Bridgington Post Issue 3

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

THE BRIDGINGTON POST High School Tackles Complex Issues in Fall Play

Issue 3, December 2014 Inside

By Tamar Faggen

Get ready for Wintersession Fun. 3 Tech Review: Is the iPhone 6 worth the cost?

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How are people and snowflakes alike?

Look inside to find out.

Daniella Kiewicz, Jamie Wetherbee, and Ryann Ersoff as the Butler family.

It’s right after lunch on a Friday. There is basketball practice in the gym and the stage curtain’s closed. Why? Tonight is the opening night for the high school drama production of Living Quarters by Brian Fiel.

Everyone is rushing around getting into costume. They have been rehearsing all day. “I have been here everyday including weekends `til as late as 10:00,” says Mairead who is a part of the drama tech team.

For the past thee months,

9 Don’t sit at home this holiday. Make a break for these exciting winter getaways.

12 Please turn to page 9

Happy Holidays Welcome to this third edition of The Bridgington Post. We hope you enjoy all of the interesting articles by our intrepid reporters. From a look at the physics of snowflakes, to winter getaways in the mountains, our holiday issue has much to offer.

Read about the history of Kwanzaa and the experience of Black Friday shoppers. Catch up on

events like the protests sparked by Ferguson. Liza Esposito brings you some choice holiday films to watch, and a selection of crafts to make. Benny Dittbrenner has some gift ideas, and guest writer Ethan Greenberg will tell you if the iPhone 6 is worth the price. Read about what’s coming up in Wintersession and what to do—and not to do—with social media.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

The Other Winter Holiday: Kwanzaa’s Roots Go Back to Civil Rights

By Alexander J. Seeger Ever wondered why Kwanzaa came to be what it is today?

The holiday dates back to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and is the brainchild of African American professor, activist, and author Maulana Karenga.

Karenga created this nonreligious holiday to help African Americans keep in touch with their African roots.

From Dec. 26 through Jan. 1,

Maulana Karenga

African Americans participate in traditional African feasts and activities.

Kwanzaa was in fact originally an alternative to Christmas, but lately people observe both Christmas and Kwanzaa. This coming Kwanzaa will be the 48th annual celebration.

Estimates of how many people celebrate Kwazaa in the U.S. vary widely. Some say the number is less than half a million, while 2

African Americans light candles to observe Kwanzaa. others assert it’s more than 18 million.

Kwanzaa lasts seven days and each day focuses on a different cultural value. Below are some of the values that are fostered during Kwanzaa in their Swahili and English names.

• •

•

•

• •

Umoja (oo-MOH-JAH) -Unity Kujichagulia (koo-jichah-goo-LEE-ah) -- Selfdetermination Ujima (oo-JEE-mah) -Collective work and responsibility Ujamma (oo-jah-MAH) - Cooperative economics Nia (NEE-ah) -- Purpose Kuumba (koo-OO-mbah)

-- Creativity • Imani (ee-MAH-nee) – Faith People observe many traditions throughout Kwanzaa such as wearing African clothing, playing traditional African music, and even lighting candles in an African kinara.

For the feast, people will typically have a meal consisting of sweet potatoes, collard greens, and black-eyed peas.

The colors associated with Kwanzaa are black, red, and green. The color black is for the people, the color red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Get Ready for Wintersession Fun

By Eli Lepler

Come Jan. 5

th,

students at other schools will be back to learning angles in geometry and studying the presidents in history, while students at Bridges get to go skiing and surfing. This is because only Bridges Academy has Wintersession.

Wintersession is a fun tradition for all students and faculty to do different activities after winter break ends. Wintersession has been happening at Bridges for 13 years. Classes being offered this year are Golf, Camping, LA on Foot, Surf Camp, Outdoor Adventures, Museums of LA, Hiking, Animals Abound, Science Fiction Films, and much more.

Wintersession lasts two weeks, beginning Monday, January 5 and ending on Friday, January 16.

Wintersession is for students to have fun and explore outside of school subjects before we come back to our normal schedule. All of the classes will be very exciting, so we should not be worried about picking the wrong one!

Judy Temes, middle school humanities teacher, and art teacher Caroline Maxwell will be leading Museums of LA during the first week. “The class is planning to go to the Getty Villa, the Japanese Museum, and the Los Angeles Museum of Art,” she said. “We are planning to go to four or five

museums during the week.”

