KidsView - Glencoe District 35

KidsView
Winter, 2008
KidsView online at www.glencoewest.org/happenings.lasso
KidsView
Staff:
Erin A.
Sacha A.
Emily B.
Sabrina B.
Dylan B.
Celia B.
Jack C.
James D.
Henry E.
Eric F.
Eliana F.
Chloe F.
Elizabeth G.
Hannah W.
Dylan H.
Mia K.
Chloe K.
Danny K.
Madeline K.
Sabrina K.
Sophie K.
Katie K.
Sam L.
Harris L.
Grant M.
Enya M.
Jessica N.
Annika P.
Addie R.
John R.
Paul S.
Jacob S.
Hannah S.
David S.
Bianca S.
Indigo S.
Ethan S.
Camryn W.
Chayla W.
Editors:
Mrs. Salzman
Ms. Melamed
Fabulous West Fair
By: Bianca S. and James D.
Have you heard? On November 9, many students from West School (and other
Glencoe schools) came to the West World Tour! This fair is sponsored each year by the
Glencoe PTO. This year to celebrate West School’s 50th anniversary, the school decided
to also raise money to buy a PlayPump for a community in Sub-Saharan Africa through
an organization called PlayPumps International. A PlayPump is a combination of a
merry-go round and a water pump. Kids pump clean water up from the ground and
have fun at the same time. Each PlayPump costs $15,000 and so far, West has raised
about $9,000.
The topic of the fair was “Around the World.” If you went to the fair, you
definitely saw the flags from many different countries hanging everywhere! To play
the awesome foreign games, you first made a passport. The games were hoopball,
basketball, scooter racing, bootball, can knocking, hockey, and ring toss. You received a
stamp if you played a game, and if you played them all you would get a prize! The
prizes were either a troll or a Webkinz. Also, there was a cakewalk! Lots of cakes were
brought in and it cost $1 to play. Everybody had so much fun winning cakes! Also, the
DJ in the gym was a big hit. Many kids were showing off their moves on the dance
floor. The company, Icon, had a blast too! “Dancing with Icon made me feel like a
star!” says fourth grader Rose G. One of the best parts of the fair was the book fair.
Many families bought lots of books. Roland Smith’s new book, Peak, was sold out in no
time! It was a great way to celebrate books.
Another great thing about the fair was the teacher auctions. To raise money for
PlayPumps, teachers donated time to do activities with
students outside of school, such as lunch or bowling. At the
fair, students bid on these items. Another part of the
auction was the raffle to be “principal for an hour!” Each
ticket cost $5.00. There were two drawings. The winners
were Erin M., from Mrs. Berkley’s class, and Bianca S., from
Mrs. Ross’ class. West School 5oth Anniversary T-shirts and
water bottles were also sold to benefit PlayPumps.
Students sill enjoy wearing their shirts and drinking out of
their reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles.
Mrs. Fischer and Mrs. Ross
If you didn’t go to the fair, you missed a lot. Next year, go!
sell raffle tickets!
Mary Amato Visits
By: Emily B.
On November 29, author Mary Amato visited West
School. She has written many books including,
Please Write in this Book, The Word Eaters and the
Riot Brothers series. Mary Amato was born on
January 3, 1961, in Belvidere, Illinois. She grew up
in Libertyville, Illinois. She married Ivan Amato, and
has two kids, Maxwell and Simon. Mrs. Amato has
no pets, and her favorite food is chocolate. She told
the students at West that she always wanted to be a
writer and she loves to write! She started to write
when she was seven years old and her mother
handed her a little spiral notebook. She also told us
how she gets some of her ideas and then we played
a game in which the students acted out a story. It was
great to meet an author of such fun books that many
students are now reading.
Flag of the Day
By: Eric F.
Flag of the Day happens the week
of the West World Tour. During
lunch period, third and fourth
graders receive 3 clues and are
shown a flag. Then they try to
guess what country the flag
belongs to. The students received
clues such as: “this country
produces
220,000
tons
of
chocolate a year.” The flag for
the third graders is different
than the one for the fourth
graders. The
third graders
received clues for these flags
starting on Monday: Australia,
Belgium, Austria, Netherlands,
and Egypt. The winners of third
grade were Mr. Johnson's class,
Ms. Hand’s class
and Ms.
Shapiro’s class.
