The Bunk Room 7 Rivers Region
™ April 2012 Vol 5, Issue 4
TA K E M E H O M E ! I’ M F R E E !
Annika 11, splashes her heart out on her Staycation!
Josephine 13, Moscow, Russia, child opera phenom, performing the role of Young Luisa in the Russian staging of the British musical, Zorro. here? she d in i l b u p be ant to e 8! Ki d s! W See pag
Goes Erik ur t o To C
le istib Ir res as! c Alpa
up to Stand s! Bullie
Pg 18 Pg 22 Pg 28
Find The Differences There are 10 differences in these two photos. Can you find them? KIDS! Want to see one of your photos here? Submit your best photography and we may feature it in our “Find The Differences� activity page. Send your photo to images@tglmediagroup.com.
2 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 3
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info@tglfinancial.net | 600 3rd St. N., Suite 102
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7 Rivers Region
™
The Bunk Room
Created by Kids
The Bunk Room is a magazine created by kids and read by all ages. Our goal is to inspire kids to love reading and writing. We have readers and contributors from all over the world. In addition to our online edition, our printed editions can be found throughout the United States. Print editions are provided without charge and can be picked up at participating local businesses and institutions. To locate your closest local provider, go to thebunkroom.com/locations The Bunk Room is owned by Dimples Media, Inc. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from Dimples Media, Inc. Please email permission requests to publisher@TheBunkRoom.com. Local editions of The Bunk Room are licensed by Dimples Media and are independently owned and operated. For information about being a local publisher of The Bunk Room, contact Mark Slaby, Director of Licensing at mark@TheBunkRoom.com
wHAt*s uP tHis moNTh? ines Brightly Opera Star Sh
Features 10 Performance Time Madison 11, Sorrento, FL gets in the spring performance groove!
page 14
10 Missing BFF BFF’s share joys and heartbreak all in one week, says Madisen 9, Holmen, WI.
14 COVER FEATURE! Josephina Carr 13, Moscow, Russia shares about life as an opera star on the other side of the globe.
28 Stand Up To Bullies! Janel 9, Holmen, WI gives advice on what to do when a bully is near.
Departments 6 Publisher’s Note 8 Contributors This Issue
Bold impre ssions in the court room
8 Margo’s Musings
page 18
11 What Do Your Think? 12 Day-To-Day Emma 12, Sorrento, FL maps out a typical busy Wednesday in her life.
20 Poem! Poem! 26 Road Trip! 28 Future Life 30 The Bunk Roomies Notebook NEW! Come explore The Bunk Roomies world! Keep up with all the goings-on!
Alpaca Love! Cut e as can be!
page 22
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 5
The Bunk Room
™
7 Rivers Region TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com
Jeremy Fisher
Publisher, 7 Rivers Region
Well, spring certainly has sprung! We enjoyed
Publisher: Jeremy Fisher
not just a mild March but a warm one. I know
Editorial / Creative: Maria Slaby
that everyone in our area is hoping that the
Editor in Chief: Margo Slaby Advertising: ads@tglmediagroup.com Advertising Design: The Good Life Media Group Distribution: Pam Fisher The Bunk Roomies......................... Our loyal and diligent writers appearing in this issue: Anna Gazdecki 10, Sorrento, FL Becca Michaels 10, Concord, NC Annika Slaby 12, Mount Dora, FL Emma Gazdecki 12, Sorrento, FL Benjamin Slaby 14, Mount Dora, FL Erik Slaby 16, Mount Dora, FL Eddie Cooper 17, Orlando, FL Margo Slaby 18, Mount Dora, FL Maria Chester 18, Eustis, FL Founders.................................... The Slaby Family, Mount Dora, FL Margo, Erik, Benjamin & Annika Mark & Maria .................................................. The Bunk Room: Your Edition, is published by The Good Life Media Group. .................................................. All content submissions are assumed to be for publication and become property Dimples Media, Inc., 1515 Old Eustis Road, Mount Dora, FL, provider of The Bunk Room trademark and editorial content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from Dimples Media Inc. Contact publisher@thebunkroom.com for permission requests. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us immediately. The Bunk Room is limited in liability to a correction in a future issue. All opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers or advertisers. The Bunk Room cannot be held responsible for the products, services or opinions herein.
