Do you watch “Glee” or “American Idol”? Well, the talent show is the time to showcase Midtown’s extraordinary talents and skills. This year the talent show is being ran by Tiffany Ledbetter (the mother of Elijah and Joshua Claiborne) and she has brought a lot of fun and interesting aspects to this year’s show. Last year’s performances varied from dancing and jump-roping to Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to singing to Mariah Carey’s “Hero” and singing Beyonce’s “Flaws and All.” Well, this year we’re expecting something bigger and better. We’re not expecting just the average—we’re expecting something out of this world! We interviewed Midtown 8th grade students, Khayla Stokes and Desmond Campbell, about the talent show: Q: Do you have any talents you thought about showcasing at the talent show? A: (Khayla): Yes I can sing, dance, and step. I’m also good at math, but I am not going to be in the talent show because I’m busy with school and my 8th grade year and preparing for high school and stuff. A: (Desmond): Yes I can sing, dance, and act. I thought about

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The Right News from the Right Reporters [April/May] :: [2011]

A Round of Applause By Erykah Paige & Zhanae Bailey-El

Progress Reports Issued

Monday, May

No School – Memorial Day

Wednesday, June 8 Eighth Grade Graduation @ 2 p.m.

Friday, June 17

Last day of 2010-11 school year

Left to Right: Layla, Zhanae, Ruqayyah, Erykah, Troi, Lauryn, Jordyn, Aaron, Nailah, Dayshirah, Ms. Gray (Missing from photo: Editor Taylor)

Thursday, May 19

Cinderella @ 6:30 in MPR

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Goodbye NAL (for now) by Jordyn Alderman

The 2011 NAL season has ended, unfortunately. The team started off rough, but came out strong and got to go to the divisional playoffs. This is the first time that the Midtown NAL team has gone to the divisional playoffs, even if we didn’t win! New Coach The former coach for three years for NAL was also the middle school Humanities teacher, Ms. Ward. Since Ms. Ward has become a “Teacher Leader,” which means she is such a great teacher she has the privilege to teach other teachers in Baltimore, she is no longer able to coach.

The new awesome NAL coach is Mr. Romano. This is Mr. Romano’s first year coaching NAL and he has done a great job so far. He plans on being here for next year and “looks forward to building on the team’s progress.” Here are some quotes from Mr. Romano himself:

Q: What was your first experience like? A: “I felt nervous and excited because it was my first time hearing about the NAL program, and I was new to it.” Q :Is it what you expected? A: “It was better because Midtown has extremely talented and smart students.” Q: Do you think the students did well with focusing? A: They impressed me with their vast knowledge.”

Q: Do you think more students will join NAL? A: “I think we will retain the students we have now and gain more; I’ve even heard other students talking about how they want to join next year.” Can You Top Us? The former NAL team consisted of the following students: 6th graders Zhanae Bailey-El, Layla Stanford, Kirsten Russell, Aaron McNabney, Nigel Gustave, and Tyre Ennis; 7th graders Kamani Henson, Milan Dower, Troi Ratchford, Jordyn Alderman, Jyeshier Privitt, Brooklynde Oxford, Eterick Stonely, James Cunningham, Vincent Weathers, and Jaquain Norfleet; and 8th graders Elijah Claiborne and Eva McNabney. We are also sad to be losing Milan Dower, Eva McNabney, and Elijah Clairborne. We will miss all three of you and good luck with your future! Last but not least is our special clock-watcher Adam McNabney in 3rd grade who will be in NAL soon, but for now he’s doing what he can to help. And we can’t forget our wonderful official, Ms. E, who we hope will join us net year. Our NAL team played 9 games total and we won 5 games near the end of the season, but lost 4. Do you think you newcomers can top us? Remember to make sure if you’re in Middle School to join next year’s NAL team.

Congratulations

to the 2010-11

NAL team on a

successful year!

