Lance Winter Edition

Ah, the holidays-a time of giving, receiv-

ing, and peace on Earth. And this year, the

holidays are a time to wonder how it has

become the holidays so quickly.

Christmas may come but once a year,

but these days it doesn't go away until it

we've had three months of preparation

beforehand. The only real reason the hol-

iday season seems to come earlier and

earlier each year is our obsession with

planning. Getting a jump on things is one

thing, but obnoxious inflatable reindeer

decorating lawns before T h a n k s g i v i n g

day? Isn't Christmas coming too early?

Retailers have a nasty habit of pulling

out the holiday goodies when you least

expect it-i.e.: way before you expect it.

These days, if they aren't shoving Frosty in

your face at the start of October, we

assume something is seriously wrong. For

example, who hasn't gone to Walmart and

seen stuffed snowmen and Christmas

trees scattered amongst the gruesome,

blood-soaked decorations of Halloween?

Only in America will you see “Shake Your

Booty” Santa sitting next to “Man Who

Removes Own Head While Screaming.”

Full article on page13

December 17, 2009

Every year it seems we find out thatanother familiar word or phrase has beendeemed offensive to somebody some-where. No longer can we wish someone a“Merry Christmas” without wondering ifthey'll snap back with an angry responsethat the mere mention of Christmas isagainst their religion.

How far can this go until everything is sogeneric that the holiday season ceases toexist? When someone wishes someoneelse well, they are not trying to underminetheir rights or their beliefs: they're justwishing someone well. That's all. Justbecause someone doesn't believe in a cer-tain religion or celebrate a certain holidaydoesn't mean that they can't just acceptgood tidings from a stranger regardless. Ifsomeone walked up to me and wished mea happy Hanukkah, I'd smile and say thankyou, even though I'm not Jewish. It's thethought that counts, isn't it?

What happened to common decency?Good will towards man?

Oh wait, that's a Christmas phrase,right? Can I say that and not offend you?Once upon a time I could, but the verynotion now seems like a fairy tale.

In fact, I find the very concept of “X-mas”

offensive. To me, saying “Merry X-mas” is

like putting an “X” through Christ-like

crossing Him off like he's just another

name in just another book. Even though

we're not offending non-Christians now,

we're offending the believers-and it's the

believers who are actually entitled to cele-

brating the holiday.

Full article on page 28

N S L A N C E . C O M Volume 56, Issue 2

You demanded

it- Senior

Spotlight is

back! Page 24

On November 28, 2009, over 600 ofIowa's finest singers and 500 band andorchestral musicians gathered in Ames,Iowa to celebrate the All-State MusicFestival. This is a gathering of the best ofthe best throughout the state and NorthScott was fortunate enough to be able toshow off some of our talent. North Scotthad 6 students attend in the choir and onemusician in the band.

Full article on page 5

Christmas is Coming Too Soon by JAMESON SHANK

All-State by NATE CURLOTT

Political Correctness by KIRSTEN WOHLFORD

--{ NEWS

Top Ten

3

Hot vs. Not

4

Fashion Industry

4

All-State Music

5

College Basketball

5

--{ FEATURES

Celebrating New Years Safely

6

Tips For Making Resolutions

6

Things to Do Over Break

7

Origins of Christmas

10

Icons of Christmas

11

Date is Irrelevant to Celebrate

12

Christmas in Europe

12

Christmas is Coming Too Soon

13

Krampus: Anti-Santa

14

Black Friday Shopping

14

Christmas for the Frugal

15

Popular Gift Ideas

15

Important Dates For Seniors

26

Recipes For Christmas

29

EDITOR:

SKYLAR MOORE

LAYOUT EDITOR:

KIRSTEN WOHLFORD

PHOTOGRAPHER:

TIM HAVENHILL

REPORTERS:

ALYSSA COLE

NATE CURLOTT

KAYLA HAMILTON

DAVID HARRINGTON

DESTINIE HSU

AISLINN MARTIN

DEVIN RASCHE

JUSTIN ROBERTS

GRAYSON SCHMIDT

JAMESON SHANK

ELISA STEGMAN

AARON VINER

JULIE WANER

JONATHON ZROSTLIK

ADVISOR:

CAROLYN KECK

THE LANCE IS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH SCOTT HIGH SCHOOL AND PUBLISHES FOUR ISSUES DURING

THE SCHOOL YEAR. OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL WRITERS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REP-

RESENT THE VIEWS OF THE STAFF OR ADMINISTRATION. THE LANCE STRIVES FOR ACCURACY AND FAIRNESS, AND

IS A MEMBER OF THE IOWA HIGH SCHOOL PRESS ASSOCIATION. THE LANCE WELCOMES AND ACCEPTS LETTERS TO

THE EDITOR, BUT THEY MUST BE SIGNED AND ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION FOR CLARITY AND LENGTH. LETTERS

MAY BE GIVEN TO MS. KECK OR EMAILED TO THE STAFF AT [email protected], OR WRITE TO

US AT 200 SOUTH FIRST STREET, ELDRIDGE, IOWA 52748.

--{ ENTERTAINMENT

Yearly Video Game Review

18

Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time

19

Atreyu!s New Album

19

The Story of Micheal Oher

22

Disney!s Christmas Carol

23

The Fourth Kind

23

--{ OPINION & PEOPLE

New Year!s Resolutions

8

Song of the Year

16

Street Smarts

20

Senior Spotlight

24

Graduating at Semester

26

Seniors Staying The Year

27

Politically Correct Christmas

28

Plagiarism

28

Photo Gallery

30

Ten select (and often amusing) stories

from around the wor ld

10. In Brazil, a man showed up at his own

funeral. He had been falsely identified as

being the victim of a car crash the night

before by his grieving family when he had

actually just stayed the night at a nearby

truck stop. When he heard that his own

funeral was going on, he rushed over as

soon as possible to clear up the mistake.

9. A lot people have to take their driver's

exam once or twice before they get a

passing score-but how about 950 times? A

woman in South Korea has been trying

almost daily for four years to get at least 60

out of 100 on her written driving exam

before she passed with the bare-minimum

score. She has spent approximately 5 mil-

lion won (around $4000) on application

fees in her fight to drive, but it isn't over

yet: the woman still has to pass a driving

test in order to finally get her license.

8. Sometimes, alcohol can cause a person

to believe that they are something they're

not, and this was definitely true when a

man in Seattle impaled himself while leap-

ing over a metal fence. Apparently, he

earnestly believed that he was a ninja.

Police at the scene said that he was just

drunk and “overconfident in his abilities.”

7. After a new “distracted driving” law went

into effect in Canada that banned cell

phone usage while driving, many people

are pushing for it to include other distrac-

tions as well. While most of their sugges-

tions are reasonable things, such as apply-

ing make-up or eating, some are not.

Several politicians have been religiously

fighting to outlaw nose-picking while dri-

ving a vehicle. They claim it is an extreme-

ly dangerous distraction, and should lead

to a large fine.

6. In Wisconsin, grocery store shoppers

were shocked when a 125-pound black

bear entered the building. Onlookers were

terrified and hid from the ferocious animal,

but thankfully, he was not out for blood.

Instead, he went straight to the liquor sec-

tion and just sat on a shelf in the beer cool-

er for nearly an hour until animal control

arrived and got him down.

5. A new restaurant in Taiwan has debuted

with a very interesting theme: bathroom-

style. Guests sit on real toilets (with the

lids down, of course) and eat at tables

made from bathroom sinks. Meals are

serves on miniature toilet-shaped plates,

and drinks come in a souvenir plastic uri-

nal. For those without a sense of humor,

however, folding chairs and ordinary dish-

es are also available.

4. A bank robber in the UK was told by

police that he should stop committing

crimes because he was “too ugly.” The

thief has very “distinct” features, which has

made it extremely easy for the police to

identify and find him. His huge ears has

landed him the nickname “Shrek.”

3. A couple in Pennsylvania were found

standing drenched in an alleyway when

they tried to steal the copper pipes from an

apartment building. Stealing and scrap-

ping copper pipes has proved to be a

lucrative business for many, but not for

these two novices. Unfortunately for them,

the pipes were still in use when they

attempted the robbery, thoroughly soaking

both would-be thieves.

2. When asked to choose a word to reflect

the mood of the year 2009, the Oxford dic-

tionary had plenty of options. They could

have chosen a word to describe the reces-

sion, or a word to show the current state of

the country, but instead they used a

Facebook term-“Unfriend.” Way to go,

2009.

1. A man in China walked out on his wife,

not because she had cheated on him or

was abusive, but because of what she fed

him. Every day, for every meal, for every

day of their marriage, she would force him

to eat nothing but cake. He says that he

“felt like a bakery dustbin.” He says that if

his wife does not stop baking, he will

Top Ten by KIRSTEN WOHLFORD

The LANCE - December 17, 2009Pg #3

David Holyoak, dubbed the “Shrek Bandit” due to his unfortunate resemblance to the 3D ogre.

Just when it appeared that normal girls

were beginning to get some respect in the

fashion community, scandals involving two

well-known fashion designers circle

through the media, knocking us all back a

few pegs. The inevitable love-hate cycle

between the average girl and fashion

begins again.

Back in April of 2009, Ralph Lauren

model Filippa Hamilton was fired from the

company-where she had worked for 8

years since the age of 15. While Hamilton

is well known in the industry, she is not a

household name, so obviously this infor-

mation did not make mainstream news.

However, in September, a disturbing ad for

Ralph Lauren began circling around the

internet. This photo depicted Hamilton's

head on a grotesquely thin body.

After this incident, Hamilton went public

with her firing, doing several interviews

including one with NBC's The Today Show.

Her claim was that she was not, in fact let

go for her “inability to meet the obligations

of her contract” as stated by Ralph Lauren,

but for being too fat to fit in the company's

sample clothes. Hamilton is a size 4,

5'10”, weighs 120 lbs, and maintains the

fact that her weight and body type have

not changed since she began working with

the company 8 years ago.

