SPIRIT WEEK IS COMING SOON
Monday, May 22: Pajama Day
Tuesday, May 23: Black Out
Wednesday, May 24: Hawaiian Day
Thursday, May 25: Wacky Tacky Day
Friday, May 26: Grade Colors
- 6th Grade- Red
- 7th Grade- Blue
- 8th Grade- White
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Free The Whales
By Emily D.
In the small province of Vancouver, Canada, the park board held a vote that decided the future of many aquariums in the area: whether or not they may house whales and dolphins. After the Vancouver Aquarium announced that they were planning to build an extravagant beluga whale exhibit, some people looked into their "whale care". After two deaths of beluga whales in November and the lack of proof that the trainers/handlers could care properly for the animals, the ban was passed.
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| https://www.vanaqua.org/files/9213/1656/1357/belugas-aurora.jpg |
Friday, May 12, 2017
March Miracles: Fun with a Purpose
By Morgan C. and Mia D.
The ultimate basketball competition, March Miracles, is here! On the 23 of March, over a hundred people played a series of three-on-three basketball games against their fellow classmates. Our authors took on the task of interviewing the workers and players. In total, we interviewed 8 teams and 6 workers. Many teams from 6th to 8th grade competed, but only 6 teams could win in the highly-anticipated finals. The finals had guests, including CASA dancers, CASA's Encore, Norup’s school mascot, and the U of D mascot, Tommy Titan.
We asked the teams six questions: How they came up with their team name, how they expect to play, who their biggest competition will be, who they believe will win, the skill level of the team members, and if they would rather watch or play basketball. We found that Norup’s 3 on 3 basketball has a large variety of skill levels. On one girls team, The Pixie 6, only one of the six members has played on a basketball team, where the Sponge Ballers had three of five members with basketball experience. Many teams had low expectations for themselves, but ended up surpassing their expectations. The French Toast Mafia, an 8th grade girls team, hardly expected that they would make it to the finals; in fact, they originally planned to name their team The Losers. A majority of teams remained modest, but others were certain they would win. Hoops We Did It Again thought they would take victory, but they sadly did not make it to the finals. As for the boys game, there was high expectation for The Bape Ballers, because according to 5 Guys and a Fry, “They have Cody.” Unfortunately, The Bape Ballers suffered a fate similar to Hoops We Did It Again, and did not play in the finals.
We asked the workers only five questions: Why they chose choose to be a worker, why in that specific area of work, if they like to watch basketball, what sports they play and if they are just working to get out of class. From this set of questions, we concluded that many people were working because it was something they liked to do. The majority also do like watching basketball. One of the Hawk Headlines staff, Emily D, did photography of the players. She told us that she “likes to take pictures and it’s a good chance to help out the school.” Many of the six people we interviewed also played sports that were not only basketball. These include sports like archery, martial arts, figure skating, track, and soccer. These were all played by one very eccentric photographer, Brandon M. The last question we asked the workers, "Are you doing this just to get out of school?" drew out many laughs and "no" responses, but also some proud "yes"es.
In the end, all involved in March Miracles-the teams, the staff, and even the people watching-had a great time. However, in the end, the true importance of this event is not the fun and games. The profits of this event go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Jack's Place for Autism, and over the years, March Miracles has raised tens of thousands of dollars for these wonderful organizations. Congratulations to all the winners from every grade and team, and thank you to everyone who made this event possible!
The ultimate basketball competition, March Miracles, is here! On the 23 of March, over a hundred people played a series of three-on-three basketball games against their fellow classmates. Our authors took on the task of interviewing the workers and players. In total, we interviewed 8 teams and 6 workers. Many teams from 6th to 8th grade competed, but only 6 teams could win in the highly-anticipated finals. The finals had guests, including CASA dancers, CASA's Encore, Norup’s school mascot, and the U of D mascot, Tommy Titan.
