KidsViewWinter, 2007

Book DriveWEST SCHOOL!The West School Book Drive was held the week of October "#!"$% The students collected books for the West Park Academy in Chicago which is our brother school% Each day a few kids from Mrs% Berkoff&s class were in charge of going to the library and counting all the books donated that day% On Monday' we collected $() books' Tuesday' *#+ books' Wednesday' #,, books and on Thursday' we collected ,)-% Friday' the last day' we collected #$, books for a total of ,')-# books% That is the most books that West School has ever collected in any book drive% Mr% Rongey' Mrs% Berkoff' Mrs% Mooney' and Mrs% Sacher took the books to West Park Academy and met the principal% Then Mr% Rongey and Mrs% Ross visited West Park Academy and saw many students reading the books that West School had donated' and collected thank you cards for the West School students% GOOD WORK WEST SCHOOL!!!!

By: Sydney B. and Indigo S.

WEST SCHOOL!On FridayNov% ") the World Tour came to West School% Thisis an annual event put on by the PTO who then usesthe money to help the many clubs at West such as KidsView! A lot of families and students came to the World Tour% #+) passports were passed out to kids of any age% Guests played various games to get the main prize' a troll% Some of the games were: The Tarzan swing' Scooter races' Basketball shoot' Cakewalk' Hockey shot' and Knockdown the Can game% If you got hungry when playing' the cafeteria sold soda or pizza' hot dogs' or burgers% But the game most people wanted to do was the cakewalk! Why wouldn&t you want to take home a delicious cake? A lot of kids also ran to the right side of the gym%%%%%% for Icon Entertainment! It was full of people dancing to the D%J%&s music% At .:#) p%m% everyone headed out of the school after a great night of fun%

World Comes To WestBy: Olivia S. WEST SCHOOL-The Recycling Club

is a very fun and important new club at West. It meets every Wednesday before school at 8 - 8:35 a.m. in Mrs. Berkley’s room. At Recycling Club you talk about recycling issues in the school. The club is trying to find ways to make these problems smaller and solve them. The Club is making posters for the lunchroom recycling bins so students know what you can and can’t recycle. Some of the projects are related to the 4th grade study of ecosystems and the 3rd grade prairie unit. The club helped start a program called Waste Free Wednesday to encourage students to bring a lunch that does not have any garbage to be thrown away or even recycled. The club is planning field trips to places like the recycling compost center and many more. It is open to both 3rd and 4th graders. Our next project is to start emptying milk cartons so that more of them can be recycled. The recycling club is sponsored by the PTO. Recycle today and make the world a better place.

The Recycling ClubBy: Adam J. and Josh K.

At West School during the week of November 6-10, students were guessing a mystery

flag. In the lunchroom we heard 3 clues, saw a flag, and then discussed the guesses together

as a class. Then, one person in each class wrote down the class’s guess and gave it to Mrs.

Boggs. After every class gave her their guess, she announced them and told us the correct country. In 3rd

grade, on the last day they held up a flag with 2 blue and 1 white stripe and everyone said it was Argentina.

One 3rd grader, Eliana Fleischer, knew that the Argentinean flag also has a sun in the middle of the flag and

it was missing. She was right! But the Flag of the Day week was over. We learned a lot about flags!

!"#$% &'% ()*% +#, By: Indigo S.

Talk of the Town

1. The first structure is The CN Tower (space needle) in Toronto. The CN Tower is 1,815 feet and 5 inches counting its tall antenna. It has 181 floors and six elevators. There is a restaurant and a lookout level at 1,136 feet, and another restaurant at 1,150 feet. The CN Tower opened in 1972. 2. The second incredible structure is New York’s own Statue of Liberty. It was established in October, 1924. It was a gift from France, and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed this wonderful structure in 1876. With its flame it is 154 feet high.

3. The third extraordinary structure is the St. Louis Arch. This major arched structure in St. Louis was made on December 21, 1935 and designed by Eero Saarinen. It cost 30 million dollars. The arch is closed only on New Years Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

Three Incredible Structures By: Adam J. and Josh K.

My Generation is a great store that is mostly for girls. One of their biggest selections of stuff is PaulFrank items. They have a lot of clothing and stuffed animals. My favorite kind of stuffed animal is a Webkinz. Webkinz is a special stuffed animal with a secret code. Then you go on Webkinz.com for your first adoption. On the website there is a talking duck and you listen to what the ducks say and there is some information you need to fill out. Now back to My Generation. The lava lamps are so cool there! The workers are very nice and helpful. I can’t wait until the next time mom and I go there to shop. They hope YOU stop by too. I think you will really love My Generation. It is so fun!

