Daily Archives: December 11, 2013

Christmas Miracle

At WestJet, workers set up a box with a seemingly virtual santa on a screen, asking passengers for one particular flight what they would like for Christmas. The workers who were listening in took notes and then went out shopping for all of those things. Later, the passengers had gotten off the plane and were waiting for the luggage carousel to start. When it did, the first things that came out was not their luggage, but packages containing what each of them asked for, for Christmas. Not a single wish was left out, even the big screen TV and android tablet were given.

I think that this is just absolutely astounding, in a good way. It’s incredible that workers at an airport plus some volunteers would do this for 250+ people. It was nice to see some of them crying from happiness. Some lucky people got flights home for the holidays. I think that it is sweet of the volunteers and workers to do something so extreme. The airport surprise was truly a Christmas miracle and, I think, thing like that should be done more often, especially for the poor.

 ~Katherine

They are just like you

Down Syndrome is when a child is born with 47 chromosomes instead of 46. You could also call this Trisomy 21. It delays the child’s mental and physical developments. In the USA, it affects 1 in every 800 babies. This syndrome can’t be prevented but can be learned before the child is born. Scientists know that women 35 years of age and older do have a higher risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome affects the kids mentally as well as physically. They usually have trouble doing things themselves so they need assistance with the harder things they do. These kids can do things that everyone else does but they will learn to do things and learn in school much slower than the other kids.

I have a sister that has down syndrome and she loves school. Nobody treats her differently. I think kids with a need of any kind are more interesting than regular people. They are more outgoing than others and are very fun to be with. I’ve heard stories of people bullying others with a need but I don’t see that at all now. Kids don’t really bully each other in general actually. The kids who speak to the special needs love them. The kids with needs always have smiles when we talk to them and it makes their day. I think all that they really need is someone to guide them in the right path during their different but interesting life.

~Nicole

Behind the Scenes Cheerleader

Let’s Go Rams! R-A-M-S, Let’s Go RAMS! Cheerleading teams typically have a mascot or symbol for their team. In competition cheerleading, the cheer part of the routine generally chants about their mascot. The basic setup of a cheer routine consists of a cheer, a partner stunt, a basket toss, a pyramid, a dance, jumps, and tumbling. Each stunt group has four main parts: the flyer (girl on top), the main base (main person holding foot), the side base (other person holding foot) and the back spot (supports back of flyer). In case you didn’t know, a partner stunt is a stunt that is executed with your own stunt group only. A basket toss is where the flyer steps on the bases hands, is thrown up in the air to do a cool trick, and then is caught in a cradle position. A pyramid is where multiple stunt groups come together to perform a cool trick/stunt. Most cheerleading competitions are scored based on multiple skills by judges. The places are first, second and third, and if you get a high enough score, you advance into the next competition.

Competition cheerleading is such a competitive sport. I love going to all my competitions because not only is it fun to perform, but it is fun to watch the skill of other teams as well. How are skills of each cheer team separated you ask? There are separate divisions: white is the easiest level, blue is the hardest level, and red is the in between level. I competed in the blue level, and although there was hard competition, it was a great experience to get a feel for what sort of teams we will be up against in the future. Throughout my competition experience in CJF I have learned to always challenge yourself no matter the difficulty, because the outcome will be much greater than than the time and effort you put into it.

~Samantha

Bullying can be Worse Than it Sounds

 

Bullying is a big topic in most schools. It could be cyber or personal bullying. Cyber bullying is when someone bullies another person online. Most of the time when cyber bullying happens it’s through social media. Personal bullying is when it happens at school, work, the playground, or even at a friends house. The definition of bullying is “Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.  A bully could be anyone anywhere.

Every time I hear about bullying its normally at an annual school assembly. When I hear the teachers talk about bullying I don’t actually pay attention until they start to tell us about the stories about some bully victims. Some of the stories you hear really will break your heart. Most of them are about students who attempted suicide or who have actually commited it. Did you know that there are 4,400 deaths every year from suicide caused by bullying? Also that there are at least 100 suicide attempts every year? Next time you see someone getting bullied please stick up for them so that they aren’t added to the statistics.

