East Los Angeles, California December 2008 Vol. 83, No. 3

Homecoming Court

By Zendi Victoria and Viviana Sanchez

The PirateRobert Louis Stevenson Middle School

www.rlstevenson.net“Forth & Forever Forward”

This year’s King and Queen are Robert Doten and Yeselle Torres. The 8th grade Princess and Prince are Tania Molina and Alex Martinez, and the 8th grade Jesters are Abraham Martinez and Vicky Marquez. The 7th grade Prince and Princess are Juan Rios and Tamara Solache. The 6th grade Prince and Princess are Jose Jemez and Vanessa Marquez.

This is what our King Robert Doten said when asked about how

he felt before the crowning day, “I felt good weather I won or lost. I wasn’t worried until the time came.”

Our 7th grade Princess Tamara Solache said, “I didn’t know if I was going to win but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to loose.”

Even though we didn’t get interviews from all of them we are sure they are happy to be our2008-09 Homecoming Court winners.

ApologyWe apologize to our readers for

the mistakes on the last issue of The Pirate Newspaper (November 2008, Vol. 83, No. 2). We realized that we made many errors and that it is our jobs as editors to check all stories before they are published.

We assure you that it will not happen again. We will check all of the stories and check all of our sources as well before we publish in the future.

We promise to do our best with revising our fellow classmate’s articles. We realize how important it is for our readers to get the best quality newspapers.

In the future, if anything is wrong, or you see mistakes in the Pirate, you may write a Letter to the Editor, and deliver it to Room 21 or place it in Mr. F. Rodriguez’s box.

Your Editors, Sergio Duran Karina Sanchez Stephanie Martinez Kimberly Neri Carolina Sanchez

When asked, Mr. Hernandez said the district is remodeling the cafeteria to make the school look better and to make students feel more comfortable when they eat. The school r e c e i v e d the money from the district for this district project.

W i t h the money, the school purchased new refrigerators and two plasma TVs. The TVs will be used to show nutritional facts about the food the students are going

Cafeteria Remodeling

The Toy Drive DanceBy Karina Sanchez and Zelene Salgado

The Toy Drive Dance was held after school on December 5, 2008 from 3:30-5:30. Like The other dances, it was great.

The only difference between this dance and the others was that in order for people to have gotten in, everyone had to bring an unopened toy with the cost of $3.00 or more.

Mr. Martinez and his Leadership class were collecting the toys outside of the cafeteria. They filled up 6 bags of toys!

At first not a lot people showed up to the dance, but in the end there were only about half the people that had gone to the other dances. Regardless, the dance was still really fun!

By Stephanie Martinez, Sergio Duran, and Cesar Ruizto eat. We asked Mr. Hernandez about the cost of the new tables and he said he did not know. We also asked Mr. Hernandez whose

idea this was and he said, “It was the d i s t r i c t ’ s plan for our school.”

The district is also planning to build a new bungalow for the parent center. It will be

constructed where the old Stevenson Garden used to be. Who knows what other surprises the district is planning for us?

Playing dirty politics is not right! Students here at our school

were not respecting the posters that were up on the walls for the Homecoming Court. Students were ripping them, tagging on them, or doing whatever they could to vandalize the posters.

Doing things like this can get you into trouble because it is considered vandalism. Destroying someone else’s property is a crime,

and if you are caught, it will be reported. Then you run the risk of getting cited and having to pay a ticket. Even worse, your parents may be held liable for what you do. It is really not nice to do something like this. In the real world you are breaking a law.

Please respect the posters that others work hard to create. It is

unfair to destroy them or vandalize them just because you want to win or you want your friend(s) to win.

How would you feel if it was your poster(s) and others were destroying your work? Also, how would you feel if you got in to trouble because you were vandalizing property and your parents had to pay the price?

Dirty PoliticsBy Iliana Hernandez

Opinion

The Homecoming Dance was the most incredible dance of the year so far. It was on Friday, November 21, 2008 afterschool from 4:00-6:00 PM. In the beginning of the dance people were taking pictures and finding their friends. Then the party was on!

Later during the evening, they presented the winners for the Homecoming Court. The winners for the 8th Grade King and Queen were Robert Doten and Yeselle Torres. Alex Martinez and Tania Molina won for 8th Grade Prince and Princess. Abraham Martinez and Vicky Marquez were named for 8th Grade Jesters.

Juan Rios and Tamara Solache won for 7th Grade Prince and Princess, and Jose Jimenez and

The Homecoming Dance ‘08By Karina Sanchez

Vanessa Marquez took it for 6th Grade Prince and Princess.

