2nd edition, Spring, 2020, Boulder, CO
By students in the 7th grade at Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Editors: Lilla Molnar, Finneas Palazzari, Sascha Panian
A note from Joshua Berman, Language Arts (and Spanish) teacher at Shining Mountain Waldorf School: In the second week of March, seventh grade students were preparing for a field trip to our local newspaper, The Boulder Daily Camera. They’d been studying journalism as part of language arts class and were excited to see a local newsroom in action. We’d also just begun discussing assignments for the second edition of The SMWS Post, a student publication for the middle school. Then, all field trips were canceled and we were under “stay at home” orders due to the public health crisis. Nevertheless, over the weeks that followed, a number of students continued to work on their articles and contributions. Here they are:
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: As you probably know, we have been “Beyond the Classroom” distance learning for the past few months. Because of this, cooperating for a project like this has been more of a challenge. Over the course of the last few months I have learned 95% of what I now know about computers. I have learned words like: Zoom, Google docs, (which is what I am now writing this on), Webpage, copy, paste, click on, and Browser. I haven’t seen my colleagues lately (well not in person anyway) but I can assume that they have had similar experiences. And in the modern day and age, computer and technology skills are invaluable. So in these dark times of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is one silver lining. We have learned some skills that we might not have learned, which will be useful as we grow older. That said, we hope you enjoy this digital 2nd edition of The SMWS Post. —Finneas Palazzari, May 2020
NEWS: Shining Mountain Girls Basketball Tournament Winners
By: Jack Dolbeare
The Shining Mountain high school girls basketball team made it to Colorado State Championships held in Greeley, Colorado, on March 12, 2020. Our team, the SMWS Lions, played against the Fleming Wildcats at Butler-Hancock Arena on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado.
The team had been practicing multiple times every week. Once they made it to the State Championships, they played at their finest. They played with honor, respect and great sportsmanship. At the very last second of the game, the Lady Lions won the championship against the Wildcats with an incredible buzzer-beating bucket. Sadly, our school couldn’t attend the championships because of social distancing due to coronavirus, which went into effect across the state that very week. Though we were not able to make it to the game, we still had pride for our team.
Related links: Watch the Denver news report on the SMWS Lions
Watch SMWS High School student reaction to the game-winning shot!
Schools Closed amid Worldwide COVID-19 Outbreak
Aniya Wiedemann
Since mid-March, 2020, schools and most non-essential companies all over Colorado have been shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some grocery stores have stayed open to supply people with food and necessary items. Otherwise restaurants and other stores have closed. Teachers at Shining Mountain Waldorf School and other schools have been working hard to educate their students through online platforms. Teachers have been spending their weekends preparing informative lessons for their students; try to take a moment to write a note to one or more of your teachers, tell them how much you appreciate everything they are doing to make this a fun experience.
If you are unsure what the COVID-19 virus is, here is a short description: The COVID-19, A.K.A the Coronavirus, is a respiratory illness that can be easily spread through many people. In order not to contaminate someone if you have the virus symptoms or if they have symptoms, you must stand six or more feet away from the person. If you do catch it, these are the signs indicating you may have COVID-19: You may experience shortness of breath, a fever and a cough.
The key thing in this learning experience is not to panic but to enjoy the extended time you have with your family. It may feel odd but remember that everything will eventually go back to normal whether it’s next month, or next year.
How Covid 19 affects Climate Change
By Lilla Molnar
COVID 19 has affected climate change in a number of ways. Three of these changes are (1) reduction in air pollution, (2) reduction in water pollution, and (3) changes in wildlife movements and migration. With so many people staying home due to “stay at home” house quarantine measures to slow the spread of COVID 19, there has been less human impact on the environment.
Because of house quarantine, there has been a considerable less amount of road traffic. This means significantly less nitrogen dioxide, which is one of the prime factors of air pollution. In some cities, the air pollution has dropped as far as 50%. For example, in Paris, it has dropped by 54%, and in Rome and Milan by almost half. L.A. and China even have clear skies, where previously there has been large quantities of smog. The air quality has vastly improved in parts of Italy, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, and other areas. This improvement in air quality is a result of quarantine.
Other changes have occured besides air quality improvement. Where road traffic is one of the main reasons of air pollution, the minimum boat traffic in Venice, Italy has kept the rocks and sediment at the bottom of the canals. This means that the water is running clear after a long period of time of being murky and hectic with boats. The water in the canals has also been clear enough to see fish and dolphins have been spotted too. Because of stay at home measures, the waters of Venice have cleared up and allowed wildlife to live in unpolluted waters once again.