A Porsche is a kind of sport car. There is a Porsche Carrara, 911 Turbo , Porsche Cayman,Porsche Cayenne and a Porsche Boxter. The Carrara GT is my favorite. My dad is trying to make me like minivans more than Porsches but it’s not working. Ferdinand Porsche was the founder of Porsche. Some are race cars like the Porsche Tycon. You can see a Porsche at a dealer, or on a road. There are other sport cars that are not PorsChes like a Bugotie, Ferrari, Corvette, Lamborghini and Mercedes. Some Porsches can get up to 200 miles per hour! They are cool, spectacular cars. I rate Porsche’s a ten.

by: David S. and Augie M. PORSCHES

My GenerationBy: Ariel S.

The University of Michigan was founded in "."$% It is the state&s oldest university% Two of Michigan&s best sports teams are football and hockey% The sports teams are the Wolverines and their colors are gold and blue% Their fight song is /The Victors%&& It was written by a student' Louis Label' in ".-.% The University moved to Ann Arbor in ".#$% The first year in Ann Arbor' there were only , professors and $ students% The Ann Arbor campus is divided into three main areas: North' Central and South% The school is more than ,- million square feet% The University has a famous building called The Wolverine Tower in southern Ann Arbor% Did you know that all three of the Apollo "+ space crew were alumni of the University of Michigan? The crew flew to the moon from July ,( ! August $' "-$" with astronauts: David Scott' Alfred Worden and James Irwin% They took with them three U of M items: a miniature flag' the Department of Aerospace Engineering seal and a charter of the U of M Alumni Club' which was left on the moon% I&m writing about the University of Michigan because my parents went there% Have you ever been to a U of M football game? They are fun!

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

BY AMANDA M.

Did you Know?

Sleepwalking is when a person appears to be awake and moving around but is actually asleep. Sleepwalking can range from sitting up in bed to walking. The person who is sleepwalking has no memory of their actions. Sleepwalking can be dangerous because the person might stumble against furniture, lose their balance, go through windows or fall downstairs. They are also very hard to wake up. Their eyes might be open. A person who is sleepwalking may do repetitive things like switching on and off the lights and opening and closing doors. Sleepwalking occurs most at age 6-12 years old. Homicide or suicide during sleepwalking has rarely been reported when a person has tried to awake a sleepwalker. To help reduce sleepwalking a person should get plenty of rest. You can also make sure you are not angry before you go to bed. Another protection is removing anything from the room that can be dangerous. Also a person who is known to sleepwalk should sleep on the first floor. Another method to stop sleepwalking is hypnosis.

SleepwalkingBy: Cameron S.

You might think blacksmithing is turning stuff blackbut that isWRONG!A blacksmith is aperson who makes objects out of steel or iron by forging the metal using hand tools. Theblacksmith hammers, bends, cuts and otherwise shapes it while the medal is not in a liquid form. Usually the medal is heated until it glows red or orange first. Blacksmiths work with ‘black’’ metals, especially iron. The black color comes from a layer of oxides that form on the surface of the metal during heating called the fire scale. Blacksmiths heat the metal using a forge fueled by propane, natural gas, coal, charcoal, or coke. Blacksmiths create things like wrought iron, gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, tools, sculptures, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons.

A blacksmith who works with horses to fit them for shoes is called a farrier. The term ‘smith’ comes from the word ‘smite’, which means to hit. So a blacksmith is a person who hits the black metals. I’ve been inspired to write about this topic because #1, my great great grandfather was a blacksmith, and #2, I’m going to a camp that has blacksmithing. Kids would probably like to make S hooks, which is a hook that looks like an S and a J hook which looks like a J. So, what do you think? If you end up being a blacksmith, your favorite line would be; okay, hand me my sledge hammer.

BlacksmithingBy: Marek B.

Saddam Hussein was an evil Iraqi dictator from 1979 to 2003 before he was captured by the Americans on December 13, 2003 at 8:30 p.m. Iraqi time. They found him in a 7 foot deep small underground pit on a farm, near the town of Tikrit. Hussein was born April 28, 1937 in Al-Auja about 100 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq. Hussein grew up in a mud-brick hut. When he was in charge of Iraq, Hussein tried to trick the people into thinking he was a great leader by telling them slogans that were not true. Hussein had two sons. Uday, the older son and favorite of Saddam, and Qusay the younger son were killed by U.S. forces in Mosul, in July of 2003. Saddam was charged and found guilty of crimes against humanity. He was convicted of killing 148 people in the Iraqi town of Dujail. He killed and hurt many more people during his reign but that was all that they proved at the trial. Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging.

By: Jason S. and Josh R.