6 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
weather keeps up. It is great to be enjoying the nice weather and the smells of summer already. Is there anything better than walking outside and smelling someone in the neighborhood grilling burgers or brats? It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It isn’t just the weather that is warming up. The Bunk Room has been rapidly “heating up” as well. Our local interest in the magazine is sky rocketing. Our last issue had a couple of local writers making their first appearance and this issue has a few local ones as well. We are proud of our local authors and look forward to seeing what others can contribute in the upcoming months! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. We love to hear from our readers! Thanks to everyone for your support! - Jeremy
Maria Slaby
Director of Editorial & Creative
I often tell people I could sit for hours, happily in my “cave,” creating away. That is exactly what
Answer from page 26.
I’ve been doing for the last six days. Although I’ve come up for air a few times, mostly my world as I know it, pretty much falls apart around me as I joyfully churn out another edition of amazing content for The Bunk Room. (Messy house!) As with all things creative, they evolve, and The Bunk Room is no different. One very fun, new thing that has evolved here is on page 26. This is where we invite grownups to unearth their own Travel Journals from childhood, offering a neat retrospective for all to enjoy! For starts, I dug up mine to share. I laughed at my perspective. I didn’t have much to say at the time about a certain “Arch,” but that pool at the hotel and The Big Boy statue . . .Whoa!
WeÍre Growing! Wanted Writers!
Go to page 8 to learn how you can contribute your writing. Also subscribe to our updates and “like” our Facebook page to stay plugged-in.
TheBunkRoom.com
Facebook.com/ 7Rivers ............................ Facebook.com/ thebunkroom
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 7
Contributors This Issue Ethan 8, Holmen, WI
Allyson 11, Kissimmee, FL
Maria 8, Apple Valley, MN
Amanda 11, Mount Dora, FL
Madisen 9, Holmen, WI
Annika 12, Mount Dora, FL
Chesney 9, Holmen, WI
Elyse 12, DeBary, FL
Janel 9, Holmen, WI
Emma 12, Sorrento, FL
Suzanna 7, Maitland, FL
Sierra Rose 12, Longwood, FL
Madisen 9, Holmen, WI
Josephine 13, Moscow, Russia
Becca 9, Concord, NC
Benjamin 14, Mount Dora, FL
Anna 10, Sorrento, FL
John 15, Lake Mary, FL
Grace 10, Mount Dora, FL
Erik 16, Mount Dora, FL
Megan 10, Apopka, FL
Tom, 16, China
Taylor 10, Ocala, FL
Eddie 17, Orlando, FL
Christina 11, Orlando, FL
Margo 18, Mount Dora, FL
Madison 11, Sorrento, FL
Maria 18, Eustis, FL
gs n i s u M s ’ o g r a M
Congratulations to all contributors.
Tennis season is finishing up now and surprisingly, I got to play a lot for a rookie! And you want to know something incredibly awful? I STILL haven’t gotten a tennis racket of my own! I’ve been borrowing rackets throughout the whole season. The season’s gone so fast!
Next up is the Tennis banquet which I’m sure will be a lot of fun. We just had the swim team banquet and it was a blast. There were f ie h -C games and activities for all of us to participate in, Editor-in great munchies, awards and more! I made an end of the year video for the team. I’m not sure what was more fun; making the video or sharing it with my teammates. What was really cool though, was when I was awarded the 2011-2012 Female Coaches Award! It was a great honor. I’m so glad the swim season ended on such a high note!
Speaking of notes... I have been playing in many concerts with our youth orchestra. We’ve played some incredible music from Tchaikovsky’s entire 4th Symphony as well as concertos for Horn, Flute and Violin. It has been a great year for me musically. I hope you enjoy this issue of The Bunk Room! We’ve got some great articles written by great kids. Don’t forget to send in your own articles too! We’d love to feature you in an upcoming issue!
Smiles! ~Margo :D
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NEW
FREE Bunk Room T-Shirts! Frequent Writer Program Just submit 5 publishable articles and get a cool Bunk Room tshirt! WhoooHooo! Go to: thebunkroom.com/Tshirts
See Yourself Published!
This whole magazine is written entirely by kids, so come on kids, now’s your time to shine. See your work published!