A popular choice is Outdoor Adventures,

which is being offered both weeks. The teachers leading the class are Barry Blonsky, Brad Sparks, Ben James, and Sally Anne Rosenberg. Activities included this year are skiing at a local resort, biking and rollerblading in Santa Monica, and hiking both Fryman Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains and Aqua Dulce. The cost of the class is $130, which covers daily transportation and rental equipment.

Tamar Faggen Graham, 8th grader at Bridges, signed up for the class this year because she was interested in skiing and hiking. However, when asked what she is looking forward to the most she said, “Definitely roller skating. It’s one of my favorite activities.”

Another class for people who like outdoor sports is Golf. During the second week, this class is going to Weddington Golf Course located on Whitsett Avenue. Everyone is welcome, even those who have never played before. They may go to mini-golf or bowling. The teachers leading the class are Stuart Matranga and Matt Carol. The cost for this class is $150 for rental clubs, balls, and green fees. I signed up for this class because I was interested in golf and I’m excited!

Wintersession only comes once per year and allows us to escape normal classes for a short period of time. After the two weeks are over, we’re back to learning with the rest of the world. Enjoy it while you can!

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

Ferguson Prompts Protests Across Donec interdum Country

By Anthony Sunseri

Cartoon by Elias Avedon If you’ve been watching the news lately, then you know that all over the country, people have been protesting the unfair treatment of young African American men by police.

The protests are a response to what many call police brutality, and they’re causing people across America to gather the courage to stand and speak up.

The protests were sparked by events in Ferguson, Missouri, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by White police officer Darren Wilson in August. Brown was walking down the middle of the street, when Wilson drove up and told him to move to the sidewalk. When he was talking, Brown reportedly reached into the car to take Wilson’s sidearm. Chaos ensued, with Brown and Wilson struggling through the open window of the police vehicle until Wilson’s gun went off. Brown ran with Wilson in pursuit, firing a total of twelve rounds; six hit Brown, according to the autopsy.

After the shooting, Officer Wilson was held accountable and appeared before a grand jury. The 4

grand jury’s decision to not indict Wilson triggered protests in Ferguson, which spread within days to a number of other cities, including Los Angeles.

Brown’s death has been followed by other incidents of young Black men killed

by White police officers in recent weeks, prompting more riots and marches. The Consectetuer: death in New York of Eric Garner, a Black father arrested by police for illegally selling cigarettes, triggered the largest protests to date in New York. Garner resisted arrest.

The police response: chokehold death. Just three days ago, Berkeley protests went from peaceful to violent in response to these incidents.

The hope is that, as in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, constructive change will come of these events. Wearable cameras for the police should be but a start.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Black Friday Still Draws Shoppers Some Bridges Faculty Enjoy the Hunt

By Shane Cynamon

If you are in the market for the new Wii U, PlayStation 4, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, or Super Smash Bros, Black Friday’s the day to shop.

Black Friday is considered to be the first official day of Christmas shopping, and there are special offers that often draw big crowds. Black Friday was first mentioned in 1869 when gold prices plummeted causing the stock market to crash. The name Black Friday is 145 years old. Today, the term refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving, a special, but often violent, shopping day.

On Black Friday there are also great deals that you may not be able to find at other times of the year. Some people go crazy for Black Friday, going as far as camping out in front of stores for several days in hopes of getting a great deal. But are these deals worth it for consumers and the stores?

Stores made an effort to lure in more customers this year.

Some deals included a bundled PlayStation 4 at Walmart for $399 and included GTA V, the Last of Us, plus a $50 Walmart gift card. At Best Buy, you could’ve gotten a great deal on a brand new 50-inch HDTV for $199. Walmart’s shopping week started at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Thursday. If you were amongst the first 100 shoppers, there were early-bird deals to be had. People made an effort to get to the stores early. In fact, two California women camped out in front of a Best Buy for 22 days to be the first to get the deals. Some stores even reported chaos and violence as people fought each other to be first in the door.

Cartoon by Elias Avedon Though rare, such chaos tends to make people not want to shop on Black Friday.

In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, Black Friday sales plummeted 11% this year. Even with all the discounts on electronics and clothes, retailers failed to bring in shoppers to major sales events on Black Friday. If sales keep going down 11% every year until 2021, retailers could potentially lose virtually all of all their Black Friday retail sales!

While that’s unlikely, online sales keep climbing. Based on an early report from ComScore, Thanksgiving online sales made it past $1 billion and Black Friday online sales exceeded $1.5 billion.

