Nightingale is having a Christmas Concert at the auditorium. December 15, 2011, adult tickets $3 and student tickets $1. There will also be refreshments. Enjoy

The Meaning of Christmas

Have you ever thought about what Christmas really means? Christmas is not just all about presents. It is about spending time with your family and friends during Christmas and caring for others.

SRLA (Student Run LA)

There will be a upcoming run for Student Run LA on December 11,2011, and this run will take place in pomona. this run will be half a marathon which is 13.1 miles.

Washington D.C.

Mr. Shuton plans to take students to a trip to Washington D.C. We asked him how much the trip cost, who is going and why is he going. Luckily, the trip provides a hotel and food for the students. The trip gives more than education, it gives excitement!

FOOTBALL CARNIVAL

After many years of the football carnival the journalism reporters are going to dig in the history of this big event. We found out that the football carnival has been going on for 67 years now. There has only been blue and green teams for 32 years!

Have you ever heard about the D3lab here at nightingale.? Check out our video.! It explains about what's going on,how you can use it or participate, and some of the projects they're doing.!
"Dream it , design it, do it.!"
Hope you enjoy our video.!
mucho love,
The Crazies<3

Book Fair

There is going to be a book fair held at Nightingale Middle School. The book fair starts on November 29 and ends on December 2^nd. This will give students an opportunity to buy books and read. Go buy a book before it ends!

student opinions on thanksgiving

Today is Halloween and everyone is dressed in their best costumes. There will be a Halloween Costume contest and musical chairs. Everyone is having fun and show-offing their costume. Happy Halloween!

Veterans Day

Veterans day is on November 11, 2011. Basically, this is a holiday where we honor the veterans that fought for our country. Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Knapp, and Mr. Malkhasyan are veterans in our school and we asked them what branch did they serve in, what training did they receive, why did they decide to join, did they serve in combat, and what rank did they end up as. Mr. Gonzalez is a corporal; Mr. Knapp is a lieutenant colonel, and Mr. Malkhasyan is a lieutenant.

Halloween at Nightingale

No More Chocolate Milk?

Halloween Dance

Halloween Dance
The Halloween Dance is a fun event in Nightingale Middle School. The Halloween dance is in the gym. It’s your choice to wear a costume or you can just bring your regular uniform clothes. The Halloween dance is a chance to have fun with your friends. The Halloween dance starts at 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. The tickets cost 3 dollars each. There will be a maze where you will have to find your way out. The maze costs a dollar to be in it. It’s your choice to be in the maze or not. There will be teachers, students, staffs, and supervisors. The students and teachers will be there to sell foods and drinks. The supervisors will be there to watch over you. The Halloween dance will be a night you will never forget so have fun.

Nightingale Football League

We ask Mr. Greg about the Nightingale football league and the students who participate in the league. They have been doing it for 4 to 5 years. This year it has really taken off. So many students like to play it so much. The two people who started it were Mr. Greg and Mr. Mendoza. They had kept stats of teams and the people who are in the league. We interviewed students who play for the league. We ask what positions they played and teams.

Chocolate Drive

We asked Ms. Molina and Mr. Gonzalez about the chocolate drive. We also interviewed some students here that are selling chocolate. Ms. Molina said that we raised $10,000 and it was used for the 5k and the marathon. Mr. Acevedo started the chocolate drive with his crew and they’ve been doing this for 22 years.-

Halloween Comic

Blush Band at Nightingale

Five girls form five different countires all come together to rock Florence Nightingale Middle School. Introducing BLUSH!

New Music Teacher

Nightingale has a new music teacher!

Family Math Night

Family Math Night is an event that parents and students from Nightingale come to participate in the activities. There are many activities in the Family Math Night. Family Math Night is an event that you can play math games and win some prizes if you win a competition. It is an educational event that many students should come to. Many teachers will also participate in the Family Math Night so they can help students with the activities that they don’t understand. Family Math Night is both fun and educational. If you want to learn math and have fun at the same time, come to Family Math Night. It will be a fun experience you will never have in your life.

