December 12, 2014 Christmas Edition Volume 5, Issue 3

The Paw Print

Hope Lewis

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land.” So goes the quote from Peter Pan. Peter will be flying to the stage in March, led by Mr. Beaver. Peter Pan is new to CCS this year in many different ways other than the play itself. The actors playing Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael must learn to preform in a flying harness. Special effects will also be used by ZFX to really set the mood for Never Never Land. Some actors and actresses will travel to Louisville in January to be trained in flying. The set for the show was purchased from the Cincinnati Music Theater

rather then being built by Tech Theatre class. The tech crew is currently work-ing on improving the set and fixing damages. Peter Pan was performed last spring at the Aronoff Center on the same stage that we will use. Aside from the technical difficul-ties of all the flying and set, Peter Pan will be a musical featuring 16 separate dance numbers choreographed by senior Hope Krieger. Cast:Wendy Darling - Bernadette BeachamMichael Darling - Luke SchlakeLiza - Hope KriegerMichael Darling - Andrew CraneNana - Chris FallatMrs. Darling - Alyssa AnnekenPeter Pan - Hannah SmithBoxing Kangaroo - Holly Burket

Peter Pan flies into action

Students from the tech theater class work diligentily for the Peter Pan show coming this March. Pictured from left to right are Logan Katsetos, Josh Car-ney, and Jon Perry. (Photo by Hope Lewis)

Looking for something fun to do over Christmas break? CCS alumni Sarah Zaffiro (class of 2011) and Robby Head (class of 2012) are performing in a “Swingin’ Holiday Big Band Choral Spectacu-lar” on December 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. at Walnut Hills High School. This showcase of holiday music was performed at Miami University before Thanksgiving and the director decided to bring it to Cincinnati for the Christmas season. Tickets for the show are $12 for students and $25 to $35 for adults. Tickets are available at swinginholi-day.info or through the Miami Uni-versity Box Office at (513) 529-3200 or at MiamiOH.edu/boxoffice.

Swingin’ into the holiday season

Chloe Cochran

Exams this year will be taken be-fore Christmas break. They will take place starting December 16 and end on December19. The idea to move exams came from a persuasive paper presented in Mrs. Porter’s sophomore English class a few years ago. Mrs. Zeller and Mrs. Enos both approved the idea and decided to try it for the first time this year. Many other schools in Cincinnati, such as Hamilton High School and CHCA, have exams before Christ-mas break, which is another reason why CCS enacted it.

Exams before Christmas

News in Brief

(Continued on page 6)

Christmas EditionOpinion/Editorial Page 2

The Paw PrintCincinnati Christian Schools

7474 Morris RoadFairfield, OH 45011

Editorial Policy The Paw Print is the student news-

paper of Cincinnati Christian Schools. The Paw Print is an open forum for

student expression which accepts letters to the editor. Letters to the editor may be edited for length and can be emailed to susan.zaffiro@cincinnatichristian.org.

StaffEditor in Chief - Carissa ZaffiroNews Editor - Keely BrownOpinions Editor - Hope LewisSpecial Features - Carissa ZaffiroSports Editor - Chloe CochranGraphics - Hope LewisReporters - Emily Ingram, Abby Sohn, and Makenzie Thiess.Adviser - Mrs. Susan Zaffiro

Staff Editorial

Hope LewisPaw Print Columnist

Taking a step into your favorite store this time of year can either be a magical experi-ence or a rush to get out, all depending on

when and if you like listening to Christmas music. Some people say that playing Christmas music in Novem-ber is absurd and just wrong. For me, I can “Let it Go” any day of the year. Christmas music is perfect for any month, any day, any hour. Honestly, how can you be in a bad mood after listening to the first verse of “A Holly Jolly Christmas”? Christmas is all about family, giving, and just spending time with the people you love. You can’t deny that warm feeling you get Christmas morning smiling with your loved ones with a nice cup of hot chocolate and watching the snow flutter outside. Hearing Christmas music is like living Christmas morning over and over again. It’s always a good idea to have a Christmas play-list handy when you’re having a bad day. Although I’m a supporter of year ‘round Christmas music, there are people who can’t even stand to hear the tune of “Jingle Bells.” The argument usually goes “it’s not even Christmas” or “I don’t like traditional music.” But it’s not

Valentines Day and yet we listen to love songs year round, and not all Christmas music is traditional. The up and com-ing internet-famous group Penatonix has a new totally a ca-pella Christmas album putting a new twist on the so-called “old and boring” traditional Christmas music. Like any new pop song, there’s always new Christmas music coming out every year. If you love Christmas music like I do, tune into 93.3 F.M to hear continuous Christmas music and share the Christ-mas spirit with everyone else stopped at that red light with you.