The 7 New Wonders of the WorldBy: Sacha A. and Samantha B.On ABC’s Good Morning America Show there was a program about the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. A group in Switzerland organized a vote to find the seven new wonders of the world. Here are the results:1. The Portola Palace- in Tibet. The palace is 2 1/2 miles above sea level. It was built in the 1600’s by over 8,000 people and it took over 10 years to complete.2. Jerusalem Old City - is important to three of the world’s religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. People have been fighting for this area in Israel for a long time and have still not stopped. There are three important holy sites in the city, Dome of the Rock, The Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.3. Polar Ice Caps - the Polar ice caps are at the South Pole. These natural wonders are starting to melt because of global warming.4. Marine Sanctuary - is the largest protected area on earth. It’s bigger then all the national parks together. It's 14,000 square miles of ocean. It is near Hawaii.5. The Internet -is a great invention. It is gathering all the world’s knowledge in one place. 6. Maya Pyramids - the Mayan’s built their pyramids 500 years before the Spanish arrived. 7. Serengeti - it’s a national park in Tanzania in Africa. It is home to lions, leopards, rhinos, cape buffalo and elephants. The park protects the animals.

Yugos l a v i a

Yugoslavia was a country in Europe. Yugoslavia means “Land Of The South Slavs.” In Yugoslavia there have been many wars and changes. There was a war called the Balkan War of 1912-13. The war ended and the Turkish ruled in the Balkan Peninsula. Then In 1992, the country split into a bunch of little countries, but the main countries were and are now, Serbia and Montenegro. If you want to visit you should know that n Belgrade in January through July it is 40 ° F. Through winter it’s cold and dry, and in the summers it is warm and humid. The national food is Cevapcici which consists of small rolled patties of mixed ground meats that are heavily seasoned and grilled. Another popular dish is Sarma (stuffed cabbage). In conclusion, you probably didn’t know a lot about Yugoslavia and it is a cool place. To learn more about Yugoslavia you can Google it.

Darfur - Reach for Change

In Highland Park, a grade school is trying to support peace in Darfur, Sudan. They want to reach a goal of 400,000 decorated paper dolls, like the ones below, to represent the lost lives (so far). They hope to spread knowledge of the terrible conditions in Darfur and also hope the dolls will help because it will put pressure on the government to bring aid to the people in Darfur. People are being hurt by Sudanese Arabs. They also are dropping explosives and destroying houses. Send the dolls to Elm Place Middle School 2031N. Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035. If you are interested see me.

By: Asher B.

Around the World

By: Leah B. and Sabrina C.

Diversions

I interviewed Dearbhla Fay. She is my Irish

Dancing teacher. She is a world famous

Irish dancer. She danced in Riverdance

from 1997-2004. She is 28 years old and

lives in Chicago, Illinois. She speaks 3

languages, Irish (Gaelic), French and

English. She has won 13 World

Championships and All- Ireland

Championships and holds the World

Record for most World Irish dancing

Championships won. While she was touring

with Riverdance she went to: Ireland,

England, Paris, China, Japan, Estonia,

Germany, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands,

Australia, Austria, Spain, Mexico, Iceland,

Thailand and Malaysia and she

occasionally performs in the United States.

She has performed for the President of

Ireland, the King and Queen of Malaysia

and also she has performed at the Grammy

Awards, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Craig

Kilborne, Ellen Degeneres and many more

throughout the world. Australia is her

favorite country to go to. She teaches at

the Sheila Tully Academy of Irish Dance.

Her parents are Gannie (Granya ) and

Martin Fay. Her mother owns a dance

school in Dublin, Ireland and that is where

she learned to dance. Her father was a

member of the Chieftains, a famous music

group in Ireland. She has one brother,

Fergal Fay. He is an Irish dance

choreographer, teacher and judge . I had

fun interviewing Dearbhla!

Dearbhla Fay, Riverdance

star!By: Enya M.

Osrui summer camp in Oconomowoc' Wisconsin is a Jewish camp for boys and girls% It is located on the shores of Lake Lac La Belle% Osrui also has a camp in Israel% At Osrui there are many different places for kids to hang out at such as the alpine tower' a + story climbing tower' the dining hall' the Lorge Pavilion' where services and concerts are held' the Merkazivrit Center' where kids learn Hebrew' the Sang center for Jewish Arts' where photography' media and dance is held' and the Sang Sports Center% There are also stables' where kids can ride , to # times a week' a theater' and the waterfront% The schedule at Osrui is that you get up at $ a%m% and have morning services and breakfast% After breakfast there is Jewish learning and then swimming' boating and free swim% Then you have lunch and quiet time in your cabin% Next you have electives like drama' music and art% Then you go to the waterfront and sports' canteen 0every other day1 and rest% Dinner is at ( pm and then is evening services' social time and snack% At -:#) p%m% there are stories' singing' or discussion before bed%

Parents probably want to know what the counselors are like% They are from the US' Canada' Israel' and Europe' and at least "- years of age or college sophomores% Osrui is great camp for kids in ,nd!.th grade% The counselors are so nice and there&s so much to do% We think OSRUIIS THE BEST CAMP IN THE WORLD!

