Good News REview, Vol II, Issue I

Adil Dutt, Anna Tsekos, Javier Segura, Annabel Thorvilson

Catherine Yu, Mrinalini LevinSrinivasan, Nora Essinger, Haroon Parekh

Journey Stephens, Annabel Thorvilson

Ava Sanchez, Haroon Parekh, Caroline Irwin

FALL FUN AT ROBERTS

Roberts community enjoys International Festival, Book Fair and Spelling Bee

A VERY INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, INDEED!

Catherine Yu, Mrinalini LevinSrinivasan

If you were at Roberts on the evening of Friday, October 7, 2022, you could be fooled into believing that you were in Columbia, Pakistan, China, Jamaica, or even Japan. Our school’s annual International Festival presented countries through the lens of ‘Books and Stories’ from around the world.

There were 34 countries at this year’s festival, with first-time booths representing Sri Lanka and Malaysia. “The food is always the best part of the festival, and we were given the opportunity to sample delicious tastes from all around the world,” said Wafa Taiym, volunteer Roberts mom and co-chair of the festival with Amber Pyeatt.

Anna Tsekos, Thera Castellon Fernandez, Jiya Parekh

David Dluhy, Javier Segura, Kellen Konrath

Pizza from Italy, crepes from Russia, baklava from Egypt, sage tea from Palestine, and Vietnamese coffee from Vietnam were just some of the traditional items that our community got to sample. Along with food and dessert, India, Nigeria, China, and several other booths had fun educational activities.

Each student was given a passport upon entry and had to visit all of the booths to find answers to all the questions in it. Students who turned in a completed passport were given a prize!

Do you know the answer to this year’s question from the Turkey booth?

With a lot of help from other Roberts volunteer moms like talent show coordinator, Sonali Doshi, fashion show coordinator, Catalina Pastore, and a host of teacher, parent, middle- and high-school student volunteers the students had another great year of learning fun. It really does take a village!

THE ROBERTS SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR: A PAGE TURNER

catch’em all, right?!

“Kids were also very interested in the survival genre. Among the picture books, Pig the Pug proved popular,” said Kleban, who also thanked Ms. Nelson and all the parent volunteers for their help.

“Among the non-book items, classroom pointers were the first thing to sell out and fluffy, glittery, sparkly diaries with locks went like hot-cakes – despite the organizers’ best efforts to point students in the direction of books,” Kleban also shared, trying her very best not to roll her eyes at our buying choices!

Psst…did you buy a book, a sparkly diary, or a classroom pointer?!

A BUZZ-WORTHY SPELLING BEE

Do you know how to spell hard words like ‘xylum’?! If the answer is yes, you could be representing Roberts at a future Spelling Bee!

85 Roberts students participated in this year’s qualifier on Thursday, December 1, and 18 moved on to the School Spelling Bee.

To understand how it works I interviewed Kristina Tran, Roberts IB and GT Instructional Coordinator, and who organizes the qualifier at Roberts.

Alexa Reconda, Isis Six WEATHER

Kyle Hu, Levi Segal

Who is the 2006 Nobel Prize winner in Literature from Turkey and the author of “My Name is Red” and “Snow”?

a) Yasar Kemal

b) Orhan Pamuk

c) Elif Safak

d) Sabahattin Ali

It was a bookworm’s paradise as kids browsed and bought books by the dozens at the Scholastic Book Fair from Monday, October 17, to Friday, October 2, 2022. The book fair, which is now held at the library, raised $3,860 for our school, with every student having a chance to visit it during school hours.

The Book Fair Co-chairs, Monika Kleban and Leslie Hanna, shared that 2,542 items were sold, 1,746 of which were books. The top three booksellers were Pokémon titles! Gotta

She told me, “Students that are interested in participating in the School Spelling Bee sign up through the school. First, students go through the Qualifier, which is a written spelling test and students must meet a minimum score to move on to the School Spelling Bee. The School Bee will take place in front of a live audience with judges. The final winner will represent Roberts at the District Spelling Bee in February.”

And that’s a wrap of the highlights of a happy, festive fall at Roberts!

Inspired. Inquisitive. Reporting on

The heart-filled stories we need

Do you want the good news or the good news first?

This 2022 Giving Season, as my family calls it, I want the good news. Then, I want more good news.

It is the end of another year, and inevitably, we begin to take stock of how we will define the 12 months that have zipped by. Well, I have some good news. In this issue of Good News REview, we hope you will read the front page to page 16, add it to your treasured periodicals, remember all the fun times our community has come together to gift to our students, and smile!

Allow the Good News REview stories to inspire you to appreciate our supportive and diverse community, laugh, take advantage of the present, ponder on elementary thoughts, and eat more fruits and veggies. Perhaps this issue will energize you to learn a new language, chant like you are at the World Cup, see the lights, maybe even get you baking and blending, honor the elderly, and test your taste buds’ spice tolerance with hot chicken. Wink! Wink!

When my daughter, Journey, turned to me and asked me during the Coronavirus pandemic, virtual schooling, and perpetual isolation, and amid the racial tension and political turmoil in our country, if we could create something like what we were reading about in a fictional book – a school newspaper – my immediate answer was YES! Of course! “And we will call it, Good News!”.

We all need a reservoir that we can count on to fill our cups with good. I think sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that we can only find good news in fiction, make-believe, mediums.

Well, the Good News REview is a testament that we do not have to get

lost in the pages of our favorite fictional books. We can be eyewitnesses to the good news happening all around us. Or we can sully our hands with newspaper ink to indulge in the good news from the Roberts Elementary view.

With the Good News REview, you can absolutely have your cake and your lemonade slushie, too!

I have had the privilege as the Editor-in-Chief of Good News REview to indulge in priming fourth-and-fifth-grade journalists to share the good news of sharing their authentic voices.

I am consistently awestruck and moved by the wide-eyed and unyieldingly enthusiastic intellect demonstrated weekly by the REview student journalists.

Our students slather these pages with their passions. When you listen closely, you can hear their hearts in each of their stories.

English Writer, Phillip Pullman, said, “After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world,” especially when they have a heart!

So, snuggle with a friend or with your family and enjoy a good story in the Good News REview. You need it!

1-2-RE-View!

Please share your positive thoughts, your good news, and what is inspiring you with the REview, and you might just see it in the next issue.

FRAN-VICTORIA STEPHENS

EDITOR

Email us at schoolnewspaper@robertspto.org

And now for some popular winter holidays

There are tons of winter holidays we celebrate all around the world.

Hanukkah, Christmas, and Chinese New Year are three popular winter holidays that students at Roberts celebrate.

If you are Jewish, you might celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a Jewish festival of lights remembering the recovery of Jerusalem. Those who celebrate Hanukkah, light menorahs and put them in the window to symbolize the eight nights of Hanukkah. Families also have fun playing games and eating food, such as Latkes, Kugel, Sufganiyot, and Hanukkah Gelt “all fried things.”

If you are Christian, you might celebrate Christmas. The reason people celebrate Christmas is to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. On Christmas Eve, some families put out cookies and milk for Santa Clause. If the kids were good that year, Santa Clause puts presents under their Christmas tree. Some people eat eggnog, tamales, and Christmas cookies during Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, my family eats Lefsa, which is like a Norwegian cookie.

The third holiday some people might celebrate is the Chinese New Year. More than half of the globe celebrates Chinese New Year, which originated about 3,500 years ago. During Chinese New Year, people watch dragon parades and eat foods like Longevity Noodles, whole steamed fish, and sticky rice balls.

