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T ho ma s
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Fourth graders collect books for needy children By Madison Munroe and Alessandra Leyva The Fourth Grade students recently ended a book drive. They collected the books by asking everyone to bring in new or used books that the students and teachers were not going to use anymore. The books that were collected went to a foundation called The Children’s Trust and volunteers there took the books to children in Miami-Dade County who can’t afford books. Fourth Grade Teacher Miss Q found out about this book drive by reading an article on Twitter. She said her first goal for the books was to collect 500, but on the second day her class counted the donations and they counted 1,100 books! The book drive started on April 7 and ended on April 15.
Volume 26 Issue 4 M ay 2014
Inside this issue:
Science News
3
Strange News
3
Mystery Persons
5
Student Notebook
7
Sports Nation
8-9
Travels
10
Student Fiction
12
Firefighters rescue lucky kitten from car engine By Carolina Lopez and Maddie Wagshul Have you ever heard a sad and happy story at the same time? This story will definitely make you go “Aww!” Recently, we saw in the news a story about a stray kitten that was stuck in a car motor for around three hours. The kitten was meowing a lot! Finally, a lady thought that she must have a kitten outside and when she checked she found the kitten in her car’s engine outside her house. Immediately, she called the fire rescue. The kitten could not get out without any help so they put a little water on it, not butter, because that might hurt the kitten. The water helped it get slippery and the firefighters were able to help it squeeze out of the engine. The kitten was okay. And very lucky!
Special points of interest:
A man in southern Iran has not taken a bath in 60 years.
Fun2draw online will help you practice art.
You can see wild dogs, spotted hyenas and giraffes on a safari in Tanzania.
There are 32 soccer teams participating in the World Cup in Brazil.
The exciting Sony Open tennis final was finished in just two sets.
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Do you know these facts about Earth Day? By Alexandra Prio-Touzet U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin founded Earth Day because he wanted to respond to a major oil spill off Santa Barbara, California. In thanks, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. More than 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day and by the end of 1970, Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Earth Day went global in 1990 with 140 countries participating and helping the environmental cause.
Summer travels are fun at these top 10 spots Fun in the summer can mean travel to these exciting cities in the United States.
By Yara Haddad It’s almost summertime and that means vacations. Here are the top ten spots in the U.S. for families to travel when the kids are out of school. 10. Dallas, Texas. Although it's only the third largest city in Texas, Dallas is the state's most popular tourist destination. It is famous for food, art museums, its museum of nature and science, its zoo and White Rock Lake Park and the Dallas Arboretum. 9. Santa Ana Anaheim-Santa Ana, California. Anaheim and Santa Ana are major tourist destinations in California's Orange County. Both cities are a short distance from the coast, and they are well known for Disneyland, Sender One rock climbing facility, and Lyon Air Museum. 8. San Francisco/San Mateo, California. The private San Francisco Travel Association reports that the city had 15.9 million visitors in 2010. The Golden Gate Bridge, the food, Alcatraz Island, Chinatown, and Fisherman’s Wharf are all top spots. 7. San Diego, California. San Diego doesn't enjoy warm weather all year round, so summer is the best time to enjoy the palm tree-lined paradise of La Jolla Beach and this city’s famous zoo. 6. Atlanta, Georgia. Among other sites Atlanta is known for its Aquarium, the largest in the world, which opened in 2005. 5. Washington, D.C. The nation's capital, is an extremely popular destination for both American and foreign tourists especially in the summer months. 4. Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. Summer is the top season for tourism in Southern California, known for its beach culture. 3. New York, N.Y. Summer in the city is best at the many family-friendly places here. And it's easier to get reservations at top restaurants and Broadway shows as many locals leave town during the summer months. 2. Orlando, Florida. Orlando welcomes millions of visitors each year to its famous amusement parks, themed hotels and fun restaurants. 1. Chicago, Illinois. Chicago's dining, cultural and recreation choices rival any city in the world. It's famous for its incredible food, Shedd Aquarium, Wrigley Field and Skydeck Chicago, the tallest building in the western hemisphere. You can even step out onto a glass-enclosed balcony and feel like you’re flying.
