T h e S p i r e C r i e r S t . T h o m a s E p i s c o p a l P a r i s h S c h o o l

Father Daughter Dance is a celebration

By Caro Lopez

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in memory of Saint Valentine, who was a

priest during the third century in Rome.

He performed marriages for men and women in secret after Emperor

Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives

and families and outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine died in 269 AD.

Here are some Valentine’s Day facts:

141 million cards

are exchanged each

Valentine’s Day.

More than 40,000

Americans are em-

ployed at chocolate

companies.

The average U.S

person spends

about $103 each on

Valentine’s gifts,

meals, and enter-

tainment.

An estimated 47%

of U.S citizens ex-

change Valentine’s Day candy.

There are 119 single men in their 20s for every 100 single women the

same age.

Vo l u me 2 6 I s s ue 3

F e br ua r y 2 0 1 4

I ns i de t h i s i s s ue :

Book Review 2

Tech Avenue 3

Mystery Persons 5

Sports Nation 6-7

Travels With Tom

and Tia

8-9

Student Fiction 10

Student Fiction 11

S p ec i a l po i nt s

o f in te res t :

The gaming platform

Xbox One can read

your facial expres-

sions.

A very salty lake in

Africa can make

animals look like

they have turned to

stone.

The Museum des

Sciences Naturelles

has 30 fossilized

Iguanodons discov-

ered more than 130

years ago.

Snow used at the

Olympics has been

stored for one year.

Valentine’s Day history and favorite facts

By Alessandra Leyva and Madison Munroe

Hey girls, have you ever had a dance with your father? Well, on Feb. 8

we had one at school and it was a lot of fun.

The Father Daughter Dance was held in Rantz Hall and there was a raf-

fle, dinner, and a D.J.

There was a lot of dancing and it wasn’t just dads and daughters who

were there. Uncles and friends were invited too.

Everyone had a great time.

Adopt a new pet through Smitten with Kittens

By Alexandra Prio-Touzet

Smitten with Kittens is the perfect place to adopt a pet cat!

I only found out about this fantastic organization a few weeks ago, when I

was going to adopt a kitten and I needed somewhere to adopt her from.

So, my mom found the Smitten with Kittens website, and we found out

about their wonderful staff and campuses. We went to one near our house, and there

we found a bunch of adorable cats and kittens.

After cuddling with several different cats, I chose a nice little kitten who was

originally named Charlotte. Her foster mom, Heather, was REAAAAALLY nice,

and told me that I had made a great choice, and I agreed.

It was really tough choosing her because there were so many other nice cats

and kittens.

If you ever want to just spend time with a cat or kitten, you can volunteer to

be a foster parent.

That means that, after contacting Smitten with Kittens’ staff, you can actu-

ally bring a cat to your house and wait for someone to adopt it, but until then, it can

stay with you!

Smitten with Kittens will put up pictures of the cat on their website,

www.smittenwithkittens.net, or on their Facebook, and soon the cat will be adopted.

This is also great practice for people who want to adopt a cat for the first

time but need practice. It’s really fun!

So, remember, next time you want to adopt a cat or kitten, check out Smitten

With Kittens!

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 2

Smitten with Kittens

will even let you foster

a kitten looking for a

home so you can

practice having a pet.

Book Review: Love, Ruby Valentine is sweet

By Caro Lopez

For parents who want a Valentine’s Day book for their children, I recom-

mend “Love, Ruby Valentine” by Laurie B. Friedman. The age group for this book is

about 2-6 years old.

It is a book about a girl who loves Valentine’s Day and thinks that she can

only express that she loves someone on Valentine’s Day.

A few days before Valentine’s Day, Ruby starts making cards and goody

bags for everyone.

When she is finished it is the day before Valentine’s Day, and she is very

tired so she goes to sleep and sleeps all through Valentine’s Day.

When she wakes up she realizes that it is the day after Valentine’s Day.

Ruby is very sad that she missed her favorite holiday. Then her bird reminds

her that it is not too late to spread the love. So Ruby starts off to town and delivers

her cards and goodies.

In the end, Ruby learns that she does not have to wait until Valentine’s Day

to say “I love you.”

Grumpy Cat is famous for being...grumpy-looking

By Justin Wong and Andres Grande

There is a cat that has become famous on the internet for being grumpy. She

has her own website, and Wikipedia and Facebook pages. Her professional name is

Grumpy Cat.

Here’s a little bit about Grumpy Cat. Her real name is Tardar Sauce and she

was born April 4, 2012. She is a funny internet meme. She has become so famous

that she has her own brand of items. For example there is grumppuccino (coffee),

apparel, mugs, cleaning products, and books.

Tardar Sauce is a mixed breed, but she looks like she has some Persian, Rag-

doll, or Snowshoe in her genetic line. She is not really grumpy. She has a form of

feline dwarfism and her back legs are a bit different, which is why she often sits in an

odd position.

Tardar Sauce’s brother is Pokey and he does not look grumpy. He is cute.

Tardar Sauce’s mom was a shelter cat and was adopted by Tabatha Bundesen,

Grumpy Cat’s owner.

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 2 6 I s s u e 3

Her real name is

Tardar Sauce and she

just looks like she’s

grumpy.

Tech Avenue: Ups and downs of PS4 vs. Xbox One

By Jack Garcia-Mendoza and Justin Wong

We did a lot of research and here are our comparisons of PS4 and Xbox One.

Xbox One Ups Xbox One Downs

Can read your facial expression. Can only record 5 minutes of video.

Can find an opponent around your level. Won’t play Xbox games.

Messing with people is not allowed. Quiet audio

Can use past account. It can spy on you.

Can read your heart rate . Have to Kinect

Kinect works in smaller rooms. NEVER TURNS OFF

Updates install without bothering you.

PS4 Ups PS4 Downs

Has very good graphics. Some features require a camera

Controller has a touchpad. that you have to buy separately.

Can record up to 6o minutes of gaming. Super expensive

Lots of memory storage You have to pay to play online.

Runs smoother and faster.

Huge app store (place where you can get

games without getting a disc for it)

Jack And Justin’s decision: PS4 is a lot better than the new Xbox so get

the PS4 if you can. Our overall decision about Xbox One is do not get it because it

can spy on you and it never turns off.

Xbox One

PS4

Salty lake in Africa turns animals to stone

By Natalie Bellande

Have you ever heard of a lake that turns things to stone?

There is a very salty lake that turns animals to stone in Tanzania, Africa. The water

has a high level of alkalinity. This comes form sodium carbonate and other minerals

flowing into the lake. When the water evaporates the poisonous chemicals are left

behind.

This is a large lake. It is 402 square miles, so when critters go across it, if

they are tired and they touch the water they turn to stone.

Dr. David Harper, a professor at the University of Leicester, who studies the

wildlife at the site, discovered Lake Natron. If you want to see more search for Lake

Natron on the web.

Recently, a photographer named Nick Brandt published a book about the

lake with pictures of the preserved animals he found.

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 4

The top kid movies have a lot of fans

By Yara Haddad

These are the most recent top kids’ movies.

1. Frozen—Fearless and positive-thinking Anna teams up with Kristoff in a journey

where they encounter Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf.

They are in a race to find Anna's sister, Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the

kingdom in winter forever.

2. Saving Mr. Banks—Author P.L. Travers looks back on her childhood after reluc-

tantly meeting with Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks. Mr. Disney wants to adapt

the Mary Poppins books for the big screen but he finds a challenge in Ms. Travers.

3. The LEGO Movie—In a community built of the famous lock-block toy characters

are encouraged to be creative and think like individuals. The voices of a lot of movie

and TV stars are in this. Parents like the movie too.

4. Despicable Me 2—A secret lab near the Arctic Circle is stolen with a powerful

magnet. Gru is invited to be in the secret agency to help find who stole it and the po-

tent purple potion.

5. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters—In order to restore their dying safe haven, the

son of Poseidon and his friends go on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the

mythical Golden Fleece. They also have to stop an

ancient evil from rising.

6. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2—Flint

Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company

for his idol Chester V. But he has to leave his post

when he learns that his most infamous machine is

still operating and is churning out menacing food-

animal hybrids.