Although these holidays are different, they all have something in common. All of these holidays are about spending time with your family and friends. Happy holidays!

Ciao! Como estas? Trés bien. Danke!

Students at Roberts speak almost 40 different languages

Have you ever wondered what it is like to speak another language? 46% of Roberts students know exactly what it is like to speak at least two languages.

Based on a survey of 25 out of 31 classes, 39 different languages are spoken at Roberts. Common languages like Spanish or Chinese stand well at the top of the list, but there are uncommon languages as well, including sign language, Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language, and Yui, a Trans-New Guinea language.

All the kids I interviewed enjoy being multi-lingual.

“Speaking Chinese is cool,” fourth grader Elena Simeng Wen said. She learned Chinese from her dad. Family plays a big role in learning languages. A lot of people I interviewed learned languages from family members.

To learn new languages, students also attend special schools or might learn from a friend. “Thanks to my friend, Anna,’’ fourth grader Thera Castellon Fernandez shared, “I’m improving my German.”

Thera, whose family speaks Spanish, was born in Switzerland. Now, she attends a German language school every Saturday. Thera is not the only trilingual student – speaking English, Spanish, and German.

According to the informal and non-scientific survey I conducted, six percent of students speak three languages and two percent even

speak four or more.

Knowing other languages can help you later in life. Or, at least, that is what Noah Johnathan Barbee, a fourth grader, thinks. “If I ever take a trip to France, I will understand other people and know what to say,” he said. Noah studied French at his old school in New York.

You can also learn how to read and write in your language. Most people I talked to knew how to read in their language and some knew how to write.

Knowing many different languages can be tricky, but it can also be fun. What languages do you want to learn?

Languages spoken at Roberts*

Moldavian

Families unite for Under the Stars

What if I told you that you could wake up on a Saturday morning with all your friends at school?

Well, at Roberts, we have an annual campout where you can do just that!

According to Ryan Hammer, the co-president of the PADRES, a Roberts PTO Committee just for the dads of Roberts students, the campout started on October 2, 2010.

The Roberts Campout began as a school auction hosted by nine dads and limited to only 30 tents. The next year it became a fundraiser, and this event actually led to the start of the PADRES.

The campout is a school fundraiser to raise money for the school PTO. Hammer says that the event typically raises around $2,500 for our school.  350 campers usually attend the campout each year.

There are activities that have been in the campout since it started, like movies, popcorn, and pizza.

But some things have changed. In the past, the PADRES and volunteers

served for breakfast the next morning. However, that proved to be too complicated, so the Roberts PADRES switched to donuts.  And who

doesn’t love a good donut?

Campers have to be prepared for the unexpected.

Hammer recalled, “One time the sprinklers went off because we forgot to turn them off!”.  Many of the campers on the Greenbriar side got wet as well as the inside their tents.

Coming prepared and exercising safety are also important for campers.  Students must come prepared with essential items, like a tent, a sleeping bag, a jacket in case it is cold, and a flashlight.  Luckily, this year we had warm weather. So, students were able to wear shorts! Unfortunately, for safety reasons, fires are not allowed. So, students, bring your own s’mores-flavored snacks. Also, this year, Hammer suggested that all students should bring a reusable cup for their drinks. So, we can be mindful of the environment.

If you want to spend the night under the stars with your friends, take a note from Adil Dutt.  He has attended the campout two years in a row. He says the best part of the Roberts Elementary Campout is hanging with his friends and eating donuts.

So next year, be ready with your gear to hang with your friends and gaze at the stars.

The two types of teaching: Split class or single classes

A

educational article with a debate topic between having one teacher, or having two.

This year, at Roberts, kindergarten through third grade have only one teacher. But fourth and fifth grade have two teachers. But really, what is the difference? And which, if any, is overall better according to two students, a fifth grader who changes teachers during the day, and a third grader, who stays with the same teacher all day, along with a Kindergarten and fourth-grade teacher?

REECE PATTON, FIFTH GRADER

How many teachers do you have?

Two, Mr. Walker and Ms. Jucker.

What is a good thing about having two teachers?

You get to know two different teachers with two different personalities.

What is a bad thing about having two classes?

You have twice the homework since both teachers give different homework.

And lastly, which is overall better? Split classes or one class!

Split class!

ALICE VERRET, THIRD GRADE

How many teachers do you have? One, but she is wonderful!

Would you prefer split classes? Why or why not?

No, I feel like it would be really annoying to transfer all my stuff between classes. What is a good thing about split classes?

Well, when only having one teacher, you only know that one teacher. Sure, you can talk to the other teachers a little bit, but not really know the other teachers. With two teachers, you can get to know them both equally!

And now for the bonus Christmas-y questions!

What is your favorite thing to put on hot chocolate?

Candy canes and whipped cream!

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer or Frosty the snowman?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer!

And Alice also asked a really good question, why interview kids?

Nora Essinger: I chose to interview kids because then we kind of have some students to represent us. If I only interviewed teachers, students would feel kind of left out. Since all the kids read the newspaper, that would not make sense! Thank you, Alice Verret!

MS. NGYUEN, A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER Do you teach two classes(split class) or only one? One class

What is a good thing about (your teaching method – single classes)?

You become very familiar with the kids and vice versa. It helps establish a good classroom community and create a closer bond within the school family.

Would you prefer the other type of teaching? Why or why not?

I’ve considered looping with my kids up to the next grade-level. I think having the established relationships helps students progress further along in their academics since the teacher would already have a good idea of where to start academically with the students.

What is a con of (your teaching method –single classes)?

Sometimes students need to experience a different teaching method. It’s nice to collaborate with other teachers to learn new ways to approach/teach different concepts.

Which do/would you overall prefer?

I love teaching my Nguyen-ers all year long! I love seeing where they started at the beginning of the year and how far they have grown at the end of the year.

BONUS CHRISTMAS QUESTION

What is your favorite thing to add to hot chocolate? Whip cream!

What is your favorite way to keep warm in the winter? Using the fireplace

And lastly, the unnecessary argument, Candy canes or Peppermint?! Peppermint!!!

Thank you so much Ms. Ngyuen!

MR. VUONG, A FOURTH-GRADE TEACHER

Do you teach two classes(split class) or only one?

I teach two classes.

What is a good thing about (your teaching method – split classes)?

The students get to see multiple teachers during the day.

Would you prefer the other type of teaching? Why or why not?

No, I like the switch because it allows for the day to be broken up and makes it simpler for us as teachers planning-wise.

What is a con of (your teaching method –split classes)?

Sometimes the classes complete lessons as different paces, so planning becomes difficult when one class is ahead of the other.

Which do/would you overall prefer?

I prefer switching.

DON’T STOP NOW! BONUS CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS

What is your favorite thing to add to hot chocolate?

I like a classic hot chocolate, so just marshmallows.

What is your favorite way to keep warm in the winter?

I am a big fan of sweaters and sweatshirts.

Conclusion! Overall, I have read through everything, and can confirm that, drumroll, IT’S A TIE! I know it’s really disappointing, but I read through all the answers, and this conclusion was the only true conclusion!

As we wrap it up, thank you to everyone who participated, and Merry Christmas! But tell me, which one do you think really won?