Osrui Overnight CampBy: Emma A. and Emily B.

Curious Creatures

RatsBy: Amanda F.Rats can be loving and caring pets. And why should I know? Because I had a rat named Ruben. These are some of the things that you need to have for a pet rat: a cage, hay, water and some sort of rat food. You can find all these thing at Petsmart, Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. Rats can make you kind of mad because the first night we got our rat he went behind the television and it took 3 hours to get him out! A rat’s life span is usually from 4-6 years. But our rat lived 7 years. Then we had to put him to sleep because he was in pain and had cancer. When you are sad I bet that one little rodent (a rat) can make you feel better!

The Only One Left or Not? The Tasmanian Tiger (also called the Tasmanian Wolf or Thylicane) is a very rare tiger.

Scientists think it is extinct, but it could still be alive as sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger have occurred all over east Asia. The Tasmanian Tiger is 5 feet long and its jaws open larger than any other mammal of its size. The Tasmanian Tiger became extinct by

hunters killing them for their fur. Also people used them as guard dogs, but they weren’t very good guard dogs so they hurt them and killed them off. My favorite animal is the Tasmanian Tiger so I am very sad that they might be extinct, but I think there could be a few left. The Tasmanian Tiger looks kind of like a dog but with big teeth and black stripes from the bottom part of his back to the top part of the legs and is a brownish orange color. One of the real Tasmanian Tigers died about 3 months ago, the last one. They are still trying to figure out if the Tasmanian Tiger could be the 3rd fiercest tiger after the Siberian Tiger and the Asian Tiger. There is one thing scientists can never disagree with and that is that Tasmanian Tigers are AWESOME!

Bichon Frises

Bichon Frises can be a good pet for people who have allergies because they don’t shed.The reason I know, is because my dad has allergies and we have two Bichons. Bichonscan be sweet and loving pets . My dog Cody, (who we had first for two years) doesn't like to share any attention with our new dog R.J. (the 3 month old puppy that we just got). Be careful not to give one dog more attention then the other because the one who is getting less attention will start licking his paw. Cody kept licking his paw. He eventually had to get one of those circle things around his head, so he couldn’t lick his paw. Here are some things you need to know to take care of a Bichon Frise: When you give them a bath brush them up afterwards because they are suppose to be fluffy. If they weigh more that 15 pounds they should go on a diet. Last, have a good time with your pet!

By: Maddie K.The Leopard Gecko is an easy pet for beginners. It doesn’t take up much space. They can sometimes get very excitable. But remember never to pick them up by their tail or it will fall off. Leopard Geckos do best eating 12 crickets a week. Do not feed them meal worms as it will cause digestive problems. A glass cage is the best for your pet gecko. Use newspaper or paper towels or your little pet might eat his bedding and get sick. Clean the corner that he soils and clean the whole cage once or twice every six to eight weeks. Remember, you are so much bigger then your little gecko friend so ALWAYS be careful when you play with your pet.

By: Amanda F.

Care for a Leopard Gecko

By: Ian M.

Unwrappeeeet By: Frieda G.I&ve always wanted to know how the candy and delicious treats I eat are made% ThenI found out about channel ("' the Food Network% It&s a click away% Hosted by Marc Sommers' it is a show that tells you what you&re really eating from the tinymarshmallows in your breakfast cereal to peanut butter% From chocolate syrup to french fries' to bubble gum' to all those candy favorites% Unwrapped is on once a week% Unwrapped shows Halloween related candies when Halloween is coming' Thanksgiving foods at Thanksgiving and so on% Some of the treats they showed at Halloween are sour bats' peeps cats' and chocolate covered haunted houses% I could go on' Halloween is all about candy% Some recent episodes on Unwrapped were Spices' Delectable Delights' Rainy Day' Bite!Size' Chicken' Playing With Food' Food With Holes' Comfort Foods' ,!in!"' Cheesy' Super Sweet' Turkey Day' Stuffed% Marc Sommers does an AMAZING job hosting the show% It shows any /sweet treat2 you could imagine% It&s my personal favorite show% I think anyone that3s reading this should give it a try% It first aired in June ,))"' and I KNOW that they will continue to have more sweet and yummy shows%

The Tale of

Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux, is a

book by Kate Di Camillo. In

the story a mouse named

Despereaux falls in love with

a human princess named Pea.

