Bear Essential News December 2022, Phoenix Edition

News Highlights

USA Eliminated from World Cup

he men s om etition is INTENSE in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and so are the controversies!

The World Cup is held every four years. After playing to draws against Wales and England, the . . en s eam barel got ast ran. ut on e . a more experienced Netherlands team eliminated the U.S. in a 3-1 game.

Although young, the U.S. team exceeded expectations at the World Cup, and hopes are high that the team will do even better when the 2026 World Cup is hosted b the . . e i o and anada. m su er roud o the bo s er orman e said team a tain Tyler Adams in a Fox after-game interview. “We can hang with some of the best teams in the world, some o the best la ers in the orld and that s a lot o rogress or . . so er e re mo ing in the right direction for sure.”

After the Iranian team was sent home, many worried about the safety of its players, who had refused to sing ran s national anthem be ore their rst game to show solidarity with anti-government protests taking place in Iran. There were reports that their government had threatened the players and their families.

World Cup controversies have swirled around the iddle astern host ountr atar. suall the World Cup is held during the summer, but summer temperatures are scorching in Qatar. So in 2015, the soccer federation known as FIFA recommended Qatar hold the tournament in November and December hi h onfli ts ith the uro ean ro essional leagues regular season. he leagues aused

Mauna Loa Erupts!

a aii s auna oa the orld s largest active volcano, erupted last month for the rst time sin e .

The volcano began spewing fountains of glowing rock and ash and spilling lava on o . . hough it s been a long time sin e auna oa last eru ted the . . eologi al ur e said the ol ano a erages an eru tion on e e er e ears throughout its documented history.

their season to allow players to compete in the World u hi h ends ith the ham ionshi on e . .

There are also allegations that bribes were paid to secure Qatar as the World Cup host, and Qatar faces criticism over its treatment of migrant workers during the construction of the soccer venues. The country also is being criticized for its treatment of women and indi iduals.

Despite all of these issues this year, the World Cup has historically been viewed as a way to unite countries around the world through soccer.

Artemis Program Finally Gets Off the Ground!

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL—“And liftoff of Artemis I—we rise together back to the moon and be ond ith those ins iring ords s most powerful rocket thundered into the sky at 1:47 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

the shelter of the Vehicle Assembly Building to protect it from Hurricane Ian. Unfortunately, after Artemis 1 returned to the launch pad, Hurricane Nicole hit, slightly damaging the rocket.

ording to the auna oa has eru ted times sin e he last eru tion as ears ago and the one be ore that as ears rior in meaning the volcano used to ERUPT much more frequently. Before the eruption last month, it as the longest no n uiet s ell or auna oa hi h stands eet abo e sea level.

Eruption Facts:

auna oa is the orld s largest active volcano. t last eru ted in . eet abo e sea le el • Number of eruptions recorded sin e

earb also on a aii s ig sland another volcano is erupting simultaneously. Kilauea, which is smaller and more active than auna oa last eru ted in . he two volcanoes erupted simultaneously in as ell.

his i s o the rtemis missions but this rst mission has faced all sorts of problems getting off the ground. The space agency tried to launch Artemis I a few times in August and September, but liquid hydrogen fuel leaks forced NASA to SCRUB those launches. Workers wheeled the 322-foot-tall system back into

Artemis missions will return astronauts to the moon b or . rtemis doesn t arr an astronauts. The Orion capsule it sent will not land on the moon. Instead, it will orbit the moon with three test dummies. Like the crash test dummies used to measure car safety, these will provide data on what astronauts will face during a mission, including radiation levels and the forces of launch and splashdown. After traveling approximately 1.3 million miles rion ill reenter arth s atmos here at around 25,000 mph later this month. Special parachutes will slow the spacecraft for splashdo n in the a i ean near ali ornia. his is ust the test flight and e are stressing it and testing it in ways we will not do to a rocket that has a human crew on it,” explained NASA dministrator ill elson a ter the laun h. ut that s to purpose—to make it as safe as possible, as reliable as possible when our astronauts crawl on board and go back to the moon!”

o ernment o ials said there as no immediate threat to nearby towns, but they ill losel monitor the ol anoes a ti ities effects on air quality, and ash that accumulates in surrounding areas. Another concern are the glass bers that orm hen hot la a rapidly cools in the air, forming long strands that loo li e hair. hese bers an be dan gerous for people with respiratory problems.