As if this wasn't enough, another offen-

sive quote was released, but this time from

Karl Lagerfeld, a German designer who is

known for revolutionizing brands like

Chanel and Fendi. Lagerfeld was recently

quoted in a European magazine saying

“No one wants to look at curvy women,”

when he was asked if he ever considered

using average sized girls in a runway

show. The designer went on to say that

women who were against the typical skin-

ny model prototype are all probably “fat

moms sitting with their bags of chips in

front of the TV.”

Obviously, Lagerfeld is exaggerating.

Imagine a little girl seeing that picture of

Fillipa Hamilton and believing that it was

real, or having the message engraved into

her brain that if she is not a size 0, she is

a fat slob.

Not only are these incidents offensive to

women and girls of any age or size, but

they're just getting annoying. How many

times a year do we have to be subject to

these scandals? As bothersome as it is,

the fashion industry will continue to do

what they do best: cycle. The fashion

industry big wigs will never realize that

they need to stop making these stupid mis-

takes in order to sell more clothes. The

world is changing and they are obviously

not changing with us.

HOT+ Naughty list

+ Real trees

+ Giving to theneedy

+ Snow days inJanuary

+ A mistletoe kiss

+ Dashing throughthe snow

NOT- Nice list

- Fake trees

- Being selfish andgreedy

- Make up days inMay

- A mistletoe dis

- Crashing throughthe snow

Hot vs. Not by ALYSSA COLE

Fashion Industry: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

by AISLINN MARTIN


As winter draws near, so begins anoth-er exciting season of College Basketball.

The University of Kansas opened up theyear ranked as the number one team inthe country (all rankings are based off ofpreseason polls). Their team this year fea-tures freshman guard Xavier Henry andsenior guard Sherron Collins. Having thepreseason ranking, however, doesn'tmean anything as the season drags on.

Last season began with North Carolinaas the number one team in the country,and while they ended up as the numberone team at the end of the season (aftertaking home the national championship),during the course of the season, the num-ber one ranking changed over 10 times.

For those wondering, North Carolinabegan the 2009-10 season ranked numberfour.

After a strong showing in the nationaltournament last season, Michigan State iscurrently ranked second in the nation, fol-lowed by Texas, North Carolina, andKentucky to round out the top five. One ofthe surprises of the preseason wasIndiana's Butler Bulldogs being listed inthe top 10 of many national rankings.

For those of you loyal to the IowaHawkeyes, you could be in for a season ofdisappointment. With season openinglosses to the low-rated University of Texas:San Antonio and Pittsburgh's University ofDuquesne. However, many of the Big Ten

conference teams' outlooks appear to befavorable with five of its eleven teams inthe top 20.

Looking at other conferences, the BigEast, a perennial powerhouse conference,has six teams in the top 25 headed by pre-season conference favorite Vi l l a n o v a ,while the Atlantic Coast Conference boastfour teams in the top 25, including power-houses Duke and North Carolina.

Starting with the many tournamentshighlighting the preseason, going throughthe most exciting month of sports (MarchMadness), this promises to be yet anothergreat season of NCAA basketball.

On November 28, 2009, over 600 ofIowa's finest singers and 500 band andorchestral musicians gathered in Ames,Iowa to celebrate the All-State MusicFestival. This is a gathering of the best ofthe best throughout the state and NorthScott was fortunate enough to be able toshow off some of our talent. North Scotthad 6 students attend in the choir and onemusician in the band. Three-time All-StaterStacy Phipps led the group, with two-timers Kellen Moss and Audrey McDermottand first timers Travis Brown, Nate Curlott,and Sam Cosner bringing up the rear, withsenior Steven Trent was selected as analternate. Kari Moeller was selected to be

part of the All State Band for the first timein her high school career, with alternatesOlivia Hawley and Emily Kolwey backingher up in case she was ill.

Stacy Phipps comments on the group,"It was a really great group to spend aweekend with. They were all so talentedand deserving of the experience.Everybody had something new to learnand you would've thought they had allbeen there before."

As I said before, it was my first time withthis experience and I can safely tell any-body who might be remotely interested intrying out next year that they should do it.It is totally worth it in every aspect. Thework can be hard leading up to it, the audi-tion is nerve racking, and the wait is justabout more than any human being canb e a r, but the final payoff is amazing-absolutely amazing. The first time I sat inthat auditorium and heard over 600 voicesjoin in unison, I got chills. It was like noth-ing I had ever heard before. If you thinkyou got what it takes, swallow your fearand try out, because you won't be .

As for the concert itself-beautiful. Six-hundred students singing, three-hundredin the band playing, two-hundred perform-ing in the orchestra, all for the same rea-son-the music. Two and a half hours ofIowa's finest musicians performing a showfor thousands in Iowa State's Hilton

Coliseum.The All-State Experience was truly that-

an experience. It was worth every singleextra minute spent on the notes, everygroup rehearsal, and every nervous feel-ing. If you've never tried it and are thinkingabout it, do it anyway. And if you've triedbefore, but haven't been successful, keeptrying. Travis Brown has been trying sincehis freshman year, and those four years ofwork paid off for him; they can pay off foryou too. Someday, with the hard work anddedication, you too could have the "AllState Experience."

All-State Experience Revisited by NATE CURLOTT

College Basketball Kicks Off Season by AARON VINER


Do…

Drink sparkling grape juice

Host your own party with yourclosest friends

Play games like "DDR" or"Guitar Hero!

Remember your whole nightand how fun it was

Be proud that you did the rightthing

Be safe so everyone comesback next semester

So here we are North Scott, at the end of

the first semester. It's been rough, but we

made it. December is also coming to a

close, which means a new year, a new

slate for us to begin. For some, a New

Year's Resolution is the least of their wor-

ries, but for others it's a way to plan for the

next twelve months.

When thinking of what to chisel on this

new slate, toss that aside, pull out a mini-

whiteboard and a marker. Writing a New

Year's Resolution is as easy as one, two,

three when you break it up into categories.

Put all your ideas into the categories of

health, prosperity, relationships, or

lifestyle. A few things to keep in mind when

writing your resolution, is to be realistic,

plan ahead, and talk about it. When you're

realistic with yourself about your goals, if

you don't meet them one hundred percent

you won't be as upset, while talking about

it with your friends and family keeps them

informed and encourages them to help you

if they see that you're struggling. Say that

one of the goals is to have straight A's and

you accomplish that all but one B, pull out

that whiteboard and throw a few curves on

that A, and it becomes B. Now your goal to

have straight B's was more than accom-

plished.

Also, if you are struggling, don't beat

yourself up, stick to it, and keep trying.

With that whiteboard in hand, there's no

limit to the amount of changes you can

make to your New Year's Resolution.

Instead of…

Consuming alcohol

Going out and finding a randomparty

Doing drugs

Not remembering a thing fromlast night

Regretting it the next day

Being at risk of hurting yourselfor others

Fun and Safe Ways toCelebrate New Years

by DESTINIE HSU

New Years Resolutions Guide by DEVIN RASCHE

Have a fun and safe Christmas and New Years Everyone!

See you second Semester!


Christmas is one of the world's most cel-

ebrated holidays. With a wide variety of

traditions to do it's pretty easy to keep

yourself busy over Christmas break.

Ranging from ancient traditions to the

newly adapted ones, there is always

something to do over the holiday.

If you find yourself becoming a Grinch

around this time of year, force yourself to

be festive. Nothing is more fun than pop-

ping in a classic holiday flick to get you in

the mood. Amongst the most best are

“Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolf the Red-

Nosed Reindeer,” “White Christmas,”

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and

“The Santa Clause.” All of these movies

are great to enjoy with your family while

cuddling under a blanket and eating a

large bowl of buttery popcorn.

One of the Christmas biggies is to dec-

orate your house and--most especially--

the Christmas tree. My family makes

putting up the tree an almost sacrilegious

experience. After Thanksgiving, we pull

out the fake tree and our dozens of boxes

of decorations; by the end of the day, the

tree is laced with garlands, ornaments,

and yards of lights. The outside is not

spared. Wood cutouts of Santa and his

reindeer grace the front of our house.

When the last decoration is finally put up,

the remnants of boxes make the house

look like a war-zone.

Another tradition that my family and oth-

ers practice is “Light Gazing.” We drive

around and look at all the diff e r e n t

arrangements of lights that our neighbors

and festive “go-getters” have taken the

time to put up. From Nativity Scenes to

miles of Christmas lights, it surely is a

show to admire.

Cookies. Everybody loves them, every-

body eats them, and everybody bakes

them. In fact, if you are not a fan of cook-

ies, then I am not a fan of you. At my

house, we spend a whole day making

these delicious confections and more.

From chocolate-covered pretzels, frosted

cookies, and homemade fudge, our house

always has a tantalizing smell on Cookie

Day. Not only are the treats we make

yummy, they can also be a great way to

spend time with family. If you are truly

feeling the holiday cheer, then sharing

these goods with friends and your local

nursing home is a great way to embrace

the giving spirit that Christmas has come

to stand for.

Some childhood traditions cannot be for-

gotten, of course. Building a snowman is a

holiday must-especially if the winter

weather resembles that of recent years.

After you are done with the body, it is a

necessity that you 'pimp' your snowper-

son; adorn it with clothes, buttons, and,

most importantly, a carrot nose. After a day

outside, don't forget to enjoy a nice cup of

hot chocolate full of mini-marshmallows.

If any of these traditions don't make you

want to enjoy the Christmas season, then

try to think of things that are more impor-

tant about the holiday. Family, apprecia-

tion, and giving to those that may be less

fortunate. If these values could be

embraced this holiday, then it will truly be a

merry Christmas.

Activities For Over Christmas Break by KAYLA HAMILTON


Everyone loves snow angels!

What are your New Reporter Tim Havenhill asks students...

Matt

Moore-

“To lose

my...

wallet”Dr. Onken-

“Torture all my

students.”

