ManeEditionthe

Contact info: MCA Upper School 3601 Bois D’ Arc Rd. McKinney, TX 75071 Phone: (214) 544-2658.

McKinney Christian Academy Volume 10 Issue 3December 2011

MCA Spreads Real Reason For The Season

Ellen Taylor, Staff Writer Christmas festivities tend to mark the beginning of the holiday season and are a way to spread joy and cheer into the community. The holiday season is known for its stress-ful times and busy schedules. However, it is delightful festivities that remind people of the reason for the sea-son, spreading holiday spirit among families, friends, and neighbors. This holiday season in McKinney, Texas proved to be a rapturous experience. Every year the city plans and or-chestrates a festive and celebratory event for the Christ-mas season. For the twelfth consecutive year, the Parade of Lights was celebrated on the square. This is the fourth year the Rotary Club of McKinney, led by Chairman Chris Siebenhausen, and has sponsored the Christmas Parade of Lights for Collin County. Once again, McKinney Christian Academy participated in the parade. The float was a nativity scene with center stage stables and risers filled with angels. The students on the float ranged from Pre-K to 4th grade. Students were dressed as 3 wise men, and Mary and Joseph. Fourth grad-ers Karina Glenn and Aiden Flannigan played the parts of Mary and Joseph. The float was decorative and festive, built by one of MCA’s own families, David and Kary Shelton. The na-tivity float tried to spread the news of Jesus Christ with declarations of “Jesus is the reason for the season.” The float was also accompanied by Junior High Cheerleaders who led the way, passing out candy canes. Amidst the San-tas, candy canes, and glowing lights, our school served as a bright reminder to the real reason for the season, Jesus Christ. The celebration was originally scheduled for Saturday, December 3, 2011. However, for the first time in the his-tory of the Parade, inclement weather forced a resched-uling. Sibenhausen told the Rotary Club on Friday, “We have never had to postpone the parade before because of rain, we have had some cold days, but it has always been dry.” After this setback, the event was rescheduled for the following Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. 60 entries competed in the parade for a prize award of $1,500 presented to the top 3 winners. A panel of judges was commissioned to select the top three entries, based on theme, appearance, creativity and enthusiasm. The theme for the parade this year was “A Star-Spangled Christmas.” Encompassing the greater area of downtown McKinney, the parade route was charted off for the pro-cession. The festivities traveled north along the marked out route traveling on Tennessee St. to Hunt St. and then back down Kentucky St., ending at the parking lot. The entries

Sophomore Zach Bollinger shoots a three pointer. For more details see page 2.

photo by kayli bollinger

Seventh graders Grant Zanetell and Jess Williams pose for a picture with senior Colin Full during the lun-cheon. For more details see page 4.

photo by laura smithJunior high choir performs dur-ing the Upper School Christmas program. For more details see page 5.

Entertainment writer, Morgan Ham-mons put together a recipe for a fun Christmas cake. For more details on how to make the snowman cake see page 6.

photo by laura smith

were a mixed group comprised of: floats, banners, cars, trucks, equestrians, scout organizations, as well as our very own Junior High McKinney Christian Acad-emy Cheerleaders. A teenage rock band equipped with blaring ra-dios, performed on their festively decorated float. Participants in the parade included children, teenag-ers, and some adults who waved and met the crowds with friendly greetings of: “Merry Christmas,” “Christ is the reason for the Sea-son,” “Happy Holidays,” and other joyous declarations. Children and parents eagerly watched from the sidewalks, bun-dled in warm jackets and coats to enjoy the show. Participants were in the square, some following the parades’ route, others situated

in their seats with cameras and hot chocolate. Businesses on the square were open, and vendors participated in the occasion, offer-ing cotton candy to children. It was difficult not to get caught up in the spirit of the event. Ev-ery street corner lit up with trees donned in Christmas lights and red bows, was filled with beaming families and their children. The celebration emitted an infectious joyful spirit. The infectious joy of the event seemed to bring every-one together, much like the season of Christmas itself as it reminds people of the importance of joy, laughter, families, and gratitude. The Rotary Club will be donat-ing any remaining funds from the event towards deserving charities.