Submission Guidelines All writing, artwork and photography should be original work of the contributor, and be considered wholesome and acceptable content for kids. Submissions accepted from kids aged 8 thru 18 or high school graduation, whichever comes later. For photographs, please include names of persons in the photos.
Submit Online Submit work at our Inbox at TheBunkRoom.com. Parent or guardian’s electronic signature must accompany all submissions. For ideas, click on the Ideas page. All submissions are the property of The Bunk Room. The Bunk Room reserves the right to edit & deny submissions. The Bunk Room content is published monthly by Dimples Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission from the publisher.
branding.design.photography s e e
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Spring Performance Time! By Madison 11, Sorrento, FL
The way ballet works at my school is, we work hard all year round and really try to perfect everything we've learned. Then comes my favorite time of the ballet year because we start getting ready for the Spring Performance! What that means is that we are getting ready to show off all that we have learned to everybody who wants to come see. I absolutely love when we start learning our dance and the extra rehearsals. This is when we come in on certain days at certain times to practice our dance.
costumes! Costumes are so much fun because when I have a costume on, I feel like I can tell the story and play my part better.
My other favorite part is when we get to try on
We have two performances. The dress rehearsal is technically still a rehearsal, but we do it in full costume and everything. People can buy tickets and come watch. Then there's the actual performance, which people who ordered tickets ahead of time, like your family, can come to. All of this is why it is my favorite time of year.
Missing Your BFF
By Madisen 9, Holmen, WI
When your friend is gone in Hawaii, you feel like the world is over. Well, it is not. My best friend, Lydia, went to Hawaii on vacation, and I started to cry. I remember the day she told me. It was a sunny day in school. Lydia and I were eating lunch and we were talking about things that BFF's talk about. Then, I had to bring up, "What if we could go to Hawaii?" and then she went silent.
When recess came, that’s when it all went down for me. Lydia said that she was going to Hawaii and that she would miss me. I said I would
10 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
miss her too, but I tried to hide my broken heart. Let me tell you, it’s not easy hiding your feelings for your BFF. Well, it was Friday and she was leaving on Saturday, so we spent the whole entire day together. Then the day was over. We hugged at least a thousand times, until we finally hugged one more time and said goodbye. I waited in the pickup line for my dad. I saw Lydia leave, but it was hard to see with a heart broken and eyes watery. Last year she went to Florida for five days, but this year a week. I miss you Lydia. See you in a week.
What Do You Think? If you had $20 to spend, what would you spend it on? Presents for my family!
Cartoons, clothes.
Megan 10, Apopka, FL
Tom 16, China
Makeup.
Paint and canvas.
Elyse 12, DeBary, FL
Sierra Rose 12, Longwood, FL
Presents for friends and family.
Makeup, shoes or clothes.
Christina 11, Orlando, FL
Amanda 11, Mount Dora, FL
Chickens.
Shoes.
John 15, Lake Mary, FL
Allyson 11, Kissimmee, FL
I would spend it on crafts.
An American Girl Doll.
Taylor 12, Ocala, FL
Suzanna 7, Maitland, FL
What is your favorite thing to do at a party? Play. Megan 10, Apopka, FL Dance and talk. Elyse 12, DeBary, FL Hang out with friends. Christina 11, Orlando, FL Eat! John 15, Lake Mary, FL
I like to talk and socialize because I get to know more people. Taylor 12, Ocala, FL Karaoke, I like to sing. Tom 16, China Play games and just hang out. Sierra Rose 12, Longwood, FL I like to dance, because I usually have lots of energy so I like to go crazy when I dance.
PSssst: Filled out this survey but don’t see your name? No worries! We’ll publish next time. Keep checking back!
Splash Into Our Surveys!
Amanda 11, Mount Dora, FL Dance and have fun. Because I like to socialize. Allyson 11, Kissimmee, FL A bounce house because you get to bounce. Suzanna 7, Maitland, FL Seeing my friends and swimming and / or dancing! Annika 12, Mount Dora, FL
eys Answer our surv se and see your lf published here!
Go to TheBunkRoom.com/survey New one each month!
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 11
Day-To-Day
By Emma 12, Sorrento, FL Bunk Roomie Writer ........................ Ugh, my puppy Chloe jumps on me. Sometimes I have to push her off of me.
