Milan Middle School Times
By: Potts' Peeps December Edition
Merry Christmas from Potts' Peeps!!
Veteran's Honored at MMS and MHS By: Max Hartman and Mary Kate Ketcham
The Veteran’s Day program was held on November 11, 2015, here in Milan. The program was held in the high school. We had many veterans come to our school, and they all came from many wars, battles, and they were in all in danger. They came from World War II, Vietnam War, The Korean War, The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans came from all of these wars, with their heads held high to this day.
The program started with the band playing our country’s song “The National Anthem”, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, the Milan High School band did an incredible job playing all of the 5 branches songs, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. There was slide show that showed all of the veterans, what branch they served in, and their military picture. Next, Mrs. Bedel, the band conductor, played “Taps”, and it was very solemn.
I think that the program made us all think how brave all of the men and women were to fight for you and me. This Veteran’s Day wasn’t just a normal day, but about how we should be thankful and blessed for what all of these Veterans do/did for us. Below is a poem for our soldiers.
This poem was written by Joanna Fuchs
When you see someone in a uniform,
Someone who serves us all,
Doing military duty,
Answering their country’s call,
Take a moment to thank them
For protecting what you hold dear;
Tell them you are proud of them;
Make it very clear.
Just tap them on the shoulder,
Give a smile, and say,
"Thanks for what you’re doing
To keep us safe in the USA!"
Thank you Veterans!
MMS and MHS student body
MHS band under the direction of Mrs. Stefani Bedel
Spell Bowl Champs By Isabel Kroner and Ashton Lukens
Congratulations to the Middle School Spell Bowl Team!
At the competition, there were EIGHT spellers, and FOUR alternates. So as our spellers were spelling, the alternates were keeping score of another team. If the team got the word correct you gave them a point. At the end, the team with the most points won and received a blue ribbon. The Milan team received 24 points. We placed first in our division and overall, we came in second place.
So, at school the next day we were congratulated! Hooray! Congratulations to all spellers on a job well done!Great American Smokeout By: Trey Mattl and Lydia Clark
Milan Middle School participated in the Great American Smokeout, on November 19th, to try to get people to stop smoking. Six people pledged to not smoke in our school. A lot of people at our school are against smoking.
Research shows that most people have the best chance of quitting when they have support. If you want to get support, you can go to non-smoking groups, counseling and much more.
The first Great American Smokeout took place in the 1970s, when smoking and secondhand smoking were popular. The Great American Smokeout started in Randolph, Massachusetts.In 1977, Berkeley, California became the first community to not make smoking available in restaurants and public places.
In 1983, San Francisco passed the first law to ban people from smoking in public workplaces.
Hopefully more and more will continue to quit!
Did You Know? By: Gabryele Rowan and Bayley Johnson
Did you know that...
*All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts. That's A Lot!
*Rudolph’s nose can’t even light up! WHAT?? REALLY?
*Did you ever wonder where X-Mas came from? X means Christ in Greek so to shorten the word Christmas we sometimes use X-Mas. #NowIKnow!
*Christmas is an annual Christian holiday held on December 25th, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Christmas is Awesome! !
*Santa Claus is also known as St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Grandfather Frost and Kris Kringle. Thats a lot of names!
*This is such a magical fact .... Santa Claus went from The U.S to China in 30 seconds! *Oklahoma was the last U.S. state to declare Christmas a legal holiday, in 1907. Did the Grinch live in Oklahoma?
*The Germans made the first Christmas tree out of dyed goose feathers?
*Each year more than 3 million Christmas cards are sent around the world each year.
*Did you know that the “true love” mentioned in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” does not refer to a romantic couple, but to the Catholic Church’s code for God. Cool! That’s all for our Christmas facts, I hope you feel “cool” now!
Holiday Laughs By: Dakota Bradley and Josiah Combs
Why are Dasher and Dancer always taking coffee breaks?