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The legendary PunkOut Music & Arts Festival will hold its twenty-eighth annual outing in Washington, D.C. from June 10-12, featuring acts by groups like Rancid, Audioslave, Sum 41, the Henry Rollins Band, the Children, Bad Religion and a special closing act with D.C. locals Bad Brains. But in order to better enjoy these acts, one must learn the history and evolution of the punk rock genre itself. In the mid-1960s, a new evolution of rock music began getting popular in the United States. Rock musicians such as the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones and the legendary Elvis Presley became major inspirations for young people. Nevertheless, no one was more influenced by these artists and their music than four young musicians from the Forest Hills section of Queens in New York City. This quartet will meet at a party in 1972 and form a band the following year. The members were Jeffry Hyman on vocals, John Cummings on guitar, Douglas Colvin on bass and Thomas Erdelyi on drums. The band went through a variety of names,

but while listening to the song “Mr. Ramon” by former Beatles member Paul McCartney, Hyman and Cummings respectively suggested the name “The Ramones,” which the band loved. They also decided to perform under

the last name Ramone, even though none of them were related. Hyman became Joey Ramone, Cummings was Johnny Ramone, Douglas was Dee Dee Ramone and Erdelyi became Tommy Ramone. The Ramones began performing around the country and even performed a few shows in Canada, acquiring a large cult following in less than a year. On April 23, 1976, The Ramones’ first album entitled RAMONES was released on Sire Records. The album was reviewed positively by critics and its rants on social discrimination and anti-racism sold enough copies to make the album appear on the Billboard charts in just two weeks after its release. Little did the music business know that a new genre was introduced with that album. That genre was punk rock. Since then, more punk rock bands began forming, each with different styles. An example is Bad Brains, a band made up of Jamaican immigrants living in Washington, D.C. who cleverly combined reggae, ska, funk, samba and punk rock in their music. They formed in 1979 and became famous in 1983, with their album Banned in D.C., which protested the police brutality on people of African descent in Washington at the time. Other bands consisted of the Clash, Middle America’s Worst Enemy, D.O.A. and the Runaways. However, by the late 1980s, punk rock seemed to die out. Even though there were a few bands that were influenced by punk rock music, they couldn’t come close to the original sound. Then, on February 1, 1994, a trio from Berkeley, California, calling themselves Green Day, released their third album Dookie on Reprise Records. This was the album that bought punk rock back to life. More artists began releasing groundbreaking albums that increased the growing resurrection of the punk genre. These albums include Hole’s Live Through This, The Offspring’s Smash, Rancid’s …And Out Come the Wolves, 7 Seconds’ Out The Wazoo, Rage Against the Machine’s The Battle for Los Angeles and Sublime’s self-titled album. Since then, punk rock began to increase in popularity in the mainstream music industry. This June, you can see some of these talented artists and even see some new bands looking to make a name for themselves. So, I highly suggest that you attend this festival and enjoy the outing!

DC Goes Punk by Aaron Berry

The iconic cover of the Ramones’ first album (courtesy of Google Images)

Bad Brains’ guitarist Jack West (left) and singer H.R. performing in Baltimore in 2007 (courtesy of Wikipedia)

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Up & Coming Artists By Layla Stanford

There are some new artists coming out or that are growing in their career. These artists are extremely talented, their music is great, their style is wonderful, and their voices are fantastic. Also they have a sense of humor. They seem cool and fun to be around. You can Google their videos and see how talented they are! Diggy Simmons is a new artist that is up and cute…. I mean coming. He is the son of Rev. Run, brother of Jo-Jo Simmons, nephew of Russell Simmons II. Jacob Latimore is a singer. He has collaborated with Diggy Simmons. Their song together is called “Like ‘em all.” Paige Hurd is a singer/dancer/actress. Paige is on “Everybody Hates Chris.” The Wonder Broz (Tool and Gennis) are rappers. Their song is called Chitty Chitty (Bang Bang) with a dance to it. The Rangers are rappers. Their song is called Catdaddy. This also has a dance to it. Jessica Jarrell has a song with Diggy Simmons called “Up and Running.” Jessica Jarrell is a singer/dancer. One of her songs is “Overboard.” She collaborated with Justin Bieber for this song. The OMG Girlz are rappers/singers (Lo-Lo, Baby Carter, Star, And Beauty). They did a remake of “Pretty Boy Swag” called “Pretty Girl Bag.” Tyga is a rapper. He was signed to YMCMB. One of his songs is called “I’m On It.” Mindless Behavior are singers/rapper. One of their songs is “My Girl (Remix).” They collaborated with Tyga, Lil Twist, and Ciara. Lil Twist is a rapper. One of his songs is called “Love Affair.” Willow Smith is a singer/actor. She is famous for her song “Whip My Hair,” but she came out with a new song this year called “21st Century Girl.” She is recently on Justin Bieber’s oversea tour. You should check them out; they are really talented! They have the talent to take up some of your time. You should really check them out, too, because they will be very happy to get more fans. If you support them they will keep making good music and not retire at a young age. That would be a very weird thing. I hope you check them out. They are really cool.

Lauren McBroom May 26

Amber Shaw May 3

Ms. Ward May 13

Aaron McNabney May 2

Eric Hunter May 28

Mucho May Birthdays! by Dayshirah Giddins & Zhanae Bailey-El

Hey all you may birthday people! Just wanted to let you know that if your birthday is from April 20th – May 20th you’re a Taurus, and the symbol is a bull. And if your birthday is from May 21st –June 20th, you’re a Gemini, and the symbol is twins!

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do

Continued from page 1

performing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”, but I get real bad stage fright and anxiety. Oh, and remember Lady Gaga’s “Judas” comes out Tuesday April 19, 2011. Q: What songs/performances do you want to hear/see? A: (Khayla): I want to hear Mindless Behavior’s “My Girl,” Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” (Desmond): Of course I want to hear Lady Gaga’s “Judas” and “Born This Way”. Remember that Lady Gaga’s “Judas” comes out Tuesday April 19, 2011. Last year the Talent Show was held at the Masonic Lodge. It was combined with a bake sale to raise money for Haiti Relief and this year money may be raised for 8th grade graduation. Also last year Mrs. Belle and Ms. O’Hanlon and many other Midtown teachers participated in a “Glee” performance that had the audience going crazy. It had the room filled with laughter and enjoyment, while the Midtown staff lip-synced to the song “Don’t Stop Believing.” This year we plan to have a Talent Show just as fun and beyond anyone’s expectations! After the Show Update: The Midtown Talent Show was a success. Performers included 1 eighth grader, 3 sixth graders and many elementary students. The audience enjoyed performances of singing, dancing, keyboard, air guitar and even hula hooping! The Midtown teachers presented a fun and exciting performance of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” thrilling the audience with glow in the dark masks and confetti. Everyone was the winner and all the audience

Get Your Bag of Popcorn! Movie Review by Jordyn

Alderman

There are many funny and heart-warming movies that are in theaters or coming out soon. I’m bringing you the best movie reviews with special inside information. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 Diary of a Wimpy Kid series are books written by Jeff Kinny. But, his books are so famous they had to make a movie of his first book published. From this outstanding accomplishment there was a second movie made called Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. As well as the first movie the second was also made from a book. The movie was ranked 17th in the box office and made a lot of people have a laugh when they needed it. Make sure you are also one of those people. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is still in some theatres near you, and will be released on DVD soon. HOP The Easter themed movie HOP came out on March 27th and was 1st in box office in Los Angeles and was very funny. It is about a young rabbit named E.B., “Easter Bunny,” who is the son of the Easter Bunny. To his dismay, he’s going to have to follow in his father’s footsteps so he runs away to find a man named Fred O’ Hara who wants to be the Easter Bunny and can’t find a job *hint, hint.* In the end everything works out as predicted. As soon as possible go to your local movie theater and see these funny movies and get a laugh. Also you can see some top sellers, like Jumping the Broom or Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family.

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Top Inventions of the 21st Century

By Troi Ratchford Do you want to be an entrepreneur and make mill ions one day? Read on to find out about the simplest ways to become a millionaire! Some of today’s multi-millionaires started with very simple ideas, including colorful rubber bands, blankets with sleeves, and a portable computer screen. Also the world’s most famous social networking site is included in this list. I’m here to bring you the latest inventions of the 21st century! First off is Silly Bandz! These colorful rubber bands are made out of silicone rubber that is formed into various objects, such as shapes and words. They were first sold online in November 2008. Then they were sold in Learning Express, a store in Birmingham, Alabama in early 2009. Also, in late 2010, Zoo Games released video games based on Silly Bandz for Nintendo DS and iPhone. Silly Bandz have been banned in many classrooms for being too distracting, with students trading them with each other during class. There have been incidents where children have cut off circulation by extending Silly Bandz up their arms, in some cases causing serious injuries.The number one rule for Silly Bandz is kids MUST take them off to sleep, swim, and bathe. The second invention is the Snuggie!!! The Snuggie is a body-length blanket with sleeves (one size fits all!). They are meant to be worn backwards and are often referred to as a “backwards bathrobe.” They come in many colors such as blue, pink, yellow, green, etc. They can also be customized, for example there are many Snuggies made with different sports teams designs. Snuggies are also made for dogs! How cute!!! The third invention is Pillow Pets! As you all may know, this invention is a stuffed animal that is also used as a comfy pillow! Invented by Jennifer Telfer, this invention was made in 2003 and sold through Jennifer’s company, CJ Products. Six years later, the product became more successful through television advertisements. The Pillow Pet has often been described as “super soft,” “cute,” and “huggable!” Pillow Pets are very popular, considering they made $7 million dollars off of them in the year of 2009. The last invention is FACEBOOK!!! Ok, I know that this isn’t technically an invention, but it was a very popular service of the 21st century! Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg and was founded on February 4, 2004. It is a social networking service that allows you to communicate with friends and family and you can share pictures and post your thoughts on your wall. Facebook is also a popular app on phones and iPods, specifically iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. Some people dislike it because it displays a lot of personal information and there’s not much privacy. As of January 5, 2011 there are over 600 million active users. Mark’s network is worth about 13.5 billion dollars!!! He could sell his website in a couple years and would be a billionaire!!! Now that you’ve read my article, have you changed your opinion on any of these inventions? Will you BUY any of these inventions? The answers to these questions are up to YOU!

The Royal Wedding By Zhanae Bailey-El

Hear ye Hear ye! Prince William and Kate Middleton were married on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. William and Kate met each other at the University of St. Andrews. They

were engaged on October 20, 2010. Funny thing about it is no one found out about the lovebirds until November 16, 2010. In London, the wedding was at 11:00 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Instead of William and his bride riding to their lifetime ceremony in a modern day car, they rode in the same exact carriage that princess Diana road in her wedding. There were many royalty at the wedding, such as David Becalms, Elvin John, Prince Charles of Whales, Princess Diana Spencer, and more. Kate’s ring was made out of Welsh gold from the Clogau Gold Mine in the Welsh Mountains. The wedding cake was made all white and it had strong floral designs on it with elements from Joseph Lambeth technique.

Gettysburg College & Career Institute

By Nailah Stanford What do you know about Gettysburg? I know some of you learn about Gettysburg because it was a major battle during the Civil War, but what

some of you don’t know is that it is also a great college. The 7th and 8th graders went there and had a great experience. We learned all about college and the expectations for college. I interviewed three 8th graders about what they liked about their Gettysburg experience. Their names are Asia, Aaron, and Tre’von. Q: What did you like about Gettysburg? A: Asia: “It was a different experience and the leaders were fun and we played a lot of games.” A: Aaron: “What I like most about the Gettysburg program was listening to the college students and all the future experiences we will have in college someday.” A: Tre’von: “…That I got to hang out around college students and I got to learn about college.” Gettysburg was a great experience for other students, too. When we went to the college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the dining hall food was great and we were able to go to classes to see what it was like. I personally thought it was nice to be in classes as if we were college students. At the end of it all, we had a scavenger hunt, which was fun. We had to run very fast so that our group could win!

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and participants enjoyed a refreshment of cookies, cake or brownies afterwards. This year’s talent show presented the many skills and talents of our school, displaying the world’s future stars and prodigies.

Earth Day By Dayshirah Giddins

Did you know that Earth Day was April 22? On Earth Day, many people in communities go out and celebrate this day by treating their planet better and solving environmental problems such as pollution, recycling, littering, etc. Ways to help in your community:

• Go out in community and pick up trash • Recycle re-usable things (Plastic items, paper, metal) • Give things you don’t use to others who need it • Use greener transportation (Ride bikes, carpool, and take

buses) • Use greener hair products

Ways to help at Midtown: • Bring your own water bottle and reuse it throughout the day. • Try and use both sides of your paper. • Put paper in recycling bin and NOT trashcan. • Make sure you put your milk cartons into the recycling bin in

lunchroom.

All of these are ways to help your community will get you more involved in being a better part of our world. On Earth Day, there were several different sales going on that maybe you could get a hold of next year on this special day. One of these events was at StarBucks Coffee. Community members could come in and bring a reusable mug and be served free coffee. You could also gain free admission into all 392 U.S national parks from April 22- April 25.

Spring Holidays An exploration of Easter and Passover

By Taylor Tynes

Well I know that April is over, but May is still young so we still celebrate our holidays, no matter what religion we believe in. I celebrate Easter because I’m Christian, but I know that other people in this school have different religions so I’d like to include all major celebrations. Let’s start off with Easter. Easter is April 24th. Easter Sunday is the culmination (end) of Holy Week. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Resurrection means rebirth. It is the most important Christian festival, and one celebrated with the greatest joy. The date of Easter changes each year, and several other Christian festivals fix their dates by reference to Easter. Churches are filled with flowers, and there are special hymns and songs. But not all Easter customs are Christian; some, such as the Easter Bunny, are Pagan in origin.

The Easter Story The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion. His body was taken down from the cross, and buried in a cave. The tomb was guarded and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no-one could steal the body. On the following Sunday, some women visited the grave and found that the stone had been

moved, and that the tomb was empty. Jesus himself was seen that day, and for days afterwards by many people. His followers believed that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Let’s talk about Judaism now. In this section we’ll be discussing Passover. Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar. Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses. Jews have celebrated Passover since about 1300 BC, following the rules laid down by God in Exodus 13.

The story of Passover

Passover is a major spring holiday in Judaism The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus in the Torah. The Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 210 years. God promised he would release them from slavery, but not before Pharaoh had refused their release and God had visited ten plagues on Egypt to demonstrate his power. I used to have a classmate who was Jewish and he said that Passover is celebrated for a whole week!

WOW! That’s a lot of info!

Well, whether you believe in the Holy Bible or the Torah, you’ll always be embraced and loved here at Midtown no matter what race, size, or religion.

Did you attend the Middle School

Potluck? By Lauryn McBroom

Well if you didn’t these are the awesome things that occurred. Well first the 7th graders hosted and they did a fantastic job. I can tell you that we had to prepare a lot before and during the meeting. Each student chose what they wanted to do for the meeting so everybody could contribute. We did have a little help by Ms.Jones. These are the 7th graders that help with the potluck: Dayshirah G, Milan D, Niailah S, Vincent W, Jordyn A, Brooklynde O, Morgan B, Cameron R, Paul H, Taylor T, Kamani H, and James C. Q: Do you think the outcome was good? Brooklynde: Yes because it was very organized. Q: What was your favorite part of the potluck? Milan: Being with friends and eating Q: do you think the 7th graders did a good job of hosting? Kamani:: Yes because we had many ideas and we were creative. The food at the meeting was so good. So thank you everybody for coming to this wonderful meeting. If you didn’t attend there is a last potluck in late May or June, so please come and join us.

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Whip Your Hair By Dayshirah Giddins & Zhanae Bailey-El

Summer is on its way and here are some easy and interesting styles you might like or try:

Most hairstyles are created and styled based on the persons’ personality and their own taste. Some like up styles, down styles, straight styles, curly styles, etc. Three of the major hairstyles that we girls and boys wear during the summer would be a ponytail, braids, and a fade or regular hair cut. These three styles are the most stylish and simple ways to wear your hair this summer. Ways to wear your ponytail:

1. Up to the side 2. Up in a curly ponytail 3. Braided or twisted up into ponytail

Ways to wear your Braids: 1. French Braid 2. Loose Ponytail 3. Up in Mohawk

Ways to wear haircuts 1. Boosie fade 2. Mohawk 3. Shake ups

American Idol! By Ruqayyah Muhammad

Do you want to be America’s Idol? American Idol is a TV show that was created by Simon Fuller where people express their talent and participate in a singing competition to become America’s Idol, but in order to be accepted as America’s idol you have to practice a lot and the judges have to like your performance. You also need the audience vote for you! If they don’t you will not become America’s idol. American Idol is the place where people become famous singers. American Idol has become the most popular television show watched. The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox Network. It was co- hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. In the audition, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who auditioned. Season 2 of American Idol was

moved up to air in January 2003. The number of episodes increased, as did the show budget and the charge for commercial spots. Dunkleman left the show, leaving Seacrest as the lone host. Season 3 of American idol premiered on January 19, 2004. One of the most talked about contestants during the audition process was William Hung. In Season 3 much attention has been on Fantassia Barrino, Latoya London, and Jennifer Hudson. Fantassia Barrino won American Idol for her amazing talent in singing. Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform individually or in groups in a series of rounds. In the first round the contestants emerged in groups but performed individually. For the next round, the contestants split themselves up in two groups and perform a song together. In the final round, the contestants perform solo with a song of their choice a cappella or accompanied by a band. In the 2011 season of American Idol, one of the judges name Simon has left. People thought Simon was unfair and didn’t give people a chance to express their talent. The new judges are Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez. The final four contestants of 2011 are Lauren Alania, Scotty McCreery , Haley Reinhart, James Durbin.

Models for Midtown By Layla Stanford

Hey all you future models. You can be whatever you put your minds to! These students put their minds to becoming fashion models. I think they have the potential and can definitely be models someday. I think they should grow up and be models! I would like to say thanks to all the people who modeled for me. There are a lot of successful models and some that are still modeling, such as Tyra Banks, who has her own show called America’s Next Top Model. Eva Pigford was the winner of the 3rd cycle of America’s Next Top Model. They all are successful and wonderful models, and you can be too! Models Leah Davis, Natassia Celnik, and Zhanae Bailey-El

strike a pose!

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N E W S from the 4th & 5th grades! 4th Grade:

Damaun Weathers Lily Goldsmith Isaiah Rhodes

Ryan Lai

5th grade: Kalyn Pratt

Anaya McCall Paloma Hunter Isabela Sampaio

Healthy Eating – Important Things to Know

By Paloma Hunter and Isabela Samapaoi Food is one of the most important things that a human needs to survive, but are you eating the right ones? The closer a food is to its natural state, the healthier it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so eat more green, orange, and yellow vegetables. Here are some healthy foods you can eat: Fruits and Vegetables: Almost all fruits and vegetables are healthy. Some fruits you might like are apples, oranges, bananas, coconut, honeydew, pineapple, mangos, and pears. Some vegetables you might like are lima beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and sweet potatoes. Nuts: Nuts and nut butters (like peanut butter) are healthy even though they contain fat because they are natural. Some nuts are cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. Grains: Grains like pasta, unsweetened cereals (which can be made from wheat, rice, oats, corn and other grains), and rice (especially brown rice) are good for you too. Tortilla chips are made from corn, which is a grain. Meat: Meat is best eaten in smaller amounts along with vegetables and grains. Pork, beef, chicken, turkey and duck are all considered meat. Dairy: Cheese is healthy for most people. It has a high fat content so it is best eaten in small quantities or as a flavoring – like putting parmesan cheese on top of spaghetti.

Unhealthy Foods: By Kalyn Pratt and Anaya McCall What is junk food? Why is it called that? Junk food is typically defined as food with little nutritional value that is high in calories, fat, sugar, salt or caffeine. It’s Ok if you eat junk food once in a while but not every day. Eating too much of any one thing is not good. Eating a lot of sugar can contribute to developing diabetes. Here are some foods you might want to eat just a few times a year in small quantities:

• Popcorn with a lot of butter (movie theater popcorn does not have real butter on it, it’s fake, like margarine).

• Cotton Candy: It’s 99% sugar • French fries and potato chips: They are deep fried in oil

so they have a lot of fat. They also can have a lot of salt. • Fried Chicken: Also deep fried. The skin of chicken

contains a lot of fat. • Candy: Most candies have a lot of sugar and fat. They

also have a lot of mystery ingredients. Look at the ingredient label and see how many of the ingredients you know the next time you eat a candy bar.