The secret lab must be

saved in Despicable

Me 2. Can Gru help

find it?

Photos of stone-like animals are

featured in a new book about Lake

Natron in Tanzania.

By Charlie Silva and Santi Canto

The mystery sports star is an NFL running back. See if you can guess this

person.

This player is 5’11” and is 208 lbs. His number is the same as his age. This

player was born on July 12, 1988 in Harrisburg, PA.

He was drafted in 2009 as a second round pick. He has five years of experi-

ence in the National Football League. He went to college at the University of Pitts-

burgh.

You can find the answer to see if you’re correct on the back page.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 2 6 I s s u e 3

Dogs are favorite animals of this mystery teacher

By Yara Haddad

See if you can guess who this mystery teacher is.

Her favorite food is lasagna and her favorite color is blue.

Her favorite animals are dogs.

She has one sister.

This mystery teacher loves to shop at Nordstrom.

She adores shoes and dresses.

And she loves water sports.

The answer is on the back page. Good luck guessing.

By Yara Haddad

Here is a mystery teacher that we are sure you can guess.

Her favorite food is salmon.

She has three brothers and three sisters.

She loves to shop at Nordstrom and she loves shoes.

She enjoys eating at Joe’s Stone Crab and on weekends she likes to exercise.

She has three boys.

Who is this? The answer is on the back of this issue.

This mystery teacher likes Joe’s Stone Crab

See if you can guess this mystery sports star

Demarco Murray Adrian Peterson LeSean McCoy

This running back’s

number is the same as

his age.

The number “three”

runs in this mystery

teacher’s family. Read

this to see why.

Plans for a Miami soccer team started by Beckham

By Pablo Joseph

David Beckham came to Miami, Florida because he wants to make a new

soccer team. He is currently looking for players to recruit. He has bought a Major

League Soccer (MLS) franchise for $25 million.

Recently, Beckham held a press conference with MLS Commissioner Don

Garber and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez to rally support for an MLS sta-

dium and team in Miami. They plan to bring MLS to Florida in 2017.

Beckham and his inventors plan to fund a 25,000-seat stadium. The pre-

ferred site for the stadium is a county-owned waterfront lot on the southwest corner

of Port Miami.

No deal has been reached yet. There is a lot of work that needs to happen. So

far, the organizers of Miami Beckham United have scouted 30 locations with six in

negotiation talks. More announcements will come later.

The group is looking for 10 to 12 acres downtown close to public transporta-

tion to make it easier for fans to get to the new stadium.

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 6

The Top 10 biggest soccer stadiums in the world

By Pablo Joseph

Stadiums are the most important part of the worldwide game of soccer.

Without them we wouldn’t be able to watch the talented and skilled soccer players.

Soccer is one of the most watched sports in the world. We need stadiums so thou-

sands of people can enjoy this wonderful game.

Here are the Top 10 biggest soccer stadiums in the world.

1. Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico) Capacity 105,064 fans. This stadium was

featured in the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals.

2. Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain) Capacity 98,757 fans. This stadium hosted the 1989

and 1999 European finals.

3. First National Bank Stadium (Johannesburg, South Africa) Capacity 94,736 fans.

This stadium hosted the 2010 World Cup final and opened in 1989.

4. Wembley Stadium (London, England) Capacity 90,000 fans. The stadium hosted

the 2011 and 2013 Champions League finals.

5. Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain) Capacity 85,454 fans. The stadium had the

1957, 1969, and 1980 European Cup finals.

6. Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany) Capacity 80,645 fans. The stadium

hosted the 1976 and 2006 World Cup group-stage matches.

7. San Siro (Milan, Italy) Capacity 80,018 fans. The stadium hosted the 1965 and

1970 European Cup finals.

8. The Maracana (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Capacity 78,838 fans. The stadium hosted

the 1950 World Cup and will host 2014 World Cup finals this summer.

9. Old Trafford (Manchester, England) Capacity 75,737 fans. The stadium hosted

the 2003 Champions League final.

10. Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany) Capacity 71,437 fans. The stadium hosted the

2012 Champions League final.

The largest soccer

stadium in Mexico City

can host 105,064 fans.

Soccer star David Beckham

Sports

Jake’s Take: Super Bowl was embarrassing, especially for Manning

By Jake Meyer

The Super Bowl was shocking. Peyton Manning played like he has never played before…terrible.

That was embarrassing.

As Manning said for The Denver Post after the game, “To finish this way is very disappointing. It’s not an easy

pill to swallow, but we have to.”

Manning and his fans were really upset that he didn’t get his ring, but if he had played better he would have

gotten it.

Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers halftime concert was the highlight of the Super Bowl. Many of the

people who were voting for the Broncos switched and voted for the Seattle Seahawks.

Although the Seahawks played like never before, the Broncos played really bad. The final score was Denver 8,

Seattle 43.

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 2 6 I s s u e 3

Super Bowl poll showed more students wanted Denver to win

By Charlie Silva and Santi Canto

We interviewed a lot of students who are sports fans

before the Super Bowl and here is what we found out.

More people wanted the Broncos to win. But the

Seahawks won the Super Bowl 43-8.

Our poll had 14 for Denver and 6 for Seattle. 14 votes 6 votes

Winter Olympic overview and some facts you might not know By Pablo Joseph

The Winter Olympic Games are being held in Sochi, Russia, from February 7-23. About three billion people

around the world are expected to watch the games on television. There are 84 countries involved and more than 5,500

athletes are representing their countries. Russia was chosen to host this Olympics back in 2007. In that time workers

built a new stadium called Fisht Olympic Stadium with 40,000 seats.

Something a lot of people don’t know is that Olympic Games organizers have been stockpiling snow since last

year. They gathered 16 million cubic feet of snow. They use blankets so the snow doesn’t melt in the stadium. Security

is a top priority for Russian Olympic Games officials. Tens of thousands of security officers are in Sochi to make sure

nothing bad happens during the games.

By Jack Silva

Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played for the Charlotte Hornets

right out of high school. Later he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he won five championships and became

one of the leading scorers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played on both the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic basketball teams.

He has gone a long way. In his second season as shooting guard with the Lakers, he was voted a starter for the

1998 All-Star Game. At 19 he became the youngest All-Star in NBA history. He helped his team make it to the 2008

NBA finals but sadly the Boston Celtics defeated them. The next year they returned and won the finals. Bryant has had

a great career.

Biography: Basketball star Kobe Bryant has had a great career

Nation

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 8

Tom and Tia explore beautiful Belgium in their world travels

By Yara Haddad, Caro Lopez and Maddie Wagshul

Tom and Tia discovered a lot of beautiful places on their visit to

Belgium. They also learned some facts they didn’t know. Here are some:

Jean Neuhaus invented the chocolate pralines in Brussels in 1912.

Belgium produces 220,000 tons of chocolate per year. This amounts to

22 kg of chocolate per inhabitant annually.

The world's biggest chocolate selling point is at the Brussels Airport.

Belgians say they invented chips (French fries), and all towns and vil-

lages have their own chips seller.

There are three main Belgian waffles: Liege waffles (the most com-

mon), Brussels waffles (bigger, lighter, rectangular, and eaten with

toppings like strawberries or ice cream), and galettes (thinner, softer,

and typically eaten for breakfast, sometimes with jam).

Belgium has the highest proportion of female ministers in the world (55% in 2000) and one of the earliest to have a

female parliamentarian (in 1921).

Students in Belgium must go to school until they are at least 18 years old.

The biggest newborn baby ever recorded was Samuel Timmerman, born in the Ter Linden Hospital weighing 5.4 kg

and 57 cm in length.

The world's richest girl lives in Brussels. She is Athina Onassis Roussel de Miranda, granddaughter and heir of the

Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

By Caro Lopez

Here are some of the places that Tom and Tia found in their travels around Belgium.

Grand-Place

The Grand-Place is considered one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Europe. The ornate Grand Place is at the

center of Brussels, where many historic buildings dating from the 17th century are located.