Page 2 December 2008 The Pirate Newspaper

Editor in ChiefSergio Duran

Assistant EditorKarina Sanchez

PhotographersAngelica Gomez

Giovanni Soberanes

ReportersLinda Alonso

Carlos BalderamaDiana BarcoCarlos Perez

Maria EstradaMichelle FloresValerie Garcia

Iliana HernandezIvy Luevano

Andrea MachadoStephanie Martinez

Kimberly NeriVeronica RamirezJennifer Ramos

Maria RiveraBianca Rojas

Connie RubalcabaCesar Ruiz

Zelene SalgadoCarolina Sanchez

Alyssa YanezZendi Victoria

Viviana Sanchez

Journalism AdvisorMr. Frank Rodriguez

Layout AdvisorMr. James Ng

The Pirate StaffChristmas

Tongue TwistersBy Linda Alonso

and Andrea Machado•

How many deer would a reindeer reign if a reindeer could reign

deer?•

Seven Santas sang silly songs. •

Two trains travel together to Toyland.

• Eleven elves licked eleven little

licorice lollipops.•

Santa’s sleigh slides on slick snow. •

Chilly chipper children cheerfully chant.

• Comet cuddles cute Christmas

kittens carefully.•

Running reindeer romp ‘round red wreaths.

• Hollie hangs holly here hopping

happy holidays hurry.•

Winter whacks whistly wind.Now try saying these without

stuttering…

Tongue twisters courtesy of www.sasy1.com

Why do people celebrate Christmas? Some people say that the Son of God was born on December 25 and that is why they celebrate Christmas. Christmas for me is all about giving, appreciating and eating.

Others, like Mr. Buenrostro, celebrate Christmas with their family, because Christmas is the only time of year he sees his whole family. One of the things that Mr. Buenrostro does with his family is that they meet in one house for Christmas day. The day after Thanksgiving he puts the tree up and the lights and he is ready for Christmas.

ChristmasBy Valerie Garcia

and Michelle FloresHanukkah is an annual Jewish festival. It’s celebrated for eight days and nights. Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of the Jewish calendar in the month of Kislev. This holiday is known as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, and Feast of Maccabees.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means dedication. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jew’s 165 B.C.E victory over the Hellenist Syrians. The victory was considered a miracle. The most important part of Hanukkah is the candle lighting. They light the candles in a special candleholder called the Menorah. Each night one candle is lit. It’s traditional to eat foods fried in oil during Hanukkah. It’s also a tradition to eat dairy products, especially cheese.

We were lucky to interview one of our teachers from Stevenson Middle School. We interviewed Ms. Mauss. She celebrates Hanukkah by lighting the Menorah, saying prayers, giving gifts, and eating good foods. When she was

HanukkahBy Angelica Gomez and Maria Estrada

a kid she got gifts, celebrated with Hanukkah parties, and played dradle. She still has a Hanukkah party and eats good food.

She and her family eat latkes (potato pancakes). They also eat a lot of other things that are fried. They also eat chicken, brisket, braded loaf of bread, and chocolate coins. The meaning of Hanukkah to Ms. Mauss is that Hanukkah is very historical. It makes her feel like she is passing a tradition to her children.

She says that it is a very good time to be with the family. Some of the things that she does for Hanukkah are lighting one candle each night, eating the latkes, playing dradle, and giving money (coins). Today they give presents but traditionally they wouldn’t give gifts.

When Ms. Mauss was as a kid her favorite part of Hanukah was receiving presents. Today it is lighting the candles and watching them burn with her kids. She also told us that Hanukkah changed a lot because it was influenced by Christmas.

Have you ever wondered how the Japanese celebrate New Years? In Japan New Years Eve is the most important holiday. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3 to spend more time with their family. The New Years celebrations last for at least five to six days and on New Year’s Eve, just before midnight, Buddhist temples bells ring 108 times. The Japanese people don’t do countdowns like we do in the United States.

Japanese New YearBy Jennifer Ramos and Maria Rivera

Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration. It is an African-American holiday that is celebrated only in East Africa. Some countries like Nigeria and Ghana celebrate Kwanzaa. Dr. Maulana Karenga founded Kwanzaa in 1966. The tradition focuses on African values of family, community, and responsibility. Kwanzaa is a combination of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah and it is celebrated on December 26th through January 1st. During Kwanzaa, many people like to dance, eat, give thanks, and plan the next year’s harvest. Everyday a new candle is lit out of

Kwanzaathe seven candles in the Kinara. The seven candles reflect on the seven principles, which are the foundation of Kwanzaa.

Some foods are corn, rice, and blacked eyed peas. Other foods are yams, yellow yams, white yams, and potatoes. They hardly eat any meat, but if they do eat meat, they produce it in a farm. They eat different types of vegetables, but the main one is spinach. Kwanzaa is not religious nor political, but it is not a substitute for Christmas. Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than 18 million people worldwide.

