From Our Freezer... The Ice Cube!!!!

The History of October 

            October is a month of ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and lots of candy. There are pumpkins, costumes, and squirrels collecting their winter food. This is probably why October is Squirrel Awareness Month. October is more known for Halloween though, so for October, it seemed appropriate to discuss the history of this spooky holiday.

            Halloween is that it is one of the oldest holidays still celebrated. It started two thousand years ago with the Celts. They celebrated a day called Samhain on which they believed the ghosts of the dead visited them. It was October 31^st. They observed this holiday by burning crops and sacrificing animals. The animals sacrificed were cats and horses.  This is where the relationship between black cats and Halloween first started.

Celts would also wear costumes usually made of animal skins and heads to tell each others’ fortunes. This is most likely where the idea of costumes comes from.

            Soon, when the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined Samhain with two of their festivals called Feralia and a second to honor Pomona, a Roman Goddess. She was known as the goddess of fruit, her symbol the apple. This explains the modern day tradition of bobbing for apples.

            As Christian influence came into the land, they adopted some of these traditions, moving them to November first, making their own holiday. They called it All Saints Day, or All-Hallowmas. Eventually, people began calling the night before All-Hallows Eve and then Halloween.

            As Europeans came to America, they brought their various styles of Halloween celebrations with them. The different ethnic groups began to mesh ideas and Halloween became a day to celebrate the harvest, share stories of the deceased, tell fortunes, and dance. In the middle of the nineteenth century, autumn festivals were common, but Halloween still had not spread throughout the entire country. When, the Irish began to immigrate and bring new customs, including those brought to them by the Celts, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go door-to-door asking for food or money.

           

            By the 1920s and 30s, Halloween became community centered with parties for the whole town. About that time though, vandalism began to disrupt Halloween celebrations. That slowed in the 1950s when the baby boom made it a more child friendly holiday. To do so, trick-or-treating began and a new tradition was born. Trick-or-treating became a danger in the 1970s when rumors that Halloween candy had been poisoned began to circulate. Parents were worried that their kids would find razors or toxins in their treats. It was later discovered that most of the concern was pointless because almost none of the candy was found to be dangerous.

           

            Today, Halloween is a day with parties, sweets, and sadly, this year, school. After hitting the books though, hit the streets and fill your pillow cases to the top. Happy Halloween!

Its Tradion From Kitty ( I think)

Happy Halloween!  It’s that time of year, and all the festivities are starting up again; carving jack-o-lanterns, trick or treating, going to costume parties and corn mazes, bobbing for apples, telling scary stories, and watching horror movies.   These are all super fun and festive, but how did they start??

 It’s up to you, but I think whoever can say how these traditions originated ought to go on Jeopardy.  So, get ready to find out!

Believe it or not, the tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns began in Ireland, when people carved turnips to commemorate lost souls, specifically for All Souls Day on November 2.  Irish immigrants brought the tradition to North America, where the pumpkin was discovered to be more practical because it was larger and easier to carve than the turnip.   The jack-o-lantern became a symbol of the harvest season in general before it become an emblem of Halloween.

 It wasn’t until poet John Greenleaf associated this custom with Halloween in 1850 that it became a popular tradition.  Maybe you’ll think more about it when you create your jack-o-lanterns this weekend!!

Trick or treating… even if some of us don’t do it anymore, I think we can all agree that it’s fun to dress up in costumes and get free candy!  The history is actually a lot more interesting than you might think (no,  a kid didn’t just come up with the idea of getting free candy and decided to dress up in a costume to get it!). 

Trick or treating is similar to the medieval practice of souling, when poor citizens would beg door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for the souls of the dead on All Souls Day (November 2).  It originated in Ireland and England, though alike practices happened as far south as Italy! 

Now, to completely understand the history of trick or treating, we obviously need to discuss the origin of dressing up in costumes! It actually can be traced back to Celtic traditions when people impersonated supernatural figures such as ghosts, monsters, skeletons, witches, and devils.  Eventually, people began to dress up as popular fictional characters and celebrities. 

