2014-15 School Year February edition The Little Bulldog

The Bullis Lower School Newspaper Table of Contents

Credits p. 1 Credits/ Groundhog Day p. 2, 3, & 4 National News Editor: Julian Christensen p. 5 World News Assistant Editors: Julia Evans, Emily Rubenstein, and Ronan p. 6 Origins of the Holidays Zwa p. 7, 8, 9, & 10 Bullis News Writers: Sami Al Hinai, p. 11 Sports Xander Arnold, Luke Bookoff, Amanda Brille, Hanna p. 12 Weather / Editorial Buczkowski-Levy, Nathan Chen, p. 13 Poetry Julian Christensen, Julia Evans, Zoe Ferguson, Will Gawronski, p. 14 Photo Gallery Hannah Gluckman, Robbie p. 15 The Crossword Corner The Big “B” Hays, Luke La Motta, Kayla Mao, Elizabeth Martin, Clarke Norman, Samantha Pepper, Ella Rosoff, Emily Rubenstein, McKenzie Suggs, Troy Wisnosky, Brianna Zigah, Maeve Zimmer, Shara Zuckerman, and Ronan Zwa With help and support from……… Mrs. Cohen!

Groundhog Day By Amanda Brille

Groundhog Day is celebrated each year in Canada and the United States on February 2nd. During the celebration, people gather together at the groundhog’s den to watch and see if he will come out from its winter sleep. If it’s cloudy, the groundhog will come out of his burrow and, tradition says, spring will start soon. If it is sunny, he will see his shadow and scoot back into his burrow for six more weeks of winter sleep. The tradition of Groundhog Day started a long time ago with the early Christians in Europe. Even back then, the celebration was a milestone in the winter and the weather of the day was important. When the tradition started in Europe, instead of a groundhog, it was a hedgehog that was watched with the hope that he would not see his shadow. When settlers arrived in America, there were no hedgehogs to be found, so they used a groundhog for the celebration instead. The groundhog was chosen because it hibernated underground in the winter, just like a hedgehog, and because Native Americans respected the animal greatly. They considered the groundhog to be a wise and sensible animal. Today, the largest Groundhog Day celebration in the United States is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with the most famous groundhog in the world, Punxsutawney Phil. Groundhog Day was already a widely recognized and popular tradition that was made even more popular because of the 1993 film, Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so we have six more weeks of winter! !1 2014-15 School Year February edition National News Mammoth Cave National Park By Ronan Zwa Located in Central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park encompasses portions of the Mammoth Cave, which goes by the official name of Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System. On July 1, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Mammoth Cave as a national park. Edmonson County, KY, is where much of the park’s 52,830 acres are located. At over double the length of the second longest cave known to the world, Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system. And with 400 miles of explored passages, it is a cave of truly mammoth proportions!

Prehistory

The Mammoth Cave is the final resting place for many ancient people. Several sets of Native American mummies were discovered during the 19th and the 20th centuries. Mummified remains are a clear indication of intentional burial. In 1935, however, an exception to intentional burial was discovered. The remains of a pre- Columbian miner were found underneath a large boulder. The remains, named “Lost John,” were exhibited to the public in 1970, before being reinterred in a secret location within the Mammoth Cave. Starting in the late 1950s, Professor Patty Jo Watson of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, led the research effort that shed light on the lives of the Late Archaic and the Early Woodland peoples. The constant cave temperature preserved the remains well enough to allow Watson to work out the age of the specimens. She also pioneered a way to determine meat and plant dietary contents of the ancients.

Rediscovery

Do you ever wonder who discovered the Mammoth Cave? How would you feel if the entrance to the world’s longest cave were in your backyard? Legend has it that Mammoth Cave was first discovered by John Houchin. During a hunt in 1797, Houchin pursued a wounded bear into the cave entrance, thereby becoming the first European settler to rediscover the cave. But a more probable candidate is Francis Houchin, the brother, because Francis’s land was much closer to the cave than that of John’s. Some say that another brother, Charles Houchin, discovered it. Who knows? Maybe some secrets are meant to be kept secrets. And regardless of which brother Houchin rediscovered the cave, there is no denying that the Native Americans were there long before, evidenced by their use of the cave as their burial ground.

