@theHelm | December 2022 | Vol. 4 | Issue 3

James Cameron

Toronto Maple Leafs

MITCH MARNER

Breaking the record of the highest point streak as a Toronto Maple Leaf, Marner scored a 19-point streak, beating the franchise record of 18 per game

On December 4, he beat this record with 2 goals while playing Tampa Bay

19 Point streak setting records Personal

Mitch Marner stands at 6'" at the age of 25 He was born on May 5th, 1997 in Markham, ON. His parents are Paul and Bonnie Marner, and he has an older brother, Christopher, who is four years older His family considers themselves to be an animal family because they currently own a cat named Burbank and a chocolate labrador named Winston Something that must be very amazing for Marner is the fact that he had always been a Leafs fan growing up, and now he gets to live his dream

Life You now know about Marner as a player, but what about as a person?

by Catey Chan, 601

ThePatagotitan

A replica of one of the largest dinosaurs ever found has been loaned to the Natural History museum. The dinosaur being loaned is known as Patagotitan. In 2014, the skeleton of the Patagotitan was excavated by Argentina's Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio. Along with the replica the actual femur will also be loaned. The Patagotitan went extinct around 100 million years ago due to an unknown cause. Lengthwise the Patagonian measures 35m from nose to tail, and it weighs an estimated 6070 tonnes. At the head the Patagotitan measures to about 12-15 meters. Since this is the only skeleton of the Patagotitan ever found it's very exciting.

NewMinerals!

In November the University of Alberta was attempting to classify a meteor in Somalia. The meteor weighed about 15 tonnes making it one of the largest in the world. It was also found to be two times denser than typical Earth rock and is also magnetic. U of A received a 70-gram piece to classify and it was found to contain at least two new, never-before seen minerals. The minerals have been named Elalitte and Elkinstantonite after the El Ali district in which the meteorite was found and after a famous planetary scientist. It is also possible that a third mineral could be found if the lab receives bigger samples to test on. Interestingly, Elalitte and Elkinstantonite have been synthetically created before but up until now they had not been found in nature. Meteorites are an important source of new minerals and may have important potential uses in society.

World's Largest Active Volcano

by Katie Stubbs, 602

Sources - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63783633

The Mauna Loa volcano is currently erupting in Hawaii. It is the world's largest active volcano and this is the first time it has erupted in almost 40 years! The volcano had an alert level of advisory to begin with, but has recently been upgraded to warning - the highest possible classification. Mauna Loa covers approximately half of the US state's Big Island. This volcano at its tallest is 13,679ft (4,169m) tall and spans over 2,000 sq miles (5,179 sq km). This makes it bigger than Mt. Everest! Mauna Loa erupted at 11:30 pm on Sunday, Nov 27. This volcano erupted after dozens of small earthquakes happened in the area. Mauna Loa is thought to have erupted 33 times since 1843. The last eruption in 1984 sent lava flows as close as 5 miles to one of the state’s most populated towns, Hilo. Since 1980, the city’s population has doubled to around 200,000 residents, and Hawaii's civil defense agency has warned these residents that this could become a lava disaster very quickly.

Climate Change

Do you know that some of the things we are doing are harming our planet?

You may be wondering, what is climate change? Global warming is caused by all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is trapped in the atmosphere, causing the Earth to warm up. And when the Earth warms up then that can cause wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and many more climate disasters

Whataretheeffectsofclimatechange?

Some of the effects of climate change are wildfires. Wildfires can start by it being too hot in the atmosphere. The atmosphere can get too hot because of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere When there is too much carbon dioxide in the air then the Earth warms up. And when the Earth warms up, that can cause wildfires because of the heat Another effect of climate change is hurricanes Hurricane season is coming earlier and ending later than usual all because of heat and climate change.

First Canadian electric vehicle facility opens

by Evangeline Morrison and Ahana Kulkarni, 703

T h e f i r s t f u l l - s c a l e C a n a d i a n e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e - m a k i n g f a c t o r y h a s o p e n e d i n I n g e r s o l l , O N . “ W e a r e f u l l y c o m m i t t e d t o a n a l le l e c t r i c f u t u r e . W e a r e s e e i n g a r e a l l y h i g h c u s t o m e r d e m a n d , ” s a i d M a r i s s a W e s t , p r e s i d e n t o f G M C a n a d a . T o u p g r a d e t h e f a c i l i t y , t h e f a c t o r y w a s g i v e n 2 9 5 m i l l i o n d o l l a r s , b u t t h e t o t a l p r i c e a m o u n t e d t o 2 b i l l i o n d o l l a r s . B e f o r e t h e f a c t o r y ' s u p g r a d e s , p r o d u c t i o n w a s l i m i t e d t o a f a c t o r y i n M i c h i g a n U S A , w h e r e p r o d u c t i o n w a s s t i l l q u i t e l o w . M a j o r c a r c o m p a n i e s h a v e b e e n s l o w l y c u t t i n g p r o d u c t i o n a t O n t a r i o f a c i l i t i e s H o w e v e r , i n l a t e 2 0 2 0 , i t w a s r e v e a l e d i n u n i o n n e g o t i a t i o n s t h a t b o t h p a r t i e s s e e a g u a r a n t e e d f u t u r e i n e l e c t r i c c a r s , a n d t h e u n v e i l i n g o f C a n a d i a n - m a d e e l e c t r i c v a n s c o n f i r m e d t h i s . “ W e r e a l l y b e l i e v e w e a r e a t a n i n f l e c t i o n p o i n t w h e r e E V ’ s a r e b e c o m i n g m o r e m a i n s t r e a m , ” M a r i s s a W e s t s a i d . E l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s a r e b e c o m i n g m o r e p o p u l a r . 5 % o f a l l c a r s i n C a n a d a a r e h y b r i d o r e l e c t r i c . T h i s n u m b e r i s e x p e c t e d t o g r o w . T h e g o v e r n m e n t i s c o n v i n c e d t h a t b y 2 0 3 5 , a l l n e w v e h i c l e s m a d e w i l l b e e l e c t r i c . T h e c o m p a n y e x p e c t s t h a t i t w i l l b e f r e e o f a l l t a i l p i p e e m i s s i o n s b y 2 0 3 4