As of press time, the lava has already sto ed flo ing rom three o its our ssures. entuall the last one ill sto flo ing too. But people have sometimes tried to stop auna oa s eru tions

n en. eorge atton sent bomb ers to tame the volcano. The bombs were ineffective—and ended up blowing up in the lava or bouncing off nearby rocks. During an eru tion in a aii s go ernor re om mended making appeals to a higher power. A nearby resident made offerings to Pele, the a aiian goddess o re and ol anoes ho ing that she ould sto the la a flo and spare nearby property.

Photo courtesy of NASA

by Mary DeStefano

e o ten hear the ords PATIENCE hen a roa hing this holiday season. At the same time, we want to create memories that will last a lifetime for our family members. a be ou remember a s e ial holida . onsidered this thought and remembered one s e ial hristmas. sister and snu do n the stairs a ter anta had arri ed and our arents ere sound aslee . e ere delighted to ind that anta had le t us ea h a ogo sti . e immediatel too them outside in the dar o night to tr them out be ore returning them under the tree and snuggling ba in bed or a e more hours o slee . s e s hedule get togethers de orate trees ba e oo ies or design gingerbread houses, we also have to continue our regular activities. e tations run high. emember it is ualit not uantit that ounts hen lanning and arti i ating in e ents. in e m not great at de orating or the holidays, I love being invited to homes o riends ho ma e the holida s brighter. an o er to hel b bringing a s e ial ood.

en lanning ahead or the holida s isn t a guarantee or the er e t holida . Life has a way of messing with our best lans hi h an ta e a a some o the o o the holida . on t be a raid to say no. Holidays should be joyful and RESTORATIVE. i ture the hristmas ou ant to ha e ith our lo ed ones. s them to tell ou ho the ould li e to s end their holida s. ne idea ha e is to isit s ul tures and other ubli art ith a grandchild. The weather is nice this time of year, and you can go online to ind interesting or s lan our e ursion and learn about the art or and the artist.

a be our grand hildren ill stri e a ose in ront o the s ul ture o ids en o ing a boo . a be ou ll ind some ins iring or s or mo ing memorials to isit. hate er ou hoose ma e it a memor to be herished. urn o the de i es and tune in to nature. ou might e en lan to ha e a i ni at a ar during our outing.

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Rover’s Story Is Educational & Fun

by Reporter Theron Plant, Jacobson Elementary

ne edu ational mo ie ust ame out t is alled ood ight . had the ri ilege to at h this mo ie be ore it ame out on o . in theaters and ma on rime ood ight is one o the most e iting edu ational ilms ha e e er seen. he do umentar does a great ob o e laining and sho ing the ro ess o building laun hing and ontrolling the ro ers as ell as sho ing us the hole ourne o . ou might be ondering hat is is short or ortunit . n ul laun hed t in ro ers irit and ortunit . and irit ere onl su osed to s end sols on ars. hat is a sol ol means sun so sols is e ual to a ro imatel da s. hat is sur rising is that irit as able to ro ide eedba and in ormation to until a hi h is arth da s. ean hile lasted until une hat is about a ho ing ears mean eo le eren t e en e e ting irit and to e en and or orre tl on e on ars alls ars a a e ra t ra e ard be ause there are man dead ro ers on it due to ailed landing attem ts b di erent ountries. om letel lo ed this ilm. learned the engineers had onl a small indo o time to build and test the ro ers. t too them a er long time to get signo rom to laun h and a long time or a ro al to e en start building li ed at hing them build the ro ers and the landing ro ess. t as er om li ated but a esome

Finding the Perfect Tree for the Capitol

by Reporter Dalia Bukundja Arizona Desert Elementary

id ou no that the orest er i e has been su l ing the . . a itol hristmas ree sin e he tree or this ear as sele ted rom orth arolina s ishga ational orest.

he biologist ho e amined the tree named it ub . ub has red bar hi h hel s the lea es stand out. e ore being la ed on the a itol s la n ub ed had to ass a series o tests.

o begin a team o biologists sil i ulturists orestr te hni ians and arborists s ent months sear hing ishga ational orest or the er e t s ru e tree. he team as loo ing or a tree that