Volume 26 Issue 3
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Science News: The black cat advantage By Axel Hicks Many people think black cats are unlucky, but they are really contributing to possible cancer prevention. The cause of their black coats is a genetic mutation which, when it’s in humans, is linked to HIV/AIDS. Different genetic mutations give black coats to specific species of cats. Some scientists have studied these genes because they often offer protection from cancer. If we understand how species such as cats adapt to have natural disease protection, we could find out how to make one for humans. For instance, the MC1R gene, when mutated in jaguars makes them black, but when mutated in some humans it gives them red hair. Scientists studying this are about to go to the next step to see if there are any possible side effects that can be used in gene research. A domestic cat has about 10 genes for coat colors and coat appearance, resulting in the 40-odd breeds of cat. The black coat mutation is very common, so scientists wondered whether it dated back to the earliest ancestor of all cats or arose separately among the species. Many of the feral or wild cats are black or black and white.
The genetic mutation in black cats is being studied for use in cancer research.
Strange News: Man has not bathed in 60 years By Andres Grande and Justin Wong A man named Amou Haji who lives in a village in southern Iran claims that he hasn’t washed in 60 years because he thinks that if he is clean he will get sick. Sadly, Haji, who is 80 years old, said he had some “emotional setbacks’’ in his childhood that make him live a very isolated lifestyle. He said the thought of a bath after all these years makes him feel angry. He also likes to eat rotten porcupine meat. On the healthy side, he does keep his hair neat and trimmed by burning it over a fire and he drinks five liters of water every day out of a rusty oil tin. You can learn more about him online.
Riddles: These will make you think By Dylan Perez and Axel Hicks See if you can solve these riddles. The answers can be found on page 10. 1. A woman shoots her husband and drowns him in water. She then hangs him up on a clothes rack, but then they go together for a picnic. How is that possible? 2. What do you know is always coming, but never does? 3. Seven frogs are sitting on a log. One of them decides to jump off of the log. At this moment how many frogs are on the log? 4. I’m heavy, but not backwards. What am I? 5. What starts with t, ends with t, and has t inside it? 6. I have four wings, but cannot fly. I never laugh and never cry. On the same sport I’m always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I? 7. We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not judged by our size. What are we? 8. I stare at you. You stare at me. I have three eyes, yet can’t see. Every time I blink, I give you commands. You do as you are told, with your feet and hands. What am I?
Amou Haji
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Student Fiction: An escape from Candy Land
The candy dungeon is not a nice place to be in the real Candy Land.
By Sealey Bacardi and Carola Mato Once upon a candy there lived a girl and a boy named Eleanor and Elliot. Elliot was 7 and Eleanor was 5. They were playing Candy Land when they heard jingling bells. They ran outside and saw a wagon filled with candy! Driving the wagon was an old woman in a robe. She called out to the children “Free candy games!” They couldn’t resist so they bought one immediately. They decided to play it as soon as possible. After a while, Elliot and Eleanor both screamed out that they wished they could live in Candy Land. Then they started swirling and swirling and swirling. When they stopped, Eleanor said, “I don’t think we are home anymore.” “Me neither,” said Elliot. Then, they realized that they were in a world of candy. “We must be in Candy Land!” they said. They ran around all day eating candy and having fun. When it got dark, Eleanor said, “Elliot, I am scared. I want to go home.” “OK,” said Elliot. So, they went off to find out how to get home. They asked Mr. Mint, Granma Nut, Jolly, and King Candy, but none of them knew. Then they asked Princess Frostine and she said, “You must win the game to leave. I know because I to used to live in the mortal world. When I came here I tried winning, but I lost. Then I became Princess Frostine.” “Well, thank you,” the two kids said politely. Then, they hurried off to win the game. When they were half way done they ran into Lord Liquorish. He ordered his evil guards to take them to the candy dungeon in his palace of liquorish and evil. When Lord Liquorish was on his way to the palace of doom, Mr. Mint was chopping down his candy cane trees nearby when he heard Lord Liquorish. A couple of hours later Elliot and Eleanor were starting to think in the deep, dark dungeon about what Princess Frostine had said. Then, Eleanor said, “What if we lose the game?” Elliot said, “What are you talking about? We are going to win, trust me, and we are the best at this game!” Suddenly they heard a big, loud bang. Eleanor and Elliot both started to wonder what that sound had been. Then they heard the sound of pixie dust and a voice whispering, “Pssst. It’s me, Princess Lolly.” Then she said, “Come with me. You will travel from my house to Princess Frostine’s then to King Kandy’s place so you can win the game.” After days of playing the game, the finish line was right in front of them. Elliot and Eleanor had a race to see who could get to the finish line first. Elliot won and they went safely back to their home, to finish their other game.