T h e v e h i c l e , t h e B r i g h t d r o p Z e v o 6 0 0 , w i l l b e m a i n l y u s e d b y c o m m e r c i a l c u s t o m e r s , l i k e W a l m a r t , D H L , F e d E x , a n d V e r i z o n , t o n a m e a f e w . O n l y a f e w t h o u s a n d v e h i c l e s w i l l b e p r o d u c e d a n n u a l l y , b u t t h a t n u m b e r i s p r e d i c t e d t o r i s e b y 2 0 2 5 t o 5 0 , 0 0 0 . I n c o n c l u s i o n , i t s e e m s e l e c t r i c c a r s a r e t h e f u t u r e , a n d i t s e e m s t h e r e c e n t u n v e i l i n g i s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f a r e v o l u t i o n w h e r e e l e c t r i c c a r s s h a l l b e t h e n o r m

E v a n s , P ( 2 0 2 2 , D e c e m b e r 5 ) G M c o n v e r t s C A M I p l a n t i n I n g e r s o l l , O n t , t o m a k e e l e c t r i c d e l i v e r y v a n s . C B C . R e t r i e v e d D e c e m b e r 5 , 2 0 2 2 , f r o m h t t p s : / / w w w c b c c a / n e w s / b u s i n e s s / t r u d e a u - f o r d - e l e c t r i c - v e h i c l e - i n g e r s o l l - 1 6 6 7 4 3 4 8

The Corner o Mathematics

by Jimmy Li, 803

Submit your answers at 038974@hsc.on.ca!

Santa am I a nice kid? (Gr. 5-6 Medium Difficulty)

Santa was inspecting the elves in the toy factory when he lost his keys that opened his shed. In Santa’s shed, there is a giant rectangular prism full of 1x1x1 blocks, each representing one nice child. Right beside the “good” prism full of 1x1x1 blocks representing the naughty children. If the ratio of the number of hidden “naughty” cubes and the number of hidden “good” cubes is 0, the surface area of the naughty cube is 190, and one of the dimensions of the two cubes are the same, what is the ratio of the volume of the good cube to the naughty cube? See Figure 1

Number Maze 2.0 (Gr. 7-8 Hard Difficulty)

Put the digits 0-9 into these cubes so that the sum of each straight line is the same You can put two numbers into the triangles to make a two-digit number and only one number in the circles Be aware that a two-digit number cannot begin with a 0! See Figure 2.

Answer Corner

Imposter Country: 4/pi

Equal Circles: Multiple answers. Here's one example:

Coffee'n'Questions

by Alisha Hemani, 802 & Esme Vedelago, 806

This Month’s Interviewees:

Student: Mia Lai, 806

Teacher: Ms St. Michael, 803

Are You Excited For The Winter Break?

M: Yes! I’m excited for my dad to come back from China and also to not have to wake up early

SM: Yes I’m excited to be with my family and to do what I would like.

What Are Some Things You're Going To Be Doing During The Break?

M: Sleep, eat, play games, buy presents, play in the snow, go to restaurants, hang with friends, make origami and eat ice cream.

SM: Visit friends, read, sleep in.

Do You Do A Winter Sport?

M: I used to do skating and skiing for fun

SM: I do; I ski

What’s Your Favourite Snow Day Pastime?

M: Watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate and milk tea with a warm blanket

SM: Shoveling. I love it! I like listening to my music, and just being in my own little world.

School’s Been Pretty Good So Far--Anything You Really Enjoyed?

M: I really liked making wire sculptures in Art. I enjoyed doing the gesture sketches, and can’t wait to start the next unit on cultural masks.

SM: I like coaching on the swim team. I used to do it when I was younger, and I’m happy to be back coaching I’ve been coaching for all the 20 years I’ve been teaching here at HSC

When You're At School, What’s Your Least Favourite Thing To Do?

M: HPE, no hesitation. I find myself excelling more in the Arts.

SM: Lunch duty. I like eating lunch with my teacher friends.

What Extracurricular Activities Do You Participate In?

M: I don’t do any extracurriculars that the school offers But if I did, I would probably be doing the Knitting Club

SM: I coach swim, and in the spring I only do homework club

If You Weren’t A Student/Teacher Right Now, What Would You Be?

M: I would be a lazy artist/musician.

SM: Hm. I’d love to be a chef. It’s a lot of hard work to run a restaurant though. I like being a teacher, but I never dreamed about becoming one when I was younger. At that time, I wanted to be a chef or at least work in a restaurant.

If You Could Travel Anywhere, Where Would You Go?

M: I would like to go back to Hawaii! I love the beaches and the food there I would also want to go to China again I haven’t been there since fourth grade And London! It’s my favourite destination in the UK because I saw Phantom of The Opera The Musical there, and it was great!

SM: Hawaii! I’ve always wanted to go there.

What’s Your Favourite Ice Cream Flavour?

M: Mint chocolate chip, chocolate, vanilla, mango, strawberry. It depends on my mood.

SM: Chocolate and peanut butter or anything along the lines of that

Spirited MovieReview

byTessaTierney,502

Sothismonth,myfamilyandIaregoingtowatchaChristmasmovie everySaturday.LastSaturday,wewatchedanewonefeaturingWill FerrellandRyanReynolds(mytwofavouriteactors),calledSpirited! I thoughtIwouldsharewithyouwhatIthoughtofitanddoabrief summaryoftheplot!

Firstofall,wow.Thismovieisamazinginmyopinion!Fromthemusicto theacting,tothestoryitself,everythingaboutSpiritedisgreat.The publicthinksitdeserves4/5stars,butIdisagree.IthinkSpiritedshould get5/5stars!Ilovethismoviesomuch,it’sdefinitelymynewfavourite Christmasmovie.ButenoughaboutwhatIthink--let’sdiveintothe movieitself! So,weallknowthestoryofScrooge,right?Thegrumpyoldmanwho hatesChristmas?Well,thisissortofaremixofthat.Westillhavethe GhostofChristmasPast(SunitaMani),theGhostofChristmasPresent (WillFerrell),andtheGhostofChristmasFuture(LorenWoods),but withnewhumans,suchasClintBriggs(RyanReynolds)andKimberly (OctaviaSpencer).Oh,animportantdetailisthatClintispossiblythe worsthumanbeingonplanetEarth.TheGhostsseethisanddecidethey wanttohaunthim,onlytohavetheirrequestturneddownbytheir supervisor, JacobMarley(PatrickPage).Butaftersomepersuasion, PresentconvinceshimtoletthemhauntClint!Turnsout,that’sgonnabe harderthantheythought.Aslove,hate,andeverythinginbetweengetin thewayofthehaunt,problemsstarttounfoldinvolvingClint’s coworker,hisniece,andPresenthimself.

MusicReview

byViannWhatley,704

ThesearethetopfiveChristmassongsandreasonswhytheyshouldbe onyourChristmasplayliststarters.

"AllIWantforChristmasIsYou"- byMariahCarey.

ThewonderfulsongofChristmasjoyandlovewasdonebythevery popularandiconicsinger.“AllIwantforChristmasisyou”isasongyou probablyhaveheardbefore,andithasbeenplayinginmanydifferent placesduetotheupcomingwinteryholidays.Thissongembracesthe symboloflovewithaChristmasytone.

"LastChristmas"-byWham!

ThissongdisplaystheemotionofChristmasloveandheartbreak.This showsustheloveofapersonoverthespanoftwoChristmases.This songisniceforanyholidayparty,thoughitismostlyChristmasthemed

"Christmas(Baby,PleaseComeHome)"-byDarleneLove.

Thissongisamazing,lovely,andlively Thewishisforonetocomeback forthisjoyousholiday Thissonghasawholechoirasbackground singers,andthemainsingerhasalovelyhighandjazzyvoice.

"JingleBellRock"-byBobbyHelms

Youmighthaveheardthissongmanytimes,butaroundtheworld, millionsofpeopleagreethatHelm'sversionisthebestandmost recognizedrecordingofthissong.Itisaveryupliftingsongthatisn’t tooharshfortheears.ThebeginningsoundslikeSantaClausiscoming closetothehouse.ThisissomethingSanta i htli t t t whilegivinggifts.

"

FelizNavidad"-byJoséF

Thissongisaniconicsongknownbymosti SpanishandEnglishpart,anditissoupbea greatforanyparty,aholidaycelebrationor party.Adiosandmakesuretohaveapró

WinterJokes

byZayanKhan,605

Wheredosnowmengettheweatherreport? TheWinternet

WhatisFrosty’sfavouritefood? Brrrr-ritos

Whatdosnowmeneatforbreakfast? FrostedFlakesandIceCrispies

Whatseasonisthemostsuccessful? WIN-ter

Howdosnowmengreeteachother? "Icetomeetyou."

Whatisasnowman'sfavouritedrinks? IceTeaandSnowmanSoup

Whatdosnowmencalltheirkids? CHILL-dren

WhoareFrosty'sparents? MomandPop-sicle

Whycan’tyougiveElsaaballoon? BecauseshewillLetItGo

Whydidn’tthesnowmanwanttogototheparty? Hewantedtochill.

WhoisFrosty’sfavouriteaunt? Aunt-Arctica

Wheredopenguinskeeptheirmoney? Asnowbank

Whatdosnowmeneatforlunch? Iceberg-ers

WhatkindofmathdoSnowyOwlsdobest? Owl-gebra

Whydoskeletonshatewinter? Theygetchilledtothebone. WhatisthetallestbuildinginAntarctica? TheIce-scraper

Likethesejokes?Clickthelinkformore! CLICKHERE

DAILY DAD JOKES

by Raahith Rajkumar, 805

WHAT DO YOU CALL AN ELEPHANT THAT DOESN'T MATTER?

AN IRRELEPHANT

WHAT DO YOU GET FROM A PAMPERED COW? SPOILED MILK.

WHAT'S THE BEST SMELLING INSECT? A DEODOR-ANT.

WHAT DO YOU CALL A BELT MADE OF WATCHES? A WAIST OF TIME.

WHAT'S A ROBOT'S FAVOURITE SNACK? COMPUTER CHIPS

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST SANTA TO PARK HIS SLEIGH?

NOTHING, IT'S ON THE HOUSE

WHY ARE PIGGY BANKS SO WISE?

THEY'RE FILLED WITH COMMON CENTS.

WHAT DO YOU CALL A HOT DOG ON WHEELS? FAST FOOD!

WHERE DO YOUNG TREES GO TO LEARN? ELEMENTREE SCHOOL.

HOW DO LAWYERS SAY GOOD-BYE? WE'LL BE SUING YA!"

WHAT’S AN ASTRONAUT’S FAVOURITE PART OF A COMPUTER? THE SPACE BAR.

WHY DO BEES HAVE STICKY HAIR? BECAUSE THEY USE A HONEYCOMB

IF YOU ENJOYED THESE JOKES, YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR MORE: JOKE LINK

Top 3 Games to Play With Your Family over the Winter Break!

by Taylor Wang (804), Nathan Chan (703), Finn Iliffe-Wallace (601)

#3 Animal Crossing New Horizons

In this game there is a shop with seasonal and nonseasonal items to decorate your house and/or island! Your family can join you through the airport. It's a very fun game to play with family and definitely a way to spend time with your loved ones during the holidays! :)

Animal Crossing is a calm game in which you are shipped off to an island where a small village has already started. You start with a tent and can sell fish and build to eventually receive a normal house. You can also bring new villagers to the town and give them a home and build shops and whatnot to develop your village.

Overcooked 2 is a video game that can be played by yourself (solo) or with your friends (multiplayer), and this game is about cooking food for customers and serving it to them before the timer and/or their patience runs out. However, there are challenges in the game that set the player back and make their job a lot harder. First of all, the player can play on interesting, fun, and silly maps. These maps have hazards that get in your way and if you fall, you respawn without your dish.

#2 Overcooked 2

Thegamehasdifferenttasksthattheplayermustcomplete,likehavingto cookmealsordeliverthemwithinasetamountoftime. Youmustalsoclean dishesandservethecustomersontime.Thegamecanbeplayedbyyourself orwithyourfriendsorwithpeopleonlinefromacrosstheworld.Butmost importantly,don'tletthefoodgetOvercooked!

1# Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The Lego StarWars games were a truly nostalgic experience for many such as us at @TheHelm! This collection gives you all of the games that you know and love with the perfect crisp graphics that have evolved over time (or is a great way to play the games if you haven't played them before with a new look)!

Journey your way through the movie events with a Lego-ey twist and get to interact with the world and events in it! The Skywalker Saga is the perfect game for you and your family to go to war in the stars.

People who buy these games

AFishy

Christmas

MaiaE-F,504

Atthebeginningoftheschoolyear, IchosetheMiddleSchoolChoiras oneofmyco-curricularactivities There,Imetagirlwhotaughtmea popularparodyofJoytotheWorld -aboutfishThisinspiredmeto createmyownfishyparodiesof traditionalChristmassongs.

Enjoy!

Singtothetuneof DecktheHalls

Deckthehallswithboughsoffishbones

Falalalala,lalalala Bodiesrestinfishytombstones Falalalala,lalalala Forksareplenty,bowlsareempty Falalalala,lalalala Isn'tthisafishyshanty Falalalala,lalalala

Singtothetuneof SilentNight

Silentnight,whatafright, Goldy'sgone,I'mforlorn. Goldydiedonenightinherbowl, Nowthesadnessistakingitstoll. Sleepinheavenlypeace, Sleepinheavenlypeace.

Singtothetuneof HarktheHeraldAnglesSing

Harktheheraldangelssing, It'smyfirsttimefishing Caughtafishthat'ssixfeetlong Tookithometoshowmymom Momsaysthatwehaveourdinner Putitinapantosimmer Whilesomebrusselsproutsdidboil, Broccoliwasputtobroil, Whatagreatfeastwedideat Fishandveggies-whatatreat Ifeelbadforthatpoorfish, 'Leastit'sinaworldofbliss Harktheheraldangelssing, NowIreallylikefishing

by Ibrahim Alhaidari (801) and Anivit Sah (805)

Hello and Welcome!

by Viann Whatley, 704

I thought I’d switch things up a bit with a poetry prompt. For this month we will do a haiku poem! It could be about any holiday you celebrate over this frosty month.

If you need it, this is a one-verse haiku to start you off:

"Sitting next to warmth. On a windy and cold day. Oh, what a white day."

I hope you have a good day!

Thank you for viewing this month’s poetry, and I hope that if we have a poetry gallery next month, we’ll see your beautiful haikus and poems.

The Christmas Miracle

Onceuponatime,attheNorthPole,SantaClauswasgetting readytoleavewhenhenoticedthatthepresentsweremissing! Alltheelveswerepanickingandwererunningincirclesand didn'tknowwhattodo.So,Santadecidedtosetouttolook forthem.Afteralongtimeofsearching,Santasawabright lightandthenherushedtowarditandsawallofthetoysthat weremissing.Behindthetoysweresomeelvesthatlooked evil,thenSantastartedaskingthemsomanyquestionsthat theyconfessedeverything.