Students share about the birth of ChristJunior high cheerleaders gather for a picture after the parade.

photo by belinda kennedyMCA’s angels participate in the event.

photo by rayne spaulding

2 sportsDecember 2011 Varsity boys basketball is a very important sport around McKinney Christian Academy. Though the team lost some key players the past couple of years they still play strong. The boys are constantly work-ing at becoming better, practicing many hours and playing hard teams are both on their agenda as a team. They look to dominate in district play, which starts after Christmas break. During the holidays, they will be playing in MCA’s very own tourna-ment, hosted for the third year in a row. MCA in-vites skilled teams to play in the tournament so they are prepared to beat anyone they play in district. The boys made it to playoffs two years ago, and hope to do so this year. The boys came out strong in their first non-con-ference game, against Lucas Christian Academy. They played a well-fought battle to ensure their win. The final score of this game was 38-35, pulling out a close one. The next game against Paris Home school they did it again, not quite so close though. They won this one 54-41. Although they lost the next three non-conference games, they played to win in the Bland Tournament. They lost the first game of the series, which gave them determination to win the next one on Friday. They dominated the court by beating Community Christian 61-29. Their offense controlled the game.

The next day they played hard, hoping to get one more win in, but unfortunately lost a tough game. After these tough losses, the boys came out with determination like no other. The S & S Tournament, ‘For the Love of the Game,’ is an annual tourna-ment that both the boys and girls teams attend ev-ery year. The boys looked to take it all in this tourna-ment. They came out and won the first game against the home team hosts, S & S. They had a good game leaving the final score at 46-36. They next day they came out with that same determination against Texoma Christian Academy. The varsity boys bas-ketball team has never won a game against Texoma. They finally did in this tournament. They beat Texo-ma in a close one, 35-30. The boys were extremely excited about this win. The boys had high hopes of taking first and almost did it. They made it to the championship game against Quinlan Ford, they tried their best, but lost in a hard game and ended the tournament as runner-up. Kaelen Malone made the All-Tournament team. Next they will play at Yavneh for one more non-conference game to get them ready before district play. They will be having some fun and reuniting on December 19, for the Alumni game.

Boys Basketball

Jordan Overn, Staff Writer

Giving all it takes

On Tuesday, December 5th, the MCA girls’ bas-ketball team played Paris Home School for their 8th home game. The girls went into the game with full determination to win, and redeem themselves from the close loss in the Bland Tournament on Decem-ber 1st. The team played in full force dominating the court for the duration of the game. Eventu-ally, all their hard work paid off with a win of, 30-19. In the Bland Tournament the girls team ended up with fourth place, having won their first game, but losing the next two. The girls dominated the court that game with a 55-49 victory over Nevada Community School. Their trapping defense helped the girls get an early lead, with Julie James having five steals and Kaitlynn McAdams having four. the whole team had a great game with Kaitlynn McAd-ams having 30 points, 8 blocks, 10 rebounds, Julie James 12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, Sidney Thompson added 6 points, Sarah Grubbs with 3, and Missy Grollnek with 4. Kaitlynn McAdams also made the All- Tournament team at this tourna-ment. Overall the girls hard work in practice really boosted their confidence level in this set of games. The girls team then moved on to their next set of games in the S & S Tournament. The girls went into the tournament ready to win it all. The team

played their first game of the tournament against the Era Hornets. The girls went into the game full force, but unfortunately lost and had to move to the loser’s bracket. The girls played two more games after their loss in this bracket; they won the first game, with the defense being dominated by senior, Natalie Lemieux, stopping anyone in her path. Af-ter this win, the girls played one more consolation game against Valley View. They played their hearts out wanting to earn a trophy and of course, the third place title. They dominated the court offensively all game, pulling off the win. They ended the game with a score of 33-28. They ended third place in the tournament with a record of 10-5. The overall winners of the tournament were the athletes from Sam Rayburn. The girls are off to an exciting start to their season. Even being so young, they already have a greatly skilled team. They have what every team dreams for, a skilled point guard, posts who work inside and outside, defense that stops anyone wanting to score, and much encouragement from the coaches, parents, and the school. This program has had a big part of this school and has gone to playoffs almost every year. They hope to do so again.

