The Best Literature on the Block November/December 2016 AWSD The BLOB Volume 9, issue 2 Inside this issue: Main Article 1 Bloberta 2 Life Hacks 3 Top 10 4 Student of the Month Did You know? 5 1 2 Collage 1 5 The Life of a Turkey By Taylor S. Most people don't really stop to think about how that delicious turkey got in front of them. We are living things too! We have houses, jobs, and families. The biggest thing us turkeys worry about is the elusive timing of Thanksgiving Dinner. Those blasted hunters just come waltzing in on our homes, then abduct us! If you couldn t tell already, I am a turkey myself. I know how to hide, something that some of my brethren, who are too dumb know how perform it properly. It gets kind of embarrassing when you see the neighborhood chunk try to hide in a bush, which is ten times smaller than him. The main way us turkeys hide is to dig a hole, normally two feet deep. Then we jump into the hole and cover the top with leaves. This normally works, except when the hunter is too stupid to see where he is going and fall into one of these holes on top of one of us. When Thanksgiving week comes around, we are ready. We have turkeys looking out for any trucks stopping. If they do, we hide. We do this every year. The day before Thanksgiving is where we get the most activity. We can get on average up to twenty people in that day alone! This makes it hard for us to keep calm. I was almost a goner once. Take into account the almost. It was Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, and I wasn't prepared, I had slacked off and got nothing done. I was talking to some other turkeys, when in the distance, I heard a car door slam. Then leaves started crunching and the noise kept getting closer and closer, everyone else was running to hide. Only me and another turkey were standing in the open. He ran. I was standing there petrified, I couldn't run. It felt like my feet were ten times heavier than they were before. The noises kept getting closer a sudden force picked me up so fast, that I had no time to react. Then I was thrown into the air and landed on cold hard steel. I felt my feet move as the metal lurched forward, taking me with it. After about an hour, I looked over the edge and saw what I perceived as the driver picking up a sandwich. The place was small, and it looked like a gas station. You might be asking how a turkey can know this, well, we know things that you wouldn t think a turkey would know. The driver picked up his sandwich and went to sit down to devour it. I took this to my advantage, I ran to the other side of the truck. I ran as fast as I could. Just before I hit the other side of the truck, I bent my legs and jumped, catapulting into the air, flapping my wings to try to stay in the air, but to no avail. I slowly descended and landed on the ground. The ground was rocky, and I looked in both directions. All I saw to my left was a view of the city in the distance and to my right, I saw the forest. I darted towards the forest. Leaping over logs, stones, and other plants and animals. Eventually, I stopped and knew that I had escaped Hopefully, you ll think twice before asking for that next round of turkey this coming Christmas! 1
The BLOB The Legend of Krampus By Jesse M. This legend comes from an old German tradition. Since Christmas starts early in Germany, they wanted to make sure kids would behave. Krampus may be one of Santa s helpers, but he isn t as nice as we may think. People call Krampus an Anti-Santa, Santa s evil twin, or Christmas devil. Krampus is a half goat/half demon being who has his own way of punishing children. When children misbehave around Christmas, Dear Bloberta By?? Krampus comes into their house and punishes them until they stop behaving badly. That s not all, Krampus will take the children into the underworld where he then tortures or eats them. People say when he is coming, you can hear his cloven hooves and rattling iron chains. So next time, you re mean to your siblings or parents around Christmas, watch your back...krampus is listening. Dear Bloberta, I got my library book wet and now it is ruined and that same day I got two detentions, plus I got told a secret and then told someone else. What do I do? Sincerely, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, What you need to do is tell the librarian that your book got wet and pay any fees. Then serve your two detentions and explain to he or she that they can t tell anyone. Sincerely, Bloberta Page 2 2
Volume 9, issue 2 Life Hacks By Tristin G. If you put a cupcake wrapper on a stick of a popsicle, you can prevent the juice from getting on your hands. You can use binder clips to organize your cables and chargers. If you cut a rectangle in a small container lid, it can keep the paint from dripping. Captain O By Jesse M. Did you know that if you go on a vacation and never come back, it s called moving? Did you know that ice is cold? Did you know that people are born without clothes? Did you know the symbol M in McDonalds represents the first letter of McDonalds which is M? Did you know that oranges are called oranges because they re orange, and the color orange is called orange because oranges are orange? Credits: google images Page 3 3
Top Ten By Jesse M. Top Ten Christmas Songs White Christmas Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas O Holy Night Fairytale of New York I ll Be Home for Christmas Santa Claus is Coming to Town We Three Kings Christmas Wrapping It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Top Ten Christmas Movies Elf Home Alone National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer A Charlie Brown Christmas How the Grinch Stole Christmas It s a Wonderful Life Frosty the Snowman The Santa Claus A Christmas Story Top Ten Thanksgiving Foods Pie Stuffing Gravy Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows Ham Mashed Potatoes Mac and Cheese Green Bean Casserole Corn Bread Turkey Top Ten Thanksgiving Traditions The Day Pardoning the Turkey Vacation Food Travel Parades Television Sports The Wishbone Shopping 4
October s Students of the Month By Savannah W. 8th Hunter L. 7th Jessica J. 6th Faith S. 4th Dakota M. 5th Mackenzie A. 5
Election Results by The BLOB Staff 85% Voted 76% Voted 71% Voted 72% Voted 86% Voted 48% Voted 6
