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Vol 13, Dec. 2006 PAW Prints |
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Vol 13, Dec. 2006 PAW Prints |
Our school has spirit!
There is evidence of caring
and giving everywhere you look at Presidio!
From canned goods, to a giving tree in the counseling
office. Teachers and staff chose
names of children from the giving tree, and went out and bought that child what
he wrote on his wish list.
Now that’s a wonderful
idea! Next year, we’re thinking of
opening it up to students, so that students can be a needy child’s secret
“Santa” and make a little child smile on Christmas morning. We’ll have further information on student
participation in the giving tree next year, as it develops. You are always welcome to contact this charity
organization or drop a new toy off to your local neighborhood fire station.
And speaking of caring, have you seen the canned food bins outside of Ms. Clisham’s office? They are full of generous donations from students, staff and families who care about people who might be hungry this holiday season. Presidio’s heart is in the right place with our annual canned food drive!
Winter Dance
by Helen Totterdell
The winter dance was
Tuesday, December 12th!!! We
had great dancing and cool jams from DJ Rex.
If you brought in 4 cans for the canned food drive, admission to the
dance was free! Thank you for all your
contributions and kindness during this holiday season! 
PENNY MADNESS!
You must have heard by now
that
But wait, what’s this? It’s penny madness! Now we’re burning pennies in science class?
Mr. Gortney and Ms. Karsant are both conducting experiments with copper in Science class. That adds a whole new meaning to “they’ve got money to burn”!
WELCOME, 2007!
Well, it’s almost the new year, 2007! Have you made any plans for ringing in the New Year? Any new year’s resolutions?
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
By Andy Chen
Thanksgiving,
another name for the Harvest Festival, is an annual one-day holiday to give
thanks (Traditionally to God) at the close of the harvest season. Thanksgiving
is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Pilgrims first celebrated in
In the
middle of the Civil War, President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving
Day, to be celebrated in the final Thursday of November. President Roosevelt
changed Thanksgiving to the next-to-last Thursday of November rather than the
last as
This shows
that Thanksgiving is celebrated throughout history for giving thanks, as a
victory celebration, and as a way to help
Thanksgiving is mostly celebrated by a feast, and traditionally with a turkey and stuffing. The pilgrims had the feast with the Native Americans as thanks for teaching them farming techniques.
Thanksgiving is a time thanks for the things you have and your parents for bringing you into this world.
History of Thanksgiving
by: Elisa Ho &
Bonita Hugh
The history of Thanksgiving began when Pilgrims and Native Americans
gathered together to celebrate a successful harvest. The first Thanksgiving was
held in the fall of 1621, sometime between September 21 and November 11, and
was a three-day feast. The Pilgrims were joined by approximately 90 of the
local Wampanoag tribe, including Chief Massasoit, in celebration. They ate fowl
and deer for certain and most likely also ate berries, fish, clams, plums, and
boiled pumpkin.
National holiday in the United States
commemorating the Pilgrims' celebration of the harvest gathered by the Plymouth
Colony in 1621, after a winter of great starvation and privation. The
celebration was probably held in October. The neighboring Wampanoags, who
outnumbered the colonists, joined them for three days and contributed food to
the celebration. The first proclaimed day of thanksgiving in the colony was not
held until 1623 (probably at the end of July), following an improvement in
prospects for the still struggling colony, and was a day of prayer, not
feasting.
After the American Revolution the first
national Thanksgiving Day, proclaimed by President George Washington, was
In 1939-1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced
Thanksgiving the next-to-last Thursday in November. Conflicts arose between
RECIPES
by Elisa and Bonita and
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
15-oz can pumpkin
9-inch graham cracker crust
1. Beat softened cream cheese until it is fluffy.
2. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk until mixture is
smooth
3. Add beaten egg, mix well.
4. Add 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, all of the nutmeg, and
cloves; mix well.
5. Add pumpkin, mix well.
6. Pour batter into pie crust. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon on
top of pie.