Open

Locker-

“To be

closed.”


Year’s resolutions? SamMorrison-“To make a

differencein the world

throughwriting.”

Bill Barton-

“To sound

like Corpse

Grinder

from

Cannibal

Corpse or

find a band

to play in.”

Nate Spainhower-

“To grow amoustache

like mydad's.”


Although it's unwise to assume that mostpeople don't know the origins of theirfavorite holidays, Christmas-like severalEnglish traditions-is borrowed from some-one else. Here are just a few of the manyChristmas traditions or trademarks thatwere of non-Christian origin.

DATEAs many Christians and historians know,

Jesus's birth is speculated not to be onDecember 25, but rather in the spring-infact, Jesus's birthday is closer to Easter(when he reportedly died) than toChristmas. If this true, then why do we cel-ebrate Christmas in the winter instead ofthe spring?

In an attempt to convert masses ofRoman pagans, the early Christian churchstrategically adopted Rome's most exaltedholiday-Saturnalia. The pagan holiday cel-ebrating the harvest and the time-god,Saturn, was marked by a week-long cele-bration in which no one could be punishedfor breaking the law. Throwing such cau-tions to the wind resulted in abundant alco-hol consumption, sexual indulgences, andgeneral anarchy. The last day of Saturnaliafell on December 25, and in lieu of trying totame the very un-Christian practices of theholiday, the early church decided it wouldbecome Jesus's birthday.

MISTLETOEToday, we perceive the mistletoe as an

excuse to plant a kiss on that cutie we'vebeen admiring when we catch thembeneath it unawares. In ancient times,however, its connotations were less rosytinted, and mistletoe wasn't quite so sweet.

In Norse mythology, Balder, god of lightand beauty, was killed using a sprig ofmistletoe when the blind god Hoder wasduped into throwing it at him by the trick-ster, Loki. Kissing under the mistletoe isattributed to its association with Balder!smother, Frigg, goddess of love, but consid-ering the plant supposedly killed her mostfavored son, this seems questionable.

In Britain, the nature-worshiping Druidsheld the plant in high-esteem because ofits perplexing ability to stay green andleafy in the winter in spite of having noroots. In fact, they admired the plant to thepoint of worship, exalting it not onlybecause it sprung from sacred oak trees,but as a killing agent in toxic brews pre-sented to human sacrifices.

GINGERBREADDuring Saturnalia, Romans often baked

and feasted upon biscuits molded in theshapes of human beings, and thesestrange winter snacks are still produced ina few English (and most German) bakeriesduring the Christmas season. The English,arguably not the party-animals that theRomans were, were much more innocentwhen they decided to cook up theGingerbread Man. They believed in thesuperstition that when young ladies con-sumed gingerbread men, they were in away eating their future husbands.

But that sounds bad, doesn't it? Let'srephrase: the English thought eating a gin-gerbread man would entice a real man intothe lives of the young and unmarried

damsels of their country; eating a ginger-bread man would make them a bride-to-be.

Our practice of making and ravenouslydevouring gingerbread, although spicierand (slightly) less sadistic, is not a far cryfrom the practices of pagan Romans.

CAROLINGOn the surface, caroling appears to be

a Christian thing through and through, andthere are surely readers horrified at the ori-gins of their most treasured holiday tradi-tions, all desperately hoping that singingthe praises of the Lord are at least original,for sanctity's sake.

Sorry to disappoint, but the Romansfounded caroling too.

Caroling is yet another transplant fromtraditional Saturnalia behavior. Becausemass intoxication was a cornerstone of theancient celebration, and because alcoholoften tempts even the most level-headedinto “questionable behavior,” it was notuncommon to see drunks wander thestreets of Rome-in the nude. Singing.Liquor loosened the tongues of unwindingRomans, and it is those stark-naked aspir-ing singers belting out ancient versions of“I Will Survive” and “Don't Stop Believing”that we have to thank for modern mansinging those very same songs in the dark-ness of our local bars on the karaokemachines.

Obviously, the early Christian churchdidn't want their converts soiling the virgineyes of Rome's daughters while they sangevery song they knew in the buff, so theyencouraged hymns praising God; thesongs became “I Will Survive (Satan)” and“Don't Stop Believing (In Jesus).” TheChristians also encouraged clothing, andremarkably, that went over really well.

So what does it all mean? The Christianchurch converted the Roman Empire byincorporating their pagan practices, andbecause they did this, they secured thefuture of the Christian religion-and theChristmas presents piling up under yourtree this year.

And It's not like this is the first time itever happened: the story of Noah's Arkand the Garden of Eden were both rippedoff from the Sumerians; the Virgin Maryclutching infant Jesus is a copy of theEgyptian goddess Isis and her son; thefeat of turning water into wine was origi-nally cooked up by the Greek Dionysus-hell, even the word “Hell” is borrowed fromone of the many cultures and religionsChristianity absorbed as it took over theancient world.

Don't lose heart this year because thefounding Fathers of the world's most pop-ular religions took a few plays from theother team's playbook; the meaning of theholiday doesn't change just because theydid. To quote Shakespeare, “That whichwe call a rose by any other name wouldsmell as sweet.”

If there's anything to learn from theescapades and exploits of the origins ofour treasured holiday traditions, or fromthe fact the a lot of Christian traditionscould be misconstrued as glorified plagia-rism, then let it be this: at least in the caseof the early church in corralling in those

Christmas Originates in Debauchery by SKYLAR MOORE


For some, Christmas is a time of reli-

gious celebration; for others, it is a time of

presents, family, and tradition. No matter

what religion a person holds sacred, there

is usually some type of character or idol

that they celebrate around this time of

year. Each of these idols helped shape

and spread the spirit of Christmas.

JESUS CHRISTholy savior of mankind

As everyone knows, Christmas was

named after Jesus Christ and celebrates

the day of birth.

For those who

believe in

Christianity, it is

one of the most

important days

on the holy cal-

endar. Even for

those who do

not believe,

Jesus Christ is the holiday's figurehead,

and the reason it is celebrated.

SANTA CLAUSjolly bringer of gifts

Santa (also known as Chris Kringle) is the

much-beloved, red-coated bringer of gifts

that comes to children who have been

good all year. Legend tells that he lives at

the North Pole creating the toys through-

out the year with the assistance of his

elves. The story of Santa Claus is often

passed down because it provides a vari-

ety of lessons for children who are still

young enough to believe, not least

amongst them good behavior and a

sense of giving selflessly for everyone all

over the world.

THE GRINCHgreen Christmas bandit

Dr. Seuss's famous title character from

”How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!”

who tried to steal Christmas from an

unsuspecting Whoville. This story teach-

es people how

strong the spirit of

giving on

Christmas is by

taking an outcast

who hates the

entire holiday and

turning him into a

warm-hearted

Christmas enthu-

siast. Perhaps the

biggest lesson Dr. Seuss gave when he

penned the story is that even when the

whole of Christmas is taken away, the

spirit still remains. Its message of unity

teaches us that the holiday season is

more than just what's under the tree.

FROSTY THE SNOWMANironically warm and fuzzy

Born from a 1950's Christmas song and

reincarnated into books, movies, and TV

specials, Frosty the Snowman was an

instant classic. His cheerful appeal and

liveliness give a certain holiday spirit that

just no other character can fill. It is a

whimsical thought to think a snowman

could come to life with just a magic hat.

The carrot nose and top hat have become

nearly trademark in the essentials of cre-

ating a snowman. The message of the

story is that even when people make new

friends they may have to leave sooner or

later.

However

there is the

famous

song lyric

“I'll be back

again some-

day!” which

shows that

unity and

friendship is strong.

MR. HANKEYthe Christmas poo

What can only be described as South

Park's homage of Christmas spirit, Mr.

Hankey, is arguably the most treasured

winter icon for secular America. During

the holiday season, he brings gifts and

good tidings only to those who have

enough fiber in their diet. Although Mr.

Hankey finds his origins in comedy, he

promotes a great message: universal joy

during the holiday seasons. Mr. Hankey

does not belong to any religion and there-

fore he offends no one, in spite of the fact

he is a steaming, singing pile of stool.

The Many Iconic Faces of Christmas by JON ZROSTLIK


When I was in sixth grade, my mom was

diagnosed with cancer. We knew she did-

n't have much time left, so we celebrated

her last Christmas on Thanksgiving. I

learned something through this experi-

ence-it doesn't matter when you celebrate,

so long as you have the family gathered

together, good food to eat, and know the

meaning of the holiday. Whether it's

Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, it's the

family togetherness that makes holidays

special days to remember. So, for those of

you who celebrate holidays (like

Christmas) at different times than the tradi-

tional date, here are some holidays that

have a different date:

Christmas in July: Believed to have

started in Europe, Christmas in July was

born because people longed for the festiv-

ities of the winter season. It is said that

people actually dress up as Santa Claus

and put up their Christmas decorations for

this holiday.

Canadian Thanksgiving: In Canada,

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second

Monday in October. This feast honors a

successful harvest. The history of

Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an

English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who

had tried to find a northern passage to the

Orient. Although he failed at finding the

Northwest Passage, he succeeded in

founding a colony. In the year 1578, he

held a formal ceremony in modern-day

Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving

the long journey. This is considered the

first Canadian Thanksgiving. He was later

knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic

Ocean in northern Canada named after

him-Frobisher Bay.

Britain's Mothering Sunday: Celebrated

on the fourth Monday of Lent, this holiday

honors the Virgin Mary, the holy mother of

Jesus Christ. It is celebrated similarly to

Mother's Day in US, though the date dif-

fers. As in the case of Mother's Day,

Mothering Sunday is marked by children

giving flowers and gifts to their mothers to

show their love and gratitude.

Even though we celebrate at different

times, we!re all celebrating together in our

hearts.

All over the world, cultures view

December as a time for joy before the

brunt of winter sets in. Because winter

holidays are so widely celebrated, it is no

surprise that the world has completely dif-

ferent versions of our Christmas traditions.

