Passport“Engineering Our Future”

Vol. 17 Issue 2 February 2017

PASSPORT STAFFSydney Drozynski, Bri Farren, Colton Firster, Marie Fouche, Jacob Freshly, Virginia Fronk,

Adelie Gifford, Anya Maschmeier, Logan McKinney, Alex Schulties, Ava Stewart,

Alexis Terry, Roy Tilton, Nico Town, Dorothy Vogel

Advisor: Mr. Levere

K'Napped Elementary

By Jacob Freshly and Nico TownChapter 1

October 20, 2017So, this is a Diary. You

might think it’s ridiculous that an eleven-year old-boy is using an old diary that he dug out of his rotting attic. I just need something to put down what's happening. Life is changing. Something’s going on and I'm going to find out.

I'm James, my best friend is Michael and I have another friend named Caroline. You might think it is pretty weird that I have a friend that is a girl. But there is a reason we’re friends. We created a

friendship about a year ago, when it started to get suspicious. I needed someone that would understand me. Someone that would understand it. Anyways, I met Michael back in second grade when I moved into this town. Big

mistake in my opinion. Caroline also has three sisters, but you could never tell they were related.

Riley wears ripped khakis, scratchy cotton shirts, glasses, overalls, and spiky hair stuck up by sweat and spit. May not seem so, but she is one of the smartest kids in our grade. She got a ninety-seven percent on her state exam and went to

nationals on a chemistry course. She normally doesn't even go out to recess, one of the only things I enjoy at this school. She probably just stays in to study for a test. Like she needs to study.

Then there is Liz, she's one of the most athletic girls in the grade and often participates in softball and soccer tournaments. I hear that she is the best player on the school team for both sports. Caroline says that she has lots of golden glove and hitting titles in her room. Liz is tall and has blond curly hair. She always wears her softball jackets to school, while the rest of the players on her team wear jackets of famous baseball players like Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente. She must be afraid to take it off because she

wears her softball jackets during the dry summer months. I mean those leather jackets may look beast but how can you stand ninety- five degree weather wearing something like that? Another thing is, they become itchy when you get sweaty. Oh, on to another topic. Liz is one of the most popular girls in the grade. Other than one, which ironically happens to be her sister, Morgan.

Morgan is probably the least complicated of the lot, and only has one talent. She's a cheerleader. And I don’t really know what else to say about her._____________________________________________________________________________________

CarolineOctober 31st

The first thing you feel when you walk through the gates of Harmen Elementary is a breeze of terror, a breath of harm, you feel unsafe. I have nothing to prove these things could happen but I get a shiver when the loud speaker announces the date, it's Halloween. The "best" day of the year. I just don't get the point. All we do is dress up as random things and steal candy from houses. I'm only going to put on a costume because I don't want to be the outcast in the school. People will think you are weird if you don't do it. James says that he'll be a werewolf. It is

early in the morning so I haven't seen his costume yet. I don't ride his bus, I only met him because we are in the same class. He is kind of funny, I guess. I am friends with him because we understand each other and that he is not one of those gross annoying boys. At the beginning of the year we started thinking that something was off. Most of the girls think I'm crazy because I have conspiracy theories about the school and that I have a friend that is a boy.

November 1I knew it! Halloween was a

sign. Landry McGoy went missing last night and the principal is getting a lot of heat. McGoy's parents came into the building screaming at people and asking if they had seen their son. I don't know if there will be another attack, but I'm going to find out who did it before then. I know I can't do it alone so I'll ask James to help and maybe even his friend Michael.

Anyways, I had better go call James, this is serious.__________________________________________________________________________

JamesNovember 2

Caroline called me last night and told me about the attack. Like I don’t already know about it. I'll try my best to remember what happened, here we go. I was laying down on my bed in the dark, waiting for the call, I knew it was coming. Then there it was, I picked up the phone and told her modestly what I thought about the attacks. I don’t think Caroline was up to hearing me blabber, so she just said goodnight and left. And I wasn't mad in the least.

November 4I thought the drama of the

last few days would be over, but I guess I was wrong. All anyone did

during math class was stare at the desk where Landry once sat.