7. Bake at 300 degrees for 55-60 minutes or till set. Cool completely, and then chill before serving.
Christmas Berry
Mocha Fudge
1/4 pound butter
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
3 1/2 cups of sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of instant coffee
10 ounces Hershey's Raspberry chocolate chips
2 ounces (2 squares) bittersweet chocolate
7 ounces marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Method:
1. In a heavy saucepan melt the butter.
2. Add evaporated milk, sugar, and
coffee.
3. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly until
the
temperature reaches 235 degrees F.
4. Remove from heat and raspberry
chocolate chips and the bittersweet chocolate.
5. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are melted.
6. Add the marshmallow crème and stir until blended.
7. Stir in
the vanilla. Pour into a lightly greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Cut in bite sized
squares when cooled: (Source:
foodnetwork.com).
2-48 oz. (1.36 L) cans pineapple
juice
1-40 oz. (1.14 L) bottle cranberry
juice
2-750 ml bottles soda water
1 liter strawberry, raspberry or
lime sherbet
Method:
1. In a punch bowl, mix both juices.
2. Pour in soda water.
3. Top with scoops of sherbet or top it with whipped cream.
Makes about 16/1-cup (250 ml) servings.
Source: www.northpole.com
What Is Christmas Really
All About?
Savannah
Kuang, Bonita Hugh, and Elisa Ho
Every year at Christmas, you end up getting presents under your Christmas tree, you have a very nice dinner with lots of goodies and a wonderful assortment, and you are full of joy when you take pictures with your family, at a reunion sometimes, or are just happy to spend family time together to cherish the most wonderful memories of your life. For many families, Christmas is one of them.
Christmas is a wonderful time to give presents, have feasts, spend quality time with family and friends, and mainly to light up your holiday spirit. It’s not always about giving presents; it’s all about having the love of winter again. The origins of Christmas have to do with the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and the gifts the 3 wise men brought to the baby king. But this once pagan holiday was combined with the Christian birthday story, and is now an indelible part of history for much of the world.
Years later, the story of St. Nicholas was introduced. The real St. Nicholas was said to bring toys to children who had none. After years of children leaving their stockings out drying on the fireplace in the hopes of having them magically filled, the retail market took off with this idea and now it has grown to be a season of gift buying, decorating trees, hanging stockings and mailing Christmas cards.
Even if we don’t celebrate Christianity or the Jewish religion, we do know that it takes a greeting to show your holiday spirit and to know how much joy this season brings. Remember, December 25th is the day, and remember to wear the colors green, white, and red! Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays!
Chanukah
By Chris Hernandez-Lara
Hanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays because it’s around the time of Christmas. This holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights or Festival of Rededication, is very important for the Jewish community. For those of you of you that don’t know, this is an eight day holiday (that means 8 days of no school! )
Each night for eight nights, a candle on a menorah is lit. An extra light called a shasmash, meaning guard is also lit each night, and is given a special location, usually higher or lower than the others. There are many different and distinct designs for menorahs. Some of the more new ones are made of lead came and copperfoil glasswork, giving it a modern look. But no matter how a menorah looks it is used for the same cause and is very important in this great holiday.
This Festival is started by the kindling of lights on each of the eight nights. Hanukkah will start at sundown on the evening before December 16 and end after sundown on December 23.
Ramadan
by Helen Totterdell
Ramadan is a month-long Islamic holiday in which their religion is extremely stressed. There are many things that are not allowed during the day during Ramadan, such as eating, drinking and smoking and are to refrain from anger, envy, etc. The purity of thought and action are very important. Fasting is believed to cleanse the inner soul and keep it free from harm. It also gives Muslims the opportunity to learn self-discipline, sacrifice and sympathy for those who are less fortunate. There are a few exemptions for fasting, like kids before they hit puberty, pregnant women and people with an illness. These people are encouraged to feed more needy people instead.
How Stressed Out Are You?
Helen T. and
Indra E.
How often do you get headaches?
a. Almost never.
b. At least once a week.
If your answers were mostly A’s. .
.
You’re completely at ease, and people like that about you which helps you stay in a better mood. Keep up the good work!
If your answers were mostly B’s. . .