Because they are my “Star bucks”
What is the best Christmas present in the world ?A broken drum-you can’t beat them.
What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney “claustrophobia”
Jim: Huh?
Tim: Comet stayed home to clean the sink.
Chris: What do snowmen like to do on the weekend?
Chrissy: What?
Chris: Chill out.
Colton: How does a sheep say “Merry Christmas”?
Tammi: How?
Colton: “Fleece Navidad!”
Battle of the Bands Food Drive By: Karley Bushhorn and Charlie Jackson
Milan and Batesville bands hold the “Battle of the Bands” event. The idea of the battle is to see how many cans of food the bands can collect. We try to have parents bring in the cans the night of the December concert. Mrs. Bedel lines the cans along the front of the stage. The next day, Mrs. Bedel and the High School Band count the cans.
Every grade can donate canned items. Please make sure that the cans are not expired. If the cans are expired, then we can’t send them to the food pantry. We try our very best to collect cans. Whoever collects the most cans, will get to take the trophy for a year. We would appreciate if you would participate!Milan Middle School Basketball By: Cole Knecht and Melissa Frankenberry
7th Grade
Mt. Carmel 26 - Milan 44
Greendale 35 - Milan 38
St. Louis 46 - Milan 21
St. Nicholas 25 - Milan 45
North Decatur 26 - Milan 54
8th Grade
Mt. Carmel 20 - Milan 48
Greendale 48 - Milan 38
St. Louis 25 - Milan 26
St. Nicholas 31 - Milan 41
North Decatur - Milan
Protecting Our School By: Bailey Herrick and Brody Lack
Prior to becoming the Milan School Resource officer, Officer Houze worked for the Indiana State Police. He has been in 10 to 12 pursuits on foot and in a car. We found that very interesting. Mr. Houze chose his job because his dad was also a state trooper. He switched over to the school police because it seemed like a good opportunity for him and he needed to retire.
Education and teaching about what drugs could cause, is how Mr. Houze keeps our students from drugs. He has talked to many classes sharing about the different kinds of drugs and the effects of them.
The way he protects the students at our school is by
giving many safety plans and plenty of drills. He does not find it hard to keep the school safe because the students know what to do. For the school police he carries a gun and handcuffs. When he was a state trooper though he had a gun, handcuffs, baton, flashlight, taser, and pepper spray.
Thank you, Officer Houze, for keeping our schools safe and protected!Snow Day Activities By Landon Morgan and Jordan Pigmon
Today is a snow day and what do you do? Go have fun in the snow! When the snow comes, you can go sledding. Bundle up and find you a nice hill to sled down!
Have you ever built an igloo? Something fun to do, is to create the bricks using a small shoe box tote and start stacking!
Remember to wear a snowsuit, snow boots, gloves, and a warm hat. When you get in, go get some hot cocoa, bake some cookies and play board games!
Holiday Traditions Ashton Myers and Caleb Prozanski
All over the world, Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions. The festivities can be startlingly different from country to country, focusing on different aspects of the nativity story.
But whether you're celebrating Sheng Dan Jieh in China or awaing Pere Noel in France, you're sharing in the wonder and magic of the Christmas season. In the following pages, we'll take a look at Christmas traditions in countries around the world, from Sweden to Australia, from England to China.
- Christmas Traditions in Australia In Australia, December 25 falls during summer vacation, so many of the country's Christmas festivities take place outdoors. The most popular event of the Christmas season is called Carols by Candlelight. People come together at night to light candles and sing Christmas carols outside. The stars shining above add to the sights and sounds of this wonderful outdoor concert.
- Christmas Traditions in China The small number of Christians in China call Christmas Sheng Dan Jieh, which means Holy Birth Festival. They decorate their homes with evergreens, posters, and bright paper chains. Families put up a Christmas tree, called a "tree of light," and decorate it with beautiful lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness. They cut out red pagodas to paste on the windows, and they light their houses with paper lanterns, too.
