Volume 5—Issue 4 December 2009

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V O L U M E 5 I S S U E 4 B E A R F A C T S

Above: J.V. Basketball team par-ticipates in a tournament in which they ranked third.

Below: The dancers perform “Hot Chocolate” to a sold out show on both December 5 and 6.

Above: Seniors Sarah Voorhees, Trish Mantia, Megan Cassani, and Allison Donegan, prepare for the

dance recital backstage. Above: As the semester comes to an end, students prepare for exams

before and after school.

Christmas Season at UA

It’s beginning to look a lot like

Christmas around

Ursuline . . .

P H O T O S P R E A D

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V O L U M E 5 — I S S U E 4 B E A R F A C T S

UA Students Celebrate the Holiday Season with Unique Traditions

M any people have a special tra-dition that has been passed down through the family for many years. They follow

traditions such as hanging up Christmas lights on the house, setting up a Christmas tree and decorating it, having a nativity scene, hanging up stockings and baking Christmas cookies. Here are two traditions Ursuline girls celebrate during the holidays. Melissa Stutz, junior, celebrates by making Gou-lash, a German dish, with her family.

German Goulash Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground beef 1 small onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped 1 jar spaghetti sauce (28 oz.)

8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni

U R S U L I N E N E W S

½ cup of water 1 tablespoon of garlic salt ½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 2 ½ quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion and green bell pepper over medium-high heat, 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, stirring fre-quently. Drain the excess liquid. Then add spaghetti sauce, macaroni, water, garlic salt and black pepper; mix well. Pour mixture into the baking dish and cover. Bake for 25 minutes. When finished, uncover and top with mozza-rella cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes more or until cheese is melted and the casse-role is heated through. Enjoy.

amantha Jakubeck, freshman, and her family wake up earlier than usual on Christmas day. They go downstairs to their living room to open presents, which are in front of the Christmas tree. After opening presents, her family leaves to go to her grandma’s, where they are greeted by their younger cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The first thing they do is eat breakfast. Then the pre-sents are sorted out, and the family opens them in order by age, having the youngest start and the eldest finishing. After the fun is over at her grandma’s, Sam’s family leaves to go home and set up for their Christmas dinner where they have food and fun because the fam-ily is all there and the cousins enjoy comparing the gifts they received.

Christmas. In New Zealand, many fami-lies hold BBQs instead of traditional sit-down dinners. In Transylvania, the main course is stuffed cabbage. Families in Portugal begin their meal at midnight on Christmas Eve. Christmas is often cele-brated on January 7 in Russia. Mexicans hold a procession through the town to reenact Mary and Joseph’s journey through Bethlehem; the townspeo-ple stop at each house and ask for shelter, but they are turned away. Finally,

they reach a house with a prepared manger, and everyone comes in for food and drinks. In Australia, it’s sum-mertime, so most people spend Christ-mas tanning and surfing! Santa Claus has many different

names, too. In Eng-land, he is called Father Christmas. In Czecho-slovakia, he is Svaty Mikalas. Because of the heat in Australia, Santa Claus was re-placed by the Swag Man, who wears a t-

shirt and shorts. In Brazil, it is Papai Noel who delivers presents, and he wears silk because of the heat. In Swe-den, a gnome called a tomte delivers all the presents! This holiday season, enjoy time with family, and impress everyone with your knowledge of Christmas around the world.

For many, when Christ-mas is mentioned, pine trees and presents pop into the mind. If they are young chil-dren, Santa visits on Christmas Eve. Everyone holds contests with the neighbors to see who can have the most amount of decorations. While almost every country in the world celebrates Christmas, each does it a little differ-ently. As everyone enjoys the holi-days, here are some fun facts from around the world. Some countries, like England, Germany, Canada, Australia and Finland, have Boxing Day, a national bank holi-day when everyone recovers from the holidays. In Finland, families go to the cemeteries on Christmas Eve to re-member their deceased families. In Lat-via, Father Christmas brings children presents for each day of the 12 days of

Christmas All Around the World

Cartoon by Ross Kettle, 2005

In New Zealand, many families hold BBQs in-stead of traditional sit-

down dinners.