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Hot Cocoa Fundraiser for the Community

by Reporter Georgiana Readhead, Homeschool

e al a s thought it ould be un to ha e a hot o oa stand and this all as nall able to run one do n at m neighborhood ar t as reall un setting e er thing u . got to meet ne eo le ma e hot ho olate ith di erent to ings and ser e homemade a le ie. as ed eo le or donations be ause am on erned about homelessness in the ommunit . here is a ro e t in m lo al ommunit alled hange am aign. he idea behind the hange am aign is a donation s stem that su orts long term solutions or homelessness b allo ing ommunit ro essionals to hel ro ide eo le in need ith ne essar resour es and ser i es in luding ood health are

trans ortation and hel to nd or . o learn more about hange ou an at h a ideo at www.chandleraz.gov/residents/neighborhoodresources/community-development/homelessservices/change-the-way-you-give. ou an also donate to this ause b te ting hange to . as able to raise that am going to donate to hange on han sgi ing along ith some o m o et mone .

reall a re iate the generosit o the ommunit . ne erson dro e b ho ed out o their ar and handed me some mone or the stand and said to gi e the ne t u o o oa or ree to the ne t erson. hen e er one started doing the same thing and had a domino o eo le a ing it or ard. hen ne t run the stand the rst erson ill be able to get a ree u e t time there are a e things that ould do di erentl in luding utting more osters u be orehand utting indi idual in ites on neighbors doormats and guring out a a to re lenish the thermos i ran out o hot o oa.

lo e or ing ith the ommunit and m loo ing or ard to hen an get out and ha e another undraiser stand

resembled a t i al hristmas tree. ther than the tree loo ing li e a hristmas tree the team loo s or other eatures. or e am le the tree must be at least eet tall. ub e entuall made the ut beating out se en other trees.

mage us a itol hristmastree. om

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Disney Updates Some Attractions

by Elite Reporter Brett Eymann

tarting this holida season t s a mall orld at isne land has added t o new animatronic dolls in wheelchairs to the attraction. The ride in the Magic ingdom in alt isne orld and isne land aris are e e ted to add the same dolls to their attraction in 2023.

isne ar s ho es the additions ill ma e a isit more in lusi e or their guests. n a ress release isne ar s states t isne ar s the di ersit o our cast members and guests and their perspectives about the world inspire us to ee our ar s e erien es and rodu ts in a onstant state o be oming becoming more vibrant, more inclusive, more delightful, and more relevant.” his addition ill be one o se eral u dates to isne ar attra tions in an effort to show more accurate representations. Changes will be coming to Jungle ruise and lash ountain the ne theme o the ride ill be he rin cess and the Frog” and it will be renamed Tiana's Bayou Adventure in 2024.

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Continued from page 5

One more thing I found interesting was that it takes 7 to 10 minutes to send a command to the rover from Earth. Also, the engineers treat them like their son or daughter because in the end, they spent a lot of time developing them, and Spirit and Oppy are very cute!

The movie debuted on Amazon Prime on Nov. 13. I absolutely loved the movie and I have a feeling you will, too! Even if you think space stuff is boring, they do an awesome job at keeping the film fun and entertaining while showing how everything worked and what happened. You should definitely watch “Good Night Oppy.” Trust me, it will be totally worth it!

Maureen Davies is the Gifted and Talented teacher for third- and fourth-graders from three Mesa elementary schools. Students from Entz, Field and Highland meet with Davies in cohorts once a week—on two days she teaches third-graders and on two days she has fourth-graders.

Davies has been teaching for over 20 years. This is her second year in gifted education. During the pandemic, the school district offered scholarships to teachers ho ould get their erti ate in gifted education through ASU, she explains. So Davies took courses to become a gifted teacher while she was also teaching remotely.

“I just love it,” Davies says of her ne s e ialt . m so glad made the switch.”

While third-graders are working on simple machines during the year, fourth-graders are learning e ton s a s o otion and the s ien e o sports. It can get a little crazy having a different group of students each day, Davies admits, but “We have some things in common.” Both grade levels are work-

ing on logic, engineering and creativity. She explains that her lasses are lled ith s namel reati it collaboration, communications and critical thinking.

