Little Readers

A Publication of WMHS Journalism Class

Edition #4

January, 2017

Tenley Alderson

Erykah Barahona

Dylan Cain

Krysta Calvert

Morgan Dean

Samantha Ford

Andrew Gambill

Keree Graves

Marcus Hungerford

Adrienne Olson

Megan Phillips

Matthew Shafer

Bryce Thul

Destiny Warkentin

Holiday Season Fun Facts By: Bryce Thul Even though the holiday season and Christmas is over, have you ever wondered how many turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day? Read below to find out some fun facts about the holidays. ● In the movie "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" the green color of the grinch was inspired by a green rental car according to "mentalfloss.com" ● 2,000 pounds of confetti are released in New York City to celebrate New Year’s Eve, says the author of the website "theodysseyonline.com" ● 51 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day according to "verticalresponse.com" ● 7 billion dollars is spent annually for Halloween candy and costumes from the "verticalresponse.com" website. ● According to "Paytonins.com" there are 20 billion packages delivered during the holiday season. ● 35% of the vacations taken during the holiday season are spent going to a beach according to "visual.ly"

● Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas officially in 1836 the author of "fact retriever.com" wrote. ● Californians eat the most turkey on Turkey Day according to "allparenting.com" ● On “factretriever.com” Christmas trees have been sold in the US since 1850.

We Have Great TAs at Athena Elementary School

By Dylan Cain

In the midst of a high school career, you'd think teens would be battling their way through homework, grades, sports etc. For these students there more, but maybe something a

little less stressful, and a little more joyful.

Max Webster is a junior at Weston McEwen High, and he decided to put aside his time to be a Teacher's Assistant in the Elementary School. Max takes his fourth period off to asssist teachers and help kids on work. He loves eating

Laughy Taffy and reading the funny jokes on the wrappers! Thank you Max!

Bailey Hillmick is a senior at Weston McEwen High, who also dedicates her time to the elementary school. Her sixth period is the time she gets with the kids, assisting Mrs.Gentry with kindergarten. Bailey enjoys playing sports at WM, baking cookies in her free time, and she is looking forward to going to college next fall. Thank you Bailey!

Emma Burke, also a senior at Weston McEwen, is helping Mrs. Staley with 2nd Grade reading. Emma wants to be an elementary school teacher, so she says this is perfect experience. Emma enjoys eating healthy fruits and veggies and she likes to read. She said she enjoys the kids, and that they bring her happiness and joy. Thank you Emma!

Alyssa Finifrock, a junior at Weston McEwen, is also helping Mrs. Staley’s second grade class. Alyssa starts the morning off with the 8 and 9-year-olds. She says she enjoys both Mrs. Staley and the kids. “I like getting to know the kids personally, it starts my morning off to a good start in a good mood, and it’s a way to get away.” Thank you Alyssa!

Your Character is Important

By Adie Olson

Character can be defined as traits specific to one person. These traits are very important because they make up who people are. A person’s character helps other people decide if that person is a decent human being or not. Examples of good character are to hold the door open for people, or to tell the truth even if you're scared you'll get in trouble. Good character traits even go with people when they are older, helping people keep a job and make friends. At Athena Elementary School, we focus on citizenship, responsibility, respect, caring, trustworthiness and fairness and students who show these traits in their day-to-day lives earn character awards.

But even when no one is looking, even if there isn’t an award, having a good character means to act like a good person all the time. So go out there and earn more character awards.

Megan Phillips holds the door open for Sami Ford, showing caring and respect. Photo by Adie Olson

Is Lunch Too Short?

By Erykah Barahona

Imagine being in the middle of eating your food, when all of sudden the end of lunch bell begins to ring.

Other students dump their tray, but you're stuck with a growling stomach.

Lunchtime’s main purpose is to give children time to eat. Sometimes, children can take a while to eat causing them to feel pressured to cut their lunch short when others are done. Other times, kids waste their food and their time by messing around.

Is lunch too short or are kids not using their lunch time well?

To the older grades, 4th - 12th, their time to eat may be short, but for the younger kids that’s a different story.

How much time is enough time to eat lunch? That depends on the eater. But some of the older kids in the high school like plenty of time to eat because they have recess too—after lunch, they play basketball in the gym or talk ih the commons.

How much time do you think you should get for lunch?

Cool Jobs Are Out There!

By Megan Phillips

As we go through school, we start to think what we might want to be when we grow up. There are many cool jobs out there in the world, such as being a teacher, a police

officer, a professional chef and a firefighter. Here's a list of some other jobs that are awesome.

Veterinarians get to help furry friends by being an animal doctor. They get to heal wounds of people's pets and make sure they stay healthy. If the thought of that freaks you out though, you could be on a rescue team and save animals from floods, being homeless on the streets, or find them new families so they can live a happier life.

Paleontologists get to dig up and study dinosaur bones. They piece together big skeletons of fossilized creatures like a big puzzle, or can even discover a new species from the prehistoric era. If you like dinosaurs and adventuring, maybe being a "dino digger" is what you want to be!

Astronauts go to space and visit places that are "out of this world!" Astronauts do all sorts of cool things- they might visit a different planet, fix a satellite, and visit places no human has gone before.

There are a lot of different kinds of artists. They get to use their creativity to write pieces of music, write books or poetry, draw, paint, photograph, and design clothing. They can work on canvases, sketching pads, or on the computer. There are many kinds of artists- what kind would you be?

Vincent van Gogh painted “Starry Night” Photo from the Internet

Safety First—Especially During the Cold Winter Months

By Sami Ford

Rough housing and riding a bike without a helmet can seem cool, but are they really? Not using a helmet when riding a bike or skateboard can really hurt.

Falling off a bike, scooter or skateboard can really injure a person if they don't have the right protection. Breaking a bone is painful, and who wants to wear an ugly cast for weeks? I know I don't!

Teachers can seem like they're nagging, but they really know their stuff! It's important to listen to them when they say not to do something because they most likely already experienced it. They want students to stay safe and they really care.

Be careful walking on the snow and ice in the winter. Falling can hurt and sometimes, you can even break something, including your tailbone! Now that hurts!

All in all, being in pain is never a fun thing, so staying safe can keep that pain away!