THE GRYPHON TIMES Friday, October 20, 2017 Volume 10 Issue 2

Unending Natural Disasters By Amaya Zweifel

Lately, there have been several natural disasters im-

pacting people across the world. Many of those incidents

have caused severe damage.

Within these past two months there has been Hurricane

Maria in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Irma in Florida, two earth-

quakes in Mexico, Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas,

and wildfires in California.

Many loved ones, cherished items and homes have

been lost during all of these events.

University Academy senior Je’Nique Graham spent

this past summer in the streets of Mexico, where there is

now traumatic earthquake damage.

“It’s sad because I [just] walked those beautiful

streets,” said Graham.

She recently contacted her host mother, who she lived

with, and sadly found out that their house and school is

destroyed. Her mother taught at one of the only schools for

deaf kids in their city.

UA senior India Sorrells also visited Mexico this sum-

mer. Her host family was di-

rectly impacted by the earth-

quakes, too.

“They didn’t get hurt or

anything, but a lot of the

places around and their homes

are messed up pretty bad,” said

Sorrells.

Sorrells said that if she

could, she would donate water

and money to those who were

impacted by these recent natu-

ral disasters. Graham said that

she would send care packages.

“I hope that all of the people in these natural disasters

will be okay and that they will have a quick recovery,” said

Sorrells.

Everyone needs all of the help that they can get.

1

Thoughts on Athletic Protests By Lillian Scanlon

Imagine it. More than 60,000 people stand up, and

you—with two other men—don’t stand but rather, do the

opposite. On Oct. 2, 2016, three San Francisco ‘49er foot-

ball players (Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, and Eli Harold)

were the first men to ever kneel during the playing of the

national anthem prior to a football game.

The original position that Kaepernick held was sitting

during the anthem, but he later switched it to kneeling in

respect for all the men and women in the military while still

protesting against all the injustices that minorities in the

United States dealt with in the past and present.

Recently, the fight for equality has turned into the fight

for the football players’ first

amendment rights, with President

Donald Trump saying players

who kneel at a football games

should be fired.

President Trump’s remark

caused huge backlash from the

NFL, which resulted in 25 out of

the 36 NFL teams showing signs

of protest during the national an-

them. The signs they used in-

cluded locking arms, kneeling,

sitting down, or just not showing

up on the field at all. The teams

who didn’t officially take the

field until after the anthem were

the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans.

The president triggered more backlash on Sept. 22, at a

rally in Huntsville, Ala., when he called people who knelt

during the anthem a bunch of “S.O.B.s.”

It’s not unheard of for athletes to speak up about politi-

cal issues. Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey made a very

controversial pair in the late 1940’s when they first stepped

onto the Major League Baseball field, to the protest of

many white Americans of the time. Robinson was the first

African-American baseball player ever in the major

leagues, while Rickey was the Dodgers’ sports executive

who signed Robinson to the team.

Other famous athletes have used their influence to

make statements, too.

“Tommie Smith and Muhammad Ali famously dis-

cussed their beliefs and opinions not too long ago,” said Mr.

Andrew Blakemore, assistant football coach at UA. In

1968, Smith and John Carlos both raised their fists in sup-

port of the Black Power movement after winning first and

second place in the 200-meter sprint at the Mexico City

Olympics. Ali refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War

because violence was against his religious beliefs.

“With that said, athletes today have more of a social

platform with social media and television network cover-

age,” said Mr. Blakemore.

Byron Williams, a senior athlete, also believes that

athletes are important in politics.

“I feel like athletes have a political say because

they have an imagery and kids want to be like them, so

they’re going to try and think and

act how they act,” said Williams.

Anwar Smith, junior football

player, believes that it wasn’t

until now that athletes truly had a

big political influence.

“At first they were originally

seen as mainly a form of enter-

tainment, and now due to the

respect that athletes have gained

through their actions and through

the course of these years, they’re

able to use their reputations and

popularity to affect people’s

opinions in society,” said Smith.

Of the three student-athletes

and two coaches interviewed, all agreed that NFL football

players should be allowed to protest during the national

anthem.