It’s morning and I go downstairs to eat breakfast. Sometimes my mom has a healthy shake for me. My favorite is banana, chocolate, peanut butter, with spinach and kale.
What a regular day is like.
After that I either do chores or I do school, depending on if there are chores to do or not. In my free time, I love to read! Right now I am reading Kingdom Keepers III.
On a normal Wednesday I will go to nine o’clock Mass, then to co-op (extra classes for homeschoolers). At about four o’clock I go to play practice. I just ended the play “Wonder in Aliceland.” The next play is going to be “The Complete and Untold Story of Peter Pan.”
Sudoku!!! Easy
4 6 9 3 1 1 5 2 3 1 4 6 3 9 6
3 9 6 4
2 8 7 9 8 4 8 9 8 6 2 1 8 4 5 2 1
Medium
Emma in Wonder in Aliceland
Next, I go home and eat with my family; my dad, my mom and my sisters, Anna and Josephine. I also practice my guitar and flute everyday. After that, I get ready for bed and I get to read more. My favorite things to do are read, act, sing and dance.
Tell us what your day is like! Submit your Day-to-Day article to us through our InBox at TheBunkRoom.com. About 200 to 350 words.
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9 5 7 3 1 8 7 5 6 7 6 3 4 4 3 4 1 2 6 9 3 5 3 5
4 8 7 3 4 3 6 8
Easter Word Search!!! m m e
e
b
a
s
k
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t
s
Find me!
d
y s a t d t n k p q m a
basket
t p n e a i n x q a g j
bunny
r j e a o l h u r b n b
chick chocolate
e m g s e s o s h o i g
dye
a v g t i b h c h k r c
easter
t g e e w m y h o a p h
egg flowers
s f y r a k v l s h s i b w d l h v o s n u
l
l
grass
b c c
hide
b u n n y z e c k
hunt
g o o s r e w o l
f
j
jellybeans
l
marshmallow
w u z q d p c n n q a u
spring treats
Crossword Craze!!! ACROSS 2. 3. 5. 7.
Baby chicken Common meat served on Easter Hides all the Easter goodies Small candy popular for Easter, comes in many different flavors
1
2
3
5
DOWN
1. Edible Easter Bunnies are made of this
3. The act of looking for eggs is this 4. A common gift given on Easter 5. Smaller hidden Easter item 6. Larger hidden Easter item 8. Holiday in March or April
4
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8
Josie in the stage production of Zorro.
Portrait of a russian opera singer
“Now I realize that it is no holiday, you have to work really hard to achieve that feeling.” By Josephina 13, Moscow, Russia
My name is Josie Carr-Harris and I am 13. My mom is Russian and my father is Canadian. I started school when we lived in Canada, and right now, I am in Russia and I go to a Russian school. You have to work really hard to get good marks here. I have won awards at two International Music Festivals, performed at concerts in New York, Paris, and Moscow, have acted in a number of musical theater productions, done lots of photo shoots, TV appearances, charity events, etc. and I even starred in a major Russian feature film.
In my spare time, I like to play online games on my computer and talk to my friends on Skype. I love small animals but because everyone in my family has some sort of allergy, we don’t have any pets.
I am very lucky that so much good has happened to me. I have to work hard so that I can continue to do the things I dream about. Of course I couldn’t do any of this if it weren’t for my parents who are very supportive. They help with organizing everything so that I get my school work done, as well as my extra classes, rehearsals, performances, and even some time to play my favorite online games with my friends.
My first real competition was at World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles a few years ago. It was amazing there and I met so many talented kids from around the world. I wanted to keep that holiday feeling with me for the rest of my life. Now I realize that it is no holiday, you have to work really hard to achieve that feeling.
Josie: 13 year Old Phenom
Earlier this year I was asked to sing for Heidi Klum on an episode of Seriously Funny Kids. I was nervous at first because she is such a famous person, but she is so nice and kind and has such a wonderful smile and is so happy inside.
See Josie’s debut on Lifetimes’s Seriously Funny Kids
Besides regular school, I attend a performing arts school where I study singing, dancing and acting. I started ballet classes in Toronto when I was four, and when we moved to Moscow, I started studying music and singing and really enjoyed it. I went three times a week to a Music and Dance school, and started private singing lessons with a vocal coach. When you are performing, especially singing, it is important to stay as healthy as you can. I try to eat the right foods and get a good sleep when I can. I think the most important part about being heathy is to have fun, and not to worry or get too nervous about things.
