyed thousands of lives. But, President Obama announced Osama bin Laden dead on Sunday night, May 1, 2011. The President had declared his team was going to find the terrorist leader and nine years later, Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan by an elite team of Navy Seals. The Navy Seals may never talk about their roles in the raid that ended a decade-long manhunt. After they become Navy Seals they cannot tell their families. For safety and security precautions, no one is allowed to know where they are. A girl has never become a Navy Seal. It is a big responsibility and it is very difficult to train to be one. They are the heroes of the world.
Special points of interest:
Check out page 3 for the top children’s books and authors.
It is estimated that two million people gathered outside the church to watch the Royal Wedding.
This walking tour in New York takes in great restaurants for tasty treats.
What kind of cookie are you? Take this quiz and find out.
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The Spire Crier
Super singer Enrique Iglesias grew up in Miami
Enrique Iglesias sang his hit song “Hero” on the day of 9/11.
By Sophia Elwaw and Carolina Baigorri We had the chance to see Enrique Iglesias live in concert. We wanted to know more about him and here is what we found out. Enrique Inglesias was born on May 8, 1975. He started his career on the Mexican label Fonovisa. After this he wrote three songs. Now he is one of the most popular Latin American singers. His three songs are “I Like It,” “Tonight” and “Hero” in English. “Hero” is a song full of emotion. He sang it live on the day of 9/11. Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain. He was the third and youngest child of singer Julio Iglesias, his father, and socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. His mother is a Filipino of partial Spanish/Basque descent and his father is of Galician Spanish and Jewish ancestry. His parents divorced in 1988 and the following year his father moved to Miami to continue his musical career. In 1985, Enrique Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by a terrorist group. For their safety, Enrique and his brother Julio Iglesias Jr. were sent to live with their father in Miami. Enrique also lived in Belgrade, Serbia for one year with his mother who worked as a journalist. As his father's career kept him on the road, the young Enrique was raised by the family nanny. He went to school at Gulliver Preparatory School and went on to study business at the University of Miami. We loved seeing Enrique Iglesias in concert and we can’t wait to see if he comes to Miami again. If you want to know more about him you can go online and do a Google search. You will find all about his music and maybe you can see him in concert the way we did.
Poll: EVOS is not a favorite school lunch choice By Olivia de Olazarra, RJ Kayal and Katrina Hernandez EVOS has been introduced to the St. Thomas lunch menu. It is a healthy option chosen by St. Thomas’s parent nutrition group. As it turns out the students of St. Thomas have a different opinion. Erin Bakes, fifth grader, has a strong opinion about the menu change. “Popeyes is so much better! The EVOS carrots are warm and mushy! I just really want Popeyes back,” Erin said. It seems like the whole school agrees when we found out that not only did fifth graders not support the menu change but we also asked one representative from each grade. Each representative seemed not to enjoy EVOS healthy lunch. Here’s what we heard in our poll: “I love EVOS,” “I don’t like EVOS very much,” “I really hope Popeyes returns to the menu,” and “I REALLY DON’T LIKE EVOS AND I WANT A DIFFERENT LUNCH.” We’ll see what happens.
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Famous chefs were cooking at Food and Wine Fest By RJ Kayal I, RJ Kayal, am a want-to-be chef. I can prepare sushi, tuna tartar, and a wedge salad. I can cook Chicken Parmesan, Chicken with Rosemary, and Bananas Foster. If you are a person like me who loves to cook try to go to a food and wine festival. I went this year and I met some famous chefs at the Food and Wine Festival in Miami. Some of the famous chefs there were Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, and Giada De Laurentiis. The Food and Wine Festival only comes here once a year. It is on Miami Beach. You can go see the chefs cook and meet them and sometimes get their autographs just like me. I got my cookbook signed by Masaharu Morimoto. The Festival lasts all day and it is a great thing to go to with your family and friends. So remember to always cook!
Royal Wedding was a sight to see around the world By Charlie Grande Kate Middleton got married to Prince William in London. Prince William was the one to blush during the kiss, not Kate. The wedding went exactly as planned. Everybody was astonished as Kate came out of the car they sent to pick her up for the wedding. She was wearing a beautiful dress with long sleeves, and a tiara given to her by Queen Elizabeth II to wear during the wedding. The wedding was a beautiful sight for everybody there. An estimated two billion people watched the Royal Wedding on television, and around 1,900 attended the service. Around two million people were outside Westminster Abbey. The after party was held in Buckingham Palace. This is the start of a beautiful marriage, and a maybe there well be a new queen of England.
Here are top 10 authors and their books for children By Grace McGregor The top books for children and the authors who wrote them are listed here. See if you have read every one. 1. J.K. Rowling—The Harry Potter Series 2. Neil Gaiman—“The Graveyard Book” 3. C.S. Lewis—“The Chronicles of Narnia” 4. J.M. Barrie—“Peter Pan” 5. Lewis Carroll—“Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” 6. J.R.R. Tolkien—“The Lord of the Rings” 7. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—“The Adventures Sherlock Holmes” 8. Roald Dahl—“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” 9. Lois Lowry—“The Giver” 10.Suzanne Collins—“The Hunger Games”
An estimated two billion people watched the Royal Wedding on television around the world.
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Student Fiction: “Slingshot the Squirrel and Friends” by RJ Kayal One lush summer day in Olympia, Washington, there lived four squirrels named Slingshot, Ringtail, Woodhammer and Smiley. One day they were picking acorns with a tuneless whistle when Woodhammer heard a weird noise, “What’s that?” he shouted as they all scurried out of the tree. “I don’t know, but it looks like a crow,” said Ringtail. “I’ll go down and knock some sense into him,” said Woodhammer. Then suddenly there was a RAAWW!! And the sound of cutting bark. “I take back what I said before,” said Woodhammer. They all scurried back into the tree. When the weird noise hit the bark of the tree it sounded like a highpitched scream. “No time for chit-chat” said Slingshot. “Just jump!!” “Slingshot you are crazy. We’ll never make it down,” said everyone at the same time. “Aim for that pile of leaves. Okay, everyone jump!” One by one the squirrels jumped down from the tree. They went down, down, and down. The last thing Slingshot saw was a saw cutting their Acorn Tree. “Nooooooo!!!!.” screamed Slingshot. Then everything went dark, absolutely dark. “Slingshot, Sling-shot, Slingshot wake up.” “ What, what…what happened.” “When you and your friends jumped from the tree you hit a stone very hard and became unconscious.” “Is everyone alright?” “Yeah, everyone is fine,” said the mysterious hushed voice. “But the tree.” “What about the tree?” “It got sliced to bits.” “Did Woodhammer get all mad and stuff?” “Yes he did. But when the humans saw him they just laughed.” “Huhh...well I guess we have to find another Acorn Tree.” “We-ll.” “Well, what?” “Well, the only problem is that the next Acorn Tree that is closest to us is in Oregon. And that is really far.” “Okay. When are we going?” “We will go when you feel better.” “I feel fine,” Slingshot said sarcastically. “Try to get up.” “Oww, Oww,” he said as a sudden ache from his ribs started. “I think I will just rest. When will I be better?” “By tomorrow you should be fine.” At the end of the conversation Slingshot realized that he was not talking to one of his friends he was talking to a mouse. “Wait. Who are you?” The only thing the mouse said was, “Rest.” Slingshot watched her disappear into the vast bundle of leaves. “That was weird,” said Slingshot. “Just weird.” Then he closed his eyes and before he knew it he had drifted into his dreams. The delicious Acorn Tree was on the ground. The humans laughed and laughed. Woodhammer came up from the pile of leaves showing his big muscles and bit one of the humans on the foot, and the human threw him aside. Woodhammer was badly hurt. “Help, Help,” screamed Woodhammer. “Slingshot, Slingshot, wake up,” said the mouse. As he awoke there was something on his chest. He thought it was a pen. “What happened to me?” “You had a fit or something.” “I think it was a bad dream,” said Slingshot. “You were sweating like a pig.” “Yuck. Is Woodhammer okay?” “Yeah, why do you ask?” said the mouse with a weird look in her eye. “Oh, because in my dream he got badly hurt.” “Well he is fine.” “Hey, what’s your name?” “My name is Tita, the Guardian of the Leaves.” “You’re a mouse.” “Yes, I am. But I am very strong.” “Prove it.” WRRRAAWW and she lifted up a brick. “Woooww.” “Yes wow.” “Thank you for rescuing me.” “No problem.” “Um, so what’s this pen here.” “It is a very powerful weapon. Only use it in times of severe distress.” “This is a pen. This is a pen!” “Flick it.” “Wow.” And a bronze sword erupted from the pen with a leather grip at the bottom. “This sword is called Fire Flower and it can call the will of all of the flowers in the world and help you in battle.” “So what time are we going?” “We shall leave at 3.” “Okay. What time is it?” “It is two o’clock and you have one hour to prepare.” When the friends all met up they were talking about their plan when Tita came in and said, “You have fifteen minutes until three o’clock.” “Okay, everyone listen up,” said Ringtail. “We have to store about fifty acorns for survival.” “Hey guys we have to be careful because I have heard rumors that there are two crows that hate squirrels,” said Slingshot. “That is very true. Slingshot there are two crows and their names are Caricatures and Latheres. They are very invading all that pass especially squirrels,” said Tita. “We
Volume 23 Issue 4