Falling in love with a human

princess is hard for a mouse

because getting close to a

human on purpose is a BIG

mistake. If you do it on

purpose your fellow mice will

send you into the dungeon

with rats in it (rats eat mice).

In the dungeon the most

feared rat is Roscoro. Roscoro

has eaten many mice. I

suggest that you read The

Tale of Despereaux because it

is a long book, but very good. I

rate the book five stars. Kate

Di Camillo has also written

Because of Winn Dixie and

other books.

Wacky Packs

Wacky Packs are fun trading cards.They are peel off stickers in a package with gum. Wacky Packs imitate real products and their advertising. For example, instead of Trix-it is Fix. There are many series plus a new series coming out, series 5. Some new unpublished cards are Sea Honkies, Granny HairsBuck Tales, Bimbo, Gooya, Glowworm, Harassame Street, Splat the Bunny, Tushie Roll, Gristlers and many more. An interesting fact is Wacky Packs used to be only 5 cents. Some favorites are Weakies, Liptorn, Ajerx, Cap’n Crud, Skimpy, Kook aid, Shot Wheels, Awful Bits, Jolly Mean Giant, and Gadzooka. There are 30 cards per series. Wacky Packs really started in the 70’s and now they are back! From 1973-1976, 16 series were released. Some old cards have become expensive collector’s items. Ask your parents if they collected Wacky Packs.

MAD FOR MAD MAGAZINE

Mad Magazine is a funny and interesting magazine. William Gains, of Ec Comics published the 1st issue of Mad in October 1952. A man named Harvey Kurtzman edited and wrote too. In July 1955, the comic book was turned into a monthly black and white magazine. Mr. Gaines changed the price to a quarter instead of a dime, which is fifteen cents higher! On September 1956, Harvey decided to make a mascot and let Alfred E. Neuman come to life. Alfred became so famous that to this day you can still see his face as the cover boy. In 2002, Mad celebrated its 50th anniversary. So next time you go to the store check out a Mad Magazine.

Reviewed by:

Eric F.

By: Alana B.

By: Grayson S.

We Suggest...

Creative Writing

A Dog’s Life 2-The return of the Reporter

This story takes place at 682 Grove St. In the beginning, the reporter comes back and demands his $150,000. Carol, Lisa and Tom had refused to hand over the money. The reporter got so mad that he did 500 cartwheels! It took one hour to stop laughing! Midnight was so happy she did not notice the big commotion in the house. Tom does not notice that the reporter got loose and turned on the TV. Then by mistake Tom puts on Barney! It takes another hour for everyone to stop laughing at Barney dancing around on the television screen. The reporter starts to sing along with Barney and everyone laughs even harder. Midnight and Rocky both start singing and dancing too. Next, CBS reporters come, and there are 127 of them! People are so crowded that they are standing on the roof, attic and chimney. Then, a reporter falls through the attic and smashes through the ceiling of the dining room right in the middle of the breakfast buffet that Lisa had been preparing. What a mess! Cream cheese flies everywhere— splattering onto the windows. Grape jelly gets stuck on the wall. Hamburgers and hotdogs fly

through the air like missiles. Then a miracle happens and all the reporters leave. TO BE CONTINUED…

A Dog&s Life #! The Crazy Party By: Bianca S%This is the sequel to A Dog&s Life ,' by Andrew F% Let me introduce myself! I am Bianca' owner of Rocky% Remember at the end of A Dog&s Life ,' when all the reporters leave? Well Carol' Lisa' and Tom are so happy that they decide to throw a party% But Andrew wasn&t in that bunch% The troublemaker was over at my house' playing a crazy game of fetch with Rocky% I could hear the pitter patter of Rocky&s feet as he raced to get the ball% You see' Rocky had never been taught how to play fetch% When a ball was thrown' he would just scamper to get it% Rocky would either grab the ball and run around with it in his mouth' or' simply' just not pick up the ball% Anyway' Rocky raced to the ball but threw it in the air with his mouth% Andrew ran and caught the ball% A crazy game of fetch% Well it is about time we started planning my dog&s birthday party% Then I saw the Finkes walking by with Midnight% Rocky caught sight of her' wiggled through the gate' and they pounced on each other% /Hi' Mom' Hi' Dad%2 Andrew called to his parents% He waved at Carol' too% /Do you kids want to go to the store with us? We can look for decorations for Rocky&s birthday%2 Mr% Finke offered% /Sure'2 I said' and then all five 0and two non! humans1 walked into town% First we went to MITE to get invitations% Carol found paper that had dog bones on it' so we bought it% Next we went to Party City and picked out balloons that had famous dogs on them' like Scooby! Doo' Lassie and Toto% We drove to DJ&s and got treats for the dogs% Then to $ Eleven and got Slurpies for us% We had the paper goods' food' invitations' and decorations% I felt like something was missing% The party was the next day% Saturday was the perfect day' though Rocky&s real birthday was Sunday' the *th% We invited the Stachowiaks with their dog Cali' the Brandfonbrenners with their dog Winnie' the Lewins with Sadie' another family with a dog named Oliver who we thought was related to Rocky' and of course' the Finkes% Something was missing%%% and then it hit me% PRESENTS! I raced into the house to see if anything was lying around% I picked up some new toys% Dad was having a meeting with a vet' so I tried to be quiet% I still got the feeling that something was missing% I ignored it% I went over to Rocky and gave him the toy% He looked at it' growled' and slowly backed away% The other dogs started to bark% And%%%then%%% the black fuzzy toy opened its eyes and sprang at Rocky% It was scary watching the black thing pounce on the dogs% Then I saw Dad looking through the window% He opened the door and shouted' /that&s the baby panther from the Lincoln Park Zoo!2 Dad raced to the dogs as the owners stared in awe% He finally managed to wrestle the panther away from the dogs% Then I realized what was missing% I hadn&t told mom or dad about the party! The panther jumped into the vet&s arms and started to sneeze% A panther sneezing? This day was weird and getting weirder% Dad told everybody to leave' then grounded me for a month with no TV or computer% But when I was grounded I explored our house %%% and I found something%%% something that hadn&t been found for thousands of years%%%

