Volume 7, Issue 3

N.U.M.S.

ExcEllENt with diStiNctioN Volume 8 Issue 2

December 2015Happy Holidays

Philanthropy during the HolidaysEditorial By: Lilly T.

Philanthropy during the holidays is just like saying doing good deeds over the holidays. Philanthropy is a great thing to do for other people. Philanthropy can be as big as help-ing someone to save for something or as lit-tle as showing up and supporting someone. Philanthropy in the holidays is maybe getting a Christmas gift for someone. (Besides yourself) Although, there are disadvantages to philan-thropy. A common problem is people giving one item instead of a variety of items and the receiver only having a lot of just a few different items. Another problem is people giving over used items or half eaten foods. A good way to determine if it is over used or shouldn't be donated is to say to yourself would I… (Wear it, eat it, have it in my house) if the answer is yes then you're most likely to be able to donate it, if the answer is a no you probably should think again and not donate it. For example in NUMS are school has been collecting canned goods in our advisory class for charity. Our food drive was sponsored by NUMS student council, they prize is a pizza par-ty which will go to the winning advisory. In conclusion don’t just do something for yourself do something for a friend, family mem-ber or someone you care about, have good holiday philanthropy and make sure you think before you give it to someone. At NUMS we could pay to wear sweats and hats and teach-ers paid to wear jeans to collect money for a couple families that we adopted for Christmas. Making a difference in people’s lives is great!

Interview of Mr. Tremblay By: Kaylee S (6th grade)

Q. What experiments will you be doing this year?A.We will complete exper-iments on plate tecton-ics, genetics, forces and motion Q. Are you married? A: NoQ. Do you like NU? A.Yes, of course!Q. What is your favorite color?A.Orange and Black of course”Q. Do you have any pets?A.I have one dog, Keela.Q. Why did you switch from H.S. to M.S.?A. I have always enjoyed the Middle School envi-ronment and enjoy teaching the 8th grade curricu-lum. The students & staff are all great here as well.Q. Favorite Food? A: TacosQ. Do you coach anything?A. High school Wrestling Q. Favorite Movie? A: Christmas Vacation Welcome Mr. Tremblay:)!

Larry & Zane decorate the office tree with Mrs. Bateman.

W a c k y H o l i d a y s f o r D e c & J a n By Chloe F. & Kaylee S. Using GoogleDocs Forms for survey

purposes Kaylee S. polled what the favorite Christmas movie was The Christmas Carol won and

Mrs. Davis below was one of those respond-ing for it. ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ was a close second. We hope you have had the opportunity to watch some Christmas Clas-sics and get to enjoy more during our break December 19th to January 3rd. See you in 2016:) BTW Hallmark Channel #310 on Direct TV and #23 on Time Warner have several terrific made for TV Holiday specials. Enjoy!

December 10th Dewey Decimal System Day & Jane Addams Day11th Noodle Ring Day & Official Lost and Found Day12th Gingerbread House Day13th Christmas Jumper Day14th Monkey Day16th Chocolate Covered Anything Day17th Wright Brothers Day18th Free Shipping Day19th Underdog Day & Ugly Sweater Day20th Sangria Day21th International Dalek Remembrance Day22th Date Nut Bread Day23th Festivus24th Eggnog Day25th A'phabet Day or No "L" Day26th Thank You Note Day27th No Interruptions Day28th Card Playing Day29th Pepper Pot Day30th Bicarbonate of Soda Day31th Make Up Your Mind DayJanuary 1st Polar Bear Plunge Day2nd Buffet Day & Run it up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes it Day & Sci Fi Day3rd Fruitcake Toss Day & Festival of Sleep Day4th Trivia Day5th Bird Day6th Bean Day7th Old Rock Day8th Earth's Rotation Day & Static Electricity Day9th Word Nerd Day10th Cut Your Energy Costs Day11th Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day12th Marzipan Day & Clean Off Your Desk Day13th Make Your Dreams Come True Day14th Organize Your Home Day15th Strawberry Ice Cream Day16th Nothing Day17th Benjamin Franklin Day & Kid Inventors' Day & Kid Inventors' Day & Soup Swap Day18th Thesaurus Day19th Tin Can Day & Popcorn Day20th Penguin Awareness Day

Trends: Internet FriendsBy Chloe F.

