St. John The Baptist School Newspaper ​

December, 2018 Volume 5 Issue 3 For Kids, By Kids ​ ​ ​

The True Meaning of By: Nicole Griebel A Bio of By: Brooklyn Lonneman and Hailey Lipp

Brooklyn: Jesus, so when were you born? Jesus: December 25th

Hailey: Did you play any sports when you were younger? Jesus: Yes, I played this game where you looked up at the stars and tried to find figures or the constellations, but this game had to be played at night.

Brooklyn: What kind of foods were around when you were a little boy? Jesus: Fish and bread.

Hailey: Where were you born? During the holiday season we often get all Jesus: caught up in the shopping and gifting, that

Brooklyn: Who were your friends? we forget what the true meaning of the Jesus: Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Andrew, Peter, Simon, season is. Christmas is a time to look back Jude, Judas, Bartholomew, James the Less, Phillip, and on the year we’ve had and be grateful for Thomas. Those are just a few of my friends though. everything God has blessed us with. But

Hailey: What do you like best about your mother, Mary? most of all it’s a time to remember Jesus’ Jesus: She never sinned and that she took the chance to most gracious sacrifice, dying on the cross have me in her life. to save us from sin. We can also look back

at all the defaults we had and think of Brooklyn: How did you make it through all the pain and misery? ways we can make them better. Jesus: I believed in God, our Father, and the Holy Spirit and Christmas is also a time to spend with I wanted to save everybody from sin. family and show them how much we love

and appreciate them. Yes of course we all love receiving gifts, making cookies, and watching the occasional Hallmark movie, but this Christmas, take time to show your family how much you love them, and thank God for everything he has blessed you with.

What do Santa’s little helpers learn at school? The elf-abet Page 2

Teacher/Staff Interview Mrs. Knoop

By: Brodie McGuane &

Adam Kelhoffer

Scripture JW: When did you decide to be a speech language Words of Encouragement ​ pathologist? Mrs. K: After I graduated college. “For God so loved the world that he gave his ​ only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” JW: What did you do before this job? ​ John 3:16 Mrs. K: I worked as a rehab aide at a nursing home ​ and hospital. ______

JW: What do you do outside of St. John’s? Top Ten Christmas Movies ​ Mrs. K: I coach basketball and like to read. ​ By: Hannah Mayer JW: What is your favorite childhood memory? ​ Mrs. K: My favorite memory would be playing sports. ​ ● Home Alone I played mostly soccer in college, but also played a little basketball. ● The Nightmare Before Christmas ● JW: Why did you become a speech therapist? How The Stole Christmas ​ Mrs. K: I wanted to help people and there are a lot of ● ​ Miracle On 34th Street different options with speech therapy. ● National Lampoon's Christmas JW: What grade school and college did you attend, ​ Vacation and what subjects did you enjoy the most? ● Mrs. K: I went to Harrison Elementary for grade The Santa Clause ​ ● school. For college, I went to Thomas More for my A Charlie Brown Christmas undergraduate degree and The University of ● The Polar Express Cincinnati for my masters degree. Math and science were my favorite subjects. ● Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ●

Jokes submitted by Andrew Lipp & Jon Mattis

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What the What? By: Ashley Borgman ​ Top Ten Cincinnati We all have those days Christmas Light Displays where we are so tired BY: Sam Bley that we are just itching to 1. PNC Festival of Lights - The lights shine at go home and ​ the zoo for the 36th annual Festival of sleep, right? Lights. Especially 2. Winterfest - Presented by Kings Island with ​ during this cold and gloomy month. But, would the Eiffel Tower as the largest Christmas you pay $25 for 45 minutes of sleep? In Manhattan, Tree in town. there is a mattress company that will offer you a 3. The Lights Of Clifton Mill -See the lights all room with a free toothbrush, various lotions and ​ across the river bank on top of the nill. balms, and pajamas. “You miss one hundred percent of the naps you don’t take,” reads a little sign in 4. Woodland Lights- Let the twinkling lights ​ their changing room. You simply go in a blue guide you along the wooded path featuring tunnel with scattered starry lights to a place costumed characters and live animals. that looks like a bedroom. They have heavy 5. Light up Middletown - A tunnel of lights leads curtains in the room you nap in, and when you are ​ you into this 100 acre park full of ready, you turn off the light. In about 45 minutes the lights come back on. We must ask ourselves, is attractions. a nap worth $25? 6. Holidays in Lights at Sharon Woods - Drive ​ through the mile long wooded path and see Most people would definitely say yes! Others think Santa and his elves. that it is weird and not worth the $25 just to sleep 7. Holiday Lights on the Hill- Located at in a quiet, creepy dark blue tunnel. But, studies ​ Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum. show the benefits of napping. According to the University of Michigan, one-third of American 8. The Christmas Ranch - More than 350000 ​ adults aren’t getting enough sleep, which is not lights synchronized to music. good for your health. Studies have also shown that 9. Christmas Nights of Lights at Coney Island- ​ if you get a good nap in your day, it will give you 2.5 miles of dazzling lights synchronized to a higher tolerance for frustration and more focus music. than people who didn’t. But really, do you need experts to tell you that? I mean, look around you 10. Zapf’s Christmas Display- Located in North ​ at about 2:30 in the afternoon. So would you pay College Hill. This is a collection of blinking for a good nap? lights, a nativity and glowing candy canes. Santa: Knock Knock Elf: Who’s there? Santa: Olive Elf: Olive Who? Santa: Olive the Other reindeer Page 4