That is an increase of $300 million dollars from 2013. Shoppers may be getting tired of the long lines and starting to prefer shopping in the comfort of their own home. To find out what people in the Bridges Community think about Black Friday, I spoke to three faculty

members: Carmen Sevilla, Lori Hardy, and Doug Lenzini. Lori and Doug have never shopped on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. When asked for their reasons, Lori said, “I do not like the long lines,” and Doug simply said, “I do not like shopping at all unless it is for a specific reason.”

Carmen said that while she usually does not shop on Black Friday, she decided to go with her sister for the first time this year.

Her secret: to go in the middle of the night. Carmen said she went shopping at 1 in the morning!

She said that she enjoyed shopping on Black Friday because there were no lines and she received deals such as 50% off and Buy One Get One Free.

“The sweater I am wearing today I bought at the store on Black Friday,” she said.

It seems everyone has mixed feelings about Black Friday, including those in our community.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

Tech Review: iPhone 6 Dazzles

By Ethan Greenberg, special contributor

W

hen I first thought of a big

iPhone, I thought I would hate it. I was wrong.

I have had the iPhone 6 for three weeks now, and I love the 4.7inch screen. The iPhone 6 display has a resolution of 1334 by 750 or 326 pixels per inch. Even though 326 pixels per inch isn’t the sharpest phone screen in the world, it looks great. Text is sharp, videos are clear, and photos look vibrant.

Speaking of photos, the iPhone 6 has an amazing camera. Even though the sensor remains at 8 megapixels, the camera is better than any other phone. Colors are sharp, accurate, and lighting differences are spot on. The True Tone flash lights up colors in dark scenes surprisingly well. Burst mode is also great; you can now get the jumping photo you have always wanted to capture. You also get 1080p video and 240 frames per second in slow motion videos.

One of the coolest features of the camera is that it lets you control exposure so you can get the perfect photo. In the photos app, you can edit the photos to make them look better and share them.

To share photos, you need an Internet connection. The iPhone 6 has many methods of getting online.

First, the phone has many bands of LTE to get a fast connection. The maximum connection speed of the iPhone 6’s LTE modem is 150 mbps.

Sprint customers will soon be able to get the company’s enhanced LTE, Spark. The iPhone 6 also has 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac Wi-Fi, enabling Wi-Fi calling and Voice Over LTE.

The downside to these features is your carrier has to enable it. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have Voice Over LTE but Wi-Fi calling is specific to T-Mobile. The iPhone 6 also has Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The only downside to the iPhone 6’s NFC antenna is that is currently locked to Apple Pay. Apple Pay is a great invention. It holds credit cards in the Passbook App. To use your credit card, you just tap the phone

on an NFC Terminal. The credit card is encrypted so you don’t need to worry about the number getting stolen. For the verification, you need to scan your finger.

Relating to security, the iPhone 6 has the options for a fingerprint, number passcode, or letter password. The software is so securely encrypted, not even the government can hack it.

The iPhone 6 also has software enhancements. One major enhancement is the health app. It can track steps climbed or miles run.

Another great enhancement is Reachability. Since the iPhone 6 is big, you can double tap the home button and make the screen move down. You can also see which apps use the most battery or cellular data.

One of my favorite enhancements is that I can install 3rd party keyboards. I can finally have

a Swype keyboard.

There are also many hardware additions. The iPhone 6 has a barometer sensitive enough to track the air pressure difference between floors inside a building, or hills outside.

The iPhone 6 also has a 64-bit A8 Chip with an M8 motion coprocessor. The new processor makes the iPhone fast and responsive. Graphically intense games run well and aren’t choppy.

The iPhone 6 has stellar battery life because of the 1,810milliamp hour battery. The iPhone 6 battery isn’t the largest battery in the world, but it lasts one day with moderate to heavy use.

I also like the fast charging capability. An iPad charger charges the iPhone 6 twice as quickly as the charger that comes with the phone. All of this hardware makes the iPhone 6 a great phone.

The iPhone 6 comes in three colors: silver and gold, gray and black, and white and silver. It also comes in three storage capacities: 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Now for the bad news: With a contract, the 16GB iPhone 6 is $199; the 64GB model is $299, and the 128GB model is $399.

Without a contract, the iPhone 6 16GB is $649, the 64GB model is $749, and the 128GB model is $849. Even though the iPhone is expensive, it is worth the money and I recommend upgrading if you can.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Holiday Gift Guide

By Benny Dittbrenner

Everyone likes gifts for the holidays, some more than others. So for those of you who have absolutely no idea where to begin, we offer some ideas for gifts for the whole family. And remember, the best gifts are always those you make yourself.