• Fast Food: Usually contains a lot of fat and sugar and it is highly processed. The quantities offered are often dangerously big.

Interesting Fast Food Facts: 1. You would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a super sized coke, fry and Big Mac. 2. In the U.S. we eat more than one million animals an hour. 3. One in every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

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Favorite NBA Teams By Damaun Weathers, Ryan Lai,

and Isaiah Rhoades Do you like basketball? Here are our opinions about our favorite teams. Question: Which is your favorite basketball team and why? Isaiah: I like the Lakers because they work as a team on offense and defense. Damaun: Boston Celtics. Even though they lost a lot of games they still have a positive attitude. Ryan: The Lakers because one person doesn’t take over. They play like a team on offense and defense. Q1: Who is your favorite athlete on the team and why? Isaiah: Kobe Bryant because he knows how to shoot, shares the ball with his teammates, and has magnificent dunks. Damaun: Rajon Rondo, because I like the way he passes the ball to his teammates, even when they are losing. Ryan: Kobe Bryant because he has five rings and he makes good shots and shares the ball with his teammates. Q2: If you were a professional player what team would you like to be on and why? Isaiah: The Lakers because I would like to meet Kobe Bryant and he would teach me his skills and dunks. Damaun: Love and Basketball because it showed all of the steps to go to the NBA and I might be in the NBA. Ryan: Space Jam because Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are in that movie and they were very good when they played in the NBA. Q4: Have you ever been to an NBA game? Isaiah: No, but I watch them on TV and I would like to go to an NBA game one day. Damaun: No I have not but I do watch the games on TV. Ryan: I haven’t but I watch them on TV. Q5: Who is your favorite hall of fame basketball player? Isaiah: Michael Jordan because he was the best at mastering different skills such as shooting and dunking. Damaun: Magic Johnson because I like the way he never gave up and the way that he led his team to a lot of championships. Ryan: Michael Jordan because his skills are great and I really liked his dunks.

Money Tips By Isaiah Rhodes Save it for a rainy day! Saving your money allows you to buy more important and/or enjoyable things. It also means you will have money when you really need it, like in an emergency or to help out a friend. Do you earn an allowance for doing chores? Do you get money as a gift for birthdays or holidays? If you do, you could save your money for a rainy day – meaning, saving it for something that is important to you. It’s easy to spend all of your allowance on candy every week, but after a few months, what do you have to show for it? Cavities? If you save five dollars every week for a year, by the end of the year you will have $260.00!!!! (Multiply 5 X 52). Just think of the things you could use it for? Or, better yet, save it and have even more money. Saving money allows you to move forward in life. I asked Mr. Greenawalt a few questions about saving money. Isaiah: When you get your paycheck what is the first thing you think of saving for? Mr. Greenawalt: At my age, I’m thinking about saving for my retirement. I know that the more money I save now the more I’ll have when I retire at age 65. Plus, money earns money (this is called interest) when it is in a savings account. Isaiah: How much money do you like to save? Mr. Greenawalt: I like to save as much as I can. I feel very lucky that I have all the basic things that a person needs like food and a place to sleep, and I don’t really need more things, so this allows me to save. Most people in the world have much less than the average American. Isaiah: If you had a billion dollars what would you do to change the world? Mr. Greenawalt: I would give the money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization which financially supports areas of need around the world, including education.

Universal Studios By Lily Goldsmith Recently, I went to Orlando, Florida. I went to Island of Adventure a sister-park of Universal’s main park. I went to the newest edition of the park: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal had tons of people inside the park going to the Harry Potter Park. In fact, so many, that they had to block off the gate and said, “Please come back in an hour. The park is too crowded.” We came back and entered Hogsmead, the main shopping district. But the first thing I did was get n line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I waited in a long line for an hour. At the 35 minute mark, the line goes into the castle. Just like in the books, the pictures move! You walk through different classrooms and hallways in Hogwarts. You finally get into a room where you sit on a bench, and put on your safety bar. The ride takes place in just one room, with scenes with Harry Potter and his friends projected on the wall. Dementors and spiders jump out at you and shoot water and fog at you. The seat turns and goes upside down. It was a little scary, but a lot of fun. I think it was well worth the wait. After that, my parents and I went into the little village of Hogsmead. We looked at all the stores, but almost all of them had long lines. We went in Filch’s Imporium. I got a Gryffinder hoodie. Then I went to Honeydukes and Zonko’s. I didn’t get anything at Zonko’s, but I got a chocolate frog at Honeydukes. Over all, I had a lot of fun!