"Come on guys, this is ridiculous!" I announced from my desk, not knowing any other way to stop this madness.

"What's ridiculous!" Howard beamed from the other side of the room.

"All of this! We can’t let one problem mess up our lives!"

"Someone was kidnapped! This isn't just a problem. This is life changing. And until someone solves this, we are going to stare all class long for an idea to pop into our heads."

"Now boys that is quite enough!" Mrs. Maccarmi puffed. "Now return to your seats and open up to page 57, Finding Volume Textbook."

Now I could have argued all day, but I'm thankful Mrs. Maccarmi broke us up. Caroline going to get a piece of this. But before I tell her I better write this down, it’s a possible clue._____________________________________________________________________________________

CarolineNovember 9th

I'm sick for a week and James gets into a fight. Michael could have done something to help me out. You know what, I'll just call him back and say this to his face. Man I'm a wreck!

I got it! I got it! Landry went missing on the 31, which is a holiday, so maybe someone will go missing on Thanksgiving!

"Pick up! Pick up! Come on James!" I told the phone. "Man I'm good!" I thought to myself._____________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2

JamesNovember 22

"Are you ready? Let’s go."Did I tell you I was a perfect

student, well I might be risking my flawless record. Caroline and I are breaking into the school. I can’t believe Caroline agreed to do this. Landry went missing at the Halloween party. We'll be there to protect, at the Thanksgiving parade.

"James." Caroline called. "Let’s go."

"Okay! I can't wait to see what we'll find!"

Caroline came over and gave me a hard smack to the face.

"This is serious you know!" She said forcefully.

I rubbed my face and squatted down. We crawled through the grass, inhaling dust with each breath. Normal Thursday night.

We slipped through a third story window and crept down to the main lobby. The yellowish brick made the lobby even creepier. The banner of our school had an odd shine to it. We dodged a few chairs and headed for the 2nd grade hallway. We prepared for anything, equipped with band-aids, binoculars, and water blasters. As we were walking through the long dark hallway, a scream pierced the air. All suddenly went dark. Caroline disappeared from her still pose and vanished into the darkness. I was all alone.

I slowly regained my vision, still worrying about Caroline. I thought nothing could get worse, but I was wrong. The principal came running down the hallway straight at me. I quickly jumped sideways to avoid colliding with him. As I landed, the whiplash got to my head. I just laid on the ground until the buzz in my ears went away. I slowly got up. Where was Caroline? I looked down the

hallway, nothing but an open door. I walked towards it; maybe Caroline went to investigate in the classroom. I grabbed the doorknob as it flew open. All I saw was myself getting thrown off my feet and plummeting to the ground. As I fell, I caught a short glimpse of Landry McGoy. Why would he be here? Wasn't he missing, or did he never leave? When stood up, the door was closed and the school was still. Caroline had still not returned, nor left any sign of coming back. I continued down the hallway looking through the small window in each locked door to find any clues. I couldn't spot anything that was out of the ordinary. The only clue I had to work with is a small glimpse of a short brown haired boy, Landry. The trombones and snare drums withered away, sending one more attack I have to deal with, loneliness.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Caroline November 22nd

I can't believe that James ran off like that. I told him that the second grade hallway wasn't a very good place to look for clues. Boys these days. Now I'm in the fifth grade hallway alone. Who would want to do that? Me, to solve why Landry McGoy went missing on Halloween. The fifth grade hallway is about the worst place in this school. It was so filthy that the janitor stopped cleaning it. Dust has caked into the old limestone bricks. And at night, all this trash makes the place seem even more creepy. I slowly walked down with my flickering flashlight, trying to find anything that could be possibly related to Landry's absence. All I found was a couple of candy wrappers. I continued my search further down the hallway, peering into classrooms while shining my flashlight into them. In room sixty-