Gifts for everyone Mini Retro Popcorn Machine This is a must have for the entire family. Even your neighbor will love it. It can fit up to 8 cups of popping corn per batch and can store up to 30 cups of popped corn. This amazing piece of technology will run you $42 on Amazon.com.

Edible arrangements These decadent fruit decorations are a pricey way to enjoy your chocolate dipped fruit on a stick, but your family will love you for it. There are many different options from small trays of fruit to huge vases of fruit popsicles.

These amazing pieces of edible art range in price from $29 - $679 on Ediblearrangments.com.

Make something yourself Though time-consuming, these are always the best gifts and will strike the hearts of your receiver. You can make something with items you can find in the house, art supplies, or a place like Color Me Mine.

Gifts for teens Yocaher Professional Speed Drop Down Stained Complete Longboard This skateboard comes in many different designs to match the rider’s skills.

It costs about $80 - $112 on Amazon.com.

Birchbox Home Sweet Homespun This twist on the classic Birchbox features cozy socks, a scented candle, sipping chocolate, and more. It’s sure to appeal to a teen’s every sense.

This great gift costs $40 on Birchbox.com.

Sony MDR-1RNC This might be a bit expensive, but it is sure to make a teenager very happy. These headphones aren’t very well known

but are the perfect combination of noise cancelation, sound quality, design, and comfort. These headphones will run you about $320 on Amazon.com.

Xbox One + Kinect More likely to be on a dream list than a wish list, this hightech piece of equipment is a must have for teens and dads.

Games can go from single player to 4-player splitscreen. This wonderful device comes with a high price tag: $491 on Amazon.com.

Fuzion Cityglide Kick Scooter This is the scooter for the kid to impress in your family.

With big rims and bright colors, only a true scooter maven will appreciate your present.

This swaggy scooter

costs about

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

Can Two Snowflakes Ever Look Alike?

By Adam Jackson Are you ready for a dose of science?

Have you ever wondered what makes each snowflake unique? I’m about to blow your mind.

The process involves physics where even the smallest details impact the formation. A snowflake starts with evaporation, and unless you are in the 1st grade, you know what evaporation is.

The evaporated water in the clouds grabs onto a particle of dust, and more water molecules grab onto that, making it heavier until it falls. This is the process that forms rain.

But if it’s cold enough, the water will freeze. The gathering water will freeze and grow out in six main branches, and on the branches are sub-branches, and so on. The temperature, humidity, and even other snowflakes and particles can all have a dramatic impact on the end product of each individual snowflake.

“Can two snowflakes ever be identical?” is what I hear you thinking. Nothing says that two can be the same, but the number of shapes that a snowflake can take is more than the number of atoms estimated to be in the universe. But in 2010, a group of British scientists found an exact match to a snowflake in a picture from 1963. The odds of two identical snowflakes forming at the same time, let alone forty-five years apart, is like the odds of shuffling a deck of one hundred thousand million billion trillion unique cards several hundred times and having the exact same order of cards in the deck show up at least twice. And that’s just the odds of it happening, so don’t even get me stared on the odds of it being found.

Now you know where snowflakes come from and why they look so individual. Oh….how are people and snowflakes alike? They both give you the cold shoulder.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Play: continued from page one Three months, high school students have been working hard to pull off this production. I get to take a sneak peek during the dress rehearsal. But first let me tell you what the show is about. Warning: the show did have mature topics.

This play takes place in Ireland.

Commandant Frank Butler, played by Jamie Wetherbee and Will Marcil, is an ordinary army man who suddenly becomes a hero late in middle age, as a result of his brave leadership of a United Nations peacekeeping force. Returning to his hometown of Ballybeg to savor his triumph, Frank discovers that his young, second wife, played by Grace Lindell, has had an affair with—of all people--his son by his first marriage. Once the shameful truth is out, it's only a matter of time before Frank embraces his inevitable, not to mention tragic, fate. He ends his life by committing suicide.

The story is told through a narrator, Sir, who acts as both mediator and director, making sure that the characters' memories reflect real life.

It’s an emotionally complex and sophisticated story, and, in many ways, an unusual choice for a high school production.

Drama teacher and director Ryan Siebrasse tells The Bridgington Post that he chose the play because its “message is relevant to any age: that pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.”