Another player who has shown his opinions through

football is New York Giants’ receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

“When [Odell Beckham Jr.] scored his touchdown he

put up his fist for the Black Power movement ... I really

liked what he did,” said Ryan Wilson, senior. “That’s one

of the athletes that I like that took a stand.”

When it comes down to the very core of the situation,

examining the motives behind people’s actions seems to be

the key.

“Protesting is a part of the foundation of our country;

copying a celebrity idol or disrespecting our armed services

and veterans is not,” said Mr. Blakemore.

“There is a stark difference between purposeful protest

and blatant disrespect.”

Je’Nique Graham studied

abroad in Mexico.

Natural Disasters Timeline

New “Addition”

to Upper School

Math Department

Is Mr. Story Sandy fitting in as a new Upper School

teacher? Mr. Sandy, a new staff member in the math de-

partment at University Academy, took Ms. Katy Ken-

yon’s College Algebra courses and some Algebra II

courses, as well.

Ms. Kenyon has been teaching math at UA for five

years, and she “felt a lot of anxiety” about leaving her

teaching position.

She did-

n't know

whether

or not she

could

trust the

new

teacher

with “her

kids.”

As the

school

year has

pro-

gressed,

her opinion has shifted.

“I can say with utmost confidence that Mr. Sandy has

alleviated my stress because I absolutely trust him,” Ms.

Kenyon said. “He makes himself available for tutoring

above and beyond what's required, and he has a calming

demeanor which promotes students' abilities to focus.”

She added, “So because I know Mr. Sandy is going to

do right by my kids, I am happy that he has taken my spot

as the College Algebra teacher.”

Following the footsteps of his mother, aunt and uncle,

Mr. Sandy came into the teaching profession well-

prepared.

Mr. Sandy said he feels as though the school year so

far has been successful.

He is “constantly impressed by the number of activi-

ties that students participate in and organize.”

Mr. Sandy

also hopes to re-

main a UA staff

member long

term. He said he is

happy to step into

the UA building

and teach classes

all day.

“I feel very

lucky to work with

such great teach-

ers and adminis-

trators and a fabu-

lous math team,”

he said.

Mr. Sandy is

not the only one

who thinks the

school year is go-

ing well.

Senior Lauren

Warren said that

“with this being

his first year

teaching, he’s doing a good job.”

Warren had Ms. Kenyon for three years straight dur-

ing her first three years of high school, and with her last

year in high school she had to switch to an unfamiliar

teacher.

“I was very sad at first,” she said. “I was hoping I

had Ms. Kenyon all four years.”

But once the school year started, Warren’s mindset

drifted from bitterness to sweetness. She realized that Mr.

Sandy isn't so bad after all.

Although Mr. Sandy is not Ms. Kenyon, he is now an

essential part of the UA family.

By Eriana Townes

Fun Facts about Mr. Sandy:

Follows the news

“obsessively.”

Likes to cook—favorite

foods are black bean soup and

pumpkin bread.

Went to the University of

Wisconsin, while Ms. Kenyon

went to the University of Minne-

sota. Their schools are in a ri-

valry, but Wisconsin has beat

Minnesota for 13 years straight

in football.

Lived in Ecuador, also lived

in China for five weeks.

Is color blind.

Favorite movie is “Hot Fuzz.”

Likes to bike.

Likes to travel the world.

Dream vacation spot is

Thailand.

Mr. Sandy is new this year and teaches

math in the Upper School.

NFL players have been kneeling during the Na-

tional Anthem prior to games.

2

UA Flag Team Entertains the Crowds at Halftime By Markeiana Wilson

University Academy’s flag team helps to entertain the

crowd at halftime at football games. The flag team consist

of seven girls who are dedicated and patient.

The flags they twirl at halftime are blue and silver--the

colors that represent UA. The flag team adds entertainment

by performing with the band as they play their selection of

songs.

Ms. Amanda Adreani, the flag team coach and Middle

and Upper School choir teacher, has now been a coach for

two seasons. Being a coach has a lot of responsibilities, so it

can be stressful.

Team members have many responsibilities, too.

Ms. Adreani said, “Flag girls have to be committed to

attending practices, driven to adjust and perfect the routines

and be willing to work as a team player.”