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have to get ready for this journey,” said Woodhammer. Okay, everyone get ready and let’s go!” Walking through a dirty and disgusting garden were four squirrels and a mouse. “Hey look,” Caricatures said to Letheres. “Tita has convinced those stupid squirrels to look for another acorn tree.” “Good, now we can try to kill them and eat them for lunch.” “Hey look at that one in the middle, he has Fire Flower.” “Are you sure it is a boy, it might be a girl?” “I’m sure it’s a boy you idiot,” said Caricatures. “Let’s go eat them all,” said Letheres. “No, not yet we have to wait until Tita buys their trust. “Then we will make our move. Let’s study their every move and see how good he can use that sword Fire Flower.” “He seems pretty pathetic right now. Let’s see how he progresses.” “He is the one,” said Tita as she came out of nowhere. “I have entrusted him with the Fire Flower. Don’t be fooled by his size. I can tell he has great power within him.” “How do you know that, Miss Smarty Pants?” said Caricatures. “I know because I sense it within his aura.” Tita took out a sword and started polishing it with a rock. “Will you stop that. I hate that noise,” said Letheres. “Fine. But when the time is right I will battle him and open the portal to the new world. The volcano is in perfect condition.” As Slingshot was swiftly moving through the gardens he heard a strange ruffling noise. “Who’s there? I’m armed,” said Slingshot. Then he heard the noise again but this time in front of him. He slowly approached the leaves and looked around very slowly. What he saw was that all of his friends just disappeared. “ G-G-G-G-Guys, where are you?” Then all of the sudden a ball of fur came charging at him. Slingshot quickly took out his sword and sliced at the bundle of fur but missed. Then something peculiar happened. The ball started to laugh. It sounded just like Smiley. “Smiley, are you there?” said Slingshot. Of course, Slingshot was right and all of his friends, including Tita, jumped out and started cracking up. “You’re so gullible,” said Ringtail. “Okay. Ha ha. Very funny. But let’s keep on moving.” As they were walking a Snake came out of nowhere and said, “Hello, I am Snape the Snake. Let’s battle.” As fast as lightning Snape spit some venom at Slingshot but his reaction was quick and he took out his sword and deflected it. “Wow,” said Slingshot. The battle raged for ten minutes. Venom shooting everywhere. Slingshot deflecting it. Back and forth they went. “I won’t give up,” said Snape. “Neither will I.” One time the venom came so close to Slingshot he could feel it. Then all of the sudden Snape wrapped himself around Slingshot and started to rapid fire venom at him. Slingshot hit two off and then it deflected and landed on the snake’s eye. He yelled and screamed. But he just dropped Slingshot and fell to the ground. “Wow, I did not just do that. Did you see that? I totally owned that guy,” he said as he was just landing on the floor. “He’s not dead,” said Tita. “The Venom was only to make your opponent unconscious.” “Now you tell me that,” said Slingshot. “Well, look on the bright side. I found twelve acorns on the ground,” said Ringtail. “Great!” they all said together. “Let’s go. I sense their presence,” said Tita. “Let’s take shelter for the night. We should relax and calm down.” “Looks like that tree hole looks like it could be just the right stop for tonight’s stay,” said Woodhammer. After they settled in, Ringtail started cooking the acorns. Once they were ready they all sat around the fire and talked. They talked about those two birds. And they talked about how happy they were going to be when they find their acorn tree. Finally, when they went to bed Smiley said good night. But Slingshot was the only one awake. He was thinking about the day he just had and how cool his sword reacted to the venom. He thought, “Well, I can’t wait until tomorrow.” And then he drifted off into his dreams. As the four squirrels were walking in the forest Ringtail started to wonder where they were on their journey and Tita said that they were a couple of days away from Oregon. Then everything went dark absolutely dark. Slingshot could only see two shadows flying above. Slingshot said, “Take cover. The two ravens are coming to attack us! But how did they know where we are?” Then Tita came and said, “I told them where we are. I am partnering with them to kill you.” “But why would you want to kill us?” asked the squirrels simultaneously. When Tita didn’t answer the squirrels were scared. Then Caricatures and Letheres came and swooped down. Tita jumped on Caricatures’ back and took out a sword and said, “This is my sword it is called the Volcano when I use it lava erupts and burns your little bushy tails.” “Let’s fight,” said Slingshot. Tita jumped from Caricatures’ back and started to fight with the squirrel. The battle was fierce. Slingshot jumped and dodged shots to the head and feet. The two swords collided at a great speed. Slingshot and Tita were face to face. Tita took the butt of her sword and jabbed Slingshot in the face. “Aww” said Slingshot. Then Tita made lava come out of nowhere and attacked Slingshot. When he thought all hopes were gone a (continued on next page)
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The Spire Crier
Yummy NY food tour was unforgettable and fun
We had a super funny tour guide and a group full of nice people.