Ann Slesinski Staff Writer

Beyond the Strings of Lights, Christmas Trees and Santa Claus

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V O L U M E 5 — I S S U E 4 B E A R F A C T S

Holiday activities are different in every fam-ily, but for many, see-ing a production of The Nutcracker is on the list of things to do. There are several companies in St. Louis who put on a Nut-cracker show, including St. Louis Ballet and

Dance St. Louis, and every version must be the same, right? In fact, almost every version of The Nutcracker is different. The basic plot line of every modern-day Nutcracker begins on Christmas Eve with young Clara receiv-ing a nutcracker doll from her Uncle Drosslemeyer. Her younger brother gets jealous and breaks the doll. She nods off and dreams that her Nut-cracker doll comes to life and turns out to be a prince in the Land of the Sweets. Clara saves him when he bat-tles the Mouse King, and from Clara’s home, the Nutcracker Prince transports them both to the Land of the Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy entertains

them. The first version of this famous ballet was performed in 1891 in Russia with music by Pytor Tchaikovsky. It had been adapted from a story by E.T.A. Hoffman, according to www.kirjasto.sci.fi/hoffman.htm. Hoffman’s story of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” was much more elaborate, and, unlike the ballet, the heroine, Clara, was not dreaming. She married the Nutcracker Prince at the end of the story. Based on information from WiseGeek.com, the original versions of The Nutcracker had cast women in the roles of Clara, but starting in the 1950s, young girls started to take on the role instead. Not many Americans had ever even heard of The Nutcracker until after the New York City Ballet performed it in 1954. It has become the most popu-lar ballet in the United States, and about.com estimates that the New York City Ballet still performs about fifty Nut-cracker shows per year. Most all Nutcracker versions have two acts, the first act taking place in Clara’s home and the second taking

place in the Land of the Sweets. The part that might be different for individ-ual companies is the transition between the house and the Land of Sweets, in-cluding a journey to the Land of Ice and Snow with the Snow Queen. Some companies end the first act with this transition, and others begin the second act with it. A second part of the show tend to differ is the amount of dances performed during the second act in the Land of the Sweets. The dances all por-tray different types of treats from around the world, for example, Spanish Chocolate and Chinese Tea. Some companies vary the length of The Nutcracker. For example, St. Louis Ballet performs a children’s version of The Nutcracker which short-ens some of the beginning scenes as well as narrates the story. The Nutcracker has become one of the most famous symbols of the holi-day season. The only thing left to de-cide is how long to sit and enjoy it.

Amy Coyle Bear Facts Staff Writer

With the c h a n g i n g w e a t h e r , high school s t u d e n t s around the

United States put away their summer clothing in exchange for the latest, most fashionable winter wear. Every UA girl knows that a cool shirt looks great with a certain pair of jeans, and, typically, teenagers are reaching for their skinny jeans.

Skinny jeans look and feel great to wear, but are these types of jeans appropriate for all situations? Some people purchase jeans because the jean is comfortable, and sometimes they purchase a pair of jeans because the latest fashion magazine promotes that this is high fashion. As school districts around the United States re-examine their dress codes each year, skinny jeans

have become the new target for school board controversies.

The school board of the Mes-quite Independent School District (MISD) in Texas has recently told stu-dents not to wear skinny jeans if they are coming to school. The controversy began when Seth Chamlee, a student at Kimbrough Middle School, was told to either put on a pair of school-supplied pants or to go home and change clothes. It appears that Seth went home and is going to stay there. The Dallas Morning News reported on November 19, 2009, that Cindy Pope, Seth’s mother, was going to keep her son home and home school him.

Most school district adminis-trators don’t have a problem with skinny jeans as long as the jeans are not deemed to be revealing or disruptive in the classroom. MISD banned the jeans outright and is known for having a very

conservative dress code policy. Local school districts such as the Mehlville School District do not choose to ban skinny jeans but instead released a state-ment saying that dress and grooming will not disrupt the educational environ-ment.

The UA handbook does not state that students cannot wear skinny jeans on dress down days, and many UA girls wear skinny jeans. In fact, the UA Handbook does say that we are not supposed to wear pants with carpenter pockets, pants with patch pockets on the back and pants that flare or are boot cut are not in the dress code. Peo-ple believe that skinny jeans are a style and are not a bother at all. In fact, many people say that skinny jeans are

the only type of jean they own.