Computer Lab

Why is the computer closed?
We interviewed Mrs.Mason and Mr.Gurritez. We asked why the computer lab is closed and Mr.Gurritez said,‘’It is open but it is for teachers who have a special program and it will be open for teachers only.’’ And Mrs.Mason said,‘’The enrollment at nightingale dropped and they only let certain teachers in the computer lab.’’

Teacher's Opinions

Our journalism’s group is interviewing the teachers on their opinion of the new changes to the school. For example the new bell and if they like the new bell or not. We are also asking them if the like the new changes or not and if they have any advice for the school on the new changes. We want to know if the teachers like the school or how it can become better.

Back to School Night

Back to school night is the day when parents come and get introduced to their children’s teachers. We interviewed some teachers for back to school night and they were Mr. Shuton, our history teacher, Mr. Acevedo, our P.E. teacher, and Mr. Lexius our math and algebra teacher. We asked them what they were going to do for back to school night. This is what they came up with.

Students Speak

STUDENTS SPEAK
Our journalism class interviewed students at the start of the new school year. We asked them about their favorite teacher, favorite sports, the music program, leadership, Mr. Lexius, and what they would like to add to the school. As you see the students have given you their own opinion about Nightingale Middle School.

What's Up With The Library

Many students were wondering why the library was closed since the beginning of the year. We found out that the school does not have enough money or a librarian. But now a teacher runs the library, only during nutrition and lunch.

Explorers' Good-Bye to Nightingale M.S.

Our eighth grade class is culminating and moving on to high school. For many, that means leaving behind good memories and great friends, as students head off to high schools around the city. I think we all realize Nightingale is a special place, and we will cherish the times we spent together here.

Father's Day

Father’s Day is coming up on June 19 on a Sunday. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Father’s Day is a day where you spend time with your father, honor your father, and thank your father for everything he has done. I think Father’s Day is a good day for you to spend time with your dad. Kids also give gifts to their father on Father’s Day. Some of the gifts are a watch, a tie, a cup that says best dad, and more stuff. We interview teachers about father’s day and asked them a few questions. Some of the questions we asked was “Do you agree with the idea of having Father’s Day?” and “Why do you think we have father’s day?” and what do you plan to do for father’s day. - Mariaelena

The Luau

The luau is an 8th grader event where they can have fun but you have to pay your dues. You could get kicked from going to the luau. The luau was a replacement for the prom when there used to be 9th graders in the school. It happens on the field. The luau will have the following: jumpers, slides and more! To find out more and when is the luau watch the video!
-Kevin Y.

M-Bone's Death

M-Bone was a famous rapper who was part of a hip-hop group named, “Cali Swag District.” He was only 22 years old when he was killed. He was killed on May 15,2011. He was killed while sitting in his car on North La Brea Boulevard in his hometown of Inglewood, California. Jay Are, C-Smoove Da General and Yung the surviving members of the group contributed a song called, “How To Do That.”

House of Blues

On May 11, 2011 a field trip to the House of Blues took place. This field trip included only the Nightingale Music band and guitar students. The House of Blues is a place that hosts concerts of both Indie and more famous bands. Ms. Jones and Ms. Elliott lead the field trip. Students were taught multiple things during the trip however were unable to go on the tour offered by the House of Blues.
-Edward R.

Osama Bin Laden's Death

Osama Bin Laden was a mass murderer and was the leader of the Al-Quaeda organization. He was the mastermind behind 9/11 that killed hundreds of innocent Americans and took out two buildings. Osama Bin Laden was on FBI’s most wanted list for a long time because of these monstrous activities. It was until May 1st when a small group of Navy SEALs broke into his mansion and shot Osama Bin Laden.
Now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, Al-Quaeda scrambles to find a new leader. The FBI now has more time to look for other people on the FBIs most wanted list. Victims of 9/11 now feel at ease. We are still unsure of the future, but this is a sign of 0
-Jonathan Q.