People learn things differently, and it may take some

people longer to learn something new than others.

“Learning a new skill is tough! Many of the girls on the

team this year haven't done it

before, and it takes time,”

Ms. Adreani said. “This

group has been great about

adjusting and taking time to

learn new skills.”

Unfortunately flag sea-

son ends when football sea-

son ends, so there are no

more chances to see the team

perform this season.

“I think we have gotten

better with each perform-

ance. I think the Homecom-

ing game has been our best

so far,” said Ms. Adreani.

She said, “The flag girls rocked it at halftime.”

Ms. Kimberly White, a Lower School teacher, volun-

teered her time in the begin-

ning of the season to help the

group choreograph. She was a

flag girl in high school.

High school can be stress-

ful, especially when you add

extracurricular involvements

into the mix. But freshman

Kynnadi Pearson said the

benefits are worth it.

Pearson has been a flag

girl for one year. She enjoys

being a flag girl because “it’s

fun and worth my time.”

Pearson said, “It’s really

no pressure because I focus on

having fun rather than the possible pressure that could oc-

cur.”

Sneaker Game By Chris Lee

Air Jordan is a worldwide basketball footwear and

athletic clothing brand produced by Nike. The first ever

Air Jordan shoe was produced in 1984 and was released

to the public in 1985. This shoe was named the Air Jordan

Retro 1.

The shoes were originally designed for Nike, and still

to this day Nike owns all Jordan operations. The Jordan

brand grew tremendously and currently has 21 active

NBA players with their own models of the Jordan brand.

Today many kids go crazy for these particular shoes,

to the point where they need tickets to get these newly

released shoes and have to camp out night after night for

the sneakers when they are released.

Air Jordans have influence throughout the world--

even at University Academy. UA students have all the

flavor

and

in-

sight

when

it

comes

to this

brand

of

Jor-

dan

shoes.

UA

senior

Terry

Butler said, “What I like most about the shoes are their

unique color schemes. The color of someone's shoes can

tell you a lot about them.”

Butler doesn't really have many shoes, but he said his

favorite pair is his “UNC 11 Lows.”

“I only have about 15 pairs of shoes, not as much as

your everyday sneaker head, but they have much comfort

and look great,” Butler said.

Although Nike and Jordan are arguably the same,

Demetrius Scott, a UA senior, said he prefers the style of

Nike over Jordan.

“I like Nike's better because they feel better on my

feet,” Scott said. “My favorite sneaker is the ‘Nike Presto’

because they are great for walking.”

Unlike Butler, Scott is a shoe junky. Scott said he has

about 50 to

60 pairs of

shoes.

“I

started my

shoe col-

lection in

the eighth

grade.

There were

many shoes

I wanted at

the particu-

lar time,

and that's

when my

collection

took off.”

The

sneaker

game is continuously growing by day, get yours while

you can … The sneaker heads are taking over.

Scott wears his coke white Prestos.

Butler wears his UNC 11 Lows.

20/20 Helps Gryphon Students By Tiffany Benites

If you haven’t heard about the program 20/20 Leader-

ship, now is a good time to learn about it. Not only does the

program have special opportunities each year for the juniors

and seniors, but also it helps students stay motivated.

The 20/20 Leadership program helps students develop

better characteristics that they don’t usually learn in the

classroom by going

out on field trips,

making connections

and teaching students

about things they

don’t typically learn

in a classroom.

Upper School

guidance counselor

Ms. Katy Kenyon

said the program

offers “opportunities

for juniors and sen-

iors to have leader-

ship and community building experiences.”

To apply for this program, as a sophomore you need to

have a GPA of a 2.5 or higher. Then you will fill out an

application in the spring, but you may not get chosen since

the program only allows 15 students to enter each year.

As Ms. Kenyon said, “It is NOT first come, first

served.”

Those who are selected are presented with many new

and exciting opportunities.

Ms. Kenyon said, “This year UA 20/20 juniors will

have the chance to win $8,000 for their school!”

One UA student who has taken advantage of the pro-

gram is senior Arsema Berhane. Berhane said she enjoys

20/20 and that it gives her the chance to “learn about new

opportunities for colleges and scholarships.”