- Christmas Traditions in England It is cold, wet, and foggy in England at Christmastime. The day before Christmas is very busy for families in England. They wrap presents, bake cookies, and hang stockings over the fireplace. Then everyone gathers around the tree as someone tells a classic holiday story, "A Christmas Carol." Children write a letter to Father Christmas with their wishes and toss their letter into the fire so their wishes can go up the chimney. After the children fall asleep on Christmas Eve, Father Christmas comes to visit.
- Christmas Traditions in Ethiopia Ethiopia follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church. Everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma -- a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ.
- Christmas Traditions in France Christmas celebrations France begin on December 5, which is St. Nicholas Eve, but Christmas Eve is the most special time in the French celebration of Christmas. Church bells ring and voices sing French carols, called noels. On Christmas Day, families go to church and then enjoy an abundant feast of wonderful dishes, ending with the traditional buche de Noel, a rich buttercream-filled cake shaped and frosted to look like a Yule log.
- Christmas Traditions in Germany German families prepare for Christmas throughout cold December. Four Sundays before Christmas, they make an Advent wreath of fir or pine branches that has four colored candles. They light a candle on the wreath each Sunday, sing Christmas songs, and eat Christmas cookies. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, homes are filled with the delightful smells of baking loaves of sweet bread, cakes filled with candied fruits, and spicy cookies called lebkuchen.
- Christmas Tradtions in Holland Dutch children in Holland, or the Netherlands, eagerly await the arrival of Sinterklaas on St. Nicholas Day on December 6. Sinterklaas is a kindly bishop. He wears red robes and a tall, pointed mitre on his head. Sinterklaas travels by ship from Spain to Amsterdam's harbor every winter. He brings his white horse and a huge sack full of gifts for the children. Families celebrate St. Nicholas Eve at home with lots of good food, hot chocolate, and a letterbanket, a "letter cake" made in the shape of the first letter of the family's last name.
- Christmas Traditions in Italy The Christmas season in Italy begins on the first Sunday of Advent, which is four Sundays before Christmas. Christmas fairs feature fireworks and bonfires along with holiday music. Families go to the Christmas markets to shop for gifts and new figures for the manger scene. Some families set up a Christmas tree and decorate it. Families set up their presepio, or manger scene, on the first day of the novena. They gather before the presepio each morning or evening of novena to light candles and pray.
- Christmas Traditions in Mexico The weather is warm and mild in Mexico during the Christmas season. Families shop for gifts, ornaments, and good things to eat in the market stalls, called puestos. They decorate their homes with lilies and evergreens. Family members cut intricate designs in brown paper bags to make lanterns, or farolitos. They place a candle inside and then set the farolitos along sidewalks, on windowsills, and on rooftops and outdoor walls to illuminate the community with the spirit of Christmas.
- Christmas Traditions in Spain The Christmas season begins in Spain on December 8, with a weeklong observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Evergreens decorate the churches and outdoor markets throughout the Christmas season. Tambourines, gourd rattles, castanets, and miniature guitars are offered for sale to enliven the singing and dancing in the streets. Children go from house to house reciting verses or singing carols for sweets, toys, or small instruments.
- Christmas Traditions in Sweden In Sweden, the Christmas festivities begin on December 13 with St. Lucia's Day, which celebrates the patron saint of light. The eldest daughter gets up before dawn and dresses as the "Queen of Light" in a long white dress. She wears a crown of leaves. Singing "Santa Lucia," the Lucia Queen goes to every bedroom to serve coffee and treats to each member of the family. The younger children in the family help, too. The whole family helps to select the Christmas tree just a day or two before Christmas.
Career Day at Milan Middle School
Scott Huffman, Stat Flight
Krisha Robbins, Stat Flight
Hands on Experience
Kevin Walters
Tim Schwipps
Jessica
Career Day Held at MMS By: Adam Volz, Deric Porter, and Caiden Yorn
6th Grade Field Trip By Karley Bushhorn
On Monday, November 16th, the sixth grade classes went on a field trip to Stratton- Karsteter Funeral Home, in Versailles to view the replica coffin of President Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He died April 15, 1865.
