Friday, March 20, 2009

Newspaper published

Great job everyone! The newspaper came out today and I think it turned out great. We had lots of pictures, little quotes, recipes and random facts which made it less boring to read and more interesting. I think we had a great mixture of in depth and thoughtful pieces (opinion) but we also had informational and update articles (interview with Mr. Trumbo and basketball season conclusions). Awesome job!
Kari

Monday, March 16, 2009

Shamrock Ice Cream Sandwiches by Sophia Diehl

1. Color sugar cookie dough with green food coloring.

2. Roll out cookie dough to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness on a floured surface and cut into

shamrock shapes with a cookie cutter.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

4. Spread ice cream between two cookies and enjoy your sandwich.

From www.familycorner.com

St. Patricks Day by Sophia Diehl

St. Patrickʼs Day is a fun, Irish holiday that is also celebrated by many Americans today.St. Patrick was born in Scotland. His parents were wealthy Romans living in Britain. St. Patrick was captured by Irish raiders when he was about 14 years old. He became a slave that tended and herded sheep. He was very afraid, and so he prayed about 100 times a day! This gave him a very close relationship with God, and when St. Patrick was 20, he heard God telling him to go back to Scotland. So that was what he did. Once he had escaped to Scotland, he studied to be a pastor. Then, St. Patrick had dreams and visions of the people of Ireland calling him back to help them. So the saint went to Ireland and shared Jesus with the Irish and baptized them. This is how the holiday originated.

St. Patrickʼs Day is an important holiday in Ireland. March 17 is a feast and a holy day, so many Irish go to mass on this holiday. Then, this day is followed by week offestivities including fire works, parades, music, and treasure hunts. It is common forfamilies to gather and have a special meal together, usually of pink bacon or roastchicken. When you think of St. Patrickʼs Day, you probably think of shamrocks, leprechauns, and the color green, as this holiday has many traditions and symbols. One of the most popular symbols is probably the shamrock. The shamrock became a big part of St. Patrickʼs Day because St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the trinity to the Irish. Leprechauns are also a big part of this holiday. The word leprechaun comes from the Irish word “luchorpanʼʼ which means little body. Legend says that leprechauns are Irish fairies that are about two feet tall, look like old men, and are unfriendly. They also have a hidden pot of gold! Green became a St. Patrickʼs Day color because of Irelandʼs incredibly green landscape. Wearing green on this holiday is said to bring good luck. Years ago, Irish children started pinching anyone who forgot to wear green. This is still a tradition today(so remember to wear green!). Last of all, St. Patrick took a powerful Irish symbol, the sun, and put it on the Christian cross to combine Irelandʼs old faith and new faith to make Christianity seem more natural to them.

Have a fun and wonderful St. Patrickʼs Day!

The Middle School Girls Basketball Season by Abby Watson and Kayla Soles

This basketball season, the Middle School Girls team was privileged to compete in the Millwood Middle School league. All together, our team consisted of 9 girls. Christa Schuping, Kelly Norfleet, Abby Watson, Kayla Soles, Sarah Walshak, Kari Martin, Sophia Diehl, Kara Gregory, and Amanda Young all participated in the middle school league. This league was good for some reasons, while some regulations were irritating. While in this league, we were able to play competitive games and meet new girls from other schools. Our team improved our teamwork, as it was many of our first years playing together as a team. We worked to improve our shooting and dribbling skills as well. We learned the basics of defense and offence, and also formed lasting friendships with one another. We developed jokes like “being a ballerina” and are exited for next season. Although the Millwood league was fun, some regulations were different from other leagues. At Millwood games, teams are not allowed to full court press until the final two minutes of the game, and our games were normally on Saturday mornings. Our team enjoyed playing in this league, and enjoyed the opportunity to play bigger teams, which will teach us to play our hardest despite the teams we’re playing. We love our teammates, our coaches, and the game of basketball. ‘Till next season!! Your browser may not support display of this image.