And since she's been in it since her junior year, she has

taken part in many

trips and events.

For example,

she went to the

capital of Missouri,

Jefferson City, to

learn about state

government and

how it influences

city government.

20/20 students

have also organized

and planned a fit-

ness dance, which Berhane helped with, and a students vs.

staff basketball game.

Berhane also said, “I’ve gotten to meet new people at

different schools and learn about colleges that I could be

interested in. I've improved my networking skills, and it's

helped me mature as a high school student.”

This program makes students more experienced, gives

them the chance to see what college will be like and helps

to keep them motivated throughout their years in high

school.

Seniors Arsema Berhane and

Amaya Zweifel look on at a 20/20

event.

The Fashionable Fall Season By Jasmin McDonald

The crunchy, multicolored

leaves, the chilly weather and

Thanksgiving dinner cravings.

Yep, you guessed it, fall is upon

us, and now that fall is here,

things are changed—house de-

cor, food options and even peo-

ple’s clothing styles.

Styles can change with

weather-appropriate clothing or

fall color-coordinated boots and

shawls. Fall trends can be seen

on celebrities, on fashion web-

sites or magazines, and even on

University Academy students

and teachers.

One teacher who is widely

known for her distinctive style

is Upper School English teacher

Mr. Andrew Blakemore.

Mr. Blakemore said his

style is inspired by Jay Gatsby,

a wealthy man who lived a

luxurious life in the famous

“Great Gatsby” novel.

So, for the fall season Mr.

Blakemore said he searches for “quarter zips, sweaters,

cardigans, pea coats and scarves.”

For those who are interested in the Jay Gatsby trend,

visit Mr. Blakemore’s favorite store Banana Republic.

“They have nice clothes that fit the style of a classy

man,” he said.

Upper

and Middle

school

choir

teacher Ms.

Amanda

Adreani

described

her style as

that of a “hip librar-

ian grandpa,” even

throughout the fall

season.

Ms. Adreani

will wear pants

throughout the year,

especially colorful

pants! During the

fall season she

wears sweaters, tall

leather boots and

scarves. One of her

favorite scarves she

purchased from a

store in New York

from the eighth

grade, and she still

rocks it today.

These two teachers are just a couple examples of relat-

able fashionable styles here at UA, but there are many dif-

ferent ways to express the fall seasons.

Above: Ms. Adreani

sports a trendy fall

scarf. Top right: Blaz-

ers are popular during

fall. Bottom right: Tan

is a popular color in

the fall season.

Flag girls perform at halftime of a UA football game

earlier this fall.

Ms. Kenyon Takes a New Role By Doriann Morris

Ms. Katy Kenyon has

started her new role in Univer-

sity Academy’s Upper School

as the guidance counselor.

Ms. Kenyon has worked at

University Academy for five

years as a math teacher, and

now she has decided to make

this big change for herself.

Ms. Kenyon said, “The

flow of work is different from

when I was a teacher. I only

really focused on the lesson,

and now as a counselor there’s

more on my plate.” Ms. Ken-

yon is also still teaching a cou-

ple hours of Pre-Calc and Algebra 1 throughout the day.

The Upper School hasn't had a stable counselor in the

past few years. Students and staff say it’s really great

knowing that Upper School finally has a counselor for the

whole entire high school, and it's good knowing that there’s

someone available to talk to students privately when neces-

sary.

“I chose this job opportunity because I believe that

students deserve a counselor and someone that is full time

committed to every kid in

high school and is able to

build a relationship with

them,” Ms. Kenyon said.

Dr. Clem Ukaoma, the

Upper School principal,

said, “I chose Ms. Kenyon

because she was someone

that I thought would be sta-

ble because she’s been at

University Academy for

such a long time. She under-

stands the students, school

and what it is about.”

Ms. Kenyon also men-

tioned that she has to take

night classes at UCM two nights a week for awhile in order

to become a certified counselor. Ms. Kenyon is really try-

ing to motivate herself just like she motivates her students.

Dr. Ukaoma explained that he expects Ms. Kenyon to

get better and feels that she's doing well by going to lunch

and communicating with all the students.