Top Ten Christmas Desserts By: Ben Knoop

1. Cinnamon sticks 6.. Candy cane brownie trifle

2. Red velvet cupcakes 7. Red velvet cookies with powdered sugar

3.Double chocolate with mint cookies 8. Mint cake pops

4. Rudolph rice crispy sticks 9. Chocolate chip cookies

5. Chocolate ice cream cake 10. Triple ruffle cake

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CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLASSICS

By: Rachel Roell Candy Cane Cookies Snickerdoodles Peppermint Bark Courtesy of Anne Crowe Courtesy of Lucille Roell Courtesy of Beth Roell and Mary Anne Pearce 1 cup soft shortening 1 cup shortening 1 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar 1½ cup sugar 2½ cup flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 egg 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. salt 1½ tsp. almond flavoring 2¾ cup flour ½ tsp. red food coloring 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar, egg, and Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix Melt together 3 cups white flavoring. Mix flour and salt then shortening, sugar, and eggs chocolate chips together stir in. Divide dough. Blend red thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of with ¼ cup of solid crisco. food coloring into one half. Roll 1 tartar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in. When done, add 2-3 tbsp. tsp. each color and form the shape Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll in 2 crushed peppermint and of a candy cane. tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. Cinnamon. 2-3 drops of peppermint oil. Place the Place 2” apart on ungreased baking cookies on an sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Spread evenly across a ungreased sheet tray. cookie sheet and bake for 9 (You can also dip chocolate minutes. wafers into the bark Remove when pan is still hot. mixture.) Sprinkle with a mixture of ½ crushed peppermint stick and ½ Drizzle with melted milk cup sugar. Yield- 4 dozen. chocolate and chill.

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The Great Pencil Debate By: Rachel Roell and Abi Bley

RR: I believe that wooden AB: I think that pencils are more beneficial mechanical pencils because they are better are better because for the environment than you don’t have to mechanical pencils. sharpen them.

RR: First of all, wood is a renewable AB: Trees are still being cut down for resource, so when the pencils are made, they wooden pencils and you could avoid can grow more trees to keep our that completely by using a mechanical environment safe. pencil.

RR: Plastic is not renewable, which means AB: Mechanical pencils last longer that when more mechanical pencils are because you reuse them and put lead brought into existence, humans are wasting in as needed but wood pencils get the supply. So why make pencils out of thrown away. plastic, when we could just use wooden ones instead?

RR: Unfortunately, mechanical pencils cost AB: Mechanical pencils are cheaper in more because you have to buy lead to fill the the long run because you don't have to pencil and the pencil itself. On the other buy as many of them. You just have to hard, while using wooden pencils, one has to buy the refills. only buy a pencil.

What’s the best Christmas present in the world? A broken drum. You just can’t beat it!

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Merry Christmas from The Jag Wire Staff!

The white on the candy cane represents the purity of In 2004, Pope John Paul called the a ​ ​ Jesus, and the red stripes symbolize the blood He symbol of Christ. This very ancient custom, he said, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ shed for us. The Christmas star represents the first exalts the value of life, as in winter what is ​ that shone on the night Jesus was evergreen becomes a sign of undying life, and it ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ born. It also symbolizes the Christ is the light of the reminds Christians of the "tree of life" of Genesis 2:9, ​ ​ world and is a shining hope to all mankind. an image of Christ, the supreme gift of God to ​ ​ ​ ​ https://makinglifeblissful.com humanity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree Top five things to NEVER get someone for Christmas By: Maddie Williams ​

1. Live Animals: Sure these animals are cute, but make sure the person can afford or wants a pet first. 2. Gym equipment: If you give someone gym equipment/ gym membership they make take this the wrong way… so make sure you stay away from it. 3. Re-gifted gifts: Just Don’t do it! 4. A calendar for that year: Nobody is going to want a calendar good for one month. 5. Air freshener: your basically just saying eww! Your house smells!

What do snowmen like to do on the weekend? Chill out!

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Top 10 gifts (toys) By Riley Sumner

1. BB-9E 2. L.O.L. (droid) surprise dolls

3. Nerf guns 4.Squishies

5. Legos 6.Slime

7. Crayola air dry clay 8. Furbies

9. Porg plush 10. Karaoke

machine

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Fun Christmas Facts

The Jag Wire Newspaper ​ 508 Park Avenue Harrison, OH 45030 513-367-6826

[email protected] The Christmas wreath was first hung as http://www.sjbharrison.org a symbol of Jesus. The crown of thorns is represented by the holly and the red berries represent the blood He shed. Editor The song ‘’ was originally Sam Bley written for Thanksgiving and not Christmas.

When the candy cane was invented it was made into a J for Jesus. The red stripes symbolize his blood.

In Japan, it is tradition to eat KFC on Christmas.

The gifts given to Jesus when he was born is symbolized by the presents we give during the Christmas season.

Christmas lights used to be so expensive that they were rented instead of being sold. “​Letter to the Editor​”​ submissions

If you have any suggestions for the editors of The Jag Wire, put a 1.6 billion Christmas cards are bought by ​ ​ Americans every year. note in Mrs. Knoop’s/Mr. Puckett’s mailbox or email [email protected]. ​ The tallest Christmas tree ever displayed measured at 221 feet tall.

Franklin Pierce was the first president Remember: It’s For Kids and By Kids--especially you! that placed a Christmas tree in the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ White House.

By: Ella Jansen