CSW Times

Vol. 1, Issue 1: Editors- Grace Hart & Jarrod Jourdan

A Week of Celebration
By Maggie Moyer What is Catholic Schools Week? Catholic Schools Week is a national holiday, celebrated by all Catholic Schools. Catholic Schools Week starts Sunday, January 29th and runs until February 5th. It is a fun week for schools to come together by working on projects and fun activities as a school. The theme for Catholic Schools Week is: Catholic Schools and Faith. Catholic Schools Week began in 1974. Catholic Schools Week is a project of the National Catholic Educational Association, and the United States Catholic Conference. Melissa Hattam of the 6th grade class explained, Catholic Schools Week is a time, where the whole school comes together and participates in fun activities. I created an online survey for the middle school students to vote on their favorite Catholic Schools Week activity. The winning vote was Minute To Win It, with eleven out of twenty-seven votes. The second highest vote was Spirit Day with seven out of twenty-seven votes. The Spelling Bee, Teacher Switch day, and Name that Saint all tied with two out of 27 votes. Catholic Schools Week is a great celebration and I look forward to next years Catholic Schools Week celebration.

SJA Students Show Their Spirit

By Grace Hart St Joan of Arc students started off Catholic Schools Week on Monday, January 30th with a big bang for Spirit Day. Each class had a different way of displaying spirit for SJA. The Kindergarten through third grade wore their classic blue and yellow clothing. But fourth through eighth grade got a little more elaborate. The fourth graders each had letters on their shirts so when they got in order it spelled out, Saint Joan of Arc Spirit. Fifth grade had some hilarious hats with balloons and shirts that said, I love SJA. Sixth grade had creative logos on blue and yellow shirts that looked professional they were so well made. The seventh grade had a mix match of entirely unique costumes and really hit it out of the park. The girls wore yellow boas and matching t-shirts. Many of the boys wore ties, while one even wore a bright yellow and blue speed suit. Lastly, eighth grade dressed up as elderly people that represented their everlasting love for SJA. They had yellow shirts that said, Even When We Are 100 We Will Love SJA. Alexandra Schulz gave her opinion on her costume, It was tough to stay in character, and its not easy being an old lady. In the end the eighth grade won spirit day, but each and every class looked fabulous in their blue and yellow outfits.

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Lets Play Some Dodgeball!

Alyssa Turnquist Saturday, January 28, 2012, teachers, parents, and friends all gathered in the St. Joan of Arc School gym for a fundraiser. This wasnt any old fundraiser; this was a war - not with guns, but dodge balls. As I interviewed the middle school math and science teacher, Miss Faltin, I asked her what her strategy for winning this game was. To have fun! she responded. I guess that really payed off for her and her team of 8. Miss Faltin, Miss Fitzsimmons, Miss Keenan, and five of their friends all made up the green team. . . the champions. After the adults finished and the green team was named the champions, the kids got a chance to play themselves. First the little kids up to 3rd grade played against each other. Then the big kids came out to play. Finally, the big kids got to play against the green team. The kids got to show the teachers who were boss with their win. This event made everyone sure that this school isnt going down without a fight. If anyone tries to close this school we know how we are going to handle it...DODGEBALL!

Slow Down, and Chew

By Brandon Henderson It was January 29, 2012, when all through the cafeteria there were donuts being gobbled. It was Catholic Schools Week and to kick it off we had a donut mass. That means there were donuts in the cafeteria after 9:00 A.M. mass. The reason for the free donuts is to create a community within the school community. Another reason is to kick off a week of fun and exciting activities for Catholic Schools Week. I am not a big donut fan, but my family loves them, says Mrs. Mansour a middle school teacher at St. Joan of Arc School. Her daughters eyes light up when she tells her about the Mass with donuts afterwards. Mrs. Mansour and her family were some of the lucky ones that got to enjoy the donuts. The Home and School provided a wide variety of donuts this year, but you cant forget the orange juice and coffee to wash them down. I think everyone agrees, SJA donut masses are the best!

