Raptor News Student Edition
Otho E. Stuart Middle School
Stuart Journalism
We are very proud to share with you the articles that the Journalism Club has put together. This group of Raptors meet weekly with Ms.Trista Samet, Club Sponsor. We will be featuring these stories once a month in our Raptor News. Make sure you take a minute to read their amazing work!
Together, we will continue to RISE! Have a great weekend Stuart!
Fabricio Velez, Principal
The Spooky History of Halloween by Loganne Easdon - 6th Grade
Halloween is a very fun season where you get to dress up and watch some great movies. You can also go trick or treating or hand out candy, but have you ever thought of the making or the past of Halloween?
It all started in the 10th century when ancient historians had a Samhain festival where they would dress up and start bonfires to try to ward off ghosts. A big person who started the halloween tradition is Pope Gregory III. He designated November 1st to celebrate saints. Then, after a little bit of time, people named the day before Halloween “All Hallows Eve.” Eventually, this is the idea of the Halloween that we celebrate today.
In conclusion, Halloween has an interesting history that helps us understand why we celebrate this spooky, and fun holiday!
Daylight Savings by Kaitlyn Felten - 8th Grade
Don’t forget to set back the clock one hour this Sunday, November 1st!
Daylight savings is a way for us to get as much daylight out of the day as possible. The closer to the north or south pole, the more hours of daylight during the summer. Closest to the equator there are nearly equal hours of day and night. However, places between the equator and the poles have fewer hours of daylight in the winter compared to summer. Because of this, many countries between the equator and the poles (known as the temperate region- in which we live) try to lengthen the amount of workable daylight hours through daylight savings. To do this, in the summertime we move an hour of daylight to the evening, but in the wintertime we move an hour of daylight to the morning.
The idea of daylight savings originated from Benjamin Franklin. He created an essay about this idea in 1784 called The Economical Project. His goal was to save money on candles and lamp oil by changing people’s sleep schedules. The idea was revisited again in 1907 when William Willett in the pamphlet Waste of Daylight proposed advancing clocks 20 minutes on four Sundays in April and then setting them back four Sundays in September. He states, “Everyone appreciates the long light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright light of an early morning during Spring and Summer months is so seldom seen or used.” His suggestion to Parliament in 1909 was mocked and ridiculed. Britain passed an act in 1916 to make the changes Willett suggested. We still continue the practice of changing our clocks to better use daylight hours, a practice now known as Daylight Savings Time.
Club Highlight: NJHS and FBL of A by Kailey Seymour - 6th Grade
Mrs. Myers runs National Junior Honor's Society and Future Business Leaders of America. This is what she has to say about her clubs!
1.What do you teach?
I teach business education on the Explorasaurus team, before I started the business program this year, I was a 7th grade social studies teacher in the Zinos community.
2. What is your club, and the requirements to be in this club?
I run two separate clubs. I run FBLA on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and I run NJHS on Thursdays and Fridays.
3. What is your club working in right now?
FBLA members are busy designing their competition projects to compete at the Regional competition in December.
5.How many members do you have? Are you looking for more?
We are always looking for new FBLA members, we compete with them in business-minded events around the state and nation to earn scholarship money for college.NJHS is a club that is by invitation only and it is based on grades and merit.
6. What else would you like to share about NJHS?
We are thinking of creative ways to have a movie night and to get ALL students involved with Raptor pride through community service projects.
Photo Credit: Provided by Mrs. Myers.
Behind the Scenes by Neyla Gurule - 7th Grade
Many of us know the staff that work in the school like our teachers and counselors. But, the people we should remember to appreciate are our office staff. They work away on the main level without a lot of us noticing the amazing job they do every single day.One person that works in our schools office is Mrs. Steffen. She is one of the many hard workers in our office and now we get the chance to learn more about her. Mrs. Steffen is Mrs. Dean’s secretary. She has been working at Stuart for five years and her favorite part of working at the office is the staff because the feeling of them all being one big family. Outside of work, she enjoys making stuff like shirts, wooden signs, cups and other cool things. Mrs. Steffen also said, “Our office is amazing and we have a great staff that works well together.” As much as she loves our school and our office, we are thankful for all of the office and staff members coming out and working to help our education.
Photo credit: Provided by Mrs. Steffen
Halloween Activity: How to make a Candy Pillow by Maggie Channin - 8th Grade
Happy Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I wanted to make a Halloween pillow for my bed. I also thought you might enjoy making one yourself.
How to make a candy pillow:
Materials:
Scarf
Thread
Needle
Yarn
Step 1. First you will need a scarf that you can purchase at the dollar tree.