When do you start listening to Christmas music?

It’s no secret that exams are before Christmas this year, which means you won’t have the extra two weeks to study and prepare like you usually would. Senior Jacob Knueven said, “I personally enjoy having them before Christmas because you don’t have the stress of exams weighing on your shoulders all of winter break.” Junior Bethany Baker added, “A lot of people are cramming to study during Christmas break and aren’t able to enjoy their break.” Even Mr. Coombs prefers to have them before because he doesn’t have to spend as much time reviewing. He also said, “It seems like most students lose all the informa-tion they learned over the course of two weeks and the information isn’t fresh in their minds anymore.” Although there are many positives about exams being before break, there are also some negatives. Some teachers prefer to have it after break so they have time to make the exam. Mrs. Zaffiro said she is putting material on the exam that her class hasn’t even started to learn yet. “They’re going to have a lot of reading to do,” she said as she’s waving a book around in the air. Although most students prefer and enjoy having exams earlier in the year, it can add a stress to teachers as they are rushing to teach materials that haven’t been taught. They also don’t have as much time to make the exam, rather than having the extra two weeks of Christmas break to prepare questions and essays for students. Teachers spend a lot of time and effort on us students, and they deserve more credit than they get.

Exams before Christmas benefit students

Statistics based on 110 random CCS high school students polled.

Page 7 Special FeaturesPage 3 Features

The best fudge recipe everCooking with Carissa and Josh

Carissa Zaffiro

A Christmas fable: Once upon a time there was a Susan Zaffiro. It was getting to be Christmas time and she re-solved herself to make the best fudge in the entire world. She tried dozens of recipes but was not satisfied. No-bake, microwave, traditionally cooked! Nothing was right! Finally she stumbled across a recipe on allrecipies.com and named it the perfect holiday fudge. Now, she makes the fudge for birthdays, holidays, and even auctions it off for fundraisers! We’d like to share the perfect fudge recipe with you! Enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme (not store brand) 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups milk chocolate chips 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Line an 8x8 inch pan with alumnum foil. Set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marsh-mallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring con-stantly. Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

Josh White

With exams before Christmas break, the weeks that would have been devoted to exams are now left open. The question is what are the teachers, especially those with semester courses, going to do with the extra time? Many teachers are just beginning their next unit, but a few have special plans. Mr. Holthus said that both Psychology and Geography are both doing and “enrichment-style project that will in-corporate much of the main ideas from the ‘pre-exam’ ma-terial while still taking them into new academic waters.” In Health class, Mrs. Nimmo is planning to show some health-related videos that she didn’t have time to show during the rest of the semester. Mrs. Zaffiro plans do start a short unit with her Journal-ism 1 class that includes one of the topics usually covered in Journalism 2. Her 12th grade English class is finishing a major writing project and will begin their third quarter

work a week early. Mr. Coombs likes having exams before Christmas and he plans to continue class as usual and squeeze one more test and homework assignment in before the end of the quar-ter. Mr. Coombs is wondering when everything has to be graded and when do report cards come out. Mrs. Barthelemy plans to “do some special labs that kids would enjoy.” Junior and senior Bible classes that have Mr. Lewis will be doing a project about eschatology. All of the seniors in English classes will be research-ing medieval food and customs for a medieval feast! Mrs. Fuller, Mrs. Yakimow, and Mrs. Zaffiro are working to-gether on this project. Different groups will bring in food, drinks, make invitations and decorations, and learn about fashion and games in medieval times as well. This ties in to a study of Canterbury Tales which Mrs. Yakimow’s stu-dents just finished and the other seniors are getting ready to study.

Two weeks to go? What shall we do?

Christmas Edition

photo by Carissa Zaffiro

Features Page 4

Keely Brown

During SLEW week, CCS had a team of 11 people traveling to Guate-mala for a mission trip. Throughout the course of the week, they did a prayer walk through La Limonada, cared for orphans, and bonded with each other as a team. “It was really great. Going into the trip, I wasn’t super close with anyone on the team. On Thursday, we had a really great devotional that allowed us to not only grow in our relationship with each other, but our relationship with Christ as well,” said senior Sarah Bennett. Kristina Lail, another senior, agreed, saying, “I felt like we were all family by the end of the trip. We had a great worship night, and I felt that we were all brothers and sisters.” When most people go on a mission trip, they report that they come back with a new perspective and attitude about life. Everyone has his or her own way that God spoke or revealed to them, but one person in particular had a lot to say. Josh Diatte said that there are places outside of Cincinnati that need to be reached. “There is an entire world hurting and thirsting for the Lord,”