Museum of Natural Sciences

Kids can’t enough of dinosaurs, and this has the biggest dinosaur gallery in Europe. The Museum des Sciences

Naturelles has star attractions of 30 fossilized Iguanodons discovered more than 130 years ago, along with other dino-

saurs guaranteed to fascinate kids of all ages.

Horta Museum

Tom and Tia said this is a fantastic museum, well worth finding. Victor Horta was one of the founders of Art Nouveau

and the museum is actually the house that Horta designed and built for himself. It is really small but totally stunning.

Much of the fantastic work that he did in Brussels was destroyed during modernizations of the town and this is one of

the only places left where you can see his style.

Church of Notre-Dame

In the Sablon Square in the center of Brussels, is the Church of Notre-Dame. The church was transformed from a chapel

into a major Gothic church starting in 1436 through the beginning of the 16th century. Tom and Tia said the church is a

great example of the Brabantine Gothic style of architecture.

Science museum and Church of Notre-Dame are famous places to visit

P a g e 9 V o l u m e 2 6 I s s u e 3

Tom and Tia learn to speak French on their visit to Belgium

By Yara Haddad

In Belgium the people speak French, Dutch and German. Here are some sayings translated from English to

French and their pronunciations.

English French Pronounciation

Yes/No Oui/Non wee/nong

Yes, please/No, thank you Oui, s'il vous plaît/Non, merci wee, seel voo play/nong, mair-see

Please S'il vous plaît seel voo play

Thank you Merci (madame/monsieur) mair-see (mah-dahm/mer-syer)

You're welcome Il n'y a pas de quoi eel nyah pah der kwah

Here is/are Voici vwah-see

Hello/Good morning/afternoon Bonjour, (madame/monsieur) ong-zhoor, (mah-dahm/mer-syer)

Hello/Good evening Bonsoir (madame/monsieur) bong-swahr, (mah-dahm/mer-syer)

Goodbye Au revoir oh rer-vwahr

Good night Bonne nuit bonn nwee

How are you? Comment allez-vous? kommahng tahlay voo

Very well, thanks Très bien, merci tray byang mair-see

Excuse me Excusez-moi ex-kewzay mwah

Do you speak English? Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? essker voo pahrlay ahng-glay

Can you help me? Est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider? essker voo poovay may-day

I don't understand. Je ne comprends pas. zher ner kong-prahng pah

I don't know. Je ne sais pas. zher ner say pah

Could you please write it down? Est-ce que vous pouvez l'écrire? essker voo poovay lay-kreer

Sorry Désolé(e) day-zo-lay

Leave me alone! Laissez-moi tranquille. lay-say mwah trahng-keel

Where? Où? Oo

When? Quand? kahng

How? Comment? kommahng

Why? Pourquoi? poor-kwah

Who? Qui? kee

Which? Lequel?/Laquelle? Ler-kell/lah-kell

Where is...? Où est...? oo ay

How much? Combien? kong-byang

How many? Combien? kong-byang

What's that? Qu'est-ce que c'est? kessker say

I'd like... Je voudrais... zher voodray

I want... Je veux... zher ver

I like it. Ça me plaît. sahm play

I don't like it. Ça ne me plaît pas. sah ner mer play pah

OK/Agreed. Ça va/d'accord. sah vah/dah-korr

That's fine. C'est bien. say byang

T h e S p i r e C r i e r P a g e 1 0

Fiction: The Flunger Games

(This student fiction is based on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

By Anthony DeRosa

There once was a boy who lived in pov-

erty named Athos Cathena. He had a little brother

named Malik Cathena. Athos was 16 years old. He

had been watching something on TV called The

Flunger Games.

The Flunger Games are an event held

each year that picks 24 kids, a boy and a girl, from

12 different districts. The purpose of The Flunger

Games are to see who can survive the longest by

dodging all of the challenges the creators put into

the arena.

One year, Athos was watching The

Flunger Games and he saw one of the worst chal-

lenges, which was a giant wave of water that

freaked him out. Then it was time for everyone to

go to a certain place in their district to see who

would be the chosen ones to go. When everybody from the district was gathered, a woman walked out with two

bowls, which said Men on one and Women on the other. In those two bowls was every single person’s name from the

district.