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Athlete of Month By Savannah W. 6 th Grade Boy: Andrew S. plays guard really well for both of the boys B basketball teams. He has scored many points this year against Riverside and Umatilla this year and he is on his way to the top. Andrew s one of those athletes who hustles in practice, which shows during the games. His leadership on and off the court is why I pick him for student athlete of the month, as stated by Coach Angell. Wow! Let s go, Andrew! 7 th Grade Boy: Theo W. is a great post for boys basketball A team. Head Coach Clancy has said, Theo W. is positioning himself well and is really starting to play big. Plus, on top of all, he works hard in practice and listens well. Good job Theo! Keep up the good work! 8 th Grade Boy: Luis O. is an outstanding team player with a nice understanding of the game. Luis O. currently plays post on A team, he can really play any position which is an asset to the team, as stated by Head Coach Clancy. He runs the floor well and hustles in practice. Wow! Great job Luis! 8
Fabulous Faculty By Nevin M. and Jesse M. Mr. Taylor has Weston Middle School s woodshop up and running again. He loves working with the kids and teaching them new things. He commutes between the high school and middle school every day and never fails to have a smile on his face. He is working on getting the woodshop nice and cleaned up for the kids to have a nice safe environment. Mr. Taylor is trying to get both the high school and the middle school the equipment they need. He wants to help students have a bright future. Wacky Laws By Savannah W. In Indiana, it is illegal to take a bath between the months of October and March. In Louisiana, you can go to jail for up to a year for not keeping a promise. In Idaho, it is illegal for a person to be seen in public without a smile on their face. It is illegal to take a lion to the movies in Maryland. Elistmania.com and stupid-laws.laws 9
Celebrity Look-Alike By Jesse M. Alex W. Martin Freeman Mrs. Turner Alisson Janney Countdown By Victoria V. As of December 14, there is 3 days until winter break! 10
Current Events By Tristin G. The 2016 presidential election is finally over. Donald Trump won the election. He will be inaugurated on January 20, 2017 as our 45th president. President-elect Trump plans to make America great again as his campaign posters claimed. Being that Trump won the most electoral college votes, it shows that he already has made an impact on our nation. Some voters do not think Trump will be an adequate president because he is immature. Time will tell whether he will make a great president. www.donaldjtrump.com Embarrassing Moments By Victoria V. One time I went to get into my rental car and sat down in someone else s car. - Anonymous I was once a flower girl for a wedding. The dress I was wearing was too long, so I tripped and fell in front of everyone. - Anonymous 11
Recipe of the Month By Nevin M. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Flan Prep Time: 20 min Heat Oven to 350F Serving Size: 12 slices Ingredients: 2-1/4 cups of sugar, 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, 1pkg (8oz) PHILADELPH- IA Cream Cheese (cubed and softened), 5 eggs, 3/4 cup canned pumpkin, 1/8 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp water, 1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS pecans (toasted) How to Make: Cook and stir 1 cup sugar in small saucepan on medium heat for 5 min or until completely dissolved and deep golden brown in color. Immediately pour into (-inch round pan; tilt pan to evenly cover bottom with syrup. Blend milk and cream cheese in blender until smooth. Add 1 cup of the remaining sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and salt; blend well. Pour over syrup in pan; cover with foil. Place pan in larger pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come halfway up side of filled pan. Bake 50 to 55 min or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove flan from water -filled pan; place on wire rack. Cool completely. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Meanwhile, bring remaining sugar and 2 Tbsp water to boil in small saucepan; cook for 5 min or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add nuts; stir until evenly coated. Spread onto foil-covered baking sheet. Cool completely. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen flan just before serving; unmold onto plate. Break nuts into smaller pieces and sprinkle over flan. Did You Know? By Savannah W. Did you know that most of Santa s reindeer have malesounding names such as Blitzen and Comet however, all male reindeers shed their antlers around Christmas time, so the reindeer you see pulling Santa s sleigh are more likely to be female than male? Did you know that the Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers? Did you know it has been estimated that Americans eat 46 million turkeys each Thanksgiving, and 3,000 tons of foil are used to wrap them yearly. Factretriever.com and christmasfacts.net 12
Critics Corner By Victoria V. Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon is a suspenseful action-packed movie. It is a true story about an oil rig off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico, that explodes in flames and kills 11 people. These innocent people were killed because of greed, in which the main character played by Mark Walberg, pulls many heroic acts trying to save his fellow crew members, but that s not all. Pete s Dragon Pete s Dragon is a exciting fun-filled movie. It s a story about a young boy who meets a playful and sweet dragon. They embark on many adventures that soon lead them into trouble. Pete and Elliot then realize that love overpowers all. 13
Blast From the Past By Tristin G. Abi M. Now Abi M. Happy Holidays! Have a very fun break! Hope you all stay safe and warm in the cold. Build lots of snowmen, throw some snowballs, and do lots of sledding. Make sure you eat lots of food for your Winter hibernation. P.S. Don t eat any yellow snow! 14
15 Collage By Sammie W.
Comics By Nevin M. 4/5Art Contest By Tristin G. 1st Place: Harley S. Oregon Senator Hansell brings WMS a new American flag. 16
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AWSD BLOB Staff 2016-2017 Sponsor: Mrs. Turner http://wms.athwest.k12.or.us Editor: Abi M. Brain Teasers By Nevin M. A: Many have heard of me but no one has seen me and I will not speak unless spoken to. B: Alone I am 24th with a friend I am 20 and with another friend I am unclean. Answer A: An Echo 18 Answer B: The letter X