This role seems to be something that Ms Kenyon really

enjoys at UA and will enjoy for years to come.

UA and the Blue Ribbon Award By Aniah Kemp

Popular Video Game Releases By Michael Daniel

There are a lot of new game releases coming up in late

2017-18, but not all of them are worth your time and

money.

A game that has received of lot of buzz is “The Evil

Within 2,” which was

just released on Oct.

13. Sophomore Dale-

sean Tatum said he

believes this is a defi-

nite pick up and that

anyone who likes a

good story should pick

it up.

Game rating web-

sites like Steam and

IGN gave “The Evil

Within 1” scores of

7/10 and 8.7/10, and the sequel is likely to improve on

those numbers.

“Call of Duty WW2,” which is going to be re-

leased on Nov. 3, is another game that gamers are hearing

lots about. Some are even calling it the savior of “Call of

Duty.”

Sophomores Vincent Tetuan and Tatum gave thoughts

on whether or not this game would save the franchise.

Tetuan said, “I don't know because from playing the

beta, some of the mechanics are unfair.”

Tatum said, “Yes but no because now they're taking

out all the future stuff, but it depends on how they do it.”

“Assassin’s Creed: Origins,” which comes out Oct. 27,

is another big game that's coming out this month. This is a

very important addition to the series because, just like

“COD: WW2,” it is supposed to be the game that keeps the

series from

dying.

Unlike

all the other

AC games,

this game

took two

years to be

made instead

of the usual

one year for the reason that publisher Ubisoft felt the series

dying and they needed more time to improve.

“Red Dead Redemption” is probably going to be the

biggest release coming up in 2018. Many people have been

asking for this game since the first one came out.

Although the main character died at the end of the first

game, the new one is a prequel rather than the typical se-

quel. This fact has caused a bit of worry because prequels

can limit creativity, but don't let this stop you from buying

the game because Rockstar is a great company and this

shouldn’t be much of a problem for them.

Tatum said, “[‘Red Dead Redemption 2’] looks like it

will have

even more to

offer than the

first game. It

takes advan-

tage of the

new and im-

proved

graphics of

the Playstation regular and Pro console.”

If you like video games, you have a lot to look for-

Teens Turning

into Social

Mediaholics By Aliyah Kwizera

Over the

decades,

technology

has been

transforming

people’s

lives.

According to

the Huffing-

ton Post, 92

percent of

teens report

going online

at least once

a day, and 56

percent of

those teens

admit they go

online

“several

times” a day.

This means

only 8 per-

cent of teens

are able to

resist going

online every

day.

University

Academy sophomore student Allyssa Dixon said she has

seen differences in her friends as social media has become

more popular.

“For my friends I see the changes,” said Dixon.

“They started to blend in with everyone else. No one is

sticking out anymore because they’re trying to fit in.”

Despite seeing the changes in her friends, Dixon

doesn’t let it affect her in a negative way.

She said social media actually makes her think out-

side the box more

because social media

will give her one

thing and expect her

to run with it.

Dixon believes

social sites have af-

fected her close

friends by trying to

make them something

they’re not, UA

sophomore Tessa

Blythe said, “I think it

destroys the confi-

dence in themselves. I

think their self esteem

is destroyed just by

looking at social me-

dia.”

Despite the fact

that social media can

have dismissive im-

pacts on teens, there

are some positive

activities that happen

on there, too. Social

media provides a way

to reconnect with

friends or family

members who are

thousands of miles

away. It’s also a way

to come across news

that might be other-

wise unfamiliar to

you.

“You could be

scrolling down your news feed and come across some-

thing that interests you, which would push you into re-

searching upon it,” Blythe said.

Both Dixon and Blythe agreed that a way for teens to

start improving social media is by focusing on positivity.

“Start focusing on what you have vs. focusing on

what others lack,” said Blythe. “Also focus on being your-

self.”

Dixon said, “As a whole, teens can start off by doing

positive challenges. Start with something that we can have

fun with but that would have a big impact on our commu-

nity, and also just uplift each other.”

3

Dixon spends time on social media.

“... And the 2017 National Ribbon Award goes to Uni-

versity Academy!”