[April/May] :: [2011] The Academy News

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An Interview with Ms. Nancy By Lily Goldsmith You may or may not know, but my grandmother, Nancy Cooper Morgan, volunteers in the art room. I’m in fourth grade right now and Ms. Nancy has been volunteering with my class since I was in kindergarten. Ms. Nancy has hardly ever missed a class, too. She helps students with their projects. I was wondering how Ms. Nancy got involved in the art room. “Well, Lily was in kindergarten. I saw on the bulletin board a request for help organizing art supplies.” she told me. I asked her if she has or has had any artistic background or hobbies. “I have always been interested in art, but never had the confidence to attempt it. I put my creative energy into writing instead.” Ms. Nancy said. Ms Nancy said, “My favorite project the class did was making shadow-puppets a few years ago because I helped them write scripts and we also did theater exercises for relaxation and concentration. The project ended in a performance.” “It is fun and a joy to work with fourth grade because this is my fifth year with the art class and the students are creative and serious and fun. They ask for my help and it makes me feel special.” Ms. Nancy said. I personally think it’s cool that she’s done this for five years. “I feel privileged to assist in the art room with Mr. Greenawalt, Mr. McDonald, and every student.” Ms Nancy concluded.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! By: Taylor Tynes

"One, two. Red's calling for you. Three, four. Better lock your door. Five, six. Grab your crucifix. Seven, eight. Gunna stay up late. Nine, ten. Never sleep again." (Masterpiece movie lines.com) You may or may not recognize this horror movie line but that’s ok because this line shall keep you safe for all eternity, but you must not defy its meaning or your life will unfortunately be cut short. Better not forget it. Personally I’m not a horror film fan myself, but I wanted to know what you think and what’s the buzz around monsters under the bed and creepy

crawlers in the closet. I interviewed someone to get the “SPOOKY SCOOP.” Here’s what I asked and they thought: Q: Have you seen any horror films previously? A: Morgan Bonner: Yes I saw the movie Insidious. Q: What was it about? A: Morgan Bonner: It was about a little boy who got possessed by a spirit in his home that was haunted. I ask Morgan if she enjoys scaring people and she replied yes because she likes seeing the look on their faces! So watch out people, because you never know, Morgan may try to spook you! If you ever see me in one of these “haunted hallways” you can give me some more on the “SPOOKY SCOOP” and maybe I’ll do a part two to this article!

Kids’ Korner ‘

Springtime Wordsearch By Dayshirah & Jordyn EXERCISE ORANGE FLOWERS OUTSIDE FUN PINK GREEN PLAYGROUND LIGHT SPRING TIME SUNNY WEDDINGS SWIMMING YELLOW

PHOTO OF THE MONTH! Friends Corey Royster, Desmond Campbell, Kyndle Terrell-Jones, and Elijah Claiborne chill out on the new Playworks bench!

Z E Z Y O I L Y G F V M C W K P C H M I I E N N U Z C M M L L G Q K G D Q A O N Z B K U Q A I E H I C H P P H U Z X J B Y W T S G N I M M I W S Z K N G W T X I E A L K E L C Y W A R U W A J C E Q J Y A X E N S O Y B X S P R I N G K D L S R U R J G T R V E C T D J L U E N F A K M Z V T X I G X O E W D V N N U H P J N E L V W M O W I G C G E B G I B D X P I L P B Y H N E S N Y H Q S X T F X J G P I Z W G N E E R G A N R W M N M M F U N A D J X S I Can you

Sudoku? Sudoku & jokes by Nailah

What do you call a ham you really want? Pork-you-pine! What has two humps and is at the North Pole? A lost camel! What is a monster’s favorite song? “Ghouls just wanna have fun!” What do you call a short psychic who escaped from jail? A small medium at large