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The Tale of the Two Sams

By Olivia Milone

On Tuesday, January 31st, the great spellers of Kindergarten through 3rd grade came face-to-face at the K-3rd spelling bee, right here in the SJA gym, to see who could out-spell who. It was easy competition in the first three rounds, but after a few rounds of easy words, Mrs. Wallace kicked it up a notch and distributed harder words. Kids were getting out very quickly after that. After THOSE rounds of harder words, it all came down to Samantha Burns, of 3rd grade, and Sam Ortner, of 2nd grade. The two Sams went head-to-head in an immense battle to get 1st place. Sam walked up to the microphone, and attempted to spell rabies. Spelling it wrong, Samantha walked to the microphone, and spelled rabies correctly. She then proceeded to spell the next word right. Samantha had won and was bombarded with cheers. She was very excited to have won. It was easy words, says Samantha, I studied and felt confident. Mrs. Nave, the Spelling Bee director, says, I enjoy helping the smaller children with their spelling to prepare for more advanced bees in the future. All 15 contestants are truly great spellers!

The Intensity of the Bee

By Brody Christian The fourth through eighth Spelling Bee started Tuesday, Jan 31st, at 2pm. There were three to five children from each classroom. It was held during Catholic Schools Week. The Spelling Bee was held in the gym. In the Spelling Bee, the contestants started with a practice run. During the first round, a couple of people got out. In the second round only one person got out. This was a dramatic Spelling Bee. Three people got out on the third and fourth round. On the sixth round everyone who was left survived. They said Jarrod got out, but there were technical difficulties and he was back in the game. Four people left at the tenth round. Finally, there were two contestants left. Olivia Milone misspelled brochure, but Angela was able to spell it correctly. Then Angela Partusch spelled punctual correctly and won the Bee! Olivia Milone was the runner up. I interviewed local contestant, Jack Burke, before the Spelling Bee. Jack said, I like being in the Spelling Bees because they are fun. I also interviewed Mrs. Nave and she said, I think it was a success and they will be ready for next year. This Spelling Bee was truly a game of both luck and skill.

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Teacher Switch Day a Hit

By Klare Martin Teacher Switch Day is all about the teachers going to a different classroom. The teachers get to pick out of a bowl to find out which classroom they get to teach in for that morning. Then on Tuesday, January 31st the teachers at SJA switched classrooms for the first class of the day. They do this as a fun way to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. Last year the 5th grade got Mrs. Mansour and we all got to know her really well. When speaking with a current sixth grader, Paige Soby, she said that I hope the teachers and students are excited by Teacher Switch Day during Catholic Schools Week. This year the 6th graders got Mrs. Irvine and we played a fun game with her. Our class had to act like something, be like something, and sing like something. It was really fun, but the sad part was that Mrs. Irvine had to go. The next day we got donuts because she promised she would bring them for us. Afterwards, all of the middle school teachers told us who they got and Mrs. Mansour told me that she got the 1st grade. Miss Faltin got to visit the Kindergarten. Miss Crandall got to visit the second grade. The middle school teachers were really excited about teacher switch day because they got the little kids and they get to see what the little kids are up to. When I interviewed Miss Fitzsimmons, she said she got the 8th grade, and they played a guessing game. The students got Gatorade and Snickers so Miss Fitzsimmons had a lot of fun with the 8th grade. Teacher Switch Day is really fun because we all get to change our daily routine.

SJA Never Forgets the Saints

By Vincent Chonis The 2011-2012 school years Saint Contest ended with a twist. The sixth grade won, and they also won when they were in fifth grade. Eighth was our challenge, was a statement made by the winners. Our principal actually didnt start the contest. Mrs. Wallace said she does not know how it started, but it was just a tradition. The questions are picked by the teachers when they research five saints. The teachers are the experts.

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Then each class from fourth grade and above sends three students to represent their class. Our principal thinks that the kids on the teams benefit from the contest the most. She thinks that because they end up studying, learning, and thinking their hardest. But the kids watching also benefit. They see how important it is to learn in their life. They see how studying helps.