Theysaidthattheystolethepresentsbecausetheywere enviousofSanta'selvesandcouldn'tpreventthemselvesfrom takingthepresents.Theytookthepresentsbecausethey thoughtthatiftheyhidthepresentsandthenpretendedto findthemthatSantawouldlikethemandrecruitthem.Santa saidthatheforgavethem,andhetookthemwithhimto deliverthepresents.Theywereallrecruitedasheadsoftheelf team,andtheypromisednevertostealthepresentsanymore. AndthatisthestoryoftheChristmasmiracle.

In the past year, I have learned the importance of resourcefulness in challenging and surprising situations

The grand Kingsley mansion was the largest home in the city and an anomaly Since no one had ever seen the inside, all the public knew was that Dr. Kingsley lived there and possibly his kids. Inside actually lived my twin brother Ben, my father Gareth Kingsley, and me I’m Lucy I remember when Ben and I were 11---even then dad was still worried about us even leaving through the front door We were kept on the property, never to leave, never to be seen. He taught us Monday to Friday, like normal school kids. But when he taught us about the world, all he said was that it was bad and that we would die if we dared to leave the property. We didn’t believe him, but we played along.

When I was younger I had long red hair, always tied back into a braid. Ben had short brown hair; he was tall for his age, and looked like an adult For as long as I could remember, we always woke up at 5, got dressed and made breakfast. After four classes we would have lunch and outdoor time We always had the same lunch--a ham sandwich--and after eating, we were allowed outside to play in the courtyard. The only place we were allowed to be: outside The courtyard had grass, a few large stones and one large willow tree. After playing we came in for 3-4 more classes, depending on how much father felt like talking After we finished, Ben and I were free to roam

It was one Monday in May when we decided to stay in our room after class Father had seemed stressed that day so we left him alone At 5 we started to prepare dinner, and by 6 I called dad to the table but he didn’t respond After a couple times we realised he wasn’t at the house anymore Ben pointed out a note on father's armchair It read “Dear Benjamin and Lucile, something has happened I trust that you will live without me I do not know if I will return Love, Father ” We just stood in shock, but Ben broke the silence He reminded me of a time a while ago when a man started banging on the door Dad had given us a similar speech before opening the door, we hid behind a pillar together and watched as the man and dad talked I remembered hearing our names come up but we didn’t know why Today we finally realised whoever that man was, he was looking for us

Someone knocked, disrupting our conversation. Ben slowly opened the door and I hid behind the same pillar. It was the same man as before. The man didn’t question if he was a kid, he just said “Is Dr. Kingsley home?” He didn’t even say hi. Ben shook his head and said “No” then the man asked “Does he live here?” Ben said, “yes”. The last question was, “Do you live here?” Ben said, “yes”. It was a suspicious answer since it was assumed that no other adult lived other than dad. The man turned away to look at the car driver. He nodded and moved his pointer finger. We took the chance to shut the door, sharing a quick glance before he broke down the door. We both ran

faster than ever. I followed Ben and we hid in the library at the back of the house It would be impossible to find us. We went to a large tall shelf at the back of the room. I was looking through the books hoping to find a heavy one to throw for protection Finally, I found a large book that would work great. Ben and I removed the book together, and that's when one of the bookshelves dropped down a chute We both stared in shock as we looked over the gap that the shelf left, past it was a stairwell. It was damp, cold and very dark Ben and I shared a look, we knew it could be our chance I went down the stairs first and Ben followed behind, we walked cautiously and slowly making sure to hold onto the wall Finally, we reached the bottom

At the bottom was a small room, the walls made of grey stone and the floors made of dirt Inside was a sewing machine on a small wooden table, a rubber ball and a small flashlight. Ben picked up the flashlight and cycled through the settings, it had white light, blue light, and a strobe He gave it to me and I went to the sewing machine. We decided we were going to pop the ball so I removed the needle Once I got the needle out Ben raised the ball up and I pricked it. The ball popped and inside a slip of paper fell out. Ben took the flashlight and turned it on so we could read what was written, nothing was there, Ben changed the setting to blue light. In the spy books, we read the blue light always revealed a secret, and it did this time It said “Brace your fall” and then the floor collapsed We fell for quite a bit and then finally we hit something.

The floor we hit wasn’t hard Ben and I lay there for a moment, since we were still in shock. Finally, Ben and I got up, and Ben took out his flashlight It turns out we were on a big blue cushioned mat As Ben pointed the flashlight at the walls, we saw that the walls were lined with rock climbing holds Luckily, Ben and I were skilled climbers, so it didn’t seem hard, but we didn’t know how climbing would get us out. Ben stepped closer and a boxing fist came out of the wall It was booby-trapped! Ben volunteered to try out the wall while I searched for an exit. I saw a large vent, but no other exits. Ben was able to climb the wall without setting off too many traps, but that wouldn’t help us unless we got a screwdriver. He jumped from the wall, not wanting to risk the climb down, but that set off six traps Something fell out of the highest trap: a screwdriver I climbed up to take off the vent cover, giving Ben a break. I took out the four screws and tucked them in my pocket then took the cover off and dropped it beside Ben. I also jumped down in hopes that I could also trigger something useful Nothing fell down, so I climbed up somewhere else and jumped. We slowly went around the whole room. Two other things fell out: a key and a box. The box was unlocked so we opened the box and inside were photos of a house, photos of us, and photos of our father. Ben and I weren’t quite sure what house was in the photo, but we assumed it was important We climbed up to the vent, holding the box and key. I climbed inside the vent and then Ben passed me the box. Finally, I pulled him up.