Poll Results: What’s your favorite candy? By Alexandra Prio-Touzet I did a survey asking people what their favorite candy was. What’s your favorite? Here are the poll results: 1ST PLACE: STARBURST (7 VOTES) 2ND PLACE: NERDS & AIRHEADS (5 VOTES EACH) 3RD PLACE: SOUR PATCH & GUMMY WORMS (3 VOTES EACH) 4TH PLACE: LOLLIPOPS (2 VOTES) 5TH PLACE: MIKE AND IKE & LAFFY TAFFY (1 VOTE EACH)
Volume 26 Issue 3
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Mystery sports star is a wide receiver in the NFL By Pablo Joseph The mystery sports player is an NFL wide receiver. Try to guess who he is. This player is 6' 3" and weighs 218 lbs. He was born August 31st, 1983 in Minneapolis, MN. He is 30 years old. He was drafted in 2004 as a first round pick. He has 11 years of experience in the NFL. He went to the University of Pittsburgh.
He’s 6’3” and weighs 218 lbs. He’s also from Minneapolis.
Larry Fitzgerald
Demaryius Thomas
Dez Bryant
This mystery teacher likes pasta and barbecue By Sealey Bacardi and Carola Mato Here are the clues for a new mystery teacher. She says she never tells any of these things in class. See if you can guess who it is. The answer is on the back page, but no peeking. This teacher likes to bake pasta and she also enjoys having a barbecue outside. She was born in New Jersey and her favorite thing to buy is sushi. She has brown eyes, and likes to read. This teacher used to have a boat, but not anymore. She does love going to the beach.
This mystery teacher likes peanut butter cups By Jack Silva This mystery teacher is very interesting. See if you can guess who it is. If you can’t, check the back page. Her favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory. Her hobby is cycling. She has been at St. Thomas for more than 25 years. Her favorite movie is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. She is from Ohio and her favorite books are the Harry Potter series. Her favorite subject is math and her favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Who is this?
This teacher loves mint chocolate chip ice cream By Nico Garcia and Santiago Canto See if you can guess this mystery teacher. Her favorite movie is Eat Pray Love. Her favorite sport is volleyball. Her favorite college is the University of Miami and her favorite color is aqua. This teacher’s favorite flavor of ice cream is mint chocolate chip and her favorite candy is Twix. Her favorite TV show is I Love Lucy. Her first real job was teaching and she has been here for 18 years.
See if you can guess who these mystery people are. The answers are on the back page.
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Fun2draw online can help you practice art By Madison Monroe, Carolina Lopez and Alessandra Leyva Have you ever heard of fun to draw? Well if you’ve never heard of it, it is an online fun and easy drawing class to draw super cute cartoon characters. The creator of this amazing online art class is Mei Yu. She can draw very quickly and is a great teacher in her online videos. So if you need some work on drawing cartoon characters Mei Yu is definitely the person to show you. Her videos are step by step. To draw her cartoons, type in fun2draw on YouTube. There are many cartoons for boys like Minecraft. There are also Easter eggs, bunnies, cute puppies, animals, holiday things, and other things, too. You can also write to her if you want her to draw something. For example, if we want her to draw Snoopy she will. Mei Yu started her drawing channel in April 2011 but she has been teaching people how to draw since 2004. Mei Yu was born in China but when she was four she moved to Canada. She draws for a lot of companies now and if you want to learn more about her go to www.meiyuart.com.