Conclusion

It would be fascinating for Bullis students to visit and explore the Mammoth Caves, the world’s longest cave system, as part of an experiential learning tour.

!2 2014-15 School Year February edition National News Orion Completes A Successful Test Mission By McKenzie Suggs

Did you know that NASA has a new spacecraft called Orion? Orion's mission is to carry astronauts deeper into space, including Mars, the Red Planet. Orion will be on top of a huge rocket that will take it farther into space than people have ever been before. Before a spacecraft can fly, NASA has to test it. On December 5, 2014, NASA launched Orion on top of a rocket. It's mission was to circle the earth two times and then come back to Earth. This test mission was to last 4 hours and test the safety of Orion. It was a risky flight, so no passengers were on board. Can you guess what was on board? There was moon dust, Elmo, Cookie Monster's cookie, Ernie's rubber ducky, Slimey the Worm and Grover's cape just to list a few. Sound familiar? You guessed it. Sesame Street and NASA had partnered for this test flight. While Orion Spacecraft completes a successful test mission, scientists will gather all the data from this test flight and use it to improve the design of the spacecraft. The next test mission is scheduled for 2018, and this time it will circle the moon. If everything goes well, the first manned mission is scheduled for 2021. So watch out Mars, here they come!

Kids To Park Day By Troy Wisnosky

There is an exciting contest coming up, the Buddy Bison Kids to Park Day, on May 16th. You can win up to a $1,000 by talking about cool things to do and see at the park. The entry must be submitted by February 27th. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 17th . To win the contest, students must pick a park near their school and research to find out what outdoor fun, educational, and caring things to do at the park. Then you have to complete a two page entry form, which can be found at www.parktrust.org. The contest winners will receive a bus ride to the park, healthy snacks, fun information about the park, and supplies for helping the park. The winning classroom will receive a Buddy Bison woolly mascot. The entry form and all materials should be sent or emailed to : Billy Schrack , Education Director, National Park Trust [email protected] 401 E. Jefferson Street, Suite 203, Rockville, MD 20850 This is an important contest because it helps you learn how to use the park to be healthy by hiking, walking, and running. You can also pick up trash to help the environment there.

!3 2014-15 School Year February edition National News Planned Terrorist Attack At Capitol Building By Robbie Hays On January 14, 2015 Christopher Cornell was arrested after he had bought some weapons and ammunition from a gun store in Ohio. Investigators believe that he had planned to use the weapons at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. to hurt a lot of people. Luckily though, our outstanding Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) arrested him just minutes after he made the purchase. Christopher’s father claims that he is innocent and that he is a “good boy.” The F.B.I. isn’t so sure though. His Twitter account shows a lot of support for the ISIS terrorist group and he reportedly confided his plans to an FBI informant. He is currently awaiting his trial.

Source:ABC 7 News Photo from WKBN.com

In Honor Of Presidents Day: A Spotlight On One Of Our Leaders President Abraham Lincoln By Shara Zuckerman

My favorite President is President Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th President of The United States of America. He served as President from March of 1861 until he was shot in April of 1865. He was born on February 12th, 1809 in Kentucky, and was married to Mary Todd Lincoln. They had four sons. Abraham Lincoln was most famous for helping the United States through the Civil War. He was responsible for ending slavery and helped Congress form the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery. He also helped America stay together as one country. President Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth, who was upset about the South losing the Civil War.

Two Men Conquer Yosemite’s El Capitan By Xander Arnold

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are the first two men to free-climb Yosemite’s El Capitan, one of the world’s most difficult rock climb. They climbed a 3,000 foot mountain using bare hands, helmets, harnesses and ropes. They even slept in tents that were attached to the mountain. They would take breaks to let their hands heal from climbing. During those breaks they would use superglue to help heal their wounds. The climb took the men nineteen days.