Spirit Week

PlayStation Network Shutdown

Playstation network has been shut down due to a hacking by a man named Michael Hotz, he hacked Playstation Store so players could get free games. The hacker also took personal information from players registered into the system including passwords, and PSN points to buy games. Sony shut down the network preventing hackers from stealing more information and cash. Sony says that 69 million users around the world are at risk of losing credit card information, and passwords. The shutdown affected the players and prevented them from buying games online or playing with other players. Personal details of 77 million PlayStation Network users had been stolen. Finally on May 13, Sony finally reopened PlayStation Network and apologized to the users and the people affected.
- David T.

Memorial Day

Memorial day is where we celebrate for the fallen heros who fought for our country.
Memorial day occurs during May 30th you can celebrate Memorial day in many ways like plan a Memorial day BBQ, have a family picnic, or go visit the cemetery and visit one of the soldier’s gravestone. Back then a civil war had broke out and our nation soldiers came to fight in the war. During the war many states fought and many soldiers and innocent people died. Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends.
-Timothy H.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is coming up! It is on May 8th. On Mother’s Day, you express your love for your mom. It originated with a woman named Anna Marie Jarvis. When her mother died on May 9th, 1905, she wanted to honor her. With help from a merchant, she made it into a national holiday. Then it was a worldwide holiday. If you need to get something for your mom, here are the perfect items for her.

• flowers

• chocolate

• teddy bears

• breakfast in bed

• cosmetics

• body products

• pastries

See you later, followers, and Happy Mother’s Day!
-Dalia M.

Yearbook

Mr. Hunter and his students create the Yearbook we have here at Nightingale. The reason for the yearbooks is so you can remember all you friends, your teachers, and remember the fun events that happened here in Nightingale M.S. The Yearbook also includes the winners of Mesa, Music, & much more.
If you want a yearbook it costs $37.00 only in the first week and after that it goes up so hurry and go buy your Yearbook.
-Jennifer R.

Lincoln High School Field Trip

Lincoln High School is a block schedule school meaning there’s odds and evens days and there’s eight period in total. It’s located in 3501 North Broadway, Los Angeles. Lincoln High Schhool separates students by SLCs. There are six SLCs all together. The SLCs are Magnet, Voice, SGS, Humanitas, Lema, and Medical and Health. Before you center Lincoln School as a ninth grader you will have a choice to put the order of the SLC you like most to least. You can chose any SLC expect for Magnet. The Magnet counselors pick you and if you accept you’ll be a part of that SLC. The Lincoln High School Field trip helps students see how Lincoln is and they show us 8th graders that live in the Lincoln area how awesome their classes and SLCS are!

-Manting Huang

Scoreboard

Spring Break

During spring break, people don’t go to school for a week. Spring break starts April 18,2011 to April 22,2011. It affects kids in grades K-12. During spring break, people goes to different places like other states. They want to take the advantage of this 1-week break. So take advantage of this event by going to the beach, play PS3 or Xbox at your friend’s house, or just plain partying. So enjoy your break from school, because we know you love it.
-Victor R.

Student led conference

Student led conference is where kids take their parents to their teachers and the teachers tell the parents on the student’s progress. Students will take their parents to each of their teachers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and etc. The students will get their report cards in the cafeteria. If the student doesn’t receive their report card during the student led conference, their report card will be mailed to their house on Friday. Student led conference will be occurring during April 26th after school 1:30 to 3:00 and 5:00 to 7:00.
-Timothy H.

Comedy of Errors

Ms. Randol preformed a play here at Nightingale. It took a lot of hard work to be in this play. This play is very entertaining and funny to watch. The students rehearse everyday except for Tuesdays. Hope you enjoy watching the play that these students worked so hard on.
-Jennifer

Japan

A tragic earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 struck Japan in early March 2011. The earthquake lasted for over a minute, and also triggered a huge tsunami. The earthquake also set off nuclear reactors that could meltdown, causing radiation to spread throughout the land and endangering any fortunate survivors. Heroes like these 2 men are trying to save as many people as they can that have fallen victim to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. While some victims are miraculously still alive, there are still many more who are trapped under debris or starving to death.To help aid in the recovery of Japan, you could join the Red Cross.When you support the Red Cross, not only will you help disaster relief efforts, you will also make a difference in someone's life.For more information on how you could help, go to www.redcross.org
-Jonathan Q.