Music vs. Google translation is weird By Alexandra Prio-Touzet Online translators are not always correct. To prove it, we translated a few verses of some well-known songs from English into Korean and then back into English using Google translator. For more enjoyable results, you should search up the original lyrics and compare them. Here are the results we got: Roar I'm biting my tongue used to hold breath Rock the boat for fear and confusion So I agreed politely sit quietly I guess the choice forgotten I let you push me to this limit euljina I have nothing on, so I dropped everything Wrecking Ball We have claws, we connect our hearts in vain Why do we not demand Investments We fell into the magic of your kiss. No one can deny the love Set Fire to the Rain But a fire in the rain, If you touched the face of the Buddha Hall, Well, while I cried fire 'I have your name, you hear screaming the name of the cause!
Volume 26 Issue 3
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Student Notebook: My gymnastics competition By Alessandra Leyva Have you ever seen a gymnastics meet? Well, if you haven’t it is really fun. My gymnastics competition was April 5. It was my first, and I was REALLY scared. There were four rotations: beam, bars floor, and vault. When you finished your routine the judges would give you your score. At the end of the meet the judges called the gymnasts up to the podium. I got 1st place in vault, 2nd place in floor and beam, and 3rd place all around. The first through third place all around winners got trophies. You get to compete against your level or another gym. The routines are long, but cool too. I was in the competition and there were a lot of people there, but I loved it. If you ever get a chance to see a gymnastics competition, go see it!
Creepypastas are online stories that will scare you By Jack Mendoza Hey, guys. Today I’m going to talk about the top scariest Creepypastas! They are stories that are made up that people write online. They are sort of like the stories that people tell around a campfire to scare everyone. If you like to get scared these are for you. Luna Game is one of the scariest Creepypastas, with one of the scariest pictures, I have ever seen. It’s about how the website equestrian.com, a My Little Pony website, released a game called Luna Game and it was a download. It’s a 2d game where you jump around as one of the ponies over ledges and stuff, until, randomly, up pops a terrifying picture of one of the ponies. It scares the dickens out of you. After the game closes the picture gets downloaded thousands of times on your computer. This creepypasta is one to remember. The others I like are Sonic.exe and BEN Drowned. You can find these on Creepypasta Wiki, but remember, these are scary stories!
Get ready to be scared. Luna Game is one of the creepiest Creepypastas.
Pastels are trending colors in latest fashions By Yara Haddad Spring is here and that means new colors. These are five beautiful colors you can consider wearing starting now and even through the summer. The colors are blush, a pale pink; tomato, a red orange; navy, a dark blue; plum, a dark purple; and onyx, a glittery black. Pastels like mint green, lilac, lemon yellow and light blue are also trending now. As for accessories remember to find a cool hat and sunglasses!
Have a safe and happy summer!
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Sports Get ready for NBA playoff game excitement By Jack Silva and Santiago Canto The teams that join the playoffs are the top 8 teams in each conference. The Indiana Pacers were the #1 team in the eastern conference. And the San Antonio Spurs were the #1 team in the western conference. Here’s how the first round of playoff games match up. NBA Playoffs Los Angeles Clippers – Golden State Warriors Miami Heat – Charlotte Bobcats Memphis Grizzlies – Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs – Dallas Mavericks Indiana Pacers – Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls – Washington Wizards Toronto Raptors – Brooklyn Nets Portland Trail Blazers – Houston Rockets
Sports Tech: Fun Madden 25 has new features By Matthew Johnson Madden NFL 25 for the PS4 and Xbox One is one of EA Sports’ best games, but that’s not what some critics think. GameSpot rated it 60, Metacritic rated it 73, PlayStation LifeStyle rated it 85, and IGN rated it 85. Before the PS4 and Xbox One were released to the public, Madden 25 was for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Most critics say that there is no big difference between PS3 and Xbox 360, and PS4 and Xbox One. The only way you can tell the difference when you’re playing Madden 25 is if you zoom in and look at the replays over and over. Features of the new game include Connected Franchise, Super Sim, and more.
Sony Open final served up best tennis players
Nadal and Djokovic have met on the tennis court 40 times.