ELEMENTARY THOUGHTS

Changing names — changing futures

When we attend school, not many of us realize that our school’s eponym is Oran M. Roberts, someone who fought in the Confederate States Army in the United States Civil War (18611863). In other words, Roberts wanted slavery to be legal. I hope that you would want to have our school renamed, but if we do that we would have to go through the complicated process of changing our name.

In this article, I will summarize the steps of changing a school’s name and two examples of schools that have changed their name.

First, the principal must talk with the school board and PTO about changing the name of the school. Then, the trustees of the school district appoint a committee chair or someone who is in charge. That person has many meetings with the school and suggests alternate names. Once they come up with the top names the school board votes.

Below is the list of schools that have changed their names, due to similar reasons Roberts might change its name.

LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL

Lamar’s mascot used to be the Redskins, which is an offensive term for Native Americans. In April 2014, Lamar High School changed the mascot’s name to the Texans.

Sidney Clopton Lanier, the former eponym of Lanier Middle School, was a member of the Confederate army and a fan of legal slavery, just like Oran Roberts. In May 2016, Lanier Middle School changed their eponym to Bob Lanier, a former mayor of Houston, without much change to the middle school’s name.

These are just two examples of schools in the Houston Independent School District that have changed their name or mascot. Hopefully, our Roberts will soon be joining this list.

The true history of Oran M. Roberts

A biography of our eponym, Oran M. Roberts.

The importance of a good eponym

Every day as I walk into school, I see the big sign saying Oran M. Roberts Elementary.

That sign actually means a great deal to students. Even if most people do not realize it, the name of a school means a lot to students everywhere. The name Roberts is on shirts and on websites. You want to have a good name for a school because it will be everywhere and will be a part of you.

So, what is in a name?

When you think about your school name, you want to be inspired. Right? Some schools have eponyms - the person whose name hangs outside your school building. If your school has an eponym that does not positively inspire you, how would that make you feel?

I think students want to be motivated by a good eponym. If your school is named after someone you can admire, then you will look up to that person. I like to look up to a person who has a positive reputation like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Examples of schools with good eponyms in Houston are Michael Ellis DeBakey High School, Bob Lanier Middle School, and John J. Pershing Middle School.

These schools are named after different people who did different things, including developing inventions for surgery and being the mayor of Houston. But these names have the same purpose. The names stand for the schools and represent the schools. It is important to remember that.

The purpose of a school’s name is to represent the school and the students who attend. So, if your school’s eponym is not good, you, as a student, might feel like you are representing something not so good.

Now, think about who a good eponym, with a positive reputation for a school, would be and why.

When you think of the name Oran M. Roberts, you never think about the person. You think about the big engraving of his name in front of the flagpole, the healthy Roberts community at our school, or even the Roberts Elementary merchandise. But did you ever really think of Oran Milo Roberts?

In this article, I will give you a few facts that I researched in the Texas Handbook and make you really think if his name should represent us on the front of our school building.

Oran M Roberts, or as you may not have known, Oran Milo Roberts, is the person our school is named after. He was born on July 19th, 1815. He was born and raised in South Carolina and was homeschooled until 17. In 1832, he was admitted to the University of Alabama and graduated in 1836.

In 1837, he became a lawyer. After serving as a lawyer in Alabama, he moved to Texas in 1841.

In Texas, he opened a successful law practice. Later on, Oran Roberts was appointed district attorney, by Sam Houston, whom our city is named after.

In 1844, he was appointed district judge by James Pickney Henderson, the Texas Governor. During his time as a district judge, he was also President of the Board and lecturer in law for The University of San Augustine. Working at the

University, he was an extraordinary teacher and good at his job.

Oran Roberts believed in and fought for the Republic of Texas. He wanted Texas to be its own country, not a state of the United States.

Some people did not believe that the United States could become a real country. They wanted Texas as a country instead. It did become a sovereign state for ten years, 18361846. The republic had its own currency – the Redbacks.

Unfortunately for Roberts, later Texas became a state of the United States.

In 1856, he also ran for a position in the Texas Supreme Court, and he won.

Of course, our eponym was not perfect, as he was a huge part of the Confederate States Army in the United States Civil War. The Confederate States Army was a group of people from the South who believed in keeping slaves and not freeing African Americans.

Today, we have learned about our eponym, Oran Milo Roberts. You may not want our school to be named Oran M. Roberts. Maybe we can change it to a non-confederate Roberts! But whatever it is you think, the one thing you can do is read the rest of the articles about Roberts. Then you will really think hard about your decision. You can also do your own research.

SUGGESTION BOX

We could come together, as a school community, and choose a name together.

We could have an Election Day to vote

for the person we want to name the school after.

We could also spin a Wheel of Names to decide the winner.

Or, we could name our school after Robert

If I knew sooner, I would have been concerned and uncomfortable that the person the school was named after was not a good person. HAROON PAREKH

New annual Texas Family Literacy Festival: Story Square’s Lit with Families

There was a rumor weeks leading up to the first-ever Texas family literacy festival. Even the day before Story Square’s Lit with Families, the weather forecast was rain and thunderstorms for Sunday, October 16, 2022. It wasn’t looking so bright.

But the first-ever Texas Family Literacy Festival proved that families are the new light. The families brought the sunshine.

In the Story Square vocabulary, family means light.

Our very own Good News REview Editor, Fran-Victoria Stephens is the president and founder of Story Square, an education social enterprise working to increase family literacy.

She said with a smile, “The future is lit with families – not with the backlight of our alwayson cellphones.”

Story Square’s mission places families on centerstage bringing fun, learning, families, and literacy together. Then, POOF, you get alphabet magic.

There were alphabet magic booths all over Story Square, where families did fun literacy activities together.

Texas really needs something new and special like Story Square to help with our literacy problem.

I did some research and found in 2019 only 25% of Texas eighth graders and 30% of Texas fourth graders earned at or above the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) standard for proficiency in Texas.

At NAEP, proficiency means that if you are a fourth grader, you should read like a fourth grader - on grade level. Story Square wants to get everyone on track to excel in their grade using the power of family encouragement and involvement.

So, Story Square went big with the first-ever Texas family literacy festival in downtown Houston’s Discovery Green.

Families enjoyed fun family learning and brought fun and life to Story Square, where the

magic of literacy lives.

“Story Square had the magic pill that finally made my kids bookworms overnight,” said Lily Garcia, mother of four, whose kids got free books at the festival and did not put them down!

There were lots of authors, family spaces to read together, free books, giveaways, face painting, a DJ, performances from Pershing Dance and Meyerland PVA Dance Teams, a Mariachi Band and Guitar Ensemble from Meyerland

PVA, a balloon twisting virtuoso, and desserts on the Square.

Our Roberts community played a big part in the festival, too. Ms. Marina Jenkins, our lovely art teacher, sold earrings from her booth, Clayground, and lots of Roberts families came to have fun. Some Roberts alumni, students, and parents volunteered. And, six Roberts students: Jiya Parekh, Kellen Konrath, Haroon Parekh, Journey Stephens, Catherine Yu, and Annabel

Thorvilson, and one alumnus: Sophie Parekh, were chosen to write in the Story Square publication, Spellbound, about parents’ special role in kids’ education.

When that much light (over 500 families/ over 2000 attendees) united in one place, there was no way any clouds could stand that much shine! The 16th of October, Sunday, was the best day possible to have this sweet first for Texas and Story Square.