I stay after school to watch the play from behind the scenes, and I have to say, it is an amazing performance. Max Lee-Roller cracks me up. Mateo Rader fits the part of the commandant’s son well—he’s really in character. Last but not least, Jamie Wetherbee’s brogue is spot on.

Top: Melody Carey and Daniella Kiewicz as the Butler sisters Middle: Jason Lapeze as Charlie Donnelly Bottom: Matteo Rader as Ben Butler

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

If You’re Looking for Snow

By Zac Jones

After school is out, after the presents have been opened, after you have played as many video games as your mind can possibly handle, what do you do?

For me, I always end up stuck at home being bored, unless I go somewhere. Here are some places to enjoy winter snow this time of year in California.

One great destination is Idyllwild, a small mountain town in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County. It is supposed to be a great place just to have fun in the snow without the hustle and bustle of ski resorts or too many people. It is about two hours away from Bridges, and there are lodges and restaurants in the town. You can even camp if you get a permit from the ranger station. Even without that permit, you can still do sledding, cross country skiing, hiking, and just playing in the snow.

Then there is Lake Arrowhead, about two hours away, and close to many other snowy areas in the mountains nearby. You can camp out, snow-tube, snowboard, sled, ski, and even snowmobile. You can hike or just play in the snow, which is fun too.

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Mammoth Lakes is another great winter destination, a place I have visited personally, but only in the summertime. Some Winter activities include, sledding, skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking, playing in the snow, snowmobiling, snowboarding, and ice skating. It is at least five hours away, at least from my experience, and that is in summer! It’s too far for a day-trip, but there are plenty of places to sleep over, from condos to ski lodges and hotels.

Big Bear is an easy, popular, and relatively affordable snow getaway for tubing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, skiing, and horse-back riding. You can find more unique activities too, such as geocaching and zip-lining. Big Bear is about two to three hours away, depending on traffic. Because there are few roads up the mountain, traffic can back up, so leave plenty of time to get there.

The last really worthwhile winter get-away is Mount Baldy, about an hour away. It has the usual activities, including skiing. Chair lifts take you to the top.

But be warned: this place is popular and gets crowded. If you plan to go hiking in Winter, beware: there are several precarious ridges up there, on which many people have lost their footing to tragic ends. Winter hiking is only recommended for the experienced.

Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Crafty Holiday Ideas

By Liza Esposito Wintertime is such a fun time of the year, and getting into the holiday spirit makes it even better.

Here are my favorite holiday crafts. Get a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy making these cute decorations!

Pipe Cleaner Snowflake Ornament Here’s what you’ll need: • Scissors • Pipe Cleaners • Needle Nose Pliers Step 1.

Cut three 6inch pieces of pipe cleaner.

Then cut six 2 1/2-inch pieces, six 2-inch pieces, and six 1 1/2-inch pieces.

Step 2. Twist 6-inch pieces together at their midpoints to make a sixspoked asterisk. Tighten twist by clamping down with needle nose pliers.

Step 3. Center one 2 1/2-inch piece at the midpoint of a spoke, and twist onto spoke. Tighten twist with needle nose pliers. Repeat on remaining 5 spokes.

Step 4. About 1/2 inch from an arm attached in step 3 (toward spoke's tip), center one 2-inch piece, and twist onto spoke. Tighten twist with needle nose pliers. Repeat on remaining 5 spokes.

Step 5. About 1/2 inch from an arm attached in step 4 (toward spoke's tip), center one 1 1/2-inch piece, and twist onto spoke. Tighten twist with needle nose pliers. Repeat on remaining 5 spokes. Trim arms if needed.

Step 6. To hang, glue a loop of cord to the back of a spoke.

Garland Trick

Snow Globes

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s what you’ll need: • Synthetic evergreen tips • Plastic or ceramic figurines • Glass Jar • Oil-based enamel paint (optional) • Sandpaper • Clear-drying epoxy • Glitter • Glycerin

• • • •

Floss A needle Cranberries Popcorn (optional)

Step 1. Take a string of floss, but don’t tear it off of the pack. You don’t know how long this garland will be!

Step 2. Thread the needle with the floss.

Step 3. Poke the needle through the popcorn and cranberries one at a time in whatever order you want.

Step 4. Once you’re happy with your garland, tear the floss, and hang how ever you desire!