Flip the scarf inside out and lay it flat on the floor or a table.
Step 2. Thread your needle by pulling the thread through the hole at the top of the needle.
Fold your thread with the needle on it in half, and tie a knot at the bottom, connecting the two pieces.
Step 3. Start sewing by sticking the needle through the bottom of your fabric and pulling it all the way out. Start this process by measuring your fabric into rough fourths and sew at the first fourth.
Step 4. Continue sewing by weaving the needle in and out of the fabric. Stop when you get to about three fourths.
Step 5. When you reach three fourths you will need to knot the thread. On your last stitch pull the needle out and loop the thread around it. Pull tight. Repeat as needed for extra strength.
Step 6. Flip the scarf inside out and start stuffing it until you reach the place where you stopped sewing. Only fill the gap where you sewed.
Step 7. Cut the sides that are still closed. Grab the sides that are empty and pull them tight. Secure the sides with white or orange yarn.
Step 8. Shape the pillow to look like a candy and enjoy!
Local Halloween Events by Logan Johnson - 7th Grade and Kailey Seymour - 6th Grade
Sick of watching horror movies this month? Need something to do?
Pumpkin Patch: Cottonwood Farms offers a variety of activities and pumpkin picking!
Corn Maze: Anderson Farms offers Colorado’s largest running corn maze!
Halloween Treats at Bison Ridge Recreation Center: create holiday treats!
Oct. 29 from 6:30-8:30
Wear a mask and come to these amazing events!
Quote of the Month by Logan Johnson - 7th Grade
Teacher Feature by Naomi Mikyas - 7th Grade
For the Teacher Feature we are presenting, Mrs. Chamberlin!
Your Name, What Community your in.
Julie Chamberlin, Triceratops
What subject do you teach?
6th grade Social Studies
What college you went to and what you graduated on?
University of Northern Colorado, Elementary Education
What makes you special?
What makes me special are the relationships that I build with my students; no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
What did you do during the Summer?
This summer, we went camping in Wyoming, played at Splash Pads, and jet skiing in Loveland.
What is your favorite thing about teaching?
My favorite thing about teaching is watching students grow from the beginning of the year to the end of it, or through 8th grade. When I taught elementary, I taught the oldest kids, so now that I'm with the youngest of the school, it has been amazing watching you all grow into adults!
What is your favorite Movie ?
Lilo and Stitch
How Long have you been Teaching at Stuart?
This is my 4th year teaching at Stuart.
What do you like to do outside of School?
Outside of school, I like to play in my garden, I love to do crafty things, I love taking hikes in the mountains, and I love to listen to music.
What makes you passionate about teaching?
What makes me passionate about teaching is knowing that I have the power to help change lives, no matter how young or how old.
Student Highlight by Naomi Mikyas - 7th Grade
Student Highlight is when we highlight a stand-out student at Stuart Middle School. This Month we are presenting 6th grade student Jacoby Robinette. Here is the interview:
Your Name and Last Name:
Jacoby Robinette
Grade and Community:
6th grade, Stegosaurus
What is your favorite subject in school?
Math and science
What is something that you do outside of school?
I like to play video games with my friends gage and drake but i also like to go the park
What is your favorite thing about Stuart?
The people at Stuart are really nice!
If school were a movie, what movie would we all be in? Explain your answer.
Star Wars. I really like Star Wars and having school in Star Wars would be cool.
What is a goal that you have for the future, and how do you intend to get there?
I intend to design and 3D print a robot that I can control using computer chips and motors that I code. I intend to get there by getting better at coding and 3D printing so I can then print, assemble and code the robot.
Photo Credit: provided by Jacoby Robinette
Sports Section: Denver Broncos History by Dylan O'Connor - 7th Grade
The history of the Denver Broncos football team is very cool, interesting and fun to learn about. First, it all started in 1960 as a part of the AFL (American Football League). The people that founded the Denver Broncos were Bob, Earl and Lee Howsam. The first quarterback for Denver was Frank Tripucka. The Denver Broncos have played in Mile High Stadium since their inception. The stadium was originally built in 1948 with a capacity of 18,000 for the city's minor league baseball team, the Denver Bears. Capacity was doubled in 1960 for the Broncos' first season. Then, they opened their new stadium in 2001. The Broncos had 17 head coaches, but their first head coach was Frank Filchock and their present coach is Vic Fangio. Denver has played in eight different Super Bowls, and they have won three. The first owner of the Denver Broncos was Allan Phipps and the current owner is Pat Bowlen. The Denver Broncos overall record is 484 wins 426 loses and 10 ties. In conclusion, The history of the Denver Broncos team is very cool, interesting and fun to learn about. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did making it. GO BRONCOS!
