1

Have you ever wondered why leprechauns wear green? It turns out there's a boatload of reasons as to why green is the color of choice for the holiday. Originally, the official color of St. Patrick's Day was blue, but green began to dominate based on Ireland being known as "The Emerald Isle." As well as the fact that the flag of Ireland also contains a stripe of green. Religiously, a lot of Irish Catholics are known to wear green, while Protestants celebrate the holiday in orange. If you look at the flag, a stripe of white separates the two colors, thus white resembles "peace" between each set of religious beliefs. Leprechauns actually used to be red. Although the little Irishmen are now synonymous with the color green, they weren’t always. Early accounts of leprechauns describe them as wearing red and a variety of hats—often three-cornered. Also, sporting red is the rambunctious clurichaun, a mythical creature that shares many characteristics with the leprechaun. These beings are always described as drunk and surly. They are often seen in stories riding animals at night, or clearing out entire wine cellars. Some accounts explain these troublemakers as the night-form of leprechauns. After a hard day’s work, the bearded fairies get so tipsy that they become an entirely different species. Other stories describe them as a close rel-ative to the leprechaun. Now, some people think that finding a leprechaun would give you luck. Is that re-ally true though?

March/April 2017

Volume 9, issue 5

AWSD

The BLOB

Inside this

issue:

Main Article 1

Bloberta

Did You Know?

2

Life Hacks

Captain O

3

Top 10 4

Student of the

Month

5

Current Events

Embarrassing

Moments

11

Collage 15

The Best Literature on the Block

According to Irish legends, people lucky enough to find a leprechaun and capture him (or, in some stories, steal his magical ring, coin or amulet) can barter his freedom for his treas-ure. Leprechauns are usually said to be able to grant the person three wishes. Kind of like if you were to find a magic lamp and rub it, then you get three wishes. Maybe you would wish

for food, like maybe some ice cream. Do you think leprechauns like ice cream? Well, turns out Leprechauns eat different types of wild-flowers, nuts, potatoes, and mushrooms. They also enjoy fancy homemade beverages and on given occasions, they take dandelion tea. Since they live in a forest in Ireland, most of the leprechaun's diet is comprised of wild foods. So probably no ice cream. Did you know that there are no female leprechauns? Leprechauns actually come from fairies. It was said that a leprechaun was made from a birth defect. What hap-pened was that the Irish believed their kings and queens descended from gods. These gods took the form of fairies on earth. When-ever there was a leprechaun born to these fairies, they would give it its pot of gold and leave it on earth. That’s why leprechauns are so protective of their gold. So really easier said, leprechauns are the unwanted fairies that have been tossed aside by the rest of the community. As a result, leprechauns are described as grouchy, untrusting, and solitary creatures. So that’s what you didn’t know about leprechauns.

Things You Didn’t Know About Leprechauns By Jadyn P.

2

Dear Bloberta By ??

Page 2

The BLOB

Did You Know? By Savannah W.

1. Did you know Irish people thought wearing green made you invisible to lep-

rechauns or fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see?

2. Did you know wearing green has become a tradition today by the Irish people

to remind those who don’t wear green that leprechauns

are watching?

3. Did you know that in 1961, the business manager of

Chicago’s Journeymen Plumbers Local Union, Stephen

Bailey, got permission to turn the Chicago River green for

St. Patrick’s Day? Since they didn’t know the right

amount to use, they thought to use 100 pounds of vegeta-

ble dye which made the river turn green for a full week

compared to the 25 pounds used today.

4. Did you know that in Sweden and parts of Finland, a mini-Halloween takes

place on the Thursday or Saturday before Easter? Every year, little girls dress up

in rags, old clothes, skirts, shawls, and go door-to-door with a copper kettle

looking for treats. They are known as Easter witches.

Dear Bloberta,

My friend and I are always fighting over small things. What should I do?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

When you and your friend fight you should try to see her/his point of view and she/he should do the same

for you. Also you guys should talk it out and try and understand why you guys are angry with one another.

- Bloberta

Dear Bloberta,

My friend and I got in a fist fight the other day and now my friend is not talking to me. What should I do?

- Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

If your friend is not wanting to talk to you just let him/her calm down and then try to apologize and/or fig-

ure out what led up to you guys getting into a fist fight.

3

Easter Egg Hacks By Bailey M.

Page 3

Volume 9, issue 5

Captain O By Jesse M.

Did you know that the Easter Bunny is a bunny?

Did you know that a four leaf clover is green?

Did you know that an Easter egg is a normal egg, just

dyed?

Did you know that a rainbow is colored?

