HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
Real News... Real Facts About Lisbon Elementary School
Where It All Began: The History of Hometown Happenings
We all know the first issue of the Hometown Happenings was posted near Halloween of 2018, but how did it all start? Well, one of our editors, Peter Payan, got the idea from his brother, Ruben Payan, to start a school newspaper back in the Spring of 2018 when Peter was in Fourth Grade. Ruben probably remembered that we used to have a school newspaper, but that we did not publish any issues for a few years. Quickly, Peter decided to revive the newspaper and began recruiting some of his trusted friends for this job which would require a lot of commitment. The editors would be Zach Frattali, Troy Godwin, Liam Hartner, Blake Hill, and Peter Payan. Now the group was all together but, their idea still lacked approval. Peter came to the thought that he ought to go and talk to Mrs. Anoff and arranged a meeting with her to discuss how he and his friends could reinstate the school newspaper that had not been published in a few years. Mrs. Anoff knew the right people to do the job and help the newspaper staff confirm their idea… she told Peter to go and ask Mrs. O’Connor and Mrs. Hastings. Sure enough, both teachers were thrilled to be advisors for this amazing group of students, and the newspaper staff had gotten started on their first ever issue of what we now know as Hometown Happenings. Mrs. Hastings, Mrs. O'Connor, and even Mrs. Patrick ended up really helping the original newspaper staff in the long-run… introducing them to S'more (the website used to post Hometown Happenings), making sure they allowed the students time to meet with staff when needed and enabling our crew to put in final edits and publish what we wished for. We hope you have enjoyed the issues we have written, and we look forward to bringing you more amazing issues in 2019!
-Special thanks to Mrs. O'Connor, Mrs. Hastings, Mrs. Patrick and Mrs. Anoff for allowing Hometown Happenings to be published and for making a couple of students’ ideas become a reality-
Best of our School Year...So Far
By Peter Payan
There were many school events during 2018, but which ones did students and teachers enjoy the most? Let’s find out.
Kindergartners enjoyed a fun field trip to Gaver Farm and candy house decorating in December with their families. They also learned about the Engineering Design Process and completed a science project where students had to create a fence around a garden to allow sunlight and rain in but the bunnies (who kept eating the veggies) out. They had to create, test and improve their creations.
In October First Grade students went to the Howard County Conservancy to participate in the “Owl Observations” program. This program matches their first quarter science curriculum which teaches them about living and non-living things and how animals use external features to survive in the wild. They took a tour around the conservancy and got to meet Bell, one of the resident owls. They had so much fun!
Second Grade enjoyed a fun field trip to the Maryland Historical Society where they learned about the history of Baltimore. During American Education Week the second graders investigated growth mindset through a STEM activity in which they had to rescue a "toy" from the bottom of the well using only tape, paper, straws and paper clips.
Third Grade had a great time on their recent field trip to The Maryland Science Center in Baltimore. The Science Center has a planetarium, an IMAX theater, a dinosaur exhibit, and other really neat hands-on science activities. Students even got to participate in a fire drill while they were there!
Fourth Grade did a homeroom-scoot the days before winter break where they rotated around and learned about all the winter celebrations around the world. The highlight was learning that most winter celebrations occur at the time they do because of the Winter Solstice which was 12/21. Thank goodness the days are finally starting to get "longer"! The spring equinox in March will be here before we know it.
Finally, Fifth Grade created their very own gingerbread houses in December! It was fun to build their own houses and design with a lot of different types of candy. This is such a great tradition at Lisbon, as many of our students begin school here creating gingerbread houses in kindergarten and then create a different version their last year at Lisbon!
Student Shoutout: Charlie and Ava Brendel
Charlie and Ava who? You might be asking that question when you read the title of this article. Not a lot of people know this sweet brother and sister who have acted in Glenelg High School plays. Ava Brendel is in First Grade, and Charlie Brendel is in Second Grade. They love dancing around their house, helping on their farm, and playing outside after their farm chores are done. Charlie and Ava were chosen for our student shout-out because they are both aspiring actors. They have been acting onstage in a few of Glenelg High School’s musical productions, including The Music Man (2015), Seussical the Musical (2016), Cinderella (2017), and most recently this past December A Christmas Carol (2018). When asked about their dream roles, Charlie said his dream roles include Gavroche (Les Miserables), Jeremy (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and Jack (Into the Woods). Ava’s dream roles include Gretel (The Sound of Music), young Cosette (Les Miserables), Jemima (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and basically any role in Annie.
