Issue No. 26 March 2014

Facts about St. Patrick’s Day By: Carissa D St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. The actual color associated with St. Patrick is blue. Green then became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. St. Patrick did not actually drive “snakes” out of Ireland: the snakes actually represented the pagans that he converted to Christianity. In Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day, the rivers are dyed green. Mayor Daley of Chicago is also of Irish descent. In Seattle, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the middle of the roads. The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston, in 1737. St. Patrick’s birth name was actually Maewyn Succat -- it wasn't until he was a member of the Church that it was changed to Patricius, or Patrick.

Book Reviews By: Rebekah H and Kelsey M The first book we read was Unlocking the Spell by E. D. Baker. In the book, Princess Annabell just came back from finding her older sister Gwendolyn’s, true love. Gwen is now getting annoyed that she has to go searching for Annie whenever she wants to gaze into her prince’s eyes, because he is cursed. That’s when another adventure begins for Annie. It is one which involves finding the evil dwarf who cursed Gwen’s true love. With the help of Liam, a new knight at the castle, they go out on another adventure. We would recommend this book because it is filled with adventures like the first book, The Wide Awake Princess, with just a twist of romance.

The next book we read was Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George. The story was about a girl named Cecelia and the magic castle she lives in. Celia and her two brothers and sister live at Castle Glower, a castle that grows new rooms. When her wizard brother, Bran, is graduating from Wizard Academy, her parents, the king and queen, go to the ceremony. Celia, her brother Rolf, and her sister, Lilah, are left. That is when their parents and brother go missing and people from other kingdoms come pretending to care about the “death” of Celia’s family. That is when everyone in the kingdoms finds out suspicious things about the castle. Will Celia’s beloved castle’s secret be revealed to the people? Find out when you read Tuesdays at the Castle. Also, if you like it, check out the next book, Wednesdays in the Tower. We really liked this book because Celia would do anything for her castle.

OneRepublic By: Priscilla N. and Cailin M. Have you ever heard the song ? Do you know who wrote it? Well, OneRepublic did! OneRepublic is a hit band that was formed at Colorado Springs in 2003 by , guitarist and , acoustic guitarist. The rest of the band members are , piano player, , guitarist, , bass guitarist, guitarist, and Jerrod Bettis, drummer. They all sing in this band. Their first hit single, “Apologize,” sold 7,000,000 copies worldwide. It peaked #3 on the charts in the UK Official Top 40! Counting Stars was recently #1 in the Top 40 Countdown for three weeks in a row! Some popular songs by OneRepublic are; “”, “Lose Myself,” “,” “Good Life,” “Apologize,” “Secrets,” “,” to name just a few. Go check out OneRepublic by getting their new album, Native, or go on .com and search OneRepublicVevo! Get your groove on!

What’s in and what’s out? By: Allison D. Girls- What’s In: What’s Out: Shoes- Ugg boots/ Moccasins Clogs Pants- Skinny Jeans/ Long skirts Leggings Tops/ coats- Sweaters/ North Faces Puffy coats Accessories- Scarves/ headbands/ Glovelets, rubber band Alex and Ani bracelets bracelets

Guys- What’s In: What’s Out: Shoes- Nike/ Jordans Boots Pants- Athletic pants Skinny jeans Shirts/ Coats- Sweatshirts/ Jerseys Button down shirts Other- Tall sports socks Earings/ long hair

Most Popular Songs in the End of 2013 by Lily B. This is a list to compare songs from the end of 2013. The first ten songs are, in my opinion, the best. The other columns are the opinion of various Internet sources. (Links below) Who do you agree with more? 2013 Teen Courier my opinion Top 10 Songs Choice Tribune Times Awards something by A Great Big World and 1 3 Royals by Lorde 2 7 Demons by Imagine Dragons 3 4 Timber by Ke$ha 4 1 Monster by Eminen Featuring 5 4 Wake Me Up by Avicii 6 5 Roar by 7 3 9 Let It Go by 8 Radiooactive by Imagine Dragons 9 1 Team by Lorde 10 10 Counting Stars by OneRepublic 2 Dark Horse by Katy Perry Featuring Juicey J 5 Let Her Go by Passenger 6 Hey Brother by Avicii 8 Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker 10 Mirrors by 9 Thirft shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis 8 Cups by 7 Safe nd Sound by Capital Cities 6 Just Give a Reason by Pink featuring 2 by 1 True Love by Pink 2 Cruise- Remix by ft. 3 Made In The USA 4 Treasure by 5 Still Into You by Paramore 6 Hold On Were Going Home 7 Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford and Sons 8 Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis 9 I Need Your Love by ft. Ellie Goulding 10 Courier Tribune Times 10 Top Songs 2013