he said. “We have water, food, and shelter. We can walk outside without worrying about getting shot. Although we don’t worry about those things, other people are.” Guatemala isn’t just a once in a lifetime opportunity. Unless you’re a senior, you still have the opportunity to go next year during SLEW, or even during the summer! “I would really encourage anyone

to go. The culture there is so differ-ent. It’s impacted my life because they focus more on building relationships with you before you do work. The children there are so thankful and lov-ing. It really is great experience,” Allie Higgins shared. If you’re interested in going next time, Señora Gant is in charge of the trip and can provide you with all the information you need!

Guatemala team members served in arious ways at Casa Bernabe Orphanage during SLEW. Pictured are Josh Diatte and Mr. Patterson (floor), Rachel Dolo-resco, Emma Schlake, Molly Diatte, Sarah Bennett, Makenna Diatte, Allie Higgins, Kristina Lail, Myla Patterson, and Senora Gant. (photo courtesy of Mrs. Bennett)

Chloe Cochran

There are several different ways for CCS students to get involved and make an impact on the community, one of which is the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy. The group is part of a national program started by Chick-fil-A that part-ners with local high schools to encourage students to get involved in their communities. Earlier this year, the Chick-fil-A located at Bridgewater Falls picked Cincinnati Christian to be their high school. Mrs. Zeller took control of the group and selected around 20 students for membership. After announcing she would be leaving CCS, Mr. Phair, Mrs. Smearsoll, and Mrs. Parker became the leaders. When choosing members, advisors look at students’ lead-ership, how involved they are, and their individual charac-

ter. Current members of the Leader Academy meet once or twice a month before or after school. At meetings they will watch videos, listen to inspiring people speak, and have discussions. “Mostly we learn about being a leader, how to be a leader, and what qualities a leader has” said senior member Carissa Zaffiro. Their most recent project is a toy drive to collect toys for children at Riverview Elementary School. Monday is the last day to bring in a toy for donation. On October 16, during the four-day weekend, the Leader Academy attended a leadership seminar at Bellevue High School. At the seminar, the students were given the chal-lenge to develop a service project that would benefit the community. The CCS students have decided to focus on the toy drive. The Leader Academy also hopes to bring Christmas cookies to a homeless shelter on Christmas Day.

Making a difference in the community here

Making a difference in the community thereChristmas Edition

Page 5 Features

Makenzie Theiss

The holiday season is well underway and the biggest celebration of all is just around the cor-ner. Christmas is coming and CCS students are excited. As it turns out, many students at CCS take part in a lot of Christmas traditions. Some of those traditions are common like setting out cookies for Santa. Over 50% of students surveyed still take part in that tradi-tion. However, there are also some different traditions that students have. Many students like Hannah Smith, Emily Ingram, and Abigail Sohn hide a pickle in their trees, so that on Christmas morning the child that finds the pickle first receives an extra

present or gets to open his or her gifts first. This tradition has origins of Germany or Spain. One neat tradition that was unique among the others was doing a scavenger hunt. Freshman Magnolia Sorensen does a Christmas scavenger hunt every single year. Though there were some unusual traditions, the most common answers the students gave were things like, Elf On The Shelf, Christmas caroling, and giving their own presents to others. The traditions do not stop there. Another common tradi-tion that CCS students have is the buying presents for those less fortunate. About 38% of students buy those presents for others and have been doing so for many years. One student in particular has been doing something like

this for many years. Senior Nick Conner takes part in an minsitry called Operation Christmas Child every year. The purpose is to collect shoeboxes filled with toys, school sup-plies, and more for the children less fortunate and Nick has been doing just that. For more information about packing shoeboxes, contact samaritanspurse.org. Other families give through organizations like World Vi-sion or Compassion International where families can select a gift like chickens, goats, medical supplies, school fees, or vaccinations to send to a child in a developing country. The World Vision gift catalog can be found at donate.worldvision.org/ways-to-give/gift-catalog and the Com-passion International catalog is at www.compassion.com/catalog.htm.

