illustration by Fred
Chaparral Times December 21, 2007, Issue 7
Holidays Around the World
By Samantha
y the time you finish light one candle in their
B
illustration by Andy
reading this article, I menorah, until the final
will have taken you on night when eight candles
a multi-cultural tour of cel- blaze.
ebrations that happen over Christmas, to most
the holidays. Also, keep in Christians, is a time to cel- Chinese New Year,
mind that Deewali, Hanukkah, ebrate the birth of Jesus. which usually occurs after
illustration by Andy
Christmas, Las Posadas, This is usually celebrated January 1, celebrates the
Holiday Gifts: Kwaanza, and Chinese New with a Christmas tree (pine coming year. Typically, small
What’s Hot & What’s Not Year all have different mean- tree) that is decorated with children receive beautiful
ings than just receiving ornaments and lights. and elegantly embossed
By Kristina & Jayne
presents. Las Posadas (“The Inns,” gold envelopes with money.
This is a look at what’s in / what’s out this
Deewali, or Diwali, is a in Spanish) is a Mexican To have a lucky new year,
year. The most important thing, over the
festival of lights celebrated Catholic tradition to cele- the Chinese usually wear
holidays, is enjoying time with family and
by Indians all over the world. brate the birth of Jesus by red clothing. Everyone en-
friends. But gifts are fun too!
This five-day festival cele- re-enacting the journey of joys the delicacies of ha
brates a different idea or Mary and Joseph to find an gow (shrimp dumplings),
HOT NOT philosophy on each of its inn. The cha siu bao (sweet pork
days. Like Hanukkah and nacimiento buns), sticky rice cakes, and
Red Sox items old dirty socks Chinese New Year, Deewali (“nativity shark fin soup.
skinny jeans baggy jeans occurs according to the scene”) is Whether it’s over the
Jonas Brothers classical music lunar calendar, so it is on important to traditional turkey
Juicy Couture Juicy Fruit different days of our English this nine-day dinner, latkes,
Sports wear underwear calendar each year, but it celebra- tamales, or
always falls in October or tion. This shark fin
iPod mp3 player illustration by Christine soup, fami-
November. cheerful hol-
Webkinz neopets iday is a time filled with lies and friends come to-
friends and family, and, gether to celebrate these
most of all, food! From wonderful holidays. This is
tempting tamales to cham- what makes these days
purrado (Mexican hot special and memorable.
chocolate), these delicious Those of us at the Chap-
treats bring people to- arral Times wish all of the
illustrations by Riddhi gether over the holidays. Chaparral families a merry
Hanukkah, a Jewish Kwanzaa, which began Christmas, a happy
holiday, is another festival in 1966, is an African Ameri- Hanukkah, a great Chinese
of lights that marks the his- can celebration of the new New Year, una Feliz
toric victory of the Maccabees. year based on African har- Navidad, and a fun-filled
Observed for eight days, vest festivals. Lasting Deewali and Kwaanza!
this celebration is a time seven days, it begins on
filled with rejoicing, games December 26. During Kwan-
(spinning the dreidel), spe- zaa, people light a kinara,
cial foods (like latkes), and which is a special candle-
illustrations by Fred
fun. Each night, families holder.
Online Gaming
Enter the Magic Kingdom Runescape
By Chris By John
o you know what VMK most expensive thing that play- n my opinion, Runescape is a long, long time. As you go,
D is? If you don’t, you
should consider trying
Virtual Magic Kingdom, or
ers can buy is 30,000 credits.
That’s a lot of ghosts!