One of the many trends from 2015 is Internet Friends. Meeting someone on the internet can be dangerous, but it can also be lifesaving. “Internet friend. It’s someone that knows you better than anyone else. You always see them behind a screen, either their face or their words,” is the definition Urban Dictionary gives. “I dislike the phrase ‘In-ternet Friends’ because it implies that people you know aren’t really your friends, that somehow the friendship is less real or meaningful to you… The measure of a friendship is not its physicality but its significance. Good friendships, online or off, urge us toward empathy; they give us comfort and also pull us out of the prisons of our selves” says famous Author/ YouTuber John Green. “ They told you to never talk to people on the internet because they could be liars and ruin your life, but what they didn't tell you was that they could be some of the best people you’ll ever meet” (The composer of this quote is unknown). “A friend unseen: It’s strange to have a friend that you have never hugged, lightly touched their arm,or looked in their eyes. Continued on Page 6

Band and Cho i r C h r i s t m a s C o n c e r t

The choir and the band performed together Wednesday December 9, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. A huge crowd was in attendance and all groups per-

formed well. Enjoy the pictures below.

C.O.S.I By Cami COn Thursday, December 17 the North Union 7th Graders got to take the large group field trip and to go to Columbus-to visit C.O.S.I Science Center. They’ll be seeing the Plane-tarium, which will be featuring Astronomy. They’re looking forward to a great visit!

Book Club NewsBy Lindsey A. & Cami C

The 7th grade girls book club is having a se-cret santa gift exchange. So if you don’t know what to get for your younger siblings, you can get them a book! Many books will be avail-able for younger ages, making the perfect gifts for children. You should consider getting a book before its time for Christmas! If you have any questions about book club see Ms. Dexius.

Trending StylesBy: Lilly T. This holiday season and into spring, some of the trending styles include Rock, Boho, and Preppy 70’s. The main materials/patterns in the Rock style is plaid, leather, leather can be used in jackets, pants, skirts, shirts etc. Lastly type of embellishment which is studs. Another trending style is Bohemian or Boho. Bohemian is a style that originates from Bohemia. The Bohemian style includes rich tapestry fabrics like velvet. Lastly, Preppy 70’s is a style that is also trending with varsity jackets and number patches. Tipping is a style used in the Prep-py 70’s look, tipping is stripes at a sleeve cuff or at an armhole or neck opening (usu-ally near elastic). This style also includes corduroy and pleated skirts. I hope that you liked learning about these trending styles and that they will help you in your everyday fashion life.

If you can Dream it You can do it. Walt Disney

Music MagicBy Chloe F.

On October 21, 2014 famous a capella group Pentatonix released their Christ-mas album “That’s Christmas To Me”

Tracks 1-11 in order: 1. Hark! The Herald An-gels Sing, 2. White Winter Hymnal, 3. Sleigh Ride, 4.Winter Wonderland/ Don’t Worry Be Happy, 5. That’s Christmas to Me, 6. Mary, Did You Know? 7. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, 8. It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, 9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, 10. Silent Night, 11. Let It Go. Peaking at #2 on Billboard top 200, and certified platinum on December 24th, 2014, Pentatonix spent their Christmas joyous and full of pride. “That’s Christmas to me” is available at most stores locally, and globally. According to various news outlets track 6 ‘Mary Did ou Know?’ is amazing so check it out.

The library/ media center-Book tree is so

festive.

December Jokes By: Kaylee S

Q. Why are Dasher and Dancer always taking coffee breaks? Because they are my Star BucksQ. Who delivers presents to baby Sharks on Christmas? Santa JawsQ. What do you sing at a Snowman’s birthday party? Freeze a jolly Good FellowQ. What did the cow get for Christmas? A COWculatorQ. What did the Ginger Bread Man put on his bed Cookie SheetsQ. What do snowmen eat for lunch? Iceburgers!Q. Who is Santa’s favorite singer? Elf-is Presley

Quotes from last month broken down. by Caitlynne W.

Sometimes we read something and it sounds nice or cool, but maybe we don’t get the whole meaning. I decided to break down the Dr. Suess quotes from last month’s paper. I hope you like the quotes even more now.

Unless someone like you cares a whole aw-ful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

You are the person who cares the most to change the world or the way of life. If no one else cares as much as you do, nothing will change. Nothing is going to get better.

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?