A Fun Treat for Halloween by Loganne Easdon - 6th Grade
Have you ever gotten to the Halloween season and wanted a fun treat? Well, you are in luck because I have a fun treat that kids or anybody will love.
For a spooky treat you will need:
Non powdered latex gloves
Candy corns
Ribbon
Popcorn
Spider rings
sharpie
The steps are:
First, put one candy corn in each fingertip with the point down
Put your popcorn in the glove leaving a bit of room
With the extra room, tie the ribbon into a bow
Put the spider ring on a finger
Draw a face
Spooky Juice materials:
juice boxes
white duct tape
sharpie
The steps are:
Take the straw off of the box and set to the side
Wrap the juice box with the duct tape and make sure you don’t put tape over the hole you put the straw in.
Take a piece of tape and tape the straw to the box
Take your sharpie and draw a face
Now, you have a fun treat and drink. Go have fun, get in your Halloween costume, watch a great spooky movie, and have a fun Halloween season.
"Alternate Reality" Short Story Feature (Part 2) by Maile Diaz - 8th Grade
Many people would’ve called Brianna a sellout for choosing to fight instead of sticking to her “royalty” title. Sellout? She didn’t understand that. There wasn’t any money or valuables involved. It was an honest choice. Truthfully, Brianna found it fun. Emotionally exhausting, sure. But the adrenaline rush, she lived for. It was nice to have a break every once in a while, but overall, she was happy with her choice. This was the only decent sounding option for what a person could be here. Maybe in another world, she would fit in more. But at this point it was normal and she learned to live with the new title, “Outcast.”
I’m sure people called Franklin weird or an outcast because he chose to have a girl best friend and read instead of doing whatever it is teenage boys do, nowadays. Honestly, it didn’t matter to Brianna. Even if her book were real, she would’ve befriended him. It was the quiet, mysterious souls that appealed to her. Not romantically, of course. Who cares about that?
It’d just be nice to be around someone who understands her. None of Brianna’s comrades would ever sit down and talk to her about her favorite songs, books, hobbies, or anything, really. It was all business...kind of. Whatever you want to call a constant fight with whole armies.
Bleh.
***
Clara’s little brother was born healthy. He had light grey eyes, like most babies do. And the little bit of hair on his head was caramel colored. Franklin and Clara’s moms set up a time that they could come visit. So, tomorrow after school, they were finally gonna meet the little dude!
The next day at school, Franklin was practically shaking with anticipation.
“His nose is sooooo small! And-and-and I think he waved at me!” Clara squealed.
“Really?!” Franklin exclaimed in disbelief. That wasn’t possible, was it?
“Yeah! His hand is so tiny next to mine. It’s ADORABLE!” Clara was jumping around so much that she almost ran into another 7th grader trying to open their locker. “Whoops! Sorry!”
Franklin shook his head, laughing. Now, he really couldn’t wait to meet him. Little Gabriel sounded so interesting!
Clara patted him on the back. “TAG! You’re it!” she sprinted off.
“Hey! That’s not fair! I haven’t even gotten my locker open, yet!” Franklin protested.
“That’s your problem, Slowpoke!” Clara yelled back. “Come on!”
He stuck his tongue out at her.
The bell rang just as he was zipping up his backpack.
Yes!
He ran after Clara who was already at the top of the stairs.
“Hurry up!” she beckoned him to follow and ran down the stairs, and out the door.
Franklin burst through the doors to find that Clara had fallen and scraped her knee. There were no tears, and she was still laughing, so it probably didn’t bother her.
Franklin smiled mischievously and held out his hand to help her up. She accepted it without thinking. After she was back on her feet, he yelled, “TAG!” and ran to his mom’s car.
“RUDE!” Clara screeched.
Once she reached the car, Franklin smiled victoriously.
“I won.” he declared.
“Did not.”
“Uh huh.”
“Just hop in, kids!” Franklin's mom told them. She would be driving Clara to her house for a few days. But today was also the day that Franklin and his mom got to meet Gabriel for the first time.
The whole drive was spent arguing about who won, even though it didn’t really matter because they’d probably end up doing it again tomorrow, anyway.
After what seemed like years to Franklin, they pulled into Clara’s driveway.
He fought the urge to start cheering. Why was he so excited about meeting Gabriel? Before they stepped out of the car, he made sure to grab his book out of his bag.