By Veronica Ramirez, Bianca Rojas, and Carolina Sanchez

Do you know how the Japanese celebrate Christmas? The Japanese people decorate trees at home just like we do. They also have parties around Christmas day. The thing that is different about how the Japanese celebrate Christmas is that they only eat Christmas cakes and Kentucky Fried Chicken. On Christmas they don’t drink punch or eat tamales or other stuff like the Mexican cultures do.

Another thing that they do different than us is that on Christmas Eve the couples go out to dinner at fancy restaurants or to hotels. They also celebrate Christmas by the parents giving only one gift to each of their children. The kids aren’t able to give gifts to their parents because then the kids would find out that their parents are the ones that buy them the gifts and not Santa Claus. At Christmas in Japan there are many people celebrating on the streets.

How the Japanese Celebrate Christmas

By Jennifer Ramos and Maria Rivera

Page 3 December 2008 The Pirate Newspaper

Stevenson Middle School Pirates would like to congratulate the following students and teachers for running the half-marathon in the city of Los Angeles. The marathon was 13.1 miles long.

On November 13, 2008 was the first annual Pinewood Derby here at Stevenson Middle School. It was an awesome race. The race took place in the cafeteria between 5:30 to 7:30. There were a few ties, but there were only 15 students that go the opportunity to go to the District Finals. Out of the 15 students, the top three students were, in third place, Ivon Lopez, in second place, John Lara,

Stevenson’s Pinewood DerbyBy Linda Alonso and Andrea Machado

and in first place, Jose Mara. The Science Fair also took place

in the cafeteria and at the same time as the Pinewood Derby. The science teachers showed the people there some easy experiments that they could also do at home. They also built machines made out of Lego™. They made paper airplanes out of a straw and strips of paper. The fair was also an awesome event.

Congratulations to the Students of Run L.A.By Carlos Perez

Anthony Dorado, Marely Gomez, Paul Hernandez, Jennifer Ibarra, Sandra Jaimes, Jocelyn Macias, Bryan Quezada, Jovanni Rojas, Yoni Romero, Ms. Schaller, Ms. Rojas, and Ms. Guin.

Every year the Turkey Run is fun and a great success. The previous Leadership teacher, Mr. Topete, brought the Turkey Run to Stevenson Middle School.

He thought it would be fun to see students race for a chance to win a $20 gift card, so he came up with this tradition.

The turkey run was held on November 24 at 3:15 PM on the upper grass field. There were 2 winners for each grade: A girl and a boy from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. No 6th grade girls

By Sergio Duran and Carlos PerezAnnual Turkey Run

went to run so the 1st two 6th grade boys got the prize.

The 6th grade winners were Jose Jimenez with a time of 5:25, and Kevin Gomez with a time of 6:10. The 7th grade winners were Bryan Telles with a time of 5:16, and Sandra Jaimes with a time of 9:01.

The 8th grade winners were

Giovanni Rojas with a time of 6:20, and Jackie Barrasa with a time of 7:11. We thank Ms. Chavez, Ms. Tadaro, and Ms. Leos for helping make this tradition a success.

An Italian man, Giovanni Da Verrazano in 1524, was the first European to visit the area we know today as New Jersey. New Jersey was one of the original thirteen colonies. New Jersey became the

New JerseyBy Carlos Balderrama

third state in December 18, 1787. It was named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. It is also called the ‘’Garden State’’ because of its fertile farmland. Trenton is the state capital and its flower is the purple violet. The national bird of New Jersey is the Easter Goldfinch. Courtesy of www.americaslibrary.gov

Page 4 December 2008 The Pirate Newspaper

AQUARIUS(January 21 - February 20)

It’s time to bring out your secret weapon: Your amazing ability to say

what you think!

PISCES(February 20 – March 20)

The big changes coming into your life are going to take their time. Be

patient!

ARIES(March 21 – April 20)

Everyone around you is light and calm. There will be nothing heavy

about this day.

TAURUS(April 21 – May 21)

Speaking without thinking is out of character for you, so don’t do it

today.

GEMINI(May 22 – June 21)

This will be one great day for you but not for everyone else. Be sensitive.

CANCER(June 22 – July 23)

Choose a type of communication that’s out of the ordinary today. Be

more creative.

LEO(July 24 – August 23)

Teamwork should play an important role in your success today. Work

with others.

VIRGO(August 24 – September 23)

You might have a rough day but you need to turn to others and ask for

advice.

LIBRA(September 24 – October 23)

Being possessive of your friends is a bad habit to get into. Give them some

space.