In Europe-in Western Europe especial-

ly-Christmas is carried in by Saint

Sinterklaas, who arrives from Spain with

his assistants, the Schwarze Pieten, or

Black Peters. Santa Claus resembles

Sinterklaas because he is just an

American-friendly version of the saint;

hence the similar dress scheme and facial

features. Sinterklaas dresses in a red robe

and wears a bishop's hat, whereas Santa

wears something similar to industrial-age

English winter clothes.

Although they share origins, Santa and

Sinterklaas are seen as two separate char-

acters. They both arrive by steamboat on

December 5 and are featured in a massive

parade. That night, children leave their

shoes out for Sinterklaas to leave small

candies and toys in if he thinks they were

good. December 6 and 7 are seen as the

major gift-giving events, while the 25 is

mostly religious.

When Celebrating, Date is Irrelevantby TIM HAVENHILL

Turkish Saint vs. Santa Claus:Celebrating Christmas in Europe

by JUSTIN ROBERTS


Ah, the holidays-a time of giving, receiv-

ing, and peace on Earth. And this year, the

holidays are a time to wonder how it has

become the holidays so quickly.

Christmas may come but once a year,

but these days it doesn't go away until it

we've had three months of preparation

beforehand. The only real reason the hol-

iday season seems to come earlier and

earlier each year is our obsession with

planning. Getting a jump on things is one

thing, but obnoxious inflatable reindeer

decorating lawns before T h a n k s g i v i n g

day? Isn't Christmas coming too early?

Retailers have a nasty habit of pulling

out the holiday goodies when you least

expect it-i.e.: way before you expect it.

These days, if they aren't shoving Frosty in

your face at the start of October, we

assume something is seriously wrong. For

example, who hasn't gone to Walmart and

seen stuffed snowmen and Christmas

trees scattered amongst the gruesome,

blood-soaked decorations of Halloween?

Only in America will you see “Shake Your

Booty” Santa sitting next to “Man Who

Removes Own Head While Screaming.”

Television is another place where the

holidays seem to come much faster than

they should. This year, the ABC Family

channel had a “Countdown to 25 Days of

Christmas” during the month of November;

apparently, they thought it was necessary

to air 25 days of Christmas programming

to prepare people for the next 25 days

when they air nothing but Christmas pro-

gramming. Should they not rename their

holiday programming celebration “Tw o

Months of the Same Stuff We Showed

Last Year?” At least that title wouldn't be

so misleading.

Perhaps the biggest beef with the need

to make Christmas a three-month ordeal is

that doing that takes away the meaning of

Christmas day. After weeks and weeks of

non-stop Yuletide festivities, December 25

seems rather insignificant. When you've

had more than your fair share of eggnog

and heard “Jingle Bells” well over 80,000

times, Christmas day becomes something

you look forward to not as a celebration,

but as a relief that the holidays are finally

over; instead of recognizing the impor-

tance of the holiday and what it symbol-

izes, many of us are just praising the fact

that it's over so we can pack those pesky

decorations away.

It 's easy to see why people become so

obsessed with prolonging the magic of the

holiday season; it truly is a mystical time of

the year and there's a reason why we still

celebrate it in 2009. The problem comes

in when those people forget why it is they

do celebrate it every year in the first place.

Maybe if everyone wasn't so focused on

getting their lights up quicker than their

neighbor or shopping like there's no tomor-

row, people would be able see the true

magic of the holidays. I'm sure every per-

son here at North Scott would tell you that

these last few months have been stressful;

if we all slowed down a bit to take things in

and enjoy Christmas on Christmas instead

of the entire fall and half of winter, maybe

we would have a better understanding as

to why this is “the most wonderful time of

the year.”

Christmas is Coming Too Soon by JAMESON SHANK

This picture was taken on November 6th at Walgreens.


Sometime around midnight, in the firsthour of November 27 2009, there was astir across America. Long forgotten wasthe turkey consumed a short time ago, buta new hunger was awakened.

Americans piled into their cars (bundledup of course, prepared for long outdoorlines) armed with their ads and theircoupons and their lists, and set out, hopingfor the best. We see them on the news, wehear about it every year. Some of us wit-ness it firsthand, and some of us even par-ticipate.

I speak, of course, of Black Friday, thebiggest shopping day of the year that justkeeps on growing.

This year, stores pulled out the big guns:earlier hours and more deals. Toys R Usbragged “Over 100 Doorbusters!” in theirThursday ad. “We're open 5 am Friday!”was the headline on Target's flier, amongphotos of their crown jewels: a 32” flatscreen TV, a Nikon digital camera, andDVDs marked down to the stores “lowestprices ever!” Walmart's suggestion wasexpected: “Shop us FIRST for unbeatable

prices!”, while Best Buy couldn't havebeen more blunt: “Line up early-get 'embefore they're gone.”

This is American capitalism at it's finest.I myself witnessed some of this mayhem

firsthand, as I work at Toys R Us, one ofthe “hottest” Black Friday retailers. While Iwas not there for the store's opening(thank God, it was at midnight), I experi-enced the best of the rest of Black Friday.The gem of the day was hearing a flus-tered young mother with a cart full of toystell her 3 year old to stop crying and stand-ing up in the cart because if he fell out shewould just “point and laugh at” him. Andyes, that is a real quote.

Black Friday started out as an event thatrepresented frugality and the quest to getthe most out of your dollar in an economicrecession; it started out as something to beproud of. But instead, it's grown to ridicu-lous heights and has come to representthe consumerism and greed of our society.

Shoppers and store employees beingtrampled to death, riots and fistfightsbreaking out in lines and store aisles, thou-

sands of dollars of counterfeit bills-itsounds ridiculous (and it is), but it's true. InQueens, NYC on Black Friday 2009, anelderly man was shot for the TV he hadbought that morning.

Shot. For a television. Obviously, violence doesn't happen with

every Black Friday shopper, but this “I'mgetting what I want and you can't stop me!”mentality is unhealthy and, frankly, embar-rassing to me as an American. The factthat there are so many people that areself-centered enough to blatantly be rudeand disrespectful to fellow human beingsover a marked-down laptop makes me sickto my stomach.

At what cost is this behavior? What arewe saving by carrying on like this? By sav-ing money like this, we're selling our digni-ty. We have forgotten what the holidaysare about: family, friends, and goodwilltowards others. Of course everyone likespresents-not to mention saving money too-but is it really worth spending the holidaysin jail?

Because of his selfless charity and saint-liness, Santa Claus is what most envisionas the spirit of Christmas. Ina number ofnations, however, many h have come tofear one of his fiercest and more gruesomecompanions-the Krampus. While SaintNick rewards the nice, this monster pun-ishes the naughty.

The Krampus was invented in Old HighGermany and is still used to this day toscare children into behaving. T h eKrampus, almost reminiscent of“Nightmare Before Christmas,” is a terrify-ing thought to children and adults alike.Children reared in this tradition have sim-ple guidelines in life: be good untilChristmas, or an evil goat demon willappear and torture you.

On December 5, young men in mostAlpine regions dress up as Krampusesand scare little children and women of theirvillage with rusty chains and bells. Thesecostumes generally consist of woodenmasks, sheepskin, and horns. Locals takethe event very seriously and the majority ofpeople participate. According to tradition,the only surefire way to defeat this demonis to throw snowballs at it.

On Christmas Eve, children put outshoes in front of bedroom doors and win-dow sills to receive fruits, nuts, and sweetsfrom Santa if they're good; any rotten chil-

dren will receive nothing or an assortmentof stinky objects from the Krampus. Somechildren try to bribe the Krampus by mak-ing him cookies. In some tellings, onChristmas day, there is a ceremony whereSt. Nick shows up with the Krampus, andthe child, Santa drives the Krampus awayand bestows them with presents. If thereare bad, however, he lets the Krampushave its way with them. Extremelynaughty children re put in Santa's bag andare forced to become helpers of Santa for-ever.

Other variations include an event whereSanta and the Krampus come to the doorof a house and expect children to performfor them. Acting, dancing, singing, or any-thing else they can think of is acceptable.If the child does well, then he/she receivestheir presents. If the child does not do well,the Krampus tells them, “Improve byChristmas day or I will come and beat youwith a stick and you shall receive no pre-sents,” which, over the years has proven tobe quite the ultimatum.

It's arguable that the Krampus is possiblythe evilest of holiday characters. Hemakes children fear Christmas, givesthreats to kidnap children and force theminto labor, demands they dance for hisamusement-but he enforces the Christmastenants of “Be good. Or else.” What par-

ent wouldn't want a demon that tortures

children and scares them into behaving to

appear on Christmas? The Krampus's

methods may be extreme, but at least he

gets his job done.

The Krampus: The Anti-Santa Claus by JON ZROSTLIK

Black Friday: The Insanity Continues by AISLINN MARTIN

Seriously? Snowballs are our only defense

against evil Christmas monsters?


Teenagers are often in a tough spot dur-ing the holiday season. Unlike adults, theydon't have a full-time job, and often theyhave a lot more people to buy for-there'sall those friends at school, and their family,and their boyfriend's or girlfriend's family,not to mention extended family, etcetera,etcetera. Between crappy hours at work (ifthey even have a job) and school, trying tofind time-and money-for Christmas pre-sents can cause everyone to get a littlefrazzled.

To alleviate the holiday stress, here aresome low-cost suggestions for those witha light wallet.

Packaging. Why spend half of your bud-get on wrapping paper and the trimmingswhen it's only going to get ripped up andthrown out? Instead, seek out unique tinsand boxes from local thrift stores, such asGood Will or Salvation Army-hell, even theattic or the garage. A plethora of little, one-of-a-kind baskets, tins, and boxes areavailable year-round and leave the receiv-er with something useful to remember youby. Although tissue paper is recommendedfor lining your new gift boxes, cutting outthe wrapping paper alone will undoubtedlysave a few trees, not to mention all themoolah you'll save not buying tape, bows,and to-and-from gift tag stickers.