Brooke Messmer Bear Facts Staff Writer

A Nutty History: The Nutcracker Ballet in St. Louis

The Skinny on Skinny Jeans

N E W S

Image: melissasuegarvey.blogspot.com/

Art by Janna Fezzi

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What comes to mind when you think of hunting or hunters in g e n e r a l ? Drunks, kill-ers, low class

people? I have grown up in a family that encourages hunting. My father and his group of friends can be found out on the property that they rent every year during deer season. “We take only the deer that is allowed by the Missouri Conservation Department. We process the meat from our deer, and then we donate much of it to Hunters For Har-vest, which in turn helps the lower in-come families who would not have been able to feed their families,” said Doug Farmer, my father, a participating hunter.

It may sound gross to think that people actually eat venison, but it is a good source of lean protein and, pre-pared correctly, tastes great. Needy

families put the venison to good use, according to the Missouri Conservation Department Web sites. Venison is healthier than meat from cattle because it is low in fat and is overall less greasy. An average buck will yield 58- 68 pounds of meat. That will feed a family for up to a month, says bucher-paker.com.

Many hunters take part in these organizations to help others. Hunters for Harvest, Farmers and Hunt-ers Feeding the Hungry and Safari Club International are just a few of the or-ganizations set up by hunters to help the poor. There are also many organiza-tions overseas to whom hunters donate their animals. Mr. Farmer recently went over to Namibia, Africa, on a safari. The family with whom he stayed required him to leave the meat that he got while on safari. The meat was then given to local orphanages and the local commu-nities. The meat donated encourages parents to send their children to school because they will get a meal; sometimes

that is the only meal they get a day. It also helped children who lost parents to AIDS.

This year in the Midwest, dona-tions are growing and helping to fill the food pantries. Without these donations many people would have been sent away without food. With more people going to the pantries because the econ-omy has fallen, venison is needed more now than ever by both the pantries and those who go to the pantries. However, processing a deer can cost around sev-enty dollars which can deter some hunt-ers. Recently, several states, including Ohio, have offered financial aid to hunt-ers who process their deer for the pan-tries, according to msnbc.com. In our area, as of December 4, 2009, there have been 1,723 deer taken in St. Louis County, according to the Missouri De-partment of Conservation. Because pan-tries are seeing more people than in years past, it is important to help them and support area hunters who help oth-ers.

Have Yourself a Very Merry Materialistic Christmas This Year With Black Friday and CyberMonday kicking off nearly three weeks of fren-zied holiday shopping, and Christmas-time stress mounting exponentially, it’s easy to get caught up in the materialism that surrounds one of the year’s biggest celebrations. Television commercials and print ads bombard consumers with cutesy holiday slogans that contain un-derlying materialistic messages, such as Radio Shack’s claim that their stores carry “phones that can light up anyone’s holiday” or Target’s “Give Happy this Holiday” in reference to their gift cards. As recorded by the Sacramento Bee, in 2006 the average American spent around $791.10 on Christmas. Nearly 57% of this money was expected to go toward buying presents for others. Christmas does not seem quite com-plete without the presents under the tree or the stuffed stockings hanging over the fireplace. Presenting someone with a Christmas gift is a societal expec-tation, and in the race to buy the big-

gest, best, most expensive present, peo-ple can sometimes lose the meaning behind their gift-giving. Some may re-gard the overall tradition of Christmas gift-giving as succumbing to the material fury that surrounds Christmas these days. Yet, the heart of gift-giving is es-sentially to give someone a present he or she will enjoy in order to express love or friendship. Christmas presents given for reasons other than the above are frivolous and contribute to a materi-alistic view of a truly joyous holiday.

In this way, gift cards or a sim-ple $25 check from a relative effectively destroy the tradition of meaningful Christmas gift-giving. It is true that giv-ing money is a convienent gift that solves the problem of not knowing ex-actly what type of present to buy for someone. An Ursuline senior noted that she liked receiving money for Christ-mas. “I like getting money for Christ-mas. Technically, it depends on how much money it is, but I like [receiving

money as a gift] because then I can pick out what I want.” Norma Fitzgibbons, a grandmother of five and great-grandmother of six, admitted that “I give money as a Christmas present be-cause I don’t know what to get the per-son otherwise. This way, the people can pick their own present, something they really want.” America buys $65 billion worth of holiday presents, according to Time. That amount can buy lots of things, but Americans choose to buy presents.