You’re normally stressed out, like every middle school student. But don’t worry, everybody has their cloudy days.
If your answers were mostly C’s. . .
You are way too stressed out. Try to get some fresh air, and more sleep. Find your happy place, and you will feel much better, and hopefully you’ll have energy to do your normal middle school activities.
MEDITATION GROUP
at Presidio
Do you have stress in your life? Do you ever feel like you have just too much
to think about? Too much to do? Do tests make you anxious? Are you frazzled? Sleepless?
Did you know that you can learn a technique to calm down, and de-stress,
right here at Presidio?
Ms. Fairchild is leading a morning meditation club on
Wednesdays. The first five weeks were
November 15, 22, 29, and December 3 and 10.
The next 5 weeks will be January 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31. Meetings are limited to 20 students, due to
the size of the room. It’s from
An introduction to each type of meditation begins each program, with a check in of intentions. We then begin the relaxation with simple stretches, followed by sitting on mats, listening to the sounds of life, checking in with our own breath, the sensations we are experiencing, and then move into the meditation. Afterward, we have a brief share or “check in” and then we prepare for homeroom and return the mats to the P.E. department.
Over the eight weeks topics are introduced, such as: simple stretches for upper and lower body, deep breathing techniques and focus on the breath, posture and four yoga exercises, tensing and releasing muscle groups along the hands and arms, feet and legs; quiet meditation to music, and guided imagery.
Why use Meditation?
Meditation is widely known to reduce stress and anxiety, but now science has proven that it may even help prevent illnesses, and produce lasting, positive changes in both the brain and the immune system. Benefits include increased focus, less stress and anxiety, a feeling of calm or well being. Students are introduced to different types and styles of meditation: concentration meditation, progressive relaxation, deep breathing, repeating a mantra or phrase, exercising the imagination (guided imagery and visualization of a goal or state of being) and meditation in motion (yoga).
Bullying at School
by Gaby and Silvia
Experts agree that bullying not only exists in every school and community in
our country, but it is also escalating at a frightening pace. Bullying, defined
as strong preying on the weak has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. as
nearly one out of three American children have experienced bullying, either as
the victim, perpetrator, or both with few victims letting on they are, in fact,
victims. A Google search on "bullying," returns more than three
million sites. Meanwhile, millions of research dollars are being poured into
studying child and adolescent violence and the National Institute of Mental
Health considers bullying one of the anti-social behaviors to watch for.
School Bullying
By
Gabriella Ramirez and Silvia Hernandez
School bullying is a real problem with teenagers and it needs to be stopped because the there are effects that can be damaging for life. There are all different kinds of bullying: physical abuse, verbal abuse, and even cyber bullying! That’s through cyberspace, like text messaging, AOL instant messenger, and even on MySpace. Even though cussing someone out on the computer doesn’t seem like bullying, it is, and it carries a very heavy penalty. We took a survey on how many kids have been bullied and more than 60% say that they have been bullied but haven’t done anything about it. The reason is that they think the person that is bullying them will come back and do something worse to them if they tell their counselor, teacher, or even their own parents!
The other kind of bullying is called “extortion”. That’s when someone demands that you give them money and/or they threaten you. This is also a criminal offense. You have rights. If this has ever happened to you or you hear about it happening, report it at school immediately.
Our advice to you is that if you have been bullied, we’re not telling you to be a “snitch” or anything but if you don’t want to be bullied by the same person the whole entire year, you should talk to your counselor about because they can help you. If you talk about it most ,the person probably won’t do anything to you because they don’t want to get in trouble.
Anyone can be bullied on the internet it can be the most popular girl in school and that doesn’t stop anyone from calling anyone a mean name. Rumors can be started on the internet and that’s bullying. Some tips on being safe on the internet is to not give out your information like where you live or your phone number.
Bullies are generally people who feel like victims themselves. They have to make other people feel bad, so that they can feel good about themselves. They have very small sense of self, very little self esteem. Take away the bullying, and they are nothing inside. Anyone who acts bigger than they need to be is hiding something inside.