two I thought I could see the outline of a person, but that was really hard to tell. I moved on to room sixty-four passing the bathrooms. The darkness of the bathrooms was overwhelming. I just had to move on and try to not think of something popping out of one of them. I peered into room sixty-four, all I could see was the teacher's desk and some student desks. I quickly checked the rest of the rooms, there was nothing suspicious. I walked down the hallway and stairs quickly. Glancing back to see if anything was following me. Nothing was, thankfully. I walked down the stairs and into the next everlasting corridor, soon turning towards the second grade hallway. That was my best guess on where James was. I started hearing footsteps. The sound was happening more often and was getting quicker. I started to run straight into the entrance to the hallway. Before I could look to see what made those footstep noises, a huge amount of force took me off my feet. After I hit the ground I looked around to see who or what had hit me. It was James. He reached his hand out to help me up.

"Sorry about that," He said as he pulled me up off the ground.

"It's okay, but I did think that you were some creep sneaking around the school," I replied

"I think I caught a glimpse of Landry! Sadly, it was only for a split second."

"That’s fine. We learned something, that Landry never left school."

"Let's go home, we should get some sleep for tomorrow."

And so he said goodbye, left the school, and went home.

(To be continued)

Movies You Must Watch By Anya Maschmeier and Dorothy

VogelHello Evans City and

welcome to the article that has the

updates on many of the hottest children and family comedy movies! Say you're at home on a rainy January day and you think hey why don't I go see a movie? The question is which one is right for you? Here you will find a summary of each movie as well as famous people that may be doing acting, music or producing. In some movies you will find a review and comments from us, Anya and Dorothy. We have six movies today and the categories are labeled Older but must see, in theaters right now and Coming soon to theaters near you. Let’s see the movie selections!

Older but Must See

MoanaMoana is a classic

Disney movie and is a beautiful story of friendship and sacrifice. In this movie, Moana (Auli'I Cravalho) is a girl from her small island of paradise but has to leave to save the entire ocean with the once great demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Over their time together, they go through a whole ocean of terrible monsters and the dangers of sailing on the open rough sea on the way to restore the heart of a very important earth goddess. This movie is perfect for the family and is

definitely another Disney triumph.People you might know:

Auli'I Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson.*this movie is still in

theaters for a limited timeFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Look out Harry Potter fans because here comes another stunning film by the creators of the Harry Potter series. Set in 1926 Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has been collecting fantastic beasts and took a stop in New York. When an interfering No-Maj (American for muggle) named Jacob opens his case, he lets some fantastic beasts escape which will make trouble for the wizards and the No-Maj. This is the perfect film for anyone who enjoys a theme of magic and adventure.Screenplay by: J.K Rowling

In Theaters right now

Rogue OneRogue One is a

beautiful addition to the Star Wars trilogy. Galen Erso lives with his wife and child until he is taken to work on the top- secret project the Death Star. His daughter Jyn Eros, (Felicity Jones) who narrowly escapes her father’s capture, is recruited by the rebels and has to get the Death Star plans, which her father made venerable for her to get and destroy. She is joined by Cassian Andor, K2-SO and Chirrut Imwe. This movie is wonderful and any Star Wars or sci-fi fan will be delighted by its quality.People you might know: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna.

Stars we gave it: 4.5/5

SingIn this new family

friendly comedy adventure, a small koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) has opened a theater and it is going through some rough times. He then auditions hundreds of animals for a singing competition. After some bumps in the road, they all wonder if he is really meant to own this theater after all. This hilarious film is filled with music and laughter as you watch these contestants sing!People you might know: Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, Reese Witherspoon.

Stars we gave it: 4/5

Coming soon to Theaters near you

The Lego Batman MovieThe Lego Batman

Movie is a hilarious family comedy that is like the famous Lego movie, but with Batman. Trouble is brewing in Gotham City and Batman (Will Arnett) will have to drop being by himself and trying working with others to save the city once again from the evil Joker. Batman must learn team-working skills and save the new orphan he adopted. This is a great movie for Lego lovers, and also the fans of the great Batman. We can't wait to see it.