Ultimately, the Christmas spirit is not about presents, but it is not about the obliteration of them either. To buy a gift is not a violation of the true spirit of the holiday season. Combating the materialism that so easily penetrates Christmas time can be done by purchas-ing or creating a gift with purpose, a gift that genuinely represents the giver's love for the recipient.

Caitlin Zera Bear Facts Co-Editor-in-Chief

Fighting Hunger Across America: Hunters Help Out This Holiday

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V O L U M E 5 — I S S U E 4 B E A R F A C T S

Whether it’s for a brother or a boy-friend, girls around the world know that picking out presents for the boys in their lives is hard. But here are some gift ideas that can’t go wrong. Every girl has seen boys play with their video games so adding to that collection can’t hurt. Pretty much all video games will work, but if a girl wants to make a decision closer to the boy’s specific interest, then take a look at what he’s playing. If he likes war games, go for a war game like the one

a comedy guy? Then there are always fun movies both people can enjoy like Funny People or The Ugly Truth. If neither of these feels like the right present, then there is always the option of buying clothes. Maybe cloth-ing isn’t always the most fun thing to unwrap on Christmas morning, but it is something that is useful and can last for a long time. This doesn’t mean that clothing always has to be boring. In-stead of buying plain old polos, one can instead look at places like Big D’s Tees and Hot Topic for funny shirts that he’ll love. No matter what a girl chooses during her holiday shopping, the gift will always be loved. Though “it’s the thought that counts” seems to be a cli-ché, it’s the truth. The fact that you actually went out and spent time look-ing for something that would make him happy is enough to make any person grateful. Whether any of these are something a boyfriend or brother might want is a personal opinion. But either way, Christmas is just around the cor-ner, and it’s time to get those shopping shoes on, ladies.

Cinnamon Mullins Bear Facts Staff Writer

from the Call of Duty series. Or maybe he likes cars; then a racing game might be right on. Whatever gaming system or genre a boy likes, there is never a shortage of video games for the gifting. If gaming’s not his style, then one can always take the cinematic ap-proach. Movies are a great way to spend time with family or friends, so getting someone who is close to you a movie might be the perfect solution. Movies differ about as much as video games. That means that with movie selection, it also comes down to a spe-cific boy’s taste. If he’s an action junkie, you might want to go with some new releases like Star Trek, Terminator: Salva-tion or G.I. Joe. Or maybe he’s more of

Christmas is right around the corner, and every year around this time people start thinking about what they want for Christmas. Some people know exactly what they want and who they want it from; others don’t. Every year around this time people start their Christmas shopping if they haven’t already begun. Many par-

ents aren’t always sure what to get their teenage girls, and even some teenage girls don’t know what they want from their

parents. Sophomore Michelle Sherrer said, “I’m asking for a Fleetwood Mac CD,” while freshman Jamie Varghese wants monogram headbands and a new cell phone for Christmas. Also, sopho-more Morgan Flannery said, “I want a car and a snuggie.” There is a great vari-ety in what girls want. According to amazon.com, the top girl’s gifts are Kindle DX Wireless Reading Devices, PSPgo’s, Nintendo Wii’s and the Apple iPhone. Also some other great gifts for teenage girls are Victoria’s Secret PINK Gift Sets, Festive slipper booties, Snuggies, Twilight gear for the obsessed fans, Polaroid Pogo Digital Cameras, Custom Initial Neck-laces from Juicy Couture and Wireless headphones for iPods.

With all of these spectacular gift ideas and Christmas right around the corner, this might help with the confusion in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.

Amber Grisham Bear Facts Staff Writer

What Boys Want for Christmas!

What Girls Want for Christmas!