Dressing up became popular in the U.S. in the early 20^th century, but it actually started in Scotland in the late 19^th century.  The first mass-produced Halloween costumes were sold in stores in the 1930s, when trick or treating became popular. 

So, happy Halloween and have fun carving jack-o-lanterns, trick or treating, or whatever it may be that makes this holiday special for you!

By Agent C

You Decide Who’s Best

Did you know that there is a feud at School ? A war amongst the language students? Yes, it is true, my fellow students, a war of the highest caliber. The question being debated? Which language is the best? Would it be energy filled Spanish, the brainy and historic Latin, or the mysterious and romantic French? Several students give their opinion. “Spanish is a more practical language for any American to take,” states eighth grader Little A. But Latin has a quick comeback against this statement. “Latin is the most fun- you get to play games and talk about the culture of the people,” retorts Double N , a Latin Two student. But then the crepe eating Frenchies have their say too. “WE get to eat croissants and crepes! You can’t do that in Spanish! J’aime le francias!!!” declares ‘Lucie’  Almost every student has their own opinion. Even the lucky few who don’t have to worry about becoming bilingual have their point of view.  “I would prefer to take French because not a ton of people take it, so it’s unique,” says an anonymous student here at school. Who will reign supreme? Which language is the best?

A Few From the Annoying ( ur great A but show up more offen)

Back in a Blink

  Blink 182’s new album after nearly eight years is not what I expected, which is not a bad thing. I was expecting an album that was going to try and address becoming dads and mature relationships and well, dealing with almost dying. What I got was an album about some man-children trying to grow up and realizing that they don’t want to. Blink 182 was the band who first got me into good music, way back in 5^th grade. The first CD I actually bought was Blink 182’s greatest hits after hearing I Miss You on the radio. Neighborhoods reminds me of that CD. All of the songs on Neighborhoods are good, and in some cases, great. Some songs that stand out are “Snake Charmer” and “Ghost on the Dance Floor”.  Blink 182 mixes it up on this album, the toilet humor is gone as well as the band trying to go in a heaver direction, such as on “Up All Night”. Travis Barker is also showcased in many of the songs, which, surprisingly, works. His solos don’t seem drawn out, but rather, provides a contrast to Mark Hoppus’s vocals, which plays off nicely. Overall Blink 182 delivers a strong album that doesn’t stray that far from their poppy punk formula, which is a good thing. After all, why fix it if it ain’t broke?        

                                                                                                                                             

Why Does Occupy Wall Street Matter

  Almost a month ago, protesters began to congregate outside of major banks on Wall Street in New York City. Now, there is nearly a dozen different “Occupy Wall Street” campaigns going on in various cities, from London and even to Denver, but they have not, nor will, accomplish anything. Why? Because the “protesters” have no real cause to all rally behind, nor any organization that would support them. Some are there to protest the reckless spending and greed that has infected Wall Street, others to protest the many governmental leniencies that have been put onto those banks, and there’s still countless other mini protests or just people there for the spectacle. This is just like the riots that have gone on London over the summer because both Occupy Wall Street and the riots are grown out of apathy and boredom. I’m not saying that the world’s economy isn’t MESSED UP, it’s true when they say that less than one percent of the world’s population owns more than forty percent of the world’s wealth, and that’s just not right. But the stock brokers that work on Wall Street are largely not in that one percent. Occupy Wall Street is the liberal version of the Tea Party, trying to rock the boat to produce change, yet not willing to get wet. And sadly it has become almost embarrassing because liberals were always able to say, “WE aren’t the ones bringing guns to town meetings or threatening to shut our government DOWN because we don’t want the debt ceiling to be raised.” And now the Tea Party can say, “At least we didn’t march on Wall Street dressed as zombies.” That’s why Occupy Wall Street matters, not because it’s going to change our economy, but because it’s going to prolong the life span of the Tea Party.