People you might know: Will Arnett, Zach GalifianakisBeauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is a classic Disney story put into real life context. Follow the beloved Belle (Emma Watson) as she journeys to the castle that holds her father and the beast. She is also being persued by the charming but evil schemer Gaston (Luke Evans) and his sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad). This tale is as old as time and is a beautiful story of friendship and love. This movie is perfect for families with any age of children. The movie is definitely going to be a big hit to people of all ages.People you might know: Josh Gad, Emma Watson, Luke EvansMusic by: Alan Menken (writer of music for Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Pocahontas, Sausage Party, The Hunchback of Norte Dame, Enchanted, Hercules, Newsies, Home on the Range +9 others)

Predictions and Pure Guesses

By Colton Firster Hello, this article is about what I think is going to happen in the sports world in 2017. I hope that you like this and enjoy! These are totally un-biased.NFL

I personally think the Patriots will lose to the Steelers in the AFC Championship, and the Steelers will beat to the Packers in the Super Bowl (my original prediction was for them to lose the Cowboys in the championships). I am cheering for the Steelers! I

think either Ezekiel Elliot or Dak Prescott will be Rookie of the Year. Overall MVP will either be Tom Brady, Le'veon Bell, or Ezekiel Elliot. NHL

I think Penguins will defend their title as Stanley Cup Champions. They will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals and win the series 4-3. We will beat the Washington Capitals in the first round, Columbus Blue Jackets in the second, and the Montreal Canadians in the conference final (semi-final). Stanley Cup MVP will be Sidney Crosby, he will also be overall MVP and the top goal-scorer.MLB

There isn't much to predict for the upcoming season for the Pittsburgh Pirates but I think he Pirates might have a chance at the Wild Card slot. Alright, that is all of my predictions. Thank you for your time. I hope that you make your own predictions based off these. I'm sorry I didn't put in NBA predictions, but I will probably put them in next time. Just remember these predictions were made around December 16, 2016.

Battle of the Desserts: Cupcakes

vs. Cake

By Adelie Gifford

Do you remember a time when you had to decide if you wanted

cupcakes or cake to be the star of the desserts table at your party? Worrying

about the consequences you might face from choosing the wrong treat should not be on your to do list. This

article is here so that this can be prevented in the future.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes come in about three sizes. These sizes include mini, regular, and

large size cupcakes. Although cupcakes do not have as many size options as

cakes, they still have the same various frosting and cake flavors. Another thing that makes these two desserts diverse

are their nutrition facts. A regular sized cupcake consists of 178 calories, 5.26

grams of fat, and 32.54 grams of carbohydrates. This mouthwatering

delicacy also has 1.37 grams of protein, 25.75 grams of sugar, and 220 milligrams of sodium. Therefore, this is

why you should choose a mouthwatering delicacy, like cupcakes,

instead of a plain cake.

Cake

As well as cupcakes, cake has a variety of different sizes. This variety includes

six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, and eighteen-inch squares, a total of seven choices. You can get a cake in any flavor topped with any flavor of icing. I already listed the nutrition facts of a regular sized

cupcake and now it is time for the nutrition facts of a slice of cake. A 2.25 ounce piece of yellow cake with vanilla

frosting contains 239 calories, 9.28 grams of fat, and 37.63 grams of

carbohydrates. This heavenly sweet also is composed of 2.24 grams of

protein, 28 grams of sugar, and 220 milligrams of sodium. As a result, this is why you should choose a heavenly cake instead of just any old batch of

cupcakes.

To sum things up, the variety of sizes, different options of flavors, and nutrition facts is why you should choose either cupcakes or cake. Now you should never have the problem of deciding which dessert to serve, at the

top of your to-do list.

DEBATE! “Global Warming”By Anonymous and A Molecule of

OxygenHello, humans. I am

Chlorofluorocarbon. I am going to be debating about the existence of global warming with fellow writer, A Molecule of Oxygen. I believe that global warming is not only real, but a very serious problem.