Interview with Mr. Catuccio By: Sean K. Sean K.: Why did you want to become a teacher? Why did you choose History? Mr. Catuccio: Well, my dad was a teacher and many of the jobs I had growing up involved working with kids which I enjoyed. History is just something I found interesting and wanted to continue to learn more and more. SK: Why do you think history is important to students? Mr. C: I think it’s important to understand our past from a country standpoint and a world perspective. SK: What historical event left the biggest impression on you? Mr. C: 9/11, I was working in a school where many kids had relatives who were directly affected and that was very powerful. SK: What part of history interests you? Mr. C: The Civil War, because it was a defining moment in American history where a president’s election caused states to withdraw from the Union. This time period was filled with many important moments that would define us as a country. SK: Did you like history while you were in school? When? Mr. C: Yes, I really started enjoying it in high school. SK: What sports did you play in school? Mr. C: In middle school I played baseball, basketball and participated in swimming events. In high school I was involved with swimming and golf. In college I was again involved in swimming, baseball and basketball. SK: What is your favorite thing to do? Mr. C: Spend time with my family. SK: What is your favorite color? Mr. C: Blue. SK: What are your favorite sports teams? Mr. C: The Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and the Bruins. SK: What do you get the most out of teaching? Mr. C: I enjoy watching kids learn. SK: What college(s) did you go to? Mr. C: I went to University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University. SK: What are your kid’s names, how old are they and what are they like? Mr. C: Well, there is TJ who is 10 and is intelligent, athletic and intense. Joey is 7 and is athletic, intelligent and compassionate. Ben is 5 and is very athletic for his age, funny and crazy. Mia is 2 1/2, and she is funny, caring and is well… a princess! SK: Use five words to describe yourself. Mr. C: Let’s see… smart, determined, outgoing, funny and athletic.

Things to Do Over Spring Break By: Nicholas P.

You probably are bored like me over spring break! You probably feel that you have nothing to do. Well, I’ve got some tips to keep you awake and active! 1. You can go bowling with family and friends. 2. You can go play miniature golf on a sunny warm spring day. 3. You can go roller skating at a close-by skate park. 4. You can have a family member or friend game night. 5. If you like sports, you can go to a local sporting game. 6. Try to go to the movies with your friends. 7. The most important thing is to HAVE FUN!!! The iPod: 5th Generation By: Priscilla N. As you probably have heard, the iPod 5th generation is finally out! Many unique features have been added to this amazing light iPod. To start off, the iPod has an even better chip. The new chip is a Dual-core A5 chip. This chip provides up to the processing power, and up to 7 times faster graphics than the last generation. Also, because the A5 doesn’t use a lot of power you’ll have enough battery life to watch up to 8 hours of video and up to 40 hours of music. That’s a lot of battery life. One new exciting feature I personally like is the new Siri! It’s a feature in which you can ask for help from her and ask her to do stuff for you; for example, text someone! Next, is the viewing. With the iPod 5th generation, it has a 4 inch retina display and a higher screen. Also, the display is a perfect wide-screen for videos or movies. But don’t forget the camera! The iPod 5th generation has a 5 megapixel iSight camera. It includes advanced optics, the ability to tap to focus the camera, a LED flash, and face detection. An amazing feature is that you can crop, edit and even enhance your picture on the spot! Also, you can even take panorama pictures! For filming, you can shoot 1800p HD videos! The iPod 5th generation is amazing! I hope that your next Apple product will be an iPod 5th generation!

“Saturday” – a Song by by Rebecca Black By: Cailin M.

“Saturday,” a song by Rebecca Black, is what a lot of people called risky for her, considering how many people hated her for “Friday,” her infamous song. People criticized her greatly for what they considered “stupid lyrics”. But she made an amazing comeback with “Saturday,” an extremely catchy song, in my opinion, at least. Rebecca Black has proven herself to be extremely talented. She wrote, “Friday,” when she was only 13 years old. Now, she is 16 years old and has an amazing voice. Check out Rebecca Black’s “Saturday,” at “www.youtube.com/rebecca.”

On-Track Karting By. Nathan H. and Troy T.

In on-track karting, there are three levels called junior karts, adult karts and super karts. For junior karts you have to be between 7-15 years old and at least 48 inches tall and weigh no more than 130 pounds. The junior kart can have speeds up to 25 miles an hour. They can be used for parties and special events. The parties are private with individual competitions and much, much more. Also, you can choose your own name to be on the placement screen. But before you race you have to sign a waiver, watch a safety video, and pay $20.00 for a head sock, which is like a mask but only covers your mouth and nose. This is for sanitary reasons because you are required to wear a safety helmet. However, if you have your own helmet, you are not required to wear a head sock. The track hours are: Mon.-Thurs. 4pm-10pm Friday 12pm-11pm Saturday 10am-11pm Sunday noon-8pm

Directions

Swift Middle School 250 Colonial St, Oakville, CT 06779 Get on I-84 in Middlebury from CT-63 S/Straits Turnpike Follow I-84 to CT-25 N/Hawleyville Rd in Newtown. Take exit 9 from I-84 Continue on CT-25 N. Drive to Silvermine Rd in Brookfield 100 Silvermine Rd Brookfield, CT 06804

Materials:  Paper  Something to color with (marker, colored pencil, etc.)  Scissors, glue and crayons  One paper plate Instructions: 1. Cut out the center of the paper plate to make a donut- shaped frame for the wreath. 2. Draw and cut out as many small shamrocks as you want! (Don’t worry; they do not have to be perfect!) 3. Color the shamrocks with your markers, crayons or colored pencils. 4. Cut out your shamrocks and glue them to the paper plate “donut”, covering all the white spots. 5. (Optional) You can tie a bow on it to decorate further or you can tie a piece of yarn on the back to hang the wreath. 6. You’re finished! I hope you had fun!