This hasn’t been the only wildlife spotted in unlikely places. For example, on the streets of London, there have been fox sightings and deer wandering parts of Japan where wild animals would usually avoid. On some now abandoned beaches, cows have been spotted enjoying their people free surroundings. Ducks are also taking advantage of the abandoned cities, and some have been noticed in parts of Paris, France. These animal sightings are another effect of house quarantine.
The decreasing air pollution and smog, clearing up of canals in Venice and the wildlife movement in areas of the world are the leading ways that mass quarantine efforts due to COVID 19 have affected climate change.
Opinion & humor
HOW TO SURVIVE WITH YOUR FAMILY DURING THE COVID-19 QUARANTINE: A Guide
By Evie Schwartz
WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT READ CORRECTLY EFFECTS OF YOUR ACTIONS MAY LEAD TO BROKEN GLASS, THE CORONAVIRUS, A NEW PET DOG, SALMONELLA, OR EVEN A BROKEN PINKY FINGER.
So. You are quarantined with your family in a small house. I’m sorry. Oh yeah, no I’m not, and neither will you be if you follow the instructions in this guide very carefully every time you fall into a situation that can quite possibly end in salmonella (food poisoning). So read carefully!
DAY 15: Today you might find an empty milk carton in your refrigerator, so I am going to tell you how to handle this without causing any glass to break. Since you have been up very late at night lately binging Vampire Diaries, your grip will be shaky, so if you try to pick up the carton and not break glass in the process, you will need:
An entire roll of duct-tape
A beach house
A new little sister
Just kidding! REPEAT: JUST KIDDING!!! Really, just LEAVE IT THERE. Or you WILL need the items listed above. Leave it there for someone else to fail to remove from the refrigerator.
DAY 20: You wake up to the sound of a wood-pecker outside your house. You:
- Go outside and shoo it away
- Stay inside and hide under the covers
- Turn on the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman and ignore the bird completely
If you chose B, congratulations!!! You will survive!!! If you chose A, you now have COVID-19 because at the same moment you went outside to shoo the bird away, a delivery man walked up to your porch and sneezed on the very unmasked face that belongs to you and was so blissfully clean when you woke up that very morning to the wood-pecker that was now chirping in a way that almost sounded like muffled giggles escaping it’s tiny beak. And if you chose C, I am sorry to be the one to inform you that your brother now has salmonella caused by an emotional breakdown when the song “Never Enough” came on.
DAY 25: Yes, it is day 25, i knew you would lose count.
DAY 28: About that time when your parents are complaining about helping you and your siblings with the school’s new “Beyond the Classroom” curriculum. The only thing I can tell you to do is to continue schooling, because if you do not, you will end up with a stray dog that your mother has grown attached to and can quite possibly have rabies.
DAY 31: You are nearing the time when you might find yourself WISHING that you could go to Walmart. I promise you are going to be okay! Just don’t go.
DAY 33: Today is the day you might get in the car with your family for a quick drive through the neighborhood. Be careful!!! Or you might end up with a broken pinky finger from failing to get in or out of the car because you haven’t done it in so long.
DAY 36: When you pass your fish tank and realize that your fish is a different color, don’t believe what your brain is telling you. The fish is the same, it’s just your brain. Repeat that phrase exactly 47 times.
DAY 40: Congratulations! Now you will find that everything will repeat itself step by step from day 1 to day 40. Just start at the beginning of this book and read it again!
What’s Your Quarantine Hobby?
By Novella Berlingo and Clara Hilliard
Some good jokes
By: Boden Baines
Q. Why do people say “break a leg” when you go on stage? A: Because every play has a cast.
Yesterday I saw a guy spill all his Scrabble letters on the road. I asked him, “What’s the word on the street?”
Q. A bear walks into a bar and says, “Give me a whiskey and … cola.” “Why the big pause?” asks the bartender. The bear shrugged. “I’m not sure; I was born with them.”
Q. Why did the bike fall over? A: It was “two tired.”
Q. What did the policeman say to his belly button? A: You’re under a vest.
POETRY
Easier
By Marina Morrison
Hearing The Lost souls
By Vivian Dawallu
GAMES
Try this CROSSWORD PUZZLE created by Theo Mele!
more 7th-grade Artwork & projects from home
7th Grade Morning Lesson work by Jade Sutton:
A reminder from Ms. Gardner: