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.