Christmas Cards. When you're runninglow on the dough or just don't know some-one very well, Christmas cards are the wayto go. Be sure to scrawl some personalmessage inside besides the quaint, mass-produced “Warm Winter Wishes” bullalready in there. For an extra kick, pur-chase blank cards (less than ten dollars for20 online) and decorate them yourself. Forthose lacking artistic ability, stamps canalso create a tasteful, unique look for thecoming year. Seniors-don't forget to sendsenior pictures! You know you have morethan enough you're dying to get rid off lyingaround.

Pictures. For those sentimental peoplein your life, photos are an excellent (andcheap) gift they're sure to adore. Take anydigital picture of you and those saps youknow and love to Walmart and have a printmade, or if you have the equipment, makethe print yourself. If you're in Mr. Peeter'sphotography class, take the picture anddevelop it yourself. Grandma andGrandpa, often mushy in their old age, willappreciate the effort and slather you withlove and affection. Pick up a frame forcheap at Salvation Army or, for the pickier,the Dollar General.

Gift baskets. Not only are they relative-ly cheap, you can knock out an entirehousehold with just one-if you make it wellenough. The contents don't really matter,just make sure they have a cohesive

theme and that the receivers will likewhat's in it. Don't go giving a basket ofselect salami or sausages to your hard-core vegan aunt or one that is Packersthemed when uncle Boris only bleeds andbreathes the Bears. A great gift for yoursignificant other's parents!

Treats. Everyone loves to eat, and foodis one of the cheapest presents you cangive this time of year. Chocolate covered

pretzels (for recipe, see page 29) andcocoa are always sure to be holiday hits.And don't forget those canisters your par-ents sometimes get with the recipeattached to the lid-those only cost a fewbucks to make. If cookies or brownies arealso beyond your expertise, purchasingthe recipient's favorite candy and present-ing it in a gift box is also sure to delight, butbe careful-some candy (such as gummybears) will stale if opened too early.

Buying your own gifts is probably thesurest way to learn that money doesn'tgrow on trees, and giving gifts is the bestway to learn Christmas isn't about receiv-ing. Take inspiration from the prescribedsuggestions above and watch their faces ifyou want proof. In light of that, ask yourparents for less this year-especially if youhave a younger brother or sister. Theeconomy has been hard on everybody,and if Mom and Pop don't have a lot ofmoney to spend, let them spend it on thetykes.

With Christmas roughly a week away,it's time to face the holiday crowds andcold weather to buy last-minute gifts. Ifyou have no idea what to buy your friendsor your date, here are some of the mostpopular and “safe” gift ideas for 2009.

For Her:

Ugg boots and moccasins$100-$140 at Von Maur

Scarves of every color$12.00 at Wet Seal

Godiva Chocolates$4-$16 at Barnes & Noble

New DVDs:“The Proposal,” “New In Town,” “Up”

$19.99 at BordersPicture Frames

$12.99 at BordersSalsa or Ballroom Dance Lessons

$13.00/person at USA Dance QCWii Fit

$49.99 at WalgreensTwilight Series

$58 at BordersiKaraoke for iPod

$29.99 at Walmart

For Him:

iPod touch (personalize the back for free)$199 Best Buy

New DVDs:“Transformers 2”,“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

$19.99 at BordersNintendo Wii

$199 at WalmartDJ Hero

$199 at WalmartBeatles Rock Band Limited Edition

$249 at WalmartNew Nikes

$89.99 at Finish LineA sweatshirt of his favorite team

$40 at Finish LineiLife Garage Band (learn how to play gui-tar through your computer, taught byfamous musicians)

$79.99 at Best Buy

If all else fails, go homemade. Everyoneloves holiday cookies or chocolate-cov-ered anything-just be sure that the recipi-ent isn't allergic to any of the ingredients.If cooking is beyond your capabilities, giftcards are always a solid way to go, espe-cially for people you don't know very well.

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Frugal by SKYLAR MOORE

Holiday Gift Ideas ForNot So Frugal

by ELISA STEGMAN


What song do you think Reporters Kayla Hamilton and Elisa Stegman ask students...

Mr. Schwartz-

A tie between 'Achy Breaky

Heart' by Billie Ray Cyrus and

'The Quadratic Formula

Song' by author too old to be

known

Brett Irving-

'All Summer

Long' by Kid

Rock

JaimeRuiz-

'YouNever

Said' byArmin Van

BuurenFeat Dash

Berlin


best describes 2009? Jodi

Williams-'Party in

the U.S.A'

by Miley

Cyrus

Jacy

Higby-'Tonight's

Gonna Be a

Good Night'

by Black

Eyed Peas

Coach

Stewart-

'Blow Me

Away' by

Breaking

Benjamin


There is plenty for gamers to slap on theirwish lists this holiday season: updatedgaming systems provide better designs(and far better prices) than their predeces-sors, sequels continue franchises sobeloved by avid fan boys, and this sea-son's remakes are putting a different andunique spin on classic games.

Sequels

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Thehighly anticipated sequel to 2007's“Modern Warfare” continues the events ofthe first game using an extensive single-player and multi-player campaign. Gamerscan battle it out in realistic locals and thentake the fight online to participate in teamdeath matches. Both Play Station 3 andXbox 360 owners will be able to get theirhands on this action-packed title foraround $60.

Assassin's Creed II: The original“Assassin's Creed” had gamers sneakingaround and eliminating targets during theCrusades. Although this sequel follows thesame formula, the scenery has changedfrom that of the Middle East to the Italyduring the Renaissance. Those who likedthe first game should pick this next install-ment up-it's available for both PS3 andXbox 360 for roughly $60.

Remakes

Resident Evil: The Darkside

Chronicles: This remake, exclusive to the

Nintendo Wii, recaptures the events from

the Playstation classic “Resident Evil 2”

and its Dreamcast follow-up, “Resident

Evil: Code Veronica.” Those who own a

Wii (or plan on getting one for Christmas)

can look forward to exterminating the fran-

chise's trademark ghoulish fiends this hol-

iday season. The game, released on

November 17, retails for around $50.

God of War Collection: Playstation 3

owners may have to wait until next year for

“God of War 3,” but at least something is

being done to help ease the anxiousness.

“God of War Collection” lovingly pairs the

first two tiles in the series (“God of War”

and “God of War 2”) together on a single

blu-ray disc. Although not technically a

remake, the games have been remastered

in high-definition-something that's sure to

delight fans with HD televisions.

Redesigns

Playstation 3: If you haven't bothered to

jump on Sony's next-gen bandwagon yet-

don't fret. A redesigned Playstation 3 was

unleashed back in September of this year

that is smaller, sleeker and lighter than the

original console. Of course, the best thing

redesigned about it is its price: a minus-

cule $299-pocket change compared to the

console's original launch price of $699.

Unlike previous versions of the Playstation

3, this new model cannot play Playstation

2 games or use a second operating sys-

tem such as Linux. But considering the

fact that Sony is actually losing money in

manufacturing the new PS3, and a PS2

can be picked up for around $30, it is still

quite the bargain.

PSP Go: Sony also unveiled a trimmed

down version of their Playstation Portable

aptly named the PSP Go due to its ease of

portability. The device unfortunately lacks

the ability to play disc-based games and

movies like Sony's original PSP. It

attempts to make up for this shortcoming

with a 16-gigabyte hard drive built in and

the ability to add up to 16 more gigabytes

using a memory stick. However, The PSP

Go retails for $249.99, seventy dollars

more than the original PSP, which includes

disc playability.

Sequels, Remakes, and Redesigns:

Holiday Video Gaming 2009 by JAMESON SHANK


Atreyu's new album, “Congregation of

the Damned,” is a true breath of fresh air-

at least compared to their last release,

“Lead Sails, Paper Anchor.” The main

problem most found with “Lead Sails,

Paper Anchor” was that the band was try-

ing to get more listeners by bringing more

of a mainstream pop feel to their music; by

doing this, they lost legions of their dedi-

cated fans. Feeling betrayed, most fans

were skeptic about Atreyu's new release,

but after hearing the first track, “Stop!

Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed

it All,” they changed their minds. No longer

was Atreyu trying to be a pop-friendly

incarnation of Hair Metal. Fans rejoiced,

knowing now that the classic Atreyu sound

is back.

Kicking off with “Stop! Before It's Too

Late and We've Destroyed it All”, the dual-

vocal attack is back with the screamo vibe

hitting just before each chorus. “Bleeding

Is A Luxury” has a very driven feel to it, and

“Black Days Begin” has a very gloomy,

powered by an unearthly tone. Overall,

the album is very good, and succeeds in

winning back some of Atreyu's old fans

while keeping the ones gained by “Lead

Sails, Paper Anchor.”

Although it is a full-length album, there's

something lacking from “Congregation of

the Damned.” Atreyu's identity sounds

vague and deceptive where before it was

more comfortable and sure. Responding

creatively to the changing demands of the

music industry is what makes or breaks

artists in the industry. In Atreyu's case,

however, they seem to be forced to walk

that middle ground against their will.

The Ratchet and Clank series is a fairlylong-running series that debuted on thePS2 in 2001, featuring Ratchet (a furry cat-like alien) and Clank (his robot companion)as they save the galaxy, brandishing avariety of over-the-top weaponry. T h enewest entry in the series completes thetrilogy began with PS3's “Ratchet andClank Future: Tools of Destruction” and“Quest for Booty with Ratchet and ClankFuture: a Crack in Time.”