The bottom line is, bullies in school grow up to be bullies in adult life. Bullies in adult life are usually arrested. It is against the law to bully a grown up. It’s called aggression, and adult victims usually call the police. You are actually doing the bully a favor when you talk to a counselor. It’s better to learn how to stop bullying at this age, than in adulthood, when the consequences are so much harsher.
HUMMER LIMO CRUISE
On November 17th, winners of the school Magazine Sale were treated to a tour of San Francisco in a Hummer limousine and lunch at “In and Out Burger” Approximately 50 students, in 4 limo trips cruised around the city.
SCIENCE
PAGE
Purple Tomato
by Joann Kuang
The
Source: USAtoday.com
Hypoallergenic Cats??
If you or someone you know is allergic to
cats, there might just be a bargain for you! Allerca
Inc. is a company that says it has managed to breed the world's first hypoallergenic
cats and it is selling them for $3,950 each! People who are allergic to cats
and buy one of these will not experience sneezing, red and itchy eyes or asthma
-- except in very acute cases. The company says that as soon as the news got
out people rushed to place orders and now there is a waiting list. According to the BBC,
the company tested thousands of cats, looking for those tiny few that do not
have glycoprotein Fel d1. Glycoprotein Fel d1 is what triggers allergic
reactions in humans -- it can be found in the fur, pelt, saliva, serum, urine,
mucous, salivary glands, and hair roots of the cat.. The kittens of these
selectively chosen cats do not produce human allergic reactions. They are
hypo-allergenic cats! The company says the cats are friendly, playful and
affectionate, and are available in several coat colors and patterns.
But really, $3,950 for a cat!!!! The
fact the company has a waiting list for the cats suggested that the old saying
about suckers being born every minute remains valid.
Source: www.aol.com/news
TEEN HELP SITES
by Helen Totterdell and Gabby Ramirez
There are many teenagers with many problems. Most of these teenagers are too shy to ask someone for advice, or what they should do. There are many websites to help you out with your predicament. TeenGrowth.com is one of those websites. Your name remains anonymous and you really get the answers you need. You can also read about other kids problems, and see if you can relate. There are many other teen sites you can go to, but be sure you get help with your problems. They get much easier if you do.
HelpingTeens.org
AdviceForAllAges.org
TeenHelp.org
There are other sites out there, but you should not have to give out any personal information. There are online predators and scams. Be careful!
And the Winner is….
by: Joann
Kuang
And
the winner is ….. You have probably heard of this phrase many times before.
Every time you hear this phrase, you feel excited. There are many awards in the
world, each based on different criteria.
The award that I want to tell you about is the famous Nobel Prize.
For
those who don’t know much about the Nobel Prize, here is the place to find out. The Nobel Prize
is awarded annually to people who have completed outstanding research, invented
ground-breaking techniques or equipment, or made an outstanding contribution to
society.
The Nobel Prize was established by the Swedish
scientist Alfred Nobel through his will. He made a last will on
‘The whole of
my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way:
The capital
shall be invested by my executors in safe securities and shall constitute a
fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes
to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest
benefit on mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts,
which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have
made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one
part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or
improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important
discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person
who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work of
an idealistic tendency; and one part to the person who shall have done the most
or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction
of standing armies and for the hold and promotion of peace congresses.
The prizes
for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences;
that for physiological or medical works by the Caroline Institute in Stockholm;
that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm; and that for champions of
peace by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian. It is my
express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be
given the nationality of the candidates, so that the
most worthy
shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.”
-Alfred Nobel
The
Nobel Prize consists of six categories: physics,
chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics. The
economics award is actually a Nobel Memorial Prize. It is not a Nobel Prize
because it was not part of the will of Alfred Nobel. The prize was only made as a memory for
Alfred Nobel. As of October 2006, 781
Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 734 individuals and 18 organizations. The prize was first awarded in 1901, five
years after Nobel’s death. No prizes
were awarded in any category between 1940 and 1942.
Finally,
the moment that you’ve been waiting for.
And the current winners are . . .
Medicine:
Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C.