~Cecilia

Black “Eyed” Friday

Many people have come to know the Friday after Thanksgiving as one of the biggest retail shopping days of the year. “For many, Black Friday is a part of their annual tradition. Eat until nauseated on Thanksgiving, pass out in a food coma, and then wake up early and fight crowds for $10 off a video game or $100 off of a television” (Beforeitsnews 1). There is one thing most people are unaware of when it comes to Black Friday shopping, and that is the dangers that come with it. A few years ago, a Wal-Mart stampede caused a miscarriage and led to one employee being killed. Also, just last year a woman pepper sprayed others in a battle for a video game. People are getting more violent as they fight over toys, electronics, and clothing just for what they think is a good discount.

Last year was the first (and last) time I will ever go Black Friday shopping. I went to Target with my mom at around 10:00 in the morning thinking that many of the early morning shoppers had already left. We were surprised to find it was exactly the opposite. Once we parked and hiked through the parking lot, we walked in to find people running and yelling, getting knocked over, jumping for things, and slamming into people. It was completely insane! As soon as we saw what was going on we wanted to leave, but it took  20 minutes just to get to the exit. I think that it is just better to stay at home on Black Friday and not go shopping. No matter how good the deals may be, it is not worth it!

~Liz

The New Stickball

Lacrosse is a fast paced and interesting sport. It originated from the Native American Indians and was known as stickball. They played on very large fields that could stretch up to 3 miles with valleys, woods and more. They played with carved wooden sticks for a shaft and a strung head attached to the shaft made of straw and wood that they used to throw and catch the ball with which was made of wood, covered with deerskin. They played with any amount of players from 100 to 100,000.  The rules were, each team had to throw the ball to each other and could only use their lacrosse sticks to catch and throw the ball and make it to the other teams goal where they tried to shoot the ball in the goal and score. Today’s lacrosse is similar to the Native Americans but now the fields are about 120 yards and the players wear equipment. Also the lacrosse stick and ball today are very different, for example the stick and head now is made of aluminum and is is strung from thick colored string and the ball is made from rubber.

I enjoy playing and watching the game because its an exciting and fun sport. Its the adrenaline rush I get when I’m playing and the amazing feeling of running down the field with the ball to score a goal that I find really cool. But the best part is hanging out and playing with my friends and being a part of a team.  Obviously its always a great feeling to win a game but even when my team loses I still love the sport. Seeing that the popularity of lacrosse  has grown exponentially over the last few years, perhaps there will be a Dodd team?

~Davis

A Paradoxical Fate

Paul Walker’s death on November 20th, 2013 was a surprise to many viewers of his movies all over the world. He had been a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT when his friend, Roger Rodas, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole as well as several trees. Many theories as to how the car crashed have been stated, yet it has been determined that the collision was not caused by another driver. Walker’s autopsy report has shown that he was not instantly killed by the crash, but had died after suffering from damaging injuries and the sweltering heat once the car caught fire. Recent production of the new movie Fast & Furious 7 has been paused at the moment. However, Universal Studios has not decided to discontinue the film after his death. Because of the sum of money the movies had managed to scrape up, they aren’t certain if recasting a new actor or rewriting the script would be appropriate

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“If one day the speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling.” Walker was known for the role of Brian O’ Connor in the Fast & Furious movies. I, as well as millions of others, find the crash extremely ironic. After working on the set of the Fast & Furious for over ten years, the actor had learned to drive like a professional. Although he was not in the driver’s seat, it was safe to say that the accident could’ve been avoided. Walker was “a natural” at racing on set and learned very quickly. If he was in such a high speed vehicle, then why did he trust his friend to be the chauffeur? The distinguished star left behind a family that cherished and appreciated him. Paul Walker is a memorable man who will be missed by fans who couldn’t ask for a better role model.

~Jenny