“I think the most important part about being heathy is to have fun, and not to worry or get too nervous about things.” April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 15
Look WhatÍs Happening! SUNDAY April Fool’s Day
MONDAY
1
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/1st to learn about this day.
National Peanut Butter And Jelly Day
April TUESDAY
2
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/2nd to learn about this day.
WEDNESDAY
3
Tweed Day
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/3rd to learn about this day.
National Siblings Day
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/4th to learn about this day.
10
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Titanic Remembrance Day
15
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National Jelly Bean Day
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/29th to learn about this day.
16
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22
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National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Librarian Day
National Zucchini Bread Day
23
National Honesty Day
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/30th to learn about this day.
Pig In A Blanket Day
17
TRIVIA
24
First right answer wins 10 FREE Super Cool Bunk Room Pencils! Email us your answer. trivia@thebunkroom.com
11
International Juggler’s Day
18
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Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/24th to learn about this day.
30
National Submarine Day
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Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/17th to learn about this day.
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/ calendar/23rd to learn about this day.
29
National Cheeseball Day
4
School Librarian Day
World Penguin Day
25
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Which was the country that first made the use of paper money?
Calling
We need more local winners for our trivia questions! Send in your answers today!!!
all readers!
THURSDAY Go For Broke Day
FRIDAY
5
Go to TheBunkRoom-7Rivers.com/calendar/5th to learn about this day.
TRIVIA
12
First right answer wins 10 FREE Super Cool Bunk Room Pencils!
National Walk To Work Day
SATURDAY
6
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What is Mickey Mouse’s original name?
13
Caramel Popcorn Day
7
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International Moment of Laughter Day
14
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Email us your answer trivia@thebunkroom.com
National High Five Day
19
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National Pretzel Day
26
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Look-Alike Day
20
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Tell A Story Day
27
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Kindergarten Day
21
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Great Poetry Reading Day
28
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By Erik Slaby 16, Mount Dora, FL Bunk Roomie A-Team Writer
Stairway to Justice
As I climbed the steep granite steps of the edifice before me, a wave of history hit me. Here I was, Erik Slaby, walking into a building where, the fates of many were changed forever. The mammoth building rises 158 feet into the sky, clad in Indiana limestone and graced with ten monumental Ionic columns; even the snarliest of sinners would tremble crossing the threshold.
18 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
Welcome to one of the oldest judicial systems in the nation, The Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama, home of the state’s granddaddy of courts, The Alabama Supreme Court. There have been many cases, civil and criminal, that have been held in this building and I recently had the pleasure of attending a civil appeals case.
Rewind about three years ago when my family and I first observed this case when it went to trial in Fort Payne, AL. This was a case of a homeowner’s association suing a homeowner for renting his property.
The homeowner’s association (plaintiff) said their rules deemed renting a “commercial activity” and therefore was not allowed by the association. The homeowner (defendant) maintained that renting the home was not considered a commercial activity, therefore allowable.
like their lawyer had not come very well prepared, but as I watched, it seemed as if some of the judges were starting to rethink their decision.
As I watched the first trial, I was fascinated by the questioning of the witnesses. I have seen a few old law shows, like Matlock, and the questioning in real life was similar, but not quite as dramatic as I had seen on the TV show. Both lawyers were very calm when questioning their witnesses and tried to confuse the witnesses and throw them off guard. Some people were thrown off guard and others weren’t. It was very interesting.
Now it was time for the defendant’s lawyer to speak. Her position was that the judge’s decision was right the first time around, and the defendants should be able to rent their home. Her arguments were very smooth, persuasive and well prepared. She even presented new evidence that showed an Arkansas court had used this Alabama Appellate Court’s decision as precedence in a similar case, noting the “excellent reasoning.” Big grins swept the panel of five judges after hearing that information.
The verdict wasn’t given on the case until several months later. In a “Split the baby”* decision, the judge decided that the family could still rent their house, but it could not be for less than eight days at a time. The family was not happy with that decision, since they often rent their home in their vacation community on weekends, so they appealed to the Supreme Court of Alabama. As is typically done in these types of cases, the Supreme Court passed the case on to the Appellate Court of Alabama. After many months, a decision had been made.