Girls Basketball Always playing tough

Kaitlynn McAdams, Sports Editor

photo by kayli bollingerCaptain and senior Natalie Lemieux acts as point guard during the game against Triple A Academy.

Freshman point guard, Julie James drives hard to the basket for a win against S & S in overtime.

photo by chris grollnek

The varsity girls basketball won the consolation bracket at the annual S & S Tournament, “For the Love of the Game” this year. They played hard, lost the first game of the tour-nament, but took the next two.

photo by allyson richeyFreshman and back-up shooting guard, Missy Grollnek brings the ball up the floor to get a quick bas-ket.

photo by allyson richey

Kaelen Malone, junior and captain, goes up strong to get a bucket against Triple A Acad-emy over Thanksgiving break. He works hard and plays to win every game, no matter what.

Robert Kelley, junior and captain, plays hard against Triple A Acad-emy. He helped keep the energy up on the court by drawing charges, and continuing to encourage his teammates.

photos by kayli bollinger

3sports December 2011 The MCA wrestling program is only a few years old but has quickly developed into a powerhouse program. The team has produced multiple championships at various meets and weight divisions. Some of the award-winning wrestlers include Christian Doyle, Connor Doyle, Alex Minor, Matt Barber, and Graham Kennedy. I had the chance to talk with junior cap-tain, Christian Doyle and discuss the wrestling program. He praised his team’s intensity and focus as they seek to represent MCA both on and off the mat. He said, “Everyone is contrib-uting and buying into the program. The team has a real shot to take state this year and we are working extremely hard with that goal in mind.” The school is fully behind this team and is excited for the new season. “Graham Ken-nedy backed up his captain’s belief by saying, “I know what this team is capable of and we will accomplish everything that is before us.” The team is constantly working as hard as they can to achieve their goal of taking state. They will

have a combination of eleven wrestling meets and tournaments until the big state meet. While this team has always made history on the road, they never had a home venue for their matches. This season however, the wres-tling team finally hosted their first ever duel match in Joshua’s Gymnasium in MCA’s Stu-dent Life Center. The duel was against Frisco Heritage, (a public school), and though it was a difficult match for both teams, the Mustangs prevailed. Junior Andy Harrell said, “Our team was not in wrestling shape yet because of football season ending just days before, but we came out and did what had to be done and we walked out of there with the victory.” It was hard transitioning from one sport to the other, but the Mustangs did so with vigor. This team is a very talented group and has, and will give it their all until the job is done. Their blood and sweat has been shed from vic-tory to victory. Their talent, grit, and determi-nation are the reasons for their successes.

Fighting hardWrestlingChandler Brown, Staff Writer

photo by janet minorphoto by janet minor

Sophomore Connor Doyle works to pin his opponent.

Freshman Nick Weideman takes position against Frisco Heritage.

The junior high basketball teams added new coaches and got their start just before the Thanksgiving break. Lisa Fowler now coaches the one girls’ bas-ketball team (TAPS Division I) and said, “I’m super excited to be coaching such a great group of young women and expect a great season.” Their overall re-cord is 2-4, with the two wins coming right at the beginning. One of those wins was against Levine Academy where eighth grader MaKenna Schulte scored 30 points and Karli Henneman followed with 16. Returning as a coach for the boys’ teams is Philip Wysong. He has been with the Mustangs for a few years and is the head coach this year. Assist-ing Coach Wysong is Mark Hall. The TAPS Division II team’s biggest win came against Prince of Peace Lutheran School with the Mustangs winning that game 22-19. The Division I team has won 2 and lost 3. Their win against

Levine Academy was a nail biter. The Mustangs had to hang on to a halftime lead after the Stallions made adjust-ments and outscored the MCA in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The final score was MCA 56, Levine Academy 54. McShane Wyatt led the team in scor-ing with 25 points. Nathan Hamilton pulled down 9 rebounds and Matthew Ferreira led the team with 4 assists. Coach Wysong said, “I was very proud of the boys. They led at halftime by ten points, but Levine made some half-time adjustments and outscored us in the second half. The boys fought hard through the adversity very well to hang on for the win.” All three teams will resume league games in January and hope to improve their records and make the TAPS play-offs.