Holiday activities we can all enjoy

Ah, winter break is about to start, and you might be thinking about what sort of things you can do during the break. I shared a list of some of my favorite holiday shows to attend, activities to enjoy, and spectacles to see during the holidays.

THE NUTCRACKER

The Nutcracker is a ballet about Christmas with wonderful songs, amazing dancing, and incredible costumes.

ICE SKATING

Even though we do not have frozen lakes in Houston, you can still experience ice skating at the Galleria, Memorial City Mall, or Discovery Green.

HOUSTON ZOO LIGHTS

Zoo lights is an event where you can walk through the zoo at night and experience many beautiful light shows and exhibits. Do not forget to have a hot chocolate and smores as you tour the zoo.

RIVER OAKS LIGHTS

During the holidays you can tour River Oaks in a

horse-drawn carriage, hayride, or even drive in your car with the windows down. Many houses have music, lights, and snow machines where you can take pictures or get out and play in the snow. Be sure to bring your own cider, hot chocolate, and cookies.

HOLIDAY MOVIES

One thing you can do during the holidays is you can jump on the couch with family and watch a movie, such as The Grinch, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, or Christmas Vacation.

MORE HOLIDAY FUN

There are many other things to do like caroling around the neighborhood, baking cookies, and delivering them to people at a retirement home or friends, and decorating gingerbread houses or maybe even your own house for the holidays, but the examples above are my favorite.

And do not forget about New Year’s. There are lots of ways to celebrate, but my favorite is having good friends and family over for fun, food, and games. No matter how you celebrate, I wish you a very merry holiday season!

2022 most viral food

Each year, new foods become trendy, and this year, the newly trending foods were calling my name.

One food, in particular, that has gained significant popularity and gone viral this year is hot chicken.

So, what are viral foods?

Viral foods are food trends that spread all over social media and get big audiences quickly.

And right now, the trend is for social media influencers to share videos of eating extremely spicy foods, especially hot chicken.

A great example of the hot chicken food trend happens to be right around the corner from Roberts in Rice Village at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Dave’s Hot Chicken has drastically expanded its locations in Houston in the last year.

The restaurant started to go viral when a popular YouTuber and TikToker, “The Spice King,” started making videos of himself eating these sandwiches without a problem — even at the maximum spice level. After acquiring such high views, immediately influencers knew spicy

foods meant “views”.

When I saw a Dave’s Hot Chicken post on TikTok, I enjoyed watching the different reactions the influencers exhibited while eating the chicken sandwiches from the lowest spice level to the spiciest. After all those spicy reviews, I knew I had to try it! Lucky for me, Dave’s Hot Chicken opened up in the Rice Village. It was my chance!

I began my journey to find the spiciest hot chicken sandwich at Dave’s. As soon as I started ordering, I noticed you had to sign a waiver to eat the Reaper Sandwich, their spiciest sandwich, which has Carolina Reapers!

Carolina Reaper peppers can score up to 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 Scoville units. Yikes! A Caroline Reaper is about 175 to 880 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper!

I really wanted the Reaper Sandwich, but my dad saved me. I finally gave in and got the Extra Hot Sandwich, which is one level under the Reaper. It was still extremely spicy!

As I took a bite, I thought I might be the only kid to have no reaction. I was very wrong. I really underestimated how spicy this hot chicken would be. My face was as red as a Carolina Reaper. I felt like

It

The connection between Rice Village and Rice University

Almost everyone I know loves to eat out at Rice Village, but I bet they do not ever stop to think about how everything runs behind the scenes.

The money you pay for ice cream could be a small part of getting someone through college.

I learned that Rice Village is not just a bunch of stores and yummy food, but so much more. One store can benefit students, faculty, and our community in many ways.

Have you ever thought about where the money you pay to eat, shop, or do fun activities at Rice Village really goes? Because Rice University owns a majority of Rice Village real estate, Rice

Village uses the money earned from property ownership in three main ways.

1. UNIVERSITY’S CAPITAL NEEDS

The capital needs are things such as new buildings, maintenance, and any other supplies they might need.

2. FINANCIAL

AID/SCHOLARSHIPS

Some of the money that Rice Village stores and restaurants earn helps students who are applying to Rice University get scholarships.

3. COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Rice University uses the money to provide

sponsorships. The university has sponsored many organizations, for example, West U Little League, West U Elementary, Rice University Athletics, and even Roberts Elementary. Interestingly, Rice University selects just the right restaurants in order to attract the most people, particularly Rice University faculty and staff and to appeal to surrounding neighborhoods.

Rice Village is such a great place, but I would not have learned how special Rice Village is to Rice University if Morgan Lera, an Investment Manager for Rice Management Company who oversees Rice Village, did not take the time to chat with me about this con -

For the love of cooking

Two easy recipes you can recreate at home

I love to cook.

I love the satisfaction of my knife slicing through the lemons, potatoes, or bread. I love making a mess sometimes. I think it is fun, even though I have to clean it after.

To cook, as a home cook, is not just cooking. It is planning, shopping, preparing, combining, heating, and serving. Not all of those things are fun.

But cooking at home can be easy, delicious, and help you avoid hidden calories and unhealthy ingredients you will find in restaurant meals.

My dad is my inspiration and the best cook

I know.

I started cooking in March 2020 when we were home a lot due to the pandemic.

Just like every little thing in life is important, every ingredient plays a part in the dish. Cooking is not just about ingredients and recipes but also imagination and creativity.

One of the easiest and yummiest things I created was a lemonade slushie with my very own recipe.

The other delicious recipe I use frequently is for rainbow bread and is definitely going to impress your family and friends during the holiday season.

I hope these recipes spark an interest in cooking for you, too!

LEMONADE SLUSHIE

In a blender, combine the following:

• 1-2 lemons (cut into slices)

• 4 cups crushed ice (it makes it easier to blend)

• 2 cups water

• ½ cup sugar (powdered sugar makes it easier to blend)

Blend all the ingredients together for a minute or so. Strain into glasses and serve immediately.

nection between the University and its Village.

She told me, “Last year the endowment (funded by the university’s investment in Rice Village) provided roughly a 50% discount to total tuition for students.”

Her favorite places to invest her own personal funds in Rice Village were Sweet Green and Sixty Vines. Even though they are not my favorites, they are still pretty good.

Rice Village is a wonderful place to get out and enjoy the outdoors, but this article highlights how you could be a part of that by just going there and supporting our community as well as Rice University.

RAINBOW BREAD

Preheat your oven to 350℉.

In a large bowl, combine:

• 3-4 eggs (It depends on how fluffy you want to make the bread - more eggs make bread fluffier.)

• 1 cup of water

• ½ cup of vegetable oil

After whisking them together for 2-3 minutes, add white cake mix and combine until there are no lumps.

Pour equal amounts of the batter into 5 separate bowls.

Add different food colorings in each, and the chocolate powder in 1 bowl (I use Ovaltine because I like the chocolate malt flavor). Pour the batter in a baking pan and swirl with a fork to make a marble pattern.

Bake for 30 minutes.

HEALTH

All about

FOOD ALLERGIES

The topic of food allergies is an especially important topic that not everyone knows about. We should all be aware of the seriousness of food allergies, whether you have them or not.

“A food allergy is when the body sees food that it sees as foreign and attacks it with antibodies. When the antibodies attack the food, it causes you to have a reaction,” said Jessica Hui, an Allergy and Immunology physician working at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, who says her favorite part of the job is, “being able to see my patients get better.”

