Let it snow
By Ana Leesa Mendibles
On New Year’s Eve of 2014, it started to snow in Tucson around 10:30 p.m. The snow didn’t stick to the ground in all of Tucson, but it did in Oro Valley, Marana, and Catalina Foothills.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, snow levels were going to drop from 6,500 ft. to about 3,000 ft. by New Year’s morning, primarily affecting the mountains in the Tucson area.
Determine to make a resolution
By Matthew Timblin
New Year’s resolutions began when the ancient Greeks made promises to their gods at the beginning of a new year. Since then, it has become a tradition, held mainly in the Western Hemisphere. People make these resolutions primarily for self-improvement but rarely follow through. An estimate of 45% of Americans make resolutions and only 8% are successful. (According to about.com)
A few of the students at Faith Christian Academy (FCA) have made New Year’s resolutions to work on. Some of the examples include: not drinking so much soda, to pray more, to be a better person and even to read a lot of Doctor Seuss books. These were quite different from the rest of the world’s resolutions however.
The most popular resolutions in the United States were: to spend more time with family and friends, to improve personal fitness and to lose weight (according to about.com). These “goals” or resolutions give us something to work at and always keep in mind.
Gabriel, seventh grade, and Ciara, sixth grade, in mismatched
clothes show school spirit. Photo by Mrs. Timblin
Bubbles for Spirit Day
By Nessa Villa
On Dec.15, 2014, Faith Christian Academy (FCA) had another spirit day. For this spirit day students came to school in mismatched or inside out clothes. We had a bubble gum blowing contest at 12:00p.m to see who could make the biggest bubble. Before blowing, students would chew their gum for one minute.
Mrs. Osterbaan kept track of who would go to the 2nd,3rd and final round. The
…students were paired in partners of two. Margarita McDonald came in first with a five inch bubble. The 7th graders performance in this challenge allowed them to win the trophy from the 6th graders.
Google Images.com
Roadrunner runs wild
By Chuy Talavera
The Roadrunner is a desert animal that lives in the Southwest. It is very famous for the intense speed it possesses.
Normally this bird walks or runs,however, it also has the ability to fly for a short period of time. While sprinting, the Roadrunner can achieve the max speed of 17 mph!
To obtain water the Roadrunner depends mainly on its diet. This bird, being carnivorous, eats insects, mice, lizards and other small animals.
Because of the speed it has, the Roadrunner is one of the few animals to hunt the Diamondback Rattlesnake.Using its wings like a Matador’s cape, this bird will approach the snake with extreme caution. When the snake is completely distracted the Roadrunner will then bite the tail end of the rattlesnake. It will use the body of the snake like a whip, repeatedly hitting the snakes head on the ground killing it.
The Roadrunner will then proceed to swallow the snake whole. The Roadrunner will swallow the snake inch by inch as it slowly digests. While slowly digesting, the rest of the snake will hang out of the Roadrunners mouth.
Roadrunners will eat other birds as well. It can imitate the way a dove sounds to attract birds to the Roadrunner. Once close enough, it will fly and ambush the unsuspecting bird. The roadrunner will then violently shake the little bird and rip it apart for consumption.
The Roadrunner’s mating season is usually around spring. The male bird will make the first move by collecting food and finding the female. Once she is found, the male will then offer the food to her and dance around her at the same time. It is then that the female decides whether or not to begin nesting. They will both gather sticks and materials to build the nest somewhere that is low to the ground.
The two Roadrunners can have around 2-12 eggs at one time. The incubation time is normally around 18-20 days. On some occasions if the baby hatches too late there is a chance the parents will eat it. The rest will stay with the parents for around two weeks.
Two Roadrunners have been spotted at FCA. Have you seen them?
Mrs. Osterbaan, Jeremiah and Victoria, seventh grade, begin the counting of the pennies. Photo by Gabriel Timblin
FCA has Penny Wars
By Annie Seyler
Faith Christian Academy (FCA) had a competition to raise funds for a Ga-Ga Ball Pit. This competition was called Penny Wars. The Penny Wars involved each class going against each other in a competition. The goal was to see who could fill up their jar with more pennies by the end of the week. In this competition pennies counted as positives, and all coins counted as negatives. This competition went from Dec. 8th thru Dec. 15.
Every morning the students would bring in handfuls of pennies for their team and silver coins to use against other teams. The fundraiser was only to last a week, but was extended to the following Monday due to student request.
After all the pennies had been counted, the sixth grade raised $12.56 in pennies for a total of$94.16 with silver. Seventh grade raised $11.56 in pennies and with their silver coins totaled $105.63. Ninth and tenth combined together made$23.10 then includingtheir silver raised $51.30. The staff brought in$19.84 but raised $82.04 with the silver coins. The staff won. In all the students and staff collected $333.13. Donations have been made since then, and we are currently around $900.
Left to right: Kristal, Ciara, Noah, sixth grade, Gabriel, seventh grade, pose with the Chick-fil-a cow after selling candy bars. Photo by Misty Ried
What is Higher Ground?
By Ana Leesa Mendibles
Higher Ground is an after school program dedicated to helping kids raise their grades and have fun. It is held atWakefield Junior High run by Mr. Jansen and Mrs. Barbra (Barbie) Azarias. They were instrumental in starting the program a few years. One of the reasons they started the program is to help parents get through hard times with their kids. Mrs. Barbie says, “It’s called Higher Ground because we wanted to help kids get to a higher level in academics, in life, in everything.”
The program starts at 3:00 p.m. Most of the elementary kids get there, get a snack and go outside. At 3:30 p.m. the elementary kids are helped with their homework by the middle school, high school, and college students. Then at 4:30 p.m. the kids who are done with their homework go to an activity such as: boxing, jujitsu, or dance. The kids who aren’t done with their homework go to another room to finish it.
The kids in boxing and jujitsu also have a chance to go to completion against other gyms. Mr. Jansen teaches jujitsu which he learned when he lived in Japan.
During this time the younger kids are in an activity, the middle school students get help with their homework from the high school and college students. At 5:30 p.m. everyone, except the college students, do an activity. The activities for this hour are jujitsu, boxing, art or basketball. This is when I do jujitsu. This class is for the older and more advanced kids. After the program ends, the gym is open for free.
Higher Ground has helped me get better grades in school and stay active. I enjoy it because jujitsu is fun, and I get to help my sisters teach art. I also like it because I get to help other people.