Davies is originally from New Jersey. She spent a lot of time in her younger days on the Jersey shore, she says. These days she gets her bea h b isiting an Diego. Davies also has her classroom decorated with a beach theme, with resident manatees and mermaids.

Something she loves as much as the beach is books. m an a id reader a ies shares. “I always want to keep learning. I share that with my students.”

Beyond the subjects that Davies teaches and the help and inspiration that she gives to students, nominating student William notes that his teacher is “very happy.”

A big part of that contentment may be thanks to nding hat it is she lo es to do. ust end u doing hat ou lo e a ies ad ises her students. hat s

Holiday Traditions! Holiday Traditions!

How Does Your Family Make Holidays

Special?

Thereʼs a chill in the air, and darkness comes early. Fortunately, there are many celebrations to brighten things up this time of year. From Christmas to Kwanzaa, from Hanukkah to Chinese New Year, these festivities warm up the season and fill it with color and light!

The Three Things of Christmas

by Young Reporter Briana Williams, Arizona Desert

er hristmas e do three di erent things. he rst is e all sa t h shmish. n a a o that translates to ello hristmas. he se ond thing e do is se ret anta. e ret anta is hen ou ut e er one s names on di erent ie es o a er. hen e er one dra s a name and doesn t tell an one the name the got. hen ou ha e time ou go shopping for the person you got.

he er last is nding the i le in the tree. he i le in the tree has been a tradition or as long as an remember. t s a a e ut out i le that is hidden in our hristmas tree. hoe er nds the i le hristmas morning gets an extra gift.

Making Tamales and Playing in the Snow!

by Young Reporter Alyxandra Rodrigues, Arizona Desert

here are man hristmas traditions that m amil does. or e am le ma ing tamales on hristmas e or hristmas a . lso on hristmas e the whole family is allowed to open one gift. On Christmas Day after we are done opening gifts, we go up into the mountains and play in the snow.

Feast Celebrates Italian Culture

by Joseph Pensiero

A couple of days before Christmas, my amil flies to onne ti ut to isit m nono and nona talian grand arents . n hrist mas e e all o m relati es ome to m grand arents house and at dinnertime all eat the east o the se en shes hi is an talian meri an tradition. relati gi e me gi ts on hristmas a . lso on hristmas a e fl ba to ri ona and home and sleep, then the day after we open up gifts at our house.

Christmas Pajamas, Bake and Presents

or hristmas m amil eats one s t s alled ren h toast ba e. he da be Christmas pajamas from gift boxes. When call our family members and tell them

err hristmas

Our family gets a calendar for the 25 days of Christmas and we decorate our house. e ha e an elf on the shelf named litter Sparkles.

Image: shutterstock.com

by Young Reporter Gabrielle Grant,

Pajamas, French Toast

Make It Fun!

Grant, Arizona Desert

ial brea ast e er ear. ore hristmas e o en our we open our presents, we

Haunted House Tradition Scares Up Fun!

by Young Reporter Aeneas Pedregó, Homeschool

Want a good thrill that will bring your family together ell e got one. a orite holida tradition is where my family makes our own haunted house. t started hen o id hit and e er thing as losed down. I wanted to go to a haunted house, so my mom said we could make one at home!

hile setting it u an t hel but thin about ho un it s going to be to go through a ter e e nished.

e ha e to get reati e ith ho e ma e it. or example, one year we made a fake storm using a fan, hanging streamers and turning on a strobe light for lightning. We always use our stuffed animals by hanging them up or arranging them in creepy scenes. Once, we tied jump ropes to chairs so we had a giant spider web we had to crawl through to get to the other side!

t dus e nall get to do the haunted house oursel es. It can be pretty scary because my mom uses eerie music and

rightening oi es. lus she hides s ares li e our host a e mas in la es that don t no about. nother s are as when my mom threw bouncy balls at us, pretending they were eyeballs! I thought it was funny, but it made my brother jump.

It became a family tradition because I liked it so much the rst time as ed to do it again and again

Making My Own Pumpkin Pie!

by Daniel Joseph Gordon Jr.

han sgi ing is m a orite holida . ie tur e and food that night is always the best time of my li e. or a ou le o ears ent to la es in ali ornia or han sgi ing ith m family, eating the traditional tur e ith stu ng ie and more. Within the last couple years I ha e been ma ing deli ious um in ie e er ear. his year, my dad and I made pie, stea ri e and as aragus. nd to ed o ith en err s i e ream.