Scientific Magic
By Sophie Malone On February first, at one o'clock, the fifth grade held a magic show. Mrs. Mixan helped her class get ready for some scientific magic. Each of the acts had a scientific reason on why the magic trick works. At the magic show the students had a parent or grandparent come to volunteer for an act. The guests also watched to enjoy the jolly good show. This magic show was enjoyable and the students were well-prepared. Some of the acts were the Elbow Flip Trick and the Dollar Drop. The Elbow Flip Trick works because the bone in your arm is moving so fast and inertia on the coin keeps it still until your hand grabs it. I liked all of the acts because they were all unique in a scientific way, said fifth grade teacher Mrs. Mixan. I insist Mrs. Mixan should do her magic show again.

100th Day
By Kateri Martin During Catholic Schools Week every grade participates in special activities. Kindergarten does an activity called The 100th Day of School. Kindergartners get to play, have fun, take photos, and have the time of their lives while the other grades are doing their class work or activities. It is all to celebrate the 100th day of school, and its one way to kickoff Catholic Schools Week. Some of the kids told me, I had a lot of fun! Annie said, I thought it was my last day of school. One of the activities kindergartners did on the 100th day of school was reading a book called The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carl, After reading this book they made their own very hungry caterpillar and numbered it one through one-hundred. You can find it hanging outside of Mrs. Irvines room. To celebrate, the kindergartners had 100th day cookies, cupcakes, and candy. After such an eventful day, these kids are going to be telling their moms and dads how fun their day was.

Baby Wipe Drive

By Anna Knutson During Catholics Schools Week students were able to participate in a service project by bringing in baby wipes or a dollar. All of the wipes are going to the Childrens Respite Center. This is a daycare for special needs children.

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Our second grade teacher, Miss Fitzsimmons, works there during the summer. I work in the baby room. I rock them; feed them. . . all the baby stuff. She says she is very happy to do the baby wipe drive for them. Last year she filled up the whole back of her car with wipes. Overall this drive is very beneficial for them because around this time of year they start to run out of wipes. This year we collected thirty-seven packages of wipes and $108.25. With that money we bought sixty-three wipes for a total of 100 packages of wipes! The Childrens Respite Center was very grateful. This just goes to show what our school can do to help others

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Its Not Just a Church, Its a Cathedral

By Grace Hart Eighth graders from all across the Archdioceses of Omaha gathered at St. Cecilias Cathedral on February 3rd. They came for a special eighth grade mass said by Archbishop George Lucas. There were a total of about 1,266 eighth graders packed into the massive Cathedral. Its Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture left you mesmerized with its beauty. St. Cecilias was ranked one of the ten largest Cathedrals in the Unites States. She was born in 1905 and was consecrated in 1959. The genius behind its amazing arches and elaborate colors was Thomas Rogers Kimball. Its huge stain glass windows were constructed by Charles J. Connick from Boston. They are so complex you could get lost in them for days. Even though the organ sits at the back of the church, its a huge eye catcher. It could be a building itself! But when you direct your eyes to the front of the church you can see the crucifix mantled on a bed of carved marble and wood. Its said that once the sculptor finished he didnt know how he was going to make Jesus face look like. One night he was approached by an extremely nice man and they talked for hours. He decided to use that mans face as the face of Jesus because he was such an inspiration to him. People say that that man was Gods way of showing him what face he should use. Alexandra Schulz is in the St. Cecilias choir and she described her own experience. Its a privilege to sing at a mass and at concerts because you can see the whole layout of the Cathedrals design.

Win It in the Minute

By Zakk Christian The SJA student body gathered in the gym on Friday, February 3rd to end Catholic Schools Week with a game show called Minute to Win It. Mrs. Mixan planned and led the game show with her fifth graders. Each class sent four representatives to participate in the challenges. The A team had an outstanding win after winning nine of the sixteen challenges on the gym floor. Some of the challenges they completed were Hut Hut Hike, Hoop de Loop, Egg Roll, Keep it up, and many other challenges. Some of the winners to the challenges were AJ Henderson, KJ Elliot, Noah Davis and others. Some of the challenges that B team won were Bucket Head, which Alexandra Schulz won, Ready Spaghetti which the student council president and vice president won (Jack Burke and Brandon Henderson). Another member on the B team, Dante Jones, did Bubble Trouble. No one won the game because it was so challenging. After reflecting on the challenge, Dante said, I should have won because I got the bubble the furthest. He also thought that Sharpshooter and Speed Eraser were the two hardest challenges out of all of them. Dantes favorite challenge was Temper-tantrum because he thought it was cool how they were moving their feet back and forth actually made the numbers go up on the pedometer.