The woman up on stage was named Weffie Prinkett. When she put both bowls down on two separate little

tables she said, “Welcome, Welcome, to the 74th Annual Flunger Games! I will now pick the two people to represent

District 7 in the 74th Annual Flunger Games!”

Then Weffie continued to talk and said, “As always, ladies first…Willow Bell.” Willow walked up on the

stage and Weffie raised Willow’s hand up and said, “Here is your lady! Now, we have men…Malik Cathena!”

Right when Athos heard his brother’s name he screamed, “NO, NO, NO, I volunteer. I volunteer to go in-

stead!” Weffie heard that and said, “It appears that we have volunteer, what is your name?” “Athos Cathena,” Athos

replied.

After that Weffie, Willow and Athos walked inside the building. When they were inside Weffie introduced

Athos and Willow to their mentor, Fraymitch Tabernathy. When they met him he said, “I am going to tell you some

tips on how to stay in the games.” They said, “Thank you.”

Soon Weffie, Fraymitch, Willow and Athos were on their way to the capitol city to get settled for the games.

When they got there they went to a room with four chairs. Weffie, Fraymitch, Willow and Athos sat down and

Fraymitch started giving some game tips. His first tip was “Stay hidden. A lot of these challenges will involve power-

ful things that will not affect you if you are not in its path. Also, when you enter the arena it will look like the real

world with burnt trees.”

Another tip he gave was “Try not to let competitors disturb you during the games and now and then stop to

let your blood circulate so you can conserve your energy.” Then Fraymitch said, “During the games you have to be

very alert.” Fraymitch’s last tip was “The arena is going to be a huge open area that you can easily get lost in.”

After Fraymitch was done talking Weffie said, “Let us get to dinner. The games are tomorrow and you want

to eat well.”

The next morning Athos woke up and said to himself, “I can do this!” Later that morning Athos and Willow

went to breakfast and then went with Weffie to the entrance to the arena. When Athos and Willow entered the arena

(continued on the back page)

P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 2 6 I s s u e 3

Fiction: The Grumpy Tales of Squidward #1 Squidward, You’re Fired!

(This student fiction is based on characters in the popular animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants.)

By Dylan Perez

One day in Bikini Bottom, Squidward was at the Krusty Krab talking to a customer.

“I would like a Krabby Patty, please,” said the customer. “Why don’t you use your fins and make one yourself,”

Squidward answered.

The customer just walked away, mumbling something under his breath. “Whatever,” Squidward said care-

lessly and kept reading his “House Fancy” magazine. The door to Mr. Krabs’s office opened, and out came Mr. Krabs,

with steam coming out of his head.

“What do you want Eugene?” Squidward asked, without raising his head from the magazine. “Mr. Squidward,

do you know how many customers we have lost

because of you?” Mr. Krabs asked impatiently.

“What 30,000?” Squidward replied sarcas-

tically.

“No Mr. Squidward. Actually, we have lost

300,000 customers because of YOU!” Mr. Krabs

replied angrily. “And for that, YOU ARE FIRED!”

“What?” Squidward asked shooting up

from his boat.

“Yep Mr. Squidward, and you are not get-

ting another chance, so get your tentacles up and

LEAVE, NOW!”

When Squidward went out the door, he

threw his hat on the ground and walked away from

the restaurant. “Maybe I can work at that new taco

place, Tacos Under the Sea,” Squidward said trying

to cheer himself up.

When Squidward got to Tacos Under the Sea, he saw a sign that read: Help Wanted, need someone to work

the cash register. No experience necessary.

“Wow,” Squidward said. “I’ve already worked at a cash register before, so I can do this easily!” Squidward

went to the cashier and said, “I work here now, sucker, now get lost.”

“Really” the cashier said happily. The cashier ran away and never looked back. Squidward sat in the taco-

shaped boat and waited for the first customer to arrive. Eventually, the first customer came. “Oh, no,” Squidward said.

“SpongeBob, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” Squidward shouted.

“I just came for some tacos,” SpongeBob said happily. Squidward saw a very tall fish with a

Mexican hat come out of a door that read “Office” above it.