Cst Prep

Cst prep is a class that gets you ready for the Cst tests. Cst prep is during first period, sixth period, and after school. It provides help for areas in math and science, and are taught by teachers that care for students, teachers like Mr. Flaxenburg and Mr. Dam. Some students are chosen to have Cst prep, some just sign in for it. The extra help is available to both seventh and eighth graders.
-Erika D.

Mesa Winners

Nightingale students took on Southern California in the MESA competition in March 26, 2011. MESA (math and science engineering) is an afterschool program where students train for competitive events of intellect. Students have been training since the early beginning of the school year. MESA students have competed for medals and other awards. They were coached by our own Mr. Meyerhof.
There were many categories in MESA. In the math categories, there are self exams for geometry, algebra, and pre-algebra. In the science engineering categories, there are mouse traps, gliders, bridges, windmills, and the egg drop. Nightingale students walked out of the MESA building with over 30 medals. They will have a beach trip later this year.
As a school, we are very proud to have these students represent Nightingale Middle School in such high-class. We hope for next year that MESA will succeed the older members and follow similar results.
-Jonathan Quach

Charter School

We have gotten news that there’s going to be a charter school in Nightingale! If you don’t know what a charter school is, they are primary schools that can receive public or private funds. They are not allowed to pay tuition. Charter schools don’t have the rules that regular schools have. When too many students are on the waiting list, they use a lottery method. Some people don’t think they’re a good idea. Look at our video to find out more.
-Dalia

Waste School Lunches

There have been reports of uneaten food in the trashcans at Nightingale Middle School. It costs the school lots of money to provide every student food. Many students take their food for granted because they think the lunches are free, but it isn’t. Every year students waste about thousands of dollars in food by throwing it away. We shouldn’t waste our food even though you don’t eat it. There is a reason for that green basket on the trashcans. It requires no work to save the food. Save the food instead of disposing it. All you need to do is put the food into the green basket. It cost about $3.00 or $3.50 for each lunch. The leftover lunches is thrown into the trash. They can’t even save them. Don’t just get your food and throw it away without even taking a bite of it. The school works hard to provide us our food so we should be thankful we have food to eat.
-Victor R.

April Fools Day

April fools day is when friends and families have a chance to prank each other. Also people get to make any type of joke whether it is good or bad. Here at Nightingale the school is being closed during April Fools Day. Usually the school has been open but this year it is not going to be open.
-Jennifer

Easter

Easter is where Adults hide eggs for kids and the kids go hunt for the eggs, the eggs may contain candy or money inside them. Easter Is April 24th 2011 This year. Every year Easter changes It’s dates about 20 days forward. The Easter bunny is the symbol for Easter. Easter, the principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. When Christians wanted other Christians to accept Christianity they used Easter to celebrate their Christianity. To solve this problem the emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325. The question of the date of Easter was one of its main concerns. The council decided that Easter should fall on Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But fixing up the date of the Equinox was still a problem. The Alexandrians, noted for their rich knowledge in astronomy calculations were given the task. And March 21 was made out to be the perfect date for spring equinox.
-Angie S.

Teacher Layoffs

Have you heard of teacher layoffs? Well on March 15 they’re going to tell the teachers who are going to be laid off. There are about 2,300 teachers laid off in L.A. . The teachers wanted to go on strikes. Some teachers are sad about getting laid off their job. Also students like their teacher that they have but there getting laid off. It is unfair to the teacher that worked at a school for a long time. There also would be fewer students because there are fewer teachers. One of our questions are why should teachers get laid off? There was one statement that the government said, "The last one that was hired should get laid off."
-Kevin C.