The fourth
graders received more challenging
flags and clues. The fourth
graders received clues for these
flags: South Africa, Dominican
Republic, Singapore, Chile and
Bangladesh. Ms. Meyer’s class
won. The Lunch/Recess Council has
decided to start a trivia question
because everybody loved a fun
activity at lunch. The Flag of the
Day activities helped kids learn
about geography.
Wagner Farm
By: Jessica N.
This year all fourth graders went
to the Wagner Farm, one of the
last historic working farms in
Cook County. The Glenview
Park District
purchased the
farm in early 2000. The Wagner
Farm is an 18.6 acre farm
preserved
for
educational
purposes. When you go there
you can do tons of activities like:
milking a cow, learning about
chickens, seeing the Wagner's
house in the 1920’s, and
learning how to make a very
yummy lunch! One thing we
learned
about
was
the
difference between straw and
hay. Straw is used for animal
bedding, and hay is used for
some of the farm animals to
eat. Also we learned that your
phone line and your neighbor’s
phone
line
used
to be
connected. This was called a
party line. So if you picked up
the phone you might hear your
neighbor talking to someone
else. Plus, if you had a lot of
kids like the Wagners did, then
they would most likely share a
bed. How would you like it if you
had to share a bed with your
brother or sister?! I suggest
that you visit the Wagner Farm.
If you want to have a great deal
of fun - go. Because that is
where you can learn to be a real
genuine farmer!
The
Chicago Tour
By: Chloe F.
All the third grade classes
participated in the Chicago
bus tour in October that took
them to many historical
sites like the Firehouse, the
Chicago History Museum,
where we ate lunch, Clarke
House, the Board of Trade
and the Opera House. Some
third graders had a picnic on
the museum campus on
Lake
Michigan’s
shore.
Some classes also saw
Millennium Park. They left
the school at 9:00 and came
back at 3:00.
At the
Firehouse they saw the spot
where the Chicago Fire
started and looked at all the
old fashioned fire equipment.
They also went inside the fire
truck to see what it looked
like. The firemen explained
everything
about
the
Chicago Fire. The Chicago
tour was a great experience
for the third grade classes.
Students learned a lot more
about Chicago for their
Chicago study.
Did You Know?
The MS Explorer
By: Harris L.
ALL ABOUT
WEBKINZ WORLD
By: Camryn W.
The MS Explorer hit an
iceberg and sank 75
miles north
of the
Arctic
Peninsula
on
November 23, 2007. The
MS Explorer sank in
water that was 25° and
2,000 feet deep. There
was a 10 by 4 inch
gash in the hull of
the ship that people
think was made by ice.
The MS Explorer was
246
feet
long
and
2,400 tons. All of a
sudden there
was a
loud bang and then a
passenger reported sea
water in their cabin.
Everyone on board had
to wait in life boats
for
three
to
four
hours
before
a
Norwegian ship came to
rescue
them.
Some
passengers were taken
to King George Island
and
airlifted
to
Chile. The passengers
who were
not taken
there were brought to
the Uruguay’s Artigas
Base. All of the 154
passengers
and
crew
survived and no one
was injured but all
had
an
incredible
adventure.
Breaking news
in Webkinz World:
Go on to today’s
activities and
click on
Webkinz quick
draw and this
is how it works. On the bottom
there is a number. You take the
coin and you scratch the blue
and if you get the same number
you get an exclusive item. Also
there are new Webkinz. They
are Collie the Penguin and the
Charcoal Cat. At the Kinzville
Academy there is a new class.
It is fashion class. Five models
come out and you try to
memorize what they are wearing.
Then they go back in and you try
to select the clothes they were
wearing. At the curio shop you
can search for gems. If you find
a gem, it could be the gem of
the day or not. If you don’t
find the gem of the day you can
still find a gem. You can keep it
or sell it to Arte the dog who is
in charge. If you get all the
gems, click on the Crown of
Wonder and you can wear it. If
you find the Webkinz diamond,
Arte will make you a big offer
for it. That’s what’s new in
Webkinz world!
Honduras
By: David S.
Honduras is a country near
Mexico. It borders Guatemala,
El Salvador and Nicaragua. It
is in North America. It is
43,443 square miles, about
the size of Tennessee. The
language Honduran’s speak is
Spanish. Honduras has about
7,400,000 people living
there. Honduras’ capital is
Tegucigalpa, which means
“silver mountain”. The
country is a democracy now
but it is one of the poorest
countries in Latin America.