We crawled through the vent and made a left, then went up an incline, then a right, and an incline. Finally, we saw some light at the end of the vent Once we reached it, I kicked off the cover and it clanked on the floor. I looked out and saw our workshop. The workshop was at the end of the courtyard We got out and found that the room was messy, like someone was looking for something. The cabinets were open and the table had tools spread all over We didn’t spend too much time thinking about it since we didn't know if the man was following us. We walked out of the shop; surprisingly it was sundown We cautiously walked to the fence across the yard, and we attempted to open the gate’s lock. I used the key and thankfully it worked The gate swung open and we were finally able to leave the property Mysteriously, the man, the car he came in, and every trace of him coming was gone. As we walked down the empty street, we decided on a plan; we were going to find our father. But first we were going to pretend to be lost kids. We knocked on the front door of one of our neighbours' houses Luckily the owner answered. A middle-aged woman stood at the door. I explained that we were lost after playing and we didn’t know how to get home She invited us in and asked us if we knew our address. Ben said no but showed her the photo of that house. It was weird for older children to not know their own address, but the lady didn’t seem to care. She did something on a thin box that lit up, and then gave us an address.

Ice Horse

Chapter 2 of

a story

by Aoji Zhang, 605

How long have I been motionless in front of this ice horse? What a terrible fall he too must have had, but he was less fortunate than the poor thing. For now at least...

The walls towering above me are solid rock, impossible to climb Incoherent thoughts begin to flicker in my mind Daylight is fading and yet multicoloured butterflies are fluttering around me, coaxing happy smiles from my lips. That’s it, winter is over, the velvety, green grass bursting through the white blanket Poppies, buttercups, forget-menots and violets flaunting their desire for spring over our Mongolian mountains. But a grey veil soon falls on this vision and sends shivers through my body. No, no, winter is not over, I’m losing my mind and I might not see the next spring ,

How on earth did I, Battushig, a 17-year-old computer science student at the National University of Mongolia, find myself far from the excitement of the capital, Ulan Bator, only to die of cold in the Mongolian mountains? I focus on my last memories A bumpy ten-hour bus ride to reach the steppe, followed by a two-hour walk to reach my family’s winter camp.

from the previous page

My stallion, Altaïr, instantly recognizable by his coat of roast coffee with flecks of cherry red and his thick, glossy black mane, left the herd and galloped towards me, whinnying loudly Such an emotional reunion, him nuzzling against my neck, pushing his muzzle into my chest, then turning and spinning like a puppy before returning and placing his forehead on my shoulder, breathing noisily. I patted him, embraced him, and spoke to him softly How I had missed him!

Altaïr escorted me to the tipis, prancing happily. My three younger sisters rushed towards me, almost knocking me to the ground in their attempts to be the first to jump into my arms My little ones had grown again My mother, Kinzie, held me in her arms before telling me that my father had left for a meeting of horse breeders at Mount Altai. But he ought to have been on his way back. I remember my disappointment; I had so little time! Then I see myself, being wrapped up in warm traditional clothing by my mother, my feet protected by strips of felt rolled up to the top of my ankles, before sliding them into boots. She slips a bag of provisions over my shoulder once perched on Altaïr, then scatters a few drops of milk in homage to the spirits of our ancestors to protect me I wave to her and set off at a gallop to meet my father, to tell him the great news

John, my father, was too proud of his traditions to ever use a mobile phone Fortunately, my mother Kinzie managed to convince him to buy solar panels so they could have power like most people. And a satellite dish to follow the news – as well as soppy Korean soap operas – on television! Ah, my father He has more pride than Genghis Khan! How will he react when I tell him the incredible thing that happened to me? Thanks to the free online computer courses provided by the American University MIT in Massachusetts and the project that I developed with the help of teachers and students at the National University of Mongolia and throughout the online world, MIT has offered me a scholarship that will allow me to join its ranks of students. Will I see the pride on my father’s face, or will I be turned into a motionless icicle, just like this frozen horse?

Is it night already? I can see the first stars twinkling, and the ice horse whinnies to greet them. I hear you ride, and now he speaks to me. I rub my eyes with my numb hands – the ice horse hasn’t moved All this must have been hallucinations brought on by hypothermia

“Batt! Hold on! We’ve come to get you!”

A metallic clinking sound tears through the muffled silence of the mountains Through the fog in my brain, I can make out two bright spots slowly coming closer I can hear voices encouraging me A chain of

points getting bigger and bigger now Holding axes and ropes around their waists, members of my tribe approach me My big brother, Gambat, head of the camp in the absence of my father, lifts me and strokes my face to help the blood start flowing again With the last of my strength, I point to the horse trapped in the ice The reflection of Gambat’s headlamp on the ice dazzles me My brother almost drops me to his surprise But he pulls himself together and I feel him fastening straps around me

“Altaïr led us to you, you reckless thing!”

I think I manage to smile before completely losing consciousness

Find out what happens in Chapter 3 when you read the next issue of @theHelm!

writing prompt

Last month's prompt was sentence starters! Submissions had to be a short story or poem that began with this sentence prompt: “Instead of the moon there was an eerie darkness, no light whatsoever...”