Now we wait again; waiting for the five judges to either maintain their original decision to overturn the trial court’s decision, or reverse their recent decision in favor of the plaintiffs This case was a great learning experience for me. I was able to learn more about what actually goes on at a trial; how to question witnesses, how to present an argument, and how a lawyer must prepare for cases. Since I plan to go to law school, this has been an inspiring experience for me that I will never forget!
The homeowner won! The Appellate Court reversed the decision of the trial court. Now the case could be moved back to the original judge for him enter a final judgement in the case.
In a strange twist of events, that step did not occur. The plaintiffs filed a plea to the Appeals Court to hear their oral arguments. In general, I’ve learned that this hardly ever is granted by the Appeals Court. In this case, they allowed it. So back to court the case went and my family and I decided to follow the outcome. Now that brings me back to all those steps at the big, bold building in Montgomery, Alabama. As the hearing began, the plaintiffs gave their opening argument explaining why the five judges had been wrong in their previous decision. To me, it looked *What does “Split the baby” mean? Check out Wisegeek.com
Order in the court April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 19
Basketball ..........................................
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Basketball Basketball BASKETBALL BASKETBALL
Volleyball .......................................... I get nervous when the ball is coming.
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It goes to the other side, I score a point! I get excited and give my teammates a high five.
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I jump up and down! I feel proud that we won. The coach says, “Nice job”. Do you think you’re the next Maya Angelou? We’d like to see it! Submit your poems through our InBox at TheBunkRoom.com.
20 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
600 3rd St. N., Suite 102 La Crosse, WI 54601
608.498.4474
branding
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 21
Alpaca Love! On the streets in Cuzco, Peru.
Photo by Gary Robins / Available Light Photographics
Editor’s Note: Alpaca ďŹ ber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool. Traditionally seen in South America, these items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos.
Interesting Creatures! By Becca 9, Concord, NC Bunk Roomie Writer Who loves field trips? I do! I recently went to the Augustyn Acres Alpaca Farm, which is located amidst beautiful rolling hills and endless rows of trees in North Carolina. The owners want to teach the public about alpacas, so they open their farm to show their alpacas.
Wanting their kids to be raised on a farm like they once were, the owners first thought about raising cattle, or horses, but they knew that they didn’t have the time and money to raise these types of animals. When they looked into alpacas, they discovered an animal that is both easy to care for and gentle with children. Alpacas are often confused with camels, but you can tell the difference when you see them up close. Camels have skinnier heads, and alpacas have much softer hair. Alpacas can get up to 130 pounds as adults, like to live in groups, and can live up to 15 years in the wild or 20-25 years in captivity. On the farm, the owners have a barn, and separate the males from the females in different pastures. When I visited, there was a little black baby alpaca that was about a few weeks old. Breeding usually takes place in the spring, and takes 11 months before a baby alpaca is born.
Unlike a llama, you can’t use alpacas to pull anything, and you can’t ride them like a horse. They do, however, grow really soft, luxurious coats (fiber). Every spring, about 11 people come together at the farm and form an assembly line to shear all 35 alpacas in just a couple of hours! Then, the fiber is sent off to a mill where it is cleaned and made into yarn. Alpaca fiber is hypo-allergenic, meaning people who are allergic to wool can use it. Their fiber is used to make rugs or even clothing.
Besides learning about the alpacas and doing some craft projects (like coloring alpaca fiber in Kool Aid!), I was able to hand feed them. The animals are not afraid of people and when you hold the feed, they will come and eat it right off your hand! It tickled because of the roughness of the tongue rubbing against the softness of my hand.
The owners of Augustyn Acres travel to shows where their alpacas compete against alpacas from around the country. When they win, it proves that they are doing a good job of breeding and raising their animals, and other people may want to breed or buy alpacas from them. The cost of an alpaca varies a lot; if it is one that is just good for fiber but not for breeding, it may be worth about $500. But, if it is a prize winning alpaca, it can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars! It was lots of fun meeting these interesting creatures. If you want to learn more about alpacas, check out the place that I visited. AugustynAcresAlpacas.com
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For less than the cost of a pizza dinner, you can feed a child for a month. The Bunk Room is proudly partnered with an international corporation in an awardwinning effort to end world hunger. Since 2003, over
200 million meals
have been provided to children throughout the world, including the United States.