As the three of them made their way up the concrete stairs to Clara’s front door, Franklin took a deep breath, in hopes of calming down so he didn’t scare Gabriel. His mom knocked on the door and almost immediately, Clara’s mom answered. She was holding the baby tenderly as she beckoned for them to come in.
Franklin was disappointed to find that Gabriel was sleeping. Sure, he was 2 days old, but he wanted to make sure that the first book little Gabe ever heard was In The Valley. He wanted Brianna’s brave, adventurous spirit to be Gabe’s first influence.
But not to worry, he was bound to wake up within the hour, right?
Facing Diversity by Tailae Manhrasamy - 7th Grade
Hello Raptors! My name is Tailae Manhrasamy. This month, I wanted to recognize the BLM Movement. This is an important subject because adults and students deal with adversity everyday. They get judged by their skin color, race, gender, intelligence. Therefore, it is important to focus on what is going on with the BLM movement, and understand how we can help support people of color in our community.
It is important to stand up and take action for everyone at Stuart Middle School. Students, teachers, and staff members should feel supported and understood.Connecting to the Black Lives Matter Movement, we are all equal.
For those who did not know, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year old African American who died on March 13, 2020. She was innocently killed when the police broke into her apartment. This shows injustice in many ways. Here at Stuart Middle School, we support diverse communities, as they are going through rough times. We need to make sure we value every student for who they are, and stay united in the face of adversity.
October Zodiac by Logan Johnson - 7th Grade
Zodiac Horoscope: October
Aries: Mar 21 - Apr 20 Element: Fire.
Taurus: Apr 21 - May 21 Element: Earth
Gemini: May 22 - Jun 21 Element: Air
Cancer: Jun 22 - July 22 Element: Water
Leo: July 23 - Aug 22 Element: Fire
Virgo: Aug 23 - Sept 22 Element: Earth
Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22 Element:Air
Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 22 Element: Water
Sagittarius: Nov 23 - Dec 21 Element: Fire
Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 20 Element: Earth
Aquarius: Jan 21 - Feb 19 Element: Air
Pisces: Feb 20 - Mar 20 Element: Water
Aries
Be aware! October will be full of chances, yet they can disappear quickly if you're not willing to take them! Be open minded, creative, and strengthen your ego. Try not to suppress others. If you are lucky, this will be the month of success!
Taurus
Being a born leader you often can be considered bossy, yet you are drawn and keep to yourself. You are loyal, this month, it will be great to open up and talk, it will help you and not hurt you. Good luck!
Gemini
You can be considered self centered, and who can blame you? You're witty, funny, and a genius, but this month you must consider others feelings and perspectives too. It can make you feel even better about yourself.
Cancer
[Shout out to my fellow Cancers!]
You're the most understanding and emotional out of all the others! This is the month of love! Ask out your crush, make a few more friends! This is the month for romance!
Leo
You're kind, honest, and loyal, you're also a born leader don't be surprised if all your friends are fellow Leos and Tauruses! This is the month for you! By that, follow your own views and thoughts, you’ll be surprised how far you’ll go.
Virgo
You are calm and collective, yet you can be a little controlling sometimes. Remember to let things flow and try not to stress over the small things, everything will go smoothly, [well as smooth as 2020 can go :)]
Libra
You are the I-don’t-care-honestly-it-doesn’t-matter-type of person in the group. Very much like the Cancers you are to follow your heart and fall in love, even if it’s with Billie Eilish or Shawn Mendes.
Scorpio
You're very creative. Allow yourself to take risks and try new things, your curiosity will lead you in new directions and give you a different outlook on the world. Also, listen to people and try to help, it will give you a nice vibe to other people.
Sagittarius
Much like the Scorpios, you need to take risks and try not to be so up front with people, as annoying as it may seem, it will make you look a little less tasteless, heartless, and plain out rude sometimes.
Capricorn
Being hardworking, this is your month of chill. Sit back relax, drink some sweet tea, listen to some music, paint, read, write, meditate, whatever helps you “vibe”
Slow down and cherish every moment you have.
Aquarius
You are the down to Earth, most humane of the group of constellations. This month you must focus on your own issues instead of everyone else’s. It will be healthy and can set you up for success!
Pices
You're a water sign, so you're probably dreaming of a nice beach or swimming pool somewhere. Due to current issues in 2020 it can be difficult not to get frustrated, anxious, worried, or even angry. But October is the month of calm and peace, much like the Capricorn you must relax and stay calm and collective.
Otho Stuart Middle School
Website: https://www.sd27j.org/stuart
Location: 15955 East 101st Way, Commerce City, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 685-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stuartmiddleschool