Why try to be like everyone else and be the same when everyone is different. Be yourself.

All our Dreams can Come True if we have the Courage to Pursue them.

You can make your dreams a reality if you have have the courage or ability to make them happen.

Cody R. was the winner of the prize from guess-ing the cor-rect number of turkeys last month.Ornaments?

December Holidays via Various VersionsBy Aria J.

Christmas is a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas evolved over two millennia into a worldwide religious and secular celebration. A lot of us here at North Union have celebrated Christmas, but what about the ones who celebrate Hanukkah? The holiday of Hanukkah is a celebration that lasts for eight days. Hanukkah is an eight day and night Jewish festival to celebrate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which took place in the 2nd century B.C. The Greek-Syrian ruler Antiochus IV had tried to force Greek culture on the Jews in Judea (Israel). This rededication of the Holy Temple took place after the Maccabees (Jewish religious rebels) reclaimed the temple. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication. Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration from December 26th-Janurary 1st. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate and honor African culture and to also inspire African-Americans. Kwanzaa is mainly celebrated in the U.S. There are approximately 18 million people who celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa comes from the Swahi-li phrase Matunda ya Kwanzaa meaning “First fruits of the harvest” Kwanzaa celebrations often include African dances, drums, storytelling and poetry. People who cele-brate Kwanzaa have a big feast called Karamu on 12/31. The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green. Black represents the color of the people, green represents the fertile land of Africa and red represents blood shed in the struggle for freedom. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim, Islamic calendar, a religious annual observance and month of fasting that is considered to be one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During the month of Ramadan, adult Muslims fast from dusk until dawn, unless they are ill, pregnant, or di-abetic, breastfeeding, or traveling. This time spent fasting is meant to be used for prayer, charity, spirituality, and for purifying the mind and body. The actual beginning of Ra-madan is determined by the sighting of the new moon, or astronomical calculations. Because of this, the actual date when Ramadan begins each year differs from year to year. It’s interesting to learn of the different Decem-ber celebrations. The common element is tradition. What traditions do you and your family have? I hope you treasure your traditions and add more this holi-day season. H a p p y H o l i d a y s !Sources Utilized: http://www.softschools.com/facts/holidays/http://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/holiday-activities-for-kids/

ART Mrs. Blankenship is teaching 8th grade art students post impressionistic painting. The students looked up artists like Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Renior for inspiration. The class is for high school credit and is a semester. Maybe one of them will be an aspiring painter.

NUMS Boys Basketball

NUMS Girl’s BBALL

North Union Middle School’s Wildcats kicked off their season with a bang 3 weeks ago, and have been going strong since then. With both teams at 4 wins and 1 loss; the Wildcats are set for an exciting and winning season. Players on the 7th grade team include Preston C., Trevor M., Trevyn F., Kyle D., Daniel B., Koldan W., Hudson D., Dawson K., Dreison D., Grayson B., Chaz R., and Caden S. The 8th grade players include Joel K., Carson S., Harley D., Jacob F. Hezekiah H., Connor T., Luke D., Gavin W., Jaxson H., Jason F., and Seth P. The Wildcats are excelling on the court, and will continue to excel, all the way to the championship.

The wrestling team has a great group learning skills with Coach Ballinger as pictured during a practice session. The members include Kane B., Braxton C., Skyler C., Wesley D., David (DJ) D., Jacob F., Alec O., Carson S., Nicholaus S., Steven P., and Chase W. The team is very in-experienced so they have placed lower in tournament ac-tion, but are striving to improve at each practice.

The 7th grade basketball team stand with record of 3-2. Defeated by Jonathan Alder and Grant Red. The 7th graders have victories against River Valley, Pleas-ant, and Elgin. While the 8th graders have a record of 4-1. The 8th graders have a victories against River Valley, Elgin, Grant Red, and Jonathan Alder. The 8th grade team was defeated by Pleasant.In practice sessions the teams are working hard Mon-day-Thursay for 2 hours and on Friday for 1 ½ hours. On Saturday the 7th grade girls went into overtime for a victory with Pleasant of 26-25. Both teams are working hard for solid tournament action.

Christmas Door Winners! 6th grade: Mr. Tingley7th Grade: Mrs Draper8th Grade: Mr. Andrews, which is the door pictured with (interestingly) all the boy’s names on the left ‘Naughty’ list! The stu-dents had fun decorating.

