Get the Scoop! Firefighter Shares His 9/11 Story

by Reporter Dalia Bukundja Arizona Desert Elementary

We have heard many stories of 9/11 in the past. I met one of the first responders who was actually a part of that day that changed America forever.

Mike Penchina joined the fire department in 1969. He decided to give it a go without knowing he would eventually wind up becoming a firefighter. On Sept. 11, 2001, firefighter Penchina and his wife celebrated their wedding anniversary in Canada. Penchina was watching the news while his wife was in another room. A jet had recently struck the north tower.

He was asked to return and assist. Around 410,000 first responders aided, working continuously. When Penchina crossed the border, he stopped and tried to call his family to see how they were doing, but the calls would fail due to poor signals.

When firefighter Penchina reached New York, he was devastated by what he saw. He knew there were people’s family members bodies in the rubble he needed to find. What kept him going was finding the remains of his best friend who was one of the

Let’s Celebrate Earth Day!

by Reporter Ezekiel Perez Homeschool

On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. It was U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson’s idea. Now, it is celebrated around the world to bring awareness of the importance of protecting our planet. It is an opportunity to help Earth by taking actions that avoid pollution and create solutions for environmental problems.

memorial for all people that died. A new building was made which was called the, “Building of Freedom”. Many writers and poets have drafted many different books and poems about 9/11. The most known one is the firefighter’s prayer.

Adviser: Karen Golden

Balloons Can Harm Animals, Sea Life

by Reporter Gabrielle Grant, Arizona Desert Elementary

A park ranger found a starving turtle washed up at a river, and he found a balloon string wrapped around its neck! Even worse, the deflated balloon was wrapped in it, too. This is the effect of balloons on the environment. It hurts humans, animals and the Earth! Balloons are one of the leading causes of wildlife deaths. Sadly, you may have been contributing to this, so, pause and think before letting go or buying balloons!

Balloons travel hundreds of miles, and it also takes a hot minute for them to pop. Even the most fenced-in places cannot block out balloons—they are in the sky! When balloons deflate, they can end up thousands of miles away from where they started out. For example, a man in Tennessee found a birthday boy’s balloons stuck in his fence. The balloons flew all the way from Missouri! It is fortunate that they ended up in that man’s fence, because it could have been worse. Instead, that balloon might have ended up in a river, clogging its flow of water and blocking fish from getting upstream or downstream. This is bad for fishing too! If locals such as bears or birdscannot get to a food source that they usually go to, they will starve and die. The clogging of water also makes rivers overflow, which can cause flooding and cave-ins, damaging animal burrows. Image, a poor rabbit sleeping and suddenly the roof starts falling! It can cause unnecessary amounts of erosion and sedimentation. This sedimentation can make the water murky and unsafe to drink. It also prevents the animals from seeing the fish that they need to hunt. Visit www.balloonsblow.org for alternatives to releasing balloons and to see pictures of the damage a balloon can cause.

Adviser: Karen Golden

Here are some ideas to celebrate Earth Day: clean up the sidewalk in front of your house; ask your parents to reduce the use of plastic by drinking water from a reusable container; and make a shopping bag with old T-shirts. Recycle paper or cardboard by making crafts or birthday cards with magazines or boxes.

Also, planting a tree, starting a vegetable garden, or planting milkweed for monarch butterflies would help our environment. It does not have to be a big garden or a huge tree. Every little or big contribution helps clean the air.

Reading books that celebrate this day or our planet is great, too. Some suggestions for young readers include “Clifford’s Spring ay Clean-Up” by Normal Bridwell, “Biscuit’s Earth Day” by Alyssa Satin Cupucilli, and “It’s Earth ay” by Mercer Mayer.

Remind family and friends to respect flora and fauna while camping, and to always choose actions that protect our environment. If we team up to help our planet this Earth Day and every day of the year, we can have a better world!

MORE SCOOPS, page 17 ➧