Chocolate Fundraiser

The Music Department is holding a See’s Candies sale. The chocolate fundraiser started on March 2, 2011 when Ms. Elliot and Ms. Jones are performing at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. They also decided to start a fundraiser to earn money for their instruments. The students will be performing in front of the whole crowd. The teachers need a lot of orders to go to the amusement parks and to buy new instruments. The prices of the See’s Candies are a little expensive, but it’s worth it. The highest price is $18.50 for one Truffles box. The lowest price is $6.50 for a Fluffy Chick Box, Bordeaux Egg, Milk Chocolate Butter Egg, or a Peanut Better Egg. All sales go to the Music Department. Remember to buy chocolates and help out!
- Manting H.

Oscar/Grammy

The Grammys is an event where music artists are nominated for awards like “Song of the year”or “Best New artist”or “Artist of the year”. It is the biggest event in music ,every musician looks forward to winning a Grammy award. The Oscars are similar to the Grammys, but it involves awards like “Best Picture” “Actor in a leading role” And ”Art direction and makeup.” Many actors try their best to win an Oscar. The actors who get in to better movies are most likely to get an Oscar. The Oscars will be on February 27,2011.Don’t miss them.

Family Science Night

Family Science Night was on March 3, 2011. All of the teachers in the Science department were in charge of this fun event held at our school, conducting fun experiments with students and their families. Science Night gives students and their parents the opportunity to meet the wonderful science teachers here at Nightingale and get to experience some of the material they might be working with this year or next year. Some of the things offered this year were making oobleck, dissecting frogs, launching rockets made out of soda bottles, and making a boat out of aluminum foil and trying to make it sturdy enough to hold a lot of pennies without it sinking. Altogether, this was a very joyful experience. We hope to see you at next year’s Family Science Night.
-By Sarah R.

Spring Forward

Health

In the beginning of second semester 7th graders take health instead of science. LAUSD says that we have to take half a year of science and half a year of health. In health we are going to learn about the use of drugs. We are also going to learn about sexuality, how to take care of your body, and what to eat to stay healthy. Taking health is very important because if we don’t take it then we won’t know what to do with our body. Health shows us what is positive and what is negative. We are only going to learn a small part of health so that in high school we learn more about it.
Jennifer R.

March Madness

The world of collegiate of basketball season is fast approaching and March madness is right around the corner. Like so many other people, the anticipation March madness intensities during this time because we want to see who is going to put all their emotions out there for the world to see, the upset, and the unmet expectations.
-Yessenia D.

The LA Marathon

Hello people, it is almost for the La Marathon race! This race will be held at March 20, 2011 at Sunday. The people will be training for the race. The athletes need to train 3 days between Monday and Thursday and the athletes will start out with a 10 minutes warm up jog. The La Marathon will have a lot of runners and the winners will be awarded suck as trophies, certificate and medals. The La Marathon will get more exercise for people. The La Marathon race will start from Dodger Stadium and end at Santa Monica Pier. Also the La Marathon is 26 miles. The La Marathon runners will have to pay 143 dollars to join the Marathon. They also have training services for the people who wants to train before the Marathon. There will be water stations on every mile for the runners. After the race there will be food for the runners after the runners made it to the finish line. There are medical supports at the start, finished line and along the course.
-Kevin C.

Value Added Assessment

What is the Value Added Assessment? We had a few questions about it, like what is it? Why does teachers need to be evaluated? What happens when they get evaluated? We asked Mr. Knapp and some teachers on their opinions about teachers becoming evaluated. Some teachers think it isn’t fair because not all students put 100% effort into testing. Other teachers think its fair because everyone gets evaluated at least one time. It shows how much the teachers are teaching the students. If they don’t teach the students everything, then students will do badly on test. It is depended on how much the teachers teach. But, other times, the students don’t put all effort into testing. They think ‘Oh, it’s just a test. It’s not even part of the grade.’ But it’s part of the CST grade. If kids don’t pass, then is it fair for teachers to get evaluated? Even if the teachers teach what had to be taught. What do you think?
- Kin L.