To refresh gamers' memory or bringnewcomers to the series up to speed, thedevelopers feature a brief summary of theother games while it installs. At the end ofthe first R&CF game, Clank was suddenlyteleported by an omnipotent alien raceknown as the Zoni to an unknown locationand the following sequels have the player(as Ratchet) trying to find him, as well asuncovering the truth behind the disappear-ance of Ratchet's family. The one word todescribe this game is “epic.” From themoment you put the disc in (or download iton the Playstation Network), you will con-stantly feel as if the balance of time itselfrest upon your shoulders. The storylinesurpasses the previous games, filled withmultiple twists and surprises-and the

series' typical (yet still funny) humor. Thenew time-manipulation puzzles are com-plex, but not overly difficult and fun to solveand play, and the mix between platforming,racing, combat, and puzzles is superb; youwill never get bored with any one type ofgame play because it shifts to another justas you're about to put the controller down.

The only real downfall of “A Crack InTime” is the length of the game; it onlytakes an experienced R&C players about10-20 hours to complete the story,depending on if they do the numerous sidemissions, work on getting all upgrades forweapons, gold bolts, and pieces to asecret weapon. Beyond that, and while it iseasy to see that lot of effort went into thestoryline, but it feels a little lacking in fire-power; although many of the weapons areawesome, 3 of the 18 weapons actuallyripped off from “Tools of Destruction.”Upgrading weapons is a challenge that ishardly rewarding; reaching the final level ofa weapon only seems to alter it cosmeti-cally, and does little change to the actualfunction.

This game is fun from start to finish andis a good game for all ages to enjoy, Incomparison to previous R&C games, I give

it 5 out 5 Bolts, but on its own, 4 out of 5for its strong story, fun and varied game-

play, nice graphics, good dialogue, butalso for its lack of effort in weapons and

absence of multiplayer. Definitely a mustplay for any R&C fan, and totally recom-

mended for anyone else interested in theseries.

“R&C:Crack in Time” Cracks Smiles by JUSTIN ROBERTS

New Atreyu Album Launches A Much Needed Comeback

by DAVID HARRINGTON


“Congregation of the Damned”

STREET SMARTSAlyssa Cole tests NSHS

s t u d e n t s ! knowledge of a

random topic.

What are the names ofAustin Plagge:

“Vixen, Blizten, Comet,

Rudolf. That's all”

Holly Nelson & ChelseaCarroll:

“Comet, Cupid, Donner,Blizten, Rudolf, Comet,

Donner, Blitzen, uhhhh.Cupid? Rudolf? Google it!”

Shane Rumpza &

Abbie Burt:

“Danner, Comet,

Cupid, Rudolf,


all of Santa’s reindeer? Alex Rankin, Andrew

Chaney, & Tyler

Hamilton:

“Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,

Vixen, Comet, Cupid,

Donner, Blitzen & Rudolf!”

Unknown Old Man:

“Dixen, Dancer,

Prancer, Donner,

Blitzen, Rudolf.”

Katie Kranovich:

“Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,

Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,

Blitzen & Rudolf! Yes! I'm

Street Smart!”


Around Christmas, most kids spend theirtime wondering what presents they aregoing to receive or what they are going toeat for Christmas dinner. In 2002, howev-er, all Michael Oher was thinking aboutwas where he was going to sleep andwhen his next meal was going to be.

Oher is the subject of Michael Lewis's2006 book, “The Blindside: Evolution of aGame,” and the upcoming movie “TheBlindside” starring Sandra Bullock. Bothstories center around Oher and his manystruggles in life-some of which most peo-ple could never imagine. Oher's storydoesn't begin when he was an All-SECoffensive lineman at Ole Miss, nor does itbegin when he was an All-State footballplayer at Briarcrest High School: his storybegins when he was just a child on thestreets of Memphis, TN.

Michael did not have a real family in hislife when he was a child. He bounced fromfoster home to foster home until the age of16. His mother was a crack addict and hewas removed from her custody at a veryyoung age. Michael's father was neverreally in his life and was murdered whenMichael was a senior in high school. Withno family to push academics in his life,Michael struggled in school. He was forcedto repeat both first grade and secondgrade, and attended eleven diff e r e n tschools during his first nine years as a stu-dent. When Michael was 16, he applied foradmission to Briarcrest Christian School inMemphis. Briarcrest is a private schoolwith strict academic standards that mostpeople thought Michael couldn't meet, andfor the most part, those people were right.It wasn't until he met the Tuohy family thathis life changed forever.

It was on Thanksgiving break of thatsame year when the Tuohys spottedMichael walking on the side of the road ona snowy day in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. The family immediately pulled overand offered Michael a place to stay for thenight. From then on, the Tuohys took inMichael, allowing him a safe place to stayin their home in upscale East Memphis twoblocks from the school. For months hecame and went as he pleased, and even-tually the family paid his tuition and gavehim clothes and other necessities. Notlong after taking him in, the Tuohys hired atutor to address severe academic deficien-cies. The tutor worked with Michael for

around 20 hours a week and helped bringhis former GPA of 0.9 up to a 2.65.

From then on Michael's life onlyimproved more. He took over as the start-ing left tackle for his high school footballteam his senior season and quickly blos-somed into a division one collegeprospect. In fact, in 2004, Michael wasranked as the number one offensive line-man recruit in the country. After receivingscholarships from Tennessee, LSU,Alabama, and North Carolina State, heultimately decided to attend Ole Miss(University of Mississippi), which was thealma mater of his adoptive parents, Seanand Leigh Anne Tuohy.

In his first season at Ole Miss, Michaelstarted 10 games at guard, and became afreshman All-American. From then onMichael moved to left tackle and continuedto receive numerous All-American and All-Conference awards throughout his collegec a r e e r. Finally in 2009, the BaltimoreRavens selected Michael as the 23rd pickin the first round of the NFL draft.

Michael's story has impacted manypeople by showing that no matter whereyou come from, anything is possible; andthat where you have been, does not nec-essarily affect where you are going.

Road to Success: Micheal Oher by GRAYSON SCHMIDT

The real-life Micheal Oher


Disney's “A Christmas Carol” follows thespirit of the original Charles Dickens'snovel-to the point of boredom. Directed byRobert Zemeckis (The Polar Express), thisfilm is shot using motion capture technolo-gy to give it the appearance of any othermovie shot with a camera.

The story starts out like every other ver-sion ever made. Penny-scroungingEbenezer Scrooge is his usual “bah-hum-bug” self and refuses to give to the poor.Christmas Eve night however, holds manysurprises for him-three, to be exact.Scrooge is visited by the three ghosts ofChristmas: Past, Present, and Future.These three ghosts show him individualstories in an attempt to remind him of theman he once was, all in lieu of changinghim into the man he could be.

As a children's movie, the film is lacking.The film is slow; at times, the animation isborderline terrifying, depicting graphic,decomposing corpses of dead ghosts (atone point, Marley [Scrooge's deceased

former employee], has to physically straphis decaying chin back into place); and itlacks humor. The only conceivably funnypart is when Scrooge is shrunk down tothe size of mouse (a part which has little todo with the story, anyway).

Don't be fooled by the big names in thismovie, for it's the same as the older ver-sions. The biggest problem I found with thefilm is that although it is advertised as amovie for children, no normal child couldsit through it an enjoy it; to do so, the kidwould have to have the same maturitylevel as my grandparents-even as a seniorin high school, I could barely make itthrough it without falling asleep.

For adults, however, it is not a bad film.Disney's adaptation should have beenaimed at mature audiences who alreadyknow and have enjoyed the plot over theyears. As for children, there can't be manyout there who would leave the theater ask-ing for it as a Christmas present. Disney's“A Christmas Carol” is an enjoyable film,

but don't get scrooged out of your money

this holiday season by taking the whole

family to see it.

For years, movies have been trying toconvince us that we're not alone in the uni-verse; none that I have seen have con-vinced me-except for “The Fourth Kind.”

That is, until I realized it was a fake. Milla Jovovich stars as Dr. Abigail Tyler,

a psychologist in the town of Nome,Alaska, a town in which there has been anunusually large amount of unexplainabledisappearances over the past 40. At first,D r. Tyler (Jovovich) discovers similartrends between her patients; they all seemto have trouble sleeping and are constant-ly awoke to see what appears to be an owllooking at them through their window. Asthe movie progresses Dr. Tyler begins todiscover that what they are seeing couldpotentially be encounters with extra-terres-trials. The encounters are categorized intofour stages: an encounter of the first kind,being when someone witnesses a UFO,the second kind, being when evidence iscollected, the third kind, being when con-tact is made, and finally the fourth kind-abduction.

In spite of the fact that most of theevents and reenactments in the film arefakes, the “The Fourth Kind” still givesaudiences the feeling of witnessing anactual alien encounter. Throughout themovie, various scenes feature the so-called “documented footage” along withthe regular movie scenes to give the audi-ence. This definitely adds to the wholedocumentary feel, and keeps you on theedge of your seat throughout the entiremovie. Without this, the film would be noth-ing more than your average PG-13 sus-pense movie, which when you take intoconsideration that the footage is entirelyfake, it almost becomes just that.

Before I knew that the movie wasn't real,I would have given it about a 6, maybe a7/10. Now, however, I would give it only a5. Regardless of the authenticity of theactual footage, the movie is still interestingto watch and succeeds in making you won-der whether or not we're alone in the uni-verse. But if you don't mind a mockumen-tary, then go see “Paranormal Activity.”

Don’t Get Scrooged SeeingDisney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

by KAYLA HAMILTON

The Fourth Kind: Less Horror, More Documentary

by GRAYSON SCHMIDT


Sam Cosner

How many siblings do you have?2! Kristina(20) Michael(18)

Favorite song? Three Little Birds byBob Marley

Why do you deserve to be knownat North Scott? Because I keep itreal

Favorite article of clothing? Tallsocks

Favorite cartoon character? Arnold!

Favorite show growing up? Are youAfraid of the Dark?

Peak moment in high school? Making All-State and Regional HonorChoir

Most embarrassing moment? Too many to count

Activities at North Scott? North Scott Singers, 200 South

First high school crush? Logan Dues

Most admired person? Jesus Christ

What do you typically do on Saturday nights? Work or hang outwith besties :)

Favorite movie? Tie between Fight Club and Rent

Little known fact about yourself? My given name is Night Hawk

Favorite restaurant in the QC? Osaka!