!4 2014-15 School Year February edition World News Wait, What’s a Leap Second?!?! By Julia Evans

July is one second longer this year?? Yes, it might seem crazy but since 1972 there has been something called a leap second. All of you have heard of leap year, which adds a day to the calendar every four years. The purpose is that we catch up with the length of time it takes for the earth to orbit around the sun, 365 ¼ days. The leap second serves almost the same purpose. Leap year comes every four years, but leap second comes every few years, when scientists agree they need to add a second to clocks around the world. This makes sure that clocks stay coordinated with the earth’s rotation. Many electronic devices rely on extremely accurate timekeeping, so this extra second makes a big difference in our lives. Polar Bears in Danger By Sami Al Hinai Polar bears are one of the largest predators in the world. They are so big that they could weigh up to 1,500 lbs! They have been forced out of their icy habitat by global warming. They either have to move south with the sea ice which is decreasing, or move north and eventually clash with humans. Because sea ice is breaking and drifting away they can't eat seals which is part of their normal diet. Therefore, they are forced to eat birds and bird eggs. However we do not know if it's enough for them to gain weight to survive the winter months. In the winter, pregnant female polar bears hibernate which means to sleep through the winter. If a female polar bear doesn't get enough food she can't produce cubs or milk, which means the species could die out. Without seals for them to eat, it would be very hard to survive. To help stop global warming, we can turn lights off when we leave a room. It's as simple as that! We could also help by recycling instead of throwing out bottles and papers. In addition, planting trees which take in carbon dioxide are ways to protect the environment. Preserving power reduces global warming. When we do the most ordinary things we help these amazing bears live. That’s how we can help! French People Unite Against Terrorists By Maeve Zimmer The people of Paris marched through the streets on January 11, 2015 to show that they were together to face the odds as a united country. Around 1.5 million people marched just in Paris and 3.7 million in all of France. They all protested terrorists. In the Paris newspaper, there was a picture of a religious leader in a mocking way. Then, some people from that religion attacked some of the newspaper staff. Most of the French closed stores and shops; some people did not even go to work. They even closed the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower usually has light shows and lets people up but on January 11, 2015 that all stopped. It was closed and dark. No lights, no people were allowed up. One of the world’s greatest landmarks went from a tourist attraction to just a big building for grief.

!5 2014-15 School Year February edition Origins of the holidays The Story Of Valentine’s Day By Hanna Buczkowski-Levy

February is the time of year for hugs, kisses, and love! Every February 14th, across the United States, and other locations around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all because of St. Valentine. But sometimes we wonder, who is this mysterious Saint, and where did these traditions come from? The history of Valentine’s Day and the story of its Saint is known as a mystery. There are many stories about Valentine’s Day. We do know that February has been celebrated as a month of romance. Cupid, a Geek god, is a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Cupid is known for shooting people with arrows to make them fall in love. As we know Valentine’s Day contains both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine? He was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor named Claudius. Saint Valentine and cupid can both be known as the inventor of Valentine’s Day, but this story is just one of the theories. Claudius, the emperor, had prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the guess that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers. Married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their families if they died. It sure seems like Claudius cared more about fighting than true love. There are many more theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day.

!6 2014-15 School Year February edition Bullis News Interview With Mrs. Booth By Brianna Zigah & Elizabeth Martin

Q. How many kids do you have in aftercare ? A. I have 30 kids in aftercare. Q. If you could choose another job what would it be? A. Martial arts. Q. How many jobs do you have? A. 2 jobs. Q. What are they? A. Aftercare and office manager. Q. Do you enjoy working at Bullis? A. Yes, I love it. Q. What year did you start working at Bullis? A. 2006. Q. When did you start working for aftercare? A. 8 years ago. Q. Why did you choose this job at Bullis? A. I love the Bullis community. I was impressed with this great environment. My husband's grandfather also taught math at Bullis in the 1930s.