Peppermint Ornaments Here’s what you’ll need: • • • •

Peppermint Candy Cinnamon Candy (optional) Icing String

Step 1. Lay five or so peppermint candies in a circle to form a wreath; bond sides together with royal icing. Adorn front with cinnamon candies or more mints. Let dry two hours before hanging. Loop twine around ornament; knot.

Step 1. Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With cleardrying epoxy, adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry.

Step 2. Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin (available at drugstores) to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add too much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine.

Turn the jar over and back again -and let it snow.

Step 3.

Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. Turn the jar over and back again -- and let it snow.

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Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2014

Holiday Films Worth Watching

By Liza Esposito Christmas time is my favorite time of the year! I love snuggling up on the couch with my family, and watching Christmas movies. Here are my favorite Christmas movies that are worth watching.

1. Elf This hilarious Christmas movie features Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel. A baby orphan crawls into Santa’s bag when Santa makes a stop in the orphanage. Santa doesn’t know this happened, so when he makes it back to the North Pole, one of the Elves volunteers to raise him. The child, Buddy, grows up making toys in the factory without knowing he is a human, until one day, he overhears two elves saying that he is human.

Papa Elf tells Buddy that his real mother died and his real dad works in a children’s bookstore in New York City, but is unaware that he even has a son. With a bit of convincing, Buddy decides to set off on the journey to find his father. He gets in some trouble, but you won’t believe what happens once he finds his father.

2. The Year Without a Santa Claus This cute film is a must see animation about when Santa is sick on Christmas and can’t deliver gifts for the children. He thinks nobody cares about him and Christmas anymore. Mrs. Claus decides to take matters into her own hands and tries to fix it. She sends out two of the elves to prove that people do care about Santa. The two cowardly elves have a bit of a hard time out in the real world, but eventually they get some great proof that people love Santa.

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3. A Charlie Brown Christmas I’m sure many of you have seen this classic TV Christmas special. Believe it or not, it is now 50 years old. Charlie Brown always seems to have trouble looking on the bright side. He just can’t appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. Of course, it’s just that he’s lonely. When Linus gives his amazing Christmas speech, it lifts Charlie’s mood a whole lot.

4. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer This is another TV Christmas special about those that are judged for being different. Rudolph, a baby reindeer, is always made fun of because of his glowing red nose at reindeer training. Then, another reindeer named Clarice comes to comfort Rudolph, but soon after, Clarice’s father forbids her from hanging out with Rudolph.

Meanwhile, an Elf named Hermey is judged for wanting to be a dentist rather than making toys. Eventually, Rudolph and Hermey meet up and decide to set out to find others who accept them. Their journey together is incredible.

5. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town Yet another TV Christmas special, this one is all about how Santa Claus came to be! This heartwarming classic is a must see.

Continued on next page

Issue 3, December 2014

Issue 3, December 2013

Editorial: Social Media’s Ups and Downs

By Tamar Faggen, Editor-in-Chief Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, almost all of us have at least one type of social media. In fact, according to Common Sense media, 90% of kids ages 13-17 use some form of social media. Two out of three teens have their own mobile device capable of connecting to the Internet.

In fact, we are so connected to social media that when our opinions are not supported online, we are less likely to speak our minds, according to the Pew Research Center’s “Spiral of Silence” study, conducted in the wake of the Edward Snowden NSA controversy in 2013.

Kids feel more socially comfortable online then they do in real life. Online, you can be anyone you want, and say anything you please. Through social networking, teens sometimes gang up on one person by saying something rude. I’ve been in that situation before. Many of us have.

But what you say on social media is just as hurtful as saying it in person. In fact, it can be even more hurtful because what you say can be shared so quickly.

Remember to think before you post.

Words can hurt, whether spoken aloud or online.

Holiday Films: Continued from the previous page 6.

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Now, I know that many people are going to get mad at me for this, but I prefer the original 1966 version to the Jim Carrey version. This cute TV Christmas special is the original story of that awful Grinch and his attempt to ruin Christmas for all the Whos! It’s simpler than the more complex, loud Jim Carrey version, which at least for me, makes it more endearing. Be warned: your heart may grow three sizes after watching it!

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Frosty the Snowman This cute animation is the real story of our chilly friend, Frosty the Snowman.

It’s all about how he was created, his adventure with the kids, and how he melted away! Well, that last one’s a no brainer!

Newspaper Staff Editor-in-Chief: Tamar Faggen Managing Editor: Liza Esposito Staff Photographer: Benny Dittbrenner

REPORTERS

Elias Avedon Adam Jackson Eli Lepler, Zac Jones 13