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln while Lincoln attended a performance at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. The mortally wounded President was taken across the street to the William Peterson house where he died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865. This was a day that everyone would remember.
President Lincoln had many funerals, Although his wife Mary did not attend any, because she was too distraught. He was put on trains to go different places for people to view his body. It was estimated that one million people viewed his body before he was buried. President Abraham Lincoln was buried at the Oak Ridge Cemetery, in Springfield, Illinois.
In 1900, his son Robert was afraid that more attempts were made to try steal Lincoln’s body. Robert and 23 other people went to the President’s grave. They were going to dig up the body to make sure it was still there. The body was still in his coffin. To make sure that nobody would get in his grave, they put the coffin in a cage, and lowered it into the 10 feet deep hole. Robert and the other 23 people put concrete on top of the cage to make sure it was impossible to break into.
We show great respect to Abraham Lincoln.A huge thanks to Mike Stratton and Eric Karsteter for giving us this opportunity to see a piece of history.
Mmm Mmm Good! By Riley Clark, Jessica Money and Skyler Winchester
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Whisk together pumpkin puree, egg yolks, and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and Chinese 5-spice powder; whisk until thoroughly combined.
Fit pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges.
Pour filling into the pie shell and lightly tap on the work surface to release any air bubbles.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until just set in the middle, 30 to 40 more minutes. A paring knife inserted into the filling, 1 inch from the crust, should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Store the mixture in an airtight container.
For individual servings, pour 1 cup whole milk into a microwave-safe mug, and microwave on high just until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa mix, and stir to dissolve. And if wanted you may add whip cream.Holiday Cake
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Pour half of the batter into medium bowl; set aside. Divide the other half of batter equally between 2 small bowls. (You will be left with 3 bowls of batter.) Add red food color to 1 of the small bowls and mix well. Add green food color to the second small bowl and mix well.
2 Pour half of the white batter from medium bowl into cake pan. Carefully pour red batter over white batter in pan. Carefully pour green batter over red batter. Then pour remaining white batter from medium bowl over the top. Do not mix the colors.
3 Bake as directed on box until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet; remove pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Place cake on serving plate.
Bake as directed on box until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet; remove pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Place cake on serving plate.
4 Divide frosting between 2 small microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl on High about 5 to 10 seconds; mix well with spoon until smooth enough to drizzle. With the spoon, drizzle white frosting back and forth around the whole cake in a striping pattern until you use all of the frosting (allow some frosting to drip down onto plate in middle of cake, if desired).
5 Microwave second bowl of frosting; stir in a few drops of green food color. Drizzle over cake, scattering back and forth in the same type of striping pattern. Decorate with sprinkles. Let stand until frosting is set before serving.
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp (60 ml) heavy cream
2 Tbsp (30 g) butter
1 Tbsp milk (or more)
Salt and Pepper
Recommended equipment—a potato masher
1 Place the peeled and cut potatoes into a medium saucepan. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered by at least an inch. Add a half teaspoon of salt to the water. Turn the heat on to high, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily poke through them with a fork.
2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter and warm the cream. You can heat them together in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
3 When the potatoes are done, drain the water and place the steaming hot potatoes into a large bowl. Pour the heated cream and melted butter over the potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Then use a strong wooden spoon (a metal spoon might bend) to beat further. Add milk and beat until the mashed potatoes are smooth. Don't over-beat the potatoes or the mashed potatoes will end up gluey. Add salt and pepper to taste.Christmas Sugar Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Microwave Chocolate Fudge
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/microwave-fudge-recipe.html?oc=linkback
Potts' Peeps
Email: shawna.potts@milan.k12.in.us
Location: Milan Middle School, North Warpath Drive, Milan, IN, United States
Phone: 812-654-1616