Buy a gift through World Vision for a childin a developing country:

Child and Family health fund - $10 Two Soccer balls - $16 Seeds for one family - $17 Insect Shield Blanket - $22 $200 worth of school supplies - $25 Career training for women - $25 One beehive - $25 Two Chickens - $25 Clothes for Children - $30 Seeds, tools, and training in Africa - $31 Five ducks - $35 HIV and Aids care - $40 Five fruit trees - $50 Fishing Kit - $50 Water and sanitation - $50 Life-saving food and care - $60 Education for three children - $96

http://donate.worldvision.org/ways-to-give/by-category/

Their family does WHAT for Christmas? Christmas Edition

Shoebox packed for Samaritan’s Purse. (photo by Carissa Zaffiro)

Entertainment Christmas Edition Page 6

Abby Sohn

Are you looking for something fun to do this winter? Grab your snow boots and skis and head over to Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN. November 25 is the official opening day for the slopes. Perfect North offers skiing and tubing. Perfect North has a large hill with huge space for skiers and 23 different tubing lanes for the ones that like to slide and glide. The Perfect North Slopes shop sells jackets, hats, and even skis in case you forget to bring something or you just don’t have it. Perfect North also has fire pits for when you need to warm up, and a dining hall in case you get hungry or want some hot chocolate. If you have never been to Perfect

North before here are some tips for your first day of snow tubing and ski-ing fun! First, dress in layers. Dressing in layers will keep you warm and if you

get too hot you can always take some layers off. Second, make sure you wear water resistant clothing that will wick the cold melted snow off your body, pre-venting you from soaking in the water

and getting mighty cold. Third, bring snacks and cash! Make sure when you go that you bring a snack if you do not want to go to the dining hall in case you get hungry. Also make sure you bring extra cash just in case and always check that you bring enough for ticket money if you did not buy your tickets online. Perfect North also offers both skiing and snowboarding lessons for people ages 4+. Perfect North’s ticket prices vary ev-ery season and they also offer season passes, so for ticket prices and more information on the slopes, make sure you visit their website: www.perfect-north.com. Next time you find yourself bored this winter, head over to Perfect North.

Perfect North: Fake snow, Real fun!

Josh WhitePaw Print Columnist

The Christmas season is about love, presents,

family, and giving but, in my opinion, the most important thing about this season is the selection of movies com-ing out this holiday season. On December 19, Sony Pictures is taking a spin on the classic story of Orphan Annie. This version places Annie in modern day New York where she is abandoned by her parents and left to live with her mean foster-mother Miss Hannigan. Annie’s life is changed when billionaire mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx)

takes her in on recommendation from his advisors. Will Stacks believes he is Annie’s guardian angel but is it the other way around? On December 12, Hollywood’s latest biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings hits theaters. It stars Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses. The movie follows Moses after he learns of his Israelite heritage and frees his people from the oppression of Egypt. The film will not remain completely loyal to the Bible as it will attribute the parting of the Red Sea to an earthquake and not to God. On December 19, the third install-ment of the Night at The Museum saga Night at the Museum: Secret of

the Tomb comes out. The film follows security guard Larry (Ben Stiller) as he goes on an epic journey to Lon-don with the many inhabitants of the museum, to save the magic before it is gone forever. On Christmas Day, Disney’s Into the Woods opens. Into The Woods is a modern spin on many classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood. According to the Disney website, this “heartfelt” and “humorous” musi-cal intertwines multiple stories and explores the consequences of each character’s wishes and quests. The movie stars Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp.

‘Tis the season to...see a movie

Cast List (cont’d)Dancing Neverbirds - Hannah Krieger and Moriah ArnSlightly - Samuel CurtisNibs - Kayleb ArmstrongNoodles - Aria GrangerCurly - Merrick HeidTwin #1 - Corrine Worrell Twin #2 - Maddie Porter

Captain Hook - Alex DunmanSmee - Jesse KellerTiger Lily - Makenzie TheissStarkey - Spencer MooreCecco - Chris FallatNoodler - Joshua MayMullins - Andy Spies

Jukes - Ann OlaniyanLinville - Ellen RoushHolland - Jacob BoberMarasco - Joey CarrollKargo - Spencer FoxTookoyan - Luke HauerJane - Hannah KriegerLost Boys - Ben Fallat, Laura Howard, Sammie

Marcum, Mallory Custer, Grace Custer, Zachary Schlake, Rylee McWhinnie, and Caleb Smearsoll.Henny Penny Tribe: Madi-son Adams, Brooklyn Al-lison, Bailey Brinck, Hannah Hockney, Melody May, Natlie Mayleben, Olivia Nell, Laura Silvashy, Ellen Thomas.