When someone has an allergic reaction, the symptoms can range anywhere from a runny nose to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is when someone has a very bad, possibly fatal, reaction that can have symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or a quick heartbeat.

So, if you notice that someone is having a reaction after eating food, it is very important to let an adult know.

I asked Dr. Hui about what she thought

was the most important thing to know about food allergies.

“I think the most important thing to know about food allergies is that the amount of people who have food allergies is increasing.” According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, in the year 2008, only about three million children had food allergies. Only ten years later, 4.8 million children had food allergies. It is important to be aware that food allergies have increased over the past years.

People have been looking for possible ways to cure food allergies. Oral immunotherapy is one of these amazing methods. It is currently available to those with peanut allergies, and in the future hopefully more.

“Oral immunotherapy is similar to allergy shots, except by mouth. The patient takes a very small amount of the thing that they are allergic to every day, and over time that amount gets bigger. It’s important to do it bit by bit or else they could have a reaction,” Dr. Hui explains.

Scientists are also looking into why food allergies happen. Dr. Hui is one of those researchers.

“In many people with food allergies, they have eczema and then food allergies. We also think things like pollution or extreme temperatures can help with allergy development,” she said. Children are not born with food allergies. They develop them later on, more commonly before adulthood.

You might wonder if there are ways to help those with food allergies. Happily, there are. Some people with allergies have to be careful, not only with eating but also with touching things they are allergic to. If that is the case, you can make sure that foods that have their allergens stay out of their space.

You should also try not to make comments such as, “that was so good. I feel really bad for you.” Even if you do not mean to be unkind, you could hurt his or her feelings.

If you know anyone with a food allergy you

can ask them how they navigate life with food allergies, and how you can help. If you want to learn more about food allergies, visit FoodAllergy.org

HeHe HaHa: Why laughing is good for you

Laughter is incredibly good for your health.

But why is laughter good for your health?

Whether laughing at a funny joke, or for no reason at all, laughter benefits us greatly. If you think about books, characters almost always feel better when they laugh. Right?

When you are upset, laughing will make you feel happier. It relieves stress relief and helps with many other things. But again, why? Well, to answer that we need to know more about laughing and how it affects our well-be-

ing and health.

Did you know people can endure 15% more pain just by laughing for a few minutes? It’s true! Scientists at Oxford University have conducted tests revealing that when you laugh your body releases four chemicals called hormones.

1. Endorphins: promote feelings of pleasure, reduce anxiety, and can function as painkillers.

2. Dopamine: fends off stress and enhances learning and motivation.

3. Oxytocin: increases growth and healing.

4. Serotonin: helps pass nerve messages through the body and plays a huge role in the functions and overall health of our bodies.

Laughter gives serotonin a big boost. And all of these hormones support the body’s healthy functioning.

Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from Mumbai, India, believed in laughter’s benefits, too. So, he started a laughing club. The club starts with stretches, then maybe some meditation. During the classes, the participants sing

and dance. Then, there is forced laughing as a kind of exercise. Soon, forced laughter becomes more spontaneous. This class is also called laughter yoga. It sounds very fun and casual with, of course, lots of laughter.

Laughter is awesome for your health and a pleasant thing to do. No matter who you are, a bit of laughter will always cheer you up if you are down.T

Now, think about laughter cheering you up and try to make someone laugh if they feel sad. If someone was upset, what would you do to make them laugh?

LIFESTYLE

The Hill Country Equestrian Lodge. // Facebook

Got summer plans? There’s horseback riding in Bandera

Before we know it, summer break will be here.  Some students have scheduled vacations, summer camps, or staycations.  If you do not have plans yet, I know the perfect getaway paradise in Bandera, Texas – The Hill Country Equestrian Lodge.

The lodge is located on a 100-plus-year-old ranch about four and a half hours from Houston by car.  As you approach the ranch, you will see rolling hills in all directions.

Thick brush and cacti cover the dry soil.  There are ranches all around.  At the end of a dirt road is the gate to the ranch.  Once you drive passed the gate, there are horses all around.

While horses graze in a back pasture on one side of the ranch, other horses roam in the front pasture surrounding the cabins where you will stay.  Do not worry about the horses’ temperament because the lodge only allows the kindest

horses to roam in the front pasture.

The main attraction at Hill Country Equestrian is the horseback riding program that offers trail rides and lessons.  The instructors accommodate any level of rider from beginner to advanced.

Most families stay in their own two-bedroom cabins.  If your family needs more than two beds, then there are larger cabins available.

The cabins have two or more bathrooms, a kitchen, a fireplace, and a living room.

Although the main attraction is horseback riding, the lodge has other attractions for non-equestrians.  The lodge is located next to a nature preserve called the Hill Country State Natural Area, where hiking, bike riding, bird and wildlife watching, and fossil hunting are great ways to pass the time.  You can find deer, wild hogs, armadillos, and birds all over the ranch and nature preserve.  Fishing in the packed watering hole is another great activity.

You can go golfing, swimming, tubing, and kayaking near the ranch as well.  The swimming options include the ranch’s Cowboy Cool Pool and the jacuzzi under the beautiful stars.  The Medina River is another perfect place for a dip.

If you want to go to a summer camp, the lodge offers a wonderful beginning-of-summer camp. The camp activities are the same for girls nine to 17 years old.  Unlike the lodge, the camp is for horseback riding only. You can stay at this sleepaway camp for up to four weeks in a cabin with three or fewer campers and one counselor.  The counselors, who act like just another camper, always befriend the campers.

At the end of every camp session, campers participate in a horseshow for their parents.  Campers bond with counselors and other campers and learn about different places in Texas since the campers come from all over Texas.

If you are free this summer, make sure to check out the Hill Country Equestrian Lodge!

CFF Texas Gulf Chapter held a fundraising event for Cystic Fibrosis on November 15, 2022, on the member preview night at the Houston Zoo Lights.

It was called CFF Great Strides. My family and I formed Team Jiya made up of our friends, Roberts teachers, and Roberts families.

We printed Team Jiya t-shirts for all my friends and my teacher. We saw many animal lights together at Houston Zoo Lights, including a forest and a SeaWorld. There was also a field of colored light-up flowers that flashed on the beats of the music.

The event was a very festive atmosphere with lights everywhere, such as snowflakes, stars, JOY, PEACE, and LOVE signs, and on a huge Christmas tree. We clicked many pictures together.

There was a get-together at the Masihara Pavilion at the end. We saw other CF families with their teams. One CF team distributed different color bead necklaces to distinguish CFers, friends, and families. There were snacks such as hot cocoa, cookies, and bars. A surprising Santa visit and an amazing juggler on stilts were great additions to the event. Also, CF magazines and informational flyers were provided to help all who attended understand more about CF.

The CFF Gulf Coast Chapter made an important announcement about the progress of scientific research about CF: The average age for CFers has risen to 53 years old which was just 37 years old a few years ago. This big achievement -increasing the average age that a CFer can expect to live - is because of CF research.

We would appreciate your donation to the CFF Foundation, which is open all year long, to continue to fund ongoing Cystic Fibrosis research. Please donate at: www.cff.org/donate

Celebrating 97 years of kindness and gratitude

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live for 97 years?

According to the website, infoplease.com, a website that provides facts about everything from world geography to United States government statistics, the 2010 United States Census Bureau reported that only .1% of the United States population is over the age of 95.