5th Grade Hip-Hop Dancing By Kayla Mao

The 5th graders are learning how to dance hip-hop style! Hip-hop is a type of dance that is fun, but sometimes hard to keep up because of its speed. There are different types of hip-hop dances: For example, some dances are krumping, locking, popping, turfing, jerkin and more. 5th graders are learning some types of dances including krumping and tutting. Hip-hop is different from other types of dances because hip-hop is very active and quick. Hip-hop is a big collection of urban street dancing and is a very energetic type of dance. Hip-hop can be a good exercise or just fun, since many kids like to dance to music. Our teacher, Ms. Keya, is a great dancer and great teacher. Ms. Keya taught us some easy and hard dances. She says you have to put emotion into the dances. It's really great to have someone teach us hip-hop and how to dance because you might not learn anywhere else. Ms. Keya was inspired to dance hip-hop style because of music videos. Her mom taught her how to dance hip-hop. In my opinion, hip-hop is great, but sometimes you might feel a little shy because you might not be sure if you are doing the steps right; you might be embarrassed, but don't be because all you have to do is try and do your best. I would like to thank Ms. Keya for teaching us and helping us dance hip-hop.

!7 2014-15 School Year February edition Bullis News Dance with Ms. Liz By Hannah Gluckman Ms. Liz is a professional dancer. She has taught dance at fifteen different schools, and Bullis makes sixteen. She plans to dance forever, because she loves to express emotions with her body. Ms. Liz fell in love with the beauty and grace that comes from moving your body with elegance and honor. It was wonderful to hear what she had to say. Twenty-six years is a long time to dance, and one of our very own teachers has done just that. We are lucky to have Ms. Liz come in every day for dance. In our dance unit, we played the Name Game, did teamwork activities, and learned our parts for the dance show. In the dance show, we danced the story of a plant’s life cycle. We also stretched and meditated. I like dance because I like to write, and dancing is telling a story with your body. I am glad that it is part of our P.E. class. Dance is important, because it’s fun and active! We thank everyone who attended our dance performance on Wednesday, January 28th in the gym. Interview With Ms. Duong: The Bullis Food Service Manager By Nathan Chen and Zoe Ferguson Zoe and Nathan sat down with Ms. Duong, the food service manager. She is very nice and friendly. From this interview, you will find out many interesting facts about the meals at Bullis.

Q. What are the most difficult recipes to cook? A: Savory baked chicken, chicken quesadilla and pizza. Q. How do come up with the daily menu? A. I refer to the guideline from Sodexo. Q. What is your favorite thing to cook? A. Everything, but the most favorite is the chicken quesadilla. Q. When do you start cooking lunch? A. At 7:30am. Q. Where do you get the fruit and salad? A. I get them from Keany local. Q. Have you ever worked in another school before? A. No. I have been working here for 32 years. What keeps me here are the students. Q. How many cookies do you have to bake for just the lower school students? A. I need to prepare two hundred and fifty cookies for the lower school each time. Q. What do you do with the leftover food? A. There are not many leftovers. If there is any, the staff will take them home. Q. Do you eat the same food we eat everyday? A. We eat whatever we cook. We start our lunch at 10:30am to 11:00am.

Now that you know it takes a lot of effort to prepare our daily meal at school, let’s not waste food. We hope everyone enjoys eating at Bullis as much as we do!

!8 2014-15 School Year February edition Bullis News

Hold the Press! By Luke J. LaMotta

Mr. Janson, from the Washington Post newspaper, came to visit Bullis’s own Little Bulldog staff (plus some others). I learned so much from Mr. Janson on making an article that I want to write one so badly….wait I am! One of the most helpful tips he gave was to make sure you put the most factual writing in the top. For example when you’re in a situation when your story is too long and they have to cut out a part, they start at the bottom where every word is drab and boring or the stuff you don’t really need. The layout and punctuation is supposed to look exquisite when reading so make sure that your grammar is great! Also as an interviewer, you need to use the words how, when, where, who, and why. Finally, one of the most interesting things I learned was what “hold the press” means. “Hold the press” means if a big story like the NBA championship’s final score or the groundhog seeing its shadow happens after the paper is supposed to be released, they hold the press, meaning a delay. I was so motivated after listening to Mr. Janson. I can’t wait until I write my next article!

Fourth Grade Filipino Dance By Hanna Buczkowski-Levy The whole lower school did a dance unit in P.E. In fourth grade our dance style was Filipino/ folk dance. The fourth grade learned various things about the way the Filipino dance. We learned that in a lot of dances the dancers are paired with another dancer that is usually male and female. We also learned that in a lot of their dances they use fans and sometimes bandanas. I really enjoyed dancing and the fourth grade could not have done such an amazing job without our instructor Jason! I think that it is great to add dance to P.E. and I hope we can do it again!

!9 2014-15 School Year February edition Bullis News

When Charlotte Clement, now an eighth grader, was in my third grade class, she asked me one day whether we could have a lower school newspaper. An avid reader and writer, Charlotte wanted and needed a place to share her passion. Believing in that vision, I agreed to sponsor a paper and although the name has changed over the years, the articles represent the larger world as well as the Bullis community and many of the reporters have since left the lower school, the paper has not only survived, but grown to a current staff of twenty-four reporters who are dedicated to relaying the news. Thank you Charlotte for posing that question years ago.~ Mrs. Cohen Below is a short interview with her.

An Interview With Charlotte Clement By Clarke Norman & Emily Rubenstein Q. What writing experience did you have when you had the idea for a LS newspaper? A. I had written a lot of short stories when I was younger. Other kids watched cartoons, and I always had a pen and paper to write on. And then when I got my first computer at the age of eight, I would always be typing away (which is how I type so fast). Writing was always fun for me. I loved it then, and I still do now. Q. What goes through your mind when you write? A. When I write, ideas constantly go through my head. They may be ideas for whatever I am working on currently, or a new story I could start to write. Q. Why was it so important to you to have a lower school newspaper? A. I just thought it was a good idea to have the newspaper because I really loved to write and I wanted to share that with other people. Q. How do you feel now that your third grade dream came true? A. I felt proud and thought it was cool when the newspaper started. It was pretty awesome knowing something I had thought of was going to become this real thing and it was actually going to happen. I was very surprised to find out that the newspaper was still something kids did. It was kind of a realization of ‘Wow… I started that. And now, a few years later, it’s still a thing’. Q. How did you come up with this idea? A. It was during break. I would write a lot during that in this notebook that I had to write down any ideas that came to mind, or write a chapter of the story I was working on. I thought it would be cool to write for fun (as I already did), but get other people to write as well. I knew the Upper School had a newspaper, and thought it was a great idea. So I went to Mrs. Cohen and asked why we didn’t have something like it. And then we had a newspaper. Q. Who taught you how to write? A. It was more something that came naturally to me. Teachers helped me enrich the talent of mine, but I had already been writing at a level that was a little above my classmates. Q. What type of writing is your favorite? A. I love to write fiction. Especially fantasy. It’s like an escape for me. When things get really overwhelming, I escape to this fantasy land that I created. I can make anything happen there. I can create any creatures or people that I want. It really gives me a sense of control. Fantasy is a great way to get away.

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Sports Get Ready for Super Bowl Sunday! By Will Gawronski

Last year, the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl against a strong Denver Broncos team led by Peyton Manning. Can they repeat in 2015 this week in Phoenix, Arizona in Super Bowl 49? They have momentum going into the game with a stunning 28-22 come from behind victory against the Green Bay Packers. They also have the exciting Russell Wilson leading their offense and cornerback Richard Irman leading their defense. While the Seahawks are a great team, the Patriots also are a great team. Both were 12-4 in the regular season. The Patriots last victory in the playoffs was against the Indianapolis Colts, who they creamed 43-8. The Patriots have two of the best players in the NFL, in my opinion. They are quarterback Tom Brady, who has been with the Patriots since 2000, and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has been on the Patriots since 2010. They make a powerful combination which will be hard for the Seahawks to beat. This will be the 8th Super Bowl the Patriots have played in. They have won 3 Super Bowls: 2002, 2004 and 2005. I think the Patriots are going to get their 4th Super Bowl victory on Super Bowl Sunday. Whatever happens in the end, the game will be really fun to watch. The Patriots beat the Seahawks in the last few seconds of the game with the score of 28 - 24.