When asked why he likes being onstage, Charlie says: "I have met so many nice people by doing theater. The drama teacher at Glenelg, Miss Kassidy (Sharp), is seriously one of the coolest people ever. She always helps me when I need it like when I had to do a British accent for a role. She always tells everyone that they do a good job and makes everything fun. I have made lots of friends by being in the plays too. I love being in the plays with my sister (Ava) because we have fun together. We help each other with lines and cues too so it's a good thing. Lots of people, like my family, friends, and teachers come to see our productions. It is really nice to see people I know in the audience and makes me happy that they come to see me. That is so nice of them. I used to get nervous, but I don't anymore. The trick is not to look into the audience. If you look out and see someone you know, you might smile or forget a line. So instead, I look at the exit signs or the tech booth."
Ava also loves being onstage. She says: "Being in productions is one of my favorite things. It's a lot of work. You have to remember lines, cues, and where to be on stage at just the right time. Sometimes practices go past my bedtime. But I have a lot of fun with my brother and friends. I like getting to wear different costumes and my mommy lets me wear makeup for the rehearsals and plays. I have made lots of friends by being in theatre and even ended up with a few new babysitters that way. I hope I get to be in lots more plays and can't wait to be in Miss Kassidy's Drama class when I am in High School."
Photo credit and a big thanks to Amy Brendel for your help!
Teacher Feature: Mrs. Hayes, First Grade Teacher
Mrs. Hayes is our Teacher Feature this month. She has been teaching First Grade here at Lisbon Elementary for 20 years. She has also taught Second and Third grades at Owings Mills Elementary. Her favorite subject to teach is science and her favorite books to read to her class are Jan Brett and Froggy books. Here are some other interesting facts about Mrs. Hayes:
Favorite color - blue
Favorite movie - I like movies but do not have a favorite
Hobbies - sewing and gardening
Favorite food - seafood such as crab, shrimp, and lobster
Favorite ice cream - peanut butter swirl
Favorite holiday - Christmas
Superb Specialist: Mrs. McCoy, PE Teacher
We all know that some of our parents have been taught by Mrs. McCoy just like us, but what many don’t know is how long Mrs. McCoy has been here and what she was like in the past. Well, Mrs. McCoy has actually been here at LES for 37 years which is longer than most other teachers in this school. Amazingly, it is estimated that she has taught over 3000 students! Mrs. McCoy has three grown sons and three grandchildren. Her favorite PE unit to teach is Spikeball. One really interesting fact from the past is that Mrs. McCoy hosted a Monster Run every Halloween. Students would race around the school to promote physical fitness and cardiovascular health. Then, in the afternoon, she would lead the annual Halloween parade. She still leads our Halloween parade, but we don’t have a Monster Run anymore.
There are quite a few other interesting things about Mrs. McCoy that I bet you didn't know. She decided to become a P.E. teacher because she likes seeing students being active. She thinks being active improves your health and helps you live longer. She loves to teach the spikeball unit because it is a great movement activity. The advice she gives to students who want to be physically fit “is to always be movin’ and groovin.’”
Favorite color: blue
Favorite food: seafood (crab cakes)
Favorite sports teams: Baltimore Orioles and UMD Mens’ Maryland lacrosse. Go Terps!
Favorite hobbies: scrapbooking and cross stitching
Favorite ice cream flavor: chocolate
Favorite movie: Gone With the Wind
Top 10 Books Checked Out in 2018 from our Media Center
There were many books checked out in the 180 school days of 2018. Here are the top 10 most checked out books of 2018. Which ones did you read? Which ones will you read this year?
Ultimate Weird But True - checked out 215 times!
Ultimate Weird But True 2 - checked out 198 times!
Cat Secrets - checked out 171 times!
Ghosts: The Graphic Novel - checked out 167 times!
A Wrinkle In Time: The Graphic Novel - checked out 140 times!
Creepy Carrots - checked out 130 times!
Best Frints In the Whole Universe - checked out 65 times!
Dogman: A Tale Of Two Kitties - checked out 60 times!
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea - checked out 57 times!
Are We There Yet? - checked out 47 times!
Top 10 Family TV Shows of 2018
We all love a nice, relaxing evening with our family enjoying our favorite TV shows. But what are the most popular TV shows of this past year? Read on to find out!