Every 6 seconds a child dies of starvation. Help us help feed the children. For less than the cost of dinner out with your family, you can join The Bunk Room in being part of this world-wide effort to end childhood hunger. Help others. Help yourself. By participating in the social entrepreneur program of Nourish The Children, you not only help stomp out world hunger, you also help fund your own local cause. Learn how helping feed children worldwide can help your family and your community as well. For more information, call The Bunk Room at 352-383-1456. Or email publisher@thebunkroom.com
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Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program
My Height In Twizzler!
Road T
rip
Shar e adve yo ur ntur Land e! • A ir • Sea
By Grace 10, Mount Dora, FL (From Grace’s travel journal.)
Voosh! Woosh! We're in Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. Today was Day Four of our big road trip.
Sen adve d us you nture r trav !S el InBoxubmit at t TheB he a t 200-4 unkRoom .com 00 w pictu ords. Se nd res to o!
When we got inside Hershey Park, we all got measured so we knew what rides we could go on. We didn't get measured the normal way though. We got measured by candy! I was a Twizzler! So I could go on any ride that had the Twizzler sign next to it.
After we got measured we went on a few rides and then we went on a ride called the Sidewinder. When I got in I was really nervous but after it started I was fine. First it goes up backwards, then you drop down and there were a lot of loops!
We went on a lot of rides before we left and we had a great day!
Blast From The Past!
By Maria 8, Apple Valley, MN
(Excerpt from Maria’s travel journal, April 1973) April 14 We left home at 6:45 am. We stopped at Clear Lake, Iowa for breakfast. Snow ws still on the ground from the snow storm a week ago. At Boonville, Missouri we stayed at the Atlasta Motel. We went to Shanna’s for supper. April 15 We went to church in Columbia today which was Palm Sunday. The hotel we stayed at was called Tan-Tar-A by Lake of the Ozarks. April 17 Today we went to a Holiday Inn at Kimberly Springs, MO. The hotel was on Table Rock Lake. We saw a lot of flowers. We found a skunk in a big pile of rocks. April 18 Today we went to Herber Springs, Arkansas. My mom got me a doll. It is made out of a corn cob. The pioneer mothers made them for their children. That night we stayed at the Colonial Motel. They had a swing we swung on. April 19 Today we stayed at Sunset Ranch Motel in St. Louis, Missouri. We saw a big arch. April 20 Today we drove from St. Louis, Missouri to La Crosse, Wisconsin. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel and I went swimming in the indoor pool. It had a bubble roof. They had a shuffleboard and ping pong table. April 21 Sponsor this page. All proceeds go toward The Bunk Room Apprenticeship Program. Call 352-383-1456 publisher@thebunkroom.com.
26 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
Today we were driving home and we stopped at a restaurant and they had a big statue of a chef that talked. It was called Big Boy. After that we went home. Got a Blast From The Past to share? Send us scans from pages of your journal, plus a typed version. Include a short description of what you’re doing now. Submit at our InBox at TheBunkRoom.com. FUN!
Do youho w know is ia r a M today?
ge 6 See Pa
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 27
Future Life
Kids! Tell us what your life looks like in 10 - 20 years. Submit articles to our InBox at TheBunkRoom.com 200-400 words.
By Eddie 17, Orlando, FL Bunk Roomie Writer What I see myself doing in about 20 years is sort of fuzzy at this point. I am very interested in cello playing as a career later in life, as either a teacher or performer. As far as a fallback career goes, I'm very into youth ministry right now, or architecture as a fallback for that.
I want to go to college as soon as I get out of high school at either University of South Florida or Stetson University. I would go to these schools for their music
program, and would be minoring in ministry. When I'm in college, I hope to meet a super cool girl that shares my love of God, is super fun to be around, and loves me for who I am. We would wait until we are out if college to get married, and have one, maybe two, kids. That's about where I see myself in 20 years, but if life doesn't go exactly as planned, hopefully I will still find myself in an awesome situation and that I am just as happy as I am now.
Stand up to Bullies! Janel 9, Holmen, WI What happens if someone gets bullied in front of you?
What do you do?