Before I can even mention the catastrophic effects of global warming, I must talk about the cause. The cause of global warming, whether be natural or human made, is the buildup of greenhouse gasses. Let me explain. In today’s world, just about

anything we do requires electricity. Sadly, almost all of the United States electricity is sourced from non-renewable resources, mainly being coal and oil. Whenever these two things are burned, they release literally tons of carbon dioxide. These immense amount of gas float up into the atmosphere, and act as our planet’s invisible blanket. Heat comes from the sun, travels to the earth, and passes through the atmosphere. This heat bounces off of the surface of the earth, and would normally escape into space. However, with this extra layer of carbon in the atmosphere, the escaping of the heat is severely slowed, gradually warming the earth.

Approximately 2% of all the earth’s water is usable fresh water. Of that 2%, 90% of it is locked up, frozen in the Antarctic ice sheet. But, the ice sheet is melting. Fast.

Just last year, the record for least amount of ice was set. A mere 1.6 million square miles. You may be thinking, “That sounds like a lot of ice” Well, in most cases, 1.6 million square miles is quite a lot of space. But if you consider what the ice took up in past years, it is truly concerning.

Just over 50 years ago, the Arctic Sea ice took up nearly twice of what it does today. The yearly high amount of sea ice in 2016 was 5.6 million square miles. In 1965, a mere 52 years ago, arctic ice took up 10.25 million square miles. In just 52 short years, an entire United States worth of ice has melted. What do you get when you melt ice? Water. In this case, a LOT of it. According to National Geographic, the seas have risen worldwide 3.5 millimeters annually since 1990. Generally, 3.5 millimeters is not all that much. But when this 3.5 millimeters is on a global level, it piles up. So much so, that it is estimated that sea levels have risen between 4 and 8 inches worldwide.

Instead of looking to the past, let’s look to the future. It’s not very pretty. In 2014, the United States Global Research Program (USGRP for short) made a sickening prediction. They hypothesize that within the 21st century, sea levels will rise between one and four feet. Keep in mind; the seas are currently rising at approximately 3.5 millimeters per year. If this prediction is true, they will be rising nearly 4 times as fast.

Entire cities could be wiped out. In a study published by Nature, The entire state of Delaware could be wiped out by 2500.

Despite all this, somehow hundreds of thousands of people believe that global warming ‘isn’t real’, or ‘a hoax’, despite the obvious severity of it.

Let’s look more into what will happen in our lifetimes. Rather, what has already happened. Islands, mostly uninhabited by humans, have already succumbed to the effects of global warming. It has been estimated that more than three islands, at least 1 being inhabited, have gone under; with dozens more being threatened of going under. Additionally, many more islands have become uninhabitable because of flooding.

As a final step, I will now explain the downward spiral of chaos we have gotten ourselves into. Coal, wood, oil and other things are burned to make heat and energy. However, when these things are burned, they release literally tons of carbon dioxide. As I mentioned previously, these gasses speed the heating of the earth. More ice melts, more water is created, more land becomes unusable.

For these reasons and many more, this is why I believe in global warming.

Now, I’ve said what I can, and I hope it strengthened the opinions of believers, and swayed the opinions of doubters. Believe what you want, but for those

stubborn nuts reading this, I'll have to say I told you so.

Thank you for reading my half of this debate.

Global Warming (real or hoax)

By A Molecule of Oxygen

Today, we are going to be studying a worldwide debate…GLOBAL WARMING.

Hello, I am A Molecule of Oxygen and I believe that global warming is a hoax.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!!I think that Global warming is a hoax because 2014 was supposed to be the “hottest year ever”, but there was a record breaking amount of sea ice in Antarctica and Lake Superior (The biggest of the 5 Great Lakes.) had only 3 MONTHS without ice.

Also, in many parts of the U.S, there was a record snowfall in 2014. Many people said that global warming would take away the snow leaving kids to “not know” what snow is. In 2014 we saw all kinds of cold records. Remember the Polar Vortex? You’d think that we’d be breaking all kinds of heat records in “the hottest year ever”. Well... we weren't. It is a scientific fact that the sun is getting hotter. Our temperature is rising, and that is from the sun getting hotter.Scientists are taking temperatures as measures where it is bound to be hotter. (Areas with a lot of asphalt.) They do this to prove that global warming is real. The world ocean water is supposed to absorb the world heat. That is not happening like it should be. The top of the surface of the ocean is absorbing very little heat in only certain places. Further down in the ocean, no heat is being absorbed. That is why sea animals in the bottom of the ocean aren’t feeling anything different.