Honduras got its independence
from Spain in 1821 and its
Independence Day is on
September 15. During their
revolution Tegucigalpa was
completely destroyed but after
the war it was rebuilt.
Honduras’ revolutionary war
was a lot like America’s. The
President’s name is Manuel
Zelaya. Honduras has 595 km
of railroad. There are many
mountains in Honduras and it
borders the Caribbean Sea.
There are Mayan ruins in
Honduras to visit and it is a
good place for snorkeling and
has coral reefs. There are also
forests in areas of Honduras .
By: Erin A.
Recalled Toys!
Nine million Chinese toys including some Mattel Pollypockets play sets, and
Batman action figures that were made in China were recently recalled. That
means they can no longer be sold and people who have them should stop
using them. They are dangerous because they could have lead in them or tiny
magnets that could be swallowed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission
warned customers to check if their children are playing with any recalled toys. However
government officials also say that no injuries have been reported with the newest recalled toys.
In fact, less than 10% of toys are recalled each year and there are about 3 billion toys sold in
America each year. Many of the toy recalls are done by the toy maker themselves voluntarily and
not by the government. For example, Fisher-Price has recalled 83 types of Chinesemade toys, including Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters because their paint
contained lead. Some things that parents can do to help make sure their children’s
toys are safe are: check the recommended age on the package, don’t buy toys with
small pieces for children under three, check to make sure that hand-me-down toys
are safe, and make sure batteries cannot be swallowed by small children. Follow these
directions and you will have a safer holiday season.
The Winter Solstice
Winter
By: Enya M.
The winter solstice
is the shortest day
of the year. We
don’t lose hours
off our day but
we have the
shortest
amount of
daylight hours.
In 1997 Earl and Alice Count wrote a
book called the 4,000 years of
Christmas. The book says that the
Mesopotamians were the first people
ever to celebrate the winter solstice. They
had a 12 day festival of renewal. Lots of
ancient cultures built great architecture
for the solstices. One of them is
Newgrange that not a lot of people know
about. It is a huge circular stone stone
structure built to receive a shaft of
sunlight deep inside its central chamber
on the dawn of the winter solstice.
Newgrange is located in Ireland. Many,
many cultures celebrate the winter
solstice such as the Russians, the
Germans, the Scandinavians, and the
Spaniards. This year the Winter Solstice
was on December 22 at 12:08 a.m.
(midnight).
By: Sacha A. and
Chayla W.
Break
Channukah
Chocolate
Christmas
Cold
Day
December
Eve
February
Hockey
Holidays
Hot
Ice
January
Kwanza
New
Pajamas
Skating
Snowflake
Snowman
Valentines
Winter
Years
Snow
Sledding
Gear
Animals
Man’s best friend, Len
By: Eliana F.
If you are looking for a a helping dog, you’ve come to the correct place. Len is a
helping dog from RIC (the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). He helps people
in wheelchairs get around, turn on and off lights, and do other simple things
people in wheelchairs can’t do. A helping dog has to be trained a long time
because a dog like Len cannot hurt the patient in any way, even scaring them. Len
has to be trained not only to do the amazing things he does, but to be calm with
the patient. If a patient strokes his fur in a place he doesn't enjoy, Len has to deal
with it. He cannot bark or whine, and he has to follow all the orders people give
him. Another thing Len does is help people regain strength in their body.
If a patient needs to regain strength in their arm, they can throw a ball and Len will fetch it. Once Len gets the ball,
they have to make hand signals with their muscles so that Len will come. If they need to improve their speech, they
can say “Len fetch” then “Len come”. Since my dad works at RIC, I got to meet Len. Len wasn’t jumping and
playing even though he got so much attention, he was calm like a helping dog should be. I thought it must be hard
being Len because compared to my dog who barks all the time, Len is as quiet as a feather dropping from the sky.
All in all, I think Len is a great helping dog and I hope you agree with me.
All About Fell Ponies!!
By: Addie R.
If you like horses you’ve
probably heard of the
Fell pony. The earliest
Fell pony was a wild
European pony that
lived in the British Isles
approximately 15,000 BC.
This early Fell pony made
a good working animal.
It was strong. As a
general riding pony, the
Fell’s fast walk and easy
paces make it a
comfortable ride.