Junior High BasketballTeam is hopeful for the futurecourtesy story

photos by mike pawlish

The junior high girls and boys basketball teams are off to a great start. Even though they have had some tough losses they continue to play hard.

Jackson Brock, 7th Karli Henneman, 8th Abby Grubbs, 8th

4 campus lifeDecember 2011

photos by mary mcdougall

The junior mentors have a fun and talkative lunch with their new 7th grade friends.

From the left, Whitni Rowe, 7th, Iva-nia Simpson, 7th, and Kayli Bollinger, 12th, enjoy lunch together.

Alumni Hoops Challenge Each year MCA teams feel the keen loss of those graduating. It is always sad to lose the seniors as teammates whether on the court or on the field. In 2010, the varsity girls’ coaches challenged the alumni players in a game during the holidays and because of that event’s success, a new alumni event is being launched. This year MCA is hosting the first annual Alumni Hoops Challenge for both boys and girls. These alumni games will be held during the Christmas break for all alumni and varsity players. This year’s junior forward, Kaitlynn McAdams said, “I’m ex-cited to see all of our former players. Even though

‘they’ beat us last year we never know if they have gotten worse or better as the years go by, so hope-fully we will be able to pull out a win.” This will be a fun opportunity for the players to see how the graduates have either gotten better at the game, or to see if the varsity team can perhaps out play them and come out with a win. Alumni, MCA families past and present and staff, come out to watch your Varsity Basketball teams square off against MCA alumni on December 19th at 6:00 p.m and 7:30 p.m. in the Student Life Center. Join us afterward for a post-game complimentary dinner.

Alumni and Varsity will square offSidney Thompson, Campus Life Editor

Upper School LuncheonJuniors and seniors mentor the 7th grade

Mandy Moore, Entertainment Editor

Two worlds collided on December 7th, 2011 when the seventh grade students and a few upper-classmen took time out of their “normal” lunch time schedules to begin the first, of many, mentor lun-cheons. When the students arrived in the SLC they were pleasantly surprised to see decorated tables filled with pizza and dessert for them to share. “This is an awesome opportunity for the upper classmen to get to know the lower classmen, and help them feel at ease and safe as a part of our campus,” said Laura Smith, Upper School principal. The men-tor luncheon provided a great opportunity for the entire seventh grade class to get to know multiple juniors and seniors, in hopes that in return our school would come together as a whole. Each and every student who attended the mentor luncheon walked away with a better understanding of each

other. This short 30 minute period of time changed the relationships of seventh graders with the junior and senior classes; students went from being mere strangers to friends and were eager for relation-ships to grow. Many Junior High students attend-ing lunch in the Student Life Center watched from their tables as the mentor luncheon took place, some of these students even asked if they too could be a part of this new program. The future plans for the program include expansion to not only a men-tor lunch with just the seventh graders, but with the entire Junior High. This mentoring program in the future will shape and change the attitude of our school. No longer do the seventh graders walk through the hallways seeing unfamiliar faces, but instead they can now see friends who are there to help them.

5campus life December 2011

Editor-In-ChiefMichal Smith

Photography EditorAmanda Kidwell

Sports EditorKaitlynn McAdamsCampus Life Editor

Sidney ThompsonEntertainment Editor

Mandy MooreForum EditorDavid MarolfStaff Writers

Morgan HammonsPaola Teran

Jordan OvernChandler Brown

Bekah ParkerEllen Taylor

AdviserJudy Collins

Technical AssistanceMichael McIntyre

Mane Editionthe

Christmas ProgramUpper School showcase their talentsPaola Téran, Staff Writer

photo by amanda kidwell

The sound of Christmas filled the Student Life Center on December 6, 2011. Christmas is a time for reflection, where people can realize successes and failures, dreams achieved, faith and hope. Christmas is a season to come together as a family, forgetting all the differences between each other. Christmas is an opportunity to rejoice. “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Coun-selor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6). Mrs. Keyes, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Ferguson worked as a team to reflect the real meaning of Christmas that sometimes has been forgotten. The sound of Christmas filled the Student Life Center on December 6, 2011. Christmas is a time for reflection, where people can realize successes and failures, dreams achieved, faith and hope. Christmas is a season to come together as a family, forgetting all the differences between each other. Christmas is an opportunity to rejoice. “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6). Mrs. Keyes, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Ferguson worked as a team to reflect the real meaning of Christmas that sometimes has been forgotten.