In 2022, the iPhone 14 just came out, we can get groceries online and delivered wherever we need them, and we can even go to school online. Times and technology are always changing.

When Charles H. Cox, a 97-year-old native Oklahoman and my great-grandfather, was growing up in the late 1920s and 1930s, he recalls the only phone people could use was a cor-

ded house phone with a receiver that you hold to your ear so that you could ask an operator to call the number of your friend. Then, you would wait to see if your friend picked up the phone on the other end.

Mr. Cox was born November 1, 1925.

One of the questions I asked him during my eye-opening interview was where most people were born - in hospitals or their homes. Mr. Cox was born “in his house with a midwife because not very many people were born in hospitals,” he explained.  Most people were born in their houses because of the high cost of hospitals. And he shared that a lot of African Americans and non-whites were not welcome at hospitals at that time in Oklahoma’s history.

Even though hospitals were expensive for most people, bread was very cheap by our stan-

dards today going for about 10 cents a loaf.

The average cost of regular white bread in late 2022 is $1.81, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is 2,859.20% higher than a loaf of bread in 1939 when Mr. Cox was just 14 years old.

My great-grandfather laughed as he remembered that if you did not want to pay with money or could not afford to go to the movie theater, you could barter with items like cleaning supplies, food, and trinkets for a movie ticket.

At Tennessee State University, where Mr. Cox attended, college was approximately $807.79 in the 1940s. Today out-of-state tuition at Tennessee State University is over $21,000.

$807 was a lot of money back then, but Mr. Cox was determined to get an education and be a part of the 1% of African-American four-year-co-

llege graduates.

Neighbors, African-American sororities and fraternities, family members, and close friends gave small amounts of money to help see Mr. Cox flourish and thrive in college. This kindness still was not enough. He got a job at Langston to be a janitor to pay off his tuition. Later on, he and his wife, Mrs. Betty Finley Cox, started a club with their friends to help young students achieve their goals of becoming college graduates.

The prices and times might have changed, but my PaPa is still thriving. He has consistently been a unique part of history standing out from the crowd. He has continued the legacy of the kindness people showed him and who helped him succeed.

How can you show kindness and help someone less fortunate flourish?

The ocean: More than just a beach day

“It’s just water.”

That is what most people think about the ocean.

But it is not true.

The ocean is actually a thriving ecosystem with incredibly weird creatures. But that is not all.

The ocean helps us, humans, in more ways than you would ever imagine. According to the National Ocean Service, there are at least seven ways humans benefit from the ocean.

THE AIR WE BREATHE

It turns out that more than 50% of the oxygen in our atmosphere is produced by the ocean. Crazy, right?

EFFICIENT THOROUGHFARE

76% of United States trade involves some form of marine transportation from general cargo ships to deep-sea submarines.

RECREATION

From fishing to boating to kayaking to whale watching to swimming, the ocean is an outdoor activity paradise. Roberts art teacher Marina Jenkins, for example, loves to snorkel and look for seashells. She finds the ocean relaxing.

Once you’ve seen the ocean, you can’t have enough,” she said.

FOOD

Jenkins also loves seafood. Her favorite seafood is crab legs. Sisters, Erin and Ashley Church, Ro-

berts second and fourth graders, said they love shrimp, cod, salmon, tilapia, and crab. And they are not alone. Based on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average American ate more than 19 pounds of seafood in 2019.

CLIMATE REGULATION

The ocean transports heat from the north and south poles, which helps regulate our climate and weather patterns.

ECONOMY

According to the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, ocean economy is “the sum of the economic activities of ocean-based industries, together with the assets, goods and services provided by marine ecosystems.” The United States ocean economy produces $282 billion in goods and services each year.

MEDICINE

The ocean gives us ingredients that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.

The dying truth about farm animals

Have you ever wondered why so many farm animals are dying?

There are many causes of death for animals, for example, diseases or starvation but also because of predators. We, humans, are the most dangerous predators of all when it comes to farm animals.

At one point in human history, long before there were grocery stores and restaurants, humans used to hunt animals. But now we raise them on farms or factories. Then, when they are ready to be eaten, we kill them and sell them.

But sadly, humans are killing too many animals for consumption.

According to the website, 2022 United States Animal Kill Clock (animalclock.org), “more than 55 billion animals die each year. 25 million a day.”

How do humans contribute to the total number of animals dying each year?

The human population is growing in our cities, which means there are more humans eating more and more meat raised on farms and in factories. Commercial fast foods are one of the main reasons for the dramatic increase in meat consumption and therefore more farm

animal slaughters.

According to the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Magazine, “the (fast food) industry is supposed to make $331 billion in revenue this year.” For example, fast food companies such as McDonald’s ranked number one with $46 billion, and Chick-fil-a ranked number three with $16.7 billion.

Each year, about 41 million cows are slaughtered to produce beef, according to Sentient Media. This huge amount of meat production can affect worldwide problems like pollution and cause food chains to break.

As reported by the Food and Agriculture Or-

ganization of the United Nations (FAO), global livestock production makes up 14.5 percent of damage in pollution.

Did

know that some animals

Although humans play a significant role in the truth about farm animals dying, we can also be part of the solution. We can be more thoughtful about not eating too much meat.

Let’s eat more greens! Let’s eat more fruits!

“There are tons of organisms in the ocean” said Dakshina Jandhyala, Director of Core Research Labs and Facilities at University of Houston’s College of Pharmacy, “many unknown or poorly studied. However, several have been shown to produce chemicals that may be useful in treating a variety of diseases in humans.”

Additionally, scientists use the bright blue blood of the horseshoe crab to test vaccines to make sure that they are safe for humans to consume.

So, next time you spend a day at the beach, think about all the good the sea has done for us.

Spotlight on rare diseases: An awareness campaign

This third issue of Good News Review will spotlight Cystic Fibrosis, a rare disease.

Cystic Fibrosis (also known as CF) is a genetic disease which means you are born with it.

CF makes breathing harder because there is thicker and more sticky mucus that develops in the lungs of those who have been diagnosed with CF.

There are symptoms such as cough and colds. CF is not contagious at all. CFers take breathing treatments daily in the morning and evening. CFers also need to take pills called enzymes with every meal to help digest food.

CF is very rare as there are only 40,000 people with it in the United States. Currently, there is no cure for it. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) helps continue CF research with fundraising events. The purpose of the events is to raise money to find a cure.

1973 tennis battle: Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs

Do you know about the famous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs?

Billie Jean King was one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

When King was born in Long Beach, California in 1943, she was a good person helping people.

In 1959, she started to play tennis, and that is when she started to shine. She was a great tennis player. The only problem was women did not play tennis back then competitively.

There was no Serena and Venus William yet!

That never stopped King from crushing ten-

nis balls left and right. When famous tennis player, Bobby Riggs, learned about King, he knew that he had found his next challenge. Riggs was notorious for challenging women to tennis mat-

ches to show they could not play as well as men. When King caught wind of Riggs’s feelings about women, she was ready.

On May 13, 1973, the two faced off. They were both carried out to the court like Egyptian gods.

When they stepped on the tennis court, they were ready.

The matches were tight, but King was winning.

At a certain point, she knew she could win. So, with the slam of a serve, she won vigorously.

She came out victorious and reminded Riggs, and the rest of the world, that women can do anything!

Bobby learned his lesson: Never judge a book by its cover.