On Sept. 29, University Academy’s entire Upper

School, the

Dean of Edu-

cation for

UMKC and

UA co-

founders Mr.

and Mrs.

Helzberg

gathered in

the Mayer-

berg Room to

hear the an-

nouncement.

Superinten-

dent Mr.

Tony Kline

and Upper

School principal Dr. Clem Ukaoma helped to share the big

news.

UA is the first charter school in Missouri to be picked

for this huge achievement. The National Blue Ribbon

Award was founded in 1982, and this award is only given

an elite group of schools each year.

In his remarks, Mr. Kline said less than 1 percent of

one third of schools nationwide receive the award annually.

Just 342

schools

across the

country

were hon-

ored this

year.

In order to

be selected,

schools

must show

exemplary

student

performant

for five

years in a

row.

So on Nov. 6, Dr. Ukaoma will travel to Washington

D.C. to receive the award. This award has brought high

status to University Academy and will continue to do so as

years pass.

Left: All Upper School students gathered to listen to the announcement of UA being

named a National Blue Ribbon winner. Right: School founders Mr. and Mrs. Helzberg

attended the announcement with the UMKC Dean of the School of Education and Dr.

Ukaoma and UA superintendent Mr. Kline.

Ms. Kenyon is now the Upper School counselor.

Halloween: Dress to Impress! By Paulina Garcia

Still don't know what to wear for Halloween? There are

many interesting and impressive costumes to wear for this

unique holiday coming up on Oct. 31.

On Halloween you can scare people, get free candy,

hang out with friends and family, and most importantly,

have fun.

To scare people you can dress up as a clown, a witch, a

zombie or as Michael Myers to name a few options.

UA students like to dress up.

Sophomore Tessa Blythe said

her best costume was a vampire.

She painted her face white, she

put mascara around her eyes and

she drenched herself in fake

blood.

Sophomore Le’Onia White

said her best costume was being

a stabbed victim. She used fake

blood that looked very scary.

White said she thinks the

most popular costume for Hal-

loween this year will be the

clown It because It is a character

in a popular movie, and the

clown is very terrifying.

Blythe said, “I think the most popular costume is

Harley Quinn because of ‘Suicide Squad.’”

This Halloween, White will dress up as Numbuh 5

from “KND Code Module” because it is easy to dress up as

and people say she already looks like her. Numbuh 5 wears

a long blue and white sweater, white shoes and a red hat.

Costumes often represent something or someone you

like or want to

be. White said,

“Costumes rep-

resent creativity

and freedom to

showcase your

inner you.”

Blythe said,

“I think they

represent some-

one you either

idolize, envy or

subconsciously

want to be.”

Dressing up

as something or

someone other than yourself can be appealing since you can

have fun without any judgment from others.

“Dressing up is fun because I can be something I like

for a day without being thought of as weird,” said White.

Still don't know where to buy your costume? Check out

Halloween Express at 8600 Ward Parkway. They have cos-

tumes that are scary, funny, cute and more. There are cos-

tumes for everyone—adults, teenagers, kids and even for

dogs.

For more information, go to their website at halloween-

expresskc.com.

Get Out Your Movie Popcorn By India Sorrells

Halloween is right

around the corner. Can you

believe it?

This time of year most

people enjoy going trick or

treating, checking out

haunted houses, eating

candy and dressing up.

But there is one thing

in particular that a lot of

people look forward to, and

that is SCARY MOVIES!!!

October is the month

when theatres get loaded

with scary/horror films.

This is the time when the best of the best scary movies

come out because people are in the Halloween spirit.

Some moviegoers who are students at UA said they

like to watch scary movies around this time of year.

“I enjoy the suspense and how you never know what’s

going to happen,” said senior David Howard. “ My favorite

scary movie of all time is ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’”

Howard enjoys going to movies with friends and see-

ing scary movies that involve killer plots and chainsaws.

Another fellow student, senior Torrei Ealy, enjoys

watching scary movies also.

Ealy said she

likes scary

movies because

she ends up

being “on the

end of my seat

waiting to see

what’s going to

happen next.”

Ealy’s favorite

scary movies of

all time are

“‘Dark Skies’

and ‘Freddy vs.