The Most Trending Channels of YouTube 2013 By: Hayley What is the best pastime for becoming entertained? I would say, YouTube. This is mainly because, I myself, love to watch videos and on YouTube you can watch whatever you want whenever you want. I feel that when you want to watch a funny video you saw the other day, it is just the perfect place to find it. Or, when you have a bad day, which everyone has at some point, it is a great way to put a smile on your face. So, what this is mainly about is famous YouTubers and their channels, which is where the videos are located, and that have really grown throughout the year. Some of these gaming channels include PewDiePie, which has 19 million subscribers, Smosh with 15 million subscribers, and Sky Does Minecraft with 7 million subscribers. Some music YouTubers, whose channels boomed throughout the year, include Rihanna, with 12 million subscribers, One Direction, with 11 million subscribers and Eminem with almost 11 million subscribers. Now, if you aren’t familiar with YouTube, subscribers are people who choose to follow and support the YouTube stars. YouTube is not only an outlet to let loose and have fun, but it is a place where you can make your own videos and be yourself. So, if you are into games, music and just overall fun, maybe YouTube could be a place where you start your own journey to showcase your talents to the world.

Project Poetry Live! By: Kayla M. It’s a project, it involves poetry, and it’s live on stage! What else can I say? Well, I guess I could mention that it requires a little more to it than what I said. Project Poetry Live is definitely the chance to show off the talent that you have, but don’t worry, you don’t have to be a master to participate in this activity. In this activity, there are many choices of different workshops you can choose to take. They are set design, clay tiling, dance, sculpture with a message, lyric writing, vocals, mask making, poetry of fabric, and music and rhythm. In set design you create and design different sets for the final performance. You can also turn the words of your poems into some artwork for the sets. A fellow friend of mine recently went to the workshop of set design and she loved it. She said, “It was definitely a great experience for me and I hope to continue with it. It sort of involves a lot of work, so you must be dedicated to designing all the sets. You also get to meet new people along the way!” Clay-tiling is definitely something you can remember because you get to make a bunch (4 or 5) clay pieces and you get to take most of them home with you. Sculpture with a message involves taking your poems and making them into a sculpture to take home. Poetry of fabric is when you take the main idea of your poem and sew it onto a piece of fabric. But there is much more to it than that! You also get to put anything you want on it, like an animal from your poem or something special. Emily and Kayla’s Monthly Brain Benders 1: Can you use all these letters to spell just one word? D E J N O O R S T U W 2: There are three mistakes in this pearagraph. Can you fined them all? 3: You can think of the longest word you know, but when you look at the answer key, you’ll find a longer word than the one you thought of. What do you think you will read there? 4: Find the one word that can turn each of these words into a compound word. (Ex. Eyeball, football, snowball, softball) hand , match , text , work , year . 5: Add together each of the defined words to get a whole new word. The ocean + a father’s boy = part of the year. CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH: What time is it when twelve cats chase after a mouse?

Spring Acrostic poem By: Hayley Z. By: Nicholas P. Fresh, flamboyant, fun March Acrostic Poem Moonlight shimmers in the darkness Loving, luring, lulling April is coming soon Opening, outgoing Really hard to find a four leaf clover Cold fronts are going away Welcoming weather, whimsical Hotter temperatures are finally on the way Ecstatic, exciting, entering Ready, rise, rhododendron

By: Kaitlynn T. and Alissia A

By: Nakayla T.

Exercising Helps You Learn By: Kylie J. Exercising helps us learn and remember. It stimulates your brain and helps your blood flow. Exercise makes your heart beat faster and your heart makes your blood flow faster. You should exercise 3-4 days a week for 30 to 45 minutes. It is good to exercise before doing work or studying. However, it helps even more if you exercise some during work or when you are actually studying for a test. Your brain will take in the new information and store that information in your memory. Even light exercise increases memory, mood, and ability to perform well on tests Exercise also helps you stay fit. Studies show that over-weight kids have a higher chance to have diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. There are many types of exercises. Girls between the ages of 15-17 can complete an average of 16 push-ups, while boys between the ages of 15-17 average 25-35 pushups. I do believe that girls between the ages of 15-17 can do better than 16 pushups because, in the physical fitness test given at school, girls had to do 20 pushups in 6th grade. Most of the girls passed the physical fitness test given this year. There are fun ways to exercise and all students should find something fun to do to stay active and fit.

Answers for Brain Benders 1: The letters spell “just one word”. 2: pearagraph, fined, and the part that says there are three mistakes because there are only two. (Of course, then you could say yes, there are three mistakes, so the statement that there are three mistakes is correct, which means there are two mistakes, which makes it no longer correct, which means that….. if you think about this long enough your brain will explode!) 3: A longer word than the one you thought of. 4: Book. Handbook, matchbook, textbook, workbook, and yearbook. 5: sea+ son= season CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH: 12 after 1.