This game is so parent-
I the most fun online game out
there. Unlike VMK (Virtual
Magic Kingdom) or Club Pen-
you can get all kinds of new
armor and abilities. There are
many types of armor: bronze,
VMK. As a player, I can tell you friendly because it opens at guin, Runescape is not just a iron, steel, black, mythril,
all about it. This online game is 7:00 am and closes at 10:00 virtual chat room. Instead of adamant, and rune.
absolutely free, no charges for pm. It will also ban someone talking to other people, players Although Runescape is free,
anything, but you can buy stuff for 24 hours if that person advance through different lev- you can access more options
with credits. gives out any information about els in Runescape. (like different types of armor) if
How do you earn credits, where a player lives. Players When you begin playing you choose to pay $5 per
you may ask? What is the most are also banned for using bad Runescape, you are at level month, but you must be over 13
expensive thing you can buy? language or doing virtual bad three. As you keep playing, you to do so. To check out
You earn credits by playing actions. Thus, your children are can climb higher. The highest Runescape, go to
games such as Pirates of the safe on VMK. level is 126, so you can play for www.runescape.com.
Caribbean, Fireworks, Remixed, So, what are you waiting
Jungle Cruise, Haunted Man- for? Go to www.vmk.com, and
sion, and many more fun join today.
games. The easiest and fastest
way to earn credits is to play
Haunted Mansion, where you
get 10 credits per ghost. The
Webkins vs. Club Penguin
By Reya & Shea
illustration by Gavin
o you play in one of the most popular things, and much
D virtual worlds on the Internet? If
you’re one of the members of Club
Penguin or Webkinz, please fill out the
more. With kinzcash, you can buy food,
clothes, furniture—-basically anything you
could possibly dream of for your pet.
When one penguin clicks on another
penguin, a picture of that penguin pops up.
Around the picture’s border are tabs and
survey at the bottom of the page. If you’re There are so many things you can do in buttons that you can press to make friends,
not, you might want to read on and learn Webkinz World, including making “friends” change the color of your penguin, or other
more about these intriguing sites. with other Webkinz by using your “cell options. You can also send messages to
phone.” You can also invite your friends your friends or other penguins, or you can
WebKinz over to your (virtual) house. throw snowballs or travel to other places.
To enter the Webkinz World, you need After 30 days, free or paid members can
to buy a special stuffed animal. Attached Club Penguin become secret agents. Then they can go
to its paw is a small envelope that holds a Another popular virtual world is Club undercover and solve mysteries! Or, after
secret code. This code allows you to go on Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com), which 30 days, you can also become a tour guide
the Webkinz website (www.Webkinz.com) you can play on a free account or by a paid who introduces new kids to Club Penguin.
and “adopt” your pet. membership. Either way, it is a lot of fun. Both games are a blast for both boys
You will start out with some kinzcash In the beginning, you can choose a color and girls. Tell us which you like the best,
(money), a bedroom (you can buy another for your penguin, but you can buy more col- and you might just win a prize!
room later), and a special adoption gift. ors with the “money” you earn later. You
Your animal will appear on your screen, earn money by playing games or getting a SURVEY
and you can control where it can go in your job. If you are playing on a free account, Which one do you like more?
room. You can give your pet a name and you are limited to two pets, but you can K Webkinz K Club Penguin
decide if it is a boy or girl. get more if you are a paid member. Paid K VMK K Runescape
Ê
To earn kinzcash, you can get a job, play members also can buy awesome clothes or My name and grade:
games, go gem hunting, sell your old a rock’in igloo.
Movie Reviews
Isn’t It Enchanting? illustration by
Cheyenne
By Riddhi
nchanted, one of Disney’s newest movies, is a funny spoof
E with a pinch of almost every fairy tale. The movie starts out
in the animated world of Andalasia, where a beautiful girl
named Giselle (Amy Adams) is happily spending time with her ani-
mal friends. Suddenly, she is attacked by an ogre. Luckily, she is
rescued by the dashing Prince Edward (James Marsden). The two
fall in love and decide to get married.
This causes a problem for Edward’s stepmother, Queen Narissa
(Susan Sarandon) because, if her stepson marries, she will lose
her throne. To avoid this, Queen Narissa pushes Giselle down a
well that is really a secret passage to a place where there are no Do You Believe in Magic?
“happily ever afters”: present-day New York city. Can this ani- By Katie
mated beauty survive in a place as cruel as our real world?
r. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a heartwarming
M
Other than its great plot, Enchanted has some mesmerizing, re-
alistic computer graphics. The whole cast was 100% dedicated tale about Mr. Magorium and his toyshop. Mr. Mago-
the whole time. There were also some spoofy songs. I like how rium is magical; in fact, he is 243 years old! Magical
this movie is a spoof, but that also makes it a tiny bit tacky. The things happen in his toyshop.
movie will appeal most to girls between the ages of 4 and 15, so Two other characters include Mahoney, a wonderful piano
boys might as well bring a sleep mask if they go. player and composer, who works at the toyshop. Although she
I think this is one of the top 10 movies of this year. Enchanted likes working there, she wants to work elsewhere and have a ca-
entertains the whole way through. Try not to fall off the edge of reer that involves composing music. Eric, a misfit, is another main
your seat at the end! The movie is definitely not your average character. He is very smart, and, for that reason, people think he’s
fairy tale, but it ends happily ever after 2007-style. weird. There is also a mutant (accountant) who doesn’t believe in
magic at first. Later, he changes his whole perspective from want-
ing to keep his distance from everything and everyone to wanting
to get close to others and get involved in what’s going on.
Although this is a pretty sad movie, everyone I know should
see this magical tale.
**Please send Anonymous your
questions & troubles by slipping Ask Anonymous
a note into the blue box in the Dear Anonymous,
office. Anonymous will try to I have a problem with a friend. She’s very rude, mean, and annoying. Then
help in the next issue!** she says that I am rude, mean, and annoying! What should I do?
—- Troubled Friend
Dear Troubled Friend,
Tell your friend how you feel when she treats you badly. State what she
does, specifically, that bothers you. Talk it out, and see if anything both-
ers her in your friendship. If she doesn’t care enough about your friend-
ship to stop her rude, mean, and annoying behavior, then I advise you to
hang around with other people. Good luck!
illustration by Riddhi —-Anonymous
Meet a New Roadrunner
photo by Shea
Maryam
By Reya and Shea
n the first day of school, brother named Mohammed, 11,
O we wondered who the
new girl in our class
might be. Maryam turned out
and two sisters, Kauther, 5, and
Shahad, 3. Both Maryam and
Kauther are now at Chaparral.
to be very interesting and very We asked Maryam which
talented. place she liked best of the places
Maryam can speak three she’s lived. She told us that she
languages fluently (English and liked California the most. One
two types of Arabic), and she’s reason is that Maryam feels
learning a fourth (Spanish). safer here. In Iraq, there were
There are many different versions actually bombs on her own
of Arabic, but Maryam can speak street! She liked Jordan, but
the Iraqi and Jordanian types. not as much as California, and,
Although she is only a especially, Claremont. Maryam
fourth grader, Maryam has feels that, here at Chaparral, Maryam and her sister Kauther came to Claremont
lived in several different coun- the kids are fun to be around. from the Middle East.
tries. After she was born in Although Maryam loves it
California, she moved to Iraq, here, her kind relatives are still Maryam is a Muslim. She says ple of other religions.
and then to Jordan, a country in Iraq (where a war is still taking that, in Iraq and Jordan, most We really recommend that
that is next to Iraq. Then, her place). She worries about her people are Muslim, while here you get to know Maryam. She
family moved back to Iraq and, family members because she Muslims are more rare. They is very interesting, and there is
finally, this fall, back to California. doesn’t want them to get hurt. celebrate different holidays much more to learn about her.
Maryam has an older We also learned that than Christians, Jews, or peo-
The Scoop: Meet Mr. Muir
By Eric
r. Muir is new to Chaparral this Q: What do you like best about teaching
M
photo by Eric
year, where he is teaching 4th fourth grade at Chaparral?
grade in room 12. We wanted to
A: I like the students here, and I like to
get to know him a little better, and we are
teach about California history. Chaparral is
happy to bring you The Scoop about Mr.
a great school.
Muir.
Q: Where were you born, and who is in
Q: Where did you work before coming to
your family?
Chaparral?
A: I was born in Chico, CA. I now have a
A: I worked all over the Claremont school
wife and two sons. My younger son is 21,
district, and I was in charge of the com-
and the older one is 25.
puter networks.