By Nico Garcia The Sony Open was played recently again on Key Biscayne and it was exciting to watch. When it came to the finals, the two finest players in the sport met again for a quick 84-minute match. No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal played No. 2-ranked Novak Djokovic for the 40th time. This has never been done before. When it came down to the end, Djokovic managed to drop the ball into the open court and seconds later he was flat on his back, arms and legs outstretched on the ground. He has won his last three matches and is on a hot streak. He is now a four-time Miami champion. In the Sony Open final, Djokovich won both sets 6-3, 6-3.
Volume 26 Issue 3
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Nation Pablo Predicts: World Cup final game will star Brazil and Germany By Pablo Joseph The two teams that I think will make it to the World Cup final game are Brazil and Germany. These teams have world class players and they know what it takes to win. I think Brazil will make the final because it has key players in Neymar, Hulk, Oscar, (those players go by those names), and Thiago Silva. Brazil also plays in the toughest leagues in the world and the team’s players have great ball handling skills. Brazil’s players also pass the ball well, send crosses, and can get fast breaks to score quick easy goals. I also think Germany will make it to the final because its players are strong at all parts of the field and most have experience in World Cup finals. I also think they will make it to the final because they know what it takes to win and they also have key players which are Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marco Reus, Manuel Neuer, and Toni Kroos because they know how to keep position of the ball and create chances to score goals.
2014 FIFA World Cup soccer will be all around Brazil By Pablo Joseph The 2014 FIFA World Cup will take place from Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, July 13 in Brazil. It will take place in 12 cities around the country in stadiums built for the games. There will be 32 teams competing in the World Cup and this is the 20th gathering to decide the championship. The World Cup has been held for 84 years. The official World Cup mascot is an armadillo. The official world cup ball is the Brazuca ball made by Adidas. It is the result of two and a half years of testing to create a ball with “improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics.” It is called the most-tested Adidas ball of all time. These are the groups for the international teams competing to win the upcoming FIFA World Cup. There are teams from every continent competing for the World Cup except Antarctica. Group A
Group B
Group C
Brazil
Spain
Colombia
Croatia
Netherlands
Greece
Cameroon
Chile
Japan
Mexico
Australia
Côte d’ Ivoire
Group D
Group E
Group F
Uruguay
France
Argentina
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Iran
England
Honduras
Nigeria
Italy
Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group G
Group H
Germany
Belgium
Portugal
Algeria
Ghana
Russia
USA
Korea Republic
These are the Top 20 Coca-Cola rankings for international soccer teams. Most are in the World Cup. The points in this chart are calculated by if a team wins a game and how important the match is. Points are also determined by how strong the opposing team was in terms of ranking and which league it was in. Team Spain Germany Argentina Portugal Colombia Switzerland Uruguay Italy Brazil Netherlands Belgium Greece USA Chile England Croatia Bosnia/Herzegovina Ukraine France Denmark
Points 1506 1314 1225 1219 1211 1159 1157 1135 1125 1122 1117 1084 1044 1038 1032 966 919 917 917 907
Ranking up, down or same same same same up down one up two down one down one up one down one same same up one up one down one same up two same up two up five
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Famous Mt. Kilimanjaro is just one of the beautiful places in Tanzania By Yara Haddad Tanzania is a land of amazing beauty, and is one of the largest countries in Africa. It is a union, formed in 1964, between the mainland (Tanganyika), and the Zanzibar Isles of Unguja, also known as Zanzibar, and Pemba. Tanzania lies on the east coast of Africa, between 1 degree and 11 degrees south of the Equator. It is bordered to the north by Kenya and Uganda. To the west are Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia, and to the south are Malawi and Mozambique. Tanzania covers an area of 364,945 square miles. It is a little larger than twice the size of California. The area has mostly tropical weather but the coastal area is hot and humid. In the northern are it is cool from May to September. The hottest months for Tanzania are from October to February. There are long rains from March to May, and short rains from October to November. Only 50 percent of the children go to primary schools, and just four percent go to secondary schools that charge a fee. However, adult literacy campaigns have begun to contribute to higher levels of literacy. One of the most famous places is the highest point in all of Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Over 36.5 million people live in Tanzania and the life expectancy is around 44 years. The official languages are Swahili and English. The main resources in Tanzania are coffee, cotton, tobacco, tea, cloves, cashew nuts, sugarcane, coconuts, diamonds, gold, iron, wood products, fertilizer, and salt. Some of the most interesting people who live in northern Tanzania are the Maasai People. They are known for continuing their traditional culture and customs even through great pressure to conform to modern ways. Now they are becoming known for their skills at farming in desert and arid conditions, which is even more important now because of climate change.