We Have Fun in the Snow

by Amelia Olszewski

amil s hristmas traditions are on hristmas e e e re are ood li e lots o ood. ter e get read amil omes o er and e eat hristmas dinner. nli e others it s a tradition to o en resents on hristmas e e a ter dinner. lso during inter e er year, we go snowboarding, skiing and snow tubing.

Happy Holidays & Best Wishes from Boomer Bear!

Image:

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Fun Times at Vertuccio Fall Festival

by Reporter Audrey Frazier, Tarwater Elementary

Vertuccio Farms has an annual fall festival, which includes fun family games, rides, and food. There are no age restrictions so the whole family can go and enjoy the festivities.

There are all kinds of games that you can play. There is a corn maze that comes with a scavenger hunt, which is optional. There was also a petting zoo with animals like cows, sheep, goats, and a camel. You can get feed for the animals for $2 and enter the petting zoo for free. Lastly, there was also minigolf and bowling for younger kids as well as a jump pad to play on.

These are several different rides at the festival for kids of all ages to enjoy. First of all, there were the giant slides, which were similar to waterslides, that you could ride on in an inner tube. There were also pony rides for $5. There was face painting as well, which had many designs, but it was closed on the last day of the festival. There were also large tires to climb on for the little kids. Finally, there was the tube roll, which kind of looked like a hamster wheel when people were in it (this was my favorite ride of them all).

There was an ice cream stand that sold hot dogs, popsicles and burgers. There were also stands that sold barbecue, cotton candy, and kona ice. Here are some fun facts about the camel named James!

• Dromedary camels only have one hump

• Camels only sweat in temperatures of 106 degrees of higher

• Camels are born with no humps

• Most camels only spit when provoked hese are all the un a ts games rides and ood at this ear s ertu io Farms Fall Festival. Learn more at www.vertucciofarms.com

t s time to register or the se ond annual ring ome the oo ies un al . t s ha ening on eb. at estgate Entertainment District.

Join Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine oun il and tate ort ight oundation in artnershi ith tate ort ight or this un e ent that bene ts both haritable organiations. ogether e ll elebrate the end o the irl out oo ie rogram ith a ommunit run al that em o ers ri ona s entrepreneurs for a sweeter future.

egister toda to arti i ate in this e i and tasty race. Participants will receive a goodie bag that ill in lude a limited edition tate ort ight shirt a a age o irl out oo ies a medal and more he rst eo le to register or the ill also re ei e a limited edition tate ort ight tote ent organi ers are also loo ing or s onsors endors and olunteers. mall businesses an host a booth in the unner s illage and share ith our ommunit and ith uture girl leaders and their amilies.

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Photograph by Jeremy Knop

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CSO Program Brings Change

by CSO Nikhil Johnson, Northern High School, Phoenix

Hello! My name is CSO Nikhil and m the th ear ele ted hie ien e er rom orth igh hool in hoeni ri ona. he literal de nition o being a hie ien e er is a student ambas sador or at our res e ti e s hool here ou an hel ma e de isions or the initiati e ho e er or me it has been so mu h more.

ust a ou le o ears ago as terri ed o ailure and as stu in a bubble o being intro erted. o e er anted to ma e an im a t in m ommunit . he airing o mentors li e mar lam rom iasat in addition to the en ouragement o m eers hel ed me see dis om ort and ada t m sel to be ome an e tro ert. n the uture ho e to use m mental balan e emotional intelligen e and leadershi s ills to ma e an im a t as a do tor and ommunit leader.

er sin e rst earned the osition as a hie ien e

er as highl moti ated in sho ing stu dents that is in e er thing. or the ast three ears ha e been able to e ol e this idea b de elo ing en iron mental initiati es in m s hool am us and e en the state im lementing di erse a tion lans in the en ironmental lub that ounded at m s hool ha e had the o ortunit to s earhead ommunit leanu s tree lanting da s in ar s hi es s art statement ie es and mu h more. es ite being in m senior ear o high s hool and not o iall being a soon belie e that m a tion lans an reate a sno ball o hange. sho ing m eers that ou an ad o ate or hat ou belie e in ho e to reate lo al hanges that an ause global im a ts.