Top 5 things people do on Christmas Eve by: Kayleigh L.

People like to spend time with their family on Christmas Eve.

People also watch Christmas movies & shows. People also sometimes will open one gift.

Listen to Christmas music.

Tell Christmas stories.

Continued from Page 6But you have touched their soul, their heart, been embraced by the warmth of their being. A friend unseen is not a friend un-touched. The eyes of the soul will gaze the heart will embrace the image will stand tall, but only in a dream” I personally have an internet friend, she is probably one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I also know people with internet friends. Some parents don’t think it’s safe to have friends online, but they also may not realize that their kid maybe going through something where they need somebody, but have nobody. Internet Friends in my opinion are great.The only possible problem is liars. The ones who fake their identity. A way to check if they are real is: Facetime, Skype, Look at their profile in depth, Have them send a selfie with something as simple as a rubber band or penny just to make sure that person is not a faker.

Movie ReviewLindsey A., Grace B. & Cami C.

The movie coming out Secret Life of Pets is about the life of pets when their owner is not home and how the pets act. The movie is coming out on July 8, 2016. The movie seems to be funny and entertaining and I can’t wait to see it. Cast: Kevin Hart - Snowball, Louis C.K - Max, Lake Bell - Chloe, Jenny Slate - Gidget, Ellie Kemper - Katie, Eric Stonestreet - Duke, Albert Brooks - Tiberius, Bobby Moynihan - Mel, Hannibal Buress - Buddy, Steve Coogan, and Dana Carvey.“Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max's life as a favorite pet is turned upside down, when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of abandoned pets determined to take revenge on all happy-owned pets and their owners.”~ IMDB; written by; Supermikey71

Top 10 Christmas Songs1. White Christmas2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas3. O Holy Night4. Fairytale Of New York5. I’ll Be Home For Christmas6. Santa Claus is Coming To Town7. We Three King8. Christmas Wrapping9. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear10. You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch

Lindsey A.

Digital Life NewsBy Mrs. McMahan A Landmark ususally is large and lasts for a long time, so I thought this report from Common Sense media was a very interesting and valid statement about our kids. Please go to the link for all the info. The Common Sense Media.org released a Landmark Report: on November 3, 2015 titled ‘U.S. Teens Use an Average of Nine Hours of Media Per Day, Tweens Use Six Hours’ The info focused on students like our NUMS tweens (ages 13-18). The huge amount of time spent on media by tweens has several differenc-es. Despite the significant amount of time teens and tweens spend with media, not all young people use media in the same way. An interesting part of the report focuses on the digital equality or divide between low-income kids who are far less likely to have access to computers, tablets and smartphones than their wealthier peers. However, those low-income kids who do have access are more likely to spend more time on their devices than kids from more affluent families. The difference in use by males and females varied greatly. Boys spent an average of 56 minutes on video games versus girls who spent a meager 7 minutes. Girls tend to favor social medial over boys by 12 additional minutes. The heavy use of mobile devices showed over 45% of media time on mobile devices. Music time was the highest use of media at 66% with TV above mobile devices. The note that seemed positive was that music still rose above social media. As educators and parents the cyber bullying issue has played a large part in our lives due to social media and this hopefully brings it down a bit. Steyer stated, “As a parent and an educator, there’s clearly more work to be done around the issue of multi-tasking with (2/3) of teens today stating they don’t think watching TV or texting while doing homework makes any difference to their ability to study and learn even though there’s more and more research to the contrary.” Enjoy your holiday break and think of how we can work with our kids to discourage multi-task-ing and develop good digital habits.

Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/landmark-report-us-teens-use-an-average-of-nine-hours-of-media-per-day

Fun at COSI 12/17/2015

First, you think Second, believe Third, dream And Finally Dare! Walt Disney

December 18, 2015 was extra special at NUMS and, therefore, extra special thanks go to Mrs.

Huber & STUCO for organzing the ‘Win-ter Games’ and more; Mrs. Lanka for the door deco contest; Mr. Leavitt for the band and Mrs. Kincaid for the choir. And Mr. Burggraf for the schedule modifi-cation and allowing all mentioned to do whatever they wanted to make your last Friday in 2015 at NUMS festive!

Congrats to Mr. Goff for winning the ugly sweater contest and the Winter Games. Geez:)