Instead of the moon, there was an eerie darkness, no light whatsoever. Ally frowned as she looked out into the lake. “The lack of sunlight is definitely peculiar.” Ally mused out loud, fingers tense, gripping the hard-worn bench. At 9 in the morning, birds should have been chirping, runners should have been spotted jogging along the beaten-down path, seagulls should have been squawking but no. This morning was certainly not normal. The lack of sunlight wasn’t what had disturbed her, in fact, she was used to the darkness and the slight cold but the silence was not normal. It was deafening silence, enveloping her like a cold blanket. Ally shivered again, the uneasiness in her stomach growing bigger as each second ticked by. At 9 in the morning, it was deadly silent, not an animal nor a person in sight when Ally disappeared with a piercing, sharp scream.

– Melody Zhang (701)

Instead of the moon there was an eerie darkness, no light whatsoever. Very fitting, considering I was sitting on the dock on top of Lake Eerie, my legs swinging back and forth below me. I gazed into the black water. I thought I had seen a ripple in the water, but now there was nothing. I shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

I turned my head away for a moment, and saw it again. I swung my head to look back into the cold, flat water. Nothing. I thought I was going crazy. I stared up at the pitch-black sky, grey clouds drifting around. The intense fog was preventing me from seeing my house up on the hill behind the dock.

I shivered. It’s getting cold… I thought. I’ll go in now. I stood up, walking towards where I thought my house was. Just then, an ear-splitting screech fell upon the dark night. It came from the lake.

I turned around quickly, terrified out of my mind. Nothing. I went back to the end of the dock, staring into the water. I heard a whisper of gibberish behind me. You won’t believe what I saw when I looked.

A misty, gray figure was right there, making that same screech from before. It shoved me into the water only a couple seconds after I screamed with terror and fear. I tumbled down, feeling a cold slap as my body got engulfed in the dark waters of Lake Eerie. And that’s when I lost all sense of sound, sight, touch, everything. That’s when my heart stopped beating and I stopped breathing. That’s when I died.

Tessa Tierney (502)

Instead of the moon there was an eerie darkness, no light whatsoever. A bush rustled and I jumped back. My foot hit the ground with more sound than I intended. I gasped, scared that I would be found. A harsh voice I knew too well projected through the forest.

“Where are you? I know you're here. Little girl, little girl, don't disappoint your brothers and sisters. Tell us where the agate is. You do know Mistress Ilaria will be furious to know you stole the agate.”

I almost fell back at the thought of seeing my brother again His cold touch, his horrid dark heart, his icy glare I called him my brother but he was only another child that Ilaria had I thought of him no more I hated calling Ilaria mistress. She was not royalty or anything like that! She was a mother to me and well, 17 other people, but mostly to me. Ilaria cared about me the most. That's why she named me after her second-most important thing, agate, her crystal. My heart was racing faster and faster, and I slowly walked away from the scene, straight into Octavius.

“Agate! You little brat! Give me back the crystal agate!!”

And just like all my other brothers and sisters, he hit me right across my face. I staggered back. He grabbed the agate and signaled for the rest of my brothers and sisters to retreat. As they were walking away, Alaska caught my eye. She whispered, “I’m sorry, Agate.”

I sat back and cried. I cried for what felt like forever until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Octavius, stop bothering me! I hate you! Leave me alone.”

A soft voice answered, “Agate dear It's Ilaria It's your mother ”

She ran her hand through my long dark hair and handed me the agate. It gleamed in the dark night. I hugged her tight.

“Mother. Octavius and my other brothers and sisters chased me into the forest, knowing I took the agate. They scared me so badly! Can you tell them to stop? They worship you. You know the agate gives me happiness in this dark world.”

Ilaria looked at me. She stared into my eyes for a long second. She sighed, “Agate. I am sorry to hear that happened dear. I am not happy my children are not getting along. But let me tell you a secret. Your brothers and sisters all respect you. They know that you are my favourite, and they know you get special powers from the agate. I actually think they are scared of you! The only way they think they can get me to notice them is for them to steal something that is precious to you. The agate. I will talk to them later, dear. Come back and have some supper... I love you, Agate. I love you so much.”

Ilaria extended her hand, and instead of placing my hand on hers, I placed the agate on her hand Suddenly a ray of light came from the sky It came from the moon! There it was The ray of light hit the agate perfectly and struck Ilaria dead.

Alaska screamed in the night, “MOTHERRR!!!!!!!!!”

– Valeria Caruana (702)

Instead of the moon, there was eerie darkness, no light whatsoever. Suddenly the light flashed on and off repeatedly. I ran into the echoey stairway. I leaned over the railing to see one person chasing the other but soon realized they hadn’t seemed to know each other. The person being chased had a terrified look on their face. All of a sudden I heard the door open from the level on top of me. I looked up to see if I could see somebody. I was stunned. My face looked pale as I saw a white glove completely covered in red, dark blood. I quickly but quietly made my way down the stairs. The person slowly dropped one glove off the edge of the railing. Immediately a bang and a light flashed before me. I thought I had died but, no, the lady at the bottom of the stairs was dead The man from the bottom of the stairway looked at me with a Scream mask on, with blood all over his white suit I looked up to see the other man staring at me with the same mask. Bang again. they both moved closer. Again, bang! Every time I heard the bang, they moved closer and closer and I got anxious every time. I ran out the stairway doors to see the hospital empty. It was a mess. Hospital beds were in the hallways, flipped over, and the red siren went off. I ran into rooms to find my co-workers. My jaw dropped to the ground when I found my boss's skeleton on the floor. I heard footsteps walking in the eerie hall. I quickly locked the hospital room door and hid in the storage room. Bang, bang, bang.