SCORPIO(October 24 – November 22)

Your eye for unusual minor details is strong, and it will give you the upper

hand.

SAGITTARIUS(November 23 – December 21)

If you are feeling overwhelmed now, you need to let some things go to

stay cool.

CAPRICORN(December 22 – January 20)

You will be asked to commit to something. If you can’t commit, don’t

agree to it.

Compiled by Zelene Salgado and Valerie GarciaHoroscopes

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Horoscopes courtesy of 104.3 MYfm.

*Submit your event to be published, contact room 21.

Return to School Monday

January 12, 2009

Spirit Day Fridays

January 16 & 23, 2009

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday

No School Monday January 19, 2009

Spirit Week

Monday-Friday January 26-30, 2009

“09” Picture-Pirates Cove

Thursday & Friday January 29 & 30, 2009

English & Math Periodic

Assessments Week Monday-Friday

January 26-30, 2009

Is That Me?Poem By Ulises Soto, 7th Grader

Bio By Carolina Sanchez and Jennifer Ramos

I look in the mirrorI expect to see me

I see someone, but it’s not meIt might be me

He looks evil and meanHe reminds me of me,

but it can’t beBut then I remember the things

I have doneAnd I accept that he is me

Ulises Soto was inspired by the things that he has done. He is a seventh grader that was transferred here from Hollenbeck Middle School. The poem was about him looking into the mirror and not liking his reflection. He looks in the mirror and hates who he is. He hates being himself because of all the bad things he has done in his life.

Shout OutsBy Connie Rubalcaba

I want to give a shout out to my baby Michael and my best friend

Ivette. Also, to my homeboys Ronnie, Daniel, Javier, Adam,

Jessie, Juan, Jose, James, and all my homegirls Geo, Karina, Alyssa,

Angela, Leslie, and Ivette!J8th Grade - Connie Rubalcaba

I would like to give a shout out to Yajaira and Karen. Thanks for

being my friend.8th grade - Stephanie Martinez

I want to give a shout out to my best friend forever Connie and to

take care.J8th grade - Javier Sanchez

I want to give a shout out to all my friends, especially Alyssa,

Uriel, violet, and Brianne. 7th grade - Sergio Duran

I want to give a shout out to my homies Geo, Junior, Ricky,

Johnny, Andrew, and my homegirls Carolina, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Alyssa, and Mallorie. 7th grade – Natalie Salazar

I want to give a shout out to all my friends love you guys.J

7th grade – Drani

What’s up to all my friends? I want to give a shout to all my friends from “awesomest”.

7th grade - Karina Sanchez aka “awesomest”

The new movie called “Watchmen” is coming out on March 6, 2009. DC Comics originally published it. It is part of a comic book series made up of 12 books between 1986 and 1987. The original “Watchmen” is the only novel to win the prestigious Hugo Award. The Hugo award is part of the World Science Fiction Convention. The Hugo Award has been given annually since 1955, and it is science fiction’s most prestigious. In order to receive this award, participants must go through a very rigorous process.

Zack Snyder the director of 300 directs it. The Watchmen’s website has a countdown for when it will be released. There are about? Days? Hours? And? Minutes until it comes out. It looks like a good superhero movie. I think many people will watch this movie, but they should at least visit www.watchmenthemovie.warnerbros.com.

The movie is a mystery adventure based in New York City. The movie is set in an alternate 1985 America in which the superheroes are part of everyday society. There’s a clock that charts USA’s tension with the Soviet Union. There’s a villain named Rosarch. He try’s to kill past and present superheroes as he reconnects with his former crime legion friends. A ragtag group of retired superheroes gets together to fight him and only one has real powers. The Watchmen’s job is to watch over humanity.

This is going to be Watchmen’s come back movie since the comic books in 1986. Hopefully this movie is a hit and gets a lot of viewers.

By Cesar Ruiz

“WATCHMEN” THE MOVIE

This year’s AFL/NFL game was held on Thursday November 20, 2008 from 3:30-5:00 PM. Mr. Martinez’s leadership class sponsored it.

During the first part of the game, shout outs were being sent out to some of the players. The score quickly reached 2 to 6 with AFL in the lead. Unfortunately, the AFL team fell behind with NFL going way ahead.

Then it was halftime. During that time, the leadership class presented the Homecoming

AFL vs. NFL Football GameBy Karina Sanchez

nominees on what was like a red carpet for the Homecoming Court. After that, the two teams ran through posters that had their team names. Then it was back to the game.

It was great and exciting! But eventually, the AFL team lost to the NFL team with the final score of 20 to 8. The all-star player was Hugo Rela. Congratulations to the NFL team for their win. Although both teams did an awesome job during the game, there’s always next year AFL!

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