                                                                                                                              

Little Red and Our Soon To Be Ruler

A Holiday Scramble

Unscramble these words to identify the holiday fraise

* Hint number two has two letters for the puzzle ( spaces 2.a and 2. b)

1. olyhaid                                 7 tnaaas lsuac

2. ppppaa grerw                       8 sstrcmhtia

3 seeprstn                                 9 leldngds

4 lmayif                                    10 naazknw

5 kahnhua                                 11 ewn ryae

6 nwnmoas                               12 nwos seaklf

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ____ ____ ____  ____

  1    2.a  2.b    3    4     5    6      7     8      9      10     11     12   

Winter

Lonely as a window

Sweet as a lemon

Winter makes me scared.

It reminds me of

That poet who died

All alone, frozen in her cabin.

Winter tears at my warm skin

It’s winds howling with sadness

As it looks for a friend

It covers the land with snow

In hopes of hiding it’s ways

A freezing sugar dust

Frozen, frigid, freighting

Winter dances to a melody

Where remorse for death is found

It feels regret for what its done

Bringing on pain and sorrow

Feeling others aches

Winter makes the area

Into a wonderland

As the fruits of its labor come

It will continue on

Forever

In its endless cycle

Perhaps, one day

Winter will feel

The simple warmth of summer.

Ballerina of the Ice

Her hair has been tied

Up in that tight knot

The smile says she has not lied

But if anyone knew what she sought

Floating gracefully on the thin sheets of glass

Movements gentle like mother

Appealing to all ages

As she connects with her pseudo love

Glistening globes streak her cheek

When she comes off her frozen stage

They she shouldn’t look so weak

But her heart yearns in its cage

Can they not see

That this will be her grave?

If she is not set free

She’ll sink beneath death’s wave

What she deeply wishes

Is against society’s ways

She’ll soon sleep within the water

Which she once skated upon.

Answers to top thing

1. holiday                                 7. Santa Claus

2.wrapping paper                     8.Christmas

3. presents                                9. sledding

4. family                                   10. Kwanzaa

5. Hanukkah                             11. new year

6. snowman                              12. snow flakes

Holiday Fraise: Happy Holidays

Sorry I"m Still Working On It

Did you go see the Lion King at the Buell Theater? The Lion King musical is based on the Disney movie from 1994. In September of 2011 the movie was re-released in 3D. There was also the children’s TV show “ Timon and Pumba”. The Lion King follows the life of a young lion named Simba. His parents, Mufasa and Sarabi, rule over the local lions at Pride Rock. Mufasa’s younger brother ,Scar, is enraged at the birth on Simba, who claims future rights to the thrown. Scar and his hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, create a stamped of wilderbeasts, causin Mufasa to die. Simba runs aways from home and is raised by Timon and Pumba. Timon, a meerkat, and Pumba, a worthog, teach Simba the art of “hakuna matata”, meaning no worries. Simba returns to Pride Rock and re-gains his rule as the Lion King. The show was filled with masks, a fenomal pit and specail effects rocked the theater. Actors of all ages opperated movable masks and birds of paridice as they danced in the ilses and balconies. After the show, cast members collected donations benifiting aids reserch. All – in- all it was a great show with a fun plot, that is helping Africa. ( lionking.com)

How did the Grinch Steal Christmas?

“ How the Grinch stole Christmas” was written by Dr. Seuss in 1947 and is printed by Random House books. We all know the story of how one mean man ruins Christmas. The Grinch, an unhappy “man” and his dog , Max, live high upon Mt. Crumpit. Down below, the Whos living in WhoVille are starting to celebrate Christmas. The Grinch and Max go down to WhoVille  in the middle of the night and take all of the children’s presents and decorations. When the Whos awake they still celebrate Christmas. When the Grinch discovers this, he realizes the true meaning of Christmas. “ How  the Grinch Stole Christmas”  has become a classic TV special (1996) and a fun movie ( 2000) staring Jim Carrey. HGSC also became a musical for Old Globe Theater in San Diego ( 1998) and a Broadway Production in 2008. Finally, The Grinch and Max became characters in Dr. Seuss’s TV show “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss”.

Who is Santa Claus?