Tom and Tia learned to speak a little Swahili on their trip to Tanzania By Yara Haddad Here are some phrases that Tom and Tia used on their travels in Tanzania. If you go visit this beautiful place you can learn these too. Hello—Jambo Bye—Kwaheri Congratulations—Pongezi Sorry—Pole Really—Kweli Do you speak English?—Waongea kiingereza? How far is this—Waweza kueleza umbali wake?
How did you do on your riddle answers? (Riddles are on page 3.) 1. She was a photographer. 2. tomorrow 3. 7, because the frog decided to jump, but did not do it at that moment 4. ton 5. a teacup 6. a fan 7. words 8. a traffic light
Volume 26 Issue 3
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Tom and Tia have an interesting first day in their Tanzania travels By Maddie Wagshul and Carolina Lopez It was a long and hectic ride on an airplane. Tia was asleep and Tom was trying to get his high score on a video game. This was IMPOSSIBLE with Tia’s snoring. “You sound like warthog,” Tom said sighing. “So… do….,” Tia yawned “not.” After they ate dinner (A.K.A. horrible airplane food), Tom started to play his game again. “I’m gonna change for bed,” Tia said, “And please turn your volume down. It’s loud and people are starting to stare. Anyway, you should go to bed.” Tom sighed. “Fine. I will turn the volume down. Actually, I’m gonna turn the game off.” Tom said, while taking out a paper to go and send Mom and Dad a letter. Dear Mom and Dad, Tia is snoring like you wouldn’t believe. She needs to not snore. Love your annoyed son, Tom The next day, they landed and Mr. Puffy Fluffy Pinklepot escorted them to their room. Tia, who was taking pictures, was so interested. Tom, who was looking up on the Internet how to get a person not to snore, was totally B-O -R-E-D. Finally they reached a tent, which was their place to say. Right then, a baby bird pooped on Mr. Puffy Fluffy Pinklepot. Tia gasped and Tom started laughing and snorting loudly. (Yes, Tom snorts while he is laughing; Tia thinks it is annoying.) Meanwhile Mr. Puffy Fluffy Pinklepot said angrily, “That dumb bird. I wish I brought an umbrella.” As Tia helped Mr. Puffy Fluffy Pinklepot wipe off the bird poop Tom finally controlled himself and stopped laughing. “Tom that was very rude and also very funny,” Tia snapped. “Did you catch it on camera?” “No, I didn’t but I wish I did,” Tom whispered to Tia. After the whole pooping scene Tom and Tia got ready for bed. Tia wore her fluffy pink unicorns dancing on rainbows pajamas that are really fuzzy. Tom wore his navy blue camouflage pajamas. They told ghost stories and then they both passed out like a light. In the morning, Tom accidentally put on Tia’s flats, Tia’s sunglasses, and Tia’s old Hello Kitty pink purse with a matching beret (which she wore when she was four.) When Tia woke up she screamed, “Tom give me back my favorite sunglasses!” After they got ready and ate breakfast they went on a safari. On the safari they saw lions sunbathing on rocks, zebras grazing, hippos yawning (which means they’re mad), giraffes walking through the savanna, and a cheetah chasing an antelope. Tia told Tom, “That was amazing, inspiring, and just plain cool.” Tom said flatly to Tia, “That was ok.” “Ok! Ok! OK!!! That was amazing! HOW COULD YOU SAY IT WAS JUST OK!!?” Tia exclaimed so loudly that some zebras trotting by turned their heads in alarm. And that concluded Tom and Tia’s first day in Tanzania.
Here are some of the animals you can see on a Tanzanian Safari By Carolina Lopez During their visit, Tom and Tia went on a Tanzanian Safari and saw some cool and unique animals that are only native to Africa. Here are some animals that they saw. They saw a silver-backed jackal, a wild dog, a bat-eared fox, and spotted hyena. They also saw a cheetah, a lion, an African elephant, a zebra, a hippo, a giraffe, a yellow baboon, a brush-tailed porcupine, and a fruit bat. These are just a few African animals that live in the savanna. There are so many other interesting animals in Tanzania and other countries in Africa. You must go on a safari if you visit.