Today, the Fell ponies are generally awesome
jumpers, and are still strong. The Fell pony
never goes above 14 hands, which is the way
that horses are measured. One hand is 4
inches. The main colors of the Fell pony are
black, brown, bay, and gray. The markings on
the Fell pony are a star or a tiny white spot
on the hind fetlock. The head on the Fell
pony is small. The nostrils on the Fell Pony
are large and expanded. The Fell pony has
too much hair and the mane and tail are left
to grow long. Now you know more about
the Fell pony than you did before.
Owen and Mzee
Reviewed by: Eliana F.
Owen and Mzee is a great book about an amazing true
relationship between a hippo and a giant tortoise.
Owen, the baby hippo, gets washed onto shore away
from his family. It takes people trying to help the hippo
almost a full 12 hours to get Owen off the shore. Owen
can’t stay there because he would die. Then Owen gets
moved to an animal shelter where he meets a giant
tortoise named Mzee. Mzee has always liked his own
space and he never spent time with any other animals,
only the park helpers. Owen wanted someone like his
mother but he found Mzee instead. Owen started
following Mzee everywhere he went. But Mzee just
walked away. Little by little, the strange couple started
coming together. In the end Owen and Mzee became
friends. They ate together, they played together, and
did everything else together.
I thought this was an amazing
story because Owen went from
being washed onto a shore to
being best friends with Mzee.
Mzee went from being a sad
tortoise that is alone to being
best friends with Owen, a
hippo. I can still barely believe
a relationship like that is true.
I really suggest reading this
book so you can feel the same
thrill I did.
Creative Writing
That One
Thanksgiving
By: Sam L.
and John R. One day on Thanksgiving Sam and
Noah were having a feast at Noah’s
grandparent’s house.
They were
having turkey and cranberries when
they heard something outside. It was
John. He was invited too. Then, they
heard something else. Sam, John, and
Noah went outside to see what it was.
They saw a turkey! Then at once the
turkey ran into the bushes. They ran
after the turkey. Then the turkey ran
somewhere else. All the kids stumbled
outside. The turkey came back after
about 5 minutes. Sam, John and Noah
hid in the bushes and jumped out and
caught the turkey. Then the turkey
escaped their hands. Then the turkey
shot LASER BEAMS!!!! The kids shot
laser beams back. You are probably
wondering how they did that... well it’s
a story!! Then the turkey’s mama shot
laser beams at the kids. The laser
beams reflected off the boys and hit
mama turkey and she went flying to
the Empire State Building. Next it hit
the other turkey but the turkey fell
backward. The boys were confused
and they went back inside and
finished their Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Surprises
By: Indigo S.
“Yes tomorrow is Thanksgiving,” said
Jack. “You actually like Thanksgiving,”
said Ally. “Yes of course I do.” That night
Ally puzzled his words. When she woke up
she was in a place, a place where she
knew she shouldn’t of been.
“Where is this place?” Ally said.
“You are in the new land” said a small boy
about the age of 9.
“Why do you have weird clothes on?“ she
asked.
“We are wearing regular clothes, this is
how everyone dresses today,” the boy
answered.
“What are you doing?” noticing his bow
and arrow.
“Carrying stuff for the Indians.”
“Indians?”
“Yes, they helped us plant and hunt. We
are going to have a feast for dinner.”
“A feast?”
“ You ask a lot of questions. Why don’t you
come for dinner?”
“Sure”
To be continued..............
Book Reviews
Double Identity: Eliza Beth any
Written by: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reviewed by: Eliana F.
Double Identity is a
great book about a girl
named Bethany Cole
who is living a normal
life until the age 12.
One month from her
birthday Bethany gets
in a car with her
parents and they drive
off without Bethany
knowing where she's
going! They drive for miles and miles, and
hours and hours, until she gets to a gloomy
neighborhood. Then her dad stops right in
front of a house that looks almost like a
haunted house. He tells Bethany that she
will be staying here with her aunt for some
time. The strange thing is, Bethany never
knew she had an aunt. When Bethany gets
out of the car she says bye to her crying
mother (who seems to be crying all the time
now) and the car drives away. At her aunt’s
house Bethany tries calling her parents but
all the numbers she calls are down. Now she
is stuck with a relative she doesn't know, and
no way of getting home. That night she hears
the phone and rushes downstairs thinking it
is her father. Instead of opening the door to
the kitchen, she listens to what her aunt is
saying. The word she catches is “Elizabeth”.