By: Andrew F.

TO BE CONTINUED…

(continued from the Fall issue)

Featured West School Staff

MR. SARUBBI

Sean Patrick Sarubbi was born on November 21, 1975. His favorite food is pizza and cereal. His favorite color is blue. His favorite sport is basketball because he’s liked it since he was a little kid. He is a major Cubs fan and his

favorite player is Kerry Wood. Mr. Sarubbi has been a gym teacher for 9 years. He wanted to be a gym teacher because both of his parents were teachers when he was a kid. His favorite book is the “Da Vinci Code.” His favorite place to travel is Hawaii. He liked the movie “Meet the Parents.” His favorite actor is Samuel Jackson and his favorite actress is Charlize Theron. The song “Speed of Sound” is one of his favorites. He enjoys the singer David Grouhl. Mr. Sarubbi went to college at DePaul University. Mr. Sarubbi has a daughter named Peyton and she is 2 years old. Mr. Sarubbi likes playing in a little toy tunnel with her. His favorite part of being a gym teacher is working with the kids. He really likes to play “Capture the Flag in gym class. Mr. Sarubbi likes being the gym teacher at West School and we like him as the gym teacher at West!

Danielle Molinari, (Miss Danielle) is a teacher associate at West School who helps in different rooms. She was born in Highland Park and grew up in Highwood. She has 5 brothers and sisters, Rachel, Meagan, Laura, Nikki, and Rich. She went to Oak Terrance Elementary School and then Highland Park High school. She went to college at CLC and Southern Illinois University. Before she became a teacher she was a swimming instructor, a camp counselor, and a lifeguard. If she wasn’t a teacher she would be an astronaut or professional frisbee golfer. Other interesting information about her is that over winter and summer break she takes care of Mrs. Shapiro's turtles. Her favorite sports teams are the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and the Chicago Bears. In her free time she likes to draw and spend time with her nephew. As you can see Miss Danielle is a very interesting person.

Interviewed by Emily R.

Meet Miss DanielleInterviewed by: Jessica N.

Our principal&s full name is David Keller Rongey% This is his first year as principal at West School% Last year he was the Assistant Principal at Central% Before that he taught fourth grade at West School% Before he began teaching' he was in the U%S% Navy% Mr% Rongey was in the military for $ years 0+ years active' , years reserves%1 Then he helped send humanitarian aid to poor countries% When he was a kid his favorite subjects in school were spelling and writing% His favorite type of music is rock and roll and he likes the Beatles' Chieftains' Bob Dylan' Joan Baez' and Bob Seger% Mr% Rongey likes to watch Saturday ' Sunday' and Monday Night football% The last movie Mr% Rongey saw was /Bobby2% He enjoys documentaries and political movies like /Reds ' /Wag the Dog2' and /Red October%2 Mr% Rongey likes to read mysteries' historical fiction' and biographies% Mr% Rongey has lived in Missouri' California' Connecticut' and the United Kingdom% But the best place he has lived was Hawaii% He liked living there because he enjoyed the beautiful rain forest and swimming' surfing' and diving% If he could live in another state he would live in Alaska' because it&s a wild' exciting' huge environment% When Mr% Rongey is not in school he likes to kayak' run' play board games' play with his dogs' do things with his kids' and help his neighbors% What Mr% Rongey likes most about being a principal is helping teachers and students to do the best they can%