For: their discovery of RNA
interference - gene silencing by double-stranded RNA, which is a mechanism for
controlling the flow of genetic information.
Chemistry:
Roger D. Kornberg
For: his studies of the
molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription, which resolves the machinery that
gives voice to DNA.
Literature:
Orhan Pamuk (1st Turkish writer to be awarded with the Nobel Prize)
For: discovering new symbols
for the clash and interlacing of cultures from the quest for the melancholic
soul of his native city Physics: John
C. Mather and George F. Smoot
For: their discoveries of the
blackbody form and anisotrophy of the cosmic microwavebackground radiation,
which supports the Big Bang Theory
Economics:
Edmund S. Phelps
For: his analysis of
intertemporal tradeoffs in macroeconomic policy, and changing our perceptions
of the tradeoffs between economic objectives
Peace: Muhammad
Yunus and Grameen Bank
For: developing micro-credit
as an instrument in the struggle against poverty
Those were 2006 Nobel Laureates. The award ceremony was held in
Sitting up straight is bad for your back
by Alex Kozakiewicz
Sitting up straight is now thought to be bad for the back. Researchers have found out that sitting in a laid back posture is better than sitting up straight. The reason is that sitting up straight puts strain on the spine and can cause trapped nerves or slipped discs. The best angle to sit in now is to be at a 135-degree angle.
Researchers did some tests on 22 healthy volunteers who had
no history of back pain or surgery. The researchers put the volunteers in 3 different
positions. First, they told the volunteers to slump forward as if leaning over
a desk. The second position they told the volunteers to sit at a 90-degree
angle. The final position was to sit at 135-degree angle. The researchers then
checked their spine and found that if you sit at a 90-angle that there was disc
movement. They also found out if you slump that you have a high rate of wear
and tear on the lowest two spinal levels.
HEALTH PAGE
Food
Survey
by: Julian
Tomescu, Gabriella Ramirez a.k.a. Chips and Salsa,
and Silvia Hernandez a.k.a. Fat Burger
We are making a food survey, and are going to ask the teachers and the students what they like to eat from our list of foods. When the results are in, we will compare the results of the teachers and the students. What types of foods do you think are the most popular and what foods are not popular? Please talk to us if you want us to give your opinion on what foods you enjoy! Enjoy the survey!
1) Coca-Cola or Pepsi
2) Burritos or Tacos
3) Pizza or Hot Pockets
4) Hot Dogs or Burgers
5) In n Out or Fuddruckers
6) Popeye’s or KFC
7) Round Table or Dominos
8) McDonalds or Burger King
9) Jamba Juice or Starbucks
10) Gordos or Taco
11) Panda Express or Mr. Chow’s
12) Cold Stone or Ben and Jerry’s
13) Mels Drive-In or Johnny Rockets
14) Krispy Kreme or Donut World
15) Subway or Carl’s Jr
And the results are in!
The most preferred places to snack are as follows:
Students Teachers
Panda Express Pepsi
McDonalds Starbucks
In and Out Burger Subway
Jamba Juice Starbucks
KFC KFC
Burritos Taco
KFC Stops Using Trans Fat
By : Judy Tang
What’s “trans fat”? Invented in the early 1900s, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil was initially believed to be a healthy substitute for natural fats like butter or lard. It was also cheaper, performed better under high heat and a longer shelf life. Today, the oil is used as a shortening in baked goods like cookies, crackers, and doughnuts, as well as in deep frying. Ironically, many big fast food companies only became dependent on hydrogenated oil because they were pressured by health groups to do something about saturated fat.
In
KFC President Gregg Derrick there
wouldn’t be no change in the taste in the chicken and
other food items. “There is no
compromise,” he said at a
Crispy Strips,
Wings, Boneless Wings,
The change
at KFC applies only to
Source: David Caruso, AP
New Quake Plan
By: Joann Kuang
A new and comprehensive plan for
earthquake response was made by the
The Board of Supervisors’ budget
analyst criticized
A new plan for earthquake
response was made. Lessons from previous
earthquakes helped make a better plan.
Local Police Officers
by Chris Hernandes- Lara