A week later she receives a package in the
mail with $10,000 and 4 different birth
certificates. It also has a note from Bethany’s
father saying “He is after me. He is hunting
me down. I never knew this would happen.”
Read Double Identity to find out if Bethany
and her parents survive and if Bethany ever
sees her parents again. I rate this book 5 out
of 5 stars.
This book is one of the best books I’ve
ever read because Margaret Peterson
Haddix made you think there was a
problem in the first few pages of the
book, but the problem kept getting
worse and worse, while the story
keeps getting better and better. I
also think this is such a great book
because it has cliff hangers on every
page and I could not put it down.
The Game Plan
Reviewed By: Sacha A.
and Chayla W.
Go Rebels!!! In
the hit new
movie “The
Game Plan”
quarterback
Joe Kingman,
(Dwayne ‘The
Rock’ Johnson)
is one of the
best football players of all time! He is
also a snob who loves himself. He is
found in a tough situation when he
discovers he has a daughter! Payton
(Madison Pettis) is a ballet-dancing
seven-year-old who turns Joe’s world
upside-down! Joe just can’t get the
parenting thing right! What is he
going to do?!?! See the movie to find
out!!! We rate this movie five out of
five stars! It was so funny!!!!!! Also a
little sad, too!
We Recommend...
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
By: Ethan S.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee. It will
come out on the Nintendo Wii. The game contains many game characters
including Mario, Link, Samus, and Bowser. The game has a fighting genre
(no blood!) and a game rating of T for teens. The game contains stages from
other Nintendo games like the Defiso Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine,
Norfair from Metroid, and Sky world from Kid Icarus. The game also contains
many items to defeat your opponent like the pitfall trap. You throw it into
the ground and when someone touches it, that person falls through the
ground and falls off of the stage. It’s pretty humiliating to fall for a trap like
that. Also there’s crates and barrels. They have other items in them and they can be
thrown at other people. In stages that seem hi-tech, they take a futuristic tone. In more fantastic
stages, they look like presents. They’ve also added rolling crates to the mix. The story takes place
when the subspace embassy took over. The subspace embassy is a group that wants to take over
the world. Your goal is to defeat the embassy. The embassy contains Roader, a motorcycle robot
that tries to run you over, Poppet, a coward that runs away and throws candy from its trousers,
and Brynt, who multiplies every once in a while so you better kill it before it starts to get ugly.
Twolon, uses its towel like arms to launch you off, and Shaydos is a translucent fog-like creature
that sneaks up on you and slashes you. Its weak spot is a glowing circle at its center. Auroras, is a
bird that dives in and stabs you really hard. Try to fight it when it dives on you but misses and
gets its beak stuck in the ground. Greap, another belonging to the group is HUGE! It attacks you
with two enormous sharp sickles. Its weak spot is its big red head. The R.O.B. squad is a group of
robots that in this game, can either shoot lasers or fire missiles, and obviously, the Ancient
minister. There are also newcomers in this game including Wario, Meta Knight, and even Sonic!
If you want more information about the game, google Super Smash Bros. Brawl then select
Smash Bros. DOJO.
Enchanted
Reviewed by: Maddie K.
Enchanted, the movie, is about a young princess Giselle (Amy Adams) who is
living in a fairy tale world when she is transferred by an evil queen to the real live
Times Square in New York City. She is not used to the real world so she is
frightened by all the noise and everything going on. Later on in the movie,
divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) sees her climbing on a billboard and just as she
falls off, he catches her and brings her to his house. The more time Giselle spends
with him the more she falls in love with him, but Giselle has already promised to
marry her fairy tale prince (James Marsden). While Giselle is hanging out with the
divorce lawyer, her fairy tale prince comes to New York city to look for her. Will Giselle and her fairy
tale prince find each other? If they do, will they still marry or have they met someone else?
The movie Enchanted is a great movie because it is full of action, drama, romance, and comedy. I liked
the comedy the most and you can’t keep your eyes off the screen. So go and see Enchanted now. You
might love it and you might hate it . . . but either way I’ll still like it the same way I do now!
Interesting Interviews
Meet Dr. Crawford
By: Jacob S.
Unknown to students, well known to teachers,
Dr. Cathlene Ann McGee Crawford is the Superintendent
of Glencoe schools. She hires teacher and principals
of West, South, and Central School, along with
making decisions about student programs. She has a
very important job. Sometimes she has to be strict but she
is very nice. With a powerful job like this, Dr Crawford is
a fascinating lady.