The Positive Aspects of Flag Burning by Kari Martin

“Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech”.This is the first amendment written by James Madison in 1791 which has been argued for centuries afterward. The question is; what did the author meanwhen he wrote the word speech? According to the dictionary, speech means “one's habitualmanner or style of speaking.” Flag burning is a way that a personwould express themselves if they disagree with the country. Flagburning is a style of speech. If Congress would want to change thelegality of flag burning they would have to change the consecratedBill of Rights authored in the early stages of our nation. This wouldserve as a precedent for changing the totality of this sacreddocument. Shakespeare so aptly put it, “And many an error by the sameexample will rush into the state.” When this was performed in his play “The Merchant of Venice”, he used this as an example of slack on the law, and others will follow making it assumed that there would always be slack.This is the same as in the Bill of Rights. If the first amendment is changed, thensooner or later the rest will follow in suit. Think of the Bill of Rights as thefoundation of American freedom. If that foundation is cracked,soon all of American freedom will come crashing down. Freedomis the essence of what so many soldiers have died for. Freedom is what theFounding Fathers were envisioning for this nation. Freedom is what somany Revolutionaries were impassioned by. If flag burning is not allowed by the government,then the foundation of freedom will crack and soon come crumbling down.

The Negative Aspects of Flag Burning by Josh Carter

Flag burning is an act committed both legally and illegally in the United States of America. Burning the USA flag illegally shows blatant disrespect towards our country. Some of the reasons an individual might burn a flag illegally would be because they would want to show protest towards the government and laws, insult our country’s citizens symbolically, and also demonstrate his/her rights. An American who burns a flag is demonstrating extreme disrespect towards the country that protects him/her self! Also, it is wrong to burn the flag because those who have a problem with anything pertaining to our government should argue their position in a calm and respectful way, not a chaotic and disrespectful way. Illegally flag burning our flag, a symbol of freedom and patriotism, is wrong, and shows disrespect to our country.

Spotlight on... Mr. Trumbo by Joe Burns

In the Upper School at Veritas, Mr. Trumbo teaches Ancient History and Latin II, as well as taking on the responsibility of the Upper School principal. Mr. Trumbo was led to Veritas through his belief in classical education, and his passionate goal to “equip younger Christians to bear witness to Christ.” Outside of school, Mr. Trumbo enjoys reading, gardening, and watching movies. His favorite food is a Scottish version of sausage and mashed potatoes called “bangers and mash”. The most interesting person that Mr. Trumbo has ever talked to in his life was John Brinkley, his Geek professor. The one thing that most people don’t know about Mr. Trumbo is that he was a singing cowboy in a musical play called “Annie get your gun”. On an end note, Mr. Trumbo would like to say “fac quod inte est” which translates as “do what lies within you”.

Funny Quotes collected by Abby Watson, Josh Carter, Joe Burns

    FUNNY CLASS QUOTES!! (to remain anonymous)

6TH Grade: “That trash can is rigged!!”

9th Grade: “I’m going to find myself. If I’m not back before I leave, come get me.”

10th Grade: “CHEEZ-ITZ!!!”

Yearbook Committee by Daniel Rainer

This year, instead of parent volunteers working on the yearbook, student volunteers from 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, along with a few gracious parents, put together the Veritas 2008-2009 yearbook. The students arranged pictures and page layouts and helped take formal group pictures of the various houses, clubs, and music groups. The students’ favorite part of the Yearbook Committee was that they got to sort through funny photos of school activities such as cross country meets, house competitions, field trips, the Christmas Program, the homecoming basketball game, capture the flag competitions, the Thanksgiving celebration, the Valentines day banquet, and others. The Yearbook Committee was in charge of the yearbook for the whole school, not just for the Upper School. Although there was a lot of responsibility given to the students, they finished and have done a great job. The members of the Yearbook Committee are exited for the yearbook’s big release. Their favorite parts of the Yearbook are the house pages, the Cross Country page, and the collage of basketball pictures. This year’s yearbook may be the best yet!

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An Inspirational Quote found by Joe Burns

A Quote for Inspiration…

It is difficult to inspire others to accomplish what you haven’t been willing to try.”

-anonymous… Your browser may not support display of this image.