Jason.’” These

movies involve lots of killing and horror.

“I prefer watching scary movies with friends,” senior

Duwan Whitmire said. “I also enjoy the scary movie ‘Texas

Chainsaw Massacre.’”

Among the three of these students, they seemed to

agree that they all really enjoy movies that involve killing

and chainsaws.

These features are popular when it comes to scary

movies, as most of the top scary movies include killer plots.

So this year on Halloween, go eat candy, dress up and

watch a scary movie or two.

Fun Fall Crafts to do With Family and Friends By DheVaune’ Mays

The time of year for creativity, spookiness, and your

wildest ideas is here! No matter if you just want to scare

your friends and family, spice things up, or even just add a

little fun to your plates and home...this is the place for you.

Halloween isn’t the only thing to celebrate in October.

According to National Day Calendar, the month of Oc-

tober has many unofficial titles. They include:

-National Apple Month

-National Book Month

-National Cookie Month

-National Dessert Month

-Family History Month

-National Pizza Month

-National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

Considering there are so many different things going on

in the month of October that you can celebrate, let’s look at

a few fun ideas for each different category.

National Apple Month

Give a teacher an apple to show your appreciation for

National Apple Month

National Book Month

Try to check out at least one book this month and also

while you’re at it recommend one as well!

National Cookie Month

See the cookie recipe on the right for Ooey Gooey

Monster Eye Cookies. Have some fun, and give it a try!

National Dessert Month

Make your favorite dessert with one of your friends or

family members or share your favorite baking recipe.

Family History Month

Start a family cookbook! This way your favorite family

recipes will be kept all in one place for the entire fam-

ily.

National Pizza Month

Make your very own pizza. Want to know how? Check

some recipes online, or just buy some pita bread or

English muffins to use as crust. Then add pizza sauce

and your choice of toppings.

National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

Make a string of popcorn for a fun activity!

As you can see October is not only for the ghouls and

goblins but there are also some fun and simple things you

can do even if the spooky things are not for you.

4

10 Scary Movies to Watch

This Halloween

1. Scary Movie

2. The Exorcist

3. Halloween

4. The Shining

5. Psycho

6. Saw

7. The Nightmare on Elm Street

8. The Conjuring

9. Scream

10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Le’Onia White, Germany Lee-Pound,

and Blythe posing for a creepy picture.

Blythe dressed up as a

vampire.

Halloween

Haunt is at

Worlds of Fun By Simone Cooper

Halloween is getting closer and closer, and Worlds of

Fun has already started getting ready.

This year

from Sept. 16 all

the way through

the end of Octo-

ber, Worlds of

Fun has had a

“Halloween

Haunt.” The fes-

tivities are from

7 p.m. until mid-

night on Friday

and Saturday

nights. The park

brings out all of

its monsters to

give people a

scare.

University

Academy sopho-

more Damion

Tripp said, “I

have been to

Worlds of Fun

on Halloween

and it was fun.”

But on the other hand, sophomore Tessa Blythe said

she hasn't been on Halloween.

“But it might be worth trying if I didn't have to go

alone,” Blythe said.

Every year, Worlds of Fun tries to make the theme

park as scary as possible, and it seems that it gets scarier

each year. They bring out a lot of monsters, and the work-

ers take their jobs very seriously by scaring as many peo-

ple as they can. Some monsters work in haunted houses,

and other monsters walk around scaring people.

Some students feel different ways when it comes to

how scary Worlds of Fun is around this time.

“I think it is not going to be scary because the last

time I went it was not,” said Tripp. That opinion is from

one person's perspective, but Blythe said she thought it

would be scary.

Worlds of Fun has some new things this year. They

have an all-new skeleton crew that does acrobatics. They

also have more than 400 monsters that haunt people as the

smoke from the smoke machine comes out. In addition,

there are special Halloween attractions such as the Blood-

shed or the Carnevil, which are haunted houses.

If you plan on going, you can get tickets as low as

$37. Worlds of Fun also has other deals which can be

found on their website. The last day of the haunt is Oct

28. So if you're planning on going, get your tickets early

and get a great deal.

Evil cowboys like this one scrape the

ground in the dark as you walk past.