The evening started off with the Junior High Band, directed by Mr. Ferguson, followed by the Junior High Choir. The Girls’ Small Ensemble directed by Mrs. Keyes sang “Bring a Torch, Jean-nette Isabella” by Ed Lojeski and “The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy” by Stephen Hatfield. To continue with the show the High School Choir animated the audience with their incomparable energy singing “Betelehemu” a Nigerian song by Barrington Brooks and “Sing A Song of Merry Christmas” by Walter Ehret. The High School Band closed the event with the melody “Jingle Jazz” by David Shaffer. McKinney Christian Academy was glad to open their doors to dozens of families to share the Christmas spirit with teachers, students and parents. Through music, MCA students reminded us how beautiful Christmas is. With passion, the students of the event made our hearts vibrate, lift-ing the name of the Lord for His amazing love. Take this Christmas to forgive those who have hurt you, and start the year with your heart full of love. Share your joy and your dinner with some-one who is alone, has no family, or that is sad. The guest can represent the figure of Jesus. Remember that Jesus Christ, who gave birth to Christmas, should be our reason for brotherhood and unity.

Junior High Choir performs “Tis the Season,” “Pat-a-Pat,’ and “Man-ger Carol.”

photo by amanda kidwell

The High School Band entertains the audience with wonderful holiday tunes.

photo by laura smith

photo by amanda kidwell

Above: Junior High Band plays “Little Drummer Boy” and “At the Feasts of Stephen.”Left: High School Choir sings ener-getic songs to stir emotions.

6 entertainmentDecember 2011Box Office Bests

• Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61%.

• 7% of Americans eat McDonald’s every day.

• Fanta Orange is the third largest selling soft drink in the world.

• A can of Diet Coke will float in water, while a can of regular Coke sinks.

• Vegetarians make up 4% of the U.S. popula-tion.

• You burn more calories eating celery than there are in celery itself.

• Apples- not caffeine, are more efficient for waking you up in the morning.

• There is no such thing as blue food- even blueberries are purple.

• As much as 50 gallons of maple sap are used to make a single gallon of maple sugar.

• There are more doughnut shops per capita in Canada than in any other country.

• Eating chocolate was once considered a temptation on the devil.

• During your lifetime, you will eat 60,000 pounds of food- the weight of 6 elephants.

• The average American chews 190 sticks of gum, drinks 600 sodas and 800 gallons of

water, and eats 135 pounds of sugar and 19 pounds of cereal per year.

• More popcorn is sold in Dallas than any-where else in the United Sates.

• 2 million different combinations of sandwich-es can be created from a Subway menu.

• The amount of potato chips Americans eat each year weighs 6 times more than the

Titanic.

• China produces 278,564,356,980 eggs per year.

• Four thousand people are injured by teapots each year.

• It is against the law to stare at the mayor of Paris.

• Most burglaries occur in the winter.

• Grasshoppers have white blood.

• Jaguars are scared of dogs.

• Flamingoes can live up to eighty years.

• You are more likely to get attacked by a cow than a shark.

• Assuming Rudolph was in front, there are 40,320 ways to rearrange the other eight rein-

deer.Botham, Noel. The Book of Useless Informa-tion. New York: Berkley Pub. Group, 2006.

Print.