By Camille Mendoza I took a fantastic trip to New York City with my mother. We did many exciting things in New York, but my favorite activity was a food tour. My mother and I met our tour guide at a popular cheese market that we would see later. We had a super funny tour guide and a group full of nice people. Our first stop was at a restaurant that served pizza. The pizza was gigantic, it was fresh, hot and delicious. After the pizza we went a couple blocks down to a restaurant that served all types of food. We had a big fried rice ball with sticky cheese in the middle. Next we went to a famous restaurant that served French food. We had a cauliflower stew. It’s better than it sounds. Next we went to a fancier restaurant where we had a veggie soup. Next we went back to the cheese market where we had three different kinds of cheese samples. They were all delicious. After that we went to a small Cuban restaurant where we had Cuban sandwiches. Then we went to a small bakery where we ate gigantic chocolate chip cookies. Last we went to a pastry shop where we had delicious cannoli. Cannoli are an Italian treat with soft cream in the middle. We said goodbye and went back to our hotel. I was stuffed and in total we walked two miles in our food tour. It was fun and I’ll never forget it.
Slingshot the Squirrel and Friends (continued) shield of grass protected him from the lava. “Wow, that was totally wicked,” said Slingshot. Shield on and shield off lava was spraying everywhere. Vines were slashing Tita and trying to pick her up and throw her down. Then Tita hit Slingshot with her foot and knocked him out. When Slingshot woke up he was in a cave and all of his friends were tied to a wall. Slingshot felt for the pen but couldn’t find it. He saw Tita with the two swords and she was murmuring to herself. She said, “The two swords of the two worlds.” “What two worlds?” said Slingshot. Earth and a new world that I will make with the power of these two swords. The swords started to rattle and a portal started to appear in the middle of the room. “Yes, Yes,” said Tita. “Let the new world come to me.” Then something strange happened. The Fire Flower returned to Slingshot. “What!!!!!” said Tita. The sword magically let Slingshot free from the bindings. Slingshot took the butt of the sword and threw it at Tita who was still in shock and fell off the cliff into the water below. No one could have survived that drop. The portal closed. Slingshot went to the birds and said, “Boo!” And the birds left and said they would never attack them again. After Slingshot freed his friends they got out of the cave safe without any problems. When they got to Oregon and found their tree they all lived happily ever after. Seven years later… All the squirrels were happy and never thought about their problems with Tita again. Slingshot was the master of the Fire Flower. That day Slingshot went to his room and found the Volcano on his bed. He went to the lake and threw the sword into the lake. He froze it using the hidden power of the Fire Flower. When Slingshot turned around the Volcano was shaking in the water. Then an animal came out of the woods. It was drenched in water and covered with leaves. It was Tita and she said, “Tita is coming back and wants a little revenge.”
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Volume 23 Issue 4
Student Notebook: Vacation is filled with surprises By Alessandra Sanchez-Medina When I was in New York for spring break I went to different places. I went to Chinatown and Time Square. I went to a Broadway show and went to “Lend Me a Tenor.” The show was very funny on entertaining. I went shopping every day and got a lot of things. I took the subway every way and it was much faster than an everyday Miami car. I went to some museums and they were very cool. Ser-
endipity was an awesome restaurant for lunch and dinner. I went to Dylan’s Candy Bar where there is a wide selection of candy. When I went to Chinatown we all got at least six things and we all love them. It was very cool to see where my mom was from and see everything she lived with when she was young. I wish I was her and lived in New York. I loved New York and I can’t wait to go again.