Do you stand there or do you tell the bully to stop? Well, if you just stand there, it's time to stand up to a bully.
Editor’s Note: Learn how to prevent and cope with bullying at Bullying.org
28 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
Do what's right because it's like planting more bullies. They just made someone else feel bad, now that they feel bad, they’re going to make another person feel bad, and so on and so on. My point is, bullying needs to be reported and not tolerated.
Thanks for reading. <3
April 2012 | TheBunkRoom.com | 29
The Bunk Roomies! Notebook
Join Us Behind The Scenes!
Get a front-row seat behind-the-scenes of publishing. Learn more at TheBunkRoom.com Click on Bunk Roomies.
NEW
m riter Progra Frequent W t! Room T-Shir FREE Bunk publishable Just submit 5 t a cool ge d ar ticles an ! Go to: irt tsh om Bunk Ro .com/Tshirts thebunkroom
Bunk Roomies write By Anna 10, Sorrento, FL Bunk Roomie Writer When I was born on September 4, 2001, I received a pink stuffed animal. It was from my dad’s cousin, David. When I was old enough to talk I named my pink stuffed animal Ted the girl because we all thought she was a teddy bear. I added “the girl” so everyone would know she was a girl. My nana still calls her a he. At my one year old photo shoot, I would not let them take my picture without Ted the girl. I was so picky then. I bring her on every trip. I love that every time she gets washed she is so pink. I just recently found out that she is a lioness, but she’s still my Ted the girl.
Slice-O-Life Stories
The Bunk Roomies take their first step into the reporting world by interviewing someone they know and turning it into an interesting article.
Community Icon: Brandon Wald By Maria Chester 18, Mount Dora, FL Bunk Roomie A-Team Writer
Brandon Wald enters the room, a distinguished looking figure with a white beard and mustache. People are milling about, idly chatting. Around the room are tables with many different styles of art displayed. Suddenly the room falls silent; the judging is about to begin. As Wald peruses the assortment of art, he glances every now and then towards a small painting across the room. The judges have just arrived there and appear to be in deep deliberation. Finally, they come to a decision. As they leave, Wald makes his way toward the piece, only to discover a blue ribbon placed on that small painting. Wald, yet again, takes the ribbon for first place in the local art show. Besides being an artist, Wald has made many contributions to the Mount Dora community, most notably as the architect of many of the buildings around town including City Hall and Roseborough Elementary. However his love of art remains his true passion. What Wald enjoys most about painting is the way it completely captures his attention. “It takes you out of yourself. That’s part of the beauty of art, you get involved in something like that and it completely absorbs you for the moment . . . and occasionally produces something worth having,” he laughed. The most challenging aspect of his art is stepping back from his strict architectural training. “Most of my training was to do highly representative work. When I get away from that, it’s comparatively difficult because all my training is to draw and paint accurate reproductions. Many ribbons line the walls of Mr. Wald’s office; ribbons that chronicle his many achievements and are a testament to the talent and creativity of a very special man!
Habilis Boy
Habilis means “handyman” and dates back to the classification of early man, known as Homo habilis. That’s when man started using tools and became pretty handy around the house. We have our own resident Habilis man, in boy size: Benjamin.
Making Camaro Mine By Benjamin Slaby 14, Mount Dora, FL Bunk Roomie A-Team Writer
Excerpt from Habilis Boy Blog. Restoring a ’77 VW Beetle.
Day 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Today was the first real day of work on the ’96 Chevy Camaro. My main goal for today was to get the car cleaned and prepped for work. The first thing I did was clean the interior. I went to Wal Mart and bought some seat cleaner. I went right to work. Soon I had the seats all cleaned, the whole car vacuumed and all panels wiped. Even though I did all that, I still didn't feel like it as my car. So, I decided that I would wash out all of the traces of the old owner with a steam cleaner. I went over every inch of that car and got it to shine. Once I finished steam cleaning, the car looked as good as new on the inside. I then went on to cleaning the exterior. I was surprised . . . READ MORE at TheBunkRoom.com Click on Habilis Boy.
30 | TheBunkRoom.com | April 2012
Scan Me With Your Smart Phone and watch Benjʼs latest video.
Keep up with Benjamin’s blog. Go to thebunkroom.com and click on Habilis Boy.
Call 608-498-4147 today!