Dr. Cathlene Crawford had other jobs before
becoming the Superintendent. She worked with some
special education programs and was even the principal of
South School! When she was asked to become the
Superintendent, she first refused, but she was eventually
talked into it. She is 56 years old and it’s her 10th year as
the Glencoe Superintendent! Dr. Crawford makes her
typical weekday of visiting classrooms, talking to
principals, and talking on the phone into a fun game.
Since the easiest part of her job is talking to people, and
her favorite part is visiting classes, she is a terrific
Superintendent.
Dr. Crawford is actually a Cherokee Indian, too!
Her Cherokee name is Bull Stubborn (she can be like a
stubborn bull)! Dr. Crawford also loves the color black, to
bake sweets, and to eat chocolate and drink Diet Coke.
She has no pets and she loves to take warm weather
vacations. In her youth, bellbottom pants and tie dye were
the common fads. Now, Dr. Crawford is well known to
students, well known to teachers, but powerful
nonetheless.
The
The reporter
reporter
Dr.
Dr.Crawford
Crawfordin
in3rd
3rdor
or
4th
grade
4th grade
Mrs. Meyers Retires
By: Mia K.
Mrs. Meyers’ full name is Ann Elizabeth Meyers.
Many people called her Annie but she did not like
being called Annie. Mrs. Meyers has one sister
named Myra. After Mrs. Meyers retires she is
going to travel, visit friends and maybe teach
adults. She has taught at West School for
fourteen years and taught both third and fourth
grade. She taught in Highland Park before West
School. She loves to teach all kinds of subjects
and loves being with kids. Mrs. Meyers also loves
to travel and is going to travel more often after
she retires. She grew up in Chicago. Her favorite
sport to watch is basketball and she loves the
Bulls. When she was growing up she collected
stuffed animals. After school Mrs. Meyers
grades homework and goes to meetings.
Sometimes she tries to relax. She has two
children. Her daughter, Sarah, is a social worker
and and her son Brad, is a food scientist. Mrs.
Meyer’s daughter Sarah, just had a son, which
makes Mrs. Meyers a grandmother for the first
time! She thinks her favorite sport to play is
tennis but she says she is not good at it. Her
favorite ice cream is chocolate, no question
about it! Her favorite color is blue. Sometimes
she likes to cook but only if she is prepared.
She loves cooking for the holidays! When she
was young she had family chores and they were to
clean your room and take out the trash. Mrs.
Meyers is soooo nice and we will all miss her!!
Talk with the Teachers
All About
Ms. Mooney
Interviewed by: Sabrina K.
Ms. Mooney is a very good
teacher at West school. When
she is not at school she likes
to run and spend time with her
family
and friends.
Her
favorite color is green and
her middle name is Ann. She
loves being a teacher. Her
favorite activity is going to
Bears games. If she could have
any pet she would have a
German Shepherd dog and if
she had a wild animal she would
have a horse. Her favorite
candy is Snickers and if she
could
be
anything
for
Halloween she would be a
witch.
3rd grade is her
specialty. She would rather
run than swim. Her favorite
book is Edward Tulane and her
best-loved movies are Rudy and
Jaws. She was born at
Evanston Hospital. Ms. Mooney
loves to collect shoes and to
shop at Anthropologie. I loved
learning about Ms. Mooney!
Awesome
Ms. Sacher
SUPER
MRS. SHAPIRO
Interviewed by: Katie K.
Interviewed by: Elizabeth G.
Ms. Sacher is a third grade
teacher at West School. She
has been here for 3 years. Ms.
Sacher was born in downtown
Chicago. She loves the color
purple. Her lucky number is
11. Her first name is Dara. She
has one brother and no sisters.
When she is not at school she
plays with her dogs and she
hangs out with her friends and
family. Her favorite activities
are tennis and running. Her
middle name is Ellesse. If Ms.
Sacher couldn’t work at West
School she would be a
designer. She has two dogs
and she has a great time
playing with them. She roots
for the baseball team, the Cubs.
Her favorite character is
Elphaba from Wicked. If she
had to play a web game she
would play on Funbrain. Her
best grade when she was in
school was third. Her most
loved subject was art.
She
would like to travel to Greece.
Her nickname was “D”. She
loves to shop at Banana
Republic. Now you know Ms.
Sacher!