Images: teddyhariadi.com, blog.timesunion.com, caramelcoveredlanaberry.com

Art by: Ally Hill

S T U D E N T L I F E

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V O L U M E 5 — I S S U E – 4 B E A R F A C T S

Top 10 Things to Do in the Snow

C hristmas season fills imagina-tions with snow-covered hills and candy cane lanes. Snow is an essential part of the season,

and it brings joy and love to everyone. It has memories for all to cherish of build-ing snowmen and running through the snowy hills with friends. Snow is a beau-tiful thing, and here are the top 10 things to do in the snow: 1. Look outside the window at mid-night; see the first snowfall, and take a walk throughout it. This is simple, but a beloved tradition. 2. Snowball fights: it’s fun to get a cou-ple of friends together and battle it out until the death…or until it gets too cold. Now a person can get back at someone for whatever reason by pelting her with snowballs. The snowball fight-

ers should watch out for the sting of a snowball to the face as they battle each other with their deadly snow-balls.

3. Take your dog in the snow for a walk. His/her reaction will be priceless whether the dog embraces the snow and runs wild or becomes frightened and refuses to touch the snow. So cute either way.

4. Making a snowman: going outside and making a snowman is a classic pastime to do in the snow. To make a snow-man, start with a large round bottom, a smaller middle, and a small head. Then add the face with sticks or food, the hat and the scarf. It’s fun to show off a one of-a-kind snowman to the neighborhood as they drive by. 5. Spend a long day outside and play hide-n-seek. 6. Sledding: Racing down the biggest hill in the neighborhood is an awesome pastime! A person may find it difficult dragging the sled up the hill, but it’s all

worth it once she speeds down the hill with the frosty wind in her face. It’s sure to give everyone hours of fun! 7. Take a risk and build an igloo. This will be the most intense experience of your life so come prepared with a change of gloves. Also, at the end of the day, crush your masterpiece! 8. Snow angels: it’s great to just fall back in the snow and make an angel. If a per-son just lies in the snow and feels the snowflakes gently fall then melt on her face, she’ll also see how relaxing it can be. 9. Here’s an original thought: don’t go outside at all. Cuddle up by the fire with hot coco and enjoy your day of relaxa-tion in the warm comfort of your home. 10. Taking pictures in the snow may not seem like much, but once a person gets out and starts taking pictures of the snow-covered nature, it’s quite fun. Go for a walk and take some pictures of icicles hanging off a roof or a snow-covered tree; it’s surprising how inter-esting everything looks when it is snow-covered.

Claire Fadel and Margie Plurad Bear Facts Staff Writers

“Take a risk and build an igloo.”

Faces: How Will You Pronounce “2010”? “Um… I guess

just ‘ten.’”

– Maria Caputa

(sophomore)

“We haven’t really

thought about it… most

likely ‘twenty-ten’

though.” – Michelle

Hannegan and Rebecca

Goodwillie (seniors)

“Definitely ‘two-zero-

one-zero.’ No joke.” –

Gina Brahm (junior)

“I don’t know…

‘twenty-ten’ probably.”

- Maddie Klump

(freshman)

Kelli Riddle Bear Facts Staff Writer

V O L U M E 5 I S S U E 4

Congratulations, Tiger Woods, you’re having the worstest month ever! You’re married to a beauti-

ful Norwegian model. You have no right to be galli-

vanting off with three different girlfriends! You are

crazy; stop it now! Think of your children and not

your ‘needs.’ The fact that it was even rumored you

have had eleven affairs within your marriage is pre-

posterous. Get back to golfing and worshipping your

wife. Give her everything in the pre-nup, and beg her

to keep you!

Congratulations, Susan Boyle, you’re having the bestest month ever! Look where “Britain’s Got Talent”

has taken you! Your debut album “I Dreamed a Dream”

is number one on the charts, selling over 700,00 albums

in just two weeks! You are blessed with a great tal-

ent ,and it’s awesome that you’re using it at 48 years old.

Congrats on your success in the music business!

Kimchi French Terry Bow Babydoll Jacket $54.00 at Urban Outfitters

Sheldon Slouch Boots $69.99 at Bakers

Winter Wonderland

Melodies of Christmas

Last Christmas

Selena Gomez

David Archuleta

All I Want for Christmas is You

Glee Cast

Christmas Cash Fred Figglehorn

Mariah Carey

B E S T E S T M O N T H E V E R

Cable Knit Beanie at Forever21 $6.50

Images: tvtango.com and greginhollywood.com

B E A R F A C T S

Editor: Kimie Leach Contributor: Claire Fadel

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