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CSW Ends With a Bang

By Jarrod Jourdan The St. Joan of Arc community ended CSW on Friday night, February 3, 2012 with fun. The School Carnival took place in the SJA gym and cafeteria to let people have fun. There was so much to do. The carnival had an obstacle course, a bungee run, and a bounce house. There were also games for the little kids to win prizes. There was the lollipop tree, the hole in one, a duck pond, a fishing game, and plinko. I spoke with Phillip Jourdan, a fourth grader at SJA. He said that his favorite part of the carnival was the obstacle course. On a scale from one to ten, I would give it a nine. There was so much fun to do. There was a great turn out for the event, with a total of 88 participants partaking in the games and inflatables. This will be one tradition that will continue for a long time.

Its Complicated
By Zakk Christian I have recently been listening to this CD called What Separates Me From You, produced by A Day To Remember (ADTR). The genre of the music can be described as punk rock. Some of the names from the band are Jeremy Mckinnon with vocals, Alex Strellnut on drums, Kevin Skaff on guitar and vocals, Neil Westfall on guitar, and Joshua Woodard on Bass. I think Its Complicated is one of the best songs off that album. The song came out in November of 2010. My favorite part of the song is when they scream I wont sleep till the break of dawn, break of dawn. I cant let our problems find me here. So everybody come on!!!!!!! Honestly, my favorite song by ADTR is A Shot in The Dark, but Its Complicated is one of my top favorite songs by them. A scary but also funny story at one of their concerts was that one of their fans got on the stage and tried to jump off and crowd surf, but he hit his head on the metal railing and the back of his head touched his back. He just got back up and kept rocking out.

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Neighborhood Notes
By Rachel Walter The thoughts on the neighbors and the neighborhood are endless! I decided to write an article about the history and community that exists just outside of our doors at Saint Joan of Arc School. Many of the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Our church, St. Joan of Arc, was built in 1960. Westgate School, along with many neighborhood homes, had to be rebuilt in 1975, due to the tornado that hit. I was speaking to Jennifer L. Walter and asked her what she liked about this neighborhood and she said she enjoys it, because there are lots good kids in the neighborhood. What I like about this neighborhood is the convenient location to the interstate, shopping, grocery stores, and our parish is St. Joan of Arc. I asked one of my neighbors, Sarah H. May, what she thought about her neighbors. Sarah said that her neighbors were nice and quiet. Then I went to Grover Street and I talked with a girl there named Brooke M. Sip and she said, We get along and our neighbors are very nice. In my opinion, you should always try to like and be kind to your neighbors because no matter what, Jesus reminds us to love our neighbors.

Book Review: The Future of Us

By Julia Gollobit Imagine, its 1996 and Facebook hasnt been invented yet. You just got your first computer and for some strange reason youre logged into your future Facebook page fifteen years from now. What would be on that page? You could get a lot of details about your future. You could even try to tweak your future so youre better off later on. This is exactly what happens to Emma in The Future of Us by Jay Asher. The Future of Us portrays time travel in a whole different way. The idea of it is crazy and it continually shows the butterfly effect. It is interesting to watch Josh and Emma try to rebuild their friendship after an awkward moment that ruined their friendship a couple of months ago. While looking at their Facebook pages, it looks like Emma is having a rough time in the future, but it looks like for Josh, things might just turn out alright. Emma tries to change her future while Josh tries to maintain his. I read this book a couple of weeks ago and I couldnt put it down. It was suspenseful when they opened up their pages because you wondered how their actions of that day affected their futures. The book was original, and one that I could read again. I think that the recommended age for this book would be Young Adult (YA). Here is a quote from Publishers Weekly about this novel. Readers can expect an ingenious hook, compelling characters, and thought-provoking content, and these two top-of-their-game authors dont disappoint. The Future of Us is written by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. The main author is Jay Asher, and here are some facts about him. Asher lives in California and also wrote 13 Reasons Why (another great book). He enjoys camping and plays guitar. Answer to Sudoku:

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