The Washington Capitals By Luke Bookoff The Washington Capitals season is going really well. Currently, the Caps have 24 wins, 13 losses, and 9 overtime losses. They are in 4th place in their division. This year they have a new head coach named Barry Trotz. He is doing a great job. The most exciting part of their season so far was when the Caps played the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. It was held on January 1, 2015 at Nationals Park. The Caps won 3 to 2. The go ahead goal was scored with 13 seconds left in regulation by Troy Brouwer. There were 42,832 people at the game. A few weekends ago was the All Star game. The Caps had one player in the All Star game, Alex Ovechkin. The Caps are having a great season. Hopefully they will make the playoffs and go further than last year.

As of Feb. 5, the caps have 26 wins and 15 losses.

!11 2014-15 School Year February edition Weather

Extreme Weather By Ella Rosoff

What is going on with this weather? Did you know that 2014 was the hottest year on record for our planet? It is not unusual for temperatures to flip flop, where Florida could be colder than Alaska. These patterns are changing because the planet is changing. Some of the changes happening are due to the oceans heating up and the burning of fossil fuels. This causes the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which traps heat and light from the sun and increases the earth’s temperature. The JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) has been measuring the planet’s temperature for over 100 years using ground and satellite measurements. They predict that 2015 won't cool off any time soon. Even with the warmer air on the planet, we can still have cold days where blizzards could occur. A blizzard is a snow storm where winds could be over 35 mph and all the heavy snow makes it hard to see far distances. Most blizzards occur in the Great Plains, the Great Lakes and the Northeast. The most recent blizzard to hit the Washington DC area was in February 2010. Will there be a blizzard of 2015??? Editorial A Memorable Experience: My Life as a Newspaper Reporter By Luke J. LaMotta

Ever since I became a Bullis Newspaper reporter, my life changed entirely. I had more homework because I needed to write all of my articles, but it didn’t really feel like homework since it was so much fun. All of this work has given me more self -confidence to know that I can do great things just by setting my mind to it and feeling motivated by my amazing mentor Mrs. Cohen (who was also my 3rd grade teacher). For example, my first assignment was a sports interview with Coach Cilento and some of the players. I felt like I had the collywobbles. But luckily my father was there to encourage me. However, interviewing doesn’t just need encouragement, interviewing takes a lot of hard work too. That’s one of the most important parts. To sum it all up, all I have to say is “if you become a Bullis newspaper reporter, remember you’ll have fun!”

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Poetry Freedom By Julian Christensen

Freedom Should be For everyone To Write - To Speak - And Even To Think For the very Unfortunate.

All the heroes Like M.L.K., Also Abe Lincoln, And Nelson Mandela. They fought for the biggest freedom, Equality.

In Communism, There’s no expression, No way to Succeed or to Fail, And no way, To Travel.

To Educate, That is a privilege, Some places It’s only for the rich Or Royalty To learn - Not for the poor

Writing, Speaking, And even Thinking Freely Is a privilege that many people Don’t have - Freedom Should be For everyone Freedom

!13 2014-15 School Year February edition Photo gallery

The Talent Show All Photos taken by Luke Bookoff

Thank you for reading the Little The Little Bulldog. Enjoy the Bulldog Staff Crossword puzzle on page 15.

!14 2014-15 School Year February edition The crossword corner

February Crossword By Samantha Pepper

7

3 2 5 ACROSS 1 The star of Groundhog Day 1 2 February is ______History Month 4 President's Day always falls on the 3rd ______in February 4 6 The Day the Super Bowl is played

6 DOWN 3 The next Leap Year will be in 20__ 4 Fat Tuesday is celebrated during ______5 The little baby that shoots arrows of love is ______7 Chinese New Year 2015 is the year of the _____

Note From the Editor The Little Bulldog is so sorry that we accidentally forgot to put in Clarke’s article in the first publication of the Little Bulldog January Edition. We are also sorry that we misspelled Coach Kelley’s last name. - Julian Christensen

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