Mrs. Shapiro’s role models
are her parents. In her
spare time she likes to knit,
read, run, and spend time
with friends and family. Her
favorite color is purple. The
animal she likes best is a
dog. She really loves to eat
sushi. She has been
teaching at West School for
11 years.
Her favorite
subject to teach is math.
She was born in Chicago.
Her birthday is August 31st.
She went to college at Ohio
State University. Her sport
of choice is ice skating. She
likes to watch football. Her
nickname is Debbie. Her
favorite song is Landslide.
The holiday she likes best
is Thanksgiving. She has a
dog named Marlie. She
likes to play a board game
called
Rummikub. She
lives in Highland Park. Mrs.
Shapiro is the mother of a
beautiful son, Simon, and
this spring she will have
another baby! I had fun
interviewing Mrs. Shapiro.
More People to Meet
Interview With
Ms. Zabarsky
By: Danny K.
I interviewed Ms.
Zabarsky and here is
some information about
her: Her first name is
Jacquelyn. Her favorite
color is blue. She speaks
two languages, Russian
and English. I enjoy
speaking with Mrs.
Zabarsky in Russian. She
grew up in Highland Park.
She was born in Highland Park and her
mom and dad still live there. She graduated
from Lake Forest College in 2006. She is
twenty-three years old. Her favorite food is
sushi. Her preferred vacation spot is
Florida. She really likes dogs. If she was a
specialist teacher at West she would teach
ESL (English as a second language). She
started teaching at West School this year.
Ms. Zabarsky will be the permanent
substitute for Mrs. Shapiro when she has
her baby later this year.
Meet Taylor!
By: Sophie K.
I interviewed Taylor P. who is
new to the Glencoe schools.
Her birthday is Feb. 10, 1999.
Right now she is in 3rd grade
and is eight years old. Her
favorite room at West is the
lunchroom. Her favorite
subject is silent reading and she
loves the color purple. The food she likes best is
definitely mango! Her middle name is Maryl.
Taylor has a collection of dolls from around the
world. Her hobby is basketball and of course,
that is her favorite sport! She has four people in
her family and her favorite brand for anything is
probably Hershey's. Her favorite famous people
are Zack Efron and Ashley Tisdale. Taylor loves
the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
and the television show Wizards of Waverly
Place. She would like to design a chocolate dress
and if she could change the world she would
make it mango and chocolate. She thinks
pollution is terrible and.... Terrible! When she
has children she would name her baby Kyle.
Taylor also really enjoys the computer and likes
to visit disneychannel.com. She loves winter
because her birthday is in winter but she also
likes summer at least a little bit because she
loves to swim. Taylor is a nice friend and loves
school. I am glad I interviewed her.
What Makes Teachers Laugh?
By: Celia B.
You’re sitting in the classroom bored out of your mind, when suddenly
someone yells out, “two times four is Pluto!” Every one in your class cracks up.
But does your teacher? You’ll find out in this article. First of all, if you asked
different teachers the same question: What is the funniest thing that ever
happened in your teaching career? The answers would be different. For example, Mrs. Feldman said
that The Dental Health play that she wrote with Mrs. Ross was the funniest. It was based on Little Red
Riding Hood, but instead of having Little Red Riding Hood, they had Pearl E. White. Instead of the Big
Bad Wolf, they had Mr. Tooth Decay. The grandma was the same except instead of being sick, she just
had horrible teeth. Mrs. Abrams, (a Hebrew school teacher) told that me that her funny situation was
when there were two identical twins. The only way she could tell them apart was that one of them
wore their hair in a head band and the other in bangs. But one day they decided to play a trick on her
and both of them wore their hair in bangs. Mrs. Abrams went up to them to see on which one would
their hair fray. That would be the one that usually wore her hair in a headband. But when she tried,
they ran around. Mrs. Melamed states that at Central School, (when she was teaching technology) the
smart board suddenly started showing a tv program and she could not get it to turn off!The students
were hysterical! Mrs. Roth says that she thinks it’s pretty funny that some kids that have known her
since kindergarten still call her the wrong name! I think a lot of funny things happen when you are
teaching.
Sports of All Sorts
The Celtics
By: Dylan B.
The Boston Celtics are an NBA team with a great history. Their first game was on November 2, 1942.
Their color is celtic green and their logo is a winking leprechaun. The Boston Celtics have won more
title championships in their history than any other team in the NBA. They have won the World
Championship 16 times, first in 1957 and last in 1986. That is even more than the Lakers or Bulls.