St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th. Saint Patrick’s Day is when you have to wear green because if you don’t, you get pinched. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 because that’s the day when saint Patrick died. Saint Patrick was the patron of Ireland. The Irish invented Saint Patrick’s Day. The reason why we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day is to remember the saint patron of Ireland.

The 5k

On March 26, 2011, Nightingale will run its 22nd annual 5k run. Located in Rio de Los Angeles, participants will run for trophies, extra credit, or just for the fun of it. Entry is free for any Nightingale student; alumni and adults have to pay a small fee Of $5 and $10. For anyone who finishes top 15 of their division, he/she will receive a medal, and the top 5 will get a trophy. You have till March 11 to fill out your application folks, so sign up now!
-Jonathan Q

MIddle East

There has been trouble stirring up in the Middle East. It all started in Tunisia. A citizen had a college degree and was trying to get a job. You see, in the Middle East, there aren’t that many jobs. So he ended up selling fruit in the streets for a living. One day he got a ticket from an officer for selling fruit illegally. When he told the government, they laughed. As a result, he committed suicide by setting himself on fire. When people heard about this, they made startling protests. Egypt and Tunisia have already gotten rid of their government. Egypt’s president will no longer seek another term. Tunisia’s president was replaced. Iran and Yemen are planning to attempt the same thing. Yemen rioted on streets after 30 years of rule of their president. In Iran, there had been protests too. Protesters had been getting into fights with police. To get more information, see our blog.
-Dalia M.

Second Semester

The second semester is finally here. Some students’ classes changed and others didn’t change at all. Some students like their classes and others don’t. Students get their classes changed because there is an amount of students that have to be divided equally into each class. In this semester 8th graders need to have decent grades in order to graduate. They could have A’s, B’s, and C’s but no D’s or F’s and no more then 3 U’s. If they didn’t like their grades of the last semester, they have this semester to raise them up.
-Jennifer R.

Nightingale Middle School

Science Bowl

Talent Show

NIghtingale Academy

What is the Nightingale academy? We went around to find out and interviewed Mr. Gonzalez. We asked him a few questions like when will the Nightingale academy be built. His reply was that it isn't an academy. It's more like a high school. Each year, they are planning to add a grade level higher. Next year, Nightingale will expand it's grade level. It will be up to 9th grade. They're going to keep adding another level by each year. In the end, it will be 6-12th grade. We also went around and asked a few kids if they were attending the academy. Some were going and some were undecided. And some students have doubts about the academy. They think that Nightingale adding an academy means more students. More students mean more crowded. They think that with older students, it'll feel different. What do you think? Remember, we are Nightingale.
-Kin L.

Valentine's Day

Valentines’ Day is just around the corner. Here at Nightingale a lot of things are going on for Valentine’s Day. The Valentine’s dance is taking place in the gym afterschool on Monday, February 14 from 3-4:30 pm. Who ever goes to the dance will get to wear free dress but if we get lucky hopefully well will be able to wear a pink, purple, or read shirt to school instead of our white collar shirt to show our Valentine’s spirit. Also at school they will be selling valentine’s grams for your special valentine or if you want you could be someone’s secret admire. So go out and have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
-Jessica, Jennifer, and Estrella

Stolen Cameras

At the beginning of the school year we had three flip cameras, but sadly during Thanksgiving break someone stole them. Once we got back from break the cameras were mysteriously gone. Ever since they were stolen we still have no clue of who stole the cameras, but one day we will find out who stole the cameras. We are very sorry that we couldn’t do our monthly broadcasts and we have had to do the typed version for a few months. Fortunately Mr. Armus bought us two cameras, so now were going to do our broadcast again. YAY! The journalism was very happy when we found out when we got the cameras. Also Ms.Nutting was so kind that she used her own money and bought us another camera. We should all thank Mr. Armus and Ms.Nutting for buying us our cameras so we could make our broadcast and tell you and all students at Nightingale the news and events going on here at school.
-Jessica, Jisel, Sarah, and Dalia