By: Katie W. & Maytee P.Mr. Rongey

SPORTS

CINCINNATI-Chad Johnson

was born on January 9 ,1978

in Miami, Florida. He is an All

American football wide

receiver for the Cincinnati

Bengals. The Bengals

drafted him from Oregon

State University in the

second round. He played

with Carolina Panther’s

Steve Smith before he

transferred to Oregon

State. He didn’t know it but

one of his Bengals

teammates transferred with

him from Santa Monica

Junior College to Oregon

State. He held a record with

a 97 yard touchdown pass

at Oregon State. One year

at Oregon he went 11-1 and

Johnson lead that team to

the Fiesta Bowl and they

won! He would prefer to be

called “Ocho Cinco” (85) in

Spanish. He got fined $5000

for replacing “Johnson” on

the back of his jersey with

“Ocho

Cinco.”

Biography of Chad Johnson (Ocho Cinco)

By: Noah L.

CHICAGO-Brian Keith Urlacher was born on May 25, 1978 in Pasco, Washington. Brian is a middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. When Brian was a kid his parents divorced, and his mom moved Brian and his siblings to New Mexico. For college, Urlacher went to the University of New Mexico. In the 2000 NFL Draft Brian Urlacher was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round. However, whenthey started playing, Brian was not playing so well. Then a Bear’s player, Barry Minter, had a bad injury and that started Brian as a middle linebacker. He was a big hit when they played the New York Giants. With the help of the new coach Dick Jauron the Bears surprised everyone during the 2001 NFL season. After a few great games they lost the divisional playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2004 they fired Dick Jauron and hired Lovie Smith. With Brian Urlacher and Lovie Smith the Bears are now a great hit!!

Brian UrlacherBy: Jesse R.

The head coach for Michigan State basketball is Tom Izzo. His home town is Iron Mountain, Michigan. In his 12th year coaching he lead the Spartans to beat Duke and go to the Final Four. Izzo’s 255th wins in 11 seasons are the ninth most in the history of college basketball. In the NCAA Tournament, Izzo is at his best, winning at a clip of .742 to rank third among all active coaches with at least 10 tournament games coached. His .694 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks second all-time among league coaches who have coached at least 10 years, right behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight. Izzo’s success is his ability to take young talented players and develop their skills, helping his players to move up to the NBA. Izzo had a full summer in 2005. In July he had the opportunity to play golf with Tiger Woods at the Buick Open-Pro-Am. Tom Izzo is very interesting.

Tom IzzoBy: Josh H. and

Aidan D.

Erik Schlopy is a famous Olympic skier. Erik was born August 21, 1972 in Buffalo, New York. He skis right now in Park City, Utah. He is 5’10’’ andweighs 185. This is his tenthyear on the ski team. His school wasBurke Academy. Nordica Six is his sponsor. His corporate partner isSnowflake Spa. In St. Moritz, Erik won the bronze medal in the Giant Slalom. In 2001 Erik Schlopy put up the best World Cup overall performance by any American since Phill Mahre in 1983 by finishing 3rd in the overall Giant Slalom standings just behind skiing legends Hermann Maier and Michael Von Grunigen. Erik began skiing when he was 18 months old. Originally he raced for lollipops. He was Eastern Jr. champ at 14 and J-1 slalom\ GS at 16, and on the ski team by 18. He entered the Burke Mountain ski team in Vermont during high school. He was a 1994 Olympian but retired after the 1995 season. He paid his own way for training in 1999 and raced his way back to the ski team. In 1995, Erik joined the pro tour. Erik was still in love with ski racing but disappointed by his lack of improvement while on the ski team. Erik Scholpy was an incredible skier. He won many gold medals and has skied all over the world. I hope I can be as good a skier as Schlopy when I grow up.