Page 7 Sports Christmas Edition

Emily Ingram

We know him as our football coach and the assistant to Mrs. Enos who handles discipline. But to the rest of Cincinnati, Mr. Fulcher is the star Ben-gals player who went to the Super Bowl in 1989 and played in three consecu-tive Pro Bowl games. Mr. Fulcher was born and raised in Los Angeles. He went to Fremont High School. He said he became involved in sports because of all the of the gangs and crime in his area of L.A. Some of his friends were in gangs and died before graduating from high school. He saw sports as a way out of a bad neighborhood. After high school, he received a scholarship to Arizona State University for football. He also got drafted to play baseball for the Atlanta Braves. He chose to take the football scholarship to Arizona State University in order to get an education. Mr. Fulcher said it wasn’t in his original plan to play for the NFL. He said, “My life as an NFL person wasn’t the thing that I thought was going to happen, but it happened.” After college, in 1986, Mr. Fulcher got drafted to play for the Bengals. He played for the Bengals for eight years, for the Los Angeles Raiders for one year, and for six months with the Kansas City Chiefs.Then he retired. During that time he was the 1989 Defensive Back of the Year for the NFL and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in 1989, 1990, and 1991. Mr. Fulcher came to CCS four years ago when a friend, Ron D’Epifanio, invited him to talk to the junior high football team Mr. D’Epifanio was coaching here. Mr. Fulcher wanted to help coach the football team and soon after talking with Mr. Johnson, who later stepped down from being head coach. Mr. Fulcher became the new head coach for the CCS High School football team and assistant to the principals at both the junior/senior high and the elementary. Mr. Fulcher said he asked Mr. Diefenbacher if he could work at CCS because he didn’t want to be “just a football coach.” He wanted to be involved on a day-to-day basis with the students and have a stronger impact on the boys he coaches. He didn’t come here to build his resume, Mr. Fulcher said. He has done several things since leaving the NFL includ-ing working in the banking industry and being part-owner of two sports memorabilia stores. He

really feels like God has led him to CCS to “help young men and women be better.” Another ministry Mr. Fulcher is involved is MANA (Mentoring Against Negative Actions) which is a ministry to those in jail to teach them life skills like parenting, job skills, healthy relationships, and taking responsibil-ity for their actions. He and his wife also have a ministry to those with Multiple Sclerosis.

Fulcher:The man behind the coach

Football trading cards courtesy of Mr. Fulcher.

Sports Page 8

Carissa Zaffiro

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

The girls varsity basketball team is looking for a fresh start this year. With only one returning starter, many players must step up to fill the gaps that the seniors left behind. Senior and captain, Hannah Edwards commented, “This year the team has grown a lot closer, and a lot of players have stepped up. The atmosphere feels different this year, in a good way.” “This year our slogan is #ibelieve and going into each practice is going 110% and working hard no matter how you’re feeling and believing that we can be great,” said Emily Reutener, junior. The girls won many of their pre-season games and have been working with a tougher schedule. Although work-ing with younger players, the team is working together to achieve their goals.

BOWLING

“This is probably one of the best years the bowling team has seen,” said Josh Carney, senior. Josh is the only four-year bowler on the team and is excited for the season. Although the team is working well together, bowling is an individual sport. “My personal goal is to bowl a 300 in a match ‘cause that would be pretty cool,” commented Josh on his personal goals. However, the team is optimistic about the season.

“We need to be consistent with our practicing and con-stantly encourage each other to get better. We can beat teams this year,” concluded Josh.

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

“I believe we can go undefeated this year. It’s different than years past because it’s not as self-centered. We have a lot of leaders and people who can play instead of one key player,” said senior Christian Riemen. “We have practice every day, we’re working hard, communicating, and since we want to be stronger and faster than any other team, we’re in the weight room a lot.” “We’re being unselfish and it’s about the team. Just not one player can win the games. We’re gonna get a lot of people in the stands this year,” he continued. “The players have been treating me like I’m their age and they’ve encouraged me,” said Josh Oates, sophomore. The team is focused on being inclusive to win games. Terence Hubbard is only 400 points away from getting 1,000 points and said that he will sacrifice that goal so the team can work together. The team’s first season game was December 5 at home against Middletown Christian. The boys said the great cheering from the student section helped them to win.

SWIMMING

Having competed in two meets, the swim team has the South Dearborn Invitational tomorrow on December 13.

Cougars kick off winter season

Christmas Edition

Girls basketball standouts Hannah Ed-wards, left and above, and Emily Reuten-er, right, lead the Cougars on the court.

(photos courtesty of Mr. Edwards)