We asked the teams six questions: How they came up with their team name, how they expect to play, who their biggest competition will be, who they believe will win, the skill level of the team members, and if they would rather watch or play basketball. We found that Norup’s 3 on 3 basketball has a large variety of skill levels. On one girls team, The Pixie 6, only one of the six members has played on a basketball team, where the Sponge Ballers had three of five members with basketball experience. Many teams had low expectations for themselves, but ended up surpassing their expectations. The French Toast Mafia, an 8th grade girls team, hardly expected that they would make it to the finals; in fact, they originally planned to name their team The Losers. A majority of teams remained modest, but others were certain they would win. Hoops We Did It Again thought they would take victory, but they sadly did not make it to the finals. As for the boys game, there was high expectation for The Bape Ballers, because according to 5 Guys and a Fry, “They have Cody.” Unfortunately, The Bape Ballers suffered a fate similar to Hoops We Did It Again, and did not play in the finals.
We asked the workers only five questions: Why they chose choose to be a worker, why in that specific area of work, if they like to watch basketball, what sports they play and if they are just working to get out of class. From this set of questions, we concluded that many people were working because it was something they liked to do. The majority also do like watching basketball. One of the Hawk Headlines staff, Emily D, did photography of the players. She told us that she “likes to take pictures and it’s a good chance to help out the school.” Many of the six people we interviewed also played sports that were not only basketball. These include sports like archery, martial arts, figure skating, track, and soccer. These were all played by one very eccentric photographer, Brandon M. The last question we asked the workers, "Are you doing this just to get out of school?" drew out many laughs and "no" responses, but also some proud "yes"es.
In the end, all involved in March Miracles-the teams, the staff, and even the people watching-had a great time. However, in the end, the true importance of this event is not the fun and games. The profits of this event go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Jack's Place for Autism, and over the years, March Miracles has raised tens of thousands of dollars for these wonderful organizations. Congratulations to all the winners from every grade and team, and thank you to everyone who made this event possible!
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
What is Dark Matter?
By Sydney B.
Everyone has heard of the term dark matter at one point in their lives whether they knew what it meant or not. Although some people might just see it as a cool name for some stuff in space, it’s much more than that.
According to NASA, dark matter is a type of matter that makes up 27% of the universe, the rest being made of dark energy and normal matter. To actually define dark matter is a tough job because of what scientists know about it. They know more of what dark matter is not than what it is.
First of all, dark matter is not antimatter. Antimatter is a type of matter that does not exist in our universe. Scientists know this about dark matter because it does not have any of the distinct properties of dark matter, which includes gamma radiation being released when antimatter gets destroyed with normal matter. Scientists also know that dark matter isn’t anything that they can detect because of our lack of ability to detect it. One thing that they do know about dark matter, is that it’s dark.
Dark matter, however, should not be confused with dark energy. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe and it is known as a property of space. The space that stretches outside of our galaxy and outside of all the galaxies surrounding it and even farther than this possesses dark energy. This theory was presented by Albert Einstein who said that as our universe expands and fills up space that contains the dark energy, that space will continue going out. Meaning our universe is never ending and will keep expanding.
Basically, dark matter and dark energy are mysterious and even scientists know hardly anything about it. Possibly getting closer to an explanation is exciting and worth the buzz of news.
More information- https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy
What Norup Teacher are you? Quiz
By: Rebecca Feber
This quiz consists of a couple of the Norup teachers and a variety of questions to show which teacher you are most like.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Beauty and the Beast Review
By Charlotte C.
On March 17, 2017, Disney released a live action version of Beauty and the Beast. The "tale as old as time" stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as The Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, and Josh Gad as Lefou. The movie centers around a young women named Belle who lives in a small French village. Her father, an artist (even though he is an inventor in the original), gets lost on his way to the market and ends up at a mysterious castle with magical objects. He tries to take a rose from the castle's garden, but he ends up as a prisoner to the terrifying beast that lives there. Belle finds her father and takes his place, staying in the castle with the beast. Overtime, they develop a friendship, and–eventually–they fall in love.
I love this new version. I love the old one as well, but the new version adds more background to the story. I also love the new songs they added, such as "Evermore" and "Days in the Sun" that give more insight into the characters' emotions. I also enjoy the character changes that they made. Overall, I loved this and I enjoyed it very much 4.5/5 stars.