Put an egg

inside of a

whisk to

color it and

get a cool

design.

4

Top Ten By Jesse M.

Easter Activities

1. Egg and spoon race

2. Jelly bean guessing game

3. Read Easter and Spring

children’s books

4. Plant flowers

5. Decorate an Easter egg

6. Make chocolate fondue

7. Create Easter crafts

8. Give a gift basket

9. Make brunch together

10. Go to church

St. Patrick’s Day

Foods

1. Shepherd’s pie

2. Corned-beef

3. Irish soda bread

4. Corned-beef brisket

5. Green eggs and ham

6. Cabbage soup

7. Cabbage rolls

8. Shamrock shake

9. Corned-beef hash

10. Fried cabbage

Easter Candies

1. Cadbury Eggs

2. Peeps

3. Reese’s Peanut Butter

Eggs

4. Pastel M&M’s

5. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

6. Chocolate Bunny Lolli-

pops

7. Hershey’s Miniatures

Easter Candy Bars

8. Robin Eggs

9. Chocolate Eggs

10.SweetTart Ducks,

Chicks, and Bunnies

Best Places to Celebrate

St. Patrick’s Day

1. Pittsburg

2. Boston

3. Davenport

4. Buffalo

5. Philadelphia

6. Savannah

7. Kansas City

8. Cleveland

9. St. Louis

10. Chicago

5

February Students of the Month By Savannah W.

8th

4th 5th

7th 6th

Brooke D.

Lirian H. Kelsey G.

Christian B. Thomas H.

6

Monthly Polls By Bailey M.

Easter Bunny Origins By Jesse M.

Most of us know that Easter was orig-

inated from Jesus’s resurrection. What

we might not know is where his fluffy

little friend came from. That’s

right, I am talking about the

Easter Bunny. The Easter

Bunny was a big part of all of

our lives at one time or another.

When Easter rolls around,

we all get pretty excited to see

what he hid for us. The thing

we don’t think about is where

he came from. Bunnies have

been associated with spring since ancient

times. One theory is that the Easter

Bunny first arrived in America in the

1700’s with German

immigrants who settled in Pennsylva-

nia. The immigrants brought their

tradition of an egg-laying hare that they

called Osterhase or Oshter Haws.

The German’s children would

make nests for the Easter Bunny

to come lay its colored eggs in.

Eventually, that custom expanded

and soon enough chocolate, other

types of gifts, and candies were

added. The Easter nest also soon

turned to Easter baskets. Thanks to the

German’s traditions, we now have a fun

surprise for us every Easter morning.

7

March Student of the Month By Savannah W.

8th

Victoria V.

7th

Clayton W. 6th

Alex M.

5th

Anthony N.

4th

Clark H.

8

Athletes of the Month By Savannah W. 8th grader “Max G. has been competing in track for three years and it show in

his veteran leadership with new throwers and improving technique. He is very

confident and comfortable with practice and the meets and it allows others to

feed off this and have success because of it. He is always willing to work and

very enthusiastic about track which makes him a joy to coach,” as said by

Coach Funderburk. Good job Max. Keep up the nice work!

8th grader “Bailey M. is dedicated to becoming a better track athlete. She works ex-

tremely hard at practice every day and enjoys the competition at the meets. Bailey

puts in extra practice time to work on improving her times and distances,” as told

by Coach Munck. Wow, Bailey, Super Job!

7th grader “Theo W. is a very strong runner in the 100, 200, and 400. He is at

the top of the pack in every meet and works hard to stay there. Theo ran an

excellent 800 at the Weston Invite running 2:28 and holding of a late push

from another very strong runner from Cove to take first place in the event,”

as stated from Coach Funderburk. Super job, Theo, your fast!

7th grader “Charli K. works hard in practice and focuses on improving her sprint-

ing and jumping. She is open to trying new events even if it might be difficult.

Charli is a leader on the track. She is encouraging to her teammates,” as said by

Coach Munck. Nice job, Charlie. You’re doing great!

6th grader “Alex M. is a very passionate track athlete taking on events most

others shy away from. Alex enjoys running both the 100 and 300 hurdles

along with the 1500 with the remarkable thing being that all three of these

races are back-to-back-to-back in a meet. His joy for the track has already

taken him far and it will only take him further in the next coming years,” as

told by Coach Funderburk. Let’s go Alex! You’re doing awesome!

6th Grader “Lily L. is naturally a talented runner. She is excellent at sprint-

ing and jumping. She will be a great addition to the track team if she contin-

ues to work hard,” as said from Couch Munck. Great job, Lily!