According to Quora, our ozone layer is getting thinner, which leads to more heat rays getting through to us. Also, the sun is getting hotter and the Earth is

moving closer to the sun which makes the sun's rays lose less heat, get through the ozone layer quicker, and melt ice.

Now you know for a fact that “global warming”, is a hoax. That is because Lake Superior had only three months without ice, there was a record breaking snowfall in 2014, and there recently was a polar vortex. Also, the sun is getting hotter and closer to us, scientists are moving to hotter areas to prove that global warming is real, the ocean is not absorbing heat, and lastly, our ozone layer is getting thinner which lets in more UV rays.

My resources were Quora.com, GlobalClimateScam.com, Seeker.com and FriendsofScience.org.

We thank you all and hope you learned something about

Global Warming.

Which Combo is Better?

By Alex Schulties Ben, Bell, Brown or Zeke, Dez, Dak. These are the two biggest

sport combos in this 2016-17 NFL season. Some of you may think I

will be biased towards the Steelers. I will admit I hate the Cowboy’s

guts, but I will be totally unbiased. I will speak all stats. The Cowboys

are 13 -3 and the Steelers are 11-5. Honestly, your regular season

record does not show all of the teams’ skill. In 2007-2008 season, the New England Patriots went 16-0. The New York Giants were 10-6. The Patriots were thought to go all the way. The Giants stopped the Pat’s from a perfect 19-0 season. By this, you can see your regular

season shows skill, but not all of it.

First, I will put Antonio Brown vs. Dez Bryant. Antonio Brown made 106 catches this year. But Dez Bryant had only made 50 catches. So, that gives Brown +1 point. Dez scored 8 touchdowns. Antonio Brown scored 12. Another point for Brown. Antonio Brown had a total of 1,284 receiving yards, Dez Bryant having 769. Another point for Brown! So far, Steelers 1 Cowboys zip. Also, Antonio Brown is the number 1 receiver of 2016! Dez Bryant did not make the list… With that said, we now will compare Ben to Dak.

Ben Roethlisberger attempted 509 passes and 328 were completed. That’s a 64.4 pct. Hey, that’s pretty good! Dak Prescott threw 459 passes and completed 311 of them. That’s a 67.8 pct. Even though Ben threw more passes, Dak still has a better completion. +1 point for Dak. Dak threw 3,667 passing yards. Ben threw 3,819 passing yards. So now it’s all tied up. I will look at two more stats. Ben threw 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Meanwhile, Dak threw 24 touchdowns but only 4 interceptions. So a point for Ben and a point for Dak. Dak Prescott is a rookie and he has been doing great. Ben has been in the NFL since 2004. Does that say something about Dak? Tony Romo has been a letdown. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dallas trades him. Since, Ben and Dak tied, the Steelers and Cowboys both get a point.

Now Bell and Zeke. Before I start with stats let me put out there that Bell is a very patient runner. He looks for holes and knows how to use his O line. But Zeke is a power runner. He can truck

anyone. So, they are two different styles of runners. I will not count receiving against each other because running is their main purpose. We will now get into the stats. Bell attempted 261 runs. He got 1,268 yards. Zeke has 322 attempts and 1,631 yards. So a point for Zeke. Would Bell have more yards if he wasn’t suspended for the first 3 games? I do not know. But that is his fault. You have to show up to win. The next stat I will look at is their average of yards per rush. Bell has a 4.9 yard gained per rush. Zeke has a 5.1 yard gained per rush average. Another point for Zeke. Bell scored 7 touchdowns and Zeke scored 11 touchdowns. There is another point for Zeke. Bell Fumbled 4 times. Zeke fumbled 5 times. Finally, Bell gets on the board. Zeke wins it 3 to 1. Zeke is only a rookie and Bell has been in the NFL for 4 years. Bell is more reliable definitely. Just because of experience. But on paper Zeke is better. The Cowboys receive a point. It finishes 2-2.