Q: What do you like to do in your free
Q: Did you teach before?
time?
A: Yes, I first became a teacher in 1978.
A: I like to read, go rock climbing, and
I’ve taught at Sycamore Elementary
spend time in my cabin in the Sierras.
School, Claremont High School, and
Claremont Graduate University. Q: What makes you special?
Mr Muir started teaching fourth A: I’m lucky to be related to John Muir.
grade at Chaparral this year.
Touchdown for Roadrunners
photo by Katie
By Michael
his year, flag football is back, and it’s
T better than ever. The season lasts for
about 1/3 of the school year. With the
help of Mr. Knox, fourth, fifth, and sixth
graders are once again snatching the fa-
mous flag from each other. Games happen
on the turf at lunch recess 3 times/week
when the weather is good.
For those of us unfamiliar with flag
football, it is regular football where win-
ning is accomplished by retrieving a little
flag from your team’s opponents. There are
4 fourth-grade teams, 4 fifth-grade teams, At press time, there were four sixth-grade “It’s a great chance to make new friends.”
and 8 sixth-grade teams competing this teams in the playoffs: #1, #3, #4, and #6. Flag football is less about the little flag
season. Playoffs pit the best teams against May the best team win! and more about having fun, staying
each other. The fourth-grade champions Mr. Knox, the referees, and the fans healthy, and, as Chris says, making new
are team #2, led by Max , and the fifth- enjoy watching the students play and stay friends.
grade champs are team #1, led by Ethan . out of trouble. According to referee Chris ,
photo by Katelyn
Claim Your Coat! e lost and found has lots of items. Be sure
to look before you leave for Winter Break as items left will be
donated to Our Savior Center in El Monte, which provides
health and education services to those in need.
Congratulations
Bookmark Winners!
Rukku won 1st place
among 5th graders, and
Andy won 2nd place
among 5th graders, for
their bookmark designs
for the Claremont Public
Library. Stop by the li-
brary and see these two
photo by Hannah
Shannen planned games, soccer shoot-outs, Chaparral Times staff
and funny holiday clothing competitions
when she was Principal for a Day on
members’ award-winning
designs. Happy
December 13.
Holidays!
Holiday Spirit—A
Claremont House gets
the full Christmas
treatment.
photo by Savannah
Music, Music, Music
By Monique & Christin
e appreciate everyone who par- which is an active song. If you buy their
W ticipated in our music survey. See
the results below. We will offer
another one soon
new album, you’ll really enjoy it. Miley
Cyrus / Hannah Montana is off to a good
start with her second album, Hannah Mon-
This month, in hip-hop and R&B, we tana 2. I, Monique, like Hannah Montana
have found many new songs. For starters, because she’s a really good role model.
we have the music videos “Crank dat Spi- If you have any advice, or a good idea
derman” and “Crank dat Batman” by for a music survey (like Rihanna vs. Fergie),
Soulja Boy. Also, there is a very touching please write it down and put it in the blue
illustration by Cheyenne song out by Alicia Keys called “No One.” box in the office. ‘Til next time, this is
There is also a wild song by Birdman Music, Music, Music.
called “Pop Bottles.” In our opinion,
Music Survey Results “Shawty,” by The-Dream, rates a 10. Fi-
Green Day had twice the number of
votes as Fall Out Boy (although FOB was
nally, “She Said, I Said,” by NLT, is one of
our favorite love songs.
Chaparral Times
a favorite among girls!) The winner of
our music survey is: Robert Delaware In the world of pop music, Beyonce and Entertainment Editor
(5th grade). Come to the office to claim Justin Timberlake debuted a new song call
Cheyenne
your prize! “Until the End of Time.” The Cheetah Girls
have a new song out called “Fuego,” Features Editor
Rukku
News Editor
Chaparral Times Jayne
Opinion Editor
Submit your story ideas, articles or artwork to the blue box in
Kristina
the office. We cannot guarantee that we will publish every-
thing, but we welcome all submissions. Questions? Leave Sports Editor
those in the box, too. Need advice? Write to "Anonymous," Gavin
and we'll try to solve your problems.