– Meleesa Hamzehian (701)

605)

Harumi-Claw gracefully leapt off of the log. She flicked her tail towards a fallen tree, signaling her apprentice, Splashpaw, to go check for mice It had been cold and leafbare so far, and the prey had been scarce. There had been fewer kits. Some cats took this as a blessing, and others took it as a punishment from StarClan Harumi-Claw took it as neither: not a blessing, nor a curse

“Harumi~Claw!” Splashpaw called quietly, “there is a rabbit’s nest over here!” The whole patrol gasped with excitement.

“There has not been Rabbit meat in camp for at least a quarter-moon!” a warrior called

Leader: Dawnstar: a tortoiseshell tom

Deputy: Harumi-Claw: a white she-cat with a partly redhead (app: Splashpaw)

Medicine cat: Whisperwish: a spotted grey she-cat (app: Sunpaw)

Warriors: Willowclaw: a white and brown tabby tom Redwing: a black she-cat with white paws Moonshine: a silver she-cat

Silvertalon: a gray tom with long fur Cederstrike: a brown tom with green eyes Riverbreeze: a small tabby tom Whitestream: a big white cat with a fluffy tail Silverstorm: a silver she-cat

Apprentices:

Splashpaw: is a white she-cat with black splotches. Sunpaw: a light yellow tom Nightpaw: a black and blue she-cat Hawkpaw: a dark tabby tom

Queens:

Snowheart: a beautiful white she-cat (kits: Blizzardkit, a gray she-cat and Mintkit, a light brown she-cat with a large scar arouse her face)

Flowercloud: a tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes (kits: Blossomkit, a tortoiseshell she-cat and Morningkit: a flame-coloured tom)

Scartail: a black she-cat with half a tail (Brindlekit, a brown tom and Rosekit, a velvet-coloured she-cat and Snalekit: a small black tom)

Elders: Wildfur: an old yellow tom

Scraptail: an old tom with a patchy pelt.

“You mean rabbit fur, mouse-brain We had rabbit meat in camp a few sunrises ago!” Harumi~Claw hissed to Smoketalon.

“It was not a lot of it, but we had it when Dawnstar found the den with the babies.”

“Sorry, my deputy I forgot,” Smoketalon sneered

“Say ‘my deputy’ to me again and there will be consequences," Harumi-Claw hissed

“So sorry, my deputy,” Smoketalon hissed back.

“You asked for it Lie on the ground and stay there Get ready for me to claw your eyes out,” Harumi-Claw snarled.

“I was just joking! Just joking!” Smoketalon mewed

“You sound like a kit,” she mewed. “Run back to camp. I don’t want you ruining Splashpaw’s assessment ”

Harumi-Claw stared at him, tail bristling angrily. Smoketalon instantly turned round and sprinted to camp Harumi-Claw could still sense the anger from Smoketalon, then she turned to Splashpaw and said “Continue the assessment.”

Splashpaw nodded, still shocked by the argument went off into the trees.

I bet she never thought that a seasoned warrior would start a fight, Harumi-Claw thought, still breathing heavily, and turned and walked after her apprentice

Fan fiction by Aoji Zhang, Grace Ratcliffe, and Avery Campbell (604,

AROUNDTHEWORLD

ATCHRISTMAS

ELLAADAMS,604ANDCHARLIECHOU,503

EveryDecember!

Hello everyone! Our names are Ella Adams and Charlie Chou. We would like to tell you about holiday traditions.

Let's start with Germany. Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve. Krampus Night comes the night before "The Feast of St. Nicholas" and scares naughty children.

Next up is China. China's small population of Christians calls Christmas Sheng Dan Jieh or Holy Birth Festival. They decorate their homes with evergreen plants, posters, bright paper chains, and a Christmas tree, which they call a Tree of Light The Tree of Light is decorated with paper lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness.

For Madagascar, on Christmas Day people (even strangers) greet each by saying 'Arahaba tratry ny Noely!' which means 'Merry Christmas'. Malagasy families like to eat Christmas dinner together in large groups and dress up in their best clothes. Learn more here

ItalianscelebrateChristmasEvewitha largefeastknownasLaVigiliaon December24th.

Traditionally,ItalianChristmasEve dinnerisameat-freemeal.According toanoldCatholictradition,it’smeantto purifyyourbodyaheadofareligious celebration.So,insteadofmeat,it'sall aboutseafood. Aswithmanyothercultures,thedishes servedduringtheholidayseasonvary fromregiontoregion.

InBrazil,ChristmasEveisthemain eventoftheholidayseason.Since54 percentofthepopulationisCatholic, manyBraziliansattendmidnightmass. Theyalsoexchangegiftsandcelebrate theholidaywithlargefamilygatherings thenightbeforeChristmas.Brazilians gatheronthenightofthe24th,andit'sa bigparty!

Foraverylongtime,Christmashasnot beencelebratedbyNorthKorean peopleexceptforunderground Christians.Theregimeworkshardto ensureinformationaboutreligious holidaysdoesnotenterthecountry, anditscitizensremainunawarepeople arecelebratingandbeltingout Christmashymnsacrosstheworld