The Ultimate Guide to the World Cup

FIFA stands for (Federation International de Football Association)

Let’s face it. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, even though a lot of the United States’ greatest athletes choose baseball or football because those sports pay more money and are more well-known here in the United States.

So, if soccer is the most popular sport in the world, we should take some time to get familiar with how countries from all over the world compete to win the World Cup, the greatest victory in the world of soccer.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST WORLD CUP PLAYED?

The FIFA president, Jules Rimet, a Frenchman, had the idea to begin the World Cup. FIFA held the first World Cup in 1930 when the governing body decided to host a men’s international tournament in Uruguay.

HOW DOES A TEAM QUALIFY FOR THE WORLD CUP?

It’s all about the chants

Some people may think that the most popular sporting event is the Superbowl, the World Series, or even the NBA finals. But in reality, the most popular and widely viewed event is the World Cup. The World Cup has been going on since 1930, and one of the World Cup’s unique aspects that brings people together has been the teams’ chants. Chants make the World Cup extra-special.

World Cup chants have been going on for a long time. A team in England, Norwich City, sang the first soccer chant in 1902. “On the Ball City” was the name of the song.

Following that, chants started spreading throughout the world. In the 1986 World Cup hosted by Mexico, Belgian singers started to translate a popular song from French to Spanish.

This famous chant is known today as “Ole, Ole, Ole” and originated from the French chant “Allez, Allez, Allez”. Each generation has passed these chants down. Some of these chants are very familiar to many families within our own Roberts community, here are some examples below.

(Many of these chants, in their modern form, started in the 1960s)

From England: “England ‘til I die, I’m England ‘til I die, I know I am, I’m sure I am I’m England ‘til I die!”

From the Netherlands: “Hup Holland Hup!”Go Holland Go!

From Belgium: “Waar’s dat feestje? Hier’s dat feestje!”- Where’s the party, here’s the party!

From Brazil: “Em, 58 Foi Pele, Em 62 Foi Mane, Em, 70 Foi Esquadrao, Primeiro a ser tricampeao…Brasil, Ole, Ole, Ole!” – In ’58, it was Pele, In ’62, it was Mane, In ’70, it was Esqua-

drao. First to be three-time champions…Brazil, Ole, Ole, Ole! – This chant was provided to me by Mrs. Degaine, Victor Degaine’s mother, who is originally from Brazil.

From France: “Qui ne saute pas n est pas Francais” – “Who doesn’t jump around is not French” – this song was provided by Mr. Degaine, who is French.

And last but not least, one of the youngest chants, from the United States - “We are the US, We are the US, The Mighty Mighty US!”

All of these generations of songs and chants have me thinking that we should start a Roberts Elementary chant! How about “Bang! Bang! Bang! We are the Mustangs!” Let’s see if we too can start a fun chant and use it at some of our school events. After all, music makes everything more fun!

What do you think our chant should be?

A team makes it to the World Cup by qualifying in confederations (organizations that consist of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league).

Only 32 out of 209 teams will make it to the World Cup. The team that hosts the World Cup, does not have to qualify. For example, the United States will not have to qualify in 2026 because we are hosting it.

HOW DOES THE TOURNAMENT WORK?

In the Group Stage, the 32 teams are divided into eight groups, and there are four groups in each of the eight groups. That is the grouping of the teams that will play each other. The team has to be one of the top two teams in each of the eight groups to make it to the Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, when the team loses, they go home. If they win, they are still in the tournament. When a team is in the championship match, the team might face the best in the world.

Now do not be silly and miss the next chance to watch the world cup. Until next time, see you next semester on January fourth.

TECHNOLOGY

Best iPhones for kids this giving season

Pssst….parents, this article is really for you. Kids, if you are in the market for a new phone for this giving season, pass Good News REview over to Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa.

It is that time of year. Presents are spontaneously appearing under trees. Everyone’s getting ready for all the holidays.

Make sure you do not forget one of the most valuable, tangible gifts a kid and parent could ask for…a phone. Phones, as gifts for kids, have advantages and disadvantages.

iPhones have many safety features that impact your child for the better. If you are splurging for the iPhone 14 this giving season, your child will have crash detection. In other words, if your child walks home and they fall, the iPhone will detect the fall notifying emergency contacts. Cool, right?

However, you do not have to worry about paying $800 for a phone for a kid if you do not want to. There are plenty of less expensive options.

For screen time limits, app restrictions, family time-sharing, and other settings, even an iPhone 6 would work, which can range from approximately $70-100.

Ms. Jefferson, our Wrap-Around Specialist, said, at first, she was doubtful about her daughter having a phone, but the benefits were outstanding. When her daughter, Peyton, goes places without her, she can “easily call or text Peyton and get into contact with her,” Jefferson explained.

IPHONE SE

This option is great if you are on a tight budget, want a smaller iPhone that is just as good, but you do not want the excellent camera and bells and whistles. This pocket-sized phone is $429 dollars brand new. It is perfect for a first-time iPhone for a kid. It is a good starter device for Apple products also.

Pros: Price, Small size, Durability

Cons:No Face ID, Older, less modern design  (According to Mac World.com)

The iPhone SE 23 could still provide them with the basic necessities that smartphones provide, but the overall design of the iPhone SE is archaic and not as new or modern.

IPHONE 12

The 2020 iPhone 12 is one of the best iPhones for young people: older elementary school

There are several iPhone options for kids.

students to teens, who could possibly have larger hands.

The iPhone 12 starts at $600 brand new straight from the Apple store. If you buy the refurbished iPhone 12 you can find it for $350 to $550 on backmarket.com or swappa.com. The refurbished market is always an option when purchasing a Samsung or iPhone.

The excellent camera is great for photo-taking kids who want a camera and a phone.

The price does not seem so high when you see your child’s affection in return for this great gift and a big smile towards the gift giver.

Pros: Price, Display size, Good battery life, Decent camera

Cons: Older processor

IPHONE 13 MINI

The best iphone with a small, compact design. The outstanding design and camera make this phone worthwhile if you want the most powerful, small iPhone. This option is the newest mini on the market because the iPhone 14 product line does not include a mini option.

If you do not want a small phone, this iPhone is not the best buy for you. The iPhone 13 Mini starts at $600 brand new if you buy directly from Apple, but you can find it at backmarket.com for $450 to $578. The iPhone 13 Mini is not bad for the price and the capabilities.

The market is open, and so are backmarket. com and Apple. Is it time to invest in a mobile device for your little one?

Refurbished Option

A refurbished phone is an excellent option for a young user who could potentially drop or lose their phone. A refurbished phone has been used, restored by iPhone experts, and is a cheaper option to getting a pricey, brandnew phone. The iPhone 12, for example, is brand new at $600 but refurbished, it is around $350 to $498 on backmarket.com.

The iPhone could have slight scratches and low battery life, but you can replace those things. The refurbished option could still be an option this holiday.

TRAVEL

Walt Disney World: Fun for everyone

Walt Disney built “The Happiest Place on Earth,” or Disneyland, in 1955, and it has never disappointed its tourists. Disney World is still the best way to celebrate the end of the school year. So, if you want to celebrate your big accomplishment, making it through this school year, here is an easy guide to plan your getaway.

Disney World is home to four theme parks and two water parks, all of which are astonishing in their own way.

Walt Disney (Disney’s founder) built Magic Kingdom, and it is home to the iconic Cinderella Castle as well as the most rides.

Epcot reflects the world. You can experience the world come alive as you ride thrilling rides.