I love this new version. I love the old one as well, but the new version adds more background to the story. I also love the new songs they added, such as "Evermore" and "Days in the Sun" that give more insight into the characters' emotions. I also enjoy the character changes that they made. Overall, I loved this and I enjoyed it very much 4.5/5 stars.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
LGBT+ Rights in Finland
By Morgan C
The world has become more aware and accepting of the LGBT+ community. More and more countries have been confirming the legalization of same-sex marriage. For example, on March 1st, 2017, the country of Finland legalized it with 27 out of 47 council members' approval. The Finnish government legalized not only same-sex marriage, but also the ability to change one’s gender (even though it is still difficult for people because it requires a surgery). This proves that the world is getting closer and closer to being more equal.
Twilight Saga Review
By Carly Spagnuolo
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer is a very underrated book because of its plot line: a vampire falls for a human and she loves him back. However, there are variables to the story that do not just affect their love lives, but rather add complexity to other aspects of the story. In addition, the book is very well-written, so a person who doesn't like the plot can still enjoy the book's quality. One must not judge a book by its cover or by what others think of it since not all books are for everybody. Ultimately, how well-written the book is determines how much the reader will enjoy and appreciate it.
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer is a very underrated book because of its plot line: a vampire falls for a human and she loves him back. However, there are variables to the story that do not just affect their love lives, but rather add complexity to other aspects of the story. In addition, the book is very well-written, so a person who doesn't like the plot can still enjoy the book's quality. One must not judge a book by its cover or by what others think of it since not all books are for everybody. Ultimately, how well-written the book is determines how much the reader will enjoy and appreciate it.
Tips to Stay Calm During Standardized Tests
By Maggie K.
It's M-Step time here at Norup, which can be very stressful. Here are 3 tips to stay calm and focused during the weeks of M-Step:
It's M-Step time here at Norup, which can be very stressful. Here are 3 tips to stay calm and focused during the weeks of M-Step:
1. Get lots of sleep. A well-rested mind is a sharp and focused mind. Go to bed at a reasonable time to prepare for the test.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast. You can't expect to do well on a test if you don't fuel your body and mind with the right nutrients.
3. Breathe. If you get overwhelmed and don't know the answer, inhale through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale through your mouth. Remember, you can always flag it and come back to it later.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Fearless Girl
By Charlotte Capuano
On March 7, 2016, the day before International Women's Day, the famous "Charging Bull" on Wall Street met a fierce opponent: a statue of a little girl. The girl appears to be staring down the bull, her ponytail swinging. This statue was sculpted by Kristen Visbal, and The State Street Global Advisers funded the project. The fifty-inch-tall statue symbolizes women and their struggle in the work place. The plaque at her feet reads, "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference." Many tourists and people who work along Wall Street have taken pictures with the now famous "Fearless Girl." The statue has helped thousands of women and girls feel empowered. One little girl, Sankaribriya, said she wanted to pose with the girl "because I wanted to look at her and feel like her."
Though the statue is loved by most, some have vandalized and done some questioning things to the statue. Some are also mad that the statue was put in place at all. The statue is supposed to be taken down on April 2nd, 2017, but some politicians are calling for the statue to remain on Wall Street.
The statue will be forever in our hearts and minds, and reminds us to stay strong because "SHE can make a difference."
On March 7, 2016, the day before International Women's Day, the famous "Charging Bull" on Wall Street met a fierce opponent: a statue of a little girl. The girl appears to be staring down the bull, her ponytail swinging. This statue was sculpted by Kristen Visbal, and The State Street Global Advisers funded the project. The fifty-inch-tall statue symbolizes women and their struggle in the work place. The plaque at her feet reads, "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference." Many tourists and people who work along Wall Street have taken pictures with the now famous "Fearless Girl." The statue has helped thousands of women and girls feel empowered. One little girl, Sankaribriya, said she wanted to pose with the girl "because I wanted to look at her and feel like her."
Though the statue is loved by most, some have vandalized and done some questioning things to the statue. Some are also mad that the statue was put in place at all. The statue is supposed to be taken down on April 2nd, 2017, but some politicians are calling for the statue to remain on Wall Street.
The statue will be forever in our hearts and minds, and reminds us to stay strong because "SHE can make a difference."