Around the world Santa goes by many names. They varie from Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and  Kris Kringle.We all know the lengand of Santa Claus. He’s portade as a heavy set, white bearded man who, with the help of his elves and his team of reindeer, deliver presents around the world. His reindeer have become synonamos for christmas. They include Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, Dixon, Cupid, Commit and Ruddoff. Santa , and his wife “ Mrs. Claus” have greatly impacted our modern culture. Songs such as “ I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” “ Santa Claus is Coming to Town”and “ Santa Baby” have become popular. Movies like “ Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” “ Elf” “Prep and Landing” and the “Santa Claus” seires are commonly shown on TV during the holdiay season. There are many tradtions around santa. For starters, children write santa with their Chirsmas wishlists and set out cookies for him on Chirstmas eve. Stockings are hung by the chimmney to be filled and cartoes or hay is layed out for the reinder in some countries. Santa, his helpers, and Mrs. Claus live in Santa’s workshop on the North Pole. Santa is known around the world as Father Christmas , Sinterklaas, the Good saint, Tomte or Nisse. The legands of santa claus orginate from the dutch, scandiavians and english.Today, Santa is a symbol for Christmas and giving. Next time you see santa remember where he came from and who he is. Track santa and his journies at www.noradsanta.org

Don’t Be Bored over Winter Break!

Looking for fun, and cheep things to do this Christmas?  There are many great places to check out this holiday season. First, check out the Denver zoo’s walk of lights ( December 9^th through January 1^st).. Tickets range from $5 to $9. Bring in cans of non-perishable food for a $1 off admission prices. Next, go to Olde Golden Christmas on Parade. In Golden, Santa can be seen on a unicycle with Victorian carolers and more. The parade has its final run on Saturday December 17. Parking is free along with free admission and horse-drawn carriages. On December 16^th and 17^th head down to the Molly brown house for a reading to “ ‘Twas the night before Christmas”  along with a tour , all in candle light. Tickets are $16 dollars for teens and adults.  Come see Santa in Larimer Square from 10 am -7pm every weekend. Bring your camera ( and your younger siblings) for this free advent! Gather up your friends and go skating at Evergreen Lake! Make sure to call the skating hotline ( 720-880-1391) for ice thickness. Go to the Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street. Also check out the Trail of Lights the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. Both events are open from December 2^nd to January 1^st from 5:30- 9:30. Each event costs $9:50 for adults.

Still Me

A week of goofy outfits, music during passing , and a pep rally, all leading up to one thing. Homecoming. A huge football game and the dance.

Friday night, Denver North and Jag fans alike poured into Trailblazer stadium decked in spirit wear, waving rally towels and listening to our amazing marching band, all hoping for a win.

But there can only be one winner, I’m happy to say, we walked about victorious 42 to 0! Way to go Jags. An amazing performance by are marching band, and the crowning of our homecoming royalty started off this weekend of fun!

How did you get ready for the dance? With friends? At home? At a salon? Well, however you got ready, Saturday night  was one to remember! The gym and halls were decked out in glitter, dancing lights and streamers. Rocking out to Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Did you party rock shuffle? Or dance with the special someone? Saturday was a night of pictures, dancing , and midnight curfews, dresses and refreshments. Something to laugh about at lunch. Did you go? Great! If not, make sure to go next year!

the  performing arts department has been in full swing over the last couple of weeks.  The activities started off with a bang when local billionaire is suddenly murder in a Chinese restaurant. Murder on The Orient Express directed by Mr. M, was a hilarious play involving twelve suspects with motive for murder, poison tea, and spooky fortune cookies that had me laughing in my seat.

The Jr. and Sr. choir classes had their first concerts of the year this month. The Jr. high choir started off the week with stunning performances of the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. Later in the week, the Sr. choir sang Babethandaza, a South Africa folk song to Hawaii Five- O. The concert choir also preformed the Star Spangled Banner and the show choir  preformed Disco Survives, a medley of fun, fast beat music. And finally, the women’s choir beautifully sang If I Knew You Were Coming I’d’ve Baked a Cake, and Come Pretty Love .