“HEY NEW GUY, DON’T SCREAM AT THE CUSTOMERS OR YOU’RE FIRED!” the manager said an-

grily.

“Okay, okay!” Squidward said.

“Okay, I would like seven Taco Grandes, thirty Supa’ Chalupas, one-hundred twenty Nachos Extreme, and

some Diet Water to go please,” SpongeBob said.

“Okay, and do you want that at your grave?” Squidward asked rudely.

After that moment, he saw the manager come out, looking furious. “You know what Mr. Tentacles, I DON’T

LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE, AND FOR THAT, YOU’RE FIRED!”

(to be continued in the next issue)

The Spire Crier is published by the fourth and fifth grade

journalism classes for the students of

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School.

Fifth Grade Staff: Santiago Canto, Anthony DeRosa,

Nico Garcia, Jack Garcia-Mendoza, Andres Grande,

Axel Hicks, Matthew Johnson, Pablo Joseph, Brandon Perez,

Dylan Perez, Alexandra Prio-Touzet, Charles Silva,

Justin Wong

Fourth Grade Staff: Sealey Bacardi, Natalie Bellande,

Yara Haddad, Alessandra Leyva, Carolina Lopez,

Carola Mato, Jake Meyer, Madison Munroe, Laura Orban,

Jack Silva, Madeleine Wagshul, Julianna Williamson

Journalism Advisor: Ms. Christina Mayo

Technical Assistance: Mr. Ademola Peters

Mr. Eddy Mederos

W E ’R E ON TH E WE B

A T S TEP SM I A . ORG

G O TO S CH OOL L I FE

AND CLI CK ON

P UBLI CATI ONS

5692 North Kendall Drive

Coral Gables, FL 33156

305-665-4851

T h e S p i r e C r i e r

S t . T h o m a s E p i s c o p a l

P a r i s h S c h o o l

Mystery Teachers: Ms. O

Mrs. Fernandez

Mystery Sports Player: LeSean McCoy

(continued from page 8)

they saw the other 22 tributes in a circle around a giant pile of supplies including shovels, rope, nets, and other

tools.

All of the competitors heard a countdown and when they heard “One!” they all ran to the pile to get whatever

they could before running to a hiding spot. Athos saw Willow go one way but he went the other way. Athos was run-

ning while searching for a hiding spot. He kept running further and further but could not find a good place. While he

was running he saw a group of squirrels eating nuts. Athos found a hiding spot after searching a little more.

After about an hour he saw the first challenge—rumbling with hard rain. The ground was shaking hard and all

of the other players were falling, leaning, and getting a couple of scrapes. The shaking lasted for about an hour. When

the shaking started to stop Athos had a shocked reaction on his face. About half an hour later he thought that he should

move to a different spot. So he got his stuff and ran to the nearest hiding place he saw.

Fifteen minutes later Athos heard a big splashing noise and looked over a couple of trees and saw a giant wave

like the one he had seen on TV a couple of years ago. When he saw the wave Athos ran to a little cave he saw in the

distance. The wave was close and was heading towards the cave. When Athos got into the cave he saw Willow was

hiding there too away from everybody and the wave. When he saw her he said, “Willow let’s stay here until the wave

passes.”

About a half an hour later the wave went the other way. When Willow and Athos saw that the wave had gone

they left the cave and went to Athos’ hiding spot. An hour later they heard a voice from above saying, “This will be the

last challenge. Try to survive.”

After hearing the voice the ground started to tilt. The players had to hold on to something or they would fall

off the cliff and get hurt. When it was fully tilted Athos grabbed on to a tree and climbed on top. Willow was late and

started falling, but she hung on to Athos’ tree. Just then, a flaming chameleon showed up and started burning the tree.

Willow let go of the tree while Athos jumped off.

While Willow and Athos were falling they disappeared and were suddenly transported back to District 7.

When they appeared they were with Weffie in front of everybody in District 7. Weffie raised both of their hands and

exclaimed, “THEY SURVIVED AND DID NOT GET HURT! HOORAY, HOORAY, HOORAY!”

Athos and Willow were so happy when they heard Weffie say that. That day Willow and Athos were very

proud of each other and themselves. The End (or is it?)