Some of their most famous players are Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The
retired Boston Celtic numbers are 33, 6, 00 , 35, 3, 1, 2, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31,
and 32. I think the Celtics are nice because they have a Boston Celtics Shamrock foundation that
raises money to help the community, especially children. The Celtics have an incredible history.
Brian Griese
By: Henry E. and Dylan H.
Brian Griese plays in the NFL. One of the teams he played on was the
Denver Broncos. He lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl, and won! In March of
2006, Griese signed a 5 year contract with DA BEARS! Griese went to
Michigan for college. He joined the Wolverine football team and he lead
the them to an undefeated season in 1997. Griese helped lead the
Michigan Wolverines to their first national championship in 49 years as a
senior. In 1997 Griese was voted MVP of the Rose Bowl. He went to
Christopher Columbus High school, and he played football there too. Brian
has one child named Annalia Rose. Brian Griese was a prep football
reporter. Watch for Brian Griese even if he plays for another team.
NHL All star Game
By: Grant M. And Jack C.
This year’s NHL All Star game will be held in Atlanta at the
Phillips Arena on Tuesday January 15. Last year’s All Star
game was a big win for the Western conference, winning 129. Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton and Hossa are some players
expected to be in this year’s game. Some Blackhawks that
are probably going to make it are: Pat Kane (right wing),
Martin Havlat (right wing), Jonathan Towes (center) and
maybe Nikoai Khabibulin (goaltender). I hope you see the
game on Versus. Go Western Conference!!!
MORE
Sports of All Sorts
NTSC
By: Chloe K. and Sabrina B.
If you love swimming you
might want to read this.
Hi, I am Chloe and this is
my friend Sabrina. We
are on the New Trier
Swim Club.
The New
Trier Swim Club was
founded in the 1980s.
Members of the swim club go from the age of 6
years old to college. The levels start at Yellow then
Green, Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold, White, and Red. If
you want to be on the team you have to try out
and the results (what level you are in) come out on
their website. It feels like a very long wait! If you
need to improve a stroke you should try out. From
our experiences it is also SUPER fun. You will be
able to learn flip turns, front crawl, back crawl,
breast stroke, and butterfly. Wow! that is A LOT
of strokes! The Green and Yellow coaches are Coach
Caroline, Coach Bob, and Coach Ally. They are
really nice and are very good at helping with
instruction. If you do really well at the end of
practice you get to use your flippers. What have
we not talked about? Oh meets! Swim meets are
when you race against other swim teams. If you
are 8 years old and under you are only going to
swim to the end of the pool (1 length, which is 25
yards). If you are 9 and 10 you are going to swim
there and back (50 yards). If you are 11 and over
you swim 4 lengths (100 yards). You are going to
have to be prepared. You need a team suit, a
practice suit, a mesh bag, flippers, a swim cap (they
are a pain in the neck), and goggles.
WE HOPE YOU TRY OUT! BYE
Charles Woodson
By: Paul S.
Charles Woodson was born October
7, 1976 in Fremont, Ohio. Woodson is
an NFL cornerback for the Green Bay
Packers and he has also played for
the Oakland Raiders. He went to
Fremont Ross High School. In high
school Woodson won the Mr. Football
award. But in high school he was a
running back and in just one season
he scored 466 points and gained
3,861 yards. He went to college at the
University of Michigan and played
football there. He was an All American
and won the Heisman trophy. He was
the only defensive player to win the
Heisman
trophy.
He
led
the
Wolverines to a national title.
Woodson was selected by the
Oakland Raiders in the first round of
the 1998 NFL draft. Woodson was
NFL defensive rookie of the year. He
was sent to the Pro Bowl, and after
that he went to three more Pro Bowls.
On April 26, 2006 Woodson signed a
contract with the Green Bay Packers.
Woodson still plays today. His
number is 21. He is married to
Elizabeth Ferris and has no children.
NHL Stars
By: Jack C. and Grant M.
Crosby
Kane
Ovechican
Brouder
Jager
Horses
and
Ponies
By: Addie R.
Bay
Beautiful
Cantering
Chestnut
Crosscountry
Fell
Filly
Fleabitten
Foal
Gray
Hair
Hoof
Horses
Jumping
Legs
Mane
Mare
Mustang
Ponies
Racing
Riding
Tail
Trotting
White
Havlet
Lungo
Thorton
Miller