BITS PIECES

N’Morgan Hammons,

Staff WriterIngredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa1 1/4 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. baking soda1/2 tsp. salt1/2 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cups sugar3 large eggs1 tsp. vanilla extract1 cup milk1 1/2 cups vanilla frostingShredded coconut (optional)2 black licorice drops1 large orange gumdropRed shoestring licoriceRed fruit leather3 starlight mints3 small gumdrops2 sticks chocolate licorice

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two glass bowls, one slightly larger than the other. 2. To make the cake, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sift the ingredients onto waxed paper and return to the bowl.3. In a separate bowl, blend the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.4. Alternately, add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter in thirds, combining well after each addition. Fill the bowls about two thirds full. Bake the smaller cake for about 50 minutes and the larger cake for about 65 minutes.5. When done, Cool in the bowls for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a large, rectangular platter so the cakes resemble a snowman. Cool com-pletely.6. Ice the cakes with the vanilla frosting, then sprinkle with shredded coconut. Add licorice drop eyes, insert an orange gumdrop nose and a broad smile with shoestring licorice.7. For the scarf, cut two 2-inch-wide strips of fruit leather, notch the ends and wrap around the neck of the snowman. For the buttons, use starlight mints topped with gumdrops. Finish off the snowman with two choco-late licorice arms. Serves 10 to 12.8. Enjoy!

Snack TimeSmiling Snowman Cake

Morgan Hammons, Staff Writer

JokesSo Punny!

Mandy Moore, Entertainment Editor

What do you call ham that you really want?Pork-You-Pine!

What’s full of T, Starts with T, and ends with T?A Teapot!

What did the policeman say to his belly?You’re under a vest!

Why did the boy eat his homework?His teacher said it was a piece of cake!

“Jokes & Humor - Yahoo! Kids.” Kids Games, Kids Movies, Kids Music, and More - Yahoo! Kids. Web.

09 Dec. 2011. .

7 entertainment December 2011

Supplies needed: • Around 8 sheets of construction paper • A piece of brown construction paper (for the tree trunk) • A piece of yellow construction paper (for the star) • A large piece of brown paper (or use another color) • Pencil • Scissors • Glue • Optional: Glitter, glitter glue, or paper ornaments to glue on the tree Directions: 1. Trace your child’s hand on a piece of green construction paper. 2. Cut out the hand print. Fold the wrist over. 3. Make a lot of paper hands (the number you’ll need depends on the size of your tree). 4. A nice touch is to have the child write a Christmas wish for them-selves on some paper hands, and a Christmas wish for the world on the others. 5. Draw a tree shape on a large piece of paper.6. Cut out a small rectangle of dark brown paper (this will be the tree trunk). 7. Glue the rectangle below the tree.8. Glue the hand prints together in a tree shape, gluing the folded part of the wrist to the background. Start at the bottom of the tree. Starting with the second row, make the fingers overlap the next hand a little bit.9. Cut out a yellow star for the top of the tree. Glue it on the tree. 10. Write a Christmas message around the tree.Optional: Decorate your tree with glitter, glitter glue, or paper orna-ments. You can also make the tree on a triangle shape (so there is no back-ground showing).

Craft CornerHand Print Christmas TreeBekah Parker, Staff Writer

“Arthur Christmas”, an inspiring Christ-mas movie, is one of the best Christmas mov-ies I have seen in a while. I literally laughed out loud multiple times during this movie. It was beyond a Christmas movie, it was a story of love, family, and heartwarming care. This family oriented movie is rated PG, and shows that there is always something special about the Christmas season. We all know that as a child, the same ques-tion was/is present in mind: “How does Santa travel around the whole world in one night?” Arthur Christmas explains comically and cutely just how it’s done. Arthur Christmas, one of Santa’s sons, is the official letter re-sponder at the North Pole. Throughout each Christmas season he receives letters from children around the world wondering the same questions we did as a child. Arthur re-sponds and promises every good child what they asked for Christmas. On Christmas Eve,

Santa is as busy as ever, but with the help of his new and improved technology, he is able to get his work done. Out of all the billions of children in the world, Santa only misses one. Arthur does not understand how Santa could just leave out that one child. We see many heart touching scenes as Arthur sets off on an adventure to deliver the missed child their Christmas gift. “Arthur Christmas” is not a particularly spiritual movie, but it has good moral ele-ments. When Santa lets Arthur down, he re-alizes that it was wrong and helps him in the end. The movie contained no profane scenes or vulgar language. I would highly recom-mend this movie to all families during this Christmas season. It will make you laugh out loud, say “awww,” and even work up a tear. “Arthur Christmas” was an excellent movie that displays true Christmas spirit. I give this movie four out of five stars.