By: Alex M. and Jack L.Olympic skiing 2

The BearsThe Chicago bears are a team in the NFL% Some of their good players are Thomas Jones 0,)1' Brain Urlacher 0+*1' Muhsin Muhammad 0.$1' Devin Hester 0,#1' Nathan Vasher 0#"1 and Fred Miller 0(-1% This season the strengths of the Chicago Bears are the defense which has always been tough% For example' in the Arizona game' in the third quarter' Brain Urlacher stripped the ball out of Edrian James hands as Charles Tillman went for a touchdown% Another example was when Mark Andreson hit Matt Leinart for a fumble for a touchdown% Or when Mike Brown intercepted the ball for a touchdown% We have a good background defense like Nathan Vasher in ,))+% He ran "). yards for a touchdown after a missed field goal by Joe Nedney% Last year Thomas Jones broke Walter Payton3s record above "#)) yards% One of the Bear&s best tackles is Fred Miller% He won the Superbowl with the Rams in the "--- ! ,))) season beating the Titans' ,#!"(% He has been one of the best blockers because was on Marshall Faulk' Eddie George and Thomas Jones& teams% The year he was traded to the Bears he was one of the best on the offensive line% One of the reasons why is he had to guard one of the best defense of line' Julius Peppers and he allowed no sacks% One of the best punt returners is Devin Hester% He has set a NFL record for punt return for touchdowns this season% In the Green Bay game he returned a punt for .* yards' against Arizona he ran a .( yard touchdown' in the New York Giants game he ran "). yards for a touchdown and against the Rams he ran -* and -( yard touchdowns% These are not all of the touchdowns% Another good player is /Moose2 Muhammad% He was on the Carolina Panthers and he went to the Super Bowl but they lost to the Patriots% We want to wish all the Chicago Bears good luck and hope we see them in the ,))(!,))$ Super Bowl in January%

By: Jack C. & Grant M.

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth’s real nameis George Herman Ruth Jr. He was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. Babe’s parents were Kate Schamberger and George Herman Ruth Sr. When Babe was 7, his father took him to St. Mary’s Orphanage. Babe got the nickname “The Babe” because Jack Dun, owner manager of the Baltimore Orioles, saw how good at baseball Babe was and called him his baby (Boston Red Sox were still a minor league team). Ruth started to play for the Baltimore Orioles when he was 19. Babe Ruth is also the cause of the “Curse of the Bambino.” The curse began when the Red Sox sold Babe to the Yankees. Babe got traded to the Yankees because Harry Frays (the owner) needed the money to produce his girlfriend’s play. All the Red Sox fans were very upset. After the trade, the Yankees won 39 pennants and 26 World Series, but the Red Sox won none until 2004.

By: Corey S.

The Fighting Illini are the college basketball of the University of Illinois. Bruce Weber is the coach and he has been coaching the Illini for three years. The players for this year are Rich McBride, Brian Randle, Shaun Pruitt, Chester Frazier, Trent Meacham, Jamar Smith, Warren Carter, Chris Hicks, Calvin Brocks, Marcus Arnold, Richard Semrau, Charles Jackson and Brian Carlwell. Brian Randle had groin surgery at the beginning of the season, but returned on December 17. It looks like there is a lot of injuries this year. Jamar Smith was also hurt and Rich McBride was suspended but he just came back. Last year Dee Brown (the captain last year) and James Augustine (one of the best players last year) graduated and went to the NBA. This year Illinois’ best players are Rich McBride, Jamar Smith, Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt. Trent Meachum is a surprise walk on. The Illini are doing well but not as good as last year because Dee Brown And James Augustine are gone. Many people still expect them to make the NCAA tournament.

More Sports...The Fighting Illini

By: Nikki R.

Brian Griese is a back up quarterback for the Chicago Bears. His weight is 214 lbs. and his height is 6’3’’. He was born on March 18, 1975 in Miami, FLorida. He has been playing for 9 years and went to college at University of Michigan. He is 31 years old. He has a total of 16,389 yards. His number is 14 and his QB rate is 90.1 and 1 touchdown. He lives in Glencoe. His Dad, Bob Griese, played for the Miami Dolphins. He went to college at Purdue. With the Miami Dolphins, he had 25,092 yards in all. Bob has also been actively involved in fundraising efforts for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and was the honorary chairman for the 2001 Race for the Cure in Denver.

By: Andrew S.Olympic skierJonny Moseley was born August 27, 1975 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He now lives in Tibruon, Florida now. He is 5 foot 11 and 172 pounds. His event in skiing is Men’s Moguls. When he lived in Puerto Rico he started skiing at 9 years old! He didn’t like to ski but his brother dared him to and now he is famous! He also enjoys golf and wake boarding. He won the gold medal in the men's Moguls event in the 1998 Winter Olympic games in Nagano, Japan. It was the first medal for the USA of the 18th Winter Olympics. He made the US Ski Team in 1993 but narrowly missed out on a spot in the 1994 Winter Olympic games in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1998 it was his 4th year on the US Ski Team. The US Ski Team was very successful at the Nagano games. In addition to Moseley’s gold were gold medals byNikki Stone in Women’s Ariel, and Eric Bergoust, in Men's Aerials. Since Moseley won there were a lot of fans waiting to greet him when he got back from the Olympics to California. He also stars in a McDonald’s commercial for the Olympics, and has made a guest appearance on David Letterman.

Olympic Skiing

By: Jack L. and

Alex M.

Brian GrieseBrian Griese