We can say the offenses for both teams are great. Which is better? That’s your opinion. The Cowboys offense is younger. But the Steelers are experienced. But if I were to pick an offense I would go with Pittsburgh. I am not being biased. Dallas lost to Green bay in the NFC divisional round. Yet Dallas was favored by 4.5 points. Meanwhile Pittsburgh is going to the AFC Championship. We know they lost they still made it further. But the Pat’s were favored. To recap, Pittsburgh is experienced but Dallas is still good.

Crazy Words That You Probably Don't Know

By Bri Farren

Today, I am going to share some crazy words that you probably haven't heard before. These words are great for using in your writing, every day vocabulary, or just confusing your friends.

Interrobang: a punctuation mark designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question; combines a question mark and an exclamation point; usually written as ?!

Cacophony: a mixture of horrible sounds

Simonize: to shine or polish

Syzygy: the only word in the English language with three y's; the alignment of three celestial bodies

Dreamt: the past tense of dream (if you didn't know that there was a past tense of dream)

Tmesis: the intersection of one or more words between the words that make up a compound phrase such as "what-so-ever" which is "so" in the middle of "whatever"

Cordate: heart-shaped

Hornswoggle: to trick or hoax

Gelid: chilly or brisk

Foofaraw: a great fuss about something

Ace: another way to say yes

Now you can stump all of your friends with these crazy words. (If you can pronounce them)

Daring

Part Two

By Ava StewartSummary of Part 1

Jackson, the main character, is dared by a boy in his village to traverse the Sulfur Caverns. In the Sulfur caverns, he hears strange noises and has his hopes raised by a spark of light.....

I skidded to a stop in front of a sudden wall, almost bashing my head open. I was in a small chamber. I looked wildly around for the source of light. I felt the fresh breeze on my face. I began to panic. I had to get out of here! I looked up and almost cried. There was a small, inaccessible hole in the roof, the source of the light. No! I thought. I turned around

bleakly. What was the point of being here? In my flood of hopelessness, I leaned against the wall. Something was rough against my back. I sat up, and without looking, I reached for it. I felt it give beneath my fingers. I turned around and there, where a wall had been, there was a door. Since it was my only hope, I reached for it.

The door had led to a long passage that had gone gradually down. It was too late to go back now. With each step, it grew darker. My torch had blown out in my race to daylight. Another step brought air under my foot. I tumbled through darkness, searching for anything, anything to grab onto. But I found nothing.

I landed with a sudden thump on the ground. I groaned, then patted my body to make sure nothing was broken. Nothing felt out of place. Gingerly, I stood up. Everything hurt. I looked around, hoping I wasn't in the same predicament as before. Another long tunnel, yet again. Strangely, this passage was lit with torches. I continued down the never-ending passage.

I now stood at an archway. I peered out cautiously, praying that nothing would bite my head off. What I saw stunned me beyond speech.

It was a beautiful golden chamber, covered with thousands upon thousands of gold coins. Rare gems were scattered throughout the chamber. Diamonds and emeralds and rubies and sapphires winked out at me from the wall. Stalagmites and stalactites were covered in silver. Statues were placed beside a huge throne made of pure opals. It was awe-inspiring. This was a king's treasure.

I walked through admiring even the smallest gem. One of these treasures would feed my family for years. Should I take one? I reached out to pluck a small diamond from a small pile of them.

I hastily put it in my pocket. No one would know, right?

I continued throughout the cavern. The rare minerals continued. I reassured myself. There were hundreds of gems in here. No one would miss one itty-bitty gem. I was starting to feel sleepy. I hadn't slept for like, a day. I laid down a pile of coins as a dreamless sleep fell upon me.

I awoke as harsh breathing fell on my back. I slowly turned around, paralyzed by fear.

A huge dragon stood behind me, tail lashing. Multicolored scales covered it. Huge spines covered the back and tail. A fin ran down the long neck. Its eyes were like flashing green fire. Then it spoke in a powerful, rumbling voice.

"YOU! YOU! YOU have stolen from ME! A tiny human like you has stolen from me!" The dragon roared. "How dare you! I am a protector, a guardian. I take my job VERY seriously. Hand over that gem RIGHT NOW!"

Fire flashed from its open mouth. The dragon reached out with its head, mouth open as if to swallow me.

To be continued...

The Legend of the Table of Misfits:

The Diary of Bob the Albino Dinosaur

By Sydney Drozynski

November 22,2016

Norman was now awake from his coma, at least we thought... He spoke in some odd language and even seemed to sing sometimes. Derpy Cow said he could make out what he was saying in his song. According to Derpy Cow, He was singing something about an island of misfit toys. He was also saying that the toys wanted to be delivered to children on Christmas. I guess there are other misfits out there

somewhere, but that's all I really know.

December 4,2016

The Sombrero of power has yet to have been found, but the ball of power remains strong. I think we'll be okay... maybe. Many other misfits have gone missing. We don't know if they've died, disappeared or found a new home. All we know is that to survive, we must find more misfits. But, where do we look? How will we find them? I think I have an idea...

December 6,2016

Today I presented my idea, we will send out a search party to try to find new misfits to bring back to the kingdom. Maybe we could even expand the kingdom! We should send out more than one search party! We should divide and conquer! That's it! I must tell the knights as soon as possible! In other news, more information from Norman came in from Derpy Cow's translation. Apparently, there are other misfits out there! He said that there's an island of misfit toys who live in depression as they are lonely and no one likes each other. We decided that that the search party should look for this island as well as new misfits.

Homemade (foods) vs Store- Bought

Have you ever had store-bought cookies and felt that they tasted

like chemicals and sugar? Or have you been saved by the easiness of

store-bought foods?Today I am going to be arguing with myself because I have no

(willing) friends.Don't forget to check out my

Youtube channel because I am desperate for subscribers!

(Parnder:)LETS GET STARTED!!!

Store-Bought food is filled with chemicals and sugar. :'(

Why buy cookies or already-cooked beans when you can easily

make your own at home in less than 2 hours? There is no reason to

buy chemical and preservative-filled mac and cheese when you

can make your own at home. The experience is also a good thing about making your own foods.

Making a gooey mac-n-cheese with your family can be a very meaningful, happy and

remembered experience. And, even if it's terrible, you will have the memory of laughing at your

mistakes and being happy nonetheless, while if store-bought

food isn't over or at the expectations it will bring in a lot of unnecessary stress. You may say

that making your own food is waayyyy too complicated and time-

consuming, but as long as you have the ingredients and recipes and some semi-civilized helpers, the worst that can happen is that you drop an egg or something.

Also, all of that "time-consumingness" will pay off with

the amazing experience with your family or even just yourself. At the

end, the satisfying taste of your own homemade food you made

yourself is a great taste. Even if it takes long, it’s still a lot better than

sugary store-bought stuff.It’s obviously better…

but Store-bought food is a life-saver and super easy!

Why make your own cookies and cake when you can easily buy some at Walmart? Store-bought foods are much easier and much more efficient than making your

own, and even maybe cheaper! If you’re a random college student that doesn’t have enough money

or time to make your own cupcakes or cake for a birthday party, just

buy one! It’s a lot easier and much better to just buy one and not have

to go through the hassle of messing one thing up and having

to start over. A cake can take FOREVER to bake, especially if you don’t have a real kitchen in your dorm. A microwave and a coffee

maker are NOT good baking

materials. Store-bought foods are much easier, and you don’t have to

clean any dishes afterwards! Bowls of eggs and dough are not very fun to clean. Have you ever

heard anyone saying “Oh! I love to clean all of the dishes after a family gathering!” No? Yeah, because I’m pretty sure no one ever said that.

At the end, I must say, Store-bought food is a lot easier and less of a hassle to make and clean up.

It’s obviously Better… DUN DUN DUNNN!!!

Bye Bye and don’t forget to look at my youtube channel @Parnder

.___.I am desperate human.

*I personally do not like store-bought foods, in my

own opinion they are way too sugary and full of

chemical preservatives.*