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Student Fiction: The Flunger Games 2: Dropping Fire (This student fiction is based on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins) By Anthony DeRosa There was a light breeze moving through the air. Athos was on his carpet outside. He was sitting on the floor when he saw Willow walking towards him. When she reached Athos’s house she had a look of despair on her face. Athos saw her face and said, “What’s wrong?” Willow said that she saw an article on the District 7 board that said, “The Capitol is calling back the latest winners of the Flunger Games from each district!” When Athos heard that he said, “I can’t believe this. I don’t want to go back into that mouse trap!” Willow said, “I don’t want to do this either but the capitol is making us do it.” Later that day they were choosing the people who were going to be in the Flunger Games. When they got there Weffie was up on the stage and said, “Welcome, Welcome, to the 75th annual Flunger Games!!!” After she said that she said, “Let’s choose who will represent District 7 in this year’s Flunger Games!” The whole crowd looked at the two bowls that said Men and Woman. They all saw that inside each bowl there was only one name. Weffie put her hand in the girls’ bowl and pulled out the name of Willow Bell. Willow heard that and walked up to the stage. Then Weffie put her hand into the boys’ bowl and picked out the name of Athos Cathena. Athos heard that and walked up to the stage. Weffie got both of their hands and raised them up and said, “Athos and Willow will represent District 7 for the second time in the 75th annual Flunger Games!” Then she took Athos and Willow inside the building and they immediately entered a fast train that took them to the capitol. During the ride Athos was telling himself “You need to be prepared.” The train went farther and farther but Athos thought it would be forever until the ride arrived at the capitol. When the three of them arrived at the capitol they got off the train and saw Fraymitch standing and waving at them. Athos, Willow, and Weffie walked over to Fraymitch and then he said, “Guys, I am your mentor, and I have to give you more tips on how to survive.” Fraymitch brought them to a room. They all sat down and Fraymitch started talking. “I am going to tell you old tips and new tips. Here are some of the old ones just so you remember: One, look for a hiding spot. Two, get as many supplies from the giant pile of supplies. And lastly, be stable because anything could happen. If you listen to all of this advice you are guaranteed to stay.” After Willow and Athos talked to Fraymitch as they headed to the training facility to practice on how to survive the challenges. When Athos and Willow arrived at the facility they headed to a man named President Woah. They got there and he said, “You will now go to this special room which specifically meant for training for the Flunger Games. Have a nice time.” Athos went to a special room by himself and saw that it looked like the wilderness. He went into the room and went to an X in the middle of the room. He saw a screen that said START. When he saw that the ground began to rumble and Athos said to himself, “This is one of the challenges from last year so I think I can handle it.” But this year of the Flunger Games was a lot worse. The ground made Athos fall and he plummeted 100 feet to the ground! When he reached the ground he realized he fell right onto a trampoline. Athos was very relieved. After that the trampoline rose and Athos heard a voice that said, “GET BACK TO YOUR STARTING POSITION, THE NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BEGIN MOMENTARILY!” Athos went back to where he started and he heard a CRACK and he noticed a tree that fell about 5 feet in front of him. Then he heard many CRACKS and every tree began to crack and fall. Athos panicked and wondered where to go and what to do. He ran and was looking for somewhere to hide and avoid him from getting hit. (continued on the last page)
Volume 26 Issue 3
Page 13
