November Issue

'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that

one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility,

understanding. -Alice Walker

In the scheme of surviving the holiday

season there are always things that I try to

avoid: paper cuts, burning myself on a hot

stove, getting punched in the face at Wal-

Mart on Black Friday, past their prime fruit-

cakes, etc, etc. Strangely enough, the Plaza

Lighting Ceremony could always find itself

on that list too. There’s something about

thousands upon thousands of people

crammed into a space not meant for nearly

that many people that sounds less than ap-

pealing. Over the years as I watched the

lighting ceremony on TV in the safety of my

home, I was thankful I wasn’t one of those

people outside in the bitter cold watching

the seemingly anti-climatic finale. This year

was going to be different though. People in

the past have always said “How can you

have such a negative attitude about some-

thing you’ve never been a part of?” In the

past I’ve dismissed logic like that and with

ease, but I’ve realized over time that a big

part of living a meaningful existence is try-

ing new things. A friend of mine once said

“It wouldn’t hurt you to get out of the com-

fort bubble you’ve grown so accustomed to

over the years.” So, this year instead of wal-

lowing in the despair of having gorged my-

self with enough food to feed a small family,

I would venture out into the excitement that

is the Plaza Light Ceremony.

So, in short, the experience was a

good one. For all of you that have been

there, it can be a crazy outing, but like virtu-

ally anything else, the final determining fac-

tor is the quality of the attitude you put in.

At the end of the night, when those lights

light up the cold, dark landscape, all of those

trivial things that seemed to matter earlier

don’t anymore. As we venture into the holi-

day season, it’s easy to get caught up in the

inconsequential, and experiences like this

one help put all of that into perspective. So, to

end out: paper cuts, getting punched in the

face, past their prime fruitcakes, among other

unpleasant experiences, are still on the list,

but the Plaza Lighting Ceremony no longer

joins the ranks. Enjoy the season everyone,

and remember we have plenty to be thankful

for.

-Anonymous

All The Small Things

Page 2 November Issue

Mr. Long Tells Us About His Thanksgiving Traditions

Q: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

A: “My mom’s green bean casse-

role.”

Q: Do you celebrate with your entire

family?

A: “Yes, it’s chaos.”

Q: Do you help cook?

A: “My mom won’t let me help.

Q: Do you like that we have such a long break off work for the holiday?

A: “I am so happy about that break, you can’t even imagine, plus it’s more

time with my family.”

Q: What is your funniest memory from previous Thanksgiving?

A: “My uncle fell asleep and he started to snore, so we did the whip cream on

his hand and tickled his nose with a feather so he would stop snoring.”

Thanksgiving Teacher Interviews

Q: What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

A: Last year when I found out I was expecting.

Q: What do you most look forward to during the holiday season?

A: Cooking and spending time with my family.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving break?

A: I like to bake pies and go Black Friday shopping.

Q: What is your worst Thanksgiving memory?

A: I was 13 and I was dared to eat an entire pumpkin pie. Me and my cousin got underneath

the table and each ate a whole pie. After I was finished I got sick and will never eat another pumpkin

pie ever.

Q: What is something you are thankful for this Thanksgiving?

A: That Teddy, my son, is stronger and bigger and my friends that helped with Teddy. It is

times like this that you know who your true friends are.

Mrs. Wagner Shares Her Thanksgiving Memories

Thanksgiving Page 3

Q. What is your favorite dessert?

A. Apple pie

Q. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

A. When I was younger I decorated but now I

don’t

Q. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

A. I really like the salad and bread

Q. Do you have any weird Thanksgiving traditions?

A. Going to the Christmas lights

Thanksgiving Teacher Interviews

Mrs. Kroge Reveals Her Turkey Day Favorites

Q: What is one thing that makes

you happy on Thanksgiving?

A: Eating food.

-Beren Gavin

Student Quotes

“A time to

eat food

and spend

time with

my loving

family. “

- Sam

Brown–

Benedict

“The day before Thanksgiving, my

family has a ‘non-Thanksgiving’.

We eat hamburgers and decorate

for Christmas.” - Grace Vavak “The time of Thanksgiv-ing is about family fun

and, of course, food.” - Jacob Sublette

“Everyone is thankful for their blessings.” -Carey Lawrence

“Thanksgiving is a

time to be thankful

for stuff we have,

yo.” -Jack Wolverton

For the thirty-

third year in row, A

Christmas Carol is

opening on Novem-

ber 22nd at UMKC.

Based on the classic

story by Charles

Dickens, A Christ-

mas Carol is the

story of a mean,

greedy old man

named Ebenezer

Scrooge who hates

everything about

Christmas. The

night of Christmas

Eve Scrooge is vis-

ited by three ghosts

who want him to

see the spirit of

Christmas. The first

ghost, The Ghost of

Christmas Past,

shows Scrooge how

happy he used to be

when he was a

child. The second

ghost, The Ghost of

Christmas Present,

shows him how

happy everybody

else is on Christ-

mas. The third and

final ghost is The

Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come, who

shows Scrooge that

he will die alone

and unloved if he

fails to change his

ways. This version

of the story is di-

rected by Kyle

Hatley.

Page 4

A Christmas Carol Opens at

UMKC

November Issue

By the Way…

The Holy Cross

Junior High

Drama Club is

doing a funny

production of A

Christmas Carol

for the 5th-8th

Christmas

Extravaganza!

Finally I have just fin-

ished my favorite book, One

Direction. But you don’t want

to hear about that, do you? Of

course you do, but I don’t

want to spoil the story so how

about next year you pick up a

copy of it at the book fair or I

guess you can go to the li-

brary, which ever one. Now

than, no more telling you

about the Book Fair that came

to Holy Cross. How about I

tell you something that every-

one loves, PARTIES! That’s

right on Halloween don’t be

afraid because Holy Cross is

partying all night long, well

just for an hour or two. How-

ever the preschool is partying

all night long( or should I say

all week long), because the

preschoolers went on a, wait

for it, PUMPKIN PATCH!!

Sorry for yelling but I do love

pumpkin patches. But not has

much as sleep, lol. In case you

don’t know what “lol” means

it means “laugh out loud”.

Now where was I… that’s

right I was talking about sleep.

Did you know that daylight

savings came and gifted us

with another hour of sleep.

Don’t be too grateful though

because daylight savings will

come back and take it away.

Thankfully that’s a very long

time from now.

Remember how I said to put

on a smile because picture day

is here. Well be sure to do it

again, because picture retakes

are here, well not anymore.

But do you know what else

was here, Volleyball Night!

Don’t be too excited about it

though because it was for

adults only, boo. So was trivia

night but you know what is

just for kids? Star Punches!

That’s right the entire school

has filled out their star

punches. Would you look at

the time Thanksgiving has al-

ready passed. Time to go!

Little Sally’s Blog

Thanksgiving Page 5

Allie & Devin’s Playlist

Top 5 Christian 1. Oceans

By: United

2. Believers By: Audio Adrenaline

3. Speak Life By: TobyMac

4. Never Once

By: One Sonic Society

5. The Motions By: Matthew West

Top 5 Contemporary 1. Counting Stars By: OneRepublic

2. New By: Paul McCartney

3. Ride This Feeling By Kate Miller-Heidke

4. Submarines By: The Lumineers

5. Wake Me Up By: Avicii

The House an original story by Sam Brown– Benedict

Page 6 November Issue

Looking forward I wanted to at least get a glimpse of the driver before we collided. The

seat behind the wheel was empty. Nothing but air filled the place where a driver should be. My

eyes widened in horror and time sped up and the cars collided. Metal twisted and curved into

each other. Nothing but the sounds of metal filled the air and when it stopped a small crackling

noise filled the silence. My eyes frantically searched to find the source of the eerie noise. Set-

tling on a slight glow, fire was quickly spreading over the hoods of the two combined cars.

I tried moving my right arm only to be met with a shooting pain and I winced. My left

arm worked well despite being sore. I ignored the pain and shoved at the door until it opened.

Undoing my seatbelt, I slipped out of the car. Everything hurt and my vision started to blur just

trying to stand. Fighting the unconsciousness I scanned the horizon in the faint light. A building

stood alone in the field.

Each small step that led me forward hurt my aching legs. Rough grasses scratched and

scraped my skin. Every plant seemed to come to life grabbing at my arms and legs, tripping me

occasionally. My head hurt more and more with every movement. The wind whipped past my

face, blowing golden brown hair into my eyes and mouth. The cool blowing air chilled my skin

and goose bumps coated every inch of my body. A branch reached towards me and I screamed

as the wind blew it past my arm, leaving a trail of dark red behind.

Growing closer to the large building I could finally make out little details. Two stories of

dark black walls, crumbling bricks, and dead plants that had once climbed the tall sides of the

ancient house loomed over me. The gigantic building was barely standing anymore. Every time

a strong gust of air hit the house creaked and shifted to the left. The ever growing darkness

added to the terrifying scene before me. The steps neared as I dragged myself forward. My

eyes searched through the dimming light trying to find another option; refusing to admit this

condemned house was my only option. Rolling fields of grass and dead trees were all I could

find. A small shed stood off to the side of the house. The old wooden roof was sagging and the

walls were caving in. I groaned ‘Could this trip get any worse’ I thought to myself.

Steps creaked and struggled to hold up as I made my way to the door and knocked. A

window filled with light and I heard steps coming towards the door. My heart pounded in my

chest threatening to come out. Steps grew closer and were on the other side of the door. An ee-

rie squeak sounded and the door opened. TO BE CONTINUED...

Jake Burkhart: What order do you belong to?

Sister Maria: I belong to Order of Saint Benedicts or OSB

Hank Sheeley: How long have you been a nun?

SM: For forty-nine years

JB: When did you decide to be a nun?

SM: I have always wanted to be a nun, even when I was little

HS: Why did you decide to become a nun?

SM: Because I wanted to serve God and Gods people. My parents were very encouraging

JB: Do you live in a convent?

SM: Yes I do. My monastery is Mount St. Scholastica. I live in Kansas City, MO with four

other sisters in a small convent named Peace House.

HS: How did you decide on that convent?

SM: Well, I was taught by Benedictine sisters and I had two distant cousins who were sisters

and we visited them. I went to High School in Atchison Kansas at Mt. St. Scholastica Acad-

emy

JB: What do you do as a job?

SM: I work for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. I am the director of school’s counsel-

ing system (Mrs. Nicholson’s boss). Before that I taught 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th.

HS: How long have you done that?

SM: I have been with the school program for 31 years.

JB: What do you like best about being a nun?

SM: I like Praying together. The five of us pray together in the morning and in the evening. I

also like the community and the support.

Ask Sister Maria

Page 7 November Issue

Page 8

Staff Reporters/Interviewers

Emily Ascher

Victoria Gibbs

Meagan Sullivan

Carey Lawrence

Phil Ehrnman

Jake Burkhart

Hank Sheeley

Christmas Carol

Jack Wolverton

Little Sally’s Blog

Little Sally

The House

Sam Brown-Benedict

Editors-In-Chief

Allie Canfield

Devin Palmer

Layout/Designers

Devin Palmer

Allie Canfield

Supervisor

Mr. Fournier

LETTER FROM THE STAFF: Well hello, Holy

Cross Community. We apologize for the late-

ness of the November Issue, as we know

Thanksgiving has already passed us by. Stay

tuned, we will do our best to get the December

Issue off the presses in time. Thanks so much!