Mrs. Lopez knows right answers in game challenge By Katrina Hernandez, Olivia de Olazarra, Alessandra Sanchez-Medina, and Carolina Baigorri This newspaper issue we decided to play are “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader” with Mrs. Lopez. The three contestants were Mrs. Lopez, Alessandra Sanchez-Medina and Camille Mendoza. Alessandra and Camille formed a team and worked together to learn the answers during the game. The three hosts of the game were Katrina Hernandez, Carolina Baigorri and Olivia de Olazarra. We asked many questions on different subjects including math, social studies, English and bonus questions. One of questions that the contestants had a difficult time with was “How many plays did Shakespeare write?” The answer was 38 plays, though none of the three competitors were able to answer the question. If you are having trouble on a question you can use a “cheat” which is when one of the hosts will give you a clue to the answer. None of the cheats were used in this game by either Mrs. Lopez or the other contestants. The questions were worth different amounts of points. The points were chosen randomly and ranged from five to one million points. It turned out that in the end the amazing one million point question was “What is the name of an angle that is more than 90 degrees but less than 180?” Mrs. Lopez, being a math teacher, answered that question correctly instantly after we asked it. In the end the points were 10,000 to two million. So it turns out that in this issue Mrs. Lopez IS “Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.” Make sure to congratulate her when you pass by her room.
Have a Happy and Safe Summer!
The questions were worth different amounts of points and the points were chosen randomly.
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Ask Coco can help you with all your questions By Isabel Malloy, Emily Harrison, Katrina Hernandez and Camille Mendoza Ask Coco is when you write your problems and put a note in a bin in the office with your problem on it. We will collect them and write you back in our newspaper. This is for second graders and up. Dear Coco, I am going to a pool party with my whole grade in a couple of weeks. I do not know what to wear! HELP!!! Love, Fashion Disaster Dear Fashion Disaster, You should wear something comfy and casual. It’s a pool party, so just wear your favorite swimsuit. Love, COCO
Prove to your parents that you are responsible by packing your own lunch and doing chores. Then maybe you can get a dog.
Dear Coco, I want a dog but my parents say I’m not responsible enough. What should I do? Love, Not ready Dear Not ready, Try to prove to your parents by packing your own lunch and doing chores. Before you know it you will have a dog. Love, COCO Dear Coco, It is my birthday soon and I do not know what to do for my party. I would like to do a big party but my mom says I shouldn’t because you can do more with a small group. What should I do? Love, Late Birthday planner Dear Late Birthday planner, Choose whichever you would like more. It is your party so you should decide. Tell your mom you will help with everything and then prove it to her. Love, COCO
Mystery Student: She likes a book about magic By Hannah Elliott The mystery student for this issue is a fith grader. She is a girl. Her class room is on the back wall of the fifth grade classrooms. She loves Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt. She is crazy about a place in Europe. She almost always wears a headband. She has a really cute puppy . She has one sister and one brother. Her backpack has her name on it. She plays the drums. Her locker has lots stickers on it. She already knows where she is going to middle school. She likes a certain book to do with magic. Do you know who it is? The answer is on the back page.
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Quiz Corner: What kind of cookie are you? Answer questions to find out By Katrina Hernandez and Olivia de Olazarra Here are some questions. Pick an answer and then count how many you have of the same letter. At the end you wil see what kind of cookie you are! 1. You have a class project due on Monday. It’s Friday and you haven’t even started you… A. Chill out. You can finish it on Sunday night, after you go surfing, have a sleepover and watch a twelve episode Sponge Bob marathon. B. Work on it a little bit everyday and you’ll have it done in no time. C. FREAK OUT!!!!!!! You won’t sleep tonight but that baby will be done ASAP! 2. It’s Saturday and you’re going to paint your nails. What color do you choose? A. Trendy metallic blue. Total fashion statement. B. You’re usual. Pretty in pink! C. Paint my nails? I don’t have time for that! I have to study! 3. Yay! You got a great grade on a huge test and your parents say it’s okay for you to go to the movies with friends. You suggest… A. An action-packed thriller B. A romantic comedy with a perfect, happy ending C. A historical film about the American Revolution. Colonists rock! 3. There’s a new restaurant in town. You hope that... A. It’s a cool, unique Asian restaurant B. It’s a cute, Parisian style café C. As long as there’s a decent meal with a few healthy options, count me in! 4. This weekend you hope to go out on the town. Where do you want to go? A. Aloha! You hope that you can convince your parents to take you to Hawaii for the weekend. B. Ooh la la!! A fashion show is definitely in order. C. Your favorite library’s book fair, with that amazing visiting author you’ve been waiting to meet. You’re dad says that you can watch one T.V show before bed. You watch… A. Survivor Nicaragua, to perfect your zip lining techniques. B. Project Runway Finale. You can’t wait to see who wins! C. The History Channel special on World War II. It’s always a good time for a little history! If you got mostly A’s you are a… Chocolate Chip You are spunky, unique and cool just like a chocolate chip cookie. Your creativity shines in everything that you do. Just remember that even though you’ve always wanted to travel to the other side of the world, try to keep a good balance between friends, school and your extreme adventures! If you got mostly B’s you are a… Frosted Cookie with Sprinkles Pretty and pink but yet unique is how people might describe you. You would be a great fashion designer and magazine editor. You’ve got your goals planned out and you’re ready to rumble. So start designing that award winning dress. You never know when Selena Gomez might be wearing your next creation on the red carpet! (continued on back page)
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St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School 5692 North Kendall Drive Coral Gables, FL 33156 305-665-4851
W E’ RE ON THE WEB AT S TEPSMIA. ORG GO
TO S CHOOL L IFE AND CLICK ON P UBLICATIONS
Mystery Student: Grace McGregor
The Spire Crier is published by the fifth grade journalism class for the students of St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. Managing Editor: Thomas Whiting Staff: Carolina Baigorri, Hannah Elliott, Sophia Elwaw, Camille Garcia-Mendoza, Gilles Gouraige, Charlie Grande, Emily Harrison, Katrina Hernandez, Isabel Malloy, Olivia de Olazarra, Alessandra Sanchez-Medina, Alexander Staeding Dominguez, Tucker Weed, Jordan Wong Journalism Advisor: Ms. Christina Mayo Technical Assistance: Mrs. Butcher, Mr. Peters
Student Fiction: “The Adventures of Jordan” by Jordan Wong Part 2 “Your quest is to go to the palace of the evil King Huglie and destroy his evil diamond. You will go with Ryan.” Ryan said, “I’ve heard that he kills his own people!” Jordan said, “We got to do this quest. I’m in.” “Me too,” Ryan said. “Okay,” the king said. “He is on the other side of Mars Mountain. But before you can go on the quest you have to go to the armory to get your weapons and armor.” “Yes!” Ryan and Jordan said. “I wonder what space knight’s weapons are!” Ryan said. So Ryan and Jordan went into the armory and looked at the vast assortment of weapons. “Wow!” Jordan and Ryan said in unison. “They even have light crossbows!” Ryan picked one up and shot it at the target. “Wow! These are powerful!” Ryan said as the target burst into flames. “These are sharp! Whoa!” as he saw a sword and a shield. “I want this sword, and this shield!” “Hold on,” the king said. “Pick them slowly. You are using these weapons and armor for the rest of your quest.” Ryan picked a light ranger suit of armor, with a quiver to hold his light arrows. He also picked a small sheath to hold his dagger. Jordan picked the heavy-duty suit of armor, with a sheath for his light sword, and a strap for his laser shield. “Go put on your armor. You will leave soon,” the king said. So they put on their armor, and went on with their quest. While they were leaving, they crossed a goblin armed with a light sword. “Don’t hit me!” the goblin said. “I am a good goblin. I will guide you on the quest.” “Whoa! You scared me there!” Jordan said. “We need all the help we can get.” “So what’s your name?” Ryan said. The goblin said “Emew.” “So Emew,” Jordan said. “Lead the way.” So Emew, Jordan and Ryan were traveling to the mountain when suddenly a giant appeared. The giant said, “I am Z.J. I will help you in battle during your quest.” So Z.J., Emew and Ryan reached the mountain, and then a HUGE hydra appeared. “AHHH!” everyone screamed. (to be continued…) (continued from previous page) If you got mostly C’s you are a… Smart Cookie Whoa! This cookie is at the top of the class. Smart Cookies are constantly studying and trying to get the best grades. You might be the next Einstein if you keep your studying up. But remember even though being smart is great, just remember to give yourself a break once in a while. Go to the movies with friends or give yourself some “Me Time”. You might even find a new hobby. Trust me you’ll be glad that you did.