Arthur Christmas“It takes a family”

Bekah Parker, Staff Writer

The Man in the LeavesCan you find the Hidden Man?Mandy Moore, Entertainment Editor

Somewhere in this pile of leaves is the face of a man... can you find him in under 30 seconds? Most people can’t!“Vincent Price in a Pile of Leaves.” Mighty Optical Illusions. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .

Tongue Twisters of the MonthMandy Moore, Entertainment Editor

1. A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back.

2. If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

www.uebersetzung.at/twister/en.htm

I never really realized how terrifying driving was until I first got behind the wheel of my car. Driv-ing always seemed so casual and carefree before I was the driver. As a passenger, I was never really watching the other cars, so I didn’t notice all of the horrifying events that take place on the road. On the road, everyone seems to be in a hurry, and no one seems to worry about silly little things like speed limits until there’s a cop in the vicinity. The other drivers really get agitated when someone breaks away from the mob mentality and actually obeys the speed limit. Unfortunately for me, I am that person. Everyone on the road hates me be-cause I have this strange obsession with wanting to survive to the next day. It would be easier for me if I drove a big truck or an SUV because no one could mess with me, but no. I drive my dad’s puny, little Stratus. This means whenever I drive, the larger trucks and vans like to “encourage” me to drive faster by driving an inch behind me. Oddly enough, it always seems to be the soccer moms with little kids who want to drive me off the road the most. Of course, there are certainly other peo-ple who would be just as pleased to see my car in a ditch. Another place where I put my life on the line is the stoplight. I am firmly convinced the stoplight is a playground for an eternal game of chicken. Ev-

eryone seems to want to cross the light at the least opportune time, almost causing a ten car pile-up. I suspect these drivers get some sort of thrill out of cheating death. I think these drivers are also a little confused on what the yellow light means on a stoplight. I had always learned it meant the light was about to change, and you might want to slow down. These drivers apparently think it means, “Go as fast as possible, so you do not have to wait 60 seconds.” It has gotten so bad at lights, some-times I’m even afraid to go through them when I don’t see any drivers coming near the light! So I go slowly in hope that I can slam on the brakes if I missed seeing someone, which sadly angers every-one behind me. Finally, I’d like to leave a little warning to all the crazy drivers in the world. The most hated people on the road are always the young drivers, who don’t really know what they’re doing, and the elderly drivers, who only think they know what they’re doing. I would like to remind the impatient driv-ers they were once young drivers, and one day they will be the elderly drivers. Oh the sweet irony of the road.

8December 2011

Do you have questions? Concerns? Recommendations for the Entertainment or Forum Staff?

We would love to hear them!

Email our adviser Judy Collins, at jcollins@mckinneychristian.org.

Thanks!

forum

Road RageThe terror on the road...David Marolf, Page Editor

The joys of Christmas: the music, the love, the food, and (what some of us think is the most im-portant), presents. Our society today has taken Christmas and made it into the single largest shopping time of the year. We are constantly bom-barded with advertisements for new and better toys and gadgets. Yet, in all of the pomp of Christmas we tend to forget the real reason for the season. Many of us remember the Charlie Brown Christmas special and Linus reading the Christ-mas story about Jesus. He read Luke chapter two and the verse we most often remember is Luke 2:11, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The celebration of Christ coming into this world to become the King of Kings is the real reason for the season. His birth is not just another birth but

a truly incredible event. Never before and never again in the history of the world will so many events focus on one person. Never before and nev-er again will a virgin conceive through the Holy Spirit thus sparing the child of sin and making Him perfect as a result. Never before had a Mes-siah been born to humanity and never again will another Messiah be born. Christ came and died for us and His birth, that we celebrate as Christ-mas every year, is the beginning of the one who lived the perfect life and died the perfect death so that we may be saved from the consequences of sin. As a final note, when you celebrate Christ-mas this year, remember that Christ is the reason for the season. The gifts, singing, eat-ing are nice, but Jesus Christ’s birth and His coming are the real reasons for the season.

The Real Reason for the SeasonHint: It’s not presentsChandler Brown, Staff Writer

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