1. Fuller House
2. A Series of Unfortunate Events
3. Raven's Home
4. Stuck in the Middle
5. K.C. Undercover
6. Young Sheldon
7. Bunk'd
8. Kids Baking Championship
9. The Goldbergs
10. Masterchef Junior
Top 10 Movies of 2018 for Families
There were many great movies this year, but which ones did the best in the box office? According to box office sales for family movies, these are the best movies of 2018. Which ones did you see? Which ones do you want to see that you didn't get a chance to see last year?
Incredibles 2
Dr. Seuss the Grinch 2018
Hotel Transylvania 3 Summer Vacation
Wreck it Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet
Peter Rabbit
A Wrinkle in Time
Disney’s Christopher Robin
I Can Only Imagine
Small Foot
The House with a Clock in its Walls
Sports Report: Most Memorable Sports Plays of 2018
2018 was an amazing sports year. There were many memorable plays, but you’re probably wondering what they were. I’m here to showcase them for you. We are going to review the most memorable plays of 2018.
Let’s start with football. Rewind to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Saints kicker, Will Lutz, has just kicked a field goal to take the lead 24-23 with :25 left in the game. As the Vikings radio play-by-play announcer said, “We need a Minnesota Miracle.” And they did. At this point there were 10 seconds left in the game. The play that they ran was simply to get Vikings WR Stefon Diggs to get a first down, get out of bounds, and stop the clock so that they could kick a field goal and win. But they did more. QB Case Keenum threw the ball a little high. Marcus Williams tried to tackle him low, while Diggs jumped up for the ball, AND JUMPED OVER WILLIAMS! Diggs put his hand on the ground, stayed in bounds, and scored a touchdown as time expired. Vikings win!
Next is hockey. Let’s rewind to the 2018 Stanley Cup game 2: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights have the puck and are going down the ice with Washington leading 3-2 with 2:04 left in the 3rd period (remember there are three periods in a hockey game). The puck ricochets off the wall, and goes to one of the Golden Knights. That player passes the puck to a teammate who has a perfect opportunity to score, with Capitals goalie Braden Holtby on the other side of the net. He shoots, and Holtby dives while reaching his stick out as far as he can. He saves it at the last second! The Capitals go on to win the game and the series.
Up next is baseball. Let's rewind to the World Series. Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. Bottom of the 18th inning (This means that the game was tied after the 9th inning and was tied for nine more innings.). Max Muncy is up to bat for the Dodgers. The pitch is a hit. He flies one to left center field. It’s gone. The Red Sox end up winning the series, but the Dodgers came out with the most memorable win of the series.
Finally, there’s basketball. Rewind to the first round of the NBA playoffs. Indianapolis Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 5. Series tied 2-2. 10 seconds left in the game. Pacer Victor Oladipo has the ball. He is covered by Lebron James. He backs up to about half court, then sprints forward. He makes a move on James, then has an easy layup. He tosses the ball up, and James pins the ball on the board. The game is still tied. The Cavs call a timeout with exactly 3 seconds to play. After the timeout, the Cavs pass the ball in near their hoop. They pass it to Lebron James who dribbles it for a little bit, then lets it fly from beyond the 3-point line with about 1 second left. He hits it as the buzzer sounds. Cavs win 95-98, and they go on to win the series.
There were many other plays from 2018 that were amazing, but I can only do one per sport. Here are some Honorable Mentions:
WNBA’s Tiffany Hayes hits game winner from beyond half court.
The Philly Special
Houston Rocket’s James Harden brings defender to the ground and waits for him to get up before shooting three-pointer
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes throws first down to Tyreek Hill left-handed
Oakland A’s Ramon Laurreano throws the ball 321 feet for a double play
Winter Olympics Recap
We all know that the Winter Olympics were last year, but which teams got the most medals and beat the whole world? The team with the most medals was Norway with 14 gold, 14 silver, and 11 bronze for a total of 39 medals. Next we have Germany, with 14 gold, 10 silver, and 7 bronze for a total of 31 medals. The 3rd country for the medals won was Canada. They earned 11 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze for a total of 29 medals. Next, we have U.S.A with 9 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze. And coming in 5th in the medal count is Netherlands with 8 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze. We had an amazing Winter Olympics! GO U.S.A.!
The Local Laugh: New Year's Edition
Where is New Year’s Eve so mathematical?
Times Square!
What happened to the fireworks that were arrested on New Year’s Eve?
They were let off!
What’s a cow’s favorite holiday?
Moo Year’s Eve!
What happened to the person who stole a calendar on New Year's?
He got 12 months.