Stacy Phipps

How many siblings do you have? 3;Sheldon, Ryan, Madison

Favorite song? I love you song from23rd Annual Putnam Count Spelling Bee

Why do you deserve to be known atNorth Scott? I don't think I have theright to tell people why to remember me.If you remember me, I hope it's positive.:)

Favorite article of clothing? Are snug-gies considered clothing?

Favorite cartoon character? Jasmine

Favorite show growing up? Scooby Doo

Peak moment in high school? I don't that I could pick one. Sorry.

Most embarrassing moment? When Hope, Alex, Kaleigh and I franticallysearched for my phone for an hour in Florida, and it was in my back pock-et…

Activities at North Scott? NS Singer, Jazz I , LP, and Speeech!

First high school crush? Nate Curlott

Most admired person? Krystin Chenoweth

What do you typically do on Saturday nights? I'm usually somewherewith Nathaniel.

Favorite movie? Blair Witch Project

Little known fact about yourself? My pinky fingers are misshapen

Steven Trent

How many siblings do you have? 1, Adrian Trent

Favorite song? Hump de Bump- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott? I deserve to beknown at NS because I am who I am. Nom.

Favorite article of clothing? Either of my twin shirts

Favorite cartoon character? Iron Man

Favorite show growing up? Spongebob Squarepants

Peak moment in high school? Making the All-State Choir in 2008

Most embarrassing moment? Freshmen, chubby, braces, and a mohawk

Activities at North Scott? NS singers, 200 South

First high school crush?Anna Wiese

Most admired person?My dad

What do you typically do on Saturdaynights? Either work, hang out withfriends, or indulge in some gaming.

Favorite movie?Bio-Dome

Little known fact about yourself?I am above the influence.

Favorite restaurant in the QC?OSAKA

Travis Brown

How many siblings do you have? I am blessed with one twin sister!(Jessica Brown)

Favorite song? Probably All-Star by Smash Mouth

Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott? Because of mymad beat boxing skillz!

Favorite article of clothing? My trusty winter coat

Favorite cartoon character? Spider-Man most definitely

Favorite show growing up? Power Rangers

Peak moment in high school? Either making all-state this year, orschool lunches

Most embarrassing moment?I am immune to embarrassment

Activities at North Scott? Choir,choir, choir, and some LP

First high school crush? Myself

Most admired person? Err….Myself! (Martin Luther King Jr. too)

What do you typically do onSaturday nights? Hang out withfriends, play video games, fightcrime…

Favorite movie? Pretty much anysuper hero movie

Little known fact about yourself? Iam Travis-Man Hero Extrodinaire


Katie Kranovich

How many siblings do you have?5- Louis(17), Philip(14), Daniel(11),Sadie(2), Charlie(1)

Favorite song? 8 Second Ride- JakeOwen

Favorite article of clothing? Myzebra shoes

Favorite cartoon character? Dexterfrom Dexter's lab

Favorite show growing up? Rugrats

Peak moment in high school? Sophomore basketball season withDaniel, Sam, and all our boys. Definitely the Burlington bus ride

Most embarrassing moment? Tripping in the cafeteria because KevinHaan tried putting lettuce in my hood.

Activities at North Scott? None

First high school crush? Matt Cronkleton

Most admired person? My nana

What do you typically do on Saturday nights? Work with Sam orMatt

Favorite movie? Joe Dirt

Little known fact about yourself? I have a twin brother who goes toBettendorf

Favorite restaurant in the QC? Azteca

Peter Trainor

How many siblings do you have? 3Pat, 26 Cheryl, 23 Rachel, 15

Favorite song? Forever by Chris Brown

Why do you deserve to be known atNorth Scott? Cause I'm fly

Favorite article of clothing? My moccasins

Favorite cartoon character? PeterGriffin

Favorite show growing up? Hey Arnold

Most embarrassing moment? When the goal post fell on me twice in thesame practice. Some people say that I cried, but I didn't cry.

Activities at North Scott? Soccer

First high school crush? Ms. Adams

Most admired person? Dylan Zeimet

What do you typically do on Saturday nights?… I go to “soccer” parties

Favorite movie?Fired Up

Little known fact about yourself?I'm deaf in my left ear

Favorite restaurant in the QC?Taco Bell

Tyler Larsen

How many siblings do you have? One brother, Andrew

Favorite song? Anything by Angels and Airwaves

Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott? Everyonedeserves to be known

Favorite article of clothing? Shorts

Favorite cartoon character? The roadrunner

Favorite show growing up? Pokemon

Peak moment in high school? 2009 soccer game vs. clinton

Most embarrassing moment? Going to wrong classes on wrong days

Activities at North Scott? Soccer, cross country, band, key club

First high school crush? LauraCarstens

Most admired person? My father

What do you typically do onSaturday nights? Hang out withfriends or play PS3

Favorite movie? Saving PrivateRyan

Little known fact about yourself?I am a Canadian citizen

Favorite restaurant in the QC?Osaka Steakhouse

Zoey Caweizell

How many siblings do you have? 2- Thomas(16) and Veronica(18)

Favorite song? Franklin

Why do you deserve to be known at North Scott? Because I'm a Boss

Favorite article of clothing? Cardigans

Favorite cartoon character? Snoopy

Favorite show growing up? The Classic Cartoons- Looney Tunes,Scooby Doo, Charlie Brown

Peak moment in high school? Senior Homecoming

Most embarrassing moment? Summer 09

Activities at North Scott? Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, StudentGovernment, SADD/Jel, Key Club

First high school crush? Cole Prater

Most admired person? There are manypeople that I admire

What do you typically do on Saturdaynights? Get ice cream with my bestfriend or celebrate holidays with the girls

Favorite movie? The Blind Side andTransformers

Little known fact about yourself?I have eleven toes

Favorite restaurant in the QC? Azteca-they know how to celebrate a birthday


Senioritis. For many high school stu-

dents, this word is frequently on the brain,

oftentimes beginning while they are fresh-

men. Each year, a few students make the

decision to fight against the dastardly dis-

ease by getting out of high school as

quickly as they can, sometimes a semes-

ter or even a year early.

The magic number of credits for gradua-

tion at North Scott is 54. For seniors ambi-

tious enough to have taken a full schedule

freshman through junior year, this means

they can be out of here at semester after

only taking 5 more classes. Or as in the

case of senior Ann Abney, students who

received high school credit during junior

high can accumulate enough credits to

graduate an entire year early.

To some, the idea of leaving the school

they have known for most of their lives

while missing out on some of the most

exciting experiences may seem crazy, but

reasons like unchallenging academics,

lack of overall interest, and prospects with

work instead draw a handful of students

away each year.

Casey Berglund, Lauren Loeffelholtz,

Julie Waner, and Marissa Williams are

some of the seniors done after December

finals.

Early grads are still able to walk with their

class at the May graduation ceremony,

and may accompany other North Scott stu-

dents to Prom as their guests.

If considering the next few years of high

school give you a sudden case of seniori-

tis, you do not just shake it off. Look into

how graduating early can affect you-it

could be one of the best decisions you

ever make.

Important Dates to Remember

Seniors to Graduate at Semester by JULIE WANER

JANUARY 1 - Start signing up for FAFSA, but onlyafter your parents have filed for theirincome taxes.

APRIL 1 - University of Iowa Application Deadline

JUNE 30 - FAFSA deadline for the 2009-2010school year.

JULY 1 -

Iowa State University Application

Deadline

AUGUST 15 -

University of Northern Iowa Application

Deadline

Marissa Williams, one of the seniors graduating at semester.


As the long awaited winter break

approaches and finals for the first semes-

ter come to an end, many seniors may

come to a happy (or sad) realization: there

is only one semester left of their high

school career.

For some seniors this will be a time to

slack off and party; for others this will be a

time to get the most out of friendships that

will likely wither outside of high school' and

for most it is a time of desperation to finish

up last-minute college applications.

To survive as time wears on, here is

some advice from former seniors for what

to do to help get you through the last

semester and still have a good time.

Be involved. This is some of the most

fun you will ever have with other people

from North Scott. You can do pretty much

any activity, even if you've never been a

part of one before. If you are interested in

joining athletics now, there is Tr a c k ,

Tennis, Soccer, Softball, Baseball, and

Girls Golf. However if you are not “athleti-

cally gifted” like many, you can still be a

part of our great drama program.

Children's Theatre auditions are in March

and are designed with less experienced

actors in mind. These are just a few of the

many activities going on around the high

school.

Michelle Paulus, current Iowa State

University student and former Lancer,

said, “The more you know you have to do,

the less likely you are to procrastinate,”

which further emphasizes the importance

of being involved. Nick Hennigan, a former

senior at North Scott and current student

at the University of Iowa, said that had it

not been for Tennis in the last semester it

would have been tough to get through until

the end of the year.

Keep your grades up. While it may

not do much to affect your overall GPA,

many universities look at what you did in

your senior year to determine if they want

you in their institution. If you don't have

good grades, you will lose out on many

scholarship opportunities and may end up

back in the classroom for a fifth year.

Ken Krebs, current Grand Vi e w

University student and North Scott gradu-

ate, said that the thing that kept him going

was the “knowledge that if [he] didn't get

good grades, [he] would be forced into

another semester of high school.”

Paulus only emphasized the points

many of the North Scott teachers have

been preaching, saying, “College is noth-

ing like high school. They won't hold your

hand.” If you can slack off now and work

your way into letting the teacher allow you

to turning your work in late, that will hurt.

In college if the work is turned in late, you

may as well just throw it into the recycle

bin.

As vacation approaches and first semes-

ter ends, remember that if you slack off

now, even though it is be fun now, it could

quite possibly affect the rest of your life.

Plus who wouldn't want an excuse to hang

out with friends during awesome activi-

ties? Be smart and save the partying till

you are safely out of high school.