Hollywood Studios is home to the more intense rides intended for an older audience, but the age group still ranges from 3 to 17.

Animal Kingdom is the youngest park. It not

New York City has the largest population of any city in the United States. People love visiting from all over the world! I love traveling, and I am going to share the most famous places in New York and other lesser-known parades and festivals that bring enjoyment all year round.

The most popular place to visit place in New York is Times Square. One famous place to go in New York City is the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. Another famous place to go in New York is the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. And one

only has rides, but it also has animals. Animal Kingdom is also home to the new Avatar Land with rides from the movie like riding a banshee.

Typhoon Lagoon is home to North America’s largest wave pool and is the only water park currently open.

Blizzard Beach is famous for one of the tallest, fastest free-fall body slides in the world, and according to Disney.com, it is now closed for renovations.

After chatting with Disney employee, Tatiana Recondo, she said that the best park, “depends on the age range of the guest. For example, Magic Kingdom, for little kids, is the only park with parades right now. Hollywood Studios is better for older kids.”

Now if you are wondering, where can I get my tickets? Try My Disney App. The app will get you the most precise tickets that work for the theme park.

Tickets. Check! Where should you stay? Try the Polynesian Resort. It has a nearby monorail, and it is so much fun, according to travelers. There are many more Disney resorts. Although they might not have

an awesome monorail, some have gondolas.

The best tip when planning a trip is to plan six months in advance to make sure there are available tickets, and available food reservations to get the full magical experience.

Well, these tips are about planning the trip. So, what is so special about Disney? The fireworks. You watch as the sky is lit up with colors, characters, and magic for a whole twenty minutes!

Can you guess one more special aspect of Disney? The hugs.

Tatiana Recondo, a former Minnie Mouse, said, “My most magical experiences would have to be after the park had been closed during the pandemic. I visited Disney and got a hug from Mickey. And when I was Minnie, I got to participate in the Make-a-Wish foundation and make dreams come true by surprising and hugging kids in the hospital.”

When I got to Disney, I loved the fireworks and hugs with my family, too!

of the oldest famous places you can visit is Wall Street.

Now, I am going to tell you about the many parades and festivals that happen in New York City, starting in January and ending in December.

January: Three Kings Day Parade

February: Lunar New Year Parade

March: St. Patrick’s Day Parade

April: New York Auto Show, Easter Parade, Cherry Blossom Festival

May: International Food Festival

June: National Puerto Rican Day Parade

River to River Festival

July: Broadway in Bryant Park

August: Hong Kong Festival

September: Armory Show, New York Film Festival

October: New Yorker Festive, Village Halloween Parade

November: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

December: The Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

Which one of these historical and fun places to sightsee or parades you can attend sound the best to you?

Are you afraid of thunder?

Has a loud boom on a rainy night ever awakened you? You may have felt frightened and wondered what this sound was. However, did you notice that most of the time you might also see a quick flash shortly before the sound? It turns out that the flash is lightning, and the sound is thunder.

WHAT ARE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER?

When icy raindrops inside a cloud collide, they accumulate electric charges, which store energy.

Therefore, this transition of raindrops to electric charges makes the cloud behave like a gigantic battery. When the battery cannot hold any more energy, it will quickly release it. This release in the clouds creates lightning and thunder.

HOW POWERFUL ARE THEY?

The electric power of a typical lightning flash is more than two million times higher than our household power source. Lightning heats the air it passes through up to 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Thunder is so loud that it can be heard ten miles

The power of thunder and lightning Feeling the heat

away according to the National Weather Service website.

MYTHS DISMISSED.

Myth: If outside in a thunderstorm, you should seek shelter under a tree to stay dry.

Fact: Being underneath a tree is the second leading cause of injuries by lightning. It is better to get wet than to get struck by lightning.

Myth: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

Fact: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it is a tall, pointy, isolated object. The Empire State Building is hit an avera-

ge of 23 times a year.

HOW TO FIND THE DISTANCE FROM THUNDER TO YOU?

Scientists have discovered that sound travels about one mile for every 5 seconds, while the light is much faster. We can use these two facts to find out how far away thunder is, in miles, with two simple steps. First, count time in seconds from the time you see the lightning flash and hear the thunder roll. Then, multiply the number of seconds by five.

The farther thunder is, the safer you are!  Now, will you still be afraid of thunder?

GOOD NEWS STAFF

Comparing how we feel different in heat

Sometimes, I hear friends who live in cooler states concerned about how my family and I live in Houston. They say, “It is so hot! How do you live there?”.

“Yes, sometimes I wish it wasn’t always 90 degrees or above in the summertime. I wish it would snow,” said fifth-grader Catherine Yu, when I asked her, “How do you feel about Houston’s heat?”.

This year set the record with 135 days (about four and a half months) reaching at least 90° F.

However, there are several states that are hotter than our lovely Houston. The hottest states in this country are ranked here:  1. Florida  2. Hawaii  3. Louisiana  4. Arizona  5. Texas

Florida is so hot because it is closest to the equator. The equator is an invisible line around the center of the earth. So, because the earth tilts as it rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun, locations near the equator receive the most direct sun. Florida gets these direct sun rays, which heat the sunshine state’s average temperature to 71.80° F.

Hawaii’s average is 70.2° F, and Louisiana is 67.2.

Arizona is generally 65.97° F, and our sweet little Texas, 65.8° F.

One reason Houston feels hotter is from

“heat islands,” which are places without enough trees to absorb the carbon dioxide and too much concrete. Parking lots, bridges, buildings, power supply plants, and even roads are examples of heat islands.

Another reason Houston feels hotter than all these other states is the humidity, which is water vapor that hangs in the air. Humans sweat, and the sweat evaporates, cooling us off. When there is already “sweat” in the air, we do not cool off as fast.

• Houston’s average humidity level is 90%.

• Florida’s average humidity is 74%.

• Hawaii’s is 73.3%.

Houston may not be as hot as some other places, but it sure is humid. And that is why we feel the heat!

Inspired. Inquisitive. Reporting on our world from the Roberts Elementary view.

Dear incoming REview students,

My name is Arohi, and I was one of the 5th graders last year that participated in the Good News REview newspaper. I am writing to you because I want to tell you how fun the REview is!

But explaining to you with regular sentences just won’t say enough. So, I wrote a poem explaining my thoughts and feelings about this amazing newspaper.

Pens and pencils scratching along, Kids are writing all afternoon long. Faithful and true to their individual beats, They shift and squirm and bounce in their seats.

For they are excited and joyful you see, While writing and thinking, they feel so free!

And as they print on those many sheets, They think, “Being here is such a treat!”

You 4th and 5th graders should be proud, Because out of the ginormous crowd Of very smart pupils, You kids got Mrs. Stephens’s crucial approval!

That was my poem!

So, congrats to you, You talented students!

Your time in the newsroom Will give you great amusement!

You will not be disappointed, Mrs. Stephens is a great teacher, and has many writing tips that are sure to get you straight-A’s in ELAR! Plus, she has a superpower. I’m not going to spoil it, so you have to ask her about it!!!

It is very fun in the newsroom. Everyone treats you as their family, and you get to do fun writing warmups, and read, and have yummy snacks, and talk, and play games. And, there is the newspaper to look forward to! You basically get famous all over town, and sometimes in other countries!!

I hope you have a rockin’ time. This is a NOVEL way to improve your writing skills :D ! Have fun!

Signing off, Arohi