9

Fabulous Faculty By Nevin M.

Wacky Laws By Savannah W.

Did you know that in Oklahoma, no baseball team

can hit a ball over the fence or out of a ballpark?

Did you know that a person can’t dye ducklings, baby

chicks, or bunnies in Kentucky?

Did you know it is against the law for a rabbit to

race down the street in North Carolina?

Did you know that playing a pinball machine

anywhere in South Carolina is against the law?

Mrs. Olson has been chosen for April’s Fabulous Faculty.

Mrs. Vescio says that she is a very hard working teacher.

Incorporates lots of technology into her students’ learning

environment. She has been

working hard with the new math

curriculum, to make students

better mathematicians. She is a

kind and pleasant teacher and

she also coaches our hi8gh

school tennis team.

10

Celebrity Look-Alike By Jesse M.

Countdown By Tristin G.

50 school days until summer break

as of March 23!

Ben H. Roshon Fegan

Mrs. Robel Ellen Pompeo

11

Embarrassing Moments By Tristin G.

One time, I tried jumping into a pool and my feet got caught on the rim of the pool

and I fell in face first.

-Anonymous

One time I was teaching and I had one of the old fashioned projectors. The light com-

ing from the machine was making my shirt see through and my students could see my

undergarments.

-Anonymous

Current Events By Bailey M.

On Saturday, at Yosemite National Park, a young boy, nine years old, was swept away by the currents of Vernal Falls, but not the actual falls. The riv-er that came just yards away from the huge drop, took this lit-tle boy in, and was about to take him on the deadliest ride he would experience. Alec Smith heard the little boy’s mom crying

and praying to herself. Alec

jumped over a safety fence

and into the river by the little

boy who was now just feet

away from the giant fall. Alec

swam to the little boy, grabbed

him, and swam to the side. Al-

ec risked his life for a little boy

he didn’t know.

12

Recipe of the Month By Nevin M.

Irish Chocolate Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of chocolate cookie crumbs, 1/3 cup of confection-

ers’ sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ cup of but-

ter, 3 (8 ounces) packages of cream cheese, softened, 1 ¼ cup

white sugar, 3 tablespoons of

all purpose flour, ¼ cup of

unsweetened cocoa powder,

and 3 eggs.

Directions: Prep: 20m Cook: 1hr 20m Ready in: 9hr 20m

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix together the

cookie crumbs, confectioners’ sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa. Add

melted butter and stir until well mixed. Pat into the bottom of

a 9-inch spring foam pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10

minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450F.

2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, white sugar, ¼ cup

cocoa and flour. Beat at medium speed until well blended

and smooth. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each ad-

dition. Blend in the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur; mix-

ing on low speed. Pour filling over bake crust.

3. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven tem-

perature to 250 degrees F and continue baking for 60

minutes.

13

Critics’ Corner By Tristin G.

Logan is an intense action movie

about a weary Logan caring for an

ailing Professor X somewhere on

the Mexican border. However, Lo-

gan's attempts to hide from the

world and his legacy are upended

when a young mutant arrives, pur-

sued by dark forces. The film fol-

lows a past-his-prime Logan em-

barking on a road trip across a dys-

topian future America for one final

mission.

Grey’s Anatomy is a dramatic but ro-

mantic comedy that is about talented

surgeons who have complicated lives

inside and outside of the hospital.

Sometimes their emotions affect their

surgical ability and their medical deci-

sions. The show is based around the

main character Meredith Grey in her

intern year with her four other col-

logues trying to make through their

surgical beginnings too. Things are

tough at first, seeing the reality of how

fast paced the hospital and their new

lives are going to be. Soon they all fig-

ure out their way around the hospital

and their soon to be surgical careers.

14

Blast From the Past By Bailey M.

Now Then

Caiden D.

Mrs. Dennis

15

Co

llag

e B

y V

icto

ria

V.

16

Comics By Nevin M.

4/5Art Contest By Bailey M.

4th grade: Lyla R. and Cara P.

17

18

AWSD

Brain Teasers By Nevin M.

http://

wms.athwest.k12.or.us

BLOB Staff

Jadyn

Bailey M.

Rylee

Sammie

Taylor

Savannah

Victoria

Abigayle

Jesse

Tristin

Hunter

Bailey B.

Nevin

Sponsor:

Mrs. Turner

Editor:

Rylee M.

1) What does the bunny want to do when he grows up?

2) How does Easter end?

3) What do you call a line of bunnies marching backwards?

1) Join the Hare Force 2) With the letter R 3) A receding hair line