Here's to our last semester at North

Scott. I'm sure it will be unforgettable.

for Graduating Seniors

Tips For Surviving Second Semester by AARON VINER

ACT TEST DATESFebruary 6April 10June 12

SAT TEST DATESMarch 13May 1June 5

REGISTRATION DEADLINESJanuary 5March 5May 7

REGISTRATION DEADLINESFebruary 4March 25April 29


Every year it seemswe find out that anoth-er familiar word orphrase has beendeemed offensive tosomebody some-where. No longer canwe wish someone a“Merry Christmas”without wondering ifthey'll snap back withan angry responsethat the mere mentionof Christmas is againsttheir religion.

How far can this gountil everything is sogeneric that the holi-day season ceases toexist? When some-one wishes someoneelse well, they are nottrying to undermine their rights or their beliefs: they're just wishingsomeone well. That's all. Just because someone doesn't believein a certain religion or celebrate a certain holiday doesn't meanthat they can't just accept good tidings from a stranger regardless.If someone walked up to me and wished me a happy Hanukkah,I'd smile and say thank you, even though I'm not Jewish. It's thethought that counts, isn't it?

What happened to common decency? Good will towards man? Oh wait, that's a Christmas phrase, right? Can I say that and

not offend you? Once upon a time I could, but the very notion nowseems like a fairy tale.

In fact, I find the very concept of “X-mas” offensive. To me, say-ing “Merry X-mas” is like putting an “X” through Christ-like cross-ing Him off like he's just another name in just another book. Eventhough we're not offending non-Christians now, we're offendingthe believers-and it's the believers who are actually entitled to cel-ebrating the holiday.

Politically correctness is supposed to bring everyone togetherby taking away the things that make us different, but instead itdoes the opposite: political correctness breeds contempt towardsanyone who is different. Even telling someone to have a nice“Winter Vacation” could be taken offensively-perhaps that persondoesn't get a vacation from work or school. Also, the term “win-ter” itself generally brings to mind images of snow, warm coats,and scarves. Isn't that offensive to people who live in warm cli-mates that don't get to experience those things? Maybe weshould just tell everyone to have a nice day instead. Oops, thatwould be offensive to people living in Alaska who don't get sun-light this time of year. I guess you just can't please everyone allthe time.

Christmas is a time for Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ-there's no debating that. I don't speak for everyone, but it's a safebet to say that Christians don't really mind people who don't prac-tice jumping on the holiday bandwagon, but when those passen-gers are huffing and puffing about being offended and missing thepoint of the holiday in the first place, can't we tell them to get theirown damn wagon? In fact, they can get their own holiday andleave everybody else in peace.

It!s around this timeof year that theEnglish departmentstarts pushing theresearch paper. A sthe holiday festivitiesstart settling in, it!stempting to just copy afew sentences from abook or even a wholeparagraph fromWikipedia, if for noother reason than tomake the holidaybreak come a little bitearlier.

Don!t.The English depart-

ment at North Scotthas already done awonderful job inform-

ing students of the consequences of ripping off someone else!swork; I have no interest in playing the part of a broken record—instead, I!m going to appeal to the emotional element often over-looked in the education system and hope, for your sake, you!llhumor me.

I know it!s easy to just cut and paste when typing that researchpaper, but I beseech you—hell, I beg you, do not give in.Someone else put just as much effort as I did into what you areunrightfully claiming as yours. Not all of you are writers, and Iunderstand it may be hard to grasp what you are doing; allow methe honor of putting it in respective. Athletes—you wouldn!t wantothers claiming your game-winning shot or that record you brokeas theirs, would you? Musicians—that song you composed orthat note you sung, that!s singularly yours, is it not? Scholars—lord knows you spend more time leveling up your GPA than MMOaddicts spend leveling up their Draenei; you deserve the credit.Artists—you didn!t spend hours in that studio creating master-pieces just to scrub the medium off, did you? Thespians—thattime you took center stage and the lights shined for you, that wasyour moment, your time to shine and no one else!s. Anyone whohas ever created anything ever—you own your work and you takepride in it; let all the glory Born from your efforts be yours, andyours alone.

Is it too much to ask of people to find it in their hearts to allowtheir neighbors—nay, their brothers and sisters in human intel-lect—the right of ownership? I know plagiarizing is a tempting sin,and although you will probably never see the writers of the text-books and encyclopedias you!re stealing from, you will see theNorth Scott student body every single day, and let us stand as asymbol of who you are hurting when you pilfer the fiction and non-fiction section alike. After all, when you steal from our masses,you're not hurting us: you're hurting yourself.

If the urge to plagiarize strikes you, I implore you please findme before it takes you as its next victim. I will sit down with youand help you avoid committing this crime; together, we will utilizeany and all techniques at our disposal—together, we will createsomething at the very least uniquely yours, and if we!re lucky,something you can be proud of. If it keeps you from plagiarizing,find me, and to quote the great Archimedes,“give me where tostand, and [we] will move the earth.”

Editor SKYLAR MOORE Editor KIRSTEN WOHLFORD

NSHS Students:

Stop Plagiarizing Now Wishing You a PoliticallyCorrect ‘Winter Holiday’


Recipes courtesy of Cooks.com andAllRecipe.com

FAVORITE HOT COCOAIngredients:

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa5 tbsp. granulated sugarDash salt3 tbsp. hot water2 c. milk1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:1. Combine cocoa, sugar, salt and hotwater in a pan.

2. Heat until boiling. 3. Add milk; cook on low until hot. 4. Stir in vanilla.5. Serve.

OREO BALLSIngredients:

1 pkg. Oreos1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese1 pkg. almond bark

Directions:1. Twist Oreos and take apart.2. Scrape cream from cookies and put

i nto large bowl. 3. Add cream cheese to bowl and mixcream together.3. Put remainder of cookies into a Ziploc and seal. 4. Use a rolling pin to finely crush.5. Add finely crushed cookies to the creamed mixture and stir.6. Roll into 1-inch balls and chill.7. Melt almond bark.8. Dip cookie balls into almond bark and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.9. Let set and then serve.

PEANUT BUTTERFUDGEIngredients:

4 cups white sugar1 cup milk1/2 cup butter1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow crème12 ounces peanut butter2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:1. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish; setaside.

2. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk,and butter.

3. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. 4. Remove from the heat. 5. Stir in the marshmallow crème and peanut butter.6. Gradually stir in the flour.7. Spread into the prepared pan, and let cool.8. Serve.

DIPPED PRETZELSIngredients:

One pound of almond bark 1-2 bags of mini pretzels1 bag of holiday M&M's

Directions:1. Put a sheet of wax paper over a pan. 2. Melt the almond bark in the top pan of a double boiler at low temperature. 3. Once melted, dip the pretzels into the almond bark and place on wax paper.4. Place an M&M on each pretzel. 5. Keep in cold place until the almond bark hardens.6. Serve.

SNOW ICE CREAMIngredients:

1 c. milk1 tsp. vanilla1/2 c. sugarFresh snow

Directions:1. Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar.2. Beat well until frothy.3. Place mixture in a large bowl and add enough clean, fresh snow until the liquid is completely absorbed by the snow.4. Serve.

Holiday Recipes Sure to Delight by ELISA STEGMAN


Photo GalleryThe LANCE - December 17, 2009

Pg #30

1 - Jenna Gerard, Laura

Carstens, Jessica Jennings,

and Jordan Olson at National

Honor!s Society.

2 - From “It!s A Wonderful Life”

with actors Stacy Phipps, Nate

Curlott and Shane Rumpza.

3 - Choir concert at the Festival

of Trees.

12

3

Photo GalleryThe LANCE - December 17, 2009Pg #31

4 - Lindsey Boock and Alexis Buchman enjoying a snowy day.

5 - Paige Lewis participating in Mr. Merrick!s Egg Drop competi-tion.

6. Student participants during the talent show costumed volley-ball game.

4 5

6

ANGELSBELLSCANDYCANDY CANESCHRISTMAS TREECOOKIESEGGNOGELVESFROSTYGARLANDGINGERBREADGRINCHHOLIDAY

HOLLYJESUSJINGLEMISTLETOENOELNUTCRACKERORNAMENTSPRESENTSREINDEERRUDOLFSANTA CLAUSSCROOGESEASON

SLEIGHSNOWSNOWMANSPIRITSTARSTOCKINGSTIDINGTINSELTRADITIONWASSAILWREATHYULE

Winter Crossword Puzzle B C H C L F R R J F A O O E L V E S H R W B C

U M X T K J G O H G U Z C E O J M V R O E A A

R B M I O F T Y M O N E B A M J V J N P N O W

W C U D Y A Q W N X L M J D N X J S G D O N V

H H A I U J I N G L E L N S E D X G Y E H I K

V T G N X O D F T P N U Y I C P Y C Y F R J A

L A L G V J C M I S T L E T O E A P G S G E L

E E Y S H J K L T C Y J V B N N D G A N R S S

G R O H R V B R R H Z N S Z E N A R R O B U H

G W N N Y S A A Y Q M G G S J R E I L W K S O

N Z I F L D C E I B E L L S Q Y R N A M I S L

O H R E I K H R S V S E X K W Q B C N A L T I

G Z G T E N R E F C A L S V Y Q R H D N B N D

Q N I R P U I E R H N E E M Y I E X Y U L E A

A O A E E K S D O Y T S A T A L G M P M Q M Y

N K Q I O C T N S E A N S I S F N S W Q J A T

N A V O R K M I T R C I O R M I I H R D S N T

F E C O W U A E Y C L T N I E I G I Z Z M R J

E P O O D M S R I R A T S P D T L B J W C O X

X G A F P D T M S X U W A S S A I L W Y R T D

E X T S N I R W U H S U Z A K H G I E L S B T

D K P R E S E N T S J S T O C K I N G S V Y I

I I D R F Y E R U D O L F V W W G R I I Y W G

Documents

Lance Winter Edition