Chinese New Year

It’s that time of the year again and it is Chinese New Year. It’s a times for happiness and good fortune. It all started with the Chinese zodiac the twelve animals the dragon, rat, pig, horse, monkey, tiger, dog, rabbit, rooster, snake, ox, and sheep. People say that if it is your year then you have good fortune. Other people go to temples and prey. People also give out money for good luck and light firecrackers. They have a feast of food and drink and wish each other a happy Chinese new year.
-Kevin Y.

Tron

Tron, one of the newer movies available in theatres is hitting quite good. It features a soundtrack done by Daft Punk, and looks great in 3D! I would highly recommend this movie, I give it a 5/5. The main story is about a father and a son who both eventually end up on the “grid”. The grid is basically a place where data and programs are stored and run. The main goal for the characters is to escape the grid a task they find harder than it looks.

Trips on Christmas Break

Well everyone knows that Christmas is a very traditional day, and some families are not all together because they are in another country or state, so lots of people decide to go and visit. So we went and talked to a few people and asked them if they went on any trips for Christmas and here is what some people had to say.
-Brianna C.: We Spend time with my family.
-Linda C.: I went to Mexico, we did lots of stuff & I rode on a horse.
-Mr. Knapp: My wife and I went to Spain & 1 went to a museum, old churches, Dali’s house, and lots more.
-Timothy: Went to Palmdale.
-Yullissa: I went to Mexico and had a great time with my family.

StarCraft II

Starcraft 2 is a real-time strategy game on the PC. For more than over a decade of waiting since its predecessor, Starcraft 1 was released; many critics (including me) believe that Starcraft 2 has successfully lived up to the hype in flashing colors, literally. Everyone will notice the high detailed graphics as well as the nice game user interface. The objective of this game is simple, to create your own base and destroy the enemy’s base. Since the game offers a lot of variety, it allows the player to have fun based on his/her preferences. While beginners may struggle playing, there are several in-game tutorials that would be a huge help. The people that you will play online usually have good sportsmanship saying things like “Good luck” and “Have fun”.

While there are a lot of pros, there are also some cons. The game itself costs $60 and you will get a bulky box that contains the CD. Since this is on the internet, you may run into rude people as they say mean things. I wouldn’t recommend Starcraft 2 to people who cannot multitask as this is the most vital skill in games like this. In addition, the game requires you to have a fast computer to run on. I recommend Starcraft 2 to people who want to destroy buildings, people, aliens, bugs, practically everything. People who can strategize very well in battles/wars will be skilled in this game. So good luck, have fun!

New Year's Eve

What did you do for New Years Eve? We asked students and teachers what they did for New Years Eve and this is what they said:
Brenda- I stayed home and did nothing.
Kin- I went to cut my hair.
Nelson- Went to six flags
Ms. Nutting- Went to a party
Daisy- Hung out with my sister and cousin.
Arely- Had a party.
Lizeth- In my New Years Eve I went with my family and were there all night singing, dancing, and playing games.
Angie- Spent time with family and friends.
Jisel- In New Year’s Eve I spent time with my family at my aunties and had lots of fun.
Belen- In New Year’s Eve I went to my aunt’s house and their was a party.
Mariaelena- I went to my aunt’s house we danced. Then when it was 2011 my cousins screamed.
Adam- Made Posole and tamales.

Resolutions

We have interviewed a very select number of people to find out about their 2011 New Year’s Resolution. We have asked for their academic and personal Resolutions.
8th Jerry: Get straight A’s in all subjects. Be a more presentable person around peers
8th Lily: Get a 4.0 to culminate. Be a nicer person.
7th Viown: Get A’s and B’s. Be a nicer person around relatives.
7th Elvira: Try her best in school. Be nicer around friends and family.
6th Andrew: Study harder for school. Spend more time with his uncle.
6th Armando: Try to skip 7th grade. Continue to play more sports
6th Jiamin: Do better in science. Be nicer to her sibling(s).