Student Fiction: Overboard By Brandon Perez Captain Peter was on his ship with his team of scientists west of the coast of Florida. It was a bright sunny day and Peter was on the deck of the boat. Then someone shouted, “STORM!” Suddenly, the clouds turned gray, and they heard an ear-piercing gust of wind coming their way. Peter looked ahead and saw a colossal tornado. Small waves started turning into big waves. The waves pushed the boat into the tornado. The tornado lifted the boat up and smashed it back on the sea. Suddenly a three-headed beast rose out of the tornado and smacked his head on the boat. Peter blacked out. When he woke up his eyes were watering and stinging because of the salty water, and the sand. He got up from the floor. “Oh God, where am I?” He found himself on a beautiful, sandy island. Suddenly a coconut fell on his head. “Ow!” he screamed. He fell down then got up. He looked at the bright sky and the navy ocean. Then he saw the wreckage of his ship. Around the wreck he saw all of his crew, dead. Peter started walking into the vast jungle so he could find resources to make it back to his home in The Keys. In the jungle Peter heard a variety of sounds coming from the animals. Some noises frightened him, and some made him hum a peaceful tune. He heard his boots crunching on the leaves on the jungle floor. He went deeper, and deeper into the jungle. He started to smell the strong smell of smoke. He thought he was hallucinating. But then, he saw smoke coming from a pathway in the jungle. In his head he was thinking if there were some boats there. He finally reached the end of the path. The smoke was coming from a bonfire at the center of a village. When he walked in the village about 20 men greeted him. “Hi,” said one of the men who looked like a fisherman, “My name is Derek. I am the person in charge of this small village. Last year, our ship crashed on this island. We had 30 men on the boat, but 10 died by the impact of the crash. Ever since we crashed we’ve been stranded on this island.” Derek gave Peter a tour of the village. Finally, Derek stopped at a little log cabin. “If you wish to stay with us, um, Peter. Well, if you wish to stay with us then you can stay in this house,” Derek said while pointing to the cabin. Peter agreed and went in the cabin. Inside the cabin were a bed, books in a bookshelf, a closet, a desk, and a chair. He lay on top of the bed and fell asleep. He woke up to a big crash. He got out of the cabin and saw a big boat. “Come in!” Derek said. Peter got in and the villagers started pushing the boat into the dark sea because there was a big storm coming their way. “Get in villagers!” Finally, when they were all in, the boat slid out on the smooth sand. It landed in the choppy dark water. Derek started the motor. The same tornado Peter saw a day before was there, and the monster was there. Surprisingly they took down the beast fast with their really sharp hook. They rode off to The Keys and lived there for the rest of their lives together.
The Spire Crier
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 Sports Player: Larry Fitzgerald Mystery Teachers: Sra. Vega, Mrs. Brosch Mrs. Lopez
The Spire Crier is published by the fourth and fifth grade journalism classes for the students of St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. Fifth Grade Staff: Santiago Canto, Anthony DeRosa, Nico Garcia, Jack Garcia-Mendoza, Andres Grande, Axel Hicks, Matthew Johnson, Pablo Joseph, Brandon Perez, Dylan Perez, Alexandra Prio-Touzet, Charles Silva, Justin Wong Fourth Grade Staff: Sealey Bacardi, Natalie Bellande, Yara Haddad, Alessandra Leyva, Carolina Lopez, Carola Mato, Jake Meyer, Madison Munroe, Laura Orban, Jack Silva, Madeleine Wagshul, Julianna Williamson Journalism Advisor: Ms. Christina Mayo Technical Assistance: Mr. Ademola Peters
(Dropping Fire continued) He eventually found a cave and went inside. Athos got settled in the little cave. He started hearing pounding sound that echoed inside the cave. He got kind of freaked out but knew nothing bad would happen. He stayed there until there was no more pounding and crawled out. Then he saw that every single tree had fallen while he was in the cave. Athos noticed that there was one thin tree that did not fall, he went up to it and started banging it with his hand. He noticed that it was made of metal. He looked around the tree and found a working camera built in the tree. Athos just walked away looking at all the trees. Athos heard a voice about five minutes later and it said, “PLEASE GO TO THE DOOR AND EXIT THE FACILITY.” Athos went to the door and opened it. He went out and stepped onto a tree stump and heard a voice counting down from 30. Then he realized he was in the actual Flunger Games! He looked at all of the tributes around him and he saw Willow about five people away from him. He waved nervously and signaled her to go to the pile of supplies. The tributes heard “ONE” and then some ran straight into the woods, but most went to the pile. Athos got a shovel, some rope, a water bottle, and some applesauce. When he got his last item a metal shovel fell on his head and knocked him out. Right when the challenge was going to begin.
Thank you, Mrs. Finneran, for 34 wonderful years! We love you!