Tips for 2011

Here are some tips for next year they will be told into two sections you can do/try it (Do’s) or you should not do (Don’ts). Do’s, try to stay quiet in class if someone’s trying to talking to you tell them “talk to me later at lunch, nutrition, or after school,” if they don’t stop, don’t talk to them then they’ll stop talking. Don’ts, talk back to him/her then you’ll get a warning or something else depending on how a teacher tolerates talking. Do’s, try to not get into fights you can get hurt and maybe get expelled/suspended from the school, if you think someone is trying to hit you go to an adult like Mr. Summer. Don’ts fight back because you can get hurt and maybe get expelled/suspended from the school. Do’s if your being bullied tell an adult.

Lost Hero

If you are a fan of Greek gods, ancient monsters, action, adventure, and the Percy Jackson series written by Rick Riordan, then you should check out the new sequel to the series, “The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero”. It is about three demigods, Jason, Leo, and Piper. It also includes some characters from the Percy Jackson series. The story starts out by saying how Jason finds himself on a bus full of kids he doesn’t know and he does not know why he’s there. He meets Piper and Leo on the bus who says they know him but he doesn’t know them. Further into the story, they figure out who is Jason’s parent but I won’t spoil that. This story is a very good book and really interesting especially if you’re a fan of the Percy Jackson series. If you get the chance, you should either buy this or at least get the chance to read this, you will really enjoy it.

CST Review

What are the CST’s? The CST’s are tests we take near the end of the school year at in May. It shows what the child has learned through out the school year. The test shows what classes you need to retake and the classes you advance in. I interviewed Mr. G about the CST’s. This is what he had to say, “ It’s a chance for kids to show what they’ve learned in the school year and see if your grades went higher or lower,” says Mr. G. The CST’s matter a lot and are more important than your previous report cards. The tests show what you’ve learned and see if the teachers did a good job in teaching you. The CST covers English, Math, History, and Science and good luck.

Culmination Requirements

Culmination is a ceremony that commemorates the end of middle school. We asked Ms.Scheel what the 8th grade requirements are to participate in culmination. She said that 8th graders must get a C average or better. There must be no F’s in the classes or report cards. Also, they must have good behavior in classes. If, you have good grades, you have to continue keeping them up because they won’t just stay like that, they might go down. If, you want to raise up your grades, you could do some extra credit and study for tests so you could get a good grade. That was her response to the questions we asked Mrs. Scheel.

Talent Show

I interviewed Ms. Jones and asked her about the talent show, she said that the talent show is an event where students and teachers can show off their talents. There will be a dance troop, rock group, singers, drummers, Instrumentalists, and a DJ. It will be held some time in March, at 6 pm. Tickets will be $2 each and you can get them in Room 190, before and after school.

2012

Some people say that the world will end in 2012, others say it won’t. 2012 is apparently the year the earth is going to end according to a Mayan calendar. Many believe the world will end in 2012 and have created web sites supporting their belief. We wanted to know if some of the students believe the world will end in 2012. We have asked a total of 34 students and only 12 students believe the world will end in 2012 and 22 students do not believe the world will end in 2012. In my opinion, I don’t think the world will end in 2012 but hey, that’s my opinion, do you think the world will end in 2012?

Martin Luther King Jr.

Fellow people, we gather here today to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We celebrate this holiday to honor a leader named Martin Luther King Jr. He was born on January 15, 1929 and lived until 1968. During his time, African-Americans faced discrimination and were treated with cruelty. King led a lot of protests without any violence, but violence occurred in them. On September of 1963, King addressed the “I Have A Dream” speech at Lincoln Memorial. On April 4, 1968, he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. We celebrate this